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Welcome to the Tropics THE Costa Blanca is now suffering a ‘tropical climate’ which is increasing the frequency of giant storms along the coast, according to scientists at Alicante university. Shocking increases in air and sea temperatures over the last 40 years are causing maritime storms roughly every two years. Some 85 nights this year have stayed at over 22°C with the sea even staying at 24°C in November. This is in contrast to around 30 similar nights just 40 years ago in 1980. As the critical COP 26 conference got underway in Glasgow, Jorge Olcina, director at Alicante University, insisted the tropical nights are clear evidence of climate change. “The temperature of the sea at 23/24 degrees in November should really worry us,” he said. “Climate change is going to cause great maritime storms every two or two-and-a-half years, when 20 years ago they were much less frequent,” added Olcina. “They will also be more intense, and not only with torrential rains, but also in the greater virulence of the sea beating against the coast,” he claimed. Figures from the university’s Climatology Lab show that tropical temperatures (categorised at 22°C or more) continued on 71 nights between June 1 and August 18, with five classed as equatorial (25°C or more). Anyone that had trouble sleeping this summer, will remember the linked high levels of humidity. The lab study also revealed that the temperature rises are occurring faster on the Costa Blanca than in inland regions such as the Guadalquivir valley, in Andalucia, considered the most parched area in Spain. Since 1980, average sea water temperature has increased by 1.3 degrees, which, Olcina says, ‘requires taking difficult but necessary measures’.
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Storms
Your
VALENCIA has trumped 30 European cities to become Europe’s capital for Smart Tourism next year. An EU jury picked the city, alongside Bordeaux, for its mix of environmental and technical planning, which is also sustainable. European funds will now help to promote the city’s status as a Mecca for ‘smart tourism’ with a big publicity campaign. The investment will also include the erection of a large sculpture (complete with a hashtag) in a prominent place in the city. The jury selected Valencia due to its ‘accessibility, sustainability, digitization, cultural heritage and creativity’. Tourism chiefs at Visit Valencia point to the city’s success in developing projects that promote innovative and sustainable tourism.
Smart moves A total of 30 cities applied for the award from across 16 countries and included Copenhagen, Dublin and Palma, in Mallorca. The French city of Bordeaux will share the honour in 2022. Emiliano García, Councilor for Tourism on Valencia’s City Council, said that the honour is ‘recognition of the work on sustainability being developed alongside the business sector’ “Valencia is positioning itself as a cosmopolitan, intelligent and sustainable tourist destination, at the level of the large tourist cities and European capitals,” he said. In particular, the city’s tourism strategy has
been set up around the issue of sustainability. The city has developed projects which audit tourists' carbon footprint, making efforts to reduce it, and hopes to achieve carbon neutrality in the tourism sector by 2025.
SCRAP THE RULE
Valencia calls for the restrictive 90-day Brexit punishment for UK visitors to be relaxed THE harsh 90-day rule for British visitors should be eased, insists a leading Spanish politician. Valencian president Ximo Puig has called on the Spanish government to relax length-of-stay rules introduced since Brexit.
Depart
Speaking in London, he called on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to ‘correct the restrictions’ and to relax the rules that mean that
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even British homeowners in Spain must depart after three months. His calls were echoed by Spain’s ambassador to the UK, Jose Pascual Marco and Alicante tourist boss Carlos Mazon. “British visitors are fundamental to us and we are working on trying to get a reciprocal deal so that they can spend six uninterrupted
months with us,” insisted Mazon at a joint meeting at the World Travel Market. The trio slammed the current 90-day rule, which can only be extended by visitors or tourists by applying for a visa to stay longer. They pleaded with central government to help ‘facilitate the visa situation’ and to ‘correct the restrictions’ caused by Brexit. Puig added that at least 100,000 British, who are either future home buyers or have relatives living in the Valencian Community, are affected. The calls came as regional bosses announced a €1.5 million plan to attract more UK tourists to the Valencian region.
The money will be mainly spent on advertising to restore previously high British visitor numbers. Puig described it as ‘a priority’ with three million British tourists accounting for 30% of all the visitors to Valencia in 2019. Last year, pandemic and Brexit restrictions meant that under 600,000 UK tourists visited.
Zero
At the same meeting, meanwhile, Balearic tourist chiefs insisted they were calling time on cheap low cost booze tourism. President Francina Armengol insisted future holiday excesses will ‘not be tolerated’. There will be a zero tolerance approach towards those who misbehave on holidays, in particular to the resorts of Magaluf and San Antonio.
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Suspicious death A RECENTLY released convict has been found dead in a pool of blood in Valencia city’s maritime district., with police treating the death of the 31-year-old Italian as a potential homicide.
Brutal murder A ROMANIAN man aged 28 has been jailed for 20 years for killing an 80-year-old man at his Valencian region home before stealing just €651.
Speak out A BAR owner in Gandia is facing legal action after one of his waiters refused to serve a customer who spoke Valenciano, with a complaint sent to the Office of Linguistic Rights.
Gas alert TWO workers were treated for ammonia inhalation after a leak at an ice factory in Gandia’s port, with nearby residents told to close windows until the air cleared.
TWO people died in a Valencia cemetery shooting as part of a long-standing family feud. The deaths on All Saints Day - the day before the Day of the Dead - came due to a row between the Los Marcos and Los Bocanegras families. One of the deaths was an innocent bystander, 79, who was hit by a stray bullet at Torrent cemetery. The other was a 45-year-old member of the Los Marcos clan. His son, 20, suffered a leg wound,
November 4th - November 17th 2021
Day of the dead while several others were taken to health centres for treatment.
Gun
Eyewitnesses said the two groups confronted each other in a verbal row, which escalated when a gun was fired by a member of the Los Marcos gang.
Four men then ran out of the cemetery and escaped in a blue Ford Transit van. No arrests have so far been made. Three members of Los Bocanegras were acquitted on attempted homicide charges in a 2019 trial after four Los Marcos clan members were shot three years earlier in Torrent. It's not the first shooting either at Torrent cemetery as the two families exchanged bullets on All Saints Day in 2018.
STICKY END
A SCOT who went on the run after being accused of murdering his own mother 19 years ago has been found dead in Spain. Sean Flynn, aged 37, had failed to appear at the start of his trial at Livingston’s High Court in Scotland. He was accused of murdering his mother Louise Tiff-
A four-year probe into a €45 million money laundering scam has seen five members of a Valencia family gang arrested. No further details about the detained group were released or where they were apprehended in Valencia Province. Some 16 properties were seized and 35 bank accounts blocked by authorities along with the seizure of
Fugitive Brit accused of murdering his own mother found dead ney, 43, who disappeared without trace in May 2002. He had been tried and cleared of her murder by jury in 2005 but was due to stand trial again after new evidence was found in the
case. In April 2017, her remains were finally discovered hidden in woodland and police relaunched their investigation. Prosecutors applied for per-
The big con
vices and lacked any kind of infrastructure or staffing for it to be a going concern. Large transfers were made to foreign bank accounts with ‘commission’ payments paid to third parties who helped the scammers. Vast sums of money were also used in the purchase of what authorities described as ‘numerous properties in Valencia City.
two luxury cars and €21,000 in cash, The family-led scam involved a shell company specialising in interior building design and decoration that ploughed over €45 million into the Spanish financial sector. The business charged high fees for its alleged ser-
mission for a retrial under double jeopardy legislation, which came into force in 2011 and allows a person to be retried for a crime for which they were previously acquitted. Judges had quashed the previous verdict and authorised a fresh prosecution. Flynn (above) is believed to have fled to Germany before flying to Spain where he took his own life. He had been staying in a sixth floor Airbnb flat in Peniscola near Valencia when his body was found. It was originally though he had fallen from the balcony.
Tainted love
LOVE-struck Valancian pensioner has been conned out of €67,000 by a female fraudster. The Romanian woman, 33, has been arrested in Torrent after running a 'love scam' on her 87-year-old victim. It is not the first time she has been accused of fraud, having previously been convicted of swindling €7,500 out of a man in 2013. The woman set up a 'chance encounter' which saw her strike up a friendship with the man. Once she built up some trust, she asked for loans from him on several occasions. The pair signed documents confirming the loans, which would be repaid once she sold off a property in her native Romania. She then gave him bogus stories of family problems and health issues that needed financial help, with the victim duly helping.
Case closed POLICE have seized 700 kilos of cocaine in a joint operation in the Port of Valencia. An investigation had been launched after customs had noticed that a container’s doors were badly closed, and it lacked the correct seal. On closer inspection a series of large black bags were found, similar in appearance to those often used to transport drugs.
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NEWS
www.theolivepress.es FRENCH footballer Lucas Hernandez has escaped a jail sentence after he broke a restraining order to marry his girlfriend. The case dates back to February 2017 when he and his girlfriend Amelia Lorente, were both convicted of domestic violence after fighting each other in Madrid. Neither made a complaint, but the public prosecutor brought a case against them both. A restraining order was placed on each, banning them from seeing each other for six months.
November 4th - November 17th 2021
What a result!
But just four months later Hernandez was arrested at Madrid airport when he and Lorente arrived back from their US honeymoon after getting married. The Bayern Munich defender – who became the Bundesliga’s most expensive player when he was sold by Atletico Madrid for €80 million in 2019 – was jailed for six months. On appeal, the sentence has been suspended for four years and a fine of €96,000 imposed.
Storm over teacup EXCLUSIVE: Helicopter sent off to locate the right porcelain set for Lady Diana’s Spanish tea time in The Crown THEY might have had the perfect hillside mansion to portray the legendary secret escapes of Lady Di to the Costa del Sol in the 1990s. But producers of the hit drama The Crown were left choking on their Darjeeling when they spotted the wrong set of porcelain during filming of the fifth
PLUSH: Interior for tea
series. So lousy were the tea cups a helicopter had to be dispatched to pick up a new set in Cordoba some 200kms away, the Olive Press can reveal. “It was deemed the quickest way to get the filming back on schedule,” revealed a source from the production, which has been shooting in Spain. The scene involved Diana taking tea with a close friend at the villa, which was rented in La Zagaleta, near Marbella, and based on the actual estate of Torre de Tramores, in nearby Benahavis. While the actors, in-
Clocking in!
BRITISH actor Malcolm McDowell, who famously played Alex in the controversial ultra-violent film A Clockwork Orange, was the star attraction at the premiere of a new documentary in Spain. Director Pedro Gonzalez decided to mark the 50th anniversary of the infamous Kubrick film from an unusual angle - the events around its first screening in Spain. In something of a coup he managed to persuade McDowell to narrate the documentary. The film was banned under the Franco regime, but just seven days after the dictator’s death it got its first airing at the Valladolid International Film Week. In La Naranja Prohibida (The Forbidden Orange) Gonzalez has tracked down many peo-
3
STUNNING: The Zagaleta villa featured cluding Elizabeth Debicki, 31, tea set. who has replaced Emma Corrin “Amazingly this as Diana in the fifth series, were meant going somedressed perfectly, the tea set where in Cordoba and was out of place. only took an hour or so. “The director shouted cut as ap- “He turned up with two parently there was no way that light blue cups with matching such an esteemed estate would saucers. Job done, filming rebe serving tea out of such low sumed, having lost less than rent porcelain,” continued the two hours.” source. Despite spending thousands A high-level meeting was con- changing the furniture of the vened and a flunkey was duly rented villa - and bringing in rushed off to take the produc- vintage cars such as a Rolls tion helicopter to get the right Royce Corniche cabriolet there were other things out of place. In another scene filming had to be stopped because a mirror Diana was making up in had a black frame.
Gold
EVIL: McDowell as Alex ple who were involved in the screening. Presenting the documentary at this year’s 66th International Film Week in Valladolid, McDowell recounted anecdotes from the making of the movie and his unforgettable experience working with the late director Stanley Kubrick.
“The director was insistent it had to be gold and cut the scene sending it off for some gold paint,” continued the source. “It was nearly an hour wait while it had to be carefully painted with some gold lame.” Debicki has been joined by Dominic West playing Prince Charles in the new series, which airs next year, while the Queen is being played by Imelda Staunton and Prince Philip by Jonathan Pryce.
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QUEENS OF BLING WHEN it comes to bling, rapper Kanye West might feel a bit deflated when he realises that European royalty put him in the shade. While famous for his purchases of expensive jewellery he simply can’t compete with ‘old money’. A report has revealed that three pieces of Spain’s royal collection are among the most valuable jewellery in the world. The Marichalar Meander Tiara, recently worn by princess Elena, is valued at a cool €3.5m, with the Fleur de Lys Tiara of Queen Letizia (above) coming in at €2.9m and The Prussian Diamond Tiara of Queen Sofia worth €2.3m. Now, West is a wealthy man and could conceivably afford similar items, but one royal collection blows him out of the water. It emerges that the world’s four most expensive pieces of royal jewellery, worth a combined €179.3m, are all owned by the British royal family. Top of the list is the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace, last worn by the Duchess of Cambridge (left) and worth a staggering €78.6m, reported website jewellerybox.
Precious Stone SHARON Stone brought some Hollywood glamour to Sevilla at the Elle Awards. The 63-year-old actor famous for roles that include Basic Instinct and Casino has taken her social media followers on a tour of the Andalucian capital. “Look how gorgeous this is,” she said in a Twitter video filmed in Plaza Espana, which has clocked up more than 270,000 views. “I’m at the Elle Awards but with COVID I don’t like to go to after parties where people can get in my face so I like to walk around and see where we are,” she continued. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” She ends her dispatch with: “Sharon Stone, reporting from Seville. Good Night.” She also posted a video of the Giralda Tower at sunset, its bells ringing out across the city.
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Faking it
to swap it for another one, reusing both sides of a canvas, and imitating cracked paint by burning the canvas with a blowtorch,” said a police spokesman. Valencian Heritage police seized the works of art, including ‘Goyas’, in Castellon.
Some 27 paintings were removed which were being sold for a total of €1.72 million.
ON ALERT
Embassy warns expats against fraudulent residency applications particularly through third parties
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A GANG of inept Valencian forgers has been rounded up for selling fakes by a string of ‘Spanish masters’over the internet. They had little chance of getting away with the scam as some of their techniques were ‘absurdly simple’ despite price tags of up to €900,000. “The methods were as simple as sticking a small piece of paper over a signature
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ONE WAY OUT Vol. 2 Issue 41
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See page 12
Expats must stay in Spain in limbo for two years while alleged residen scam is probed cy by police EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade
How one organised community of expats is putting El Raso on the map
EXPATS caught OLIVE ulent residency up in a fraudscam run by a PRESS gestor on the Costa been told by policeBlanca have can’t leave the country that they case is investigated. while the Dozens of people life in legal limbo are facing a years while policefor up to two investigate the alleged fraud cided if they face before it is decan legally stay. deportation or It comes after reported on a the Olive Press of expats who had been group 952 Tel: 952 147 834 detained 147 by834 police over padron certificates SCOOP: that appear to have been doc- broke How the Olive Press tored by one particular the story last edition gestor they hired to process their TIE One Way Services, applications. a doctored certificateabout why had been submitted on their behalf. Grilled “Smith said he They included to help people,” was only trying she told the Olow Lily Higgins71-year-old wid- ive Press. and friend Jay STUCK: Jane Long Elliott, who were “He said he’d their town hall grilled over his guilt to already admitted Elliott were ‘treated(above) has been told by police the police, before like criminals’ forms, which were registration shredding after using One that she can’t travel while Williams, 63, told Lily Higgins and Way Services us he One Way Services. handled by front of my my fake padron in to give Jay eyes” a statement at also had Several more have Alicante He added that she added. police station last she should week. forward to complainsince come pect a phone call from the ‘ex- It involved the property about the merely British gestor, in to answer a few police who has lived in Spain owner, da, which is at Ciudad Quesa- tions’. ques- en years, for sevthe having his fingerprints centre of the However, investigation. after being taken taken, as well as getting These include Jane photoLong of Tor- away in a police car, held for graphed. revieja who was two hours, fingerprinted “It was astonishing, taken to Alican” he told the te Police Station and Olive photographe over her part and questioned detectives at d, she was told by court Press. “I’m now told the case could take in ‘an alleged the fraud’. 18 months nal that she will Policia Nacio- to two years, be considered possibly more.” The 53-year-old ‘guilty, He continued: “I until proven said she and her husband Nigel Mrs Long despaired:innocent’. on September 1, started all this had con- I couldn’t “I was but fronted Matt Smith, even travel back told apparent as time wentit became owner of UK to the was something on there because I’m a criminal!” amiss. “I feel T h e found this can go two ways: I'm guilty and deported K e n t ter possibly or aftwo years I'm grantw o m a n ed residencia. revealed “I put all my faith into that the Services One and have been Way p o l i c e down, so let a very stressful had in- me time for working and countless alongside the f o r m e d added. others,” he Civil to now investigate Guardia ents that they would her, ‘anall res- criminally not be held idencia applications o t h e r responsible. in Alicante “So made in 2021. it is totally clear Cleared 40-plus now that The lawyer later the criminal p e o p l e When the Olive Press called to the Olive Press confirmed ing focused investigation is bewill also Matt Smith for only against my that Smith 35 years experience • an explanation had made clibe Interior and exterior ar- he refused to answer questions. lice clearinga statement to po- ent so for sure the fiscal will not start criminal “Speak to my rested.’ Best quality products actions against lawyer,” he said knowledge of his clients of any his clients the alleged fraud. F e l l o w before hanging up. used sadly affected,” “My client explained Special effects, stencilling he said. B r i t , National Police confirmed [to the If it & feature walls etc to the police] that none emerges that any B r i a n Olive Press that Fully legal/registered • other of detectives are had produced theof the clients One Way clients Full liability insurance were to be dethemselves [but] applications tained over the matter, only paid All works guaranteed client to apply my yer said: “Mr Smith will the lawproceed for immediately the TIE on their to Contact Michael for of police or/andclarify in front behalf,” David a FREE quote the court that Gui- these clients jarro Mayor from michaelwillis5@sky.com have no relation at all with any criminal See page 23 ABC solicitors activity.” the Olive Presstold in Have you response to written been affected? Please contact questions. us on He sought to reas- desk@theolivepress.e newss sure One Way cliOpinion See page 12
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THE UK authorities have warned expats about submitting fraudulent residency applications in Spain - directly or indirectly. It comes after the Olive Press revealed how a number of gestors had been caught submitting bogus paperwork to get people officially registered in the country. Embassy officials say the Spanish are now ‘on alert’ for forged healthcare insurance certificates, padron certificates, as well as rental contracts. They are also looking out for youngsters falsely claiming student status. “If you are using a gestor make sure they are as reputable as possible,” notes the warning.
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Bear in the for series of frame grizzly livestock killings in the Pyrenees See page
Tragic mystery
The Olive Press TV investigation helps into the death of Kirsty Maxwell
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Girl power
The female who took onwarriors army - and Drake’s won!
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‘Hellish and as British humiliating’ expats arrested over ‘fraudulent’ residency applications
A GROUP HUMILIATED: have been of British expats detained by Lily Jay were after their padron police EXCLUSIVE questionedand certificates proving they even deportation. By Simon Wade lived in appear to “I’ve never have been Spain derly expats tored. before but been in trouble doc- situation described At least eight as ‘humiliating’ the treated like here I am, being ‘hellish’, after a common people have and inal,” been grilled crimthey were held said for questioning over the town hall registration miliating.” Higgins. “It’s huunder caution. were all handledforms, which They added They told the that the same gestor company by the same gestor is being Olive Press they were on the Costa how for changing investigated Blanca. carted to Alicante police station the date National Police least about falsifying and grilled cants.22 more British on at confirmed the Olive applito submitted documents Press that tives are working Another couple, detecwith their card applications. TIE not to alongside the Guardia be named, who asked “We were told the vestigate all Civil to now inive Press how wrongly arrested for submitting they had Olcations in residencia appliquestioned fake padrons, Alicante made even when they been 2021. to collect went in rect though we put the that his is cor- “We were their TIE cards. ones in with only gestoranything but the our papertaken work for residencia,” read our rights into a room, dragged into business to be Elliott, 66, said Jay explain and Fraud the investigaof Orihuela tion why our 2021 told to who has lived Costa, had It comes padron “Nobody has fraud’ was after ‘widespread over five years. in Spain for 2020been doctored to show been arrested, allegedly detected She that is a fact,” date - it was a in over 22 Britons and her hell.” All adding: “Other he insisted, attempting gins, 71, hadfriend Lily Hig- Onethose detained had to become gestors are used Way Services, also being brought planned for peaceful retirement This week resident here. a based a gestor in as part a number of an ongoing in the revieja,in Quesada, near of el- sun but are now investigation Torinto TIE applications.” to living with the threat plications process their apof a court A police spokesman - including case or padron. the told the Olive Press: “All residencia Owner Matt Smith insisted Continues
on Page 5
21/6/19 13:30
Since the UK left the EU due to Brexit there has been a number of instances of gestores submitting false residency claims on behalf of Quesada. To remedy this, the embassy UK Nationals. 952 147 834 recommends using its online database of registered Limbo gestores. The Olive Press revealed It also stressed that if expats in June (see right) how are submitting applications one British-run gestor on themselves, it is important the Costa Blanca had been to provide as much docucaught putting dozens of mentation as possible to expats' paperwork through avoid being turned down. illegally. The most important factor We revealed how many of proving they moved to Spain them were now living in le- before January 1 this year. gal limbo and facing stiff Organisations that form part fines while police investi- of the UK Nationals Support gated the alleged fraud by Fund can provide free, conOne Way Services, in Ciudad fidential support. 965 078 812 / 698
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No help at all A WOMAN has been arrested after her boyfriend fell from a fifth floor apartment balcony in Valencia City. He was taken to La Fe Hospital in a serious condition, after the pair appeared to have a loud argument.
Charge
The 32-year-old mother of two faces a charge of 'failing to help' after eyewitnesses saw her standing over him on the pavement before returning to her flat. A neighbour called the police at around 1.30am after hearing the argument. He looked out of his window and spotted an unconscious man lying on the pavement. Police arrived to see him lying in a pool of blood and are now trying to discover what part she played in the incident.
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Paella decree THE traditional Valencian paella is now classified as an Asset of Intangible Cultural Interest. A regional government decree sets up a series of ‘safeguarding’ measures to keep the famous dish protected for the centuries ahead. The aim is to keep the term ‘Valencian paella’ despite the many variations around Spain. After many modifications to the recipe it ‘needed to be properly recognised and promoted’. Ingredients besides rice include chicken, rabbit, snails, green beans and local beans. The decree goes into the fine details of using the correct type of rice and how to make a perfect paella. Emphasis is almost made on the dish’s importance in a traditional Valencian family meal. Rice was not sown in large quantities in Valencia until the invasion of the Moors in 714 AD. The 18th century saw the first written mention of paella or 'Valencian rice' appearing in a recipe manuscript, with techniques explained for proper preparation. It has been a popular dish across Spain for the last 100 years but the Valencian region has been especially protective over what it believes is the best and original recipe.
NEWS Irish teacher furious after being forced to sleep outside airport in ‘wet and cold’ conditions A FURIOUS granny has slammed a Spanish airport after being forced to sleep outside in ‘freezing and rainy’ conditions. Mary McIntaggart was forced to spend the night in a bus shelter outside Almeria airport during a thunderstorm last week. The Irish teacher was left stunned after being refused access to the terminal overnight as she waited for an early-morning flight to the UK. The 58-year-old had been forced to get there the night before in order to take her early morning flight to Manchester to see her grandson. But McIntaggart, a teacher living in Aguilas, was told she could not stay in the lounge to wait for the 10am flight as the A MAN has bled to death after being gored in a bull-running festival in Onda. The 55-year-old man received a deep wound to his left thigh when the bull’s horn perforated his femoral artery during the bou al carrer event. It was the first such death since such fiestas resumed after COVID-19 pandemic
November 4th November 17th 2021
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Harsh lesson EXCLUSIVE By Kirsty McKenzie & Elena Goçmen Rueda
airport shut at 11pm. McIntaggart, who is now a resident in Spain, was ordered out by airport staff and forced to stand ‘freezing and distraught’ beside a bus stop. “There were no buses and no taxis so there was no way I could get to a hotel,” she told the Olive Press. “I ended up having to spend the night sheltering outside from a thunderstorm. “There was flooding in Almeria that day and it was freezing.” A spokesman at Almeria air-
Bull death restrictions. The man was from the Castellon village of Vall d'Uixó. Emergency services said he had also suffered a head wound. Onda Council cancelled the rest of the events following the incident.
The online British education that revolves around you At King’s InterHigh, your child can learn and shine as part of a diverse and welcoming school community that’s built around their needs and interests. With small classes, interactive lessons and lots happening outside the classroom, they can benefit from a highquality British education from anywhere. All with the backing of Inspired, one of the world’s leading education groups. With over 16 years of experience, we are the original online school.
kingsinterhigh.co.uk port told Olive Press: "We are deeply sorry for the extreme situation that Mrs McIntaggart suffered”. She added that only six Aena airports are open 24 hours a day. Valencia and Alicante-Elche are two of them. "Almeria airport in particular is open from 6am to 11pm. Providing a waiting area would mean keeping the airport fully open, and due to the expense and taking into account the number of flights it has it is not an expense we can afford”, she added. Opinion Page 6
An
school
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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 POOR CONNECTIONS THE shocking story of an expat grandmother being forced to spend a night outside in the rain highlights the sometimes deplorable infrastructure found outside of Spain’s main transport hubs. The airports of Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante are always bustling and are well served by flag carriers and budget airlines alike. In Madrid, as befits a modern capital, there’s a choice of a fast and frequent dedicated bus service direct from the door to the city centre for those that don’t want to catch the metro or train. But the same cannot be said of Spain’s smaller airports, as one Olive Press reader found out to her peril. She thought she was making well laid plans by arranging to arrive at the airport late at night before an early morning flight from Almeria. In fact she wasn’t aware that unlike most airports where travellers are often found stretched out on a bench or snoozing in a departure lounge, or drinking coffee in an all night cafe, Almeria airport won’t allow passengers to stay in the terminal overnight. Given the fact that Almeria airport is a gateway to a region that is hugely popular with visitors and expats from across northern Europe, it’s astonishing just how bad the services are there. No airport hotel within walking distance, no rail connection and few buses from there to resort towns along that stretch of coast and with no late flights due in, not a taxi to be seen. The bad luck in Mary McIntaggart’s story was that her unfortunate sojourn coincided with a stormy night – an unusual occurrence in a zone that boasts more than 330 sunny days a year.
NEWS FEATURE
Adventures in
A
S an admin-phobe, my main beef with Brexit was the paperwork that would ensue; I had an inkling it would be a ball-
buster. For three years at least, I prayed the whole nightmare would go away. The referendum vote would be overturned or Brexit would exist in name only. When I finally pulled my head out of
A bid for Spanish nationality leads to a Kafkaesque scenario involving inaccessible authorities and missing documents, writes Heather Galloway
the sand, it was to confront the worst deal short of no deal. I changed my UK driving license and Spanish residence permit relatively
HARD WORK: Janie leaves the register office empty handed and with her mum, heather
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painlessly towards the end of 2020 in the thick of COVID. Then came the hardest nut to crack: acquiring Spanish nationality for my oldest daughter, Janie, to allow her access to an EU university outside of Spain on manageable fees. Though born and brought up in Madrid, Janie is a UK citizen and was awarded a student loan for a threeyear ballet course in London. Unfortunately, injuries to her feet and a dislocated knee prevent her pursuing a career in dance, but she is not entitled to a further loan in the UK. We hold our breath and take the plunge. Spanish nationality has to be obtained. How hard can it be? Having triumphed with the other paperwork, I am tentatively optimistic. But that is only because I have yet to become acquainted with the disaster that is the Ministry of Justice. I hand the necessary documents over to my nearest civil registry which happens to be the local town hall. Time is of the essence but
Purr...pers please Here’s what you need to know about Spain’s plan to introduce ID for pets
T
HE government has unveiled plans for a national ID scheme for domestic animals as part of a far-reaching animal welfare reform bill. The new legislation will act as a sort of bill of rights for animals giving them an elevated status of a ‘sentient being’ above that of a possession, which is the current legal status. a pet passport. The Olive Press understands that the new ID system will allow for a record to be kept of any mistreatment suffered by the animal and to make it easier to locate the owner in cases of abandonment. It may also include a photo of the animal in the same way that Spain’s National Identity Card has for humans. As well as stricter punishments for those guilty of animal abuse there are tougher guidelines on the care of domestic pets, from how many you can keep to how long they can be left alone. Part of the legislation currently being reviewed, is the need for animals to have a unique ID to be included on a national database that will make it easier to register and identify the animal’s owner. According to Ione Belarra, the Minister of Social Rights, the identification of domestic animals will serve ‘to guarantee that we are on the right path and have a model where no ani-
mal is left helpless in Spain’. The pet ID will work in conjunction with a microchip that is already compulsory for owners of dogs and cats and will include essential information such as breed, date of birth and details of owner. But it is, as yet, unclear how the new ID document will differ from the health certificate booklet already issued by vets to responsible owners in Spain. This already shows the microchip number plus vaccination records of the animal. For those who take their pets across borders with the EU, it can already be issued in the form of The draft bill is set to be discussed by the cabinet this month before being presented for parliamentary debate.
www.theolivepress.es
November 4th - November 17th 2021
7
Hunter of Monsters
O NOT ALL MISERY: Heather and Janie fret over the laptop but still have time to enjoy Spain
the first appointment is November 11, 2020. I say I am worried that Janie’s UK passport will be close to its expiry date by then, but am told it will be no problem as long as it is valid when submitted. I go home with the receipt and the sense of a job well done. The months pass and no word. In May, 2021, I decide to investigate online and am asked for a number I don’t have. An R number. I scour the receipt then I phone the Ministry of Justice. Finally I get through to a woman whose customer service skills were acquired in the Franco era. “You can’t know the status of your application without the R number,” she barks. I say I don’t have one. “Well, I can’t do anything without it.” I go back to the receipt and search again to no avail. I call the ministry again. “How do I get the R number?” I ask the woman on the other end of the line when I finally get through. To my surprise, she reels it off. Aha, I say, feeling as though I have been thrown a bone. I enter the R number online and Janie’s file comes up. Missing a paper, it says, with no further clues. I get back on the phone and provide the R number and Janie’s details to the gentleman on the other end. “You’re missing a paper,” he tells me. “I know. Which one?” “I can’t say.” “Why not?” “Look Mrs, it says a paper is missing. That’s all.” “So, how do I find out?” “Listen! Listen to me! You have to go to your daughter’s citizen’s file.” I call off. My head is about to explode. Vital weeks are passing. Every phone call is a morning’s work. We go through the laborious process of getting Janie a Clave Pin and finally get into her citizen’s file. The missing paper is the passport, but it is now too late to submit it as we have missed the three-month window. This, it
says, will result in the application being annulled. Okay, I think. Calm down. Never mind. We will start afresh. I get the papers together again and hand them over to the local registry with copies of a passport with 10 years on it. I get my receipt and go home. In September, almost a year after the first application, I phone the Ministry to get the R number for the ber I can ring?” new application. A woman answers. “No,” says the woman, categorically She says no application for 2021 has not. Nor can the woman be expected been registered but the first applica- to get in touch with the Department tion is still active and missing a paper. of Nationality, which is buried some“But it said that application would where in the same building. be annulled if I didn’t provide “Doesn’t the department have a the missing paper in time, which phone?” Janie cries. I didn’t,” I say through gritted teeth. “Write them a letter,” she says. “If you don’t annul the first appli- She gives Janie two sheets of paper cation,” she shoots back, “both so she can make two handwritten applications will be annulled.” copies, as though the photocopier or “How do I do that?” scanner were too futuristic to be at “Write a letter.” home in this environment. “To who?” Fighting an urge to sob, “The Department of writes two identical The world is no Janie Nationality.” letters, hands over one I write a letter. Dear longer anyone’s and leaves. Madam/ Sir. To whom it A month later, no news. oyster, except Janie’s future is uncermay concern. And send it by registered post. I for the likes of tain. The adventure has might as well have writbeen so ludicrous as to Boris Johnson verge on exhilarating. We ten to Santa Claus. A few weeks pass. hate the Ministry of JusJanie’s citizen’s file tice but most of all we is now empty. There is no word of a hate Brexit for forcing us to deal with missing paper anymore. it. We hear that Brexit might also be No word of anything. But responsible for the empty shelves in the ministry still says the UK, for the lack of lorry drivers she’s missing a paper. I and queues at petrol pumps. To cap decide to send a copy it all, there is a suggestion from Brexit of her passport on the mastermind Dominic Cummings that off chance, linked to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson nevthe ghost application. er entirely grasped the implications Now the submission of the withdrawal agreement that he of the passport reg- hammered out. isters in the citizen’s I think of my daughter, who at 21, canfile but the applica- not now study or work in another EU tion continues to country aside from Spain. I think of say it is missing a all the youngsters Janie’s age whose paper. horizons have shrunk. It strikes me My daughter goes that the pro-Brexit contingent were down in person to perhaps too arrogant to consider plead and beg for an- that by restricting the movement of swers. people coming into the UK they were “What do you ex- also curbing their children and grandpect me to do?” children’s opportunities. The world is the woman dead- no longer anyone’s oyster except, of pans from the other course, for the likes of Boris Johnson side of the desk. – ‘the trolley’ as Cummings calls him, Janie doesn’t know. who has pockets deep enough to side“Isn’t there a num- step all the red tape.
LIVE Press editor Jon Clarke has had dozens of exclusive stories and investigations published in the international press over the last few decades. Now he is making headlines himself. In a terrific accolade, Spain’s national newspaper ABC has run a three-page profile on him following the publication of his book My Search for Madeleine. Dubbing him Un Cazador de Monstruos, or A Hunter of Monsters, it charts his dogged reporting on the missing Madeleine McCann case - and its current prime suspect Christian Brueckner over the last 14 years. But, as ABC points out, this is not the only high profile criminal case that he has reported on – and gone into far deeper than most. His first big hits in Spain came during the 2003 investigation of the so-called Costa Killer over the murder of teenagers Rocio Wanninkhof and Sonia Carabantes. He wrote a book on the case, securing the only exclusive interviews with the wife and mother of British killer Tony King, also known as the Holloway Strangler. He had earlier probed and exposed Prince Andrew’s controversial links to global paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in a string of exclusives for the Mail on Sunday. And most recently he revealed how another arguable monster Boris Johnson was having a holiday here. And the list of exclusives goes on. It is no wonder the Olive Press has maintained its standards and remains the best English language newspaper and website in Spain While some media groups are headed by number crunchers and sales people whose eye is only on the bottom line, the Olive Press places journalism at the very heart of its operation. It is probably why hundreds of you are signing up to our website every month.
NATIONAL NEWS: Jon’s Maddie stories in The Sun and (above) the Times
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: - EXCLUSIVE: German and Portuguese cops 1wanted meet to swap evidence on prime suspect who to catch something small in Madeleine McCan case
go back in 2021 and 2- Whenwhydodotheweclocks change the time in Spain Halls across spain deliberately 3- Are Towntargeting expats for cash the Benahavis villa that serves as 4- This issecret hideout for princess diana Are brits really leaving Spain 5- ANALYSIS: in droves. Where’s the evidence?
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8
GREEN
www.theolivepress.es
Rafa Nadal making the switch to EVs By Dilip Kuner
TENNIS legend Rafa Nadal has thrown his weight behind a move to eco-friendly motoring by pledging to use electric cars. He took delivery of a Kia EV6 crossover at his academy in Manacor, Mallorca as part of a sponsorship deal with the Korean multinational. Nadal will use the car whenever he is in Mallorca as well as at major tennis tournaments such as the 2022 Australian Open. He is also looking at switching all vehicles used
Electric dreams
at the Rafa Nadal Foundation to electric vehicles by 2022. Accepting that his lifestyle of jetting around the world is not eco-friendly, he said: “My job naturally requires a lot of travel, and my lifestyle is not fully sustainable. But I’m determined to make the necessary changes where I can, starting with my personal use of the EV6 crossover in Mallorca and beyond.
GOING GREEN: Rafa Nadal
Wind giants A NEW floating windfarm with the capacity to generate 28% of Almeria electricity could be built off the coast of Nijar and Carboneras (Andalucia). The 300 MW Mar de Agata Offshore Wind Farm will be developed by BlueFloat Energy and SENER. It will create 7,500 jobs during the construction and decommissioning phases, 50% of them direct, with an estimated contribution to GDP of €630 million. There will be 12m tonnes of CO2 saved during the life of the wind farm, estimated at 30 years. The wind farm will be equipped with 20 turbines, each up to 261 metres above sea level, and will be 15km from the Cabo de Cata viewpoints.
November 4th - November 17th 2021
REPSOL plans to invest €2.55 billion in projects to produce clean hydrogen. It will develop capacity by using different technologies including electrolysis and biogas to build 1.9GW of capacity by 2030. At the moment, most hydrogen is made
“I would like to encourage others to join me in driving these kinds of vehicles wherever possible.”
Cunning plan from natural gas, which negates hydrogen’s green credentials. Hydrogen can be used to power EVs using fuel cell technology giving greater range then conventional electric vehicles. While the figures sound impressive, it is a downgrade from original plans, which would have seen up to €2.9 billion spent by 2026. The plan, if fulfilled, will still make it the market leader in hydrogen for Spain and Portugal.
Martin Tye explains why solar power is back from the dead in Spain
Sunshine resurrection
Green Matters
By Martin Tye
O
PTIMISM has returned to the Spanish solar market after a decade of sluggish growth. It’s hard to believe that Spain was once a leader in the European solar energy market. It started well until the government killed it, effectively putting the solar industry into a coma for 10 years. In 2008, a massive 2,718 MW of new solar capacity was installed. In 2009 it decreased to a measly 44MW. This happened because of two key reasons: ● The financial crisis ● The appalling handling of the crisis by the Spanish government Spain should be leading the way with solar energy production. With solar irradiance in excess of 6 Kwh per square metre, as the climatic conditions are perfect.
SOLAR: Comeback
After all, one of the reasons most of us chose to live here is the sun. At the beginning of the new millennium the Spanish government had successfully stimulated the solar energy market with attractive remuneration schemes for developers and investors. When the crisis hit, unlike elsewhere in Europe, the government retroactively cut and killed subsidies. Investors fled the country. Lawsuits are still pending. Spain went backwards. In 2019 there were fewer than 1,000 houses in Spain with solar panels installed. Compare that to Germany with more than 1,000,000 homes generating electricity. Compare the climates – it just doesn’t make sense! Things started to change with the Paris agreement on climate change and its common EU commitment to reduce carbon emissions significantly before 2030. The Paris agreement was in 2015. It still took Spain until October 2018 to abolish the infamous sun tax, introduced by the former Mariano Rajoy government, under the influence of the former state monopolies Endesa and Iberdrola. I still find the concept of being taxed for producing renewable energy for self consumption beyond bonkers. “The country is finally freeing itself of the great absurdity, scorned by international observers, that is the sun tax,” said Teresa Ribera, the Minister for Ecological Transition. The solar market no longer requires subsidy to stimulate investment.
COLOUR: The Eiffel tower was turned green to celebrate the Paris Agreement
Electricity prices have soared, solar panel costs have decreased in the past 10 years and their efficiency has increased. Return on investment used to be 15 years. It’s now less than five years. At last there is no more punishment, just encouragement.
Thought of the week If Spain had carried on installing solar panels as it should have, we would not be suffering as much from the horrific electricity prices we are now all subjected to. We actively support Debra España, the charity that helps Butterfly Children. A donation of €1 will be made for every contract we organise.
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638145664 Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es
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BUSINESS
Price of death
SOUTHERN Spain is the cheapest part of the country to die in, according to the OCU consumer association. The highest prices for funerals and cremations were reported in Vigo in the northwest, averaging out at €6,115. Cadiz in the south averaged a far more modest €2,551. The OCU survey contacted 113 funeral homes in 29 cities. It said a third of those spoken to showed a ‘lack of transparency’ in providing proper estimates for their services. The consumer group recommends ‘shopping around’ to get a range of prices as it discovered significant variations even within a local area.
Quotes
For example, it got quotes of between €4,886 and €6,164 for an Alicante funeral. The tariffs are far lower in Valencia, ranging between €2,542 and €4,434. The most cost-effective area to die appears to be southern Spain. Cadiz has the lowest average rates (€2,551) among the OCU surveyed cities, but Malaga also has a low average funeral cost of €2,966. Further north, Murcia comes in at €3,051, while Palma de Mallorca charges €3,636. The OCU says an average Spanish funeral costs €3,739. A cremation service package would come in marginally lower at €3,617.
Sobering issues Spirits sink as transport problems cause shortages of whisky, gin and rum THIS Christmas you may have to stick to the beer and wine. International transportation ‘issues’ could lead to a shortage of whisky, gin, vodka and rum in Spain, industry bosses have warned. Already many bars, restaurants and nightclubs in some parts of Spain have had difficulties getting their usual supplies. And Spanish distillers are facing the same problem in reverse. They export 40% of their production and are finding it difficult to deliver their stock abroad, despite being willing to pay higher transport costs. Bosco Torremocha, the executive director of the Spanish Spirits Association, (FEBE) said: “We do not expect to recover the sales levels of 2019 until the end of next
By Dilip Kuner
year or beginning of 2023.” He cited a rise in maritime freight costs, logjams at customs – partly due to Brexit – and shortage of glass, cardboard and energy costs, as factors that could badly affect Spain’s 3,800 distillers.
Costs
Torremocha added: “The issue is not only an increase in costs, but also the fact that even if you pay, you are not sure when you are going to have stock delivered.” Fortunately for beer and wine drinkers, the same issues do not seem to be affecting that sector as much, with many breweries running their own transportation systems within Spain.
OP QUICK CROSSWORD Across 1 Headquartered (5) 4 Where trapeze artists connect (3-3) 9 Tidy CIA mall to find a Duchess (7) 10 Examine the books (5) 11 Soft (5) 12 Cool (6) 14 Accretions (13) 17 It would have been 105 pence (6) 18 Landing site (5) 21 Fright (5) 22 Look over (7) 23 Hands down (6) 24 With regret (5)
OP SUDOKU
Down 1 Insolent rejoinder (8) 2 Large Japanese wrestlers (5) 3 Diver Tom --- (5) 5 Puzzle solver’s exclamation (1,4,2) 6 Supplemented (5,2) 7 Grasses (4) 8 Political crown of thorns wearer (5,6) 13 In an advantageous way (8) 15 Mountain lions (7) 16 Barely adequate (7) 18 Hebdomads (5) 19 Give on merit (5) 20 Disconcert (4)
All solutions are on page 12
November 4th - November 17th 2021
9
Inflation setback as costs soar
SPAIN'S inflation rate has soared to 5.5% due to steep energy price rises. Figures from the National Statistics Institute(INE) for October were 1.1% higher than September. It’s the biggest inflation hike since September 1992 when Spain's old currency of the peseta came under pressure from Germany's deutschmark. The rise is around 1% higher than analysts had predicted. The INE says the surge in power costs are the main cause of the rise, along with petrol price increases. The inflation rate would have been much higher had it not been for the government reducing tax on domestic power bills.
GET READY! All set to submit your Self Assessment tax return (SA100) asks Emilia Carvell
I
T’S that time of the year again! The 31st of January is fast approaching which means it’s time to submit your 20-21 tax return! Now we know that this isn't exactly seen as a fun task - in fact it’s probably always on the bottom of your to do list! But there are some simple steps you can take to prepare for submitting your Self Assessment Tax Return (SA100).
STEP ONE - Dig out your government gateway ID & Password Now, bear with us here - we know that this may seem super obvious, but not having access to your government gateway ID & Password, could cause you to have a late filing penalty! If you aren't planning on submitting your tax return until the deadline of the 31st of January, and you can’t find your government gateway credentials, then you won't be able to submit & file with HMRC (or software like APARI). Somehow, I don't think “I've lost my password” is a valid excuse for late submission, and even worse, could result in a £100 fine.
STEP TWO - Get your tax records up to date! If you’ve read our articles before, you’ll know that this is something we talk about - a lot! The biggest part to being tax savvy, for any type of tax, is good record keeping. Whilst we would always recommend doing this throughout the year, there is still time to get up to date before the submission deadline. If you’re not sure where to start, your business, or property bank statements are always a great place to get stuck in. You can even use a record keeping tax software like APARI and automate some of this process - but if software isn’t quite your thing (yet), then a good excel spreadsheet will work too! Remember to check all receipts for business related payments and receipts that you may have paid in cash. Getting on top of your tax records won’t only save you time when it comes to submission - it could also save you money! By keeping track of everything spent for
your landlord business, you may even unearth some additional tax-deductible expenses - every deduction helps, and if you were ever to be subjected to some sort of review form HMRC, then having good proof of your business income and expenditure will always help. Sign up to the APARI community to keep up to date on what you can claim.
STEP THREE - Check your calculation & submit! Don’t worry we don't expect you to start doing mental arithmetic or long division! But there are a couple of ways that you can check your tax liability before submitting to HMRC. As a landlord, it is likely that your income and expenditure is pretty similar year on year - that means that last years tax return is usually a good guide as to what this year's tax calculation should look like (unless of course there have been any major changes). You can also use a software, like APARI - we can calculate your tax liability for the year, AND submit directly to HMRC - meaning the only thing left for you to do is pay your tax liability! Regardless of how you do your tax return, the most important thing is to remember that the deadline is looming! So, get started today and remember to submit before the 31st of January!
For all the latest information and advise, visit www.apari-digital.com
10
LA CULTURA
November 4th - November 17th 2021
ETERNALLY FAMOUS
True beauty of Canary Islands revealed with Marvel latest blockbuster THE rugged coastlines and dramatic landscapes of the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are about to make it big on the silver screen. These Canary Islands were chosen as the location for filming on Marvel’s latest blockbuster Eternals, which premieres in cinemas on November 5.
THE spectacular Cirque du Soleil is returning to Spain in 2022 after a COVID-enforced break of a year-and-a-half. It’s new show called Luzia can be enjoyed in Barcelona (Districte Cultural de L'Hospitalet) from March 17, Alicante from July 14 and Madrid (Escenario Puerta del Angel) from November 5. The last day the famous
circus was in Spain was on March 8, 2020 when it put on a show in Sevilla. “It has been nearly two years since then, a long time in which all the artists and workers who are part of Cirque du Soleil have been waiting impatiently to be able to meet the public again,” a spokesman for the Canadian company said. SPECTACLE: “This is the moment we have Daredevil all been waiting for,” said presantics ident Daniel Lamarre. In the past, the circus has presented 14 different shows in 19 Spanish cities. In more than two decades, 9 million ELEVEN artworks by Malaga-born Pablo Picasso spectators - in Spain have been sold for over €93.6 million at an auction alone - have attended held in Las Vegas. its shows, with more The works had been displayed in the Picasso Restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel before being put up than 3,500 perforfor sale. The most mances. expensive piece ‘Luzia' is a producwas ‘Femme au betion created and diret rouge-orange’ rected by Daniele (1938), which went Finzi Pasca, which under the hammer transports the viewfor €34.3 million at er to the heart of an the auction held by imaginary Mexico. Sotheby’s. “With impressive acThis is one of the robatics and great last portraits Pivisual surprises, the casso painted show invites the auof his muse Madience members to rie-Therese Walter. immerse themselves Its estimate had in a dreamlike jourbeen between €17m ney”, explained the and €25m. company.
Pablo Pi-cash-o
Stars Featuring Hollywood stars including Angelina Jolie (pictured inset), Richard Madden and Salma Hayek, the $200 million movie directed by double Oscar winner Chloé Zhao showcases the true beauty of the Spanish islands. The film was shot on location in 2019 across the island of Fuerteventura, from La Solapa beach to Las Peñitas Dam, and Lanzarote where the volcano of El Cuervo serves as the backdrop for a dramatic finale.
Cirque du sol
By Amber Edirisinghe
Tourism chiefs expect the movie to boost the number of visitors to the islands as the destination is introduced to new audiences.
Popular A trailer for the film could easily be used as an advertising campaign for island
OVER 250,000 PROPERTIES FROM 2,000+ AGENTS
tourism. Spain has long been popular as a film location destination. Game of Thrones chose destinations across Spain, from the craggy cliffs of the Basque Country to the Arab palaces of Andalucia, as the backdrop to scenes. While the popular Netflix series The Crown has recently been filming on the Costa del Sol and Mallorca.
MAKING THE MOVE Moving to Spain is starting to get easier again as COVID rates lower and new rules become clearer
I
T was recently announced that Spain’s COVID transmission rates have taken it into the ‘low-risk’ category for the first time since July 2020. The cases have fallen below 100 per 100,000 and life is starting to get back to normal. More rules are being relaxed as the pressure on the healthcare system begins to ease. Experts have said that the worst of the pandemic has finally reached an end and face masks are one of the only visible reminders. Many restrictions are easing, signalling a return to normality, including fans at sporting events and the reopening of nightclubs, albeit with COVID vaccination status checks on the doors.
Normality
Over in the UK, as the nation returns to a renewed sense of normality, many are making lifestyle changes that reflect their post-pandemic self. With travel restrictions easing, British citizens are thinking about their options, especially in relation to conducting business and work. Spain has long been one of the most popular destinations among Brits to escape to on holiday, and as we come into the cold and rainy British winter, Spain is looking all the more desirable as a pro-
www.thinkSPAIN.com
Malini Peñalva is a Spanish abogada at Del Canto Chambers (Ibiza). Visit the website for more information spective new home. Known as ‘the gateway to Europe’, Spain is the ideal place to access other European markets and capitalise on the opportunities that are available. Although the complexities introduced by the Brexit rules may appear off-putting, with the right advice, it is entirely feasible to move one’s affairs over to Spain. This might entail investing in Spanish property, acquiring a Spanish business or moving one’s own operation. At Del Canto Chambers, we are seeing more and more private clients choosing Spain as their preferred destination, both to make their dream lifestyle changes and expand their financial portfolio, particularly as Spain is seeing a big slow down in COVID rates. The two hurdles – COVID and Brexit – can be worked around so that prospective Brit-
ish expats are able to make an easy and successful transition. One of the most important elements to consider, however, is residency. There are, mainly, three visa options available for UK investors and business owners looking to relocate to Spain. The right visa depends on the activity one is looking to embark upon. The ‘Entrepreneur Visa’ is used to live in Spain over a two-year period, providing a project is set up which is in the interest of the Spanish economy. Secondly, there is the ‘Golden Visa’ for which either property purchase is required at over €500,000 – tax and expenses excluded – or a significant investment must be made in a Spanish company. This option, like the ‘Entrepreneur Visa’ rewards investment in the country. Not all UK nationals will necessarily want to invest in property or business in Spain, in which case the ‘Non-Lucrative Visa’ is a good option as it is only applicable to those whose financial situation is ‘sufficient’ enough to sustain themselves and any family members. Being aware of the options available and the vast array of opportunities to capitalise on is essential in the steps to truly making lifestyle changes and relocating to Spain. With more freedom, and the onset of the British winter, now is the time to make the move.
To make a no-obligation enquiry, please either call Del Canto Chambers now on: +44 2070 430648 or complete our online form on www.delcantochambers.com contact page, which after receipt we will come back to you within 24 hours. Our office in Ibiza is located on: Calle Illa Plana 7, 07800 Ibiza, Islas Baleares. Contact us directly on 971 761 171
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The Olive Press all editions - FP_342x256 - PROMO - November 3/4/5
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Still testing
NEW rules allowing fully-vaxxed travellers flying into England to take lateral flow tests instead of PCR tests have come into force. The lateral flow tests for returning travellers must be bought from private providers and the government website has published a list of approved companies where prices start at £19.
Rules
The rules still state that passengers must book tests before travelling to the UK and include the code on the Health Locator Form that must be filled out within 48 hours prior to departure. But travellers are now required to send a picture of their lateral flow test to verify the result and failure to do so could result in a fine of £1,000. The change also applies to those under the age of 18 whether or not they are vaccinated. Only children aged four and under do not need to take the test.
RESTRICTED VIEWING
SPAIN is banning adverts for high-sugar content foods that target children, as cases of overweight youngsters continue to climb. Consumer Affairs minister, Alberto Garzon, said the move will affect all forms of broadcasting, cinemas, social networks and online/mobile app outlets that are aimed at
By Alex Trelinski
children aged under 16. The ban will begin in 2022 with a third of Spanish youngsters having some kind of
weight issue, compared to just 3% in 1984. “Over 40% of children aged between six and nine years are overweight, and advertising is one of the causes,” said Garzon.
Best in Spain
A PANADERO from Lebrija has scooped the top prize in the World Baker Awards 2021. Domi Vélez won the best baker crown in an event organised by the International Bakery and Confectionery Union in Munich. The 43-year-old baker beat three other finalists Peng Fudon (China), Sigurdur Mar Gudjosson (Iceland) and Han Chih Lu (Taiwan) to win the top award, becoming the second Spaniard to do so. Catalan baker Jordi Morera walked away with the prize in 2017. Velez creates his artisan loaves at El Horno de Velez which opens at 5.30am each morning. Velez, whose family has been baking bread for five generations, develops his recipes using family traditions teamed up with modern food science with which he creates 75 different types of bread.
THE COVID-19 pandemic changed the idea of education dramatically
“The figures show cases of obesity and being overweight are doubled in poorer families compared to wealthier households,” the minister added. “Advertising is one of the causes of this figure.”
Guidelines
A HOTEL popular with showbiz stars including Bruce Willis, Bruce Springsteen and Penelope Cruz (pictured right) has been handed a top gong. The Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa has won a major honour at the World Travel Awards. The Finestrat hotel was voted 'Best in Spain 2021' at the socalled ‘Oscars’ of the travel industry. The five-star resort previously won the 'Best Luxury Hotel' section for Spain in the International Hotel Awards in 2019. It counts on 40,000 square metres of tropical gardens and seven Asian-inspired swimming pools. There are eight restaurants and the bedrooms are designed in a style that pays tribute to the island of Bali.
t introduced many of us to the power of online learning and the opportunities it brings forth. Some schools have not only embraced this change but are passionately working towards elevating the perceptions around online learning, demystifying ‘remote’ or ‘distance’ learning and continuously increasing the quality of the outcomes delivered online. There is a similar conversation also taking place in the world of work with companies implementing ‘work from home’ policies and hybrid working environments. This November, the UK’s leading online school InterHigh becomes King’s InterHigh. While it may seem like a small change in name, it moves the conversation around education to a new level. It represents a rich addition of the King’s group of schools and their 50 years’ experience in delivering educational excellence and a connection to the global Inspired group of 70-plus schools spread across 5 continents to the original online school, InterHigh. Pioneers in online learning, InterHigh was the world’s first fully online school to offer a high-qual-
Rising to the top
Adverts for sugary treats will be banned from next year
School is changing, find out how
I
November 4th - November 17th 2021
Spain’s move is based on World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines over foodstuffs that it classifies as ‘harmful’ for children. The ban will include adverts for ice cream, soft drinks, sweets and pastries that have added sugars. Foods that have a content of 225 or more kilo-calories per 100 grams will also have an advertising ban slapped on them.
RAISE A GLASS
ONE of the country’s most famous sherry and wine producers has been voted ‘Best Spanish Winery of the Decade’. The AEPEV association of wine journalists gave the accolade to Jerez-based Gonzalez Byass, which is behind the internationally-renowned Tio Pepe brand. The business was founded in 1835 by Manuel Maria Gonzalez and British importer Robert Byass. Gustav Eiffel, who designed the famous tower in Paris, built a large bodega for the firm, called La Concha in 1862. Over
a century later, the family company constructed their giant three-storey Tio Pepe bodega at Jerez in 1963. Relatives of Robert Byass ended their interest in the producer in 1998, leaving it solely in the hands of fourth and fifth generation members of the Gonzalez family. The firm expanded 13 years ago to takeover the Viñas de Vero wineries in Aragon The AEPEV said it wanted to ‘recognise the essence of a family company that offered consistency and innovation along with respect for the environment’.
ity UK curriculum in real-time classrooms. InterHigh’s 15-plus years’ experience of delivering unparalleled virtual education has fostered a thriving community of 10,000-plus successful alumni. Innovative online learning means different things to different people. Some recent pilots and work at King’s InterHigh include virtual science simulationsAtforKing’s examInterHigh, years (thinkyour science childexperiments can learn and shine as like a Playstation game!), additional gamified and part learning of a diverse and languages welcoming AI-driven in foreign asschool well as community that’s around needs and interests. With richer, morebuilt varied online their learning in the Primary years. Online learning means bringing small classes, interactive lessonsnew andconlots happening Caring since 1989 cepts to life in a classroom, virtual and connected environ- from a highoutside the they can benefit ment. education anywhere. Duequality to their British very nature of beingfrom online, schools All withEarn up to £675 per week as a live-in carer in the UK! backing of cater Inspired, one ofboth theinside world’s leading like the King’s InterHigh to families andeducation outside thegroups. UK. With students joining from Apply today and join our countries across Europe and many international destinations, the global community of online free assessment week Withcontinues over 16 years of and experience, we are the learners to grow thrive. Students, in Malaga on a number of dates throughout original online school. teachers and families share a high reNovember and December 2021. gard for the British curriculum and the many opportunities it brings for both kingsinterhigh.co.uk fulfilling careers and pathways to univerTo find out more, please email sities and future studies. spanishrecruitment@helpinghands.co.uk So how is school changing? King’s InterHigh is one example of a school without walls where students are not constrained to one location and where opportunities for learning are available on line and in person. While education should be student centered and focused Quick Crossword on learning, schools that bring learning online in an engaging and effective way, Across: 8 Car wash, 9 Trots, 10 Atoms, 11 So there, 12 represent a viable alternative for many Shame, 14 Exhaust, 16 Dutiful, 18 Sidon, 20 Eardrum, families now and into the future. 22 Syrup, 23 Lunge, 24 Trivial.
The online British education that revolves around you
BEST: Top bodega
VURGER KING
Helping Hands
ONE Burger King in Spain is going entirely meat free for a month. The branch on Madrid’s famous Paseo del Prado has teamed up with The Vegetarian Butcher to offer plant-based food only. There will be a plant-based Whopper and vegan ‘chicken’ nuggets as well as a Long Vegetal – a vegetarian take on the Long Chicken in the restaurant dubbed ‘Vurger King’.
OP Puzzle solutions
Down: 1 Scraps, 2 Arrogant, 3 Mass, 4 Chaste, 5 Stitches, 6 Done, 7 Assent, 13 Enforced, 15 Underlie, 16 Dwells, 17 Limits, 19 Napalm, 21 Rand, 22 Soil.
To discover more, visit: www.kingsinterhigh.co.uk An
school
SUDOKU
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952 147 834 * O f f e r
v a l i d
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27/10/21 18:50
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Pictures by Jon Clarke
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November 4th - November 17th 2021
MOORISH JON CLARKE waxes lyrical about his hometown of Ronda, where the sense of history is only matched by its soaring mountain scenery
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T’S one hundred metres, and 300 slippery spiralling steps, to reach the bottom of the siege tunnel of the Casa del Rey Moro. One of various escape routes during times of siege, there is no better reminder of Ronda’s fascinating historical past. A must-visit, alongside the nearby Arabic baths, the 13th century House of the Moorish King was a highlight of Michelle Obama’s visit to Andalucia a decade ago. America’s former first lady had insisted that she wanted to witness first-hand how the Arabic defenders took and received messages and collected water during the regular sieges in the
A
Pictures by Jon Clarke
Vol. 15
ll about
Issue 381
S
errania de Ronda
FUNDADA EN 2017
November 2021
www.theolivepress.es
MOORISH
Ronda, about his hometown of JON CLARKE waxes lyrical is only matched by its soaring where the sense of history its food mountain scenery and (almost) sieges in the water during the regular
I
collected and 300 slippery spithe Kingdom of Granada T’S one hundred metres, bottom of the siege dark days of the end of just over 500 years ago. ralling steps, to reach the Moro. of Al-Anholiday to explore the days tunnel of the Casa del Rey spent a day wanduring times of On a cultural daluz, she and her daughters One of various escape routes reminder of Ronda’s dering around the gem of a town that sits less siege, there is no better the Costa del Sol. fascinating historical past. nearby Arabic baths, than an hour inland from Arabic gardens of Having visited the charming A must-visit, alongside the of the Moorish King was the Palacio Mondragon and the town’s iconic the 13th century House visit to Andalu- she decided to underbullring - Spain’s oldest a highlight of Michelle Obama’s take some exercise. cia a decade ago. lady had insisted that America’s former first first-hand how the AraContinues on Page 2 she wanted to witness received messages and bic defenders took and
DINE IN
•
INTACT: The 13th century
TA K E A W AY
•
Arabic baths and (left)
gargoyles being hung on
a street chapel pillar
DELIVERY
10 November 2021 WHERE TO EAT
A
ll about
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dark days of the end of the Kingdom of Granada just over 500 years ago. On a cultural holiday to explore the days of Al-Andaluz, she and her daughters spent a day wandering around the gem of a town that sits less than an hour inland from the Costa del Sol. Having visited the charming Arabic gardens of the Palacio Mondragon and the town’s iconic bullring - Spain’s oldest - she decided to undertake some exercise. By navigating the ‘la Mina’ staircase down to the bottom of the gorge, she was really getting a true understanding of what makes this mountain town so wonderful.
Don't miss our 20page Ronda supplement, online
errania de Rond a
DINING HIGHLIG tel: 952 87 89 85 HTS
11
15 18 17 Away – Delivery: 951 Reservations – Take From Page 9& 19:30 to 23:30 to 16:00 Thur to Monday: 12:30 23:30 Wednesday: 19:30 to Tuesday: Closed 3, Ronda He has Cecilia been Santa Calle here though for well over decades, ncironda.com two having first www.pizzeriadavi
11 Calle Virgen de los Dolores España 29400 Ronda, Málaga, Tropicanaronda@gmail.com Another endary El Bulli geniuscut his teeth with leg- rasateguithree-star Betrainee is he opened at HaciendaFerran Adria, when Jose Antonio junior at lucar la Mayor, near Benazuza, in San- Tropicana, Sevilla, gaining two which was stars in almost as recently voted Spain’s I first met Benito many years. top restaurant by there, standing in Trip former three-Michel for the Advisor. pretty much the in maestro, where I ate One for Yes, ‘Number best meal of my Best Everyday 25-course four-hour life masterclass, for - a Dining in Spain’ and €99 - that literally just tops for all blew my mind. round From there he moved quality, great good local have lived since 2003, to Ronda, where I restaurants. first working under Dani Garcia at Tragabuches before leaving It is an amazing accoto open his own lade rant Tragatapas aless formal tapas restau- father,and he and his Jose Antonio It coincidentally decade ago. senior, better and wherekeeps getting better and amazinghave done an nan, runs the showhis wife, a local Ronde- this place job turning with military precision. into yet Another former other ‘must visit’ anjoint keeps improving, Tragabuches hand, who in Spain’s most evocaArgentine, who is is Martin Abramzon, an tive mountain also now a genuine town. denan local. Ron- While not an enormous His hip joint Kutral fan of al estate and is stylesits in Ronda’s industri- website,the global food personified. there is no Focusing on the doubt able cooked on a best cuts of meat avail- it right they are getting parilla-style BBQ, with Tropicana, quickly made a name he has which really for himself. is magical. But there is a lot The picks including a more besides, with top team father and son deliver a great burrata salad with UP AND UP: Martin dried tomatoes, amazing sun at Kutral, while (right) Argentinian em- range of carefully considered dishes Pedro Romero panadas and a mean focus- looking lemon curd pudding. ing very much on local ingredients out over the ancient It is no surprise of small with lots Spanish legend to learn he trained with about twists. It is hard to fault anything da, with a mountain backdroppart of RonMartin the behind place, an almost Biblical Berasategui in particular its decor has cooked for Gareth and location but landscape folding and and front of you. if there is one major out in Ronaldo among others. Bale and Cristiano it is Junior’s amazing service stand out, The hard-working owners and advice girlfriend in English on the Jose Manuel and food and wine. Test him. and busy Rocio have created a charming He’s the best. eatery in possibly the hardest time in history. Another great new joint Jose really knows his is Escudero, which a definite must-visit is worked in the restaurant onions having the outskirts of town.on 20 years, firstly with Dani trade for nearly Garcia at Tragabuches, then later The views are among at his family restaurant, where he personally the best in Spain, waited on the likes Michelle Obama. of Yet another well-trained chef is Javier Pimentel of hip El Almacen, who travelled the world working don and San Sebastian,in Ireland, Lonbefore opening his restaurant It’s a stylish spot, three years ago. with a great selection of music, including a huge pile of re-
951 48 98 18 hola@tabernaelalma cen.com www.tabernaelalmac en.com
Cl Los Remedios , 7. 29400 Ronda, Málaga NUMBER ONE: Dad and son at Tropicana and views at Escudero and (above) a
dish
Come and try amazing wines Ronda’s with a tapa TEL: 672 284 146
Closed Sunday and Monday
For down at the bottom by the River Guadalevin - with the steep walls of the famous Tajo towering above, and the swallows and rooks swooping around with gusto - you truly step back in time. Restored in 1911, the deep tunnel was originally carved out by Christian slaves to get water during the reign of Ronda’s Moorish king, Abomelik. While intended as a secret, Christians then living in Andalucia used the refrain that ‘in Ronda you die carrying water skins’. They were certainly not likely to have enjoyed the wonderful welcome mostly Muslim travellers would have received in the nearby Arabic baths. The Banos Arabes, built in the 11th century, are said to be the best preserved in Spain today and, for me, are the best place to start a history tour of Ronda. Take my advice, for having lived in the area for nearly two decades, nowhere else offers up such a good introduction to the wealth and sophistication of the former Arabic inhabitants who ruled this part of Spain for an incredible 700 years until the late 15th century. With clever urban planning, a careful use of water and tactical planting of trees and shrubs towns like Ronda (and others including Priego de Cordoba, Alhaurin and Alhama de Granada) became genuine paradises to live in. The Arabic baths, which sit in their own atmospheric gardens, had three main rooms - hot, cold and tepid - and were fed with water
Calle Pozo 2, 29400 Ronda https://qrco.de/b bWFvy
November 2021
RONDA ALL STARS:
Javier at Porton,
Javier at El Almacen,
and Tomas and Carlos
at Pedro Romero
Traditional dishes
of Ronda
tel: 952 87 11 10 FRIENDLY: At Cerveceria Bandolero in Plaza cisco and (below) San FranMonolo at cords, thanks to his Almocobar But you are here girlfriend, who is the Maitre. disappoint, after for the food and Javier doesn’t training at San three-Michelin cathedral Sebastian’s The dishes are amazing, of cuisine Akelarre. but they are have some excellent twists. No wondertasty and denans love it so the Ronmuch. For history lovers take a ride to the est restaurant Pedro town’s grandRomero sitting opposite the bullring, with wonderful bullfighting photos and posters, as you It is a classic family might expect. and in the hands restaurant, now 40 years old, whose children areof brothers Carlos and Tomas, and their 86-year-oldstarting to come into the fold This is the place for father still regularly pops in. de toro, which is the classic dishes, such as rabo leading sommelier, best in town, while Tomas, a Soulful Almocabaris well up on wines. sistently one of the meanwhile, has been conwell over a decade,town’s finest places to eat for with a superb wine atmosphere personified, list particularly if eatingand the square outdoors in It has long been one at summer time. local places to dine of the town’s most reliable slow of the hat to local and there is a major doffing In food. His wine list is also second ingredients and the the same square to none. concept of Cerveceria in Barrio Bandolero, whichSan Francisco is, really the friendliest place to eat in Andalucia.could be It’s very much service with a smile from two cousins, who these charming guests run backwards and forwards and plying you lent simple and local with fare, with a bent excelCarnes a la Brasa. towards For wine lovers you mustn’t miss which has over 100 wines from Entre Vinos, more than a dozen Ronda, with wines There are some excellent available by the glass. tapas and it’s a charming place to while Just up the hill is away a few hours. Siempre Igual, which ly that ‘Always the same’, it’s a bloody is exactplace to enjoy tapas excellent and some excellent with friends. Run wine by a friendly family always have some team, they worth a try and in experimental new dishes, a great location, the bullring. just up from For those up in the heart of Ronda, AUTHENTICITY: Siempre Porton – an institution authentic Igual 40 years - has wonderfulrun by Javier for the last old photos and a guaranteed on the wall feel good factor. Here, you will find ite Ronda tapa, the my favourquails egg with ham wonderful on toast. Venturing out of Ronda there are so many amazing country escapes for lunch Also in the centre or supper. ly-rated Da Vinci is the highActually giving restaurant. run for its moneyTropicana a visor, this Pizzeria on Trip Adis normally packedrestaurant a week and serves five days famously SELECTION: One of the best wine lists is at Entre Vinos Continues on Page
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INTACT: The 13th century Arabic baths and (left) gargoyles being hung on a street chapel pillar from the river outside. a sister settlement of Acinipo a The domed ceilings with their few miles away in Ronda la Vieja. star-shaped air vents were part The nearby mountains between of a complex astronomical sym- the two ancient settlements are bolism so popular in Moorish literally swollen with ancient retimes. mains. The baths were the main ham- They include the pre-roman salt mam and lay just outside the mines of the Cerro de las Salidefensive walls by the main gate nas, the hidden Arabic baths in to the town from the direction of the Llano de la Cruz valley, the Granada. remains of the A clever virtual Roman aquereality video, in duct on a private Arabic towns both Spanish and estate south of English, brings the town and the became the past back to recent discovlife and is a mustery of a Roman genuine watch, before grape-treading paradises to continuing your floor and bodetour up the hill ga at Morosanto live in into the old town. vineyard just outBy the time of the side Arriate. collapse of Arabic Here, on a lovely rule in 1485, Ronda had been wide open slope, archaeologists receiving foreign visitors for have excavated a sizable wine around 1500 years. operation with pipes through Established in 9BC, it is one of which wine was transported to Andalucia’s oldest towns and in vats. Roman times was completely The discovery – among a seindependent with a thriving wine ries of columns, statues and a industry and even with its own 21-metre Roman swimming pool coinage, fittingly with a tendril of and sauna - now means that hisgrapes on its flipside. torians can link the production of A bustling military bastion known wine in Ronda to 3AD. as Arunda - which means ‘sur- You most definitely feel the pull rounded by mountains’ - it had of the Romans (and later Moors)
just wandering around the old Casco Historico, with its wonderful buildings, sleepy alleyways, doorways and arches. It is little wonder that so many writers have waxed lyrical about the place… Orson Welles moved here and had his ashes scattered at a nearby estate, while Austrian writer and poet Rilke described it as the ‘City of Dreams’. Ernest Hemingway part-based his novel For Whom the Bells Toll here and much of his work is a love letter to the town. The Dangerous Summer is largely about its Ordonez family bullfighting dynasty, while in Death in the Afternoon he wrote: “It is where you should go if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or ever bolt with anyone. The entire town and as far as you can see in any direction is a romantic backdrop.” It’s why Madonna has shot a music video here, why the film Carmen was filmed here and why Bill Gates, Adrian Brody, Ricky Gervais, Anne Hathaway and Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, plus many more celebrities, have recently taken holidays in Ronda.
PROPERTY Fine time FINES and costs of up to €90,000 will apply to private landlords who illegally increase rents, under new regulations in Catalunya. Barcelona City Council approved a range of measures to strengthen the powers of tenants against money-grabbing landlords last September but no one had yet received a fine under the new laws - until now. Barcelona City Council has now fined a landlord for the first time for setting a rental price above what is deemed appropriate by the Catalunya Housing Agency's Average Price Index. The landlord was fined €9,000 for asking the tenants to pay €1,200 per month, when the previous contract was just €950 a month. He was also ordered to repay the tenants €250 for each month they were ‘overcharged’. The minimum fine is €9,000 and the maximum €90,000.
November 4th November 17th 2021
Government plans restrictions on rent rises By Dilip Kuner
SPAIN is to bring in rent controls to stop landlords of multiple properties hiking prices and hitting low income families as housing becomes more unaffordable. And owners of property portfolios where homes lay empty will also be slapped with extra tax to try and force them to rent rather than sit on them hoping for capital gains. The new housing bill due to take effect in the second half of 2022 is aimed at people or businesses that own 10 or more properties. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “It was urgent to combat the abusive rise in prices, to fight the growing
PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez says that youngsters should be offered a monthly bonus towards rent to help them fly the nest. The €250 benefit would be handed out for up to two years, and forms part of a broader housing package. Whilst Spain has one of Europe's highest rates of property ownership, it also means fewer than 25% of domestic properties are rented. In Madrid and Barcelona, rents have risen exponentially while income has dropped by over 7% in the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Keeping control inequality and degradation that was taking place. “It’s a way out of the labyrinth where many people find themselves because they can’t pay for the house they want to buy or find a home to rent at reasonable prices.” The bill may also force developers to set aside lowcost housing as part of their plans.
FLY THE NEST If the plans come to fruition, the bonus will be paid by Spain's regional authorities to under-35s who earn less than €23,725 a year. Reports from Eurostat show that Spaniards don’t leave the family home until an average age of 30, with the EU average being 26. Chronic unemployment figures point to the reason why young adults stay at home, with Spain’s unemployment rate among under-25’s being the highest in the EU.
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FINAL WORDS
AN IBERIA Airbus landed at Barajas airport with a dead black vulture embedded in its nose after a bird strike.
Salty scoop ICE CREAM maker Massimo Pozzi has invented an ice cream with payoyo cheese and marine plankton, to be released on November 6 in Da Massimo ice cream parlour in Cadiz.
Old ways AN 89-year-old Spaniard has gone viral on twitter after her grandson posted that, every time she Google searches something she types por favor at the end.
It was THIS big!
Your expat
voice in Spain
VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR FREE Vol. 1 Issue 25 www.theolivepress.es November 4th - November 17th 2021
ROYAL FLUSH
THE former King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, must be flushed with embarrassment after it was revealed he was injected with female hormones to control his rampant sex drive. This is the sensational claim made by an ex-police chief during a court hearing in Madrid.
Jose Manuel Villarejo, a former police commissioner at the centre of the far reaching Casa Kitchen case told the court that secret agents ‘injected female hormones and testosterone blockers to control the monarch’s sex drive after it was categorised as a problem of state’. Juan Carlos, who abdicated in
A CAT that had succumbed to choking volcanic ash was brought back from the dead when a soldier performed ‘mouth to moggy’ resuscitation. The lucky feline on the island of La Palma, where there has been an ongoing eruption for weeks, had been engulfed by ash. But, using up one of its nine lives, the cat was pulled from
Randy royal ‘injected with hormones to quell libido’ June 2014 after a series of scandals, was a notorious womanizer. One recent book entitled Juan Carlos: The King of 5,000 lovers by Amadeo Martinez Ingles claimed the king, now 83, was a sex addict who had slept with more than 2,000 women between 1976 and 1994. One of his last affairs came
Kissing pussy a mound of cinders and brought back from the brink of death after a soldier with an emergency rescue unit used a tiny plastic filter to give it the kiss of life. The cat survived and was pictured recovering in a cage after the ordeal.
RED FACED: Sex mad king
to public attention when it emerged that the King had broken his hip while on an elephant hunting trip with a companion identified as Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (also known as Corinna Larsen). She has since spoken out about the affair and is attempting to sue the Royal and Spain’s secret service for harassment. The disgraced former monarch has been living in exile in Abu Dhabi since last year when an investigation was launched into his financial affairs amid allegations of money laundering and backhanders. Adultery in the Gulf state is a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in jail and deportation.
A GIGANTIC sunfish has been caught up in tuna fishing nets off the coast of Ceuta, one of Spain’s enclaves in north Africa. The fish, known as a pez luna in Spanish, measured 3.2 metres long and 2.9 metres wide and weighed in at a whopping two tonnes. Enrique Ostale, a marine biologist at the University of Sevilla was there to study the creature. He said he had only ever heard of sunfish this size from books but never thought he would see one so big. After being weighed and measured, the creature was released safely back into the wild.
Dog’s life IN a Spanish first a judge has awarded a couple joint custody of their dog. The Madrid court decreed that the estranged duo would care for their pooch called Panda on alternate months. The ruling recognised an equal bond between the dog and the two caregivers and said proof of ownership of the dog by one person over another wasn’t enough to override a bond between the dog and the other person in the couple.