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What was Brigitte Bardot doing on the Costa del Sol? Read all about it in our supplement inside
AS you take mountain air a deep breath of viewpoints, you from one of its many It’s not just about can just about donkeys. World-fam out the hubbub make charm, Mijas ous for its chocolate is always adding of Fuengirola of the fleshpots and Benalmadena flavours, discovers box miles down below. by a backdrop Kimberly Mannion of picturesque Although no glistening mountains with more than the the village. 15-minute drive a You are in sea in the foreground. the foothills of anglicised resorts,from these designated the Sierra de Mijas Discovering the charming Moorish - now worth retreat of Mijas the village ogy and a National Park for its important ecol- from the journey up the winding pueblo is well sands of miles seems thou- and deer nature, that includes eagles, mountain road - and a series vultures My Fuengirola. urbanisations away from the of the village of hikes head driver had only straight uphill towards A classic white down below. ridges and peaksout before, so the steep just passed his test the pueblo with en- well over 1,000 metres. chanting streets day climb and at for a brilliant But, before heading comes gift wrapped baptism of fire. sharp bends made off on an adventure there it was immediately time, make sure But when we of a lifegot to take your time worth it. poking around Continues on
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voice in Spain
March 24th
- April 6th
2021
365 www.theolivepress.es
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THE START:
The first edition
of the Olive
Press in 2006
15 YEARS OF FUN
its 15th Press reaches As the Olive recall a few of our birthday, we and remember such favourite interviews top readers,(above) a couple of our minister Rajoy as ex-prime Paul Gascoigne... and prime joker
a warning after Private school moved to Spain, EXCLUSIVE: and found British paedophile convicted record checks dodged criminal English teacher in Madrid work as an
Spain Fiona Govan schools around after a British INTERNATIONAL most on high alert a new idenof Madrid’s have been put after creating teaching at one after being conpost language academydocuments. man began teaching remonths Lewis got tity, using forged of the sex offender exclusive colleges teacher UK. colleagues name to dodge DANGER: after Ben Lewis, victed in the sumbe- Formerthat he created a new a job as an English secbeen raised he accepted in order to run (concertado)from school despite vealed Questions have semi-private record checks private classes to 2017 to work at the register. at a leading that receives subsidies 31, was able and teach sex offenders Lewis, criminal ing on the UK’s has discovered that sex of- mer camps after ondary school by for child young children. his name to Ben David and the state. name Ben David The Olive Press another awaiting trial changed of taking Madrid V, going by the who is now a He hadconvicted in June 2016of children in “He was was offered the job aftera former Penitenciario schools and being then and fences at Centro mid-term,” the Olive indecent images hoodwink TWO dropped out told possessing managed to England. placed on teacher Natasha Fitzsimons As well as beinglist and be- colleague to fill the posiPress. the sex offender a two-year susthey were desperate as thorough as ing handed he was “I think maybe they weren’t so pended sentence, leaving the tion have been. barred fromworking with they should country or Horrified school for 18 children. weeks he had at the Yet within together goand found worked together moved to Spain as a live- “We on private classes children for months, took of some of the work in Zaragoza summer a family with ing to the homesteaching and ran a said the in au pair tochildren. extracurricularschool during 2018,” horror at three young year he rewith camp at the who is filled The following and bea Irish colleague, located to Madrid had to children. that the day children at the access he his has discovered gan teaching language Olive Press in the UK he changed well-known get- The Lewis Ben David NAMES: two academy afterrecord after sentencing deed poll from that takes just 15 different passports ting a criminalZarago- name by in a process check from show he to Ben David, a British za police to in minutes. applied for and received also preHe then his new name, while he Israeli had no convictions his the previpassport in Spain over photocopy of by a sented a doctoredstamped and verified ous 12 months. showed December passport Then in law firm that non-existentBen David Rose. his name as has seen photocopdegree The Olive Press plus a teaching ies of these, Teaching Status (QTS) the name and Qualified presented in certificates Rose as well as certifCOVERED of Ben Davidoriginal name. ALL AREAS April icates in his is that by a teaching What is amazing applied for 4G UNLIMITED 2019 he had private school in the job at a leading Soria district that INTERNET to the upmarket Arturo IDEAL FOR British curriculum TV teaches the elite. STREAMING children of Madrid’s had a DBS certificate ALSO IPTV, By now he also 6 TV SATELLITE Opinion Page
at the we spend time ...meanwhile,world’s most famous home of thehe announces he’s plumber as Spanish citizen, after becoming a and losing €15m to 15 years here his ex-wives...
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- April 2021 Vol. 15 Issue 365 March
Getting things done
in 2006 ROM its very first issue camthe Olive Press has been paigning for its community.environWhether fighting for the we have ment or digging into crooks, taken some big scalps. (see top right) has Starting from Issue One A decade and a half of campaigning plans to we highlighted the ridiculous the Olive Press golf courses scored some big wins for build 2000 houses, two and two hotels on UNESCO-protected as exposed land near Ronda, as well a 350-room we were legends Ferran Adria the madness of building in AlmeWhen it comes to corruption to write and Gordon Ramsey. and Nigel monstrosity on a virgin beach maverick Jeremy Griffiths,gold-dealing the first English newspaper Junta And it was nice to chat ria’s Cabo de Gata. the ERE scandal at the in RonGoldman, a degenerate column about an estimated to Ciudadanos leader Both schemes - Los Merinos, de Andalucia that cost dirt-bag, who had a restaurant hotel, in Almewhile we Albert Rivera, as well he used to da, and the Algarrobico billion euros to the taxpayers,on a local as the only newspaper our stories in a local newspaper, which ria - went into reverse after national also tackled town hall theft cover his tracks. to be able to pose a crook Toni made the UK AND Spanish We also tackled timesharedeserves a scale on dozens of occasions. groups includof questions to newspapers and green cruelty has been a continual couple en AcMuldoon, who certainly of peo- Animal and we have exposed so many Michelle Obama on her ing Greenpeace and Ecologistas bugbear mention for conning thousands scoundrels visit to Marbella a few to prison for cion joined our protests. crooks, like evil abusers, as well as thekill innocent years ago. ple and eventually went And then there were the Daniel who allowed hunters to a finca in Ex- Indeed, the positives setting up fake escort websites. reporting on Crimestoppers’ Most Wanted circus lions and tigers at and Matthew Meanwhile, our crime far outweigh the neg‘blew open Johnston, a bank robber, paedophile, tremadura (see below). it was great atives and we would missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick of her grandSammon, a dangeroustracked down a more positive front, the case’, to use the words investiga- Oninterview everyone from Princess Di- prefer to be judged who we single-handedlyand a car park to mother, while our continuing cooking over 50 rather than McCann has to a village near Sevilla ex-lover James Hewett to tion into missing Maddie 15 years. with its ana’s in Fuengirola. ‘the dogman’ yielded exclusive after exclusive, As far as we are conAnd fraudsters like David frequent links to Spain. cerned we have only Klein, pet transport just begun.
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British Embassy and ConsulaOn behalf of all at the huge congratulations to all to wish tes, I want anniverOlive Press on your 15th at the sary. press The English language UK plays a vital role in keepingAnd nationals in Spain informed. your we very much appreciate help in getting key messages out to UK nationals here. After an incredibly difficult inyear for so many of us, cluding many businesses, it is great to see the Olive Press thriving. We look forward to seeing what the next 15 years bring.
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MINISTERIO DE JUSTICIA
for there is an opportunity the way in tackhe photographed and filmed. the sick Spain to lead level,” she said. By Fiona Govan He then disseminated on ling it at a global Spain to inin Madrid wants material on paedo forums the world. Her charity an po- the dark web around CEO of troduce the need to present loophole that has allowed British Emily Konstantas, Alliance, original birth certificate alongtentially hundreds of in The Safeguarding Press for side a passport and criminal paedophiles to find work applauded the Olive checks that would allow the issue: “The record employers to unearth Spanish schools. an in- highlighting The campaign follows Press Ben Lewis case as revealed by potential change of identity. vestigation by the Olive it was the Olive Press highlights this a a simple way to provide that revealed how easyoffender loophole and as shocking as “It’s extra check,” she insisted. new and that for a convicted UK sex severity and danger this find this is, it is nothing represents just “The whole to change his identity and the to unfortunately presents several work as a teacher in he was the tip of the iceberg as to the loophole world cannot be underestimatMadrid schools where least 36 magnitude of this problem.” status ed.” arrested for abusing at She warned: “Whilst the signif- An extensive report by The children. quo remains in situ this safe- Safeguarding Alliance is being the UK parliaicant and very dangerous contin- used to lobby change in the Criminal guarding loophole will to ment for a legal 31, ue to pose a threat, not just of management of sex offenders. We reported how Ben Lewis, Nationals, but to the rest how the current by deed had changed his name British UK world putting children and It explains on the registered poll, applied for a newcriminal the most vulnerable at risk,” system relies to notify the pothose sex offender passport, and dodged of any name on she warned. hun- lice with details record checks despite being “There are potentially - of change, alongside any change the UK’s sex offenders register. infora state- dreds - if not thousands of address and passport Police in Spain issued Lew- known sex offenders slipping UK to mation. ment last week describing as he is under the radar in the they “Currently the onus lies solely is - or Ben David Rose, and although work abroad where now known - as ‘a dangerous seek continue to abuse chil- with the offender notify, it is an offence to fail to a dechild sexual predator’. that he can she continued. this is not The National Police saida teach- dren,” loophole is arguably the one could argueoffender already had used his position as Madrid “This safeguarding scandal terrent as the to commit and has the propensity er at private schools in whom biggest the world has ever seen to gain access to children
DE REGISTRO CENTRAL SEXUALES DELINCUENTES
de Verificación Código Seguro
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May 5th - May 18th 2021
E OLIVE PRESS EXCLUSIV to investigation leads from child protection plea United Kingdom charity
protecTHE UK’s leading childSpain to tion group is calling for process tighten the recruitment of English teachers. The plea by The Safeguarding the Alliance aims to protect legal country against a British
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es
offence which could failure to so is a criminal five years imprisperson does not need IN the United Kingdom a to start using a new result in a term not exceeding onment. to follow an official process ‘deed poll’ to apply for However, evidence demonstrates that not every name, but they require a such as a new act with honesty and registered sex offender willas required. or to change official documents report a change of name discovered through passport. and easily online for This can be done simply that takes no longer The Safeguarding Alliance requests to 16 of the little or no cost in a process and can even be Freedom of Information 913 people with sex UK’s 46 police forces that gone missing after than 15 minutes to process cell. had completed from a prison Sexual Offences Act of offence convictions without informing the Under section 84 of the report a name change changing their names 2003, an offender must to the police, and police. within three working days
en https://sede.mjusticia.gob.es ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnop este documento Verificación: Seguro de Puede verificar del Código Juego de caracteres
Vol. 15 Issue 368 www.theolivepress.
FREE
Gerente Territorial
en ZARAGOZA
Sexuales, de Delincuentes del Registro Central la Base de Datos de la fecha, consultada relativa a: Que, en el día información penal NO CONSTA nº 22807454 ROSE con Pasaporte D./Dª BEN DAVID a la organización de febrero, relativa Consejo de 26 Estados miembros, 2009/315/JAI del penales entre los por otros Decisión Marco de antecedentes dispuesto en la las condenas impuestas de los registros sin Conforme a lo de información incluye, en su caso, hayan sido notificadas, del intercambio el presente certificado y al contenido en que tales condenas tipos delictivos ciudadanos españoles, en los mismos términos de condena y los tratándose de delictivos del Estado de la Unión Europea, entre los tipos Estados miembros una equiparación que exista necesariamente su expedición. nacionales. en la fecha de del titular interesado/a refleja la situación El presente certificado de agosto de 2017 Zaragoza a 29
CERTIFICA:
DANGER: Lewis gothelp teaching post, with of ‘fake’ papers the very serious crimes,” states Press. report, seen by the Olive and Through extensive research Allicase law The Safeguarding offendance has identified thatrequired ers are not notifying as chiland are continuing to abuse names dren by changing their and obfuscating their identities of Ben as seen through the case overLewis/Rose absconding seas to continue to abuse. Pagina 1 de 1
Ref: 00003143792/2017
Signature Not
Verified
Documento firmado
electrónicamente
Undermined
“As a result, the effectiveness the of important legislation, the Sex Offenders Register, Child Sex Offender Disclosure Violence Scheme, the Domestic DBS are Disclosure Scheme, the renundermined and effectively dered redundant,” it states. “The case of Ben Lewis/Rose be highlights why Spain should safeaware of this very seriousshould guarding loophole and movepioneer an international from ment to protect its childrenunder those abusers who slip change the radar using the name loophole,” Konstantas added.
Opinion Page 6
Continues on page 2
ANDALUCÍA
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 16 Issue 395 www.theolivepress.es June 1st - June 14th 2022
REVERSE THIS!
U -T U R
Olive Press campaign demands urgent action to restore driving rights to thousands
THE Olive Press is launching a campaign to demand a U-turn in draconian new rules stopping thousands of British expats from driving in Spain. We have been sparked into action after hearing dozens of horror stories involving long-term residents around the country. Most were shunted into the hard shoulder after receiving poor advice from lawyers and gestors. They include pensioners, who have lived here for decades, employees of blue chip companies and even British lawyers, who were unable to get clear advice. The Olive Press’ very own salesperson Tina Brace has also become a victim, despite living here for 24 years. “A combination of Spain’s infamous bureaucracy and impenetrable laws has left far too many people prejudiced,” said Olive Press editor Jon Clarke. “We intend to put pressure on the powers that be in both the UK and Spain to try and get this rule changed.” The problem came about after years of discussions regarding the right for British expats to swap their licences over to Spanish ones.
By George Mathias
It started after a Brexit transition period begun in January 2020. The apparently straightforward exchange was made more complicated however, due to the confusing rules, which varied by region… and of course the pandemic. While some expats were able to simply turn up and swap their licence others were bogged down by paperwork issues. A series of three extensions to give expats more time came to an end on April 30.
Kick
Marbella lawyer Mark Wilkins, from ROS Abogados, came unstuck after believing that common sense would prevail, as it has in many other EU countries. While he was able to transfer his licence in the nick of time, his wife was left out in the cold and can no longer legally drive here. So angry was the lawyer, who moved here from Surrey a few years ago, that he has had direct contact with UK transport secretary Grant Shapps over the debacle.
He told the Olive Press: “It’s excellent you are doing this campaign which I fully support. “I have great respect for your paper and its campaigning, but you will need the help of your friends at the embassy to push this through. Go on and kick ‘em!” He does however, remain fairly op-
timistic and during his conversations with Shapps he was told the problem would be ‘resolved shortly’ and that talks were ‘reasonably advanced’. “They seem to have their legs under the table,” he said, but insisted that no deal was ‘imminent’. “I feel a bit impotent and not sure what else I can do,” he added. The British Embassy meanwhile remained upbeat. “We are hopeful that an agreement will be reached in the coming weeks and remain fully committed to making this happen,” said a spokesperson.
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Old meets new - explore city the costa’s garden
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A BRITISH paedophile who the Olive Press revealed had changed his name by deed poll to forge legal documents to find work as a teacher in Spain has been sentenced to 138 years in prison by a court in Madrid. Ben David Rose was handed the jail term after being found Estepona guilty of OLIVE producing PRESS child porSCHOOLS nography involving PAEDO 36 children CALL after lying his way into one of Madrid’s most prestigious private FLASHBACK: Our schools. exclusive The case raised serious safeguarding concerns after it emerged he had been convicted for similar crimes in the UK and placed on the sex offenders register before moving to Spain where he found work as an au pair and then as an English teacher in several schools in the capital. The 32-year-old had in 2016 been convicted of sex crimes against children while running a summer camp in the UK when he used the name he was born with Ben David Lewis. In an investigation carried out by
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She insisted it was untrue that the Spanish authorities had dynamited a deal because the UK refused to give access to its vehicle database to chase up holidaymakers with unpaid fines. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, which is responsible for the gaffe, refused to comment. See Page 5 Opinion Page 6
2
CRIME
www.theolivepress.es
NEWS IN BRIEF Shooting hoops THE Marbella Netball Club summer tournament has returned after a threeyear hiatus featuring teams from Gibraltar, Manilva, Madrid A and the UK at Laude International School in San Pedro.
Funding flop CIRCUSES with wild animals have been excluded from being eligible for government grants via the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music over animal welfare concerns.
Catwalk Charity Age Concern hosted a fundraising fashion show raising €800 in honour of its former secretary Carol Frost who died earlier this month.
Child taken A Belgian man has been arrested after kidnapping his son, 2, and bringing him to Spain. Police discovered he was wanted by Belgian authorities following a bitter custody battle
June 1st - June 14th 2022
Speedster Brit
Gone phishing
A BRITISH man, 21, has been arrested in Sevilla after leading police on a 180 kilometre per hour chase around city streets. A luxury hire-car valued at €148,000, and rented in Marbella, was wrecked when the young driver lost control of it. Police said it came close to hitting ‘several people’ during the 10 kilometre pursuit. Besides the Brit, a 19-year-old Irish man travelling with him was released after questioning.
A bank ‘phishing’ con netted a nationwide gang at least €443,600 from 146 victims. The Policia Nacional have arrested 13 people in A Coruña, Cordoba (5), Huelva, Madrid (2), Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca and Terrassa in Barcelona Province. Seven more are being investigated. Victims were fooled into providing their online banking login details via fake emails acting as security alerts which appeared to be sent by genuine banks.
BITCOIN MOST WANTED
Spanish aristocrat and Brit crypto expert placed on FBI’s most wanted listed over North Korea links
A SPANISH aristocrat and a British Bitcoin entrepreneur formerly based in Gibraltar have been placed on the FBI’s most wanted listed over their alleged links to North Korea. Alejandro Cao de Benos, 47 and Christopher Emms,
30, are separately accused of breaking sanctions imposed by the US to ‘illegally provide cryptocurrency and blockchain services to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).’ Cao de Benos, who comes from an aristocratic Spanish
A BRITISH man is facing 18 years in jail after he fatally punched his friend during a drunken row when the pair were working a summer in Ibiza. Mitchell Andrew Loveridge, 26, is accused of murdering 21-year-old Harry Kingsland in a trial that begins in Ibiza on Monday. Kingsland, from Shirley, Solihull, suffered catastrophic head injuries in the incident in San Antonio in July 2018. According to prosecutors, Kingsland
family, is well known as the only Westerner to officially work for North Korea’s notorious regime. The 47 year-old from Barcelona has described himself as a ‘special representative’ of the dictatorship and has been making headlines in Spain as
a propagandist for the country since founding the Korean Friendship Association. When not working as a one-man publicity machine for North Korea abroad or making frequent trips to the country, he worked as an IT consultant. Then in 2016 he was arrested for suspected arms trafficking, after two unregistered pistols were discovered at his home.
Killed own friend and Loveridge were drinking in an apartment with two other friends after they all had finished their day working as club promoters on the strip. Here, Kingsland had tried to intervene in an argument between Loveridge and another of the friends but was punched in the head by the defendant.
Conferences
But the reason for his appearance on the FBI most wanted list is for his alleged involvement in organising cryptocurrency conferences in Pyongyang along with ‘co-conspirator’ Christopher Emms.
PAEDO VICTORY From front
the Olive Press last year, it emerged that within days of being handed a suspended sentence and placed on the sex offenders list he changed his name by deed poll from Ben Lewis to Ben David, applied for a new passport and fled to Spain. With a new name and passport he was able to pass criminal record checks which he used alongside doctored education diplomas to gain employment, first at a well known English academy, followed by a teaching role at a bilingual concertado and finally at an expensive British syllabus private school in Madrid’s upmarket Arturo Soria, where he was arrested in June, 2020. Police were tipped off to the presence of a ‘dangerous sexual predator’ working in Madrid schools after an investigation by police in Australia into the online sexual exploitation of children identified that someone in Madrid was making and distributing images.
Naked
In a trial that began in early May the court heard how the defendant who used the name 'Ben David' and 'Ben David Rose' first gained employment as an au pair caring for three young children in Zaragoza. He photographed the children naked, photoshopped images of his own genitals into the shot, and posted them on the dark web. He also took sexual photographs of some 30 students under his care at a private school in Madrid, often by ‘upskirting’ – secretly filming up their skirts – and uploading them onto the child porn sites.
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Smoking!
THE Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing the first gig of their new tour in Sevilla. They will take to La Cartuja stage on Saturday, the first venue of a new tour that will see them visit 32 cities. Their second stop will be at Estadi Olimpic in Barcelona on June 7. The group is expected to perform classic hits like ‘Under the Bridge’ and ‘Californication’ as well as new tracks from their forthcoming album. All Spain gigs will feature warm up shows from US rapper A$ap Rocky and funk-rocker Thundercat.
Obama to visit
FORMER US President Barack Obama will be visiting Spain - but if you want to take part in a Q&A session with him it will cost you a cool €1,990. He will participate in the Digital Enterprise Show 2022 (DES 2022) in Malaga from June 14-16. The 44th US President will hold a question and answer session, but the only way to take part is to buy a three day ‘Honour Pass’ for just under €2,000. Obama is no stranger to Spain. He toured the country as a young man and has since visited several times, with wife Michelle and his daughters staying in Marbella and Mallorca.
YOU WHAT?: Pricey!
HOLA MADRID!
England stars herald a bumper summer EXCLUSIVE By Dilip Kuner
SHAKIRA has lost her appeal to dismiss charges that she defrauded Spain’s tax office of €14 million and will face trial, a court has ruled. The 45-year-old singer is alleged to have failed to pay taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014 when the tax office claims she was living in Spain. But the Colombian pop star‘s legal team claims she only moved permanently to Spain in 2015
STARS: Jack Grealish (left) and Kyle Walker with (inset left) Jordan Pockford and HarryMaguire happy to see them, saying: “They’re coming thick and fast now. Harry and Kyle and Jordan is out for a couple of weeks with his family. I hope to get a round of golf in with them too.” Meanwhile, fellow England star - and team mate of Kyle Walker at champions Manchester City - Jack Grealish arrived in Ibiza.
Shak tax date
and has paid tax here ever since. The prosecutor’s office could ask for a prison sentence as well as a substantial fine but no court date has yet been set. Shakira has been in a relationship with FC Barcelona player Gerard Pique since 2011 and the pair have two children.
ESTUCO INTERIORS
The England international was in a jovial mood during the celebrations, with instagram footage from his teammates showing him in a somewhat inebriated state and speaking with a hoarse voice. He was photographed alongside Gary Lineker’s younger brother Wayne at O Beach Ibiza, which the 58-year-old owns and is known to be a celeb hotspot. The England stars are not the only ones expected to arrive in Spain on the back of a post-pandemic surge in tourism. Radford said: “We’re trading 25 to 30% up in sales over the winter months. It’s been the best start to a year ever for us - and it beats 2019. “Business is really, really good. La Sala Beach is so far 40% up on our best year. We had over 10,000 pre-reservations before we even opened at the beach.”
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Chilling to cool
THE Rolling Stones arrived in true rock n roll style in Madrid, touching down in their very own branded plane ahead of the start of their European tour. Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood stepped out of their private jet emblazoned with the iconic tongue sticking out of a pair of lips logo. The trio waved and laughed as they made their way down the staircase of the jet and onto a red carpet. This will be the first European tour since the death of the band’s legendary drummer Charlie Watts, who died last August at the age of 80.
BACK OF THE NET!
SPAIN scores with the sporty set and it looks like it’s gameon for another outbreak of footy fever this summer. Barely had the season ended then English football stars had hopped on a plane and headed for the Costa del Sol and the Baleares. England stars Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford arrived at favourite watering hole La Sala in Puerto Banus to finally let their hair down after a long season of kicking a ball around. La Sala boss Ian Radford was
June 1st - June 14th 2022
HE has long been an acting icon but now at the age of 84 Sir Anthony Hopkins is set to become a fashion icon. The double Oscar and four-time BAFTA winner has been unveiled as the ‘face’ of Spanish brand Loewe in a new campaign. The Welsh superstar, who played cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Lambs, modelled for celebrity photographer Juergen Teller. Actors, artists, singers, athletes, and models have been portrayed in different locations, both indoors and outdoors. But the one that stands out the most is Hopkins. Here, he poses in a long black coat, gold appliques, an eye-catching T-shirt printed with multicoloured donuts, and is pointing at a brown leather XL bag. It's all a far cry from the prison garb he wore as Lecter - from chilling to cool!
Off again SPAIN’S former King Juan Carlos returned to exile in Abu Dhabi after meeting with son King Felipe VI in Madrid. He came expecting ‘hugs’ but what happened behind closed doors at Zarzuela Palace between him and his son King Felipe VI remains private. It was the first time father and son - the old monarch and the King he abdicated for - have met face to face since he went into self-imposed exile in 2020.
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Vox could help PP stay in power! SPAIN’S far right Vox party could help keep the PP party in power in Andalucia this month. While Junta leader Juanma Moreno has not confirmed it yet, he may ally with the extreme nationalists in the June 19 vote. It comes after an opinion poll predicted he would get just 35% of the vote, leaving him 10 seats short of an absolute majority.
Far left
The left wing PSOE is predicted at 27%, with far left ‘Por Andalucia’ just 8% of the vote, ruling out a leftwing coalition. Vox is set to be the third largest party in the regional parliament with a 16% share of the vote, while Ciudadanos will get just 4%. Moreno could again form a minority government with a need to seek support from other parties to pass any legislation. Or he could form a right wing coalition government with Vox as a junior partner.
June 1st - June 14th 2022
Tragic death of royal influencer A WELL-known Marbella socialite has been found dead after a suspected drug overdose. Kasia Gallanio, 45, was allegedly found by one of her daughters, who attended a local private school. A post mortem is due to take place this week, although police confirmed there were no obvious signs of violence.
The American-born princess, a close friend of stars including Karl Lagerfeld, Antonio Banderas and Celine Dion, was the third wife of Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al-Thani, 73, the uncle of Qatar’s amir. The influencer, who had half a million followers on Instagram, had three daughters with AlThani, but had since divorced.
NO HELP
Expat pensioner sat in agony for 20 hours waiting for treatment at troubled hospital AN EXPAT octogenarian discharged himself from a costa hospital TWICE after sitting a total of 20 hours waiting for attention. Brain Snell, 84, had suffered a fall on his way back home from the UK and then collapsed while with friends the following day. The widower, from London,
By Simon Wade
was rushed to Torrevieja hospital on the Costa Blanca with his residencia documents and his SIP card. But despite suffering from agonising pain in his back and right arm the former signwriter was ‘abandoned’ for 13 hours, sit-
SPAIN’S animal rights party PACMA wants Spain to ban the use of horses at summer fairs and pilgrimages. It wants the Animal Welfare Act to be modified to prevent the ‘levels of stress and discomfort’ on equines ‘in noisy and crowded environments’. The party claims the number of accidents involving horses in recent
ting in a wheelchair. “I was in agony, they knew that, but they did nothing - I was so let down by them,” he told the Olive Press. Finally, after waiting until midnight he was taken back home in San Fulgencio by a friend. The following day his local GP in La Marina insisted he needed to go back for x-rays.
Too hot to trot! years, specifically in Andalucia, is ‘far too high’. It would cause major issues for fairs such as Sevilla’s or Jerez’s traditional ferias, as well as pilgrimages such as the famous one to Rocio, in Huelva.
CARE4AIR
After typing out a letter headed ‘urgent’ he was sent back to A&E. But it made no difference and after sitting in another wheelchair for seven hours, he decided to go home in a taxi. “Despite having everything I needed, why did they leave me for so long?” he asked After a week of self-medication, the pain has only just subsided. It is far from the first time we have reported on poor treatment at Torrevieja hospital. Shocking care routines and huge queues have already resulted in one death and an unnecessary leg amputation, according to readers. The hospital refused to comment.
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Rocking Jubilee BIG celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and World Environment Day are planned in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens and Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park are hosting a ‘Zoobilee and Garden Party’ on June 5 with a royal celebration accompanied by a promotion of a greener future. Events at Alameda Park mark the first full open day of activities since before the pandemic with a whole host of family friendly activities on show such as tree climbing, a village fete and even a garden tea party. The Alameda Botanic Gardens is home to a collection of both exotic and native species and is the only wildlife park in Gibraltar. Tickets for each event are available on the day from the Wildlife Park with the event running from noon until 4.30pm.
MAY DAY MAY DAY IT is official. May 21 was the hottest day in May since records began. The mercury soared to above 40ºC in many parts of inland Spain as a mass of hot air drifted in from the Sahara. The temperature was up to 15ºC above the seasonal average.
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T
ony and Mandy Heaton both left well-paid jobs in the East Midlands to buy a house in Quesada, Alicante, in August 2020 during the transition period. They were approved for residency in the second week of November, but the post Brexit backlog meant they could not get an appointment to apply for permanent residency until February with their cards only arriving in April.
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IN REVERSE
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Margaret and Eric Wilkinson, who spend six months a year in Oliva on the Costa Blanca, wanted to make sure they were doing everything by the book. The pensioners, from Leeds, hired a lawyer to help them swap their licence and submitted their applications in September 2020, during the Brexit Transition period. They were told they had to register their intention to swap their licences by December 31 2020. However their lawyer incorrectly insisted they could not register their intention to swap their licences as the system would not accept NIE numbers, only TIE numbers. “Obviously we accepted this as fact so as a result did not register by the deadline,” said Margaret, who retired in 2011. This is the crux of the issue - advice given varied widely depending on the region and in many cases different rules were arbitrarily applied.
They then obtained a medical certificate to demonstrate they were fit to drive from a clinic in Guardamar, which assured them everything was in place. “We were told everything would be fine, but we could not get an appointment with the DGT.’ They were then told the only way to solve it was to drive to Elche DGT, but when they got there they were refused entry as they did not have an appointment. “We are being held to ransom by those at the top,” Tony, a former engineer, said.
To make matters worse, Mandy, who had just secured a job as a chef 10 kilometres away, could not take up her position as she was unable to commute. She even purchased an electric bike and planned on cycling 30 minutes, but by the time it arrived, they had given the job to someone else. “We are running down our savings and we now cannot afford the money it would cost for us to learn to drive and pass our test. We might have to abandon our plans and move back to the UK”, the upset couple explained.
Thousands make demands Brits in Spain launch petition to call for driving licence recognition
THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition calling for the Spanish government to recognise British driving licences. The recently-launched document has so far got 2,500 people demanding action.
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It comes after the Spanish government refused to extend a transition deal to swap licences for a fourth time. It meant that from May 1, Brits who have been in Spain for longer than six months are no lon-
DEAD END STREET
OLIVE PRESS sales rep Tina Brace has been driven to distraction by the new ‘draconian’ rules that have stopped her from driving in Spain. Brace, who has lived in Malaga for 24 years, had been hearing ‘continually conflicting news’ about what she needed to do to get a new Spanish licence. As well as talking to a lawyer and a gestor, she sought advice from the British embassy. “I was continually being told that an agreement
ger allowed to legally drive here on a British licence. Instead they must pass the Spanish driving test, an ordeal that has left thousands of expats without a means to drive a car. The petition, titled ‘Seek to ne-
was in place like the other European countries. It made perfect sense and so I stayed optimistic,” she explains. “Then out of the blue as the third deadline approached I was told by friends I had to pay for a medical certificate in order to swap my licence over. Then a month later I was told it wasn’t necessary, but when I scrambled to get things done on time it was too late.” She adds: “As a field saleswoman, I can now only speak to clients over the phone. I’m down to shanks’s pony!”
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gotiate mutual recognition of UK and Spanish driving licences’ was launched by a group of anonymous expats.“There are many factors which affected expats' ability to register their intent to exchange their UK licence prior to the December 2020 deadline imposed as a result of Brexit,” explains the petition. “Please help expats who are stuck in Spain and need to be able to drive to access shops, doctors, and hospitals.” The petition can be signed at petition.parliament.uk. Online petitions require 10,000 signatures for an official response from the UK government while 100,000 signatures guarantees it is considered for debate in Parliament.
Odd one out!
!
STUCK IN FIRST GEAR
June 1st - June 14th 2022
NOW
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OLIVE PRESS SPECIAL CAMPAIGN
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MOST European countries are happy to allow Brits to swap their driving licences for domestic ones. And curiously, France - which normally takes a hardline against ‘le rosbif’ - has one of the most lenient rules in place. Here, the Olive Press takes a look at the map: In France if your UK licence was issued before January 1, 2021 then it is recognised in France for as long as it is valid. In Greece if you hold a valid UK licence you can drive around without ANY restrictions. In Germany, Austria and Cyprus you can swap for the local counterpart without taking a test within six months. In Iceland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Belgium, and Switzerland you can drive with your licence, but are advised to swap ‘as soon as possible’. Negotiations between Italy and the UK have been less smooth. Currently residents can drive using their UK licence until the end of the year, however they must take an Italian driving test within that time to swap it. Similar to Spain, both the UK and Italian governments continue to negotiate long-term arrangements for exchanging driving licences without needing to take a test.
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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 Horsepower to the people IT’S time to kick the mandarins into gear! The grey-shirted ghosts of Whitehall (and Madrid) need to pay heed to the shameless way they have again sold thousands of expats down the river! As if dealing with the shambles of Brexit was not enough. We are now, yet again, in the front line of the problems being caused by Boris and co’s disastrous withdrawal agreement. But when the man in charge is Grant Shapps, is it any wonder that talks have stalled this badly? The tricky Transport Minister once ran businesses under the pseudonyms ‘Michael Green’ and ‘Corinne Stockheath’ to avoid declaring income outside of his job as an MP. He was also exposed as having spent significant time editing his very own Wikipedia page. But this is not just Shapps’ failure. Spain must also take the blame. The very fact that it’s the only country, apart from Italy, forcing expats into the hard shoulder, says everything. When even the French are being more favourable to us Brits, you know something, somewhere, has gone badly wrong. The Olive Press is taking a stand and saluting the 95% of European countries who are letting common sense prevail. We hope you will join our campaign and support it. And just like previous campaigns to act on drink spiking, protecting our coasts or the mountains from golf developers, we will not give up. With the backing of you, our readers, who pour tens of millions into the Spanish economy every year, we believe this is a fight we can win. Send us your thoughts at newsdesk@theolivepress.es and, of course, sign the petition at petition.parliament.uk PUBLISHER / EDITOR
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AGE OF THE SUPERFIRE W As temperatures rise and we enter fire season, Sorrel Downer looks back at the 10 most dramatic blazes
ITH a drought and unseasonal high temperatures, no wonder AEMET (the Met Office) has been issuing extreme fire risk warnings. Spain has an average of 11,700 forest fires a year. Small ones are nature’s way of clearing out dead vegetation and making way for the new, but a lot of these are big. In fact, the number of large blazes (anything spreading
Riotinto Mines (Huelva) July 27, 2004 The worst fire in Andalucia in 20 years, started with two bins set alight on the hottest day of the year, and raged through 30,000 hectares of pine, oak and cork forest. A married couple from Sevilla died trying to escape when their car got stuck in a ditch. A man was arrested on suspicion of arson but released.
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over 500 hectares) has increased 20% in the last decade. Nearly half the municipalities in Spain are within High Risk Zones for fires, though most fires aren’t where you’d expect them to be, in the hot, dry south, but in the northwest: Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the provinces of Leon and Zamora account for nearly 60% of fires and 86% of the area affected.
Nine hikers from Madrid had a barbecue in the picnic area near the prehistoric Cueva de Casares then left to swim in the river. The wind reignited the embers and fire spread through the surrounding dry scrubland at speeds up to 121/km
Tejeda (Las Palmas) - July, 2007 To persuade his boss that fires were always a risk therefore his summer season contract should be extended, a forest ranger stopped his car en route to work, took out his matches and started an inferno that destroyed 19,200 hectares. Judged stupid rather than mentally ill, the arsonist was sentenced to eight months in prison. "I didn’t want to cause this catastrophe,” he said, “it just got out of hand".
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Sometimes the cause is natural, for example, the molten lava spewed by the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma, or lightning, responsible for three in 100 fires. But 95% of the time wildfires are caused by humans making a mistake as they go about their business in extreme weather and a tinder-dry landscape, and occasionally, on purpose. Here are 10 of the worst fires in Spain this century.
Riba de Saelices (Guadalajara) - July 16, 2005 hour, destroying 12,800 hectares. Eleven firefighters – the youngest just 22 – died, just metres away from safety, trapped behind a wall of flames when the wind switched direction.
Horta de Sant Joan, Tarragona - July 21 2009 The fire destroyed over 1000 hectares of the Els Ports Natural Park but it was also one of Spain’s worst this century in terms of human cost: Five firefighters from the Grupo de Actuaciones Forestales died fighting the blaze. A sixth, Josep Pallas, suffered serious burns, but, incredibly, later returned to work for the fire service. The cause wasn’t lightning, as first supposed, but two men who had lit a bonfire.
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EXTREME SURVIVOR Earth’s oldest living species gets a helping hand
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ITH three eyes, hundreds of legs, and elongated antennae, these critters are not going to win any beauty contests. Yet they are fascinating organisms. In fact, they are the oldest living species on planet earth – 300 million years old (you read that correctly) – out-surviving dinosaurs, mammoths, and mastodons by a long chalk. Known in everyday vernacular as Tadpole Shrimp and scientifically as ‘Triops cancriformis’, these are extreme survivors. Throughout their 300-million-year history, the Triops’ skeletal structure has remained unchanged. Today’s tadpoles are virtually indistinguishable from their distant ancestors. They can survive floods and droughts, boiling water and ice and are found in
the Arctic as well as geothermal waters. They can survive Hiroshima-type radiation because their eggs are able to go dormant for centuries until more favourable conditions resume. Uniquely, triops build ‘egg banks’ enabling their population to persist through bad times. And experiments have shown that the tadpoles can even survive in space!
Poison
They can self-fertilize as they possess both testes and ovaries. First described by Charles Darwin, this reproductive mode has the advantage of allowing a single individual to perpetuate the population. But all is not well with these crustaceans. In spite of the remarkable survivability of the species, there has been a progressive disappearance of the tadpole shrimp. Declining habitat, landscape changes, poisons and pesticides, and climate change have all drastically modified their populations. However, recent research by Valencian scientists dedicated to saving the tadpole shows there is hope. Valencian bodies, in concert with universities, have taken an active role in protecting and preserving the population of
Triops. The Valencian Ministry of Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition has begun breeding them in laboratories and rebuilding new populations in local protected areas. They have achieved success in the Natural Park of the Sierra de Espadan (Castellon) and in Albufera National Park near El Palmar, Valencia. In parallel, local university students have received international recognition for their research. Student scientists at the Santa Maria Vila-Real School won national acclaim for their study entitled Triops Cancriformis: How to survive Climate Change. Their project received a medal at the prestigious Science Genius Olympiad in New York. Meanwhile, student scientists at the University of Valencia, working with the Valencian
June 1st - June 14th 2022
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BEHIND THE COSTA DEL CRIME
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Tejeda (Las Palmas) - September 20, 2017
Corte de Pallás & Andilla (Valencia) - June 28, 2012
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Two men chose a 40-degree day to install solar panels at a casa de campo. A welding spark
plus strong wind combined to whip up an inferno that destroyed 30,000 hectares, affected a dozen communities, and resulted in the death of a fire services helicopter pilot. In this one incident, half a million tons of CO2 was released into the atmosphere – the amount produced by 380,000 cars in a year. The next day, in Andilla, 100km to the north, a farmer who had allegedly been burning stubble, started a fire that devastated a further 22,500 hectares. .
Wildlife Service, have developed a ‘thermal insulator’ and provided further evidence that the species has survived due to the incredible resistance of its eggs. Collectively, as a result of these efforts, Triops – the bizarre-looking tadpole – will soon be a protected species, incorporated into the official Valencian Catalogue of Threatened Fauna Species. Given the threat to today’s habitat and climate, the need to pursue and understand the attributes of an extreme survivor is paramount. Carl Sagan once famously said, ‘extinction is the rule, survival is the exception’. Given the work done by the Valencian scientific community, let’s hope that the tadpole shrimp, can challenge Sagan’s theory – at least for the next 300 million years.
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Started by a shepherd burning brush to clear a grazing area in the old, traditional – but illegal in summer – way. Rain helped bring the blaze under control after four days, but not before thousands had been evacuated and a Swedish woman, Carin Brigitta Ostman had died.
Galicia and Portugal - October 5, 2017 Not a single fire, but an apocalyptic cluster of fires that jumped and reignited and covered a total of 300,000 hectares on either side of the border in the space of a week. Experts say dry, hurricane force winds pushed in by tropical front Ophelia made a bad situation a disaster. In total, 49 people died.
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EURO MONTHLY NEW S
Valleseco (Gran Canaria) August 10, 2019
Navalacruz (Avila) August 14, 2021
A badly maintained power line rubbing against a pine tree at the bottom of a forested ravine caused a fire that lasted 40 days, destroyed 10,000 hectares and resulted in 10,000 people being evacuated. Though not categorised as a sixth generation fire, this inferno created its own weather system, with swirling winds and a column of cloud visible from space.
A motorcyclist saw smoke coming from a vehicle on the Avila-Cordoba road, and flagged the driver down. But the engine was on fire, the grass on the verge caught and, propelled by 70km gusts, a wall of flames rushed across 22,000 hectares of farmland and forest, all dried out after a heatwave of 38-degree days, to become the worst fire in the history of Castilla y Leon.
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SIERRA BERMEJA (MALAGA) - SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 This was the first sixth generation fire to be registered in Spain. Linked to climate change, superfires – as they’re known – are extremely explosive, high speed and erratic. It burned through 10,000 hectares in the mountains above the Costa del Sol, caused 3000 people
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to be evacuated, and cost the life of firefighter Carlos Martinez Haro. Investiga-
tors suspect it was started with a flammable liquid in three places.
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S skilled and courage firefighters are, the ous as Spain’s creasingly dangero y face an inwith the advent of us challenge the superfire. Even more effort is be tion, into making Spaining put into prevenpersuading people no more fireproof, and t to be idiots. Do you part, and keep vigilant. r FOR FIRE EMERGENC
IES CALL 11 2.
RESSED up like spokesmen for ETA - or a pair of armed robbers - the Olive Press has been getting behind the scenes of Spain’s crack National Police detectives this week. At an unknown, unmarked HQ on the Costa del Sol the team of 30 investigators go about their business in secret and with stealth. Getting new orders from Madrid every month and with the group constantly changing means they are among the hardest to corrupt in Europe. Their success rate is staggering and there are only four such teams in all of Spain, we discovered. The Olive Press has been helping to tell their story in a new crime series on Amazon due out this Autumn. Our team of journalists, including Jorge Hinojosa (pictured), are also interviewing their counterparts at the Guardia Civil, as well as grilling a series of politicians this month. All thanks to our knowledge and contacts on the infamous Costa del Crime, where we have been based for nearly two decades. The exciting commission from one of the world’s biggest TV streaming companies comes hot on the heels of various jobs for Sky TV, the BBC and Times Radio over recent weeks. And that’s not to mention a key role for editor Jon Clarke in a recent Sat1 German TV documentary on the Madeleine McCann case.
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: summer flights threat as unions in 1- RyanairSpain and Europe plan strikes linked to outbreak in gay 2- Monkeypox cases sauna killed in cliff jump on Mallorca named 3- Man as dutch footballer Mourad Lambarette weather forecast temperatures 4-inBlistering Spain to reach historic highs this weekend holidays in Spain 2021- full list of 5- Bank dates for every autonomous community
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LETTERS
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Dear Olive Press, le I was one of the lucky (I think!) peop that to witness the rip roaring fireball. The travelled over Jaen on Saturday ever spectacle was nothing like I haveing in seen before, part of me was bask wonits beauty while another part was logdering whether this was a meteoros tell ical close call. Can the Olive Pres me what on earth it was?
Marnie Ludlow, Name and address supplied getEditor’s note: Thank you for de, boli The nie. Mar h touc ting in at spotted over Spain on May 28, d by 3:19 am local time was observe can several of our readers, and we that confirm that it was a meteor d entered the atmosphere at a spee and of 56,000 kilometres an hour,sudhad come from a comet. The th’s den friction as it met the Ear us atmosphere at this enormo seem speed made the meteoroid of incandescent, creating a ball infire which is what you saw. Begres ning at an altitude of 93 kilomet ed over the province of Jaen, it mov ht of southeast, and ended at a heig e of vinc pro the r ove km 59 around comAlmeria. Though scary, the 0 by et was discovered in May 193Arno Arnold Schwassmann and long Arthur Wachmann and has s the been predicted to safely pas stial earth’s orbit - even if, in cele ve. terms, it was a pretty close sha
ll about
Moraira MARVELLOUS
June 1st - June 14th 2022 www.theolivepre
ss.es
May 2022
HOT TOPICS While our inbox is brimming with people making their voice heard about UK driving licences in Spain, that is not to say it is the only thing on our readers’ lips…
Close to Benidorm
J
yet a world apart
- discover the Spani sh charmer with
UST half an hour up Benidorm, you’llfrom builtBy Kimberley Mannion of the most relaxed find one seaside towns in Spain. Oozing with charm, Moraira is one fishing villages, and it remains full of the Costa Blanca’s of history classic old unspoiled and tradition, and largely today.
When will it end?
You won’t find signs for English breakfasts or lager pint here, this is an at one euro a as popular with upmarket resort refined Spaniard as it is with upmarke s t foreign tourists-in-the-know.
expat appeal
This is not to say
vered by holidaymaMoraira is undiscoThe demographics kers – far from it. confirm its status as a popular tourist destination . Continues on next
With your newspaper seemingly reporting drunken Brits falling off of balconies while on holiday here in Spain, there surely has to be some kind of inquest into what it is about the British psyche when aboard that leads to such dangerous behaviour. While some have pinned blame on package holiday hosts, is it really reasonable that they should be made to cordon off all their balconies just because Brits under 30 cannot be trusted not to throw themselves off? Worse still such actions are so common that the term ‘balconing’ has been coined to describe the dimwitted act of jumping into a swimming pool directly from a balcony. The UK is surely the first and only country whose foreign office has been forced to actively warn people not to jump off balconies. Alex Brundle, name and address supplied Editor’s note: We are also shocked about the numbers of Brits we hear about who do serious or even fatal damage after falling off hotel balconies in Spain. Indeed, in the Baleares many hotels are taking preventative measures, such as closing terraces or raising the height of walls while Magaluf has been forced to regulate drinking in an attempt to control reckless behaviour. But until Brits learn to pace themselves when abroad, we are sure we have not published the last story on a terrible accident of this kind.
Rot at the top There must be something in the aristocratic water. I have been following Alejandro Cao’s, of gentry stock, and his listing on the government’s most wanted list for his work for the North Korean dictatorship. From Juan Carlos to Prince Andrew, it seems that the most privileged of society are often the most corruptible and abusive. But to work for Kim Jong Un himself is surely a new low for those with old money. His involvement in a number of Spanish TV programmes also requires an inquest. There needs to be a more rigorous approach from the media giving a platform to such a bizarre man. Charly Spencer, name and address supplied
Editor’s note: You are right to point out the many times he has been on television and radio, but most of the time he has been rightly criticised by decent journalists, as is vital to a healthy democracy.
page
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Why, why, why Moraira After reading your article on Moraira we decided to have a run up there to check the place out. As you said it is a lovely place and relatively untouched by the tourist sprawl. However, we must have picked a day when everyone decided to visit because it took over 45 minutes to find anywhere to park in the town. Now 30 minutes or so back towards Benidorm is Albir - now that is an unspoilt gem with its wide tree-lined streets making for the perfect evening stroll.
Jean Barker, name and address supplied Editor’s note: Thank you Jean for your letter, but we love Moraira and cannot be convinced otherwise! We can only assume that many of our readers felt compelled to visit at the same time after reading our supplement.
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Crying wolf A BID to overturn Spain’s wolf hunting ban by Spain’s conservative opposition party has been rejected by parliament. The Popular Party (PP), supported by several farming organisations, were seeking to repeal a law that came into force last September designating wolves as a protected species.
Welfare
The issue has become the latest battleground in Spain’s continuing animal welfare debate with farmers claiming wolves are a menace that cause immeasurable damage to farmers’ livelihoods while naturalists say they are a vital part of the ecosystem. Thanks in a large part to restrictions on hunting Spain and Portugal are now thought to be home to about 3,000 wolves, the largest lupine population in Europe, according to data from Ecologists in Action, a conservation group.
June 1st - June 14th 2022
MEATY DEMO By Alex Trelinski
GREENPEACE protestors dressed staged a protest at the headquarters of Murcia-based meat company El Pozo. Around 20 environmentalists struck at different areas of the firm’s Alhama de Murcia complex. Protestors blocked off access to the main building and displayed banners opposing macro-farming and demanding a five-year moratorium on such farming. Group members changed one of the company slogans from ‘El Pozo for the environment’ to ‘El Pozo kills the environment’. A Greenpeace statement said
Greenpeace target El Pozo over nitrate pollution
the protest was about ‘exposing a company which benefits the most in Spain from the destructive business of macro-farms’. The lobby group has called for a meeting with El Pozo bosses. They want them to ‘develop a plan to reduce the number of exploited animals’ as the only ‘effective way to reduce the brand’s brutal environmental impact’. Greenpeace claims nitrates from El Pozo’s macro-farms are contaminating drinking water supplies in surround-
ing towns and villages. An investigation last year suggested that slurry from pig farms was a key factor in polluting the Mar Menor lagoon with excess nitrates. Consumer Affairs minister, Alberto Garzon, angered farmers and meat produc-
ers at the start of the year by saying meat production from large farms is ‘causing the end of Spain’. El Pozo in 2018 was among the top 40 richest companies in Spain and one of the 25 main meat producers in the world, according to Greenpeace.
Hot and cold SPAIN will impose limits on air-conditioning in public buildings this summer in a bid to slash its energy bill as prices soar. Civil servants will have to endure a minimum temperature of 27ºC during the hottest months under measures published in a government decree. In winter, offices will not be heated above a maximum of 19ºC. The plan is part of an EU-wide effort to reduce dependence on Russian energy designed to reduce Spain’s central administration’s energy usage by 25%.
Cigarettes don’t just poison smokers - they poison the environment too I’VE never understood smoking. My father died when I was 14 of throat cancer caused by smoking. I could not see what was big, clever, or attractive about poisoning yourself. I accept the freedom of choice argument. If you want to adversely affect your health, all well and good. However, polluting the environment is not acceptable. Some 4.5 trillion cigarettes are discarded every year worldwide. That’s 4,500,000,000,000. That’s a lot of noughts! They are the most littered item on Earth. According to the World Health Organisation, tobacco waste contains up to 7,000 toxic chemicals. The plastic in the filters takes up to 10
A BUTT TIME
Green
years to biodegrade. Commonly found in the bodies of dead fish and seabirds, they can also be lethal to freshwater and marine species. A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR CATALUNYA In a bid to reduce pollution, smoking will be banned on all of Barcelona’s beaches from next month. The Spanish government is also planning to make it illegal to smoke on the outside terraces of bars and restaurants, and at open-air sports venues. Their next initiative is pure genius. Catalunya will introduce cigarette butt recycling as a source of income. The Catalan government is planning to pay €4 to people who hand over a pack’s worth of cigarette butts at nominated recycling points. WIN WIN This initiative could become a source of income for homeless people. Sreets and beaches will become cleaner. The stroke of genius is that all of this will be funded by raising the tax on every cigarette sold by 20 cents. The environment wins, and people
SAY NO: For the sake of the environment are deterred from smoking as the cost of a packet of cigarettes will almost double. This isn’t about revenue generation. It’s to reduce the environmental impact of these filthy fag ends. The Spanish government is introducing a law that will prohibit the sale of plastic cotton buds, cutlery, and plastic straws. Cigarette butts are not yet covered by law, so this is a great initiative. Why should the minority pollute the majority? (19.7% of Spaniards smoke on a daily basis).
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638145664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es
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LA CULTURA
THE firework opening to the Malaga Feria is one of the biggest and most popular events in Malaga and this year spectators will be able to enjoy a dazzling 20-minute long show.
Fair
With three months to go before the start of the much-awaited fair, having been cancelled for two years in a row due to the pandemic, Malaga City Council has just closed the contract with the company that will carry out the fireworks display - kick-starting the biggest summer party in the province with a whopping 500 kilos of explosive material.
Back on! AFTER a two year hiatus due to Covid-19, Marbella will celebrate its traditional San Bernabe Fair and Festivals. The town fair will take place from June 7 to 12 with a full programme of concerts and tributes. The festivities will begin on June 5 with the traditional pilgrimage of the Patron Saint. The daytime festivities will be held in the Alameda Park and the Avenida del Mar. Meanwhile, the Night Fair will be located on a plot of almost 40,000 metres in the Arroyo Segundo.
Dodgy tales on show in new exhibition WITH the coming of the internet came an explosion of ‘fake news’ but a new exhibition shows that there is nothing new about it. The exhibition at the National Library of Spain (BNE) in Madrid shows that fake news was a thing hundreds of years before former US President Donald Trump popularised the phrase during his 2016 election campaign.
FAKING IT
News
And the fake news even pre-dated newspapers, with crazy tales of mermaids and children with horns, printed on single sheets of paper. The BNE holds a valuable collection of old documents littered with propaganda from the 16th and 17th centuries encompassing around 4,000 documents
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Better late than never
PLANNING has been approved to finally finish Malaga’s cathedral after 240 years - sort of. Construction work has been given the green light by the government’s culture ministry following calls from the Bishop of Malaga to put a sloping roof over the structure, as the original architect intended in 1764. But there are no plans to build the missing second tower which has led to it being nicknamed ‘La Manquita’, or ‘the one-armed lady’. By Kimberly Mannion
from Spain as well as other European cities and Spanish colonial cities. Many of the stories fall into the same categories covered
OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 7 Libretto, 8 Rags, 9 Gland, 10 Tipping, 12 Mother Teresa, 14 Combinations, 16 Deplete, 18 Medal, 20 Gels, 21 Effected. Down: 1 Rialto, 2 Grantham, 3 Ltd, 4 Policeman, 5 Prop, 6 Agenda, 11 Braintree, 13 Eminence, 14 Chewed, 15 Neared, 17 Lest, 19 C F O.
SUDOKU
Explosive feria KO
June 1st - June 14th 2022
by modern journalism: politics, war, religious events and sporting events like bull fights, the latter of course being in 16th century Spanish fashion. The types of propaganda found in this early journal-
ism is perhaps more obviously false than the fake news of today. Popular stories during the ‘Golden Age’ included appearances of monsters, mermaids, giants and talking fish.
Enemies
Institutions like the Church were among the first in society to recognise the power of the printed word with military tales or cases of non-believers printed under the words ‘enemies of the church’. Elsewhere in Spanish printed media at the time, popular falsehoods included military victories which did not actually happen.
Walkway
The new roof will be made of wood and steel to match the stonework of the cathedral and will include a walkway that allows visitors to tour it. Final agreement on funding has yet to be agreed, with the church needing to find €10 million, though some of that is expected to be filled by the council. Work on the cathedral was halted in 1782, and since then a weaker makeshift roof has had to protect it from the elements. A ‘new roof’ was installed 12 years ago but not to the original plans. The stop-gap measure has since started to leak, with concerns that the structure could suffer foundational damage if action is not taken.
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LA CULTURA
June 1st - June 14th 2022
Granny lessons
12 timeless homemade remedies from abuelas that really work, writes Elena Goçmen Rueda
APART from lending a shoulder to cry on in bad times or spoiling us with our favourite foods, grandmothers are also offer a font of knowledge with words of wisdom to offer for every occasion. Perfected over centuries and passed down through the generations, don’t just dismiss the, sometimes frankly, bizarre homemade remedies as non-scientific Sometimes they actually work! The Olive Press has collected 12 of the most well-known tips from Spanish abuelas.
No more cramps
B
ananas are the most potassium-rich fruit par excellence, and Spanish grandmothers know it. This is what an abuela will advise for cramps. Rafa Nadal – winner of 21 Grand Slams - is famously seen snacking on a banana mid-match, something we’re guessing his abuela wholeheartedly approved of. Thus, this fruit will help you recover your energy after training, but it will be its potassium - an electrolyte mineral present in some foods - that will help you with the sport-related aches and pains. In addition, bananas are great due to being easy to digest as well as energy-boosting, but the high level of nutrients also makes them a good way to stimulate muscles.
Mosquito bites
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e’ve all suffered long summer nights being plagued by mosquitos. Spanish grandmothers know best which essential oils to use to repel mosquitoes. You can choose between citronella, eucalyptus, tea tree, basil or lavender, depending on your smell preference. In particular, lavender essential oil is not only able to soothe the discomfort of insect bites, but can also protect the skin by preventing new mosquitoes from biting the skin. There are certain types of essential oils that must be diluted in water before being worked on the skin, although in the case of tea tree essential oil and lavender essential oil, there is no need. Just take a few drops and apply them to the bites until you notice that the discomfort is relieved. Hand hygiene should be taken into account when applying any essential oil in order to avoid any infection due to dirt on the hands.
Big hair problems
T
here once was a time when hairsprays and hair gels weren’t widely available, or heaven forbid, hadn’t yet been invented. But Grannies had their own trick to keeping unruly hair in place: using lemon and sugar. These two natural ingredients are both easy to obtain and pretty good at taming the barnet. The first option is to fill a glass with hot water and dissolve four tablespoons of sugar in it, once it has cooled you can put it on your hair. On the other hand, if the sugar plan doesn’t suit you, you can do another trick: apply a few drops of lemon juice to the part of your hair you want to fix and it won’t move a hair. But be warned: A perfect trick to use at night, be careful of adding lemon during the day as combined with the sun’s rays it can have a bleaching effect and lighten the hair… another grandmother trick if you didn’t know.
Homemade natural bleach
T
o lighten the hair in a nourishing and natural way without resorting to damaging bleach, grandmother’s advise using chamomile. Boil a cup of water with between two to five bags of chamomile tea, depending on how strong you want the result. Leave the tea to cool completely then apply it to the hair using a spray bottle. Leave it to act for about 30 minutes using a shower cap if desired to enhance the effects and then rinse the hair. It is quite effective, although bear in mind it works better the fairer the hair to start with, as it could cause an orange tone with dark hair.
Minor burns
B
urns are one of the most common domestic accidents. If it’s a mild burn then salt is the grandmother’s secret potion. The best measure to soothe sore skin from a burn, for example from splashing oil or taking a dish out of the oven, is to use products that you have in your kitchen. First, soak the wound under lukewarm water for a few seconds and then sprinkle the area with sea salt, but do not rub it in. Leave the mixture to act for a few minutes and then rinse with water. However, if it’s a more severe burn, the salt could worsen the wound.
Sore throats
E
very time you mention a sore throat in front of a Spanish grandmother, she will always advise you to ‘wear a pañuelito’, asking you to take care of your throat by covering it with a light scarf. As banal as it may seem, with the throat warm and covered, the discomfort will cease a little and prevent it from worsening. The heat relaxes the muscles and effectively helps to relieve the pain. If the pain is very intense, you can also use a cloth dampened with hot water to speed up the process. This light garment does a similar job to a hot tea or a hot bath - also recommended in these circumstances.
Dreaded hiccups
T
he main culprit for those dreaded hiccups is the diaphragm, the muscle that lies just below the lungs and marks the boundary between the chest and the abdomen. And it is precisely in this organ that hiccups originate, as it is the out-of-rhythm contraction of the diaphragm that causes hiccups. One of the most popular and effective tricks to get rid of hiccups is to drink water, but the funny thing is how to do so: upside down. By ingesting the liquid upside down we hold our breath for a few seconds as well as distracting ourselves - the two most effective methods to get rid of this annoying condition convined.
Mouth ulcers
C
anker sores or mouth ulcers are always quite uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. Although they usually disappear on their own within a few days, grandmothers have a trick to speed up the process. There are several reasons why these annoying wounds can appear: bites, orthodontics, bacterial infections or nutritional deficiencies of iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 among others. For all of these, salt water is the most effective remedy. Dissolve a spoonful of salt in a glass of warm water and rinse with it. It is recommended to do this process at least three times a day. This remedy works very well, as sodium chloride is a natural antiseptic that is very effective against sores. The aim is not only to relieve the pain and discomfort of mouth sores, but also to prevent their occurrence. One way to effectively prevent mouth sores is to eat a varied, balanced diet rich in iron, vitamins and minerals. This is achieved by eating fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, as well as cereals.
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Mijas TO THE HEAVENS ll about
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June 2022
AS you take a deep breath of mountain air from one of its many viewpoints, you can just about make out the hubbub of the fleshpots of Fuengirola and Benalmadena miles down below. Although no more than a 15-minute drive from these anglicised resorts, the village retreat of Mijas seems thousands of miles away from the urbanisations down below. A classic white pueblo with enchanting streets comes gift wrapped
It’s not just about donkeys. World-famous for its chocolate box charm, Mijas is always adding flavours, discovers Kimberly Mannion by a backdrop of picturesque mountains with the glistening sea in the foreground. You are in the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas - now designated a National Park for its important ecology and nature, that includes eagles, vultures and deer - and a series of hikes head straight out of the village uphill towards ridges and peaks at well over 1,000 metres. But, before heading off on an adventure of a lifetime, make sure to take your time poking around
the village. Discovering the charming Moorish pueblo is well worth the journey up the winding mountain road from Fuengirola. My driver had only just passed his test the day before, so the steep climb and sharp bends made for a brilliant baptism of fire. But when we got there it was immediately worth it. Continues on next page
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OCATED in a central location in Mijas Pueblo, Mijas Rentals and Sales is a family business offering a full suite of sales, rentals and property management services. The company has built an impressive reputation as experts in their field, showing consistent growth and success even during times of global uncertainty. The secret to the team’s success is multi-faceted. First, their understanding of the local property market is unparalleled, and they have an intrinsic ability to value properties in line with customer demand and local trends. They’re well known in their field and have built strong networks along the way, with a reputation that’s built on personal recommendations, not just online reviews. Based on the vibrant main street in Mijas Pueblo, the company’s brand-new office is easy to find, with a fresh, modern window display that attracts many walk-in buyers. Those buyers will be greeted with a warm welcome and a wealth of local knowledge – as residents in the area the team are passionate about this little slice of paradise and there’s nothing they don’t know about living, working and socialising in the area. But Mijas Rentals and Sales’ knowledge doesn’t stop there. Seasoned property experts, their networks extend throughout the Costa del Sol and they’re always happy to help people find the perfect property in the right area. The company’s website is modern, easy to use and ranks highly on Google and other search engines, making it a popular choice with online audiences. The team embraces technology and advertises on top performing property portals, while holding true to long standing values and principles. Customer satisfaction remains their biggest priority and it’s clear that this is a business built on trust and transparency. They don’t charge up-front fees and vendors only pay a fee if they sell. The company also has a strong holiday rental business offering top quality accommodation in the area. Its new website holidaymijas.com is already performing better in search engines than the majority of big name vacation sites, giving clients access to an even bigger network of potential buyers and renters.
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From front
Mijas
TRULY CHARMING Mijas looks exactly as one would imagine a classic white-washed Andalucian town. Exploring it is like peeling an onion and each turn onto a new street seems to provide more beauty than the last. It’s almost impossible to put your mobile phone camera away. But let’s be honest: no photo
will capture Mijas’ true charm. It is so much more than its individual constituent parts and there are lots of little treasures to discover. Your first decision is what mode of transport to take around the town. While I usually prefer shanks pony, the most iconic way to get around is by donkey. Known as ‘burro taxis’ or donkey taxis, the tradition started in the 1960s after tourists started to stop farmers on the narrow roads leading up to Mijas, admiring their animals and commenting on how strong they were. Soon, the savvy farmers had plonked
To find out more, visit www.mijasrentalsandsales.com or call +34 952 59 16 51 Avenida Virgen de la Peña Nº10, Mijas Pueblo, Malaga, 29650, Spain
them in the saddle. Plodding around donning their beautifully embroidered bridles, there is no doubt the donkeys provide Mijas with a lot of its character, if there is increasing controversy regarding their welfare. Luckily you can also take a horse taxi as well as a 100% electric tuk tuk from just €5.50 per person. As you buzz, or walk about, make sure to take in the bullring, which has a unique oval shape - and was built in 1900, making it one of the oldest in Spain. Also look out for the ancient Arabic wall of the old fortress, as well as two Mudejar churches, adding to the general Moorish feel, that gives a flavour of the larger Andalucian gems of Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla. I would also suggest a visit to the Museum of Miniatures which collects miniature pieces of art , including Da Vinci’s Last Supper reproduced on a grain of rice. For history lovers, the Ethnolog-
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Why Choose Mijas Rentals and Sales • Central location • Experts in all aspects of real estate including sales, rentals and property management • Adaptable, flexible and knowledgeable – as leaders in our field we’re at the forefront of industry trends • No upfront fees – only pay when you sell • Highly skilled at valuations, with a client base ready to buy • We don’t ask for exclusivity, so it’s no problem if your property is already on the market • Easy to use, high ranking property website • Strong networks throughout Mijas and beyond • Consistent growth, both in boom times and during a global pandemic
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VISIT: The church (left) steep streets and sit on the donkey statue
ical Museum takes you through the village’s colourful past, how its locals used to live and how the village grew. Its most fascinating exhibit is a replica of the bedroom where a former Republican mayor, better known as the Mole of Mijas - hid for 30 years following the Spanish Civil War. There is no shortage of bars and restaurants to stop for dinner, a coffee, a wine, or anything in between, and if you want to take things into your own hands, this can be done at Mayan Monkey Mijas, the smallest chocolate factory in the world. Located just in front of the town hall, here you will find two cafes and a workshop which puts on sessions for both adults and children to make their own chocolate bars. One of the most notable characteristics of Mijas though, is the general sense of contentment - backed by the locals I
spoke to. Take Chema’s Terrace, where I found locals and expats swapping banter during a regular Thursday art class as they copied a painting of Picasso, who famously hails from nearby Malaga. Owner Chema Castellano, 52, fell in love with the charm of Mijas when he moved here from Barcelona 19 years ago after a holiday. “My friends back home said I was crazy, that to come on holiday here is one thing but to live is another. “But when you live here you realise every day is varied…in Barcelona you just go to work during the week and go out at the weekend. There is no way I’m going back.”
The Mijas mole During Franco’s dictatorship many opposition politicians went into hiding but no one had it worse than the last Republican Mayor of Mijas who was holed up behind a false wall under the stairs of his house for 30 years. The pueblo erected a monument to Manuel Cortes, (right) who lived in the dark from 1939 to 1960, not even emerging for his daughter’s wedding which he watched through a hole in the wall.
George Clooney Argentinian Jessica Santander, 41, moved here after being offered a job at Restaurant Meson Meguiñez nine years ago by a man who looks like ‘George Clooney’. She’s referring to Canadian Thomas Weller, one of the two owners of the restaurant. “They were the two most beautiful men I’d ever seen. One was like George Clooney. I knew I had to take the job and stay,” she explained. A decade later she has no regrets. “I still love it here.” In particular, she loves the town’s wonderful tourists, explaining that many customers come back year after year and bring her and her three-year-old daughter presents. “I was here working when I was pregnant and they got to know my daughter when she was one, two, three…that is very special and I am still in touch with many of them.” It is easy to see why so many tourists flock to the town, and why so many return and stay. The pueblo is quite clearly a gem of the Costa del Sol, and one not to be missed.
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HE Protec Group, established in 1996, started out a humble family business selling windows and doors. Under the stewardship of founder Andre Jensen, and partner Silvia Jensen-Lindemann, Protec has flourished into a nationwide construction and distribution company. While business has boomed, the family values on which the company was founded remain as strong today as they were 25 years ago. Protec has since become renowned for its distribution of cutting edge construction products which can’t be found anywhere else in Spain. The company has three large warehouses to its name, offering clients premium options such as thermal insulation, anti-theft protection, and energy saving. The importance of good window insulation is an often overlooked part of the house, but with Protec, insulation and environmental concerns are front and centre and with their help you could cut 60% of energy lost through windows. Other areas where Protec excels is in new builds and the refurbishment of houses. Taking care of every detail from start to finish, Protec gives you peace of mind and guides you through the often intimidating bureaucracy. A truly international company, Protec prides itself on being able to speak to its clients in their mother tongue, whether that be Spanish, English, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Arabic or Russian. With their meticulous planning and extensive knowledge of the industry, there is no pulling the wool over their eyes by rogue traders or unlicensed builders. That is why they are the gold-standard of suppliers on the Costas, and their roster of happy clients expands by the day. However small or large your needs are, from a simple door replacement to a full scale conversion of your home into a green abode, Protec are the people you want.
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C
ALAHONDA’S
newest
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Hardly a scar in sight
bar offers a right royal welcome to all CK FOOD AND DRINKS SERVED customers. ENNENT’S BEER • KARAOKE Step through the door and a warm WITH TWO OUTDOOR TERRACE AREAS Scottish greeting awaits. Landlord Conor McGregor is proud of his roots – and his clan- which is why he has called his business the Royal EL ZOCO COMMERCIAL CENTRE, UPSTAIRS, SITIO DE CALAHONDA McGregor. Originally from Elgin way up on the North East coast, he has brought a real taste of Scotland to El Zoco in Calahonda in the former premises of Fools. Tastefully and comfortably re-decorated, the eye-catching tartan of the McGregor clan – most famous for being the ‘family’ of Rob Roy – adds a splash of royal colour to the premises. And of course, Conor offers Tennents beer and a range of spirits to remind customers of home. MMERCIAL The CENTRE, UPSTAIRS, DE bar – which will beSITIO having a CALAHONDA ‘Grand Opening’ on June 11 - shows live sports and offers snacks to customers. It also features two terraces where people can take in the sun on the outside balcony or sit in the shade to escape the summer sun. Although the Grand Opening is slated for later in June, the bar in fact opened on Saturday. Conor said: “We are really pleased with how our first night went. Everyone had a good time and we are sure they will continue to do so. “They know they will always get a Royal McGregor welcome here.”
D OPENINGhas11th JUNE opened and it
COME ALONG AND CHECK US OUT IN PERSON, WE ARE LOCATED UPSTAIRS IN THE EL ZOCO COMMERCIAL CENTRE, SITIO DE CALAHONDA
Legendary gangsters and A-list celebs have all sunned themselves on the golden beaches of La Cala de Mijas
LONDON-born gangster ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser, Kray minder George Dixon, and the notorious Ronnie Knight, have all hung out in the charming village of La Cala. Having terrorised London’s gangland for decades, fending off inquisitive tourists (and the odd journalist) must have felt like a stroll on the beach. Remaining defiantly low-rise,
La Cala has absorbed the waves of tourism that batter it from all sides, yet its back streets and two-storey terraced houses have maintained a distinct Spanish feel. The beachfront fisherman’s cottages have not only survived the tourist boom, but were actually a major part of what drew the tourists to the village. It is testament to both the families and authorities that the vast majority of these homes have been in the same S p a n i s h hands for decades. “Apart from one street we call Coronation Street - which was built 25 years ago, and is HOODS IN THE HOOD: ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser with Barbara Windsor and (above) Ronnie full of English Knight in La Cala - most of the
OPEN FOR BUSINESS! TUESDAY TO SUNDAY – 14:00 TILL LATE
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5 June 2022
SOLIDARITY SPLASH CELEBRITY VISITORS: Rick Parfitt, Gerry Marsden and Chris Tarrant have all been to Mijas
old part is Spanish,” explains one local shopkeeper, who grew up in the town. “Unlike many other towns along the coast, most homes here pass from generation to
generation. There is no way my family would sell to the English or Germans. That is why it keeps its ambience.” A series of British celebrities have also visited the re-
sort, including TV presenter Chris Tarrant, and late music legends Status Quo’s Rick Parfitt, and Gerry Marsden, Continues on next page
AN INITIATIVE between the Mijas Town Council and the Red Cross will help collect school supplies for children in need in Malaga province. The Spanish Red Cross and Mijas have been working together forseveral years to improve the quality of life of children in vulnerable situations and will once again launch the 'Mojate con la solidaridad' (Take a splash with solidarity) campaign. A free admission to Aquamijas will be exchanged for the donation of school supplies for the Red Cross.
FREEBIE: Tickets on offer
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ITH something as important as your life savings or proCURRENCY EXCHANGE ceeds of a property sale at stake, getting expert advice from a financial services specialist is essential. When it comes to currency and payments to and from Spain, Smart Currency Exchange are the experts. Smart can protect your money from the risks posed by exchange rate movements. For homebuyers in Spain, the time between agreeing a price in euros and completing the purchase a month or two later could see exchange rate movements make the price tens of thousands of pounds more expensive. The good news is that you do not have to take that chance. Speak to Smart as soon as possible in your property search or sale. Registering for an account is free and simple, taking just a few minutes over the phone. Smart is UK-based and authorised by the FCA, and also has offices in Mijas Costa – Calahonda - and Benijofar. Your Personal Trader can discuss your options and what will work best for you. Many of our clients opt for a forward contract which fixes today’s exchange rate for up to a year on payment of a small deposit. So no more worrying about the pound falling mid-purchase! Once you own a home here, the need for certainty over your currency transfers remains essential so you should speak to Smart about our Regular Payment Plan. It all helps to make a retirement or holiday home in Spain even more enjoyable and care free. Speak to us today, or pop into our office. Selling up in Spain? Speak to us about cost-effective ways to return your money to the UK (or 33 other currencies!). Why not call and request our free guide: Returning to the UK.
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No. 70 Avenida Espana, Sito de Calahonda, Mijas Costa, 29649 Malaga, Spain
The P
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ALWAYS THERE Rincon Rent is on hand to give the best service RINCÓN RENT has been in the business of holiday home rentals in the Malaga area for more than 10 years. Based in Mijas, the team facilitates the rental of exclusive properties from an international ownership, allowing property owners to make a revenue and holidaymakers to enjoy luxury accommodation - Rincón Rent selects only the best properties. Having their head office based in the area, unlike many other letting agents on the Costa del Sol, they can attend to renters at any point of their holiday should they require assistance. Their service is personal, guests will be greeted by a member of the team at the property to ensure they are well settled in, ensuring the housekeeping is perfect for guests arrival and a bottle of wine is waiting for an extra special welcome every time. For those looking to rent their property, Rincón Rent are the ultimate insiders on Andalucia’s rental laws. After the introduction of a new law in 2016, requiring a tourist lice nce to rent out properties, the company took it upon themselves to influence the industry and look out for owners rights. How? Sitting on the board of AVVA (Association of Tourist Apartments Andalucia), the team fights for the interest of protecting home owners and their investment from the limits the Junta wants to impose. Rincón Rent is truly a leader in the property industry, encouraging more estate agents to join boards and putting pressure on politicians not to tighten laws further. This involvement with rental legislation and personal tailored approach towards guests is what makes Rincón Rent stand out from the crowd as the estate agent that really cares about its clients.
Contact Rincón Rent as a property owner or holidaymaker on +34 952 472 429 or email info@rinconrent.com
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Mijas
CELEBRITY HAUNT leader of Gerry and the Pacemakers. The most prominent celebrity though, to quit the rat-race and move to La Cala is Liverpool comedian Stan Boardman, (pictured) who says it has always been his favourite Spanish resort. “It’s one of the few places left on the coast that still has a local village feel,” Stan told the Olive Press, mug of tea in hand and a steak-andkidney pie on his plate. “There is still a very Spanish feel and people are friendly.” Stan was undoubtedly drawn by the romance of walking the same streets as the notorious British gang leaders. “I was at Ban-
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ditos in Marbella with Mad Frankie and Freddie once,” he quipped. “We had a great dinner of broken leg of lamb, bruised spare ribs and black-eyed peas.” There is no doubt that La Cala truly comes alive in summer, as the beach and neighbouring restaurants start to hum with people. But the big mix of S p a n ish with English, German, D u t c h a n d Scandinavians is quickly apparent. “We do not want anyone to feel like a foreigner in Mijas, no matter where they come from,” insists local council-
HISTORY: General Torrijos led a revolt (below) against King Ferdinand VII (right)
lor Mario Bravo. Historically a place of defence, La Cala’s past is hinted at by the fortified watchtower in the centre of the village. The tower was originally part of a series along the coast that provided an important system of defence duing the 12th century, warning Fuengirola, Benalmadena and Marbella of the presence of pirates and enemy ships. Now a museum and tourist information centre, the tower’s exhibitions tell the story of General Torrijos - who led a
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A CALA de Mijas is a step closer to getting its long promised olympic sized swimming pool from the municipality. Mijas town hall announced it would increase public spending by €78 million in its latest budget released in April. This money will go toward, amongst other things, exciting new projects like the swimming pool in La Cala as well as the Gran Parque, also long anticipated. At the announcement of the budget, councillors confirmed that the promised projects would be made a reality. The Great Park is now finally close to completion after six years of works and an allocation in the budget of some €4.5 million.
revolt against King Ferdinand VII’s regime in 1831 - the history of other coastal watchtowers, and the traditional fishing customs of the Mijas Costa. It was only four decades ago that the village consisted of little more than the watchtower and half a dozen fisherman’s cottages. Even up to the 1970s, almost all transport was by donkey, recalls Pepe Martin who has lived in La Cala all his life. “I was actually born in Malaga and my mother got there just
Take a dip soon
A new section of coastal path is also being built between La Cala and Fuengirola. All of these projects will ‘improve the quality of life of the people of Mijas’, according to mayor of Mijas, Josele Gonzalez. Construction of the swimming pool began in February 2021, at which time the councillor for infrastructure claimed it would be ‘the most modern in the province’. Also at that time, the councillor suggested the pool, located next to the existing football pitch and sports centre, could be complete by mid 2022 should weather conditions and the pandemic allow.
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7 June 2022
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MUSEUM: La Cala’s tower
in time with an hour donkey ride to Fuengirola, where she took the train,” he explains. The gardener added that back in the late 1950s most of the land in the area was split between two big families, the first a German family called Berne and the other a wealthy Malaga family called Cotrina. The two families between them owned most of the land up to Fuengirola and inland towards Mijas village. “They had most of the land carved up between them and employed many local labourers,” he adds. His family had a little bit of land of its own, where they
grew vines to produce raisins. “My grandfather used to own a lot of vines but they all died when the phylloxera virus hit. But we grew other things as well and shared farming equipment with other families in the area. “It was beautiful back then, the land was so unspoilt and the fields were full of life. We had an incredible time growing up here. “If you had a little bit of land you could live very well, but if you lived in the town of Fuengirola with no land say, you would be pretty poor,” he explains.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED Eyeprint gives a personalised service to every client
E
YEPRINT is a long standing design and printing business on the Costa del Sol now based in La Cala de Mijas. Whether you are looking for personalised business cards for your newly started small business or are an established company looking to give your workspace an upgrade with sleek-looking transparent vinyl on the windows, Eyeprint has the tools to make it happen. Businesses across a whole range of industries along the Costa del Sol have benefited from the services of Eyeprint. Eyeprint can also kit out your business with the best product labels, brochures, light boxes signs on the side of your building, and even billboard designs. They also create interior design magazine and brochures. A personalised experience for each client is at the heart of the operation. Clients are invited to come into the workshop to meet with Roxy and the team to ensure the finished product perfectly matches their needs. Eyeprint will take your idea and turn it into reality. They have the tools to make it happen and will design, print, fabricate and install for you. Businesses across a whole range of industries have benefited from their services and best product labels, brochures, illuminated sign and billboards. Aside from large format community signs, they also offer solutions for interiors like wallpaper, canvas and personalised items and can direct print onto rigid materials such as metal, PVC, aluminium etc. They also supply a wide selection of the very best materials to create something magical and offer a delivery service. They have a bilingual and multicultural team with a variety of skills with a production team based in Fuengirola and all printing done in-house. The company is dedicated to supporting other small businesses in La Cala de Mijas, as well as regularly working with local charities.
To get in touch to find out how Roxy and the Eyeprint team can take the vision for your business to the next level, call (+34) 665 804 321 or email info@eyeprint.es
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DID YOU KNOW? If you thought you knew all there was to know about Mijas, these 10 fascinating facts could make you think twice
BURIED TREASURE Traces of Punic-Phoenician temples have been found in only eight locations throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Mijas is one. During excavations in 2013 two bronze pieces representing the Eyes of Astarte the goddess were found within the old city walls, suggesting that the site was once a sanctuary to a healing cult.
WAR HEROES Playa de l’Ampolla
THAI TRANSPORT Although burro taxis are iconic in Mijas, a form of transport more familiar to the streets of Bangkok is giving the donkeys a well-earned break: tuk tuks. This electric eco-transport whizzes you up and down the steep jigsaw puzzle streets on a 35-minute tour.
In 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars not even the distinguished British General Blayney and his 2,000 soldiers were able to conquer Mijas. Under ferocious attack by sea and land, the defenders routed British and Spanish forces, captured Blayney and sent the troops scuttling north. It’s known as the Battle of Fuengirola but it was really Mijas as you’ll see below.
9 June 2022
SIAMESE TWIN
STAR TURN
Once upon a time Fuengirola didn’t exist - it was all part of Mijas, including the castle on the coast. In 1841 the two towns were separated although one still merges into the other so that the difference is almost imperceptible, like identical twins.
MIRACULOUS MIJAS One of the treasures of Mijas is the Virgen de la Peña sanctuary where, according to legend, the Madonna appeared to two shepherds. As a tribute, a hermitage was hollowed out in stone which has become a point of pilgrimage.
During the 1960s Mijas was a much sought-after backdrop for movie makers for its the typical Andalucian charm. Brigitte Bardot (above), Raquel Welch and the Spanish actress and singer Marisol respectively strolled its romantic streets in Les Bijoutiers du clair de lune (1958) Fathom (1967)” and Solos los dos (1968).
SIZE MATTERS
MAKING AN ENTRANCE Visitors are often curious to know why there are two sculptures of the Roman God Hercules flanking the entrance to Mijas Ethnological Museum of Mijas. They were put there to symbolise the burden of responsibility of the old Mijas political leaders. Clearly they had a Herculean task.
Mijas Costa was declared a Community Interest Area (CIA) in 2006 for its valuable marine ecosystem. Scientists have found 170 different species of molluscs along its shoreline, close to where the Mediterranean meets the Gibraltar Strait, a rich ocean habitat.
ECO BEACH Although the pueblo is petite, the tourist slogan ‘Mijas Inmensa’ is no lie. With an 80,000 population and an area of 148km2 it’s the third biggest municipality in the province of Malaga, after Malaga City and Marbella.
MARBLE-OUS MIJAS
Who would guess there are pieces of Mijas all over Spain. Marble was its main export during the XVII and XVIII centuries when it was used to embellish many important places of worship, including the cathedrals of Malaga and Sevilla, San Pedro Church in Granada and Santa Tecla in Burgos.
Mijas Properties was established in 1984 by Susanne Terés Specialists in Mijas Pueblo and the surrounding areas for over 30 years! Sales & Management Holidays & Long Term Rentals
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Here are just a few of the fantastic properties we have on the market – for more information on these properties and others available – please visit our website or pop in and meet us! Located on the main street in Mijas Village, close to the Town Hall If you are thinking of putting your property on for sale or rent, please do not hesitate to call us!
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La Cala de Mijas
Hotel Carmen La Cala de Mijas since 2013
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ARTISAN
OLDEN DAYS: Canny farmers realised donkey rides were a money spinner while fishing was the lifeblood of La Cala
23 June 2022
TOWN M
ijas workers created an industry around the weaving of esparto grass, men picking it in the high mountains and women folk creating a range of baskets, hats and even shoes, with examples at the Mijas folk museum meanwhile other snapshots of Mijas in days gone by include an underdeveloped La Cala in the 1960s
HOW IT WAS: The church and water fountain were central parts of life, while (right) esparto weaving produced a range of baskets and hats as seen in the folklore museum (above right)
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TAKING IT TO THE MAX FREE TAPAS IN HAPPY HOUR
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INSIGHT AND EXPERTISE Mijas Properties have been helping people realise their property dreams since 1984
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Try the great food and party vibe at Max Beach, writes Dilip Kuner
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HERE is no shortage of restaurants in Mijas – but there are a few that stand out either for the remarkable quality of their food, their excellent service or great location. And it is only a very select handful that score high marks for all three. Top of the list is Max Beach. Its prominent beachside location in Riviera, with access straight from the paseo walkway that winds its way along the coast, offers excellent views. The meals are top-notch and the Beach is more than a high-quaefficient staff are all to eager lity restaurant – it is a lively and to help without being too ob- exclusive beach club too. trusive. The pool has long been a faWhat more could you want? vourite spot for those looking for somewhere You won’t know to lounge while the answer unRestaurant til you pay Max sampling excellent sushi and Beach a visit. offers a laid snacks paired When it reopeback, boho ned after a maswith a cocktail or sive refurb last themed vibe to two. summer it was But the food hard to tell how offering has got diners it could get beteven better with ter, but it just has! the introduction And it is not simply about their of mouth-watering sharing new menu, which offers a fu- platters. Top of the range is sion Asian theme as well as the Monte Carlo Cold Seafood more ‘European’ dishes. Platter featuring oysters, lobsFor those not in the know, Max ter, King Crab, king prawns
and much more. And what better place to enjoy sharing than in the two new ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ VIP areas with unobstructed views of the DJ Theatre? It all makes for a humming atmosphere with the best beats accompanied by the best food. Part of the Max Beach complex is Mao Chinese restaurant, which has enjoyed a surge of popularity with its new menu, which offers authentic Asian cuisine and is a far cry from the ‘standard Chinos’ to be found on the Costa del Sol. But tempting as it was to sample the latest delights from Mao, I headed to the Max Beach restaurant. This has a
Walk on the wild side
ELLING a beloved property or taking the leap to buy is a big decision. For a trusted pair of hands to guide you every step of the way, look no further than Mijas Properties. Mijas Properties was founded in 1984 by Susanne Terés and has been in the business of buying and selling property as well as rentals for both holidays and long term in Mijas ever since. The impressive, almost 40-year, run makes Mijas PropAKE a walk in most directions the town hall or tourist erties the longest-serving business of its kind in the outside Mijas Pueblo and you’ll office. area, and this brings with it invaluable expertise and infind a network of walking trails Graded by levels of sight into the market. varied enough to tempt hikers difficulty, walkers can Years of service have built this family-run business a of all abilities. learn about the natural reputation as well respected and honest, meaning you Although geographically close, the environment through a can put your Spanish property journey in their hands with total peace of mind. spectacular hills of the Sierra de series of routes. Susanne and her husband, Ian, run the show alongside Mijas - which it is hoped will soon The starting point for the brilliant Nina and Mark. They would be delighted to become a Natural Park - feel distant most trails is the Miinvite potential clients into their newly refurbished office, from the buzz of the coast. rador de Mijas Puelocated a short walk from Mijas Town Hall and with stunWith more than 100km of walking blo. Panels throughout ning sea views, for an informal chat and general advice trails through unspoilt terrain with walks will direct you, without any pressure. stunning wildlife and bird-watching offering cultural inforMijas Properties is constantly combining its experience opportunities, there is so much to see. mation on the surrounwith improvements, such as a new website that is curEven better this trail network is well dings. rently in progress and increased use of social media. Prime-time for walking marked and maps are available at 2021 was one of the company’s most successful years is mid-September until ever and the team is motivated to continue this run over mid-June, as high sumthe coming year! mer temperatures can Along with experibe overwhelming. ence, passion is at Blue skies and almond trees in blosthe heart ofMijas Mijas Properties was established in 1984 som are typical of January and Properties operaby Susanne Terés Spring is beautiful, with the wild potion. Susanne insists she herself ppies, lavender and other flowers in Specialists would never livein Mijas Pueblo and the surrounding areas bud. anywhere other for over 30 years! Head up to the popular ‘masts than Mijas and mountain’ hike, visible from Mijas, finds every day wakwhere the antenna towers mark the Sales & Management ing in this beautiful peak. part of Andalucia aHolidays & Long Term Rentals Once the summit has been reached, blessing. walkers are rewarded with stunning
Tranquility and stunning vistas lie in wait high above Mijas
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Contact Mijas Properties on +34 952 48 50 25 or email susanne@mijasproperties.com
360 degree views for miles inland and across the sea to Morocco. Take care to bring plenty of water and wear proper footwear as terrain can be tricky.
more laid-back Boho themed vibe than the party atmosphere by the pool, and is no less enjoyable, whether inside or on the comfortable terraces. Myself, wife Sandra and daughter Liliana eschewed the sharing platters – extremely tempting as they were – and decided to have a mini-tour of the World via our plates!
25 June 2022
Shine International A is a new and inclusive primary school offer alternative to the trad school experience.
REACH HIGHER, SEE FURTHER, SHINE BRIGHTER It gives us great pleasure to introduce Shine International Academy, where we engage hearts and equip minds. We are a new British primary school, based in Mijas, offering an alternative to a traditional school. A SHINE experience is a transformative experience; through our universal provision we deliver a truly personalised and holistic education which will provide the foundation of a remarkable life for our children. So what makes us so different?
FUSION: Max Beach combines the best of the Med and the Orient
The Japanese style octopus achieved the rare distinction of being meltingly tender and crispy all at the same time. I was worried the wasabi ali-oli might overpower the flavour, but it was judged to perfection. Lili stayed closer to home, starting off with Mediterranean Shrimp. A substantial serving of prawns were cooked with just the right amount of chilli, white wine, roasted garlic and cherry tomatoes to perfectly balance the flavours. Sandra opted for a taste of Italy with a Burrata Berry Caprese
salad and was not to be disappointed with the fresh berries, burrata cheese, avocado, basil and lemon dressing. Being a lover of meat, I headed for the charcoal-fired Josper grill for a cooked-to-perfection rack of lamb - blushingly pink on the inside and smokily grilled on the outside. Sandra was not disappointed with her pan-fried Mediterranean Sea Bass, while Lili sampled a taste of Japan with her Tuna Poke from the raw Asian bar. Having eaten well, we skipped
dessert, tempting as they were and walked the meal off along the promenade. With evening views across the Mediterranean it was the perfect way to end a lovely dinner. As the warm season starts, Max Beach has now opened its night lounge by the pool with entertainment from Thursday to Sunday starting at 10pm. Due to its popularity, it’s always best to reserve in advance.
Carretera A7, KM 198.1 Urb. Riviera del Sol Parcela Playa Max Beach 29649, Mijas Costa Tel: 952 930 858 info@maxbeach.es
At SHINE we understand that the traditional classroom does not always meet the needs of today’s children, families, and societies. We embrace the latest educational methodologies and have teachers who are committed to professional learning and impactful practice. What this means in practice is that your children are known and understood by the team working around them. Learning is personal, appropriate and challenging as well as fun and takes place everywhere; the classrooms, the garden, the patio, the park, the beach, the journey to school and even over dinner in the evening! We also understand the importance of health and wellbeing for children, so our approach develops strong, healthy bodies and minds. We do much of our learning outdoors and encourage our children to move freely as well as participate in a variety of mindfulness exercises in our wonderful outdoor spaces. Inclusivity is a key part of our philosophy and every child is welcomed and encouraged to become a contributing member of our SHINE family, helping them grow into responsible members of our international, multicultural society. As parents, you can feel confident of your involvement in the planning for your child and that your SHINE team is always working collaboratively to achieve the best outcome for your family. Please contact us to learn more about how we can help you all to SHINE!
For more information email admin@si-academy.com or visiti www.si-academy.com
A BRITISH EDUCATION WITH A MODERN APPROACH
Reach Higher, See Further, Shine Brighter Shine International Academy is a new and inclusive British primary school offering an alternative to the traditional school experience.
SMALL CLASS SIZES IN-SCHOOL SUPPORT FOR ALL EXCEPTIONAL TEACHING CHILD CENTERED APPROACH
ENROLMENT FROM APRIL 2022 Email for information: admin@si-academy.com or visit us: www.si-academy.com
EN
Em or v
MIJAS, AN ENDLESS SUMMER
The good weather is here and the leisure possibilities are limitless
Y
OU can feel summer in the air - not just because of the rising temperatures, but also because of the multitude of events that are lined up in Mijas over the coming months. Residents and visitors to the multicultural and cosmopolitan town nestled between the mountains and the Mediterranean have a whole host of events to enjoy this summer. Of course, summer wouldn’t be summer without a visit to the beach and Mijas has an unbeatable calling card: 12 kilometres of beauti-
ful coastline featuring three blue flags as proof of their quality. Mijas offers a window onto the Mediterranean where you can lose yourself in long lazy days of sand and sun. In fact people come from all over the world to experience a day at the beach in the purest Andalucian style. And what could be better after a relaxing day on the beach than to take a stroll along the coastal path - the only one in the province with a blue flag - and take in a dreamy sunset. Beach, sun... and food. The gastronomic offering of the town could not be more appetising at this time of year. From the sizzling espetos (sardines) barbecuing in the chiringuitos that huddle along the beaches, through the unmistakable smell of the garrapiñadas (sweet peanuts and almonds), to the Mijas Pueblo tapas route. During July and August, locals and visitors can enjoy drinks and tapas at a very affordable price in numerous establishments. It is, without a doubt, the best way of sampling the wide range of flavours offered by the local cuisine. The art and culture of Mijas is another attraction that draws the crowds. Open-air concerts, exhibitions, workshops... in summer there is no time to get bored in Mijas.
Parade The town is resuming some of its most important events such as the salsa night in Mijas Pueblo. There will also be other highly anticipated events such as the blues and Celtic night, traditional pilgrimages, open-air dances and, of course the fairs which are once again taking centre stage in the Mijas summer after two years in the shadows due to the pandemic. The most eagerly awaited is that of Mijas Pueblo, when the patron saint, the Virgen de la Peña, will once again parade through the streets on the town’s big day, September 8. But before then, the third-largest town in the province will host other celebrations where live music makes a welcome return. The La Cala Mijas Fest, on September 1, 2 and 3 in the centre of Cala Mijas will be an absolute treat for music lovers. International stars are booked to perform including Arctic Monkeys, The Chemical Brothers, Liam Gallagher, Nathy Peluso and Love of Lesbian. It is not the only event marked in red on the Mijas summer calendar. If there is one event that
MUSE: Mijas Pueblo is transformed into literary heaven in summer as pems ring round the streets
is already a benchmark on the provincial scene, it is undoubtedly the Villa de Mijas Theatre Festival. This year it celebrates its 25th anniversary. For a quarter of a century it has been bringing to the people of Mijas, free of charge, a wide variety of theatre of the highest standard. All of them are performed under a unique stage, the starry sky of Mijas Pueblo as seen from the Municipal Auditorium Miguel González Berral. This activity shares a cultural focus with the Enfoca and Pinta en Mijas competitions, which transform Mijas Pueblo into a muse for artists - both painters and photographers - or Poesia en la Calle, where poetry rings out amongst the white walls of the village with verses for the delight of those passionate about literature. Sports also play a fundamental role in the summer programme, as the combination of sea and mountains makes Mijas an ideal place to enjoy outdoor sports. Hiking, climbing, cycling, surfing and scuba diving are some of the star sports to practice in a town where golf also shines with its own light thanks to the 12 high-level courses in the area. Music, art, sport, traditions and gastronomy. There are endless options to enjoy these coming months in Mijas and all of them are within reach of those who dare to experience them in an unbeatable setting on the Costa del Sol. What luck to live in Mijas, and in summer, even more so! You can consult the Mijas summer calendar, its events and official dates on the website mijas.es or through the tourism portal turismo.mijas.es
LA CULTURA
June 1st - June 14th 2022
Delicious period pains
Cure for tummy troubles
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O
very abuela’s favourite secret. Believe it or not, chocolate is made up of healthy chemicals and nutrients that have the ability to soothe menstrual pain and improve your mood. So next time you need to stock up on menstrual supplies, don’t be afraid to give in to your chocolate cravings. Dark chocolate, which is one of the richest sources of magnesium, is an awesome muscle relaxant. One ounce of dark chocolate contains 95 mg of magnesium, more than an average-sized banana, which contains 32 mg. Eating it also releases endorphins - a natural painkiller - serotonin - improves mood and dopamine - provides a sense of well-being.
ne of the simplest and most effective remedies for a bad stomach is homemade lemonade. Mix water, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking soda, and a little sugar to sweeten it. This mixture is proven to replenish fluids and minerals lost when we have a bad stomach and can prevent dehydration.
Impossible ink stains
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nk stains on any fabric are usually difficult to remove… although not for Spanish grandmothers. All you need is milk. Yes... milk. The first thing you need is a large container in which the garment can be placed. Then you must place a generous amount of milk at room temperature and immerse the garment until it is completely covered. Leave the product to act for approximately six hours, as the longer the garment remains in contact with the milk the more effective the trick will be. On some occasions some stains are more resistant, so rub a little with a clothes brush. Remmebr, the faster you act, the easier it will be to remove the stain with milk. Ink has certain pigments that penetrate very quickly into clothes and are usually fast drying, There are water-based washable inks that are pretty easy to remove, although the ink from ordinary ballpoint pens is harder to remove, but not impossible.
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Stye on the eye
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his is one of the most bizarre home remedies but there are grannies who will swear it works. A stye is a blocked oil gland in the eyelid that can appear on the upper or lower eyelid, as well as on the inner or outer eyelids, near the edge where the eyelashes meet. It has been proven that heat considerably improves the condition of these annoying wounds, and grandmothers have found a way to do it. Rub a gold ring between your palms until it is warm and then place it on the infected eye for several seconds. It’s actually the heat that proves healing rather than the secret qualities of the precious metal, so if you don’t have a gold ring to hand, a damp cloth warmed in hot water will likely prove just as effective (just don’t tell abuela!).
EU FORMAL REGULATED DEBT SOLUTIONS
Ireland’s leading Personal Insolvency Practice “IRS Ireland” is now available to facilitate personal insolvency applications in Ireland for people currently residing in Spain. If you have legacy debts, unsustainable debts secured on property, or simply unsustainable unsecured debts, did you know you may be eligible to make an application for a Personal Insolvency Arrangement in Ireland that can resolve debts incurred in any of the 27 EU member states? If you are in debt and living in Spain, whether your debts are owed to Irish creditors, or creditors in an EU member state, contact us on +353 58 23511 or email admin@irs-ireland.com IRS Ireland facilitates Bankruptcy applications, and applications for Personal Insolvency Arrangements (“PIA”) or Debt Settlement Arrangements (“DSA”) short of bankruptcy. Uniquely Ireland’s PIA mechanism allows for the restructuring of debt secured on a property asset without the requirement for the property to be sold or surrendered by you. Mitchell O’Brien, senior personal insolvency practitioner with IRS is Ireland’s most successful facilitator of PIA applications. A personal insolvency practitioner (“PIP”) is a regulated professional authorized by the Irish Government’s Insolvency Service of Ireland. Mitchell O’Brien was Ireland’s first licensed PIP. Formal Irish insolvency arrangements are recognized and enforceable in all EU Member States. Face-to-face consultations can be arranged with Mitchell O’Brien in the Malaga region, or using Zoom video conferencing.
www.irs-ireland.com
by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola
LOOKING UP
Property sales boom with best figures since 2007 SPAIN’S property market is bouncing back fast with home sales up 25.6% year-on-year and a 10.5% increase on February’s total, according to the National Statistics Institute. It is a very good time to invest, but borrowers need to keep their eyes open. With an array of banks battling to offer the most attractive mortgage rates, it’s easy to get carried away. That is where a broker becomes essential: someone in your corner to highlight any hidden fees or compulsory add-ons tucked away in the small print and to ensure you get the best possible mortgage rate to suit your needs. One of the biggest pitfalls can be ‘trap-related products’ that often get hidden in the small print. These additional products get attached to your mortgage and usually include insurance policies. It is important to know exactly what is attached to your mortgage. What may seem like a great rate can be soured by expensive – and sometimes unnecessary – insurance packages. Using a broker will save both time and money as they will be looking out for these hidden add-ons and will always look for ways to lessen
BUSINESS Food gloom 30
MORTGAGE THINK TANK
their impact. And while the vast majority of banks specify the fees and commissions they charge, not all of these costs are always declared. Many financial institutions refrain from publishing less known fees such as early redemption charges. These are, however, regulated by law, and may not exceed 0.25% for the first three years, 0.15% in years four and five and 0% from the sixth, for variable rate mortgages. For fixed rate mortgages (normally only reserved for euro earners), the penalty is 2% during the initial 10 years and 1% thereafter. It is advisable to ask the bank to specify all commissions and how many there are before signing the contract. This will spare you unwanted surprises down the road. But the best way to ensure a good mortgage that does not hide anything in the fine print is to solicit the help of a mortgage broker. When it comes to picking a mortgage, you may only get one shot as it is virtually impossible to reverse a decision that goes against you. Once you sign the mortgage deed at the notary it is set in stone, as remortgaging and equity-release is all but impossible with Spanish banks.
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
June 1st June 14th 2022
Pockets hit by €200 a year and more price hikes to come
ANNUAL food costs are expected to rise by an average €200 per family in Spain this year according to an Allianz Food Inflation survey. The yearly food spend is projected to go up to €2,300 due to rising prices but the study says further hikes are likely. Food costs in Spain are lower than the EU average, which comes in €200 higher per annum at €2,500. Increases in fuel, electricity, and fertiliser costs caused firstly by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine, are seen as the main contributory factors to the price hikes.
Events in the Ukraine have affected the supply of basic foods such as wheat and sunflower oil, with prices going up for alternative sources. The Allianz report warns the situation could get much worse as current food prices are not rising at the same proportion as increases in raw material costs over the
HARD hit motorists will soon have more opportunities to fill up on the cheap. Budget petrol station company Ballenoil is planning to open eight new sites in the Malaga region, with rivals Plenoil opening four. Ballenoil will open stations in Torremolinos, Antequera, two in Marbella, Cancelada (Estepona), Malaga city, San Pedro de Alcantara and Benahavis before the end of this year. Plenoil is going to open 10 petrol stations in Andalucia, four of which will be based in Malaga province.
CASH SAVER
past 18 months. It warns that food and beverage producers in the EU have already increased their prices by an average of 14% since the beginning of 2021.
Pasta
In supermarkets, the most significant price increases have been for oils (+53 %), flour (+28%) and pasta (+19%). The average of a full food shopping trip though has only gone up by 6% as retailers have absorbed around 50% of price hikes to consumers. Allianz warns that high inflation coupled with reduced sales will add pressure to the profitability of businesses, which will probably work its way into a further 'increase in consumer prices'.
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Heritage STREET PARTIES MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE HISTORY MUSIC
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THE ROCK The MoorishMusicCastle Festivals Food Festival Pillars of Hercules National Week, Chess, Snooker, Backgammon Championships 100000 YEARS Darts, LITERARY FESTIVAL
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A year of Culture
Bring hearts, minds and souls
BUSINESS
June 1st June 14th 2022
31
We are open – See you soon!
IN THE POOR HOUSE SPAIN has received yet another warning from the European Commission over its high debt and unemployment risk It has called on the country to exercise restraint in public spending, warning that Spain could see public indebtedness reach a higher level in 2026 than in 2021. Spain’s public deficit soared in 2020 from 3% to 10% fuelled by mass public spending during the pandemic, although it was reduced to 6.9% in 2021 as the economy bounced back. But to avoid rising debt as the government tackles issues caused by the war in Ukraine, such as energy price hikes, the EU called on the Spanish government to ‘ensure prudent fiscal policy’ in 2023. Debt jumped from 95.5% to 120% of GDP in 2020. Since then, a fall in health costs post-pandemic and the rebound in GDP have helped to bring the debt down to 118.4%. The target is to lower the figure to 110% in 2025, but SPAIN'S government will spend €12.25 the EC fears Spain could billion over five years to develop the actually see an increase in country's micro chip and semiconductor debt by 2026. sector. The investment has gone up by over €1 billion from what Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, first proposed in early April. A lot of the money is coming from EU Covid-19 funding to develop new projects and revitalise industries following the pandemic. Economy Minister, Nadia Calviño, revealed that €9.3 billion will be used to build new component factories.
The Costa de la Luz’s most emblematic restaurant and hotel. In the stunning white town of Vejer de la Frontera.
Getting chippy
Billion
The five-year investment will subsidise domestic semiconductor production capacity in leading-edge and mid-range semiconductor manufacturing. Over €1.1 billion will go to research and development with chip design getting €1.3 billion.
CalifaVejer.com tel: +34 956 44 77 30 Plaza de España, Vejer de la Frontera,Costa de la Luz, Cádiz
STILL VOLATILE Exchange rates fluctuate on recession fears and ECB rate hike bets, writes Peter Loveday
THE Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate continued to trade in a wide range through the second half of May as fears of a UK recession were stoked following a dramatic surge in UK inflation. Elsewhere a hawkish shift by the European Central Bank (ECB) has also infused volatility into the pairing. This has seen the pairing trade in a range of between €1.16 and €1.18. WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING? The past couple of weeks have seen the GBP/EUR exchange rate continue to trade unevenly, with the pairing fluctuating in response to mixed UK data and signals from the ECB that it will soon begin tightening its monetary policy. In terms of UK data, the pound found itself coming under considerable pressure after the UK’s consumer price index revealed domestic inflation soared to 9% in April. The surge exacerbated concerns over the UK’s cost of living crisis and revived recession fears. A surprisingly upbeat retail sales reading and Bank of England (BoE) rate hike bets helped the pound to quickly bounce back, before a worrying drop in the latest UK services PMI then erased a good portion of these gains. Meanwhile, a more hawkish tilt from the ECB has helped to underpin the euro through the second half of May, with ECB President Christine Lagarde signalling the bank is likely to start raising interest rates in July. This has helped to offset heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine, with Russia’s threats against Finland for applying to join NATO stoking fears the conflict could spread to other parts of Europe. Looking ahead, it seems safe to assume that the pound will remain highly sensitive to negative UK data as this would likely feed into recession fears. Any more signals that consumer spending is faltering could leave GBP exchange rates vulnerable to significant pressure.
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ESTEPONA Avd. España, nº 10, Local 5, Estepona, Málaga, 29680 estepona@currenciesdirect.com MARBELLA
For EUR investors the focus is likely to be on the ECB. Markets will be looking for additional hints as to how aggressively the bank will look to tighten its monetary policy. Expect to see the euro strengthen if ECB policymakers grow increasingly hawkish. Meanwhile the war in Ukraine will no doubt continue to impact the GBP/EUR exchange rate. While the euro is likely to be more sensitive to any developments, any risk-off flows could weigh on Sterling sentiment. PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that twocent gap between €1.18 and €1.20 translates to a €4000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against you. Services like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need them. At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.
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32
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
June 1st - June 14th 2022
FLIGHT THREAT
Beach bum
Travel chaos in store after strike call by Ryanair staff
PLANS have been unveiled for the largest artificial beach in Europe. Permission has been given to create a giant water park with 25,000 square metres of pools surrounded by 15,000 square metres of sandy beach in Alovera in Guadalajara province. The beach will include water slides, zip lines, as well as a sailing school, watersports, beach volleyball courts and chiringuitos. The project has been drawn up by Grupo Rayet with a budget of €15.6million and if it all goes ahead as planned, it should be open in time for summer 2023. While the local town hall is poised to approve the project which has met environmental regulations, there is much local opposition. Ecologistas en Accion has criticised the project over what it said was ‘unsustainable water management’, saying it will use treated drinking water and need emptying every five years. One of the most frequent complaints by those who live in Madrid is its distance from the coast.
RYANAIR flights across Europe could be disrupted by strikes this summer over cabin crew working conditions. Spain’s USO and SITCPLA unions have joined forces with counterparts in Belgium, France, Italy, and Portugal to coordinate protest action. They argue the budget Irish airline has not listened to
By Alex Trelinski
demands first made four years ago to improve work contracts for cabin crews. One-day walkouts in September 2018 led to some concessions, but unions now want more substantial changes. They say European strikes will be called this summer if no progress is
SPAIN has eased entry restrictions for unvaccinated tourists from outside the European Union. Until now, third country nationals including Americans and Brits, were only allowed to enter Spain for non-essential reasons if they had a valid Covid vaccination certificate or proof of recovery. But in a move lobbied for by Spain’s tourism industry to boost visitor numbers ahead of the summer holidays, entry will now be allowed with just a negative test. It means travellers over the age of 12 can enter if they present a PCR test that must be carried out in the 72 hours prior to departure to Spain or an antigen test 24 hours prior to departure.
made. Union demands include the application of basic non-ne-
Getting easier “This is excellent news, much awaited by the tourism sector, which will make it easier for tourists outside of Europe to visit us during the high season,” said tourism minister Maria Reyes Maroto. Children under 12 and those travelling to Spain with an EU COVID passport or equivalent (including NHS COVID travel pass) no longer need to complete the Health Control Form. Those without an EU COVID pass or equivalent must complete the Health Control Form to show evidence of their vaccinations or certificate of recovery.
gotiable worker rights and to recognise the right of staff to organise as union members to participate in collective bargaining. The unions say Ryanair has lost court cases over the way it employs people but governments have been slow to take action.
Water
Criticisms range from cabin crew having to work without access to water on planes, poorly prepared payrolls and a lack of transparency over job transfers and promotions, which unions claim is used as a form of pressure on staff to accept worse employment conditions. Ryanair employs 6,000 people in Spain.
Towering Torre TOURISM to Torremolinos is fast approaching pre-pandemic figures, a recent survey reveals. According to data from the Hotel Occupancy Survey of the National Institute of Statistics, figures show the total accumulated number of tourists who have arrived in Torremolinos in the first quarter of 2022 has already reached 108,344 - a figure that is rapidly approaching those that the municipality registered in 2019, before the pandemic.
Sea bridge WORK to connect the Caminito del Rey with the sea is underway. Malaga Provincial Council has invested €800,000 in the first stage of the ambitious project that will provide the province with the largest river park in Spain. It will have 140 kilometres of paths and 4.5 million square metres of land on the banks of the Guadalhorce river. The Caminito del Rey is a popular eight kilometre hiking route for adrenaline and vertigo lovers. It includes a pedestrian walkway attached to the rock walls that allows hikers to walk high up in the El Chorro gorge.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
STAG AND HEN GRIPE Fun for many but are party holidays getting out of hand?
S
PAIN is one of the world’s top destinations for stag and hen weekends. But not everyone is a fan of the large groups who descend in their droves, normally in the late Spring, before the summer wedding season begins in northern Europe. Plenty of cities have been cracking down on the groups, with Sevilla and Malaga leading the way in Andalucia, while Ibiza and Mallorca also try and restrict them. Sevilla cracked down with fines in 2018 after a group of hens whacked each other with giant inflatable penises during a sombre religious procession at Semana Santa. And it is not just foreigners who are to blame for the noise and nonsense, as these pictures show of Spanish groups running amok in Granada and arriving in Malaga. One group arriving at Malaga from Mallorca at the weekend dressed up its stag as a mop and made him go up and down the plane aisle ‘to clean it’. The continual shouting, clapping and drinking annoyed plenty of fellow passengers and there is no doubt the ‘despedida de soltero’, as it is known here, is getting rowdier each year.
June 1st - June 14th 2022
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
June 1st - June 14th 2022
CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR Poble Espanyol, Barcelona The Spanish Village museum at Montjuic in Barcelona is unique in that it combines architectural styles from all over Spain. The exhibition feels like a pleasant stroll through a quintessential Spanish town, but being a museum, offers the opportunity to learn about Spanish architecture at the same time. The Spanish Village was built in 1929 for the World Fair being held in Barcelona, but has been kept to this day thanks to its popularity with tourists and locals alike. Montjuic Hill, where the museum is located, can be reached by cable car, allowing gorgeous views of the Catalan capital to be enjoyed.
Museo Vostell Malpartida, Extremadura
Discover 10 of the best ‘roofless’ museums to visit, with Kimberley Mannion
Museums are a great way to spend a rainy day in winter, but there is no reason the cultural immersion and chance to learn something new cannot be enjoyed in summer. To get the best of both worlds - the summer weather and the museum experience - here is a list of 10 of Spain’s top outdoor museums for days out during the summer holidays.
To save yourself reading the roughly 800 page beacon of Spanish culture and Spain’s best selling novel of all time, visit the Don Quixote mural project in the book’s setting of rural La Mancha. The project involved 12 international street artists and was also a major social inclusion project, with 450 people with disabilities involved. The colourful murals depict scenes from Don Quixote making for a cultural tour around the region.
Valley of the Fallen, Madrid Located in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range north of Madrid, the Valley of the Fallen is a striking monument that dominates the landscape, commemorating all the Spaniards who died in the bloody civil war. Approximately 40,000 soldiers, interestingly both Republican and Nationalist, are buried at the site. It also has a basilica to visit, and being wrapped in the beautiful surroundings of the Sierra makes a wonderful trip from Madrid.
This museum’s car sculptures will make you feel like you are flying along famed US road Route 66 with the windows rolled down, rather than an open air museum in Extremadura. The collection also encompasses a section inspired by trendy retro Berlin. Founded in 1976 by Hispano-German Wolf Vostell, the towering sculptures of modern art can be admired walking around the museum’s park.
Titanes Project Don Quixote Murals, Castilla-La Mancha
Fundacion Montemedio is a haven for lovers of both art and nature located in Vejer de la Frontera, a stunning white moorish town slightly off the traditional tourist trail, and well worth paying a visit on its own. The outdoor museum combines contemporary art with nature in perfect harmony, and is also dog friendly. The most popular attraction is the Impression of the Sky, a striking white ellipse structure inspired by the contrast between the rainy and dry months of the Andalucian town.
Fundacion Montemedio, Cadiz
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
June 1st - June 14th 2022
Museo Atlantico, Lanzarote
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Santa Cecilia, Barcelona
As the only underwater museum in Europe, this is sure to be a unique experience. Getting a look at the underwater sculptures requires a journey 15 metres underwater. British sculptor James deCaires Taylor opened the first museum of its kind in 2006 on the Caribbean island of Grenada, before opening the Lanzarote site 10 years later. Sculptures based on residents of Lanzarote, as well as the refugee crisis in Europe and others experimenting with the entwining of man and nature are all housed in the museum designed as an artificial reef under the sea.
World renowned contemporary Irish artist Sean Scully has a special place for Barcelona in his art and had the idea to paint the Church of Santa Cecilia after his first visit to Montserrat. The artist has had a large influence on the museum, and his style and Irish roots are evident in his work which includes eight beautiful stained-glass windows, all of which can be seen in the Montserrat Natural Park.
Art Encounters Genal Valley, Malaga Over 100 artists from painters to sculptors have offered their work to the pueblo of Genalguacil, turning its streets into anl open air museum. The work also reflects the nature of the surrounding area, created using its natural resources. The exhibition is special in that it combines modern art with the setting of a traditional Andalucian white village, attracting a report in the New York Times. It is an easy day trip from the Costa del Sol, being just over 30km from the town of Estepona, as well as 40km from Ronda.
Museum of Erotic Sculpture, Girona
A visit to the Musuem of Erotic Sculpture is an unusual stroll through the Can Girona Forest with erotic scultpures rather than the usual hills or trees to admire. The sculptures themselves are moulded from a range of materials including concrete, recycled objects and scrap metal. The pieces are more than the comical element they seem on the surface though, with the intention of connecting nature and intimacy and invoking religious symbolism.
Fundacion Cerezales Antonino y Cinia, Leon
An exhibition focused on nature, this large open air museum in Leon brings a vast range of flower species and nature all together in one place. The museum also offers visitors their own chance to get into the wild with paths leading to the countryside where they can pick their own flowers after being inspired by the displays produced by the professionals.
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PROPERTY Rags and riches PEOPLE living in the south of Spain are more at risk of poverty than those in the north, a new study has confirmed. Spain’s poorest towns are all located in the south of the country according to the latest data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) Researchers discovered that, apart from Madrid, Spain’s richest towns were all located in the northern half of the country, while its poorest were almost all in the south. Four out of five towns with the highest average salary are located in the Madrid Community, topped by Pozuelo de Alarcon where the average annual salary is €26,367. The upmarket commuter town of Sant Cugat outside Barcelona is also in the top five.
Lowest
The poorest municipalities on the peninsula are Nijar and Vicar in Almeria, Los Palacios and Villafranca in Sevilla, Barbate in Cadiz and Alhaurin el Grande in Malaga. Meanwhile those with the lowest rate of unemployment were Pozuelo de Alarcon in Madrid (6,2%), Sant Cugat del Valles in Barcelona (6,4%), Las Rozas in Madrid (7,1%), and Donostia/San Sebastian in the Basque Country (7,8%).
June 1st - June 14th 2022
MURCIA’S La Manga is to receive a bumper investment from a developer. La Manga Properties is putting up €3.5 million for a new housing and shopping centre project in the exclusive resort. The investment will see the creation of an estate called El Boulevard, comprising two villas, five apartments and a new shopping centre. Manuel Lopez Gilabert, project manager of La Manga Club Properties said: “This development is for buyers who want it all: a privileged location, shopping and dining options, and an impressive contemporary home with the quality guarantee of La Manga Club Properties. The community offers spectacular views over the northern area of the Calblanque park”. It is thought the project will create around 120 jobs. La Manga was recently deceased TV star Dennis Wa-
MONEY FOR LA MANGA terman’s home where he was frequently seen on the golf greens. Future tenants will be granted access to the state-of-theart amenities of the entire complex, which has three golf courses, tennis courts, eight soccer pitches and a private beach. “Those who prefer independent villas and private pools will delight in Las Acacias. Buyers looking for exclusive use apartments with large terraces and sea views will find their ideal property in Las Orquídeas. And from now on, those who want a commercial space, a furnished apartment to rent for part of the year or an independent villa, have El Boulevard,” said Lopez.
Impressive figures
Home sales soar to same rate as 2007 property boom
HOME property sales in Spain soared to their highest March level since 2007 according to official figures. The National Statistics Institute (INE) reported 59,272 registered sales in March 2022, with twothirds of the deals coming in Andalucia. The latest figure shows a 25.6% year-on-year rise and a 10.5% increase on February's total. It’s the 13th consecutive monthly rise in home sales in Spain and the best figures since the height of the property bubble. It’s also the fifth time that the 50,000 monthly mark has been passed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic over two years ago. The highest number of transactions came in Anda-
SPANISH architects have created a Google maps style platform displaying the accessibility of housing across the world. The group from the Superior Council of the Associations of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) has invented the tool which utilises 4,000 financial, urban context and development indicators to rank how accessible housing is in cities across the world. The indicators correspond to barriers hindering accessibility to housing such as mismatch between building of houses and demand, pol-
lucia, accounting for 39,846 sales, followed by the Valencian Community and Cata-
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icies and regulations, and finance. The tool uses data from major international organisations including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Health Organisation. It has never before been possible to view all this information in one place, making the Spanish architects’ creation the first of its kind in housing analysis.
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HEALTH
June 1st - June 14th 2022
ALARM RAISED
Monkeypox worries grow as more cases found
Smokiest regions EXTREMADURA and Murcia have the highest percentage of daily smokers in Spain’s regions according to figures released to coincide with last Tuesday’s World No Tobacco Day. The AECC cancer charity says 25% of people in Extremadura smoke every day, closely followed by Murcia on 24%. Andalucia, the Balearic Islands, Catalunya, the Canary Islands and Castilla la Mancha come equal third on 21%. The number of daily smokers in the Valencian Community is 20%. The fewest smokers are found in the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla(15%) and in the Basque Country(16%). A 2005 Smoking Law backed up by EU measures in 2010 to stop smoking inside bars and restaurants has produced a substantial lowering in people consuming tobacco. Some 28.1% of people in 2003 were smokers but that fell to 19.8% by 2020.
GLOBAL health officials have sounded the alarm over rising cases in Europe and elsewhere of monkeypox, a type of viral infection more common to west and central Africa. The first cases in Europe were detected in the UK with Spain now accounting for more cases than anywhere else, although cases have now been identified across Europe, the US, Canada, Israel, and Australia.
Rose
The number of monkeypox cases in Spain rose over the weekend by 22 confirmed cases to 120. Spain now has the most cases in Europe followed by the United Kingdom with 106
By Fiona Govan
and neighbouring Portugal where 74 cases have been confirmed. The majority of cases within Spain have been detected in Madrid and are linked to an outbreak traced to a gay sauna in the capital. One woman has tested positive but all other cases confirmed in Spain are among men. Another spike in cases is believed to stem from a Pride festival on Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands. Protocol issue by health authorities require that those diagnosed with monkeypox self-isolate and wear face masks to stem the spread. Although most of the known cases in Europe have been
SPAIN’S government has approved a new draft law to regulate the sales of electronic cigarettes. It means that e-cigarette shops will disappear within five years with tobacconists becoming the only outlet for the product. The law aims to bring e-cigarette standards in line with conventional tobacco products. Quality control, advertising and the prevention of online sales and
Doctor’s orders THE Junta has announced a military hospital will be transferred into the public healthcare system. Speaking at a forum about challenges faced by the Junta, President Juanma Moreno confirmed the old Doctor Pascual military hospital will be appropriated and incorporated into the Andalucina health service early next year.
Space
among men who have sex with men, experts are emphasising that it can be spread by
Vaping change availability to children all come under the measure. The government says the move will bring Spain into line with European regulations. The draft law now needs to be approved by Congress before hitting the statute book.
any close bodily contact. Spain’s LGBTQ community has expressed fears that the recent outbreaks of monkeypox could lead to an increase in homophobic sentiment based on misunderstandings of the disease.
Sexual
Although the recent outbreak has affected men mostly involved in sexual relations with other men, it is not defined as a ‘sexually transmitted virus’ and is in no way limited to gay men.
The hospital, which is currently unused, has space for 200 beds, four operating theatres, consulting rooms and a diagnostic test facility. Moreno said: “This hospital, which has been closed for years, will significantly improve healthcare for the people of Malaga, especially patients with chronic illnesses and those suffering from several conditions. People who accuse us of wanting to privatise healthcare should note that we are turning what was a private hospital into a public one.” It will mark the fourth health service hospital in Malaga city.
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MALAGA’S maternity hospital has begun using virtual reality technology to help distract kids in their own virtual world while they are being administered drugs intravenously.
Worth a try SPAIN has lodged a formal appeal against being thrown out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup for fielding an ineligible player in two qualifying matches.
Spaced out A TEAM of Basque engineers has received funding from the European Space Agency to develop a concept that will attempt to convert the CO2 on Mars into methane for rocket fuel.
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Vol. 16 Issue 395 www.theolivepress.es June 1st - June 14th 2022
POETIC JUSTICE
Eurovision comeuppance for Spain 54 years after rigged vote THE UK has been accused of robbing Spain of second place at Eurovision thanks to a dodgy algorithm. After six countries voted for each other in the semi-finals of the contest in a pact, the organisers opted to scrap their votes and instead use an algorithm. Had this algorithm not been used, a report by the BBC says, Spain would have pipped the UK to second. Some may see this as a long awaited reckoning for Spain as
in 1968 Massiel famously beat English crooner Cliff Richard and his classic Congratulations with her somewhat repetitive La, La, La. It was later revealed the singer had a helping hand by none other than Spanish dictator Francisco Franco who had rigged the competition. He reportedly had the competition fixed to improve Spain’s image abroad, buying television programmes from European neighbours in exchange
54 YEARS LATER: Cliff’s revenge on Chanel for ‘douze points’ on the night Charlotte McDonald a Euroof the contest which was held vision reporter, told BBC Rain London’s Royal Albert Hall dio 4’s More or Less: “If I was Spanish, I would certainly be claiming that Spain beat the UK. I think it would have been a really big scandal if Ukraine hadn’t blown everyone away HAMSTERS which have been in contact with suspected caswith an extraordinary audies of monkeypox will have to quarantine in Andalucia ence vote.” The Junta has confirmed that the furry creatures will have to The contest, normally a disstay behind bars in isolation to stop the spread of the virus. mal failure for the British, was The region’s health advisor Jesus Aguirre explained that deturned on its head as Sam Ryspite being named monkeypox, other animals such as squirder’s Space Man outstripped rels - and hamsters - can also transmit this virus. And their is Chanel’s ‘SloMo’ by seven a high chance of humans passing the disease on to their pets. points to come in second.
Hamsters jailed
A HUMPBACK whale who made international headlines after being freed from illegal netting off Mallorca has died off the Valencia coast. The 12-metre long whale was spotted in difficulty in shallow waters off Tavernes de la Valldigna beach. It eventually washed up on Friday, with Valencia's Fundacion Oceanografic planning an autopsy to determine what caused it to die. The whale was originally saved by divers after getting entangled in illegal fishnets two kilometres off Cala Millor in Mallorca. Experts said it swam to the Valencia coast with several cuts on its dorsal fin and was 'extremely weak' before it eventually died.
Too slow F1 driver Sebastian Vettel was in a race of a different kind when he unsuccesfully tried to chase down thieves who had snatched his bag. The four-time world champion hopped on an electric scooter and weaved through the streets of Barcelona after his possessions were grabbed.