Olive Press Spain - Issue 377

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OLIVE PRESS

Mijas Costa

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Who is he?

EXCLUSIVE

A PLUCKY policewoman who arrested Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner in 2017 says police tried to find a ‘blonde man’ who was with him that night.

Off-duty officer Vanessa Viera reveals in a new book how she and her colleagues searched the area trying to find the potential accomplice.

It came after she arrested dangerous sex offender Brueckner, 44, in a children’s park on the Algarve, at 2.15am during a feria.

Extre-mendous

ANDALUCÍA

Vol. 15 Issue 377

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Now’s the time to visit Spain’s most unspoilt region

Your expat

voice in Spain

September 8th - September 21st 2021

See Extremadura special inside

DIG IT UP HOW WE TOLD IT: Our front pages from 2008

Derelict stable block at racecourse ‘should be excavated’ in hunt for missing Amy

Familiar

Continues on Page 2

RESTING PLACE?: Irish authorities have backed Amy’s family who believe she is buried at Mijas racecourse, in block 5 (below) IT is a case that has baffled police for over a decade.

But now the Irish authorities have added their weight to calls for a cold case review into the mystery of missing expat teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.

It comes after her family revealed they believe her body is buried at the derelict Hipodromo de Mijas race track.

Amy went missing on New Year's Day in 2008 and, despite frequent appeals for information on her whereabouts, no trace of the 15-year-old has ever been found.

Her father Christopher and aunt Christine Kenny have revealed that various sources have told them Amy is buried 'under Stable Number 5’ at the race track in La Cala de Mijas.

Just 15 minutes from where the teen was last seen, the family have called on the Guardia Civil to treat her disappearance as a murder inquiry and carry out a throughout search of the site.

A m y ’ s family pre-

Amazing, single-malt whiskey deal

By Giles Brown

viously lived nearby in Calahonda, where she was frequently seen out late at night, unkempt and poorly looked after, as revealed by the Olive Press in 2008.

In its heyday, the Hipodromo de Mijas attracted thousands of horse racing fans from all over Europe and also staged sell out concerts for Rod Stewart and Elton John.

There was, however, a darker side to the venue, as Armenian owners Robert Gaspar and Frank Mani fled with their company Carrera Entertainment owing €1.3 million to the Spanish Tax Authorities.

Several high profile concerts, including Jamiroquai and UB40, were also cancelled, with ticket holders receiving no refunds.

The chairman of the Ireland’s Dail’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Charlie Flanagan has now backed the search for Amy and demanded a full cold case review.

“This whole saga has been a tragedy.

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ed: “ There is a whole raft of new information out there that the Spanish police so far has not acted upon.

“The last person to see Amy alive that fateful night she vanished, her best friend Ashley Rose, is still waiting to be interviewed by the police.

“She is a mine of information and is desperate for the killers to be caught.

“We want every new lead followed up and everyone originally involved in the case to be interviewed.

“We last heard from the Spanish police via our liaison officer a few weeks ago and they said the case was still open.

“We would also like to see a massive search up at that racetrack and through all those staALL AREAS COVERED bles because we genuinely believe that is where her body is.”

4G UNLIMITED Amy’s family endured a secINTERNET ond tragedy soon after her disappearance when the teen’s IDEAL FOR brother Dean was stabbed to STREAMING TV death by their step-father Dave ALSO IPTV, Mahon.

SATELLITE TV Mahon was given a mere seven years for the crime and currently lives in County Leitrim tel: (0034) 952 763 840 with Amy's mum Audrey. info@theskydoctor.com

SKY + THE DOCTOR +

Delivery to business

2 147 834

But one way or the other we have to find the truth and we have to find Amy," he told the Irish media.

“Her dad and family deserve to know what happened.”

Backed by a petition that already has 25,000 signatures, father Christopher is hopeful that the mystery of Amy’s tragic disappearance will finally be solved. “All I want is to find Amy’s body and bring my little girl home”, he said.

Her aunt Christine add-

X

“He looked so familiar and I knew I had seen him before,” she revealed in the book, My Search for Madeleine, by Olive Press editor Jon Clarke.

“It was then I realised he hadn’t come alone and I’d seen him and his friend at one of the bars in the square. Other parents also remembered he had been chatting to another tall blonde man,” added Viera (left).

Her grilling of the German came after she was forced to hold off four angry dads of kids he had allegedly flashed at under a slide.

She eventually calmed them down and managed to call in colleagues.

“I asked him where his friend was and he just smiled and wouldn’t say anything. He wouldn’t tell us where he was staying either.”

She continued: “We searched all around for his friend, but it was clear he

Tel: 952 147 834

See page 5 & 16

TM

www.theskydoctor.com

Opinion Page 6

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CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Car chase A 32-year-old British driver has been accused of ramming into a police car in Mijas, sparking a high-speed chase along the AP-7 motorway on the Costa del Sol. Several cars were hit before the pursuit ended with the driver losing control.

Hate crime A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been injured with a razor blade in an apparent homophobic attack in Madrid by eight thugs who covered their faces with hoods.

Tragic game A TODDLER has died in Malaga of heat stroke while playing hide-and-seek for more than an hour in a family car when temperatures soared to 40ºC. The kid died the following day.

No COVID A 70-year-old COVID-19 denier has been arrested for causing repeated criminal damage for daubing slogans on dozens of buildings across Malaga. His chosen phrases were: ‘There’s no Covid’, ‘There’s no virus’ and ‘The virus is in the TV’.

September 8th - September 21st 2021

STOPPED

Dog bite tragedy

ANOTHER British fugitive hiding out on Spain’s Costa del Sol has been lifted.

The 29 year old, who has not been named, was arrested at a shopping centre in Marbella by a police unit dedicated to catching international drug dealers.

The man was held on an international arrest warrant issued by British police in May for crimes committed between January and September of last year.

A YOUNGSTER has died after being attacked by a dog as he slept.

The tragedy occurred at a farmhouse near Lucena, Cordoba.

The Belgian Malinois dog ripped open the 5-year-old’s neck and chest while the child slept at a farm, where his parents work as the caretakers.

The child was rushed to a nearby health centre but the doctor on duty was unable to save him.

A probe has been launched to investigate the exact circumstances of the death.

Brief encounter

A POLITICIAN has been forced to resign after posting personal ads offering gay sex in the name of her ex-husband’s lawyer.

Algeciras councillor Laura Ruiz, 39, quit after being sentenced to 21 months in prison for three crimes against lawyer Jesus Trujillo.

In what appears to be an act

PP politician resigns in Andalucia after posting gay sex ad in revenge against divorce lawyer

By Elena Gocmen Rueda

of revenge, she was found guilty of breaching privacy and moral integrity for the publication of an advertise-

ment with words of a sexual nature.

The lawyer had never had a personal relationship with Ruiz, but merely acted as a lawyer representing her ex-partner in criminal com-

Caught red handed

Pricey Swig

THREE men have been arrested after police connected a severed hand discovered inside a car with the body of a man found in a river.

The corpse, which was missing a hand, was found in the River Ebro, near Sant Jaume d'Enveja in Catalunya, with police admitting they had no clues as to who was responsible for the grisly murder.

But when cops in Tarragona alerted detectives that a hand had been recovered from a truck of a car a few days later, officers were quickly able to link the two gruesome discoveries.

A DANCE music DJ who spat alcohol over revellers below him has been fined €15,000.

Fali Sotomayor caused public uproar while performing at a chiringuito in Torremolinos last summer.

A video of him spitting Jagermeister into the faces of the crowd went viral on social media.

Both the DJ and the venue Kokun Ocean Club were fined €15,000, the highest possible penalty for not applying the Covid regulations.

plaints related to gender violence.

He told the court his client had won the case.

Police traced Ruiz as the person behind the 2017 ads, which contained the name, telephone number and e-mail address of Trujillo.

The advert on website Milanuncios had over 4,000 views.

As a result of the advert, Trujillo was bombarded with messages and calls requesting his sexual services, which continued for many months.

Police traced the origin of the advert to an IP address at the home of Ruiz and believe her motive was one of revenge against her ex-husband’s lawyer after an acrimonious divorce.

From front

Maddie had completely vanished. He must have taken the car or van.”

After being handcuffed he was taken to a police van, where her colleagues discovered there was a warrant for his arrest for sex offences in Germany.

The Portuguese WPC, who had been out with her fiveyear-old daughter that night, had been following the case closely for a decade.

She had actually been stationed outside the apartment at the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine, 3, had been snatched in May, 2007.

She never thought for a second that the McCann family were involved.

“I saw first hand the tragedy and trauma that the poor family went through,” revealed in the book. “It was awful. I could really see their pain and suffering.”

The book has carefully tracked the German sex offender’s movements since first arriving in Portugal in 1994.

Apart from spending over a decade in Portugal, Brueckner spent many months living in Spain, in particular in the Granada province, near Orgiva.

My Search for Madeleine, by Jon Clarke, can be bought on all Amazon platforms in both digital and print formats.

I’m sure he did it, See page 6 - 7

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

You’ll love this mystery

September 8th - September 21st 2021

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HEART-WRENCHING: Film is based on war dead

A TENDER love letter, written almost 50 years ago, has been found at a rubbish dump on the Costa del Sol. Dated April 21, 1974, from Santurce, in the Basque Country, the letter, written by a young 22-year-old man to his fiancée in Casares reveals a touching love story.

In the letter, the young soldier counts the days to see his beloved again, specifically ‘19 Sundays’, and to marry her to be ‘always together’.

“You will see how happy we are going to be,” he promises.

However, his words reveal that the course of the romance was not a bed of roses, as her parents didn’t approve.

According to the letter they branded him a ‘hippie’ and nicknamed him ‘el melenas’ (man with long hair) but he wrote that he had ‘cut his hair’ and begged the girl to convince her parents that he was a serious contender for her hand.

The letter was found on the waste-sorting conveyor belt on timeworn sepia pages.

How the love story ended is not known as no names were included in the letter to identify the pair.

Did it end in tragedy for the star-crossed lovers or happy ever after? We shall apparently never know.

Ghosts of the civil war Spain’s top film director finally tackles the country’s most controversial subject - four decades on

HE has been Spain’s most creative - and controversial - director for the last half century.

Now Pedro Almodovar is to delve into his most sensitive subject yet.

The Madrid film director is to tackle the country’s most enduring wound; looking at the Spanish Civil War. In particular, his new film, which has just premiered at the Venice film festival, uses the tens of thousands of people who disappeared during the war - or are still buried in unmarked graves - as his subject matter.

Parallel Mothers also appro-

FAVOURITE: Pedro with Penelope Cruz priately stars his favourite Some five decades after the Spanish actresses Penelope death of dictator General FranCruz and Rossy de Palma. co, unmarked graves still litter The film, which launches in the countryside.

Spain this week, explores the Hidden within them are the refate of two women giving birth mains of an estimated 100,000 in the same Madrid hospital on people who were executed by the same day.

Fascist death squads during His 23rd feature film, over four the three-year-conflict or the decades, highlights a political ensuing dictatorship. issue that still haunts Spain in Over the last 15 years, volunmodern times. teer teams have been exhuming graves across Spain and returning remains to relatives for proper burial.

But campaigners have long fought for national state aid in locating and exhuming the SHAKIRA has been shaking off the stress of her ongoing tax battle thousands of other burial sites on a Costa Brava break. that the Franco regime sought The Hips Don’t Lie star was clearly enjoying her carefree vacation to erase. with her husband, footballer Gerard Pique and children.

Now Almodovar, whose first The 44-year-old Colombian bombshell was all-smiles despite the film Pepe, Luci Bom, came out £13million tax evasion claims, in which Spanish prosecutors accuse in 1980, has taken up the issue. her of six offences.

"I wanted to give this topic The singer showered her sons, Milan, 8, and Sasha, 6, with affection visibility,” explained the Osas the family relaxed onboard a 45ft vessel while soaking up the sun. car-winner, 71.

Shakira's legal team and the Spanish Tax Agency are apparently at “Until we've paid the debt we loggerheads over the tax case and have 'totally opposite views'. owe the 'desaparecidos', we A trial is imminent with Shakira allegedly hiding money in compawill not be able to close the nies based in tax havens. chapter of our recent history.

Holidays don’t lie

ESTUCO INTERIORS

BACK TO SCHOOL: But Hogwarts-style for Leonor

Princess of Wales PRINCESS Leonor of Spain has become the new Princess of Wales after starting boarding school in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The 15-year-old heir to the Spanish throne is enrolled at UWC Atlantic College where she will study the International Baccalaureate.

The two-year course involves fees of around €76,500 which will be paid from the royals’ annual budget and is a favourite choice among Europe’s elite.

The school in Wales has been likened to the Hogwarts school for wizards from the Harry Potter books because of its location in a 12th century castle.

To become a student at a UWC college, students must have a strong academic record and at least a basic knowledge of English.

As well as studying for the ‘bac’, students are expected to undertake a programme of experiential learning that focuses on key aspects of ‘peace, a sustainable future, and student initiative’.

It offers alternative activities such as yoga, Tai Chi and Tibetan literature, leading it to be dubbed ‘Hippie Hogwarts’.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia took their eldest daughter to Madrid’s Adolfo Suarez Barajas Airport and hugged her goodbye before she made her way to her deEN ROUTE: At airport parture gate.

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The race is on (again) THE search for Spain’s next drag superstar on Espana’s Drag Race continues.

The Latin spin-off of RuPaul’s Drag Race has been given a second series, after the show crowned Sevilla’s Carmen Farala as the inaugural winner.

“We can’t wait to see all the charisma, nerve and talent that the next group of Spanish queens have in store,” said a spokesman for the show.

An exact release date has not yet been announced.

Among other spin-offs of the Emmy-winning franchise are Drag Race Philippines and Drag Race Italia, plus other versions in Australia, Chile and Holland.

Season three of the UK version launches on the BBC soon.

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September 8th September 21st 2021

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A hidden oasis in Marbella

AN Iberian lynx and her two cubs have been run over in Andalucia.

The mother and young were killed in two separate traffic accidents in Jaen.

Her cubs were firstly run over on the JA-6104, near Linares, according to the Centre for the Recovery of Endangered Species (CREA).

Then five days later she was also found on the same road, having apparently been looking for her offspring.

She had been wearing a GPS tracker.

Call that a tip?

Manager of upmarket Marbella restaurant claims grand gesture of €4,000 is ‘normal’ for staff

www.cascadamarbella.com info@cascadamarbella.com +34 623 001 465 +34 671 349 733 Urbanizacion La Montua, 39, 29602, Marbella 2 minutes f rom La Cañada Shopping Center

THE manager of a restaurant at the centre of a Spanish tipping storm has insisted staff weren’t impressed by a giant €4,098 propina.

Marbella’s Playa Padre restaurant made headlines after a show of one upmanship saw staff given the tip on top of the automatic service charge of €371.

The generous diner, Raul Castañeda, was making a point after banker Enrique Moris

By Elena Gocmen Rueda

took to social media to complain he had been asked for an additional tip on top of his ‘whopping bill’.

His complaint however, came back to haunt him when Moris was lampooned for his ‘nouveau riche’ attitude and pairing Dom Perignon with burgers and tequila shots.

Lawyer Casteñada claimed he

The big clean up

HAY BIG SPENDER: Billshows a generous €4098 tip left the tip to make up for the insult from Moris and insisted each staff member would have taken home an extra €270 that night.

But speaking to the Olive Press, the manager played down the gesture insisting that large tips are par for the course at Playa Padre.

“It happens a lot in fact,” said Rey Giarmon, 39. “We have a very high end clientele who spend a lot of money.”

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TOWNS and villages around Spain are cleaning up after some of the worst summer storms in decades.

Many parts of central and eastern Spain and some towns in Andalucia suffered serious deluges of rain and even hail.

In Antequera, Malaga, the town hall has asked to declare a national emergency after hundreds of businesses were damaged after hailstones the size of golf balls thundered down on the town.

Nearby Fuente de Piedra also saw many cars, street signs and awnings damaged.

The heaviest downpours triggered flash floods that destroyed homes and businesses in Castellon, Tarragona and Toledo.

Many homes were left without electricity and roads and rail-links were closed due to flooding which saw cars washed into the sea.

The worst affected communities included Guadamur, in Toledo, and Alcanar, in Catalunya, where 230 litres of rain fell in three hours.

Restaurant owner Rosa María Sancho, 67, said: “We had to get upstairs to our apartment and then leave it all in God’s hands”.

The mayor of Guadamur, María del Sagrario, said she was overcome with emotion as she saw the 200 homes that had been devastated.

“What took 15 years to develop was demolished in an hour for a village of 1,800 people. I was born and raised in this town, and I've never seen anything quite like it,” she said.

There were also serious floods in Lorca and Aguilas, in Murcia.

Madrid saw its second rainiest August day since 1920.

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IN a desperate search to find her missing brother Michal, Maria Jagier has sent out appeals to police forces, social media groups and even national television.

Michał Formela, an electromechanical engineer from Poland, who was reported missing in his home country in 2020, was last spotted at a restaurant in Torremolinos this summer.

According to his sister he was seen on the terrace of the Blue Dolphin beach restaurant in June 2021, having been seen in Estepona bus station some time earlier.

Call +34 865 616 550

Michal left his native Poland for Spain in October 2019 and his family have heard nothing from him since June 2020.

A fluent English speaker, he was no stranger to international travel, having sailed around the world.

He was also a keen chess player and had sent articles to chess magazines while staying in Malaga.

Since last summer, however, the family has heard nothing.

In an effort to find her brother, Maria has written to the police forces on the Costa del Sol as well as the charity Caritas in La Linea.

Giarmon, who has been manager since the beach club restaurant opened five years ago, didn’t wish to add to the storm.

“I have nothing to say about (Castañeda and Moris). Each client does what they want. I respect my clients and I don't get involved in what each person wants to do with their money” But he admitted they often left tips that far surpass that of Castañeda’s.

He added that after his tip had been distributed evenly between all of the staff of the restaurant - around 50 people - they only got an extra €80.

“As general manager I make sure that everyone gets an equal share of the tip,” Giarmon insisted.

“And I must say it again, the tip is voluntary and so is the service charge (10%). When someone doesn't want to pay it, they don't have to. It happens rarely, but it does happen”.

“I think it is possible he has suffered a stroke or developed mental health issues,” Maria told the Olive Press.

If you have you seen him, email newsdesk@theolivepress.es

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

BACK IN THE MIX? Mijas Costa

FREE

Looking for Cinderella POLICE have issued an appeal for a ‘Cinderella’ thief who left his trainer at the scene of a crime.

The wanted man ran away from officers after he was caught drinking alcohol on the streets in Chipiona, Cadiz.

He was in such a rush he forgot one of his shoes, as well as a bottle of rum and a bag of ice. Police tweeted a photo of the trainer, hoping someone might recognise it.

They joked that they were on the hunt for the ‘little princess’.

“We don’t know if the shoe jumped off due to the acceleration of his departure or it was a logistics failure (it was not properly on) but the reality is that that shoe is being well cared for.”

They also joked that a man who wears ‘€140 trainers drinks cheap rum from an €8 bottle’.

However they added: “Running is for cowards and bad bullfighters and is uncomfortable with a single shoe.

“If you run it is because you know you have done something wrong”.

EXCLUSIVE

By Kirsty McKenzie

ing repercussions.

Arnaud, who was described as being ‘an unassuming and cool Frenchman’ by those that knew him, was in fact living a double life.

He was actually near the top of Interpol’s most wanted list and was later sentenced to five years in prison in France.

Fakes

In a colourful and complex case, Arnaud was convicted of running a huge counterfeit drug ring that operated around the world.

The alarm was first raised in 2009, following a complaint from company Sanofi Aventis, which denounced international

Swan song THE lifeless body of the British singer Jonathan Pickford has been found on the bank of a Malaga river.

Pickford, better known as ‘Pix’ from the group A Band Called O, had been missing for seven days.

The 70-year-old British musician was based in the Axarquia town of Almogia.

ANDALUCÍA

Vol. 15 Issue 375

www.theolivepress.es

Your expat

voice in Spain August 11th - August 24th 2021

Relax with a book this summer with our guide to the best reads on Spain See page 18

THE GREAT SPANISH TAKE OFF

Cake maker vanishes leaving ‘dozens’ of wedding clients out of pocket LOST: Cinderella’s shoe

Winners!

SWEET LIFE: Arnaud Bellavoine (circled) with cake maker wife Omaya (right) our story trafficking in counterfeit medicines.

952 147 834 The French laboratory and its American counterpart Eli Lilly became a civil party in the lawsuit and the defendants were finally ordered to pay €500,000 to Sanofi.

His counterfeit Vlavix, a Sanofi-Aventis product, was as ineffective as they were illegal and, worse, were destined for unsuspecting heart disease patients.

Nearly ten years later, Arnaud was jailed after pleading guilty to his part in the global conspiracy to sell fake medicines.

The Gallic businessman sold thousands of counterfeit tablets that were manufactured in China before being sold to customers around the world.

It included unsuspecting patients from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States.

Arnaud’s crimes supported an opulent lifestyle: he owned a * O f f e r

v a l i d

f o r

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

o n l y .

TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd 1

WE have winners of our competition to see the fabulous Paul Maxwell in The Elton John Experience, playing alongside the Malaga Symphony Orchestra.

John Cahill and Kirsten Prydz each win a pair of tickets to the show at the Marbella Arena on August 21.

They both answered correctly that Elton John has had 69 UK Top 40 hits.

You can get tickets for the show at www.corteingles.es or call 0034 633647260 for more information.

A POPULAR cake maker has vanished after being accused of taking deposits from ‘dozens’ of wedding clients on the Costa del Sol. The self-professed ‘Queen of amazing cakes’ Omaya Koreitem disappeared after deleting her social media accounts and failing to fulfil orders.

One client of her company Cake Couture Marbella claims to have paid €350 for a cake for his big day this summer.

Ryan Archie has taken to social media for advice after he heard nothing from Koreitem as the big day approached.

“This is leaving us without a cake on our wedding day,” said the British groom.

“I paid a 50% deposit, which was still a good chunk of money. It was a big cake.

“Now we

+

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mated message this year that said Koreitem had changed her number.

Two of her clients are waiting on cakes, with a total loss of €725 in deposits.

She said: ‘I asked her where she had moved to and she said Saint Martins and that I was welcome to visit anytime. I mentioned Monica was looking for her and she acted surprised but then I said that I also had cakes booked with her and she asked me to send the details as she didn’t recall.

‘Since then she has unfriended me on Facebook, taken down her page on Instagram and is not answering any messages on WhatsApp or email.’

Deception

“My clients are devastated as am I. We really don’t need this kind of deception and thieving at any point but even less so when everyone has had such a tough time.

“It makes us look bad on the coast.”

While a Twitter page and website still exist for Cake Couture, which was set up over two decades ago, the Instagram and Facebook pages for the business have been taken down.

Another wedding planner, who had commissioned the company to make several cakes, told the Olive Press that she has apparently changed her phone number to a new one in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.

“It is such a shame as Koreitem was the go-to cake designer for very large extravagant cakes,” she said.

CRUMBS: Koreitem vanished with the cash

“I am aware of five wedding companies who have clients who booked cakes with her.

“I just don’t understand why she was taking deposits and final payments but hadn’t arranged for anyone to take over the cakes which would have been the right thing to do.

“I know many businesses are suffering particularly in the events sector but there are ways of not letting clients down. She should be letting clients know rather than ignoring calls and messages for weeks.”

The Olive Press was unable to get a comment from Cake Couture despite various attempts over the past week.

Marbella mansion worth alTel: 952 147 834 most €2million at the time of his arrest.

Since confiscated by Marseille Criminal Court, he has also been banned from running a business for ten years.

Arnaud admitted to trafficking several tonnes of drugs into approved European distribution channels with sugar replacing actual medical components.

Yet Arnaud wasn’t the only one with a taste for deception.

His patisserie wife Omaya now stands accused of taking deposits from ‘dozens’ of wedding clients over the summer.

See page 11 & 22

TM

S u b j e c t

EXCLUSIVE

By Kirsty McKenzie

can’t get in contact with them and have had no reply on Facebook, Instagram or by email.

“She (Koreitem) is continuing to take deposits and make false promises to couples. This is fraud and is ruining people’s special day.”

A Facebook page now set up dedicated to those affected suggests that dozens ‘at least’ have been left out of pocket.

Another person affected by the scandal, who asked to remain anonymous, first contacted Koreitem on Facebook when she paid a deposit for a client’s cake but then couldn’t get hold of Koreitem.

“No one seems to know what happened,” she said.

Another Marbella wedding planner, who wished to remain unnamed, told the Olive Press she and her clients had been left ‘devastated’ by THE SKY the scam.

The 45-yearDOCTOR old wedding ALL AREAS COVERED organiser first started work4G UNLIMITED ing with KoreINTERNET item in 2012 IDEAL FOR after she came STREAMING TV highly recommended. The ALSO IPTV, British wedSATELLITE TV ding planner only became tel: (0034) 952 763 840 suspicious info@theskydoctor.com when she rewww.theskydoctor.com ceived an auto-

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THEY are unlikely to go down in a hail of bullets during a police ambush, but a couple of local expats could certainly earn the moniker of Marbella’s Bonnie and Clyde.

For years it seemed like the duo, Omaya and Arnaud Bellavoine, were living the Spanish dream.

Married for over 20 years with three adorable children and a dog called Yoda, they apparently had it all.

The self-professed ‘Queen of amazing cakes’ Omaya ran her successful company Cake Couture Marbella, hand-crafting pastries for high profile weddings and parties.

Meanwhile the pair ran the La Parisienne restaurant in Puerto Banus.

Despite their success, the couple couldn’t stop chasing the dough however, with devastat-

OLIVE PRESS

The

Has embattled cake maker been reunited with fake medicine husband, after five years in prison?

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

E n d s

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September 8th - September 21st 2021

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

21/6/19 13:30

Denied

As reported last month, she continued to take deposits despite apparently vanishing from the coast and failing to reply to emails or phone calls.

She had long claimed that she

was also duped by her husband, who she had lost contact with until tracking him down to a prison cell in France.

“She played the role of the victim very well, casting herself as a poor cake maker who managed to rebuild her life and care for her children.” a friend told the Olive Press.

“She got a lot of sympathy from locals who admired her for having built herself back up from nothing.

“But they were far from poor the children being educated at prestigious Aloha College and they lived in a luxury villa in Marbella.”

“Meanwhile, she claimed she was penniless.” said a former friend.

The sweet life now appears to be continuing, with Omaya and her children apparently now living in the Caribbean, claim clients.

Her disappearance is rumoured to coincide with her husband’s release - with those who knew the couple well suspecting they have flown to restart their life together in the French-speaking island of Guadeloupe.

“It is all such a coincidence and a lot of people in the wedding business here in Spain suspect they are back together,” said one friend.

NEWS IN BRIEF Beach Olympics LOCAL charity Collective Calling have planned a Beach Olympics fundraising event on October 9 on Paradise Beach in Puerto Banus.

Participants should register by September 24

Rural Roads The massive revamp of the rural roads of Mijas (Malaga) ahead of the rainy season is expected to last two weeks with a budget of €66,000.

Sailing in ONE of the world’s biggest luxury yachts, the Al Lusail, owned by the Emir of Qatar, cost €250 million and at 120-metre long is exactly one meter shorter than the one owned by Emir’s father, purposely built shorter out of respect.

Plane crash TWO men, aged 62 and 73, died on impact when their light aircraft crashed into an olive grove near the village of Niebla in Huelva southwestern Spain.

952 147 834 * O f f e r

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21/6/21 9:55

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 SAD TRUTH IT’S the disappointing truth that crimes committed against foreigners here in Spain - and next door in Portugal - just don’t receive the police attention they deserve.

Time after time we report on long-standing mysteries of people who appear to have just vanished into thin air... Or who were badly attacked with no apparent interest from law enforcement.

This week we highlight - yet again - a case which has long been neglected by police in Spain; that of the disappearance of 15-year Amy Fitzpatrick.

More than 12 years after she vanished, her case is again on our front page as her relatives make a plea for detectives to follow up on a tip that may lead to the discovery of her body.

Also in this issue we highlight what appears to be massive flaws in policing that allowed a repeat offender - now the lead suspect in the Madeleine McCann case - to go undetected.

Whether this was an unforgivable oversight or part of a wider conspiracy to obfuscate the murky truth, is explored further in a new book on the case, released this week by Olive Press editor, Jon Clarke.

As well as travelling all around Portugal probing the movements of Christian Brueckner, he also spent considerable time closer to home in Spain.

He clearly swanned around these shores for years and got away with m*****. Well you know the phrase.

Either way, our repeated coverage of unsolved disappearances of foreigners on the Iberian peninsula paints a picture that they simply aren’t being given the priority they deserve.

Such unsolved cases may be forgotten or ignored by the police but until their fates are discovered, they will never be far from the minds of loved ones left behind.

Nor will the Olive Press cease to push for answers.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Fiona Govan fiona@theolivepress.es

Kirsty McKenzie kirsty@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Isha Sesay isha@theolivepress.es

Katherine Brook katherine@theolivepress.es

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I’M SURE

In a soul-searching new book, Olive Press editor Jon Clarke takes a deep dive into the seedy world of ‘van lifer’ Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the snatch of Madeleine McCann

‘

I’M SURE he snatched Maddie. He was a pervert and a very strange man,’ insisted Michael ‘Micha’ Tatschl in June 2020. ‘I know he did it.’

Talking about his ‘best friend’ Christian Brueckner, with whom he’d lived in Portugal and spent eight months in prison, he went on: ‘He was always on the dark web. I don’t know exactly what he did, but I think it involved drugs and pornography. He was also always bragging about money and making money, particularly from burglaries. He was an excellent thief. He even talked about selling kids, maybe to Morocco ... and I think he probably sold Maddie to someone. Maybe a sex ring.’

I nearly dropped my caña, as did the two other witnesses to the phone conversation, as we sat in a leafy finca garden, in the heart of southern Spain’s Alpujarras region.

We were talking about the German drifter, who had just been made the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

In what was easily the strangest interview of my long journalism career, I was talking to Tatschl in Austria, while sitting in the back garden of the home he had shared with his British ex-girlfriend Emma for a number of years near Orgiva.

The area has long been a haven for new age travellers, also known as ‘van lifers’ and a character like Tatschl, with his pierced nipples and skull and crossbones tattoo, would happily fit into this footloose, transient community.

So too would Brueckner, who I discovered had been a frequent visitor, staying nearby often for weeks at a time.

Much to the shock of the three of us sitting there, according to Tatschl, he had turned up in late May or early June 2007, with what he described as ‘one of the most expensive camper-vans money could buy.’

If true, the timing was incredible. For his visit was just three or four weeks after Maddie had vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal, some 585km to the west.

During that month in 2007, the whole world had been following the heart-wrenching story … how Kate and Gerry McCann’s 3-yearold daughter had apparently been snatched from her holiday apartment by an intruder, while the parents ate dinner at a restaurant nearby.

By the time Brueckner had parked up his huge Tiffin Allegro Bay RV on an area of waste ground near Tablones, the story had easily garnered 100 front pages and was fast becoming one of the biggest missing person mysteries in history.

Yet here was this dangerous German paedophile – with, as we now know, a prison record as long as his arm – brazenly driving into the backwaters of Granada province in a 30-foot long motorhome.

‘We all wondered where he’d got this expensive new van,’ continued Tatschl.

‘We assumed a big drug deal or something like that. Now I definitely suspect it was Maddie.’

I have spent the last year investigating the new German suspect for a book (see right), which has taken me across the border into Portugal half a dozen times, as well as around Spain and to Germany.

I’ve analysed Tatschl’s claims at length, which are damning and include a series of rape videos that Brueckner made of a teenager and a pensioner.

I’ve studied the further rape of a 72-year-old and interviewed the Portuguese WPC who arrested Brueckner in 2017 after he exposed himself to four toddlers in a play park.

I’ve analysed the German police evidence that places Brueckner outside Maddie’s apartment on the night she went missing, grilled the chief prosecutor for three hours and met nearly a dozen of Brueckner’s former friends and flatmates.

I met his mother and his mentor and visited half a dozen of his former homes, including the derelict box factory, where police found up to 20,000 videos and photos, much of it child pornography, that had been buried under the body of a dead dog.

This is my journey into the heart of darkness of paedophilia and its policing, and my conclusions on the case and its wider implications are deeply disturbing.

Sadist

Now a married father-of-one, living near Graz in Austria, Tatschl has twice been interviewed at length by German police over his connections to Brueckner.

Another former friend of Brueckner, Helge Busching, had put his name forward in 2017, while a third did the same as long back as 2013, after a German TV appeal.

But few people knew Brueckner better than Tatschl, who shared a home with him in Praia da Luz, before spending eight months in prison with him after they were caught stealing fuel from lorries on the Algarve.

In a bombshell confession during their trial in December 2006 Brueckner told the judge that he had committed various burglaries and sex crimes, (yes plural) as a teenager.

For some reason the specifics were not probed. Certainly not properly logged. And that was not the first time his dangerous nature had come up in the two decades he spent in Portugal.

Shouldn’t police have taken a closer look at the sex offender when a young Irish woman was brutally raped in Lagos in 2004?

Or when a 72-yearold American was viciously assaulted in Praia da Luz in 2005, for which he was found guilty a staggering 12 years later?

He lived, after all, just 900m away and was known to be an aggressive local wife-beater.

These were particularly sadistic rapes because in both attacks the assailant had rigged up a video to film the crime.

Both women recalled their assailCONVINCED: Brueckner’s pal Michael ‘Micha’ Tatschl ant’s eyes and his believes he snatched Maddie English spoken with

COPYRIGHT: Facebook

6

a German accent.

And then there was the 10-year-old German girl molested on a nearby beach just weeks before Maddie went missing. On that occasion I established that the police didn’t even bother to go out to investigate despite having a perfect description of the scruffy blond man who ran away naked.

Keystone cops

Ultimately then, I took a look at the force employed to catch one of the most wanted and most dangerous criminals in European history.

Firstly shining a light on the leader of the initial investigation, Goncalo Amaral, who was removed after criticising British detectives and claiming they were only following leads the McCanns asked them to pursue.

Few know that Amaral – who later wrote a lucrative book claiming the McCanns killed their daughter – was charged (and later convicted) over the case of another missing girl Joana, 8, exactly ONE day before Maddie went missing.

Meanwhile, his former Policia Judiciaria (PJ) deputy, Paulo Pereira, who also wrote a book on the

HE DID IT

September 8th - September 21st 2021

7 PIC: Jon Clarke

NEWS FEATURE

TRAUMATIC: McCanns at first press conference in 2007

Just Another Early Morning Job

I

FIRST investigated the Madeleine McCann case on Day One in May 2007, when I was up and out of my house near Ronda before 7am and on the road to the Algarve.

A missing child story in Portugal wasn’t too out of the ordinary.

What was different though, was the family involved. The professional, middle-class doctors Kate and Gerry McCann were not your typical Brits abroad-type victims – the least likely of tourists to want to get involved with the press, particularly on holiday.

But they were clearly in desperate need for help.

Conjuring up a legion of journalists to help in their hunt for their missing daughter seemed the best way forward.

The story had first appeared on Sky News at around 7.45am in the UK,and I figured it would be over by the time I got there: she would be found, like the vast majority of other kids that wander off during their holidays, either dead or alive, in a swimming pool or a ditch somewhere.

It wasn’t hard to locate the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz and I was the first British journalist on the scene.

After establishing the name of the missing toddler as ‘Maddie’, I walked up the short flight of stairs to the apartment, number 5A, – completely unimpeded by police – to speak to the parents, as any decent journalist is programmed to do on arrival at a job like this.

PICTURES BY: Jon Clarke and Police

Pleasantries

VICINITY: Brueckner (above) lived for 7 years overlooking the Ocean Club (circled) in Praia da Luz, driving two vehicles (left)

I walked inside the open front door and bumped straight into the McCanns, who were heading off to the police station in nearby Lagos to make an official missing persons statement.

They looked fraught and stressed, but were somehow still functioning, despite presumably not sleeping a wink. I smiled and said ‘hello’, introducing myself as a local hack, just arrived from Malaga.

I promised I’d help as best I could to find their daughter.

They seemed grateful and smiled ... well grimaced to be fair – saying ‘thank you’ and mumbling a few other pleasantries, before telling me their daughter’s name and the rough time she had disappeared.

I don’t remember much but I do remember them describing it as ‘a nightmare’ and saying they were ‘sure’ she had been snatched. I scribbled it down in my notepad.

From the very first moment I arrived in Praia da Luz that May morning, my overbearing drive was to solve the mystery and find young Maddie.

The rules of journalism revolve around the five ws: When, Where, Why, Who and hoW. Stick to these and you can’t go wrong.

I haven’t yet solved the mystery, but my 130,000 word, 46-chapter book comes close, I believe, to offering any amateur detective or interested reader the opportunity of understanding the case and all its many complex and compelling idiosyncrasies.

Searching the Border

W case, recently went to prison for seven years for his involvement in a robbery and kidnapping gang near Lisbon.

Finally, I will look, for the first time, at two other retired police officers – both English expats – lurking like a bad smell in the background.

One, a senior career detective who has spent years supporting the Portuguese police and trolling the McCanns for being guilty of the crime. And the second, a former London detective, who also defended the Portuguese investigation, while sensationally living NEXT DOOR to Brueckner for a number of years.

Vipers

My book explores in depth the nondescript village of Foral, where Brueckner lived twice and where the case completely blew up, after the German appeal in June 2020.

I believe it offers a number of keys to the entire case. For it was here, some

35 minutes north east of Praia da Luz that I found a veritable nest of vipers; a place that was totally uninvestigated and where so many strange people resided and so many odd things happened.

I suspect a child sex trafficking ring was centred here and I believe Brueckner was involved.

It was in Foral that the gun-toting crook was linked to an underage teenager who got pregnant and in the nearby town of Messines where he was caught (and yet again, inexplicably, not tried) for exposing himself to children.

Some readers might get the feeling that someone is protecting Herr Brueckner.

After all, he was wandering around Europe at will, hanging around children and teens, and managing to offend repeatedly with surprisingly little consequence.

And when we add in Portugal’s truly shocking Casa Pia case – involving government ministers, doctors and judges – you will start to understand why I think Brueckner was being given a helping hand.

HILE the Portuguese police turned their focus on the McCanns, I started looking into numerous leads in Spain.

By the end of 2016, police had to sift through over 8,600 reported sightings of Maddie in over 100 countries.

Between 2007 and 2013, The Olive Press looked at more than a dozen links to the case around Spain.

The McCanns have always believed there is a ‘very real possibility’ Maddie was taken across the border.

This is, after all, one long straight coastline that simply continues into Spain. There are no great mountainous bound-

SPAIN PORTUGAL

Praia da Luz, where Madeleine McCann disappeared

The Portugal Spain border is 1,214km in length (the longest uninterrupted border in the European Union) and is mostly unmanned.

aries and it has been a mostly fluid border, hardly manned since the 1980s.

There are numerous crossing points between Portugal and Spain stretching from the southern tip at Vila Real de Santo Antonio to the northern Atlantic border at Seixas, near Galicia.

Known as The Stripe (A Raia in Portuguese, La Raia in Spanish), it is, at 1,214km in length, the longest uninterrupted border in the European Union.

Border checks are rare, and, apart from the recent ones due to Covid, when the border was actually shut for a number of months, it was only manned during the 2004 UEFA Euros, the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon and Pope Francis’ visit to Fatima in 2017.

Over the years we have investigated leads that include a known Swiss peadophile living in Benimantell in Alicante, who killed himself after snatching and killing a toddler remarkably similar in appearance to Madeleine in July 2007.

Then there was a convicted British sex offender who wrote a letter from his death bed claiming he knew Maddie had been snatched to order for sale to a wealthy childless couple.

And most sinister of all was a nightclub bouncer turned whistleblower who had compiled a dossier on a massive paedophile network linked to the Casa Pia orphanage in Portugal and well connected to the Portuguese judiciary and police (see front page top).

8

GREEN

www.theolivepress.es

SNAKE ISLAND

Rare lizard under threat from a huge growth of snakes A HUGE rise in Ibiza’s snake population is threatening the island’s iconic green lizards, and tourists are being blamed.

The snakes now populate around half of the island of Ibiza and are not dangerous to humans. However, that doesn’t apply to green lizards, which are easily spotted and prove a tasty snack for a snake.

A major concern is that holidaymakers in the last two decades have fuelled the problem by opting for imported food over locally grown produce.

That has meant added pressure on lizards seeking out reduced vegetation to feed on as well as dealing with a new enemy.

Snakes arrived in olive tree imports in the early 2000s and a study suggests they will cover the whole island by 2028.

Experts say that the ‘horseshoe’ snake breed poses the greatest threat to the lizard. One Ibiza council is offering free snake traps and even paying residents to destroy the slithery creatures A British expat formed-group, Ibiza Preservation, is trying to reverse the snake boom by promoting more eco-tourism to re-

Mar Menor buffer A GREEN 'buffer zone' of 390 hectares has been suggested in a bid to reduce pollution in the Mar Menor lagoon in the Murcia region.

The proposed area, put forward by Spain’s Ecological Transition Minister, Teresa Ribera, would be free of farming and building development.

She said: “Urban and agricultural growth is not possible in the Mar Menor. On the contrary, we must reduce it.”

Ribera's 'green-belt' would occupy an area that's equivalent to 557 football pitches.

The aim is to create a 'buffer' against any polluting chemicals running into the lagoon.

By Alex Trelinski

store lizard habitats.

It’s also encouraging tourists to enjoy locally-sourced foods as opposed to imports.

Kate Benyon-Tinker from Ibiza Preservation said: “The lizards evolved to eat vegetation in the area because of a lack of other foodstuffs.”

“That means they pollinate plants which is important to the

eco-system.”

Welcoming the move to encourage snake traps, Benyon-Tinker commented: “We are supporting the campaign to

save the lizard and spreading the word about encouraging people to get their own traps.”

September 8th - September 21st 2021

Shining star

HE’S one of the most sparkling celebrities on the red carpet.

Now Leonardo DiCaprio (left) has become a true shining star as he invests in a an eco diamond project in Spain.

The Hollywood legend, 46, has joined the Diamond Foundry company, which uses plasma reactors and renewable energy to artificially create diamonds.

Based in Trujillo, Extremadura, it will produce the stones in just two months.

DiCaprio took a keen interest in the industry while filming Blood Diamond in 2006.

This prompted his involvement in the organisation which aims to produce diamonds with little environmental impact The industry is to blame for numerous atrocities and wars in Africa.

Martin Tye explains why the devastating effects of nitrous oxide is a serious issue

LAUGHING GAS - IT'S NOT FUNNY !!

Green

Matters

By Martin Tye

O

F course, there is a funny side to laughing gas. I’ve swallowed the contents of a helium balloon before to make my voice sound comical.

However, N2O when it comes to the environment is a very different story.

In the world’s efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions , the source of our food is coming under the spotlight.

Not without reason.

Agriculture accounts for up to 27%

of human caused climate warming emissions.

These emissions are not from carbon dioxide, the usual culprit.

They come from another gas altogether – nitrous oxide (N20) commonly referred to as laughing gas.

This should not be a forgotten greenhouse gas.

Molecule for molecule, N20 is around 300 times as potent as carbon dioxide at heating the atmosphere.

And, just like CO2, it is long lived, spending over 100 years in the sky before disintegrating.

It also depletes the ozone layer.

Despite its important contribution to climate change, N20 emissions have largely been ignored in climate policies.

Heavy use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is the principal offender.

Before modern intensive farming came, farmers used comDESTRUCTION: Dead fish wash up at the Mar Menor post and manure to

encourage crop growth.

Nowadays, industry has created methods to produce massive amounts of ammonia based fertiliser.

Crop yields have been boosted, but at a huge cost to the environment. Because farmers apply such huge quantities, the plant roots can’t absorb all the fertiliser nutrients.

N20 greenhouse gas is then released.

In addition some of it runs off the fields and pollutes waterways.

A current example being the Mar Menor in Murcia. Very much in the news again lately because of 1000’s of fish being killed. Politicians bicker while the environment suffers.

Scientists are looking at ways to mitigate this problem.

The solution cannot come quickly enough.

The clock is ticking.

If policymakers turn their attention to tackling nitrous oxide, there are benefits for all. The same measures that lower N20 levels also reduce air and water pollution as well as biodiversity losses.

These tangible benefits can be seen immediately.

TIME TO CLEAN UP OUR ACT.

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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LETTERS

10

Costa del Jam

Dear Olive Press, wn’s In response to Giles Bro m: yhe ma tor Mo n um last col CosIt’s that time of year on the citta del Sol, I concur that thealso izens of Benalmadena are ffic up in arms at the latest tra issues. have The town hall and Mayor road st coa e lan two the ned tur ond into a single lane. The secg. It lane is now used for parkin get adds up to one hour to now to the airport. ing I ride a motorbike and rid n to the coast road here is akiis so being a kamikaze pilot. It ency dangerous and the emerg any vehicles struggle to get to emergency.

Andy Bower, Benalmadena

Hospital woes

Response to the story of Expat mum being 4 sent home from A & E at Torrevieja Hospital to die in agony (see story right)

Motorbike death

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a 51-year-old motorcyclist

On March 22 my wife had a bad fall in our garden, I called an ambulance which took her to the above hospital. On examining her and taking an X-ray the lady doctor told her ‘no bones are broken, you can go home and here’s a prescription for paracetamol’.

I had to ask for a wheelchair to get her to our car as she could not walk.

On arriving home I had to get help from

B Y

LE

The key word for this month is balance as we reach the tipping point, Autumn Equinox, the moment of equal hours of day and night, which has a rich history of celebration both in the Neolithic and pre-agricultural ages.

The time of Harvest Festival, when we gratefully gathered in and stored supplies for the coming winter months.

It is no coincidence that the planets start to enter the sign of balance – Libra this month. So what does that mean for you?

T I C I A PA R

M

ER

ARIES

Though you are thoroughly independent and love to ‘go it alone’, you’re really keen to partner up this September, whether for work or pleasure. You may be surprised just how much you enjoy being attached.

TAURUS

The bull likes to make his way across the field, quietly munching and going his own way. However, this September your equilibrium may be troubled by a challenging someone who insists you revise your perspective.

GEMINI

Balancing duty and fun is your challenge this September. You like being the one to provide the laughs and you’ll have great fun playing with the youngsters, but that can mean a lot of tidying up afterwards.

VIRGO Virgos are naturally financially shrewd and like to meticulously balance the books. So this Autumn Equinox is the perfect moment to consider all the incomings and outgoings which balance every aspect of your life.

was killed on the AP-7 near Benalmadena when he was in collision with a car at 10pm on Thursday, August 19.

TWO US military bases in Moron de la Frontera and Rota in southern Spain will receive Afghan refugees who worked for the American government after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez agreed to president Joe Biden’s request.

A BOY aged 15 who suffered a serious head injury after falling off an electric scooter in Riviera del Sol (Mijas), has died nearly a week later despite two operations to remove blood clots.

If you suffer from...

• Mobility problems • Pain / Breathlessness • Falls / Stumbles

LEO

AQUARIUS

SCORPIO

PISCES

You’ll find yourself enjoying more stimulating conversations than you’ve had for many months. But don’t hog the limelight too much because this September there’s just as much to gain by truly listening.

September may be a month of quiet contemplation for you as you tune in to the changing light . A great time to reflect over the year so far and to prepare, like a squirrel, for the winter months to come.

Lydia Bailey, British expat living on the Costa Blanca

The Olive Press -25, 26 and 27 Aug ---

DISGRACE!

British expat mum, 33, sent home to die in agony after being refused treatment after 14 hour wait at A&E EXCLUSIVE

By Simon Wade

Strengthening TIEs

A STAGGERING 150,000 Britons living in Spain have been issued with a TIE card since they were introduced last year.

The British Embassy confirmed this was a mix of new applicants and those swapping over from their old green NIE certificates.

It means that more than double the number of people applied in the first six months of this year than in the last six months of 2020.

Many made the exchange after seeing the mayhem caused when the pandemic restrictions combined with new Brexit rules made things increasingly difficult for those without the card.

the desperate hope that someone would eventually attend to her leg.

Exhausted, she was eventually sent home at 3am, after 14 agonising hours in the hospital.

Later that morning, her mother - who has 35 years nursing experience - realised something X-ray She said the doctor had told was gravely wrong and rushed nurses that once she had her to the nearest pharmacy for X-ray to ‘get her to a taxi and medication and advice.

By Elena Gocmen Rueda But by the time she returned, get her home’.

In a later message she wrote: Rachael had slipped into un“The other two nurses were well consciousness and was com- TRAGIC: Rachel Firth A WORKER at a Spanish Burgpletely unresponsive. shocked”. ness seriously and to provide er Referring to the doctor, she Jane performed CPR while treatment that could have saved hellKing revealed the hotter than conditions at her fast food neighbours called for an ambu- her life. added: “She hates me.” restaurant in Jerez during the The part-time charity volunteer lance but Rachael died on the Jane has sought legal advice, recent heatwave. stayed on the ward though, in floor of her own lounge with with a view to preventing such a Eva Rosado took to Twitter paramedics also unable to re- tragedy happening to someone to denounce the working convive her. else. ditions she had to endure in a A Spanish “The way neighbour con- treated in my daughter was kitchen where the air condiher final hours is tioning wasn’t working. firmed to Jane nothing short of disgusting - She posted two photographs that the am; THE devastated family of a young wom- bulance staff you wouldn’t treat an animal the second showing the mercuan are determined to find out that way,” she sobbed. “Money died suddenly at a hospital in why she told him that isn’t the issue, what difference ry reaching a staggering 62.2ºC. She claimed management had ‘an embolism The 20-year-old repeatedly Spain. insisted visited the was certainly would it make anyway? emergency room at the Costa “I just want justice for Rachael ditioningthat fixing the air condel Sol would only be made a to blame’, after and Hospital after she tested positive with assessing her tionsI want answers to the ques- priority if they were presented coronavirus on August 4. we have about her awful with a medical certificate. symptoms.

She visited the emergency room five Rachael’s own treatment - this shouldn’t hap- “In other words, for them to times in total but the family allege pen to anyone.” come and fix the aircon they turned away each time despite she was son, Reece, 13, Rachael was cremated at Tor- need one of us to faint from suffering had thankfully from acute vomiting and diarrhoea. revieja crematorium last week heat stroke”, she said. been staying with dozens of friends, The family allege doctors family Spain is now cooling off after friends daughter that her case was told their with a four-day heatwave that saw ‘not so se- that night so and colleagues in attendance. rious’.

Kind neighbours had helped record temperature did not witness towards the s last week.

The young woman was eventually expensive funeral The record was broken ad- his in Cormother’s costs at short notice. mitted on August 7 after she doba when Montoro recorded fainted death. in a wheelchair and she was the intensive care unit, whererushed to The family is If Olive Press readers 47.4ºC, overtaking the previous record in Ecija, Sevilla. she died now looking would like to help some hours later. the fam- In Castellon, a weather phefor answers as The family has accused the ily, there is also a gofund- nomenon meant that one night ‘malpractice’ and demandedhospital of to why medics me page to help. during the heatwave didn’t see an autop- failed to take sy be performed. the temperature drop below Rachael’s illOpinion Page 6 42ºC until after 2am. the Olive Press, she said: “The doctor was really nasty, said she’s read my notes and I’m mental in the head.”

Flaming angry

Bob Gordon, Moraira, Costa Blanca

1/3 Page - 256 mm w x 105 mm h ---

(all editions except Gib)

OP QUICK CROSSWORD Across 8 Not for money (3,4) 9 Elevate (5) 10 So soon? (7) 12 "Oleanna" playwright (5) 16 Parliamentary output (4) 19 Kind of entertainment channel (5,2) 20 Gentlemen's preferences, maybe (7) 21 Partial darkness (4) 24 Vesicles (5) 27 A girl's best marriage prospect (2,5) 29 Middle Eastern heights (5) 30 In name only (7)

Down

Always sensitive to mood, you feel the changing season quite deeply in you psyche this September. It is a good month for you to go within, to meditate and to connect profoundly with your personal spiritual support.

LIBRA

For a private appointment with Leticia for an in depth reading of your own Astrological Chart email: leticiaparmer@yahoo.com. Also check out Leticia's insightful book WHY ON EARTH which is available from Amazon

It is estimated that hundreds of similar unmarked boreholes litter the Spanish countryside.

The shafts, which are often illegal, are drilled in an attempt to find underground water.

I will not be travelling to the UK for some months until this uncertainty ceases. The cost and effort of all these “I am very sad that this happened tests just makes it unviable. I am lucky, The UK’s but I have been here for twelve Leano I have family din g in the UK, just friends years and have had excellent On care I would line Sch oollike to visit. I am a resident of Spain but still have a house in the UK. from the Spanish health care sysI have an Easyjet ticket booked back tem. My husband had three opin 2020 which, without cost, I have erations, one very major surgery changed 5 times. Now rebooked for and had brilliant treatment,” November. Well done Easyjet.

You are a natural humanitarian and team player and all of this is enhanced now as sports and games which include people from every culture and tradition, are the great interests for you this September.

You are a pacifist, preferring harmony and peace to discord – but this September you will fight vehemently against any perceived imbalance or unfairness. Resist the temptation to take things too personally though.

Axarquia region of Malaga.

Emergency services retrieved the and said the victim may have body been down there for several days.

No details on his identity have yet been released by police.

Travel on hold

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This is a month of outreach, of socialising, friendship and gatherings. You will happily organise or join a group of like-minded folk with similar or charitable interests. The more the merrier is your September motto.

This September you have an authoritative air about you. Combine your natural business acumen with your love of history and tradition by aligning your goals with the energy and meaning of this Autumn Equinox.

August 25th - September 7th 2021

Borehole horror

Death probe

Or you need...

• Help with washing /dressing • Supervision

You could be entitled to extra income

SAGITTARIUS

You are the intuitive nest-builders of the zodiac. This month you’re more engrossed than usual in setting up your home exactly as you want it. Perhaps you are tuning in to nature’s prompting to prepare for winter?

A YOUNG British woman died hours after being dismissed by doctors and told to go home after waiting 14 hours at a hospital for treatment.

Rachael Firth, who worked as a live-in carer, sought help at Torrevieja’s A&E on August 14, after suffering days of pain.

She was seen by her GP for pain in her legs earlier that week, and was advised to go to the emergency department if the condition worsened.

In regular messages to her mum, she said hospital staff justified making her wait all day because emergencies took priority.

After seven hours of waiting in agony with her leg swollen to twice its size, the 33-year-old eventually saw a female doctor.

However, she felt her condition was not taken seriously, and insisted the doctor dismissed her after seeing medical notes that mentioned previous treatments for mental illness.

In a message to her mother, Jane, a nurse herself, seen by

by claiming UK sickness/disability Peter, benefits while living in Spain (surname and email withheld)

CAPRICORN

CANCER

POLICE are investigating how a died after falling down a 15-metre man deep borehole in Andalucia.

The man was found by a pal in Motril who looked for him after realising had been missing for several days. he It is the second case to take place just two years - with two-year-old in len Rosello (right) dying in 2019 Juin the

the lady next door to help me get her into Afghan refuge our house.

She was in so much pain that the following morning I called a private ambulance to take her to the IMED clinic in Torrevieja for a second opinion.

Tragic death On arrival they saw what state she was in and transferred her to a hospital in Elche which carried out tests and found she had a fractured pelvis.

They kept her in hospital overnight and KIM CLARK Benefits Consultancy sent her home by ambulance the following day, she spent six weeks in a wheelchair and has now fully recovered.

OP SUDOKU

IN

S TA R S

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF

SEPTEMBER HOROSCOPES by Leticia Parmer

E TH

September 8th - September 21st 2021

1 Spread out lazily (6) 2 Take a loan (6) 3 Prolonged unconsciousness (4) 4 £25 (4) 5 Metric mass unit (4) 6 Thin layer (4) 7 Euro fraction (4) 11 Crack a cryptogram (6) 13 Modify (5) 14 Roof overhang (5) 15 Vituperative person (6) 17 Forced to turn and face attackers (2,3) 18 Talent-spotter (5) 22 Imploring (6) 23 Small boiler? (6) 24 Minor but essential workers (4) 25 River sediment (4) 26 Opposite/hypotenuse (4) 27 "I had not thought death had undone so --- " (Dante Alighieri, "Divine Comedy") (4) 28 City of Seven Hills (4)

All solutions are on page 22

LA CULTURA Let there be light

A RARE example of a Roman candelabra has gone on display.

Unearthed at El Monostil, in Elda, art teacher Eva Mendiola spent four months restoring it.

Three times bigger than most other examples, it can be seen at the archaeological museum in Elda.

Made between 30 and 34 AD in the final years of Emperor Tiberius, it was likely used in a prominent public building or in the home of a wealthy Roman citizen.

The large chandelier has 32 spots for candles and room for oil to be poured in to keep them alight.

It was made by Lucius Eros who engraved his name on the molds used for his work.

Let there be light

September 8th September 21st 2021

11

MONIQUE NEW AGE BEAUTY

VALENCIA’S world famous Fallas festival wrapped up with fireworks and the burning of giant colourful sculptures in an event that was delayed by 18 months because of the pandemic.

The five-day festival is traditionally held in March but was cancelled in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

F a c e a n d B o d y Tr e a t m e n t s

Up in smoke

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FULL GLORY A MURAL honouring famous women in Madrid has been restored, five months after being defaced by far-right vandals on International Women’s Day. The mural was destroyed with black stains that made it impos-

MALAGA will be turned into a lighting spectacular this Christmas.

After last year’s muted celebrations, the council is determined to make things bigger and better this year.

The main attraction will be a stunning lightshow at the La Concepción botanical garden from 23 November.

Described as a ‘journey through the spirit of Christmas’, the park will be illuminated with ‘floating stars’, snowmen and animal figu-

Feminist mural restored after being defaced by far-right vandals

sible to see the faces of the 15 women represented.

The words 'terrorists' and 'communists' could also be read on rines. the graffiti.

There will also be a ‘tunnel of light The artist Friand colour’ with laser beams. da Kahlo, singer It is hoped the display will trump Nina Simone, acthe famous celebrations being cretivist Rosa Parks ated in Vigo, in Galicia, said to be and Lyudmila Spain’s most festive city.

Pavlichenko, a The centre of Malaga will still have sniper who fought its traditional decorations includagainst the Naing the Christmas tree, lights and zis, were among nativity scenes. them.

History, adventure and romance.

That’s just the setting.

The mural created by Unlogic Crew in 2018, had been originally opposed by the PP, Ciudadanos and Vox insisting it sent too much of a political message.

Vox proposed to repaint it with the image of paralympic athletes.

Thanks to Ciudadanos changing their stance and a series of protests from locals, the mural won the support to remain.

Support for the feminist mural has led to some 50 replicas of it being erected all over Spain.

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12

LA CULTURA

September 8th - September 21st 2021

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PROPERTY SPANISH environmental group Ecologistas en Accion have criticised the Junta de Andalucia´s latest strategic plan that includes yet another golf course.

The proposed project outlines a golf course and luxury development at Atlanterra close to Zahara on the Costa de La Luz. “The green revolution of (Junta president) Juanma Morena is that of the greens of the golf courses,” the group said in a statement, adding that it was yet another example of creating ‘privileged enclaves’ on the Cadiz coast.

Atlanterra Golf is the third proposed golf development in the Cadiz region.

The others include El Seguesal in Bar-

September 8th September 21st 2021

13

TEED OFF

bate, and Castellar Golf.

Ecologistas en Accion accuse the Junta and the town halls involved of trying to ‘cement over the coastal zones that were spared the tsunami of the real estate bubble that stalled in 2008’.

This is not the first time that the area around the surfers’ paradise of Tarifa has come under threat from efforts to turn it into a ‘Marbs on the Atlantic’.

In 2015 developer Metrovacesa launched ‘Ciudad de Surf’ with plans to build 600 hotel rooms and 220 properties on the edge of the town. Work on

PROPERTY OF THE WEEK C EX

30% increase of foreign buyers on Mallorca, as Brit and German sales go through the roof

Property flop Murcia’s Mar Menor was once one of the most desirable destinations for property purchases by foreigners in Spain, but continued environmental disasters have seen the price of housing plummet.

Estate agents in the area report that some house prices have dropped as much as 30%.

This is especially true in the beachfront areas of Los Urrutias and Los Nietos, which have seen property values crash by 60 to 70%.

Manolo Navarro, who runs a real estate agency in Los Nietos said houses can now be snapped up for little as €25,000.

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Balearic Islands (€ 2,731m2) and Catalunya (€ 2,268m2) .

Only two regions of Spain have an average price per square metre below €1,000, which are Extremadura (€ 717m2), and Castilla La Mancha (€ 813m2).

Mallorca boasts some of the most expensive properties for sale in Spain.

Property website Idealista advertises a whopping €24.9 million six-bedroom in Andratx

VE

the €70m project is due to start later this year, despite opposition from several environmental groups.

Island boom THE Balearic Islands have proved the most popular place to buy property this year in Spain with the Brits and Germans making up the majority of foreign buyers.

There has been a huge 29.8% rise in foreign buyers on the islands, followed by the Canary Islands at 23.9% and the Valencian Community at 19.5%.

Despite Brexit and Covid, foreign buyers purchased 13,600 properties in the Balearics between April and June this year.

British buyers are still purchasing more homes in Spain than any other foreigners, followed

by Germans and Moroccans.

Brits account for a sizable 9.5% of the overall purchases.

While Brits make up the largest share, they are followed

by Germans (9%) Moroccans (8.3%), French (7.0%) and Romanians (6.1%).

During the second quarter of 2021, a total of 137,204 house purchases were entered in property registers across Spain, which represents an increase of 6.2% over the previous quarter.

In terms of property prices, Madrid records the highest average per square meter with prices at 2,820m2, the Basque Country comes a close second (€ 2,781m2), followed by the

L

I US

FLYING HIGH: €24.9 million Mallorca property with its own helipad with its own helipad, indoor to buy, according to Idealista, and outdoor pools, gym, sauna is near Marbella in the excluand an al fresco kitchen. sive La Zagaleta area for a cool But the most expensive house €29m euros.

Axarquia Office +34 637 26 43 53 info@inlandandalucia.com

www.inlandandalucia.com

STILL LOVE IT HERE British demand for Spain appears indestructible

The Property Insider

by Adam Neale

W

HEN the 2016 referendum produced that famous shock result in favour of Brexit, the fear was that the longstanding love of British buyers for Spanish property would become a thing of the past.

In the years leading up to the final divorce at the start of 2021, this proved not to be the case, though it did mute demand. What is the landscape like now that Brexit is a firm reality?

British demand for Spanish proper- time brought on by the Covid panty was riding high when the Brexit demic. referendum hit it in 2016. After a It seemed fate was determined to decline in the immediate aftermath sever the long-held relationship of the financial crisis, buyers from between Brits and Spain’s sunthe UK had resumed ny coastal destinatheir prominent potions, but as we pass sition among foreign the halfway mark in Spanish property transactions 2021 and analyse in Spain’s coastal the figures for Q1 homes sales areas, but now unand H1 of the year, to Brit buyers certainty set in once quite a different picagain. ture is emerging. rebounded at Sales dropped noIn reality, sales of ticeably in the fol- the end of 2020 Spanish homes to lowing year, but one British buyers alsoon acclimatises to ready began to renew situations, and by 2018 en- bound at the end of 2020, but quiries were back up. that was put down to a late surge Then the world was plunged into before the final Brexit deadline another bout of darkness, this on the 31st of December.

This would be an entirely feasible explanation, were it not for the fact that sales to Brits have continued to build over 2021.

While there was an initial Brexit impact in the years following the referendum, the element of fear and uncertainty seems to have disappeared now that it’s a fait accompli.

As for Covid, the enforced lack of movement and economic activity over much of 2020 has resulted in pent-up demand now being released, and this is something being seen across the board.

Sales are up 71% on this time last year, and with almost 65,000 properties sold in June, the market has returned to figures last seen during the boom of the

2000s.

This is not just a recovery from 2020 either, as current transactions are 41% higher than 2019 and 13% higher than 2018.

The fact is, the Spanish property market is performing better than it has in almost 15 years While we don’t know how long it will continue to do so at this level, it seems clear enough that any talk about the effect of Brexit on British demand for properties in Spain, can now be retired for good.

UK buyers are here to stay, as they have been throughout the ups and downs of more than half a century – it’s a relationship cemented over many generations that seems to be as strong as it ever was.

Terra Meridiana, 77 Calle Caridad, Estepona • 29680 • Tel: +34 951 318480. Office Mob: +34 678 452109 Email: info@terrameridiana.com. Website: www.terrameridiana.com

A

14

ll about

Education

IS THE CHEMISTRY Summer 2021

SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022

the THIS school year will see students in hostate system break up for Christmas n lidays on December 23 and not retur s King e Thre after day the 7, ary until Janu Day. n Meanwhile, the Easter holidays will begi for days ten for 8 and 7 April r eithe on lumost regions including Madrid, Anda ncia, cia while in the Balearic Islands, Vale ten Navarra and the Basque Country the 14.

April on ns begi ay holid r Easte day

aAs for the national bank holidays indic dar, ted in the 2021-2022 school calen they are as follows: of October 12, National Holiday Spain November 1, Feast of All Saints December 6, Constitution Day ion December 8, Immaculate Concept Day June 24, San Juan and But remember regional feast days off days n mea also will ays local holid schools and puentes.

Choosing the right schools for your kids in Spain can be a puzzle of Einstein proportions for parents. But problem solved - we’ve done the homework for you.

F

OR new students, those first tentative steps across a schoolyard filled with strangers is one of life’s key rites of passage.

So making sure it’s the right school is a test all parents want to pass with flying colours.

Whether it’s playschool, primary school or secondary school, expat parents in Spain have important choices to make.

Of course, your selection will depend on certain key factors: distance from home, budget, academic standards, teaching style and word-of-mouth recommendations, to name just a few.

So where do you start?

The first item on your checklist should be Public or Private – do you opt for an international college or a Spanish state school?

It’s generally an easier decision to make for younger children, as primary schools throughout Europe are more or less comparable. Around two thirds of expats send their children to local state

A

schools – called ‘colegios’ (primary trouble adjusting. And learning maths schools) and ‘institutos’ (secondary and physics in a foreign idiom is an exschools). tra challenge!

There are two serious advantages to Also throwing them into Spanish Spanish schools. schools if they are over nine can be One – children will learn Spanish fast daunting in the extreme. and should integrate well into their It is definitely worth considering extra new home country. language tuition outside school hours Younger children, in to help ease the transigeneral, thrive in state tion. schools with the under “It is fine if you get the Joining the nines normally picking kids into school early, at parents/ up impressive spoken a young age, but if they Spanish (usually, far are nine or 10 then they teachers better than their parwill find it harder,” adents) within a year, just vised one English parassociation by socialising with their ent whose two children certainly helps have been through the friends.

Two – state schooling is local system in Manilva. free of charge from the “They will almost cerage of three, when children can begin tainly need some extra tuition and attending ‘infantile’ or ‘pre-escolar’, watching carefully. It also helps if the equivalent to a nursery in the UK. parents get involved in the school and The only costs you’ll have to cover are try to get to know the other Spanish books, school trips and, if the school parents. Joining the parents/teachers has them, uniforms. association certainly helps.”

There are also plenty of downsides to If you decide against the Spanish Spanish schools. Older, less extrovert state system – either because you kids with limited Spanish can have fear educational standards are lower

Back to school – time to think about your children’s residency

S we move into September, families have been making sure that their children are prepared for the school year ahead.

But one important issue is sometimes overlooked; British children in Spain need to registered as resident in the same way as adults.

Earlier in the year Age in Spain asked people to be “good neighbours” and ask other members of the British community in Spain if they had sorted their residency yet.

Now they’re asking people to make residency part of the back-to-school conversation (at the school gates or on school-related forums) and ask other parents and families if they have been through the residency process for their children.

For most people it’s a straightforward process that is very similar as that for adults and involves completing the EX-20 and EX23 forms.

Age in Spain Director, Helen Weir, said: “ It’s important to remember that all children need to be registered as resident in Spain - whatever their age. If you have sorted out your own residency but haven’t yet registered your child, then now is the time to do it. It will make things much easier for your family in the coming years. And if you’re not sure how to proceed then please contact us.

We can help.”

If people need help with registering their child as resident in Spain they can contact: info@ageinspain.org or call +34 932 20 97 41

(according to reports, Andalucia does indeed come well below average), or because you prefer to have your children educated in English – then you will have no choice but to go private.

Budget is a major consideration but many expat parents say an international school gives a gentler introduction to education in a foreign country, with smaller classes taught in English.

Most international schools even follow a UK curriculum of GCSE and A-levels, with a number of local schools regularly seeing their pupils getting into the top British universities, including Oxbridge.

Most British schools are members of the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) and are inspected regularly by the group, a setup similar to the UK’s Ofsted inspections.

A great advantage for many parents is that international schools often have a more multicultural environment than state schools. Most have some 20 different nationalities attending and offer a bilingual study programme.

Paul Kelly, an education consultant in Marbella said: “Pupils meet other students from so many different countries.

“This is such a valuable opportunity as it awakens a curiosity for other cultures, languages, traditions, customs and even food from a very early age.”

To tie in with this, many of the top

RIGHT?

COVID measures

A

15

Summer 2021

FTER months and months of stopstart education during the pandemic, this September youngsters in Spain are head ing back to schools with almost all lockd own restrictions lifted.

But normality is not back just yet, with a host of rules and measures still in place to keep staff and pupils safe.

Most children over the age of 12 will have been jabbed before returning to school as auth out the vaccination programme to offer orities roll protection to secondary school pupils.

But while face-to-face classes will be the norm at the start of the year, exceptions will be made for outbreaks or in zones considered to have a high level of transmission. In that instance, online classes or a staggered class system will be orga nised.

And general anti- covid measures are still in force.

Face-masks

All teachers and pupils over the age of wear a mask while indoors. This inclu six must rooms and communal areas. The use des classwill continue to be mandatory ‘rega of a mask rdless of the maintenance of interpersonal dista nce or belonging to a stable coexistence group’ and hygiene measures must be maintained at all times.

Bubbles

schools are increasingly offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, as well as the local secondary school qualification, the Bachillerato.

The most obvious downside, of course, is the cost. Schools range from basic to luxurious but, take note, they come at a price.

Fees range from €3,000 a year for primary school to between €6,000 and €17,000 per year for secondary schools.

But there are no rulebooks or easy answers to choosing the right

schools in Spain.

It really all depends on which boxes you need ticked, whether that’s affordability, integration or a smoother transition.

Just one final tip for parents who decide to go with the Spanish system: learn the language yourself. How else will you chat to your kids’ teachers at open days?

And, more important for your kids than that, how will you help them with their homework?

Class "bubbles" will not be scrapped on return to the classroom.

The latest Spanish Government guid elines advise that so-called bubble groups could increase to a maximum of 25 or 30 students, depe nding on the region.

Social distancing

There must also be physical distancing 1.5 metres between all staff, as well of at least as staff and pupils.

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The Olive Press - 8th/9th/10th September 1/6 Page - 83 mm w x 170 mm h (all editions except Gib)

16

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WHY LÍNEA DIRECTA?

Línea Directa has been providing comprehensive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 20 years. Backed by a leading Spanish financial group Bankinter, with over 3 million customers nationwide. All services and documentation is in English. Your car insurance protects you financially against loss in the event of a motor vehicle accident or theft of your vehicle. From flat tyres and dead batteries to empty petrol tanks, Línea Directa is always on hand 24/7, 365 days a year for total peace of mind.

Call their English-speaking customer service staff on 917 002 006 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com

BUSINESS

​​ANTONIO Banderas has been named among the 100 most influential Spaniards in the business world.

The actor has been selected in the list of US magazine Forbes, alongside celebrated three-star chef Angel León, from Aponiente, in Cadiz.

The list of the most creative Spaniards in business includes A BILLION euros has been lost in trade between the UK and Spain since Brexit.

The value of Spanish exports to the UK has dropped by €230 million (£200m), according to the UK Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA).

And with imports from the UK dropping by over €35 million, this equates to almost €265 million euros of business lost between the first half of 2019 and the same period in 2021.

Trade coming from the UK to Spain suffered the biggest percentage drop in the entire EU, with almost 54% less goods arriving from UK shores.

Trade with Italy has dropped

BIZZY BANDERAS

a dozen from Andalucia.

The highly coveted list, which mirrors the long-established US version, lauded the men and women they believe showed ‘unstoppable entrepreneurship’.

Forbes praised the Legend of Zorro star, who

F

Do I need to fill in the UK property pages (SA105)? ● You should fill in the SA105 if you receive total rental income of over £1000 from any of the following sources: ● UK land or property ● Letting furnished rooms in your own home ● Furnished holiday lets in the uk or european economic area. ● Premiums from leasing land ● Inducements to take an interest in letting a property (a reverse premium)

Can I claim the property income allowance instead?

The property allowance is a tax exemption of up to £1,000 a year for individuals with income from land or property - even if you own the property jointly.

If your annual gross property income is £1,000 or less, you will not need to notify HMRC, however if it is more than this, then you will need to submit a self assessment tax return including the SA105 pages.

You cannot use this allowance on income from letting a room in your own home under the Rent a Room Scheme.

is thought to be worth around $45 million, for ‘never giving up’.

Banderas premiered a Spanish-language version of A Chorus Line in 2019 in his hometown of Malaga, to launch the 900-seat Teatro del Soho theatre.

Trade crash Quarter of a BILLION euros lost in business between UK and Spain during Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit slump

By Simon Wade

over 50% (around €160 million) with German trade dropping by 49% (€400 million).

All but three countries on the continent (Latvia, Hungary

and Lithuania) have seen a drop in UK imports, as the consequences of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

Since January 1, when Brexit rules began, thousands of British companies have struggled with the additional pa-

THE airline industry is finally recovering from the COVID crisis.

As Ryanair forecasts a big increase in traffic this Autumn, Jet2 is investing nearly £5M in new aircraft.

Ryanair expects 10.5 million passengers to fly in September, October and November in European short-haul flights, many of those

perwork and administrative costs of exporting.

Importers and exporters are now required to itemise their products for trading standards, customs and health reasons before entry to the EU market.

XXX

Airlines On The Up

TAXING STUFF OR those who live in Spain but rent out property back in the UK, the most important part of the Tax Return is the SA105 - otherwise known as the property income pages.

The structure of the UK Self Assessment Tax Return is based on the main introductory pages - known as the SA100, then any necessary supplementary pages, guided by the boxes ticked in the SA100 - for example the SA103 (for self employment) and the SA105, for UK property income.

However unlike self employment, where you will need to treat each employment separately, all property income is treated as one business - so you don’t need to fill in separate SA105 pages for each property.

September 8th September 21st 2021

to Spain.

“As long as there are no adverse COVID developments, things are set fair for a very strong recovery,” said Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.

Jet2 has meanwhile purchased 36 Airbus A321 aircraft with the option to extend this order up to 60 aircraft.

John Whitehead, FDEA director, said: “There is growing evidence that the complexity of trading with the EU has led to businesses moving operations into Europe and of importers looking for alternative suppliers/ “It is contributing to the ongoing decline in both UK exports and UK jobs.”

Many Olive Press readers who submit a UK tax return, do so because they are landlords of UK properties, writes Emilia Carvell

However even if you qualify for the property income allowance you may choose not to claim, for a number of reasons: ● If your allowable expenses are higher than your turnover, you may want to claim tax relief on the loss against any future property income. ● If you are a non-resident landlord and want to claim back tax from the non-resident landlord scheme.

If you choose not to claim for the above reasons then you will need to complete an SA100 & SA105.

What information do I need to fill in my SA105?

The first thing you will need is your name and Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). You should have also filled in this information at the beginning of your tax return.

You will then need to fill in some basic information about your UK properties - such as number of properties rented out, whether they are jointly owned, and if you are claiming Rent a Room Relief for any properties.

Then you will need to fill in details of any furnished holiday lets, including income, expenses and details of any reliefs or losses.

You will need to fill in a separate SA105 for any FHL’s in the EEA. (NB - if you receive income from overseas property, or FHL outside of the EEA, then you will need to fill in the “foreign income” pages of the tax return) Following on from this you will need to complete details of any UK property income (not including FHL’s,Real Estate Investment Trust or Property Authorised Investment Funds dividends/distributions), along with any tax you have already paid on that income (for example if you are an overseas landlord and have had tax automatically deducted by a lettings agent).

After including income information, you can include details of any allowable tax deductible expenses - remember to keep all information about any expenses, as the more expenses you have will reduce your taxable income!

Finally you will be able to calculate your taxable profit or loss.

Here you will include any adjustments or reliefs claimed.

Now this can all seem very daunting - and to be honest there are a lot of boxes on the SA105. But that’s where APARI comes in!

If you use APARI, you can upload and allocate transactions easily, and then the software will pull all of this information through to your self assessment tax return. We even have a handy scan and store feature, so that users can attach relevant invoices to their transactions.

Sign up to APARI today, and start Making Tax Doable!

For all the latest information and advise visit www.apari-digital.com

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

September 8th - September 21st 2021

ETHICAL HOTELS

Zahara de la Sierra is officially the most tranquil destination in Europe

Let the Games begin THE emblematic cities of Caceres and Trujillo are to be the sets for the much anticipated prequel to Game of Thrones.

The main square of medieval Trujillo (above) will become a street market for the series which begins filming on October 19.

It is good news for the economy with the hotels already full in Caceres and Trujillo from then.

The production team, which last filmed in Spain in 2016, has been in the city for several weeks.

Throughout September the team will be preparing a number of different locations.

Sites across Extremadura were chosen as locations in previous seasons of the hit drama.

Game of Thrones concluded the broadcasting of its eighth and final season in May 2019.

The 10-episode prequel will be titled House of the Dragon and the story will be set 300 years before the original series.

A TINY hilltop village in inland Andalucia has been named the ‘most tranquil’ destination in Europe.

Visitors to sleepy Zahara de la Sierra, between Ronda and Sevilla, know the joys of the stunning views across the Grazalema mountain range and the turquoise waters of the lake below.

The hidden gem of a pueblo blanco, topped by a 13th Moorish castle, appears on the list of Spain’s Most Beautiful Small Towns.

But now the Cadiz village has won the accolade of being the most tranquil destination in Europe, in a survey by the OVO network, which analyses the things travellers want to

A NEW booking app created

by Spain’s chambermaids will allow tourists to choose their hotel based on how well they treat their workers.

Ethical travellers who want more from their hotel than a great view, decent pool and fine dining, will now be able to sleep well knowing the staff aren’t being exploited.

The app is being set up by a campaigning group known as Las Kellys - from the Spanish words ‘las que limpian (the women who clean).

PRETTY CALM

By Amber Edirisinghe

unwind.

Expat American Stefan Crites - a Zahara local for the past 16 years - said he

would certainly ‘rate it as the most beautiful of the pueblos blancos’.

“While Zahara is very tranquil there is a lot going on,” the boss of Al Lago restaurant and hotel told

New Flights RYANAIR has announced it will operate 14 new routes from London's Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports.

The company will launch new routes this October to Malaga, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura as well as other European destinations.

The additions are part of a winter sea-

son that will see the low cost carrier operate a combined 142 routes from the three London airports.

17

Exploitation

the Olive Press.

“There always seems to be something going on but somehow it retains its quiet village charm”.

Across the mountains in the very next valley, the emblematic town of Ronda has been recognised as the second ‘most tranquil destination’ in Spain.

While the town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria comes in third for Spain.

For those seeking a seaview to find tranquility, the pretty seaside fishing village of Llanes in Asturias, ranks top of all coastal towns in Spain.

The organisation failed to persuade platforms such as Booking.com and TripAdvisor to include working conditions as a part of their hotel ratings so decided to create their own.

A crowdfunding campaign to fund the project has so far raised more than €60,000 to develop the website and mobile app.

"Our idea is to send a clear message to hoteliers and businessmen. Either they stop exploiting us, or their business is over," said a spokesperson.

Hotels will be rated on whether they meet national standards on pay and conditions, comply with health and safety regulations, have an equal pay policy, employ vulnerable people and employ the chambermaids inhouse.

18

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Extre-mendous When it comes to tourism, Extremadura is off the beaten track.

Fiona Govan explores a region ignored by many and discovers the rewards are great

L

ONG overshadowed by the more obvious landmark-laden cities elsewhere in Spain and unable to compete with the draw of Mediterranean beaches, Extremadura with its bucolic charm, medieval heritage and Roman ruins, is ripe for discovery. Here the Olive Press runs a rule over a few of its best bits.

I

Caceres where art and food combine

F there was one reason alone to go to Caceres, it is to dine at the fabled restaurant Atrio, but a new modern art museum raises the stakes of a long-overlooked gem of a destination.

Tucked within a jumble of narrow cobbled streets in the hon-

Foie from the norm Ethical foie gras farmed in Extremadura by geese seasonally feasting on an acorn rich diet

F

OR many this buttery, rich delicacy is one of the most desired luxury food items in the culinary world, for others its method of manufacture represents the ultimate in cruelty.

Traditionally, foie gras is produced by a technique perfected in France known as ‘gavage’ in which geese are force fed by sticking a tube down their throat and stuffing it with more grain than the bird would naturally eat in a lifetime.

However at a remote farm in Extremadura foie gras is produced ethically by allowing geese to gorge naturally on olives and acorns which swell their livers with large fatty deposits, doubling their body weight in preparation for flying south for the winter.

This ethical foie gras is produced on a farm outside Badajoz by Eduardo Sousa who describes the method as ‘seasonal feasting’ instead of the

September 8th - September 21st 2021

traditional force-feeding.

Sousa insists that geese by nature have the capacity to create and store fat in their livers, but this natural connection has been broken over the years after Greeks and Romans began to force feed geese with figs to fatten them up.

Instead of force-feeding their geese, Sousa allows them to feast on the wild foods they find around them in nature.

Sousa said: “Windfall fruit, wild seeds and grasses and, most importantly, acorns – the same acorns, rich in cholesterol-reducing oleic acid, that form the diet of Extremadura’s famous Ibérico pig, “Our product’s superbly delicate flavour and characteristic golden colour, which derives mainly from wild yellow lupin seeds, is a direct consequence of the birds’ varied natural diet and their high quality of life, allowing them to fly and graze at will.”

The 200-year-old farm now produces around 2,000 jars of foie gras from 1,000 geese annually.

“A whole year is required to produce a small, uniformly coloured, regular and fine-textured foie gras,” said Sousa.

He explained that wild geese still fly over the family farm, which is situated beneath the birds’ migration path.

“Our free-range geese are partly domesticated, but are visited annually by their wild cousins, thus renewing the gene pool and maintaining the feeFREE RANGE: A wild goose chase for acorns ding instincts of the established flock.”

ey-coloured medieval heart of the city is a doorway to another world.

For it is here in the kitchen at Atrio under the masterful alchemy of chef Toño Perez, that Spain’s ubiquitous jamon iberico is elevated to heavenly dimensions.

A tasting menu served within the hallowed dining room of this two-michelin starred establishment involved plate after plate of deliciously crafted and ingeniously presented morsels from fresh local ingredients.

But the undeniable star is the Iberian pig, the black hoofed porkers which spend their days rooting around the vast pastures of Extremadura feasting on acorns and fattening up for the pot.

Many of the 23 dishes served within the menu degustacion include a porcine flavour, from the elegant tapioca butterfly crisp paired with salmon mousse starter to a delicacy made of layers of scallops and trotters topped with caviar and the lomo doblao – an confit of lard made from Ibérico pork loin and ending with the mysterious chocolate jamon dessert.

The famed wine list has won accolades as the best (and

MODERN ART: Katharina Grosse’s ‘Faux Rocks

longest) in Spain so complete the dining experience with a descent to the wine cellar, where rare vintages are displayed like the Crown Jewels.

When you come blinking out into the harsh daylight of a hot summer day in Cacares, it’s just a short walk through the quiet streets beneath the ramparts of ancient walls and the palacetes adorned by the family shields of long dead conquistadores, to the newest attraction within the Unesco World Heritage city.

Designed by Tuñon Architects, the same team behind Atrio, the new Contemporary Art Museum housing the Helga de Alvear collection, was inaugurated in February with a visit by King Felipe VI and

PIGGING OUT: Pork with every course and cheese and ham butterfly lattice (inset)

Queen Letizia.

The buildings, both the interior of the restaurant and the vast new exhibition space, share a similar aesthetic - wooden slats through which shafts of horizontal light peep in – and an interesting juxtaposition to the Medieval monuments outside their walls.

Currently on display is an exhibition of 200 pieces that form part of the vast 3,000 works donated

by German art collector Helga De Alvear (one of the founders of ArcoMadrid) to the region of Extremadura.

The artwork couldn’t be further removed from the dusty tapestries and ornate gilt on display in the neighbouring Palacios and churches.

Here you will find a chamber barely containing the oversized boulders daubed with bold psychedelic smudges that is Katharina Grosse’s ‘Faux Rocks’ 2006.

An entrance way is filled with the gaudiness of a crashed chandelier in Ai Weiwei's De-

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FOOD & DRINK

September 8th September 21st 2021

19

EXPERIENCE THE

MOLINO DEL

SANTO MAGIC SEPTEMBER IS STUNNING IN THE MOUNTAINS.... h Discover wonderful walks h Explore the local villages h Immerse yourself in Ronda’s culture

h But the most magical experience of all is a visit to MOLINO DEL SANTO SHEEPS EYE VIEW: Bucolic views of Extremadura town Jerez de los Caballeros scending Light, while under a stairwell a collection of old television screens flicker.

The new museum and unrivalled collection that includes work by 500 artists including the likes of Joseph Beuys, Dan Flavin, Joseph Albers, Paul Klee, Nan Goldin, and Jenny Holzer, is tipped to transform Caceres into a European art destination in its own right.

For those with deep pockets, Atrio offers rooms above the restaurant hung with original artwork by Warhol and Tapies or there is the Parador just

around the corner, a larger establishment that retains the charms of the converted palacete.

But for those who want to combine a weekend visit of art and food with a relaxing rural escape, then head a few miles out of the city to the Hotel Hospes Palacio de Arenales & Spa. Boasting an indoor spa and vast outdoor infinity pool, the highlight of this tastefully converted former summer residence of a noble Cacereño family is best enjoyed at sunset.

The chiringuito style bar beside the pool is the perfect place to enjoy a sundowner while watching the dozens of storks come home to roost in nests built on lofty stands erected in a pasture alongside the hotel gardens.

The clattering of their beaks as they settle down for the night is an Extremeño lullaby that will linger in the memory and have you longing to return.

Extremadura special continues on page 21

Whether it is for the hotel, the restaurant or the cafeteria, head to Molino del Santo near Ronda soon for a very special experience.

Rooms, with breakfast included, from 100€ in September when you mention this ad. Restaurant open every day for lunch and dinner.

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

September 8th - September 21st 2021

Romans roamed

T

HE city of Merida boasts the best-preserved Roman ruins outside Italy, and without the crowds.

Founded in 25BC, Augusta Emerita as the city was then known,

21

STILL STANDING: Ancient Roman bridge

What have the Romans ever done for us? Well, Merida... served as the capital of Rome’s westernmost province, Lusitania.

Today a modern city stands where Romans once dwelled, FOUNDER: Emperor Augusta and one of his temples

architecturally unremarkable except for the very notable fact that Roman ruins are everywhere.

A bridge spans the Guadiana river, its 60 pristine stone arches making it the longest Roman bridge still standing on the peninsula.

A short walk from the river banks, just steps away from a bustling commercial centre is a Roman theatre, which each summer plays host to an international festival of classical drama.

One stifling July night as the sun went down and the temperature dipped below 35ºC, I was among the several thousand spectators to settle down to watch the Shakespearean tragedy of Anthony and Cleopatra.

Just like in ancient times, men

SO MUCH MORE...

Beyond Extremadura’s headline cities of Cacares and Merida, there is much to discover and a place to visit in all seasons. Here’s a look at just four more reasons to inspire you to explore.

Birding in Monfragüe The national park of Monfragüe is a jewel in Spain, a mecca for nature lovers and birdwatchers who come from all across Spain and beyond to seek out rare species.

The cliffs of Monfragüe are home to Europe’s largest population of Black vultures and resident Griffon vultures and visiting Egyptian vultures.

Rare Black storks come here to build their nests in the craggy cliffs above the turquoise waters and there is a resident population of Imperial Eagles and Eagle Owls.

In the pastures surrounding the park, birders come from all over Europe to tick off a sighting of the Great Bustard.

Trujillo - Home of the conquistadores

Few tourists

A perfect medieval city perched on a hill, Trujillo prospered with the conquistadores who returned to their birthplace and lavished riches from the new world on elaborate palaces dotted around a grand square.

At its centre you’ll find an impressive statue of one the most famous conquistadors of all – Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru. In fact rumour has it, the statue was designed by a New York sculptor to depict Hernan Cortes to be presented to the people of Mexico, where the gift was not surprisingly declined. So it was refashioned as Pizarro and now stands proudly in his hometown.

The final reason to visit Extremadura is to discover it before everyone else does!

With so few tourists and only truly discerning ones making the effort, you’ll be welcomed by locals who do their utmost to ensure you’ll love their land as much as they do.

Great food, wonderful nature, fascinating history.

What more could you want?

Almond blossom or autumnal colours?

Spring is the time to pay a visit to the Jerte valley, an area of 70 square kilometres that is planted with over 1.5million cherry trees. In fact, Valle del Jerte is the largest uninterrupted area in Europe covered with cherry trees and the best time to catch the blossom in its full glory is for a few short weeks, usually beginning from the middle towards the end of March. Locals will tell you that autumn is in fact the best time to visit.

and women in Roman garb played out political intrigues and epic battles before an enraptured audience.

Thankfully there is no such revival of the sports that once took place in the equally well preserved amphitheatre alongside. It was here that the crowds came to watch gladiatorial combats that pitted man against man and beast against beast. To the death.

The theatre itself is bereft of the pantheon of statues that would have once adorned it, but many of them can be seen in the impressive National Archaeology Museum housed next door.

The artefacts on display tell the story of a city where the past is very much alive. A delicately sculpted bust of Augustus was only recently discovered during renovations of a local pharmacy, while the demolition of a local jamon factory unearthed a cache of Roman treasures.

Fine mosaic floors are regularly revealed beneath the founda-

Century gem SURROUNDED by rolling oak forests and choked with nature, few places give you such a good sense of space.

And Hotel Monasterio de Rocamador near Badajoz also takes some beating for history, dating back to the 16th century.

Opened in 1512 as a convent, it was bought by Spanish pop star Miguel Bose and opened in 1997 as a luxury hotel, before closing in 2012.

Now it has been bought by a local wine business and after a multi-million refit is finally back open again.

tions of newer houses.

Turn a corner from a busy shopping street and you are met with the soaring columns of a Temple

to Diana, where folk still meet and gossip seeking respite from the sun in the shade of its gigantic pediment.

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COLUMNISTS

Tinder moments

I

HAVE so many friends currently on dating sites with some hilarious results. One close male friend was on Tinder and met a woman who had a super attractive picture of her face. They were going out for drinks and as she entered the room he realized she was four foot nothing. He wasn't phased by it but he is nearly six feet tall. As she sat on the barstool her first comment was "I like taller men than you". You couldn't make it up.

Another acquaintance went on every single dating site and created a spreadsheet to track how at least thirty men were faring. She eventually found her man and they are now happily married - she certainly put the work in.

Most of my friends have had good luck on dating sites but one particular friend has become a Tinder specialist and she is still looking for love after a few years.

You need to spot the red flags right away.

Lisa Burgess

Basic instinct The first glaring flag is someone who barely fills out their profile or when they first contact you they use raunchy pick-up lines. Avoid anyone who rambles on about their ex or says they love you within days of meeting online.

Beware of an online match who asks you for money or is controlling, mysterious or demanding. Celebrities don't have it easy either - Sharon Stone went on a dating site once and the site removed her thinking it was a fake profile!

Whatever you do make sure you eventually meet in a public place so you can make a quick exit when needed. Many people are too scared to go online but what have you got to lose? It has been fantastic for so many people I know and there is no stigma attached to it anymore. Bite the bullet and put yourself out there because you never know what could happen.

September 8th - September 21st 2021

THANK GOD THEY’VE GONE

Y

OU can take a deep breath now. It’s September and they have all gone.

It is fair to say that after the non event that was the summer season 2020, due to what you could euphemistically refer to as ‘this, that and the other’, 2021 returned with a vengeance.

Most of Madrid decamped from the capital to the coast while the roads were clogged with French, Belgian and Dutch ‘nationals’ in supercars doing their best Maghreb Fernando Alonso impersonations. It would be unfair for me to criticise their driving skills, so let’s just say that the local roadside barrier replacement teams and car repair firms must have done a brisk trade.

On the subject of mechanical, I decided to top up the oil in the trusty Landcruiser on a recent supermarket trip.

All was going smoothly until I knocked the oil cap off its resting place and it fell into the trough beneath the radi-

End of summer, UB40 and a lost in translation moment ator.

Cue 30 minutes of comedy scrambling beneath the 4x4 as I attempted to locate and remove it without burning myself.

‘My life is never boring’, I thought, as Madrileño shoppers stepped over me as I lay prone at the side of the Toyota.

I was saddened to hear of the death of UB40’s Brian Travers last month. I had the great pleasure of hosting a riotous Q&A session at an exhibition of his paintings – He was a great artist in Estepona

a few years ago.

Clearly enjoying himself, he famously told the well-heeled audience "I want to paint you all naked!" I decided to end the session quickly afterwards. Absolutely a one off, Brian (right) approached his illness with great strength.

Finally, I had a huge ‘lost in translation’ moment last week. I was buying a birthday cake in a large supermarket, but the problem was that they all had ‘Frozen’ characters or Barcelona footballers on them.

So I asked a passing assis-

BAND AID: Giles gives Travers a helping hand

tant if they have 'tarta... por adultos' - cue strange look.

'Tarta...gateaux' I expounded, compounding my error.

'Tarta de gatos?' she exclaimed, horrified…

One step ahead I HAVE danced with the Grim Reaper many times during my life and have always remained one step ahead. He is still waiting for the last waltz.

My first brush with the scythe-man was when as an 11-year-old boy scout, I got in trouble during a swimming lesson right in the centre of the deep end of the pool.

Fortunately, the scoutmaster was a Catholic priest and immediately recognising a potential lost soul, without any hesitation he attempted to walk over the water to save me - he plunged to the bottom on his first step. It may have helped if he had removed his heavy crucifix first!

Still water-related, I attempted to water surf using a child's foam board in a desolate bay during a visit to South Africa during the apartheid era. Unknown to me, there was a violent underflow that sucked me down to the bottom, then dragged me way out to sea within minutes. Fortunately, I was eventually rescued by a lone swimmer who dumped my unconscious and blue-faced body on the beach where an angry Afrikaner stood over me, demanding the return of his toy board.

Like many of my age, I survived the London Blitz, but n o t without a few dodges with un-

OL D HA CK IN TH E SU N

Benny Da

vis cle death and also a head- Ramblings of an 80-something expat on car crash; two years eating 1950's army food; and many many years working with fatherless newspaper editors, who could reduce a cub reporter to a whimpering puppy dog, complete with a pool of liquid on the floor at a single stare.

Peace

Then came semi-retirement in carefree sunny Spain. Peace at last – that was until a couple of years ago when my tired old body started to complain.

A couple of serious operations nearly killed off my weird sense of humour, which without, I wouldn't exist. At the moment, I am being fed through a tube in the stomach, which I suppose is a fair punishment for talking rubbish through my backside all these years and getting paid for it.

Joking apart, my purpose of laying all my present problems on you, is to express my eternal gratitude for the incredible care and help given by the Spanish Health Service. All deserve top praise from cleaners to nurses, and doctors to specialists. I only wish that for once I could gather sufficient of my rubbish, illiterate words together to vent my true feelings. So, I will simply say: Grac i a s eres el mejor.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 8 Pro bono, 9 Raise, 10 Already?, 12 Mamet, 16 Laws, 19 Cable TV, 20 Blondes, 21 Dusk, 24 Cysts, 27 Mr Right, 29 Golan, 30 Nominal.

Down: 1 Sprawl, 2 Borrow, 3 Coma, 4 Pony, 5 Gram, 6 Film, 7 Cent, 11 Decode, 13 Amend, 14 Eaves, 15 Abuser, 17 At bay, 18 Scout, 22 Urging, 23 Kettle, 24 Cogs, 25 Silt, 26 Sine, 27 Many, 28 Rome.

SUDOKU

22

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The

OLIVE PRESS

REuse REduce REcycle We use recycled paper

This is not a Drill

FINAL WORDS

Valencia’s Bioparc celebrated the birth of a new member of its Drill family, a highly endangered species of primate which number less than 4,000 in the wild.

Bite size?

A 35 metre-long nougat turron - a Spanish speciality for the sweettoothed especially at Christmas - is set to be the largest ever made in Jijona when it takes pride of place at this month’s Alicante Gastronomica fair.

Boogie nights REVELLERS in Andalucia have been given an extra hour of fun.

Late-night opening hours for restaurants and bars have been extended to 2am, while nightclubs can stay open until 3.30am.

FREE

Seeing double

ANDALUCÍA

Vol. 15 Issue 377

www.theolivepress.es

Your expat

voice in Spain

September 8th - September 21st 2021

ORIGINAL SIN

Bishop chucks in his cassock to marry erotic writer A SPANISH bishop has resigned so he can marry an erotic novelist.

Xavier Novell announced his decision to leave the church just 11 years after he became the youngest bishop in Spain at the age of 41.

The 52-year-old sent shockwaves through the community when he suddenly resigned as the diocese of Solsona for ‘personal reasons’.

Short fuse

By Kirsty McKenzie

It has now been revealed that he took the personal decision due to his relationship with erotic writer Silvia Caballol.

“I have fallen in love with a woman and I want to do things properly," Novell revealed.

“It is a magnificent vocation

A MAN attacked an electricity office in Galicia after receiving a high bill.

The irate 54-year-old smashed windows at the Naturgy office in Vigo over a huge rise in his normal bill.

He told the police that his anger had been building up for a day and he could 'no longer contain himself'.

The government has introduced temporary reductions on IVA to reduce the impact of hikes.

SEEN THE LIGHT: Bishop and his lover Silvia but I see that the Lord has ger family." wanted me to renounce that Novell will now also ask for beautiful thing to have a big- the Pope's permission for a dispensation from the vow of celibacy and obedience that all Catholic bishops take when they enter the priesthood.

MARBELLA firefighters If the Pope gives Novell his have rescued an Eurasian blessing, he is set to marry eagle-owl after one of its talthe 38-year-old writer from ons got tangled in netting at Barcelona. a local golf course.

She has penned at least two Firefighters used a specialnovels, Amnesia Trilogy and ised vehicle to get close to The Hell of Gabriel's Lust, the owl, which got trapped at which is described as ‘an erotic San Pedro Alcantara. novel with Satanic overtones’.

Terwit woo hoo!

THEY normally take years to produce just one baby.

Now a remarkable panda mother has given birth to twins in Madrid.

In the first panda births in Madrid Zoo for five years, Huz Zui Ba had her fifth and sixth babies.

As soon as she gave birth to her first cub, she put it on her lap and started to give it a good lick.

The father is Bing Zing, who last year topped the charts in the ‘Giant Panda Global Awards’ for being the ‘most favourite panda’.

The health of the cubs, born with pink skin, is being monitored by vets, joined by two experts from China’s Chengdu Panda Breeding Base.

The international captive breeding programme has seen it now declassified from an endangered species to the ‘vulnerable’ category.

RARE: Pinkies