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ROSALIA has become the first Spaniard to win an MTV Music Award, by bagging ‘Best Latino Video’ for her song Con Altura with J Balvin and El Guincho.
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Your expat
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Vol. 13 Issue 325 www.theolivepress.es August 28th - September 10th 2019
TANTRIC TORTOISE
A RANDY tortoise has gone missing from his Costa Blanca home while his Brit owner is urgently appealing to the public for help. ‘Torte’ the tortoise disappeared from the Camino
roperty
TREE FELLING TREE TRIMMING & REMOVAL Tel: 622 932 049 Tel: 622 304 104
rockscampogardens@gmail.com
Bolted on
from Greece, and has been in David Priaulx’s care for the last 30 years. “I’ve had so many escapades with him over the years,” David, who lives in Jalon, told the Olive Press. “He escaped once in Broad-
MISSING: Torte
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Modern masterpieces
Have you seen a tortoise around Jalon? Contact the Olive Press at newsdesk@theolivepress.es
Issue 33
September 2019
From pet passports to dodgy removal men, one British family’s highs and lows as they set up in Spain before Brexit strikes... See page X
BAREBACK: In Ibiza
, tllo a Ba lon sa Ca Barce
that’
gine running outside a garage in San Pedro. All chaos then ensued as the minor - who cannot be held criminally responsible - floored it and crashed into the Laude School.
A WOMAN has been filmed riding naked upon a red Ferrari as its cigar-chomping driver cruises the streets of Ibiza. The woman appears stuck in completely oblivious as stairs, Kent, and went to she dances to reggaeton stay two nights in a local music blaring from the slow-moving supercar. B&B. “When we picked him up The incident was filmed the owner gave me an in- at the Marina Ibiza on the voice, saying ‘no one had Balearic island, and was ever stayed for free and he later widely shared on sowasn’t going to be the first’. cial media. “Torte’s like my nemesis, But the driver is now being but I love him and so does pursued for reckless driving. the whole family.” David added that Torte an- A city council spokesperson said the authorities swers to his name. He said, however, that the hope to track down the randy tortoise will ‘pick culprits soon as ‘there are on anyone’ and is known not many cars like this in to make a loud ‘shrilling Ibiza’. noise’ when mounting the shoes of his victims.
FOOT FETISH: Tortoise gets
Appeal launched for ‘randy’ tortoise after it escapes from British centre
Corrales area of Jalon last Tuesday. He is understood to come
‘Audid you manage
A JOY ride has gone pearshaped after an Irish teen smashed through a school wall in his dad’s Audi A4. The cheeky 13-year-old hopped into the driver’s seat as his father left the car en-
, cho a pri bri Ca El Canta
A MAN, 26, has been gored repeatedly in his testicles at a bull run in Cuellar, near Valladolid, after he jumped a fence and became tangled.
Yeh Wright
TOWIE star Mark Wright has discovered he is related to Andalucian swordsmen on BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?
’s rty ain pe e Sp pro zin -to ga go ma
The old and the new and the downright, bizarre. P Find out what’s hot in our Property Magazine
But which is Spain’s favourite modernist building?
de io , lac goria d dri Pa LonMa
Ca Ca sa sti Leo lla Lis, n y
See page III (a clue is in the picture in the middle)
UPS AND DOWNS Growth figures for July make up for sluggish foreign buyers and a drop in June
SPAIN has recorded its best month for property sales for 11 years, new government data has revealed. A total of 47,890 transactions were reported in July 2019, marking a 3.8% year-on-year increase. June 2008 was the last time more homes were snapped up in Spain, continuing the trend of steady market growth. The regions of Extremedura (23.4%), La Rioja (22.4%) and Castilla-La Mancha (21.6%) recorded the largest year-on-year
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RENNOVATION TRICKS: At Ronda Romantica Hotel
BREXIT NIGHTMARE
Hellcare
THE healthcare costs of hundreds of thousands of British nationals in Spain may only be covered for a matter of months. Government officials have confirmed that in the event of a no-deal Brexit expats’ unrestricted access to healthcare could end after just six months. In the nightmare scenario, the often costly treatment would have to be funded by the individuals after that date. While a British embassy spokesman insisted the new ruling would not be introduced until the end of 2020, it is still a major jolt for already worried expats.
Taxes
“Having paid taxes our whole working lives, pensioners should be entitled to free healthcare whether we choose to retire in Bradford, Bournemouth or Barcelona,” said Sue Wilson, of Bremain in Spain. “The UK government is trying to reassure people with this new announcement, but inevitably people will ask ‘what about after six months?’” The Department of Health has sofar only pledged £150m to cover the costs of British nationals living in the EU after a no-deal. This would cover pensioners, students, those on disability benefits and UK workers posted to the EU, as well as UK tourists who began their holiday before the UK’s exit. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Protecting the healthcare rights of UK nationals is a priority of this government. UK nationals in the EU’ should nevertheless act now and take the simple steps needed to secure their access to healthcare.” Listen in, Page 4
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growth. In total, 11 of Spain’s 17 regions grew over the last year. It made up for a 9% year-onyear drop in June, which suggested the market was really slowing down. There have also been some big declines in the long time foreigners favourite the Balearics as well as Madrid, which saw drops of 21.9% and 8.1% respectively. In the Balearics the slump follows on from the introduction of strict new rental laws which have made it more
difficult for owners to rent to tourists. This has made property on the islands less attractive as investment opportunities. Further negative news saw foreign buyers drop by 7%, with British buyers among those being put off purchasing in Spain (see Slow Down, pg II). It is hoped that the end of the Brexit saga, possibly next month, and the long awaited return to political stability can help recuperate British losses while also bringing a boost to both the foreign and domestic markets. DECLINE: Mallorca’s property market has dramatically slowed down following new
rental laws
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Your expat
voice in Spain
Mijas Costa
Vol. 13 Issue 327 www.theolivepress.es September 25th - October 8th, 2019
Replacement flight rip offs, evictions from hotels, anxiety among thousands of tourists as Thomas Cook folds after 178 years
Get me out of here! THE biggest peacetime repatriation of Britons abroad is in full swing following the collapse of Britain’s oldest travel company Thomas Cook. A shocking 120,000 British holidaymakers are still stranded overseas following the travel giant’s collapse on
By Robert Firth and Joshua Parfitt in Alicante
Monday. A massive 70,000 of them were stuck in Spain, when the massive firm which has 55 hotels and dozens of
IT’S SPAIN vs FRANCE: Which country comes out top for World Tourism Day on September 27? Find out on Page 42
Opinion Page 6
planes in Spain - filed for bankruptcy. Most of them were left in the dark about their travel plans and even if their hotels would be paid. While all clients are ATOL protected, meaning they would be provided with flights home, many could not afford the expected wait for many hours, even days. Some customers told the Olive Press how they had been forced to fork out huge sums of money for quicker replacement flights.
Forced
Jamie Marshall, 40, told the Olive Press he had spent €1200 euros on replacement flights from Mallorca to London for his family of four. “It’s very disappointing,” he said. “We weren’t told anything. If a pilot I know hadn’t told me, I’d have just turned up at the airport.” Many others were forced to bed down on airport floors as they battled mammoth queues in airports. One mum, stranded in Almeria, insisted she will run out of vital food supplies for her disabled daughter unless she is flown home this week. Demine Warner, 25, from Essex, will urgently need medicine for Aubree, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and needs to be tube-fed milk through her stomach, if they don’t get to fly out as scheduled by this Wednesday (today). “We still haven’t heard anything. I’m worried
about my daughter as she is on medical milk and cannot eat the food here,” she said. “We will soon run out.” Thomas Cook customers at some hotels meanwhile, reported staff threatening to kick them out if they didn’t pay huge amounts of money. Bars in Magaluf clubbed together to pay for food, drinks and accommodation for a group of five lads from Manchester. It came after staff at the BH Mallorca hotel allegedly threatened to kick them out if they didn’t cough up €1800. “I don’t understand why they were kicking those boys out. They hadn’t done anything wrong,” a barman told the Olive Press. He added: “There is no one in the resort helping out. Why isn’t there someone from the British Consulate here?” In the biggest travel company collapse in history, 600,000 people were left stranded worldwide after the UK government denied an eleventh-hour bailout of £250 million. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has commandeered a fleet of 45 aircraft from as far away as Malaysia to support the massive rescue operation. They will fly from 53 destinations in 17 countries. By the end of Tuesday, 30,000 out of 150,000 passengers had been flown home, with around 5% having to spend a day longer in Spain. A massive 21,000 people (thousands in Spain) have been left jobless by the travel firm’s sudden collapse, with 9,000 in the UK. Online competition and debts were citContinues on Page 8
Opinion Page 6
Tel: 952 147 834
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Bomb plot POLICE in Barcelona have arrested nine Catalan separatists over charges of ‘rebellion, terrorism and possession of explosives’.
Thanks M’lud AN inmate has thanked a judge for handing him a prison sentence, saying it has given him ‘a whole new life’.
Rapist released A SERIAL Malaga rapist has who was sentenced to 271 years behind bars will be allowed to leave prison at weekends, after a judge softened the conditions of his sentence.
Foul play BARCELONA footballer Samuel Umtiti’s house was burgled while he watched his team lose 5-2 against Valencia.
CRIME
September 25th - October 8th 2019
White horses Retired expat couple who lived the high life facing 12 years in prison for cocaine smuggling on cruises
A RETIRED expat couple arrested with nearly €1million of cocaine on a luxury cruise have claimed a mystery ‘Jamaican businessman’ funded their lavish lifestyle, court papers reveal. Roger and Sue Clarke were set to take another €4,500 twoweek trip from Cuba to the Caribbean and back home to
Blast from the past A POLICE hunt has been launched for a British gang that used explosives to blow up cash machines. The suspects used homemade bombs to bust open a dozen ATMs in Malaga and Marbella, making off with €300,000 cash. Investigators in Spain have traced three of the men to Merseyside after the crime spree between December 2013 and January and February 2014.
SINGLE IMPLANT
By Joshua Parfitt
Spain before Portuguese police arrested them in Lisbon in December. A handwritten diary by Sue Clarke and made public reads that the cruise, via Antigua, Barbados and back via Malaga and Alicante this March would set them back ‘approx £4,000’. This was despite the Clarkes living on an income of just €1,000 a month at their home in Alicante. The couple are facing up to 12 years in prison for drug smuggling at Lisbon court. They both wept in court claiming they had been betrayed by friends, when police found the drugs on their ship the MC Mar-
co Polo. Former chef Roger, 72, insisted he had no idea the cocaine was hidden in the lining of four suitcases picked up on the paradise island of St Lucia. He claims his friends asked him to bring the suitcases back ‘because they could fetch a high price in places like Harrods’. After their arrest they pointed the finger at a man called ‘Lee of Jamaican origin’, who paid for their €7,700 cruise. Mr Clarke claimed the businessman asked him to pick up empty new suitcases in St Lucia and then buy exotic fruit that could be sold for a ‘massive profit’ in the UK. The Clarkes, who also have a house in Kent, have been held in separate prisons in Portugal for the past 10 months, awaiting trial. Portuguese police
House of hashish POLICE have arrested 14 people and seized more than 11 tonnes of hash across Anadalucia in this week. Guardia Civil seized 10 drug smuggling boats and seven vehicles as part of operations along the coast of Huelva, Cádiz and Málaga. In Algeciras, 333 kilos of hash were found hidden in a van attempting to enter the peninsula through the port,
after the driver was apprehended. A further 1,500 kilos of hash were seized on Monte Calafete after suspects fled police in a car. Some 49 bundles of hash were later found scattered across the mountain. Smugglers left 70 bundles of hash on a beach in Conil, Cadiz, after fleeing offshore when they spotted the Guardia Civil.
IMPLANT BRIDGE
Inspetor Carla Nunes insisted it made ‘no sense’ that mystery businessman paid for the cruise. She said that Mr Clarke was unable to provide police with a phone number, email or name of any import-export firms the businessman entrepreneur was involved in. Nunes added: “They could both have been making between nearly €20,000 and €30,000 plus expenses per trip.’ The Clarkes were jailed in Norway in 2010 for trafficking 240kg of cannabis resin on another cruise.
CLUBBED TO BITS
A HOODED gang has stormed a nightclub before wrecking it with iron bars. The thugs approached the Momento club, in Marbella in four high-end cars with their license plates covered. Four people left each vehicle, before entering the club and destroying chairs, tables and other furniture inside. After the 10-minute attack, the thugs fled the scene, hurling a smoke bomb behind them.
Check out Chik
A WELL known Russian fugitive is believed to be hiding out in Spain. Aleksandr Chikovani, 43, is wanted by various Russian law enforcement agencies for a number of financial frauds. According to Russian media, he has defrauded many people via a series of companies including Nord Construction and Gephest Construction. While Chikovani denied links to the companies, police in Russia proved otherwise by linking his other firms’ IP addresses to them. Gephest Construction filed for bankruptcy with a loan debt of 50 million rubles, which Moscow Arbitration Court believes was to avoid paying off debts.
Hot wheels
ARSONISTS have set fire to 17 vehicles and forced up to 50 residents from their homes over the course of a single night in Malaga. Emergency services evacuated an apartment block in the resort town of Torre del Mar after a fire was started. A 31-year-old man had to be treated in hospital because of the fire. The arson streak began after a motorcycle parking lot was found alight in the neighbourhood of Paz.
IMPLANT DENTURE
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NEWS
September 25th - October 8th 2019
A place in the mud Dr Quien? A NEW Netflix series filmed by David Tennant has a twist: part of the series, Criminal, is shot in Spain, with the characters speaking the local lingo. The four-part series takes place across four countries: the UK, Spain, France and Germany, with each episode unfolding in a police interrogation room. Lee Ingleby from hit BBC crime drama Inspector George Gently will star in the UK instalment of the series. Spanish actor Eduardo Fernandez, who starred in the award-winning spanish language film Biutiful, plays an Al Capone-esque figure in the Spanish section. The show’s creators include George Kay, the man behind BBC thriller Killing Eve.
Heart’s back in it
ANTONIO Banderas has thanked a heart attack for getting him reinvesting in Malaga. The Hollywood star insisted the 2017 attack led to retreating from the US to his hometown, where he has since bought a theatre and developed a theatre school. Now the former Zorro star is to launch his first production, A Chorus Line, at the brand new Soho Caixabank Theatre, in Malaga, in November. “The heart attack was one of the best things to ever happen to me,” said Banderas. “A flash came to me and I said to myself, I’m going to buy a theatre.” As well as the theatre he has launched his ESAEM performing arts school, which already has dozens of budding students. He is also adamant that culture should not be confined to the big cities of Madrid and Barcelona.
A PLACE in the Sun presenter Jasmine Harman has captured the aftermath of the torrid floods that killed seven in southeastern Spain. The Costa Blanca had its worst storms in 140 years and Harman stepped out onto the beach in Murcia to show her Instagram followers the devastating effects. She said: “The sand is like quicksand because of the floods. “I normally enjoy a dip in the sea in the morning,
EMPATHY: From Jasmine Harman but now everything is a bit strange.” The havoc even saw several towns become entirely en-
gulfed by water, with one British expat claiming he had lost ‘everything’.
Leading the way Basketball ace to join Freddie Flintoff and Katie Price with protection dog EXCLUSIVE By Jacque Talbot
A SPANISH basketball star is taking a lead from a host of UK celebrities in buying an elite protection dog. The Barcelona-based player will join cricketer Freddie Flintoff, model Katie Price and a host of British footballers and business magnates when he buys the top-of-therange dog from UK firm Protection Dogs Worldwide. Costing from €16,000, the dogs - mostly Dobermans, Great Danes or German Shepherds - are hand-trained by a team of specialists. They have worked alongside the Manof K9 institute, which has provided dogs for the Israeli special forces as well as alongside the Czech Police’ special dog division.
Attackers
“We carefully tailor our training to what our clients need,” explains lead trainor Leedor Borlant, who has also provided dogs for ambassadors. “Some of what our celebrity clients have gone through, you wouldn’t believe,” he added. “Being rich and famous makes you vulnerable.” Through word of mouth, the company has acquired a string of leading clients from Katie Price, who bought a German Shepherd named
SHE is one of Spain’s true celluloid sex symbols. Now Paz Vega has set pulses racing sporting not much more than a leather jacket for a saucy lingerie shoot. The Sevilla beauty, 43, was all smiles as she posed nearly topless, sporting a cropped haircut. She is currently starring alongside Rambo legend Sylvester Stallone in the film’s fifth installment, Rambo: Last Blood, which has had mixed reviews. Vega, known for Lucia y El Sexo and Spanglish, plays an undercover journalist seeking revenge.
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Like-ala-vista Paz!
Rolling in
WHO’S NEXT: Which star joining Katie and Freddie? Blade, to Flintoff, who purchased a Doberman called Trevor. Now the Yorkshire company has started to expand into international territory, with Spain already taking around 15% of its dogs. The most expensive dogs take years to train and come in at around €55,000. “We teach our dogs to handle any situation we can think of, whether that be one attacker or multiple attackers,” he explains. “The training is thorough. Diligence is required to ensure the dog will be effective in a real-life situation. From
obedience training to protection training, the dogs build confidence, and soon they are able to start biting the padded sleeves on cue, before being put in scenarios catered for the buyer.” And best of all, the company carefully vets each client to ensure the dogs are not sold to criminals. “We get frequent calls from the underworld to buy dogs. Criminals, drug dealers they come knocking, but we assess each client before we even allow them to visit us.” Visit www.protectiondogs.co.uk
SPOKING OUT: Ambassador Hugh on missing bike BRITAIN’S top new mandarin in Spain has spoken of his fondness for the country at a private party to mark his arrival. Hugh Elliot told a select group of diplomats, journalists and friends how he had fallen in love with Spain - and found a wife, Toni (above) - while teaching English in Salamanca. Speaking over canapes at the official home in the leafy Madrid suburb of Valdezarza, the UK ambassador revealed how it had not, however, been the smoothest arrival in Spain in 1984. Speaking in fluent Spanish, he raised a big laugh, when he revealed he had arrived here for a cycling holiday MINUS his bike. He recalled how he got off the train in Burgos to find the bike had vanished and asked if there was anyone in the audience from RENFE who could still help find it. Elliot then joked that he would not have any problem filling the ‘big shoes’ left by outgoing ambassador Simon Manley, as he had size 47 feet (a UK 12). The ambassador, now in his 50s, has worked for the Foreign Office since 1989 and been posted in Argentina and France, as well as spent five years in Madrid in the 1990s. The former Cambridge graduate has two children, both Real Madrid fans and born in Spain.
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BREXIT NEWS
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Food for thought UK Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has warned reporters in Madrid that Spanish producers will be hit in a no-deal Brexit. He said ‘sherry’, ‘manchego cheese’ and ‘cava’ would face stiffer competition if UK procurement rules change.
Proroguing unlawful BORIS Johnson’s proroguing of parliament for five weeks was ‘unlawful, the UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled.
Clearer plans
Listen in
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Brexit bard
Expats tired of lack of Brexit clarity from Government REPRESENTATIVES of campaign groups for British nationals in Spain have urged for ‘greater clarity’ after meeting with the UK’s Brexit Secretary. John Carrivick, vice-president of EuroCitizens, said ‘less gung-ho optimism’ was needed from Stephen Barclay over crucial issues like rights to ‘benefits’ and ‘healthcare’. Barclay met with Carrivick, as well as representatives from Brexpats in Spain and ECREU, at the British Embassy in Madrid before flying to Brussels. “Why is the uprating of pensions within the exclusive gift
ALTHOUGH much of Europe is unsympathetic towards Brits over Brexit, one Madrid poet has penned the UK a touching message of solidarity. For €1, street writer Marta Carmona fired off a few lines of prose on her typewriter for the Olive Press in the capital’s trendy La Latina barrio. Her untitled work (translation below) confronts nationalism by asking ‘why do we let ourselves be divided?’
EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
of the UK government being made subject to reciprocity, and thereby placing it at risk?” Carrivick told the Olive Press. President of Brexpats in Spain, Anne Hernandez, said: “It seemed to us the buzzword of Mr Barclay was ‘intention’ - but we don’t want intention, we want action.” Hernandez said it was the first time a Brexit Secretary had spoken with her, despite ‘numerous’ conversations with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and EU Brexit coordi-
Call to arms
THE Labour Party has agreed on its draft Brexit policy should it win the next election. A new deal would be negotiated with the EU within three months and a second referendum would then have it backing either ‘leave’ or ‘remain’. PASSIONATE: Brits protesting in Malaga
‘GUNG-HO’: Barclay nator Guy Verhofstadt. In a video message after the meeting, Barclay affirmed the government’s commitment to ‘safeguard citizens’ rights’. It comes as Barclay is locked in talks with the EU over amendments to Theresa May’s withdrawal deal ‘minus’ the controversial Irish backstop, according to statements made during the meeting.
DOZENS of British expats have filled the streets of Malaga to protest against the UK government’s Brexit preparations. Demonstrators, many draped in EU flags, held up placards saying ‘No Brexit.’ Around 365,967 British nationals’ rights to healthcare, work permits and other assistance lie in the balance in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “We feel really forgotten here in Spain,” said 61-year-old businessman Michael Soffe, who was protesting in Malaga, where he has lived for 30 years. More anti-Brexit protests are due to take place in the border town of La Linea, near Gibraltar, on October 19.
‘Why divide, when we could share the pain, why build up a wall at the frontier. Why search for a compass (and take us or to take us) to nowhere. I love those that take a plane to smell the streets of Madrid, Why deprive me to fly to England where today and yesterday will always be ours. From me to you!
Loss of rights BRITISH citizens in Spain will lose key rights if there are no reciprocal arrangements for Spanish people living in the UK, Spain’s foreign minister has confirmed. Josep Borrel said his government’s Royal Decree last March guaranteed British rights in Spain, but warned
these rights will be ‘stripped back’ if the UK does not respond in kind to Spaniards in Britain. Legislation already passed by the Spanish government covers the recognition of British university degrees and driving licenses, healthcare coverage and work permits.
NEWS
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Language warning A MOROCCAN has been denied citizenship after he was unable to read or write Spanish after 15 years in the country. A National Court judge ruled he ‘did not show clear integration into Spanish society’. The man, living in Huelva, also failed to grasp local cultures or understood the ‘way of life of the region’. “Not only has he difficulty expressing himself in the official language of the State but he does not know how to read or write in it,” the court heard. The judge added: “He has roots, livelihoods, and has two children of Spanish nationality enrolled and residing in the town of Rociana del Condado - Huelva since October 2009.”
‘Gay cure’ shocker
5
Poll reveals homophobia rife among Andalucian teenagers ONE in five teenagers in Andalucia still believe that being gay or transsexual ‘can be cured’, a shocking new report has revealed. It comes despite the fact that only 5% of those surveyed think homosexuality or transsexuality is ‘a disease’. The study of 5,665 12 to 18-year-olds across 75 high schools found that 55% of Andalucia’s youth have wit-
Disfigured for nothing THREE men have been arrested after they mistook a man for someone else and beat him so bad his face was disfigured. The victim was with a co-worker at 4:30 am in Marbella when three men when, believed to be of Paraguayan nationality, aged between 26 and 34, mistook him for a person they had a pre-
September 25th - October 8th 2019
vious dispute with, and beat him mercilessly. The perpetrators threw him to the ground in the centre of San Pedro and kicked his face severely. The victim suffered fractured cheekbones, nasal septum and palate, and even had to undergo a complex reconstruction of the jaw.
nessed a homophobic or transphobic incident. The study was carried out by the Andalucian Observatory against Homophobia, Bifobia and Transphobia and the Andalucian Diversity Federation. Meanwhile, 20% said they thought that in homosexual relationships there is always a male and female role. Also, one in 10 respondents said that they believed gay men want to be women and gay
women want to be men. Around 56% of those polled said they would want to know if somebody was not ‘straight’ in order to ‘avoid awkward situations’. “We are sad and surprised as many of them [the children] believe that couples formed by two men or two women should not have children,” said Observatory Director Natalia Ronco.
LEFT RED FACED VALENCIA has been left the same tinge of red as the Guardian’s politics, after it got caught paying for editorial. Opposition MPs have slammed a 2016 article, now removed, which saw regional president Ximo Puig paying he left-leaning UK newspaper a stunning €43,000 for an interview. While initially denying mon-
ey had changed hands, it has since emerged he paid for the article that attacked the opposition PP party as well as promoting the area. The Guardian’s website confirmed it was an ‘advertisement feature published as part of a commercial deal.’
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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 one million people a month.
OPINION
Sun has set on package holidays BRITAIN’S oldest travel company failed to move with the times. When budget airlines like Ryanair offer flights across Europe for as little as £15 and it’s possible to stay in a local’s fully furnished apartment thanks to sites like Airbnb, Thomas Cook just couldn’t compete. Clean but bland hotels, a little extra legroom and the convenience of airport transfers were not enough to attract the thousands of people who now prefer to book holidays online, rather than pop into their local travel agents. Poor business decisions didn’t help. Merging with struggling competitor MyTravel in 2011, when the number of people opting for package holidays was already dwindling, didn’t pay off. Those who have hit out at company bosses’ £50 million bonuses over the last decade are right to do so on the grounds of competence. But it’s unlikely withholding them would have made a difference to the muchloved travel agent’s fate. People’s holiday habits have changed for good and it’s up to travel firms to follow
suit.
Healthcare a right, not a privilege THE news that British expats will have to pay for their healthcare if no-deal Brexit happens is a betrayal of hardworking people. Many of these expats have paid their taxes for years and rightly expect quality care that they can afford as they age. Brexiters told us that leaving the EU would give us an extra £350 million per week for the NHS. Even if that figure was exaggerated, surely all of that money should now be used to cover expats’ healthcare costs. People back in the UK already have guaranteed free healthcare. So far the Department of Health has pledged £150 million to cover British nationals’ healthcare costs. That sum is a slap in the face to the 360,000 Brits living in Spain. They expect better and they deserve better. As Sue Wilson from Bremain in Spain has said, British nationals should be entitled to free healthcare whether they choose to retire in ‘Bradford, Bournemouth or Barcelona.’
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FEATURE
Losing their religion
September 25th - October 8th 2019
With atheism on the rise in Spain, Maya Eashwaran checks out why the masses are deserting the church
T
HINK Spain on Sunday and for many this conjures up an image of families soberly dressed, starting the day worshipping in their local churches. Old and young alike brought together by tradition, religion and community. But the deeply religious roots that have long been part of Spanish culture are being severed and instead of packed churches, clergymen are increasingly preaching to rows of empty pews, their sermons echoing round silent churches where congregations have gradually disappeared. Spain’s younger generation is firmly turning its back on religion and, while this is not surprising, the growth of atheism in a country with a history of religious fervour certainly is, with almost half of young Spaniards aged between 18 to 24 claiming that no religion is their religion. Decline in religion is a worldwide phenomenon. According to The Guardian newspaper, 70% of 16-29 year-olds in the UK identify with no religion. Around two thirds of people in this age range say they never pray. Leading the faithless field in Europe, France and the Czech Republic come just under China and Japan in The Independent newspaper’s list of countries with the most ‘convinced atheists.’ Atheism is no longer a hidden minority - in fact, Europe’s Christian population is forecast to drop by 100 million people in the next 30 years, according to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, a respected organisation in Washington, USA. Pew’s study takes into account factors like migration between Asia and Europe, the fertility levels of women of different religions, as well as the average ages of current religiously affiliated people. The numbers are so substantive that no religion at all was called the ‘world’s newest major religion’ by National Geographic just a few years ago. According to the Pew Research Center, non-religious people (labelled the ‘nones,’
SKY’S THE LIMIT: Young and old Spanish believers are in freefall, while (above top) Father Francesc Romeu battles to keep bums on pews and (above) the latest data an ironic homonym) make up a stunning between Franco’s dictatorship and Span16% of the world population. ish Catholicism. This age group still believe Non-religious groups have become so in God who was an obligatory element in prominent that they are often referred their childhood lives under the Franco reto as their own grouping entirely — the gime which lasted from the end of the Civil ‘nones’ actually come in second place as War until his death in 1975. the largest ‘religious group’ But following decades of dein almost half of the world’s mocracy, Varsavsky believes countries. This grouping ‘religion in Spain is mostReligious includes those who do not ly becoming tradition.’ He identify with any official recontinues: “Sunday church marriages in ligion, including atheists, attendance is in the single agnostics and those who Spain declined digits. In this country, they practice a mix of religions or still teach religion in most from 79% to spiritual practices. schools, but to most it is as This rapid movement toif they were teaching Span19.8% wards atheism, coupled with ish history, the history of a the less surprising finding country that used to be relithat the majority of churchgious but it is not anymore.” goers are from older generations, does not According to Pew’s research, most westbode well for the future of European Chris- ern European adults still consider themtianity. selves Christian, even though they may be Spain’s declining religious numbers are non-practicing. particularly interesting. This group still makes up a larger portion El Pais reported earlier of society compared to the ‘nones’, showing this year that 27% of all how religion is adapted to fit the social and Spaniards are among cultural views of many modern day adults. the ‘nones’. In contrast, These non-practicing Christians do not be88.6% of the country’s lieve in the ‘biblical definition of God,’ as 65-and-overs still as- practicing Christians do although they incribe to traditional reli- clude elements of the religion in their daily gious beliefs, the most lives. prominent of which is But the clergy still hold out hope that there Christianity. could be a reversal. Father Francesc Romeu Church marriages have (pictured above preaching)remains optimisalso declined steeply; tic, even though he has seen a decline in in a 27 year-long period, congregation numbers at his parish of Santhe percentage of reli- ta Maria de Taulat in the Barcelona barrio of gious marriages in Spain Poblenou since he was ordained 34 years declined from 79% to ago. 19.8%, a huge drop of “The old people I had when I started out nearly 60 percent. as a priest have died and now I have othMartin Varsavsky, in the ers who are retiring,” he told El Pais. “Their Huffington Post, goes grandchildren are now older and there to the history books to comes a day when they walk into the church explain that one of the and stay.” major factors behind Whether the growing tide of atheism sweepthe older generation’s ing across Europe will continue to empty religious adherence is church pews long term, only time will tell. the strong connection Or perhaps it’s in God’s hands.
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FEATURE
7
LET’S TALK ABOUT PORN With more gang rapes reported every year, there is an urgent need to define the line between fact and fiction, writes Heather Galloway
P
ORNOGRAPHY used to be associated with middle-aged men hovering in front of magazine racks until they believed it was safe to reach up to the top shelf, snatch down the coveted item and make it to the till unobserved. Then came the 1990s series Friends and porn was ushered into the mainstream with chums Joey and Chandler constantly alluding to their porn addiction in what was packaged as harmless fun. Now, the founder of the Asturias Association for Sex Education, Ivan Rotella, claims that children as young as nine and ten are regularly consuming porn on their smart phones – a device which, according to the Spanish Institute of Statistics, is in the hands of 26.25% of this age bracket. Consequently, a warped sex education begins before some even reach puberty. “It creates a lot of problems,” Rotella tells me after explaining that any child looking up parts of the body for anatomy homework will be exposed to it. “Some don’t want their parents to touch each other after seeing it,” he continues. “Nor do they want to give kisses themselves or go to the park where other children will show them more porn on their mobile, usually the most obscene or peculiar images they can find.”
7 Olive Press online
September 25th - October 8th 2019 that’s the
Spain’s best English news website
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LIES AND DAMNED STATISTICS ‘LIES, damned lies and statistics,’ as former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said. Anyone can throw claims and figures about. It is what’s behind the statistics that matters. At the Olive Press we simply publish our numbers according to official Google Analytics numbers (above) and report on our most popular stories of the fortnight. We also like to remind our readers that we are Spain’s Number One English news site by a country mile. What we DON’T do is buy followers on Facebook or Twitter or acquire overnight website links (hundreds of thousands of them, like some rivals do) to artificially boost our site. We simply grow organically, thanks to our diet of good reporting and investing in journalism. And we let the numbers do the talking. FILMING: 12% of gang rapes in Spain were filmed
offender to have a notable criminal record, and more likely to be Spanish than foreign. There is a pattern to these crimes too: they are frequently committed after fiestas or at weekends, suggesting that the blurring of the line between Rapes fantasy and reality has been exacerThe porn-addiction joke starts to ware bated by drink and drugs. particularly thin though, when we are But like Rotella, Andrea Giménez-Satold that the numbers of sex offences lina, president of the Foundation for and gang rapes are soaring. Applied Research into Crime and SeAccording to Feminicidio.net there curity, is loath to draw conclusions. were a staggering 60 gang rapes “Recently there has been a lot of in Spain last year compared to 14 talk relating pornography to these in 2017, and 18 in 2016 when the attacks, but there is no empirical evinfamous Pamplona San Fermines idence to support this,” she tells me. ‘manada’, - or wolf pack - took place Rotella believes the rise in gang rape with five Spanish men taking turns to is probably down to more victims rape an 18-year-old. feeling able to report This year, there have it. But he does make a been 42 reported tenuous link between cases taking place People think porn on tap and sex between January offences when he and August 2, when sex education is says, “Proper sex edsix men raped an about condoms ucation in schools 18-year-old who had would decrease genarranged to meet and orgasms. It’s der violence and sex one of her aggressors attacks,” adding that not through Instagram in porn distorts young Bilbao. people’s view of what Of the 134 gang rapes might be pleasurable committed since 2016, 12% were or acceptable because it is pure faneither filmed or photographed, as tasy. though the perpetrators were keen He goes on to draw parallels with scito make their own porn movie with ence fiction. “If a child watching Spithemselves as the stars. derman understands it as a climbing But while Rotella, who runs the Artur- manual, they’re going to have probsex program to educate teenagers, lems. Pornography is entertainment, agrees some offenders may want to not a handbook for sex,” he says. imitate porn, that doesn’t mean porn “The only solution is to educate our has actually driven the crime. children. People think sex education “They may prove a link in the future, is about condoms and orgasms. It’s but it hasn’t been done yet,” he says. not. It’s about getting young people Gang rapes are generally committed to understand their bodies, accept by a younger demographic than sim- themselves and express themselves ilar crimes committed by an individ- and it’s about respect and commuual. nication.” The average age is 25, according to Ana Fernández Alonso, director of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. the sexology department at Oviedo They are also less likely than the lone University, goes further, explaining
that it is not enough to have sex education thrown in with another subject. “It needs to be taught by someone qualified,” she says. “To think anyone can teach it because we are all sexual beings is like thinking we can all be cardiologists because we all have a heart.”
Fairy tales
Through the Artursex programme, Rotella and his colleagues visit schools to discuss sexism and homophobia with students, personal hygiene and sexual diversity with younger teenagers, jealousy, control issues and the risks of social media with pre-teens. They also look at alternative endings to traditional fairy tales with the very young. “It should start at the age of three,” says Rotella, “like any other subject.” Back in January this year, the PSOE’s Ministry of Education was proposing to include sex education as part of a reform bill, enraging elements on the right, such as the Madrid region’s Vox candidate Rocío Monasterio who claimed that pupils aged eight were being introduced to bestiality in optional sex education sessions. Rotella dismisses this as nonsense. “We have had complaints from Vox, but they have no idea what they are talking about. We never introduce material that the school doesn’t approve beforehand.” In any case, Monasterio can breathe easy as the reform bill has been put on ice while Pedro Sanchez struggles to form a government. But as Rotella says, we haven’t yet had the chance to assess what effect exposure to porn will have on these nine and 10 year olds in later life – “Above all, on their relationships with a future partner.” It’s time to get the conversation started.
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress. es in the past two weeks are:
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- BREAKING: Extreme risk ‘red alert’ warning issued for all of Alicante from midnight Wednesday as Gota Fría batters the Costa Blanca (50,398)
2 3 4 5
- City-wide curfew and ‘Level One Emergency’ in Orihuela as Costa Blanca deals with torrential floods (23,494) - WATCH: Cars swept down 3m-high weir as rainfall exceeding 400mm hammers Costa Blanca village (21,921)
- Hailstorm hits Costa del Sol’s Ronda as winemakers hope their crops have not been ruined (19,473) - Brits living in Spain will LOSE their rights if UK fails to give Spanish citizens better protection says Spain’s Government (17,727)
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ed as reasons for the company’s collapse by UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Despite not balancing the books, the Thomas Cook directors received £50 million in bonuses over the last decade. The firm’s most recent CEO, Peter Fankhauser - who apologised for its collapse on Monday - raked in £8.3m during his time in the top job. Despite this, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speculated that it could be time to ‘reflect on whether the directors of these companies are properly incentivised to sort such matters out’. Thomas Cook was set up in 1878 to offer one-day railway excursions across the UK and has been running package holidays to Spain since the 1950s. ATOL Protected passengers with future bookings are entitled to a full refund for their cancelled holiday. Passengers currently overseas may also make claims for the cost of replacing ATOL protected parts of their trip, or for out-of-pocket expenses as a result of delayed flights home. The Civil Aviation Authority will be launching a service to manage all refunds by Monday 30 September, once the flying operation has progressed. This refunds service will seek to process all refunds within 60 days of full information being received.
NEWS
SLOW DIG
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Teens’ sick joke A TRIO of girls have been slammed after posing for selfies on a cliff edge known for its number of suicides. Police have slammed the teens perching on a ledge
at the top of Santa Catalina hill, in Gijon. The trio were trying to capture the moment where a couple recently accidentally fell to their death.
Franco’s body comes one step nearer to being removed from mausoleum IT’S a saga almost as torturous as his life. But Spain has now come one step closer to moving former dictator Francisco Franco from his communal grave at Madrid’s Valley of the Fallen. The Supreme Court has finally ruled that the disgraced dictator can be dug up from his tomb in the heart of the biggest war monument in Europe. It comes after Pedro Sanchez’s government pledged last year to remove his body from underneath the monument and move him to a pri-
By Robert Firth
vate cemetery in Madrid. The move was originally planned for June 10, but the Supreme Court forced it to delay the move after receiving an appeal from the Franco family. However, the appeal, arguing that his body should be reburied in Madrid’s Catedral de la Almudena, has now been turned down. The body could now be moved to a non-controversial site the El Pardo cemetery where
his wife is buried, as well as many other politicians. The issue has divided opinion in Spain, with Franco buried alongside tens of thousands of civil war dead, most of them Republicans. It has led to the monument symbolising a triumph of fascism, and a shrine for the far right. “The idea that people who were killed by Franco’s troops are buried together with Franco is absurd,” said Silvia Navarro, whose great uncle died in 1936.
Century-old border battle A BORDER dispute between two of Spain’s most famous tourist towns could finally be resolved - after a centuries old agreement was invoked. The Junta de Andalucia is basing its division of Benalmadena and Fuengirola on an 1874 document signed by the two towns.
The land dispute over the ownership of 74,000 square metres in the luxury Reserva del Higueron development will be awarded to Benalmadena. Fuengirola included the former scrubland land in its town masterplan after Benalmadena failed to in-
clude it in its 1981 plan due to a technical error. However, Benalmadena decided to rectify the matter when it realised a few years ago that Fuengirola was making a huge amount in taxes from wealthy residents in the area.
Scooter runs A TODDLER was injured just days before a new electric scooter ban came into place. The girl, 2, was walking in Malaga port, when the scooter hit her, throwing her on her back. Policia Local attended the scene but luckily the girl was uninjured, however she was in a great deal of shock. The accident comes as Malaga passes a new law banning the use of scooters from October, apart from in bike lanes and roads only. Following the clampdown, around 20 scooter drivers gathered on the steps of Malaga Town Hall on Sunday, calling on the council to give them the same rights as cyclists.
Branson Mansion death A BRITISH tourist has been found dead in the pool of a Spanish villa owned by the sister of entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Oliver Wissenbach, 25, was discovered lifeless by a maintenance worker in Menorca at Lindy Branson’s pad on the first day of his holiday on the Balearic island. It is thought he drowned after taking a late night dip in the pool at Lindy’s Villa Gloria that his family were renting. The 25-yearold was wearing sunglasses when he was found. He had just come back from a trip out to see fireworks with his family.
10
GREEN
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Anti-flood fund
WE’RE GOING GREEN
Expats are out in force as global climate change protests hit the Costa del Sol
ANDALUCIAN President Juanma Moreno is readying a €1 million investment fund to clean rivers affected by the recent biblical floods, which killed seven in Almeria and Alicante. The plan is to prevent bottlenecks in rivers causing upstream flooding and flow constriction, after the Gota Fria event caused €1.5 billion worth of damage. Moreno has called on farmers to follow regulations, adding they are normally ‘very good’ in these matters. However, he warned he would go ‘very hard’ on those who fail to comply, particularly those who leave wires, sticks, plastic and other rubbish in river channels. “We are going to make a big effort, and I ask that everyone else follow suit.”
September 25th - October 8th 2019
A DATE has been set for global climate change protests on the Costa del Sol. On September 27 thousands of activists are set to descend on Malaga to highlight the inaction of world leaders.
By Jacque Talbot
The Plaza de la Constitucion is the meeting point for protestors after millions across the globe have taken to the
Around the world in greener ways TIPS have been revealed informing people how to fly around the globe more ecologically. Spain ranks second in Europe and fifth in the world for the amount of emissions for air travel, with 20.71 million tons of carbon dioxide used last year, a 21% increase from 2017. But now LuggageHero.com has offered some suggestions on reducing your carbon footprint if you decide to travel by air. These include saying yes to nonstop flights, using greener airports, reusing plastic, taking your own meals and packing lighter. Other methods are pledging to stop flying for one year and, of course, using alternative transport. The company was inspired by teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg (right) who recently sailed from her home in Sweden to New York instead of flying and is the face of ‘flygskam’ (‘flight shame’) a growing movement in Europe to reduce carbon footprint by cutting down on air travel.
streets over the past fortnight. A week-long campaign has been launched to ‘bring an end to the age of fossil fuels and climate justice for everyone’.
Spain will be one of over 150 countries where demonstrations will take place, with some 4,500 strikes planned everywhere from Kenya to Cambridge. In some places, like New York, children are even being given a day off school to join the cause. British activist Karen Southall, 48, is among hundreds of expats attending the Malaga event. “I’m really hopeful that the global climate strike will bring even more attention to the climate issue,” she told the Olive Press. “If it encourages more people to look at their own carbon footprint and puts pressure on governmental changes then it’s worth it.” The protests were inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg (left), who has captivated the global elite with her straight talking climate change stance. Protestors demand that governments and businesses should commit to a target of zero carbon emissions by 2030. “There needs to be significant changes and most changes start with a demand and a call for action,” Karen continued. “It’s crazy to think people have to resort to a strike to fight for our future survival and planet protection. How ridiculously sad.”
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SPAIN has seen the biggest G decline in new car registration since the 2008 economic With Brexit around the corner crash. Gibraltar National Day has never felt more important. Check out our FREE The sharp decline has you been guide inside on everything need to know about the celebrations. attributed to the introduction of new emission tests, which deflated car sales by 48% last August. Car registration has decreased by 30.8% to 74,490 units compared to the same month in 2018, according to industry groups. This is the biggest drop for August in terms of commercialization of cars since 2008, when levels collapsed 41.27% in the middle of the economic crisis. Spain’s automobile employers association Anfac has called for urgent measures to reverse this trend as soon as possible. In particular Anfac would like to see ‘a crash plan with stimulus measures to encourage the purchase of new vehicles’. As Brexit tensions boiling point, John reach Culatto explores why Gibraltar National this could be the Rock’sDay significant one yet most
MINISTRY of Defence workers could soon receive similar wages to civil servants on the Rock. It comes after Chief Minister Fabian Picardo backed the union pay claim, saying he would bring it up with ministers in London. Picardo pledged his ‘full support’ for all MoD employees against what he called UK ‘austerity’. "It is remarkable that it is now those working as locally employed civilians in the Ministry of Defence, who are being negatively impacted by UK austerity as they have been,” said Picardo. “Historically, Gibraltar has really turned a corner when we see our people having to seek parity of wages with Gibraltar Government salaries, and not the other way around as was the case almost 40 years ago.”
ET ready for the biggest the year when Gibraltar party of Spanish aggression. declares With it is red, white and Brexit tensions free. There is no latest National Day running high, this is bound to be bigger Rock in all its vibrantbetter time to see the than ever. than National Day character and colour Gibraltar has always stood Every year since at Casemates Square. September 10, 1992 throughout its 300-year history.by Britain the people of Gibraltar have assembled National Day is a celebration of what to show their desire Theto be British and defy Continues overleaf
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He was referring to the fight for wages parity led by the founder of his party the GSLP, Sir Joe Bossano. The Chief Minister gave special mention to Gibraltar Defence Police officers LEAKED: Report warning of four-hour border queues sees Keith Azopardi and the soldiers of the Roy(far right) tell Picardo (left) to ‘get radical’ al Gibraltar Regiment. A Government spokesperson said that the ‘real pay of these individuals has fallen very significantly’. “The impact of this gap in Gibraltar has been even worse considering our outstanding economic growth during the same period,” said the Government. Picardo said: “We will fully support our colleagues in all By John Culatto sectors of MoD employment in Gibraltar in their claims for better remuneration and FOUR hours of queuing to get terms and conditions.” The main Gibraltar union, in and out of Gibraltar could Unite, is leading the charge be the norm in a no-deal Brexalong with the Gibraltar it scenario. General Clerical Associa- That’s one of the many stark revealed the document was the EU will create cannot warnings predicted in the tion. be published on August 1. underestimated or indeed re- especially given how those It followed Opposition criticism “I will raise this issue myself leaked Yellowhammer docu- But Picardo has been quick to solved by a new arrangement issues would affect frontier that not enough was being done with ministers in London," ment, prepared by the UK dismiss the claims as ‘planthat anyone is able to negoti- flow.” said Picardo, who regularly government in the case of a ning for worst case scenarios.’ The Government hopes the to plan for what many fear could ate. meets with top UK Govern- no-deal. “I maintain it will not be a ‘Memorandums of Under- bring Gibraltar to a standstill. “It is obvious we should be planment representatives in the Although Chief Minister Fa- of roses,” the Gibraltar bed “We have repeatedly stated standing’ signed last Gov- that we are working with year bian Picardo declared the leak UK capital. the could become ‘a non-legally ning hard for a no-deal Brexit,” was ‘out of date’, it was later ernment said in a statement. “The many problems leaving United Kingdom and Spain binding basis’ for a no-deal said GSD Leader Keith Azoparto address a no-deal situation, di. scenario. “The election of Boris Johnson has brought that prospect much closer. “The Government needs to invest more time and resources on no-deal planning and do so in a ALL AREAS much more radical way. UK BASED COVERED “Time will tell whether those preparations have been effecLettings | Sales 4G UNLIMITED tive.” Investments The Yellowhammer report highINTERNET Reliable private hire transfer lights the risk of disruption to IDEAL FOR STREAMING TV Relocations services for any occasion the supply of goods, including ALSO IPTV, for Spanish Commercial • Luxury vehicles food, medicine and the shipSATELLITE TV • Door to door service ment of waste. and Residential residents • Airport collections Picardo added: “As a responTel: +350 200 44955 • Weddings transport sible Government, we plan for www.globelink.co.uk enquiries@seekerspropertygibraltar.com • Sightseeing day trips the worst case scenarios, even • Restaurant shuttles though we are confident they tel: (0034) 952 763 840 will not occur.” Find out more at: 96 626 5000 info@theskydoctor.com With Gibraltar being on the EU’s www.simply-shuttles.com 10 Engineer Lane, +44 (0) 1353 699082 www.theskydoctor.com most southern frontier, delays tel: 951 279 117 Gibraltar GX11 1AA are likely to be substantial. info@simply-shuttles.com www.seekerspropertygibraltar.com The UK is expected to leave the EU on October 31.
Opposition urges Gibraltar to ‘get radical’ as leaked report warns of four-hour border queues
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AN undercover investigation has revealed that rental firm Goldcar uses ‘criminal lying and bullying’ as sales tactics. Consumer publication Which? said it caught the car hire company ‘red handed’ using ‘pressure-selling’. In secret filming at Malaga and Alicante airports Goldcar threatened to charge journalists posing as holidaymakers ‘€300 for a tiny scratch’. The notorious firm also offered an excess and deposit of just €1,100, while it said drivers who broke down would be charged €8.50 for every kilometre on a tow truck. Goldcar told several lies, including ‘if you don’t buy our insur-
CAUGHT: Which? probe found mis-selling by Goldcar in Malaga and Alicante ance, you’re only covered for cies wouldn’t be valid, and that tional insurance when renting a third-party damage’, according unless they accepted Goldcar’s, car and are covered with ‘basic’ to Which? they would be unable to hire the insurance by law. Other untruths included that vehicle. In Europe, customers It comes after numerous comcustomers’ own insurance poli- are not required to buy addi- plaints have been made against Goldcar, including claims of customers having €1,200 frozen on their credit card for refusing to pay an extra €100 insurance payment. SPAIN’S Iberdrola has sold part of its substantial offWhich? advises customers to shore wind farm operation in the UK in a €1.8 billion ‘never rent from Goldcar’. deal. Some of the best-rated car hire The energy firm has completed the sale of the East Anfirms in contrast include Enterglia ONE wind farm after receiving the necessary apprise, Hertz and Avis. A Goldproval from the Crown Estate. car statement read: “Goldcar The move will see a 40% stake in the North Sea wind would never condone the use farm go to the Australian Macquarie group through of misleading statements that Iberdrola’s British subsidiary Scottish Power Reneware not aligned with our terms ables. East Anglia ONE will be one of the largest in the and conditions. Where we find world when it enters into operations in 2020, supplyunaligned practice we will take ing 600,000 British homes with clean energy. firm action.”
BREXIT has been blamed for the second consecutive summer fall in British tourist numbers to Spain. For the second year in a row, July has seen a decrease in the number of foreign visitors to Spain. The fall of the British economy and the devaluation of the pound due to uncertainty over Brexit has seen fewer Brits seek the Spainish sun in favour of cheaper alternatives. In total, 161,000 fewer British tourists have visited Spain in the last two years while a fall of 1.6% has already been registered so far this year.
EXPOSED: Our previous article on Goldcar Worrying times STRONG GUST
THE Bank of Spain has warned of the risk of an upcoming economic crisis. Governor Hernandez de Cos has warned ‘urgent’ progress needs to be made to reform the European Banking Union before another financial crash hits. De Cos has defended the need to create a fiscal stabilization instrument in the eurozone. He described the situation as ‘very worrying’.
‘ROBDBED’ ERCATE SION PENGET EDU
Dea he O ve P ess Rose Moore sees the EU, essentially, as a political d cu a pg dca a They 7).ous om GoIssue 325, ed a ca en (Leave and proud, n May hip dictators o be oo good €30 states, ess . han sovereign are 28was ow p ce There opposite is thewas reality hey pu ca d and my c edly chose ove voluntari handwhich o UK, to become ue hadthe including ved a a would am 00 a 8 that fl gh With Brexit around the corner the poundwas plummeting, it nDunne e uand on My OLIVE €900 the UK E are all well and truly fed believes Steve d. associate up of hearing the ‘B’ word is the perfect time to get your finances in order o ake one PRESS no was e The am 00 6 a po A aga and the majority of expats I Ma to going not I’m so. Not terms. fair better on WTO asked a he nwww.theblacktowergroup.com now speak to have reached Howler! ma on desk o chapter the stage that they just want Brexit ched keyBY my and Tsea M your page by quoting letters over with – whatever the outcome! m down weigh bu he pthe dn into cou If only life were that easy. We wonkey She he that hand n nd couIdrecomme e GOVAERTS whe der, constantly, if those behind the looks Steve verse, butwou do whe em he ca pa kTrump back oknows. d have o go sa d ha of m That he that Y! industry any OR specifics VICT me and wou d have The e was no an had e hemca trade m m UK should trying to get a wasdeal is home andm he key o m akeEU-free o dwith m ssed my fl gh m trade Trump’s know: to want you all you tell o he m u mneddeals e W m when aga Ma send back m o Go dca m m for Finally, labels.wou m US-first m he depos have was y keep speaks obab Mahler d pBrent UK m o d hey force armed EU m an of m wary citizens ned u UK e of was key a number once he eW u n he u amoun and m M m ved ideas , these However ece union.he heyare and e ed pos eg scloser m key wh ch byever senan m policy. I am and not e ephoned peoplewand andEU e o by specific €150 was gom back Afloated Costa Blanca m hey m of y proyears ca mworried €150 Bas the ainsidious u he 40-plus y eceatved moreua even m Issue 13 m by amoun h,o hugeTelegrap s aMail, s the me Th EEC/EU €600theom s o en have paganda magainst so ha did o dWhat a Sun. and canno The one of course, a pens m and, Times money Express, m m om nce esponde OLIVE cowhy so ane any gno he was nowhe They asked was money o when say Murdoch PRESS Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised you sgois into regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct registered h hIand wAuthority away gein Gibraltar can hey ng sgus “When of: s dand lines me g along Somethin ti-EU?Financial with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Management (Int) Ltd the is licensed by the Financial Services s ha hethe o to wa Iningo eas Commission (FSC) andsome is registered with o bothIa the DGS and CNMV Spain h ng Thed EU.”wou do can when say: VICTORY! what do they 10 No. ed a ec ent! app be appointm an for ask to had implication is that he
Mallorca Issue 63
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KICK IN THE STOMACH preparing Health authorities are reportedlyhandling of heavy sanctions for failures in the food and ‘structural deficiencies’. at 6ft 2, A top scorer in his club and standing be signed by Baunbag was last year tipped to English Premier League club Liverpool. Reds said the In November, agents from the well’ in Eng19-year-old’s qualities ‘could fit were trackland and made it known that they ing him. off the pitch The rising star will now be firmly while he recovers from sickness. was first outbreak Salmonella the of alarm The
A RISING football star is one of at least 51 customers believed to have been poisoned at a Japanese restaurant in Mallorca. de Real Mallorca B footballer Victor Baunbag is among the dozens to have fallen ill this week after eating at Dragon Sushi on Calle Blanqerna in Palma. in MaThe Cameroonian forward, born already drid, is one of many who have bacteria tested positive for Salmonella - the found in uncooked meats and seafood.
CASES of ‘werewolf syndrome’ have grown after 16 children were given contaminated medication on the Costa del Sol. exInfants developed hypertrichosis cessive body hair growth - after taking omeprazole which had been contaminated by minoxidil – the active ingredient for alopecia medication. Some 13 babies had initially been diagnosed with the condition before three more cases linked to the tainted drugs were discovered earlier this month. Officials believe the contamination could have affected up to 30 Andalu50 cian pharmacies and more than batches of the drug.
when raised 19-year-old Carlos Mora the entered emergency the restaurant. room the morning after eating at later that However it wasn’t until two days safety inspecDragon Sushi was closed by food tors, who ordered tests to be performed. stands at While the current number of victims could climb 51, authorities believe that figureremain closed much higher. The restaurant will until the case is complete.
Hair
Malaga-based pharmaceutical company Farma-Quimica Sur SL has been found to be the source of the batch. lot The affected batch is from re11072/10/42 and most have been are called while any missing packets being tracked down. Parents have been advised to seek medical help if their child has been given the formula and check with their an pharmacy if they have purchased as affected lot. Hypertrichosis, known ‘werewolf syndrome’, is a rare condition characterised by excessive hair growth anywhere on a person’s body. Those with the condition have historiand cally been subject to great interest in in somes cases forced to perform travelling circuses and freak shows. inSpanish authorities have said this cident is isolated to children’s formula and that adults taking omeprazole capsules should not worry about developing symptoms. When the children their prescription the stopped taking hair growth subsided. Opinion Page 6
Rental websites which scammed British holidaymakers out of thousands FINALLY shut down following Olive Press exposes
2
May 9th - May 22nd
CRIME
Dream Killas
www.theolivepress.es
Introducing News Editor Laurence Dollimore and Reporter Joshua Parfitt
any Contact them with on stories or newsemail 951 273 575 or newsdesk@theolivepress.es
2019
Vox
4 blocked
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es April 25th - May 8th 2019 for BeniVOX’S top candidate been replaced dorm mayor has he received a after revelations sentence A BRITISH for expat is being handed a prestigious British gong by the Queen for her two-year prison in February services to tourists in Alicante. domestic violence Candida Wright will receive an MBE for two years ago from the British Ambassa2018. banher charitable work as an interpreter in dor to Spain. Brigido was Perez Davidparty THE socialist (PSOE) largest hospital in the Marina Alta, on Though she is a professional interpreter, election,thedespite the ned Candida often represents victims of sexual will hold on to from the Valencian May 16. MYSTERY surrounds the sentences sometimes government in the upcoming 58-year-old, known as ‘Candy’, has violence in Spanish courts for free, as well The if two-year the apparent suicide of an elin Spain offering financial support through her regional elections, according volunteered being waived derly British resident on con- with HELP of Denia & Mari- as charity. to a marketaccused research company. na Alta since it launched in 1984. has no previous the Costa Blanca. Sigma Dos revealed PSOE will During that time she has helped expats “One of the hardest things is when someofew The 84-year-old expat victions. to lung cancer a to have through cancer, bereavement, bureaucra- ne comes to the desk saying ‘my husband take between 29-30 seats, whiwas found threw herself from a bridge Brigido is helping mother Perez died and I don’t know what to do’,” expcy and court battles. Party (PP) will le the Popular ex-wife, his years ago. THE Olive Press in Javea after being seen legal action “My nephews and nieces were ‘repeatedly fallabused’ from As the president of the charity, she runs lained Candy, who lives in Ondara with see its representation her threw victims take ‘pacing frantically’ by the to it as 31 seats to 22-23. helphair desk at the Marina Salud hospital her Spanish husband. Her two children, rental comafter he ‘shoved and theher looking forward against a holiday railings. 35 and 25, live in Madrid and Valencia But with the totalground, seats inpulled in Denia. abroad,” holiday- really to the face’. A neighbour, who asked pany that scammedfor rental they have never been Valencia’s Generalitat at 99, “The most exciting thing was the pink in- respectively. While she helps with hospiher in the punched Olive Press. andneed dis- I was posted with the words tal procedures, burials and repatriation, not to be named, told the the card PSOE will again to form vitation Deleslie told the makers thousands Blanca. alsoa found saving up The judge Olive Press he saw the wohad coalition to reach the absolute politician BP (Buckingham Palace),” Candida told she’s often called upon to just be a ‘helping villas on the Costa paper was “I spent two years conned Brits abroad we just can’t graced man ‘peering over the edge’ hand’ to someone in need. majority of 50 seats. far-right Press. theand Olive‘deVillas Spain site It comes as the victims of for this trip, and new villa. after squeezing between a The poll suggests the PSOE‘insulted’ will it meant British Petroleum at “You’re sometimes dealing with people “I thought SCAM: Dream frequently 2014 to 2017. who was contacted by new following afford to pay for Ro- returns from phone the woman, who are cancer patients, or need amputamake a pact meaned’ with Valencianist first.” she joked. fence and a steel support ‘general manager’ stress kids are devastated.” There is no available Dream Villas Spain, Compromis seats)post-traumatic and The expat, who has lived in Spain for 45 tions, and it just gives you a wonderful feweb- (17-18 pillar at one end of the brion the plight The helped the family make whichAlba Gutierrez has shut left with (the one on the last issue’s report years, received a ‘Points of Light’ award eling to think ‘I really helped them today’.” MEETING QUEEN: Candida left-wing populist Podemos dge. House number been disconnected) who lost We after De- sella (6-7Alba seats). disorder. site has a police denuncia, lose ‘more Spain’s Companies of the Bolton family, rental. It was about an hour befoRosella Dream Villas The regional re police were alerted to a leslie said she willflights were and reveals that registered as and the name €2,000 on a Moraira in elections will fall 42, has now on May 26 the same day as the appears nowhere suicide attempt over the Petra Deleslie, after losing than €12,000’ asand her bank Spain, which is was incor- Gutierrez European elections. dry Gorgos riverbed while the list of employees. contacted us a villa in Mo- already booked claim their Digital Dream SL, Olifor ‘data pro- Another victim told the See children played on a nearby election porated in 2014 hosting’. €6,000 booking for her ex- were unable to hadour football pitch. on page 6 this week she guide and web money back. raira later this year Press cessing Carrer de la Fe, in ve Pressa villa in Marbella as “She was holding a white 18. in showed the Olive tended family of paper bag and kept looking for four after she She it filed tax booked Dream Vi- Based a surprise getaway We agreed to help‘desperate’ emails asking refund, after Palma, Mallorca, in the bag and then leaning 18-year-old have scammed a friends and five told us she was losing her llas Spain for a over the edge,” the neighLevels CON artists out of €300 bour told the Olive Press. daughters as a post-A for a break after British pensioner help him reto “I wanted to ask her what present. in Lon- after pretending she was doing, but I womoney left at a cashpoint Sarah Adam, based is convinced cover rried she spoke only SpaSaturday. don, told us she scammed. in Javea last proceTHE owners of a bike shop are 77, was approanish and assumed she was Town Hall beganthat the she has also been appealing Brian Stokes, families scammed out of not res-for witnesses a British feeding stray cats.” has begun the ‘20-something’ two byof- in The company has JAVEA Town Hallagainst the edings after learning reforfor ched theft of €40,000 of stock the Sa- from requests thousands EXCLUSIVE ponded to email just one minute! Spanish men outside legal proceedings who cut off owner had intentionally access la Nau By Joshua Parfitt Cabo deholiday Quickly bank Bikes in onfake The theft at Xabia’s the stairs, closing Calle comment. badell owner of a property in Coombes heritage fi- med bikes stolen he had left €20 saw ninePla Just after 7pm last Tuesday ancient site from claiming Meanwhile, DarrenMoraira public access to a thenwho booked villa, in Moraira, before transDream al Mar. to the thieves mor- A at 4am last Wednesday The BRITISH family another Spanish eyewitfrom Alicante-based the cashpoint. shing ground in Balconwho has Samuel Adler. Olive ning. Press a week’swithdraw holiday on the Costa ferring the deposit. ness revealed she had seen represent a very they couldn’t Villa Spain told the One The unknown owner, of the in bikes, claimed a Trek LR10, Blancaand villa “These works wereasked shocked to see She has now confirmed that cashing a heritage the woman jump from the the fraudsters areand cash themselves a luxurious four-storey built serious attack on to us all,” wasdrawing worth €13,000. their villahis advertised card, as avai- her family have been scammed eastern of two bridges on corresponds in andtoin re-insert on his credibility “Two thieves lable on a completely different over the holiday due for June. Stokes overlooking Cala Ambolo, pro- broke the Avenida de Augusta. for Jávea with ‘metal that just a minute andwhich a half they stole stole. “We were this close to leaving website. users from his legitimate a ‘stone staircase’access to the said a spokesperson “I was walking to MercadoInstinine bikes,” Martin Stadlhofer, Susan Bolton, 61, soon realised for our holiday that never perty business website. railings’ that cut fishery. Oceanographic Research na when I saw her take off 40, co-owner of Xabia’s Bikes, she had lost the ₤1,300 depo- existed,” Bolton told the Olive SCAM: Brit family caught by fake villa website her shoes, climb the railing, Llavadora del PinetBolufer said tute (IROX). He told the Olive Press they tations’. told the Olive Press. sit when Dream Villas Spain, Press. and no more,” the woman Councillor Isabel
Socialist win
helps victims take The Olive Press skyrocketing action following rental scam reports of holiday
Your reporters, here to help on the Costa Blanca
Mystery suicide
Gong for Candy!
CATCH THESE CONMEN
Swallow the bait
Wheely fast!
SEL-FISH
(Personal contacts on page 6)
“I’m not sure they knew what they were doing as they knocked over a bike worth €12,000 and didn’t take it—which is great for us.”
based in Mallorca, shut off all contact. The mother-of-two from the West Midlands had spent weeks finding the perfect holiday
Animal horror
A BRITISH expat called in police after finding a group of dogs chained in an abandoned house without food. Roger Ballantine contacted the Guardia Civil after finding the dogs while out walking near Orba. Ballantine had decided to investigate when he noticed a ‘pungent smell’ coming from the ruin. Inside he found scenes worthy of a horror film with dogs kept on short chains surrounded by trash and their own excrement. “It was despicable,” Ballantine told the Olive Press. “It is clear that farmers have chained these four dogs.”
“I knew we had been conned when I contacted them regarding an airport pick up and got no response. It made me become suspicious.” She added the company is now not responding to any calls or emails. Meanwhile, celebrity chocolate taster Angus Kennedy lost ₤5,000 when his family discovered a German man living at the Mallorcan villa they had booked through Dream Villas Spain. Kennedy, from Kent, revealed that when the family arrived this month, the owner, who gave his name as Klaus, was completely baffled and knew nothing about the rental or website.
had chosen the villa out of 780 different homes for rent on the site. They only realised they had been scammed when an airport pick-up never arrived, and he caught a taxi to the property to find the bewildered German. “What was different in our case is I was determined to get to the house, and then contacted the press” Angus told the Olive Press. “I think many more have been duped and the scam could be worth millions.” The website he used to book the trip, dreamvillasspain. com, claims its goal is to ‘create your dream holiday experience and exceed your expec-
The scam comes almost two years since the Olive Press exclusively exposed a string of fake holiday websites duping tourists coming to Spain. In a series of investigations we found dozens of tourists had been scammed millions of euros from the various sites, which illegally uploaded villa photos from legitimate sites. Among those scammed were British Rugby Union star Dean Schofield, who lost €50,000 on a fake villa in Mallorca. Spain Dream Villas, who operate as Digital Dreams SL, declined to comment. JWe were unable to contact anyone at Dream Villas Spain as we went to press.
told the Olive Press. “It all happened so quickly.” Three police cars and an ambulance raced to the scene to retrieve the body. Police confirmed the cause of death as suicide, while a spokesperson for the Town Hall said the lady was British and had lived in a block of flats next to the river ‘for many years’. Neither police or the town hall would reveal her name, suggesting it was proving problematic to contact her next of kin in the UK. None of the residents in the area by the bridge knew the octogenarian.
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A FRAUDULENT villa rental web952 147 834 site that tricked British holidaynailed after Olive makers out of thousands has finally family LAST: Scammers Dreamvillasspain.com while (right) victim Angus and shut down following an extensive AT Press campaign (inset left), the scam Olive Press campaign this year. bogus achs lurch as they read of in lost fielding calls concerning Dreamvillasspain.com was behind it It soon dawned on Angus he’d a rentals from Tenerife, to Marbella tactics of dreamvillasspain.com countless tales of heartbreak as heart- the Olive Press. his €5,500 and urgently needed seduced holidaymakers into pur- place to stay with his wife and five and Moraira. One of the most The way the scam operated was that breaking was from Petra Deleslie, prospective renters would receive chasing villa rentals that never ex- young children. 42, and the collapse of her €6,000 an email from ‘general manager’ isted. “I think many more have been the Costa The first case was reported by the duped and the scam could be worth month-long villa rental on Rosella Alba Gutierrez offering disOlive Press to the Guardia Civil in millions,” Angus told this paper at Blanca, booked for this October. counts for up-front payments on reThe mum-of-two from Kent was all spective villas. April when professional chocolate the time. family taster Angus Kennedy turned up at With mounting cases, this paper set to travel with 18 extended break’ But once paid, Gutierrez would shut members for a ‘much-needed out the a villa he had paid for in Mallorca. made a collective denuncia at the mother to off all contact, as it turned He was met with bewildered Ger- Guardia Civil in Moraira on behalf following the death of her company’s phone was a fake. had no 15:36 16/06/2017 lung cancer. 1 who owner, Klaus, heard - unmanUntitled-1.pdf of UK-based victims. were re- For months nothing was knowledge of ever putting his house Soon after, the Olive Press was “My nephews and nieces forward til a major UK news network got in ally looking up for rental. the website had been SUFFERER: Of hypertrichosis to it as they have never touch saying been abroad,” Deleslie shut down. Press can also reveal a The Olive told the Olive Press. - named and shamed in “I spent two years sav- second sitearticle - is also no longer ing up for this trip, and a separate C I just can’t afford to live. operated pay for a new villa. The Travelvacationtour.com M with exactly the same layout and kids are devastated.” UK BASED as dreamvillasspain.com, Deleslie added the cu- houses Y Brit Donna Archer mulative loss of flights and scammed for a Tenerife villa CM would cost her family out of €5,500 booked as a post GCSE gift to her €12,000 in total. his best mate in May. MY Then there was Sarah son and yet clear if legal action has Adams, who booked It is not for Spanish CY against the companies, taken been getaway a surprise residents are listed as ‘active’ on CMY to Malaga for four as both Companies House. friends and their joint- Spanish Civil could not comment www.globelink.co.uk K five daughters as a Guardia went to press. we before post-A Levels present. Find out more on page XX Both Deleslie and AdOpinion Page 6 96 626 5000 ams felt their stom+44 (0) 1353 699082 Come and Visit Us!
Contact Isabel Calatayud - Head of Admissions and External Relations info@laudeladyelizabeth.com
Telephone: 671 698 769
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FLOG IT: Mark Stacey in Javea
Going going gone!
RAID your jewellery boxes and plunder the garage because Flog It! is coming to the Costa Blanca! Mark Stacey, renowned British auctioneer, will be in Javea on September 14 to value your trinkets and even give you a juicy offer. The TV personality has appeared on Bargain Hunt, Flog it!, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Antiques Road Trip - but this trip the will be raising funds for charity Guardian Angels.
“Six years ago Mark came over we had over 400 people through and door,” Sue Nutbrown, president the Guardian Angels, told the Olive Press.of “If your items are worth something, Mark will make you an offer and then livestream you its auctioning back in the UK.”
Help
The charity afternoon will take place at the Palacio de la Paz, 20 Calle de Salvia, and floggers will be charged la €5 for a valuation. Guardian Angels operates from Gandia down to Torrevieja guiding families, particularly expat Brits, through
separation and divorce. “Our work is so important. In the UK families tend to have aunts and uncles around for support, but in a foreign country situations can get complicated,” Sue said. “We try to help in any way we can.” Sue said the event six years ago raised €6,000, which went to everything from ‘counselling’ to ‘medical care’ and ‘repatriation’. Pianists Lola Smolokowski will appear ‘jingling the keys’, while animal shelters and children’s charities would also be on site.
voice in Spain
Vol. 1 Issue 12 www.theolivepress.es August 29th - September 11th 2019
Rental websites which scammed British holidaymakers out of thousands FINALLY shut down following Olive Press exposes
2
CRIME
www.theolivepress.es
mother to lung cancer a few years ago. “My nephews and nieces were really looking forward to it as they have never been abroad,” Deleslie told the Olive Press. “I spent two years saving up for this trip, and we just can’t afford to pay for new villa. The kids are devastated.” We helped the family make a police denuncia, after Deleslie said she will lose ‘more than €12,000’ as flights were already booked and her bank were unable to claim their money back. She showed the Olive Press emails asking Dream Villas Spain for a refund, after
SEL-FISH
Contact them with any stories or news on 951 273 575 or email newsdesk@theolivepress.es
(Personal contacts on page 6)
JAVEA Town Hall has begun legal proceedings against the owner of a property who cut off public access to a heritage fishing ground in Balcon al Mar. The unknown owner, who has a luxurious four-storey villa overlooking Cala Ambolo, built a ‘stone staircase’ with ‘metal railings’ that cut access to the Llavadora del Pinet fishery. Councillor Isabel Bolufer said
the Town Hall began proceedings after learning that the owner had intentionally reformed the stairs, closing access to the ancient site from Calle Samuel Adler. “These works represent a very serious attack on a heritage that corresponds to us all,” said a spokesperson for Jávea Oceanographic Research Institute (IROX).
NEWS
VOX’S top candidate for Benidorm mayor has been replaced after revelations he received a A BRITISH two-year prison sentence for expat is being handed tigious British gong a presdomestic violence in February services to tourists by the Queen for her in Alicante. 2018. Candida Wright will Davidparty Perez Brigido was ban- work receive an MBE for two years THE socialist her charitable ago (PSOE) will hold on ned the election,thedespite largest hospital inas an interpreter in dor to Spain. from the British Ambassato from the Valencian the Marina Alta, on government May 16. two-year Though she is a professional in the sentences sometimes regional elections, upcoming The if58-year-old, interpreter, Candida waived in Spain the according to a marketbeing volunteered with known as ‘Candy’, has violence often represents victims of sexual research company. HELP of in Spanish has no previous Sigma Dos accused na Altaconsince it launched in Denia & Mari- as offering financialcourts for free, as well revealed PSOE will 1984. victions. support through take between During that time 29-30 seats, whiher she has helped expats charity. le the Popular through Perez Brigido was found to have cancer, bereavement, “One Party (PP) will bureaucra- ne of the hardest things is when someosee its representation cy and court battles. ‘repeatedly his ex-wife, comes to the desk fall abused’ from 31 seats to 22-23. As the president died and I don’t knowsaying ‘my husband after he ‘shoved and the threw her of the charity, she But with the total what to do’,” runs help desk at the Marina seats inpulled to the ground, her hair Salud hospital lained Candy, who lives in Ondara expValencia’s Generalitat in Denia. her Spanish husband. with at 99, and punched her in the face’. PSOE will again Her two children, “The most exciting thing 35 and 25, live in to form Madrid and Valencia SCAM: Dream Villas Spain site conned Brits abroad coalition to reach vitation Theneed judge alsoa found the card dis- I was postedwas the pink in- respectively. the absolute While she helps with with the words majority of 50 BP (Buckingham graced had tal procedures, burials hospiseats. far-right politician Palace),” Candida which ‘general manager’ Ro- returns from 2014 to 2017. The poll suggests theand and told she’s often Olive‘dePress. frequently the PSOE‘insulted’ called upon to just repatriation, will sella Alba Gutierrez has shut There is no availablemake phone “I thought it meant a pact meaned’ be a ‘helping hand’ to someone with Valencianist the woman, who was British Petroleum Compromis first.” Spain’s Companies House number (the one on the web- (17-18 at “You’re sometimesin need. she joked. seats)post-traumatic and left with stress dealing with people left-wing populist The expat, and reveals that Dream Villas site has been disconnected) who are cancer patients, who has Podemos (6-7 seats). disorder. years, received a lived in Spain for 45 tions, and or need amputaSpain, which is registered as and the name Rosella ‘Points of Light’ The Alba award eling to it just gives you a wonderful feregional elections think ‘I really helped will Digital Dream SL, was incor- Gutierrez appears nowhere on Mayin them today’.” MEETING 26 the same day as fall the porated in 2014 for ‘data pro- the list of employees. European elections. QUEEN: Candida cessing and web hosting’. Another victim told the OliSee our election Based in Carrer de la Fe, in ve Press this week she guide had Palma, Mallorca, it filed tax booked a villa in Marbella as on page 6 a surprise getaway for four friends and five 18-year-old daughters as a post-A Levels CON artists have scammed a present. British pensioner out of €300 Sarah Adam, based in Lon- after pretending to help him redon, told us she is convinced cover money left at a cashpoint she has also been scammed. THE owners of ain Javea last Saturday. bike shop are The company has appealing not res-for witnesses Brian Stokes, 77, was approaa British theft of €40,000 families scammed ponded to email requests for ched byof- in two ‘20-something’ of stock just one minute! Spanish out of comment. thousands men outside the Sa- from The theft at Xabia’s Meanwhile, DarrenMoraira Coombes badell Bikes bank Cabo de la Nau in onfake EXCLUSIVE saw nine bikes stolen By Joshua Parfitt from Alicante-based Dream Pla claiming he had leftholiday €20 in at 4am last Wednesday mor- A ning. Press Villa Spain told the Olive the cashpoint. The thieves then BRITISH family who booked a week’swithdraw of the in the fraudsters are One cashing they couldn’t bikes, claimed holiday on the Costa villa, in Moraira, before transa Trek LR10, wasdrawing ferring the deposit. Blancaand worth €13,000. wereasked on his credibility and cash themselves shocked “Two thieves broke their villa advertised to see She has now confirmed users from his legitimate pro- Stokes in andtoin re-insert card, as avaithat just a minute lable on ahis completely different her family have been scammed and a half they perty business website. stole stole. nine bikes,” Martinwhich over the holiday website.
Socialist win
Gong for Candy!
April 25th - May 8th
2019
MYSTERY surrounds the apparent suicide of an elderly British resident on the Costa Blanca. The 84-year-old expat threw herself from a bridge in Javea after being seen ‘pacing frantically’ by the railings. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, Olive Press he saw told the man ‘peering over the woafter squeezing the edge’ between a fence and a steel pillar at one end support of the bridge. It was about an hour before police were alerted to a suicide attempt over the dry Gorgos riverbed while children played on a nearby football pitch. “She was holding paper bag and kept a white in the bag and then looking leaning over the edge,” the neighbour told the Olive “I wanted to ask Press. she was doing, her what rried she spoke but I wonish and assumedonly Spafeeding stray cats.” she was
Quickly
Just after 7pm last another Spanish Tuesday eyewit-
ness revealed she due “We were this close for June. Susan Bolton, 61, the woman jump had seen from the she had lost the soon realised for our holiday to leaving eastern of two that never bridges on sit when Dream ₤1,300 depo- existed,” Bolton told the Avenida de Augusta. the Olive SCAM: Brit family based in Mallorca,Villas Spain, Press. caught by fake “I was walking to shut off all “I knew villa website He told the Olive contact. we had na when I saw herMercadowhen I contactedbeen conned had chosen the villa Press they tations’. The mother-of-two take off out her shoes, climb West Midlands had from the ding an airport pickthem regar- different homes for rent of 780 The scam comes almost the railing, up and got spent wee- no response. on the years ks finding the perfect since the Olive two and no more,” the woman It made me beco- site. Press told the Olive holiday me suspicious.” They only realised exclusively exposed Press. “It all they had fake a been scammed She added the company holiday websitesstring of happened so quickly.” when an airduping Three police is now port tourists coming to not responding to cars and Spain. any calls or and pick-up never arrived, In a emails. he caught series of investigations ambulance raced to the an sceproperty to find a taxi to the we found dozens ne to retrieve the Meanwhile, celebrity the bewildebody. chocola- red German. had been scammed of tourists Police confirmed te taster Angus millions of the cause euros from the ₤5,000 when hisKennedy lost “What was different of death as suicide, various while a covered a German family dis- case is I was determinedin our which illegally uploaded sites, spokesperson for the Town at the Mallorcan man living to the house, and then to get photos from legitimate villa Hall said the lady was Britibooked through villa they had ted the press” Angus contac- Among those scammedsites. Dream Villas Olive told the British were sh and had lived in a block Spain. Press. Rugby of flats “I think many more Dean Schofield, Union star many next to the river ‘for Kennedy, from Kent, years’. that when the familyrevealed duped and the scamhave been €50,000 on a fake who lost Neither villa in Macould be llorca. arrived worth millions.” police or this month, the hall would reveal the town Spain gave his name asowner, who The website he used to book rate asDream Villas, who ope- suggesting it washer name, completely baffled Klaus, was the trip, dreamvillasspain. Digital Dreams SL, proving de- problematic to contact clined nothing about the and knew com, claims its goal her is to ‘crea- JWe to comment. rental or te your next of kin in the website. were unable dream holiday expeUK. rience and exceed anyone at Dream to contact None of the residents in your expec- as Villas Spain area by we went to press. the bridge knew the the
Animal horror
A BRITISH expat dogs chained in ancalled in police after finding a group of Roger Ballantine abandoned house without food. the dogs while outcontacted the Guardia Civil after finding walking near Orba. Ballantine had decided ‘pungent smell’ coming to investigate when he noticed a from the ruin. Inside he found scenes worthy of kept on short chains a horror surrounded by trash film with dogs excrement. and their own “It was despicable,” clear that farmers Ballantine told the Olive Press. have chained these “It is four dogs.”
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Stadlhofer, 40, co-owner of Xabia’s Bikes, told the Olive Press. “I’m not sure they they were doing knew what as they knocked over a bike worth €12,000 and didn’t take it—which is great for us.”
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Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea
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A FRAUDULENT villa rental website that tricked British holidaymakers out of thousands has finally shut down following an extensive Olive Press campaign this year. Dreamvillasspain.com was behind countless tales of heartbreak as 952 147 834 it seduced holidaymakers into purchasing villa rentals that never ex- AT LAST: Scammers Dreamvillasspain.com nailed isted. after Olive Press campaign (inset left), while (right) victim Angus and The first case was reported by family Olive Press to the Guardia Civilthe his €5,500 and urgently needed a the Costa Blanca, booked for this an email from ‘general in place to stay with his wife April when professional chocolate and five October. manager’ young children. Rosella Alba Gutierrez offering distaster Angus Kennedy turned up The mum-of-two from a villa he had paid for in Mallorca.at “I think many more have been set to travel with 18 Kent was all counts for up-front payments on extended fam- respective villas. He was met with bewildered Ger- duped and the scam could be worth ily members for a ‘much-needed But once paid, Gutierrez millions,” Angus told this paper man owner, Klaus, who had at break’ following the death would no the time. of her shut off all contact, as it turned knowledge of ever putting his house With mounting cases, this paper mother to lung cancer. the company’s phone was a fake.out up for rental. “My nephews and It soon dawned on Angus he’d lost made a collective denuncia at the ly looking forward nieces were real- For months nothing was heard to it as they have until Guardia Civil in Moraira on behalf never been abroad,” Deleslie told got a major UK news network in touch saying the website had of UK-based the Olive Press. been shut down. victims. “I spent two years Soon after, the trip, and I just saving up for this The Olive Press can also reveal a can’t afford to pay second site - named Olive and shamed Press for a new villa. The kids are devas- separate article - is also no longer in a was fielding tated.” live. Travelvacationtour.com calls concern- Deleslie added operated the cumulative loss with exactly the ing bogus rent- of flights would same layout and als from Tener- €12,000 in total. cost her family houses as dreamvillasspain.com, and scammed Brit Donna Archer ife, to Marbella Then there was Sarah Adams, out who of €5,500 for a Tenerife villa and Moraira. booked a surprise One of the aga for four friendsgetaway to Mal- booked as a post GCSE gift to her and their joint- son and his best mate most in May. heart- five daughters as a post-A Levels It is not yet clear if legal action breaking was present. has been taken against from Petra De- Both Deleslie and Adams felt their as both are listed the companies, leslie, 42, and stomachs lurch as they read of the Spanish Companies as ‘active’ on The British expats who are pro- the House. collapse scam tactics of of her €6,000 com in the Olive dreamvillasspain. Guardia Civil could not comment Brexit and proud SEE PAGE 7 before we went to press. m o n t h - l o n g The way the scamPress. operated was that villa rental on prospective renters would receive Opinion Page 6
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THE Olive Press is helping victims take legal action against a holiday rental company that scammed holidaymakers thousands for rental villas on the Costa Blanca. It comes as the paper was contacted by new victims of Dream Villas Spain, following last issue’s report on the plight of the Bolton family, who lost €2,000 on a Moraira rental. Petra Deleslie, 42, has now contacted us after losing €6,000 booking a villa in Moraira later this year for her extended family of 18. We agreed to help after she told us she was ‘desperate’ for a break after losing her
HOLIDAY RENTALS SALES
www.jbholiday.com
May 9th - May 22nd 2019
Dream Killas The Olive Press helps victims take action following skyrocketing reports of holiday rental scam
Your reporters, here to help on the Costa Blanca Introducing News Editor Laurence Dollimore and Reporter Joshua Parfitt
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Tel. (+34) 96 649 18 29 info@hispaniahomes.es www.hispaniahomes.co.uk
Readers share their Goldcar stories after a Which? investigation revealed the firm ‘bullies’ and ‘lies to’ customers
Money for nothing Goldcar took €200 out of my son-in-law’s account. They said there was a scuff under the bumper. They had to leave the car uninspected as they said they were busy. Gina Roebuck, Almeria
They’re not all bad Each time I use Goldcar I buy my own excess insurance and take a copy of the policy with me. They try and sell me the insurance but a polite ‘no’ works. The trouble is, the staff are paid commission on the insurance and most people are so stupid they don’t have the insurance and then fall for the expensive one at the airport. It’s not a bad company, it’s more idiot drivers who don’t think about insurance before they go away. Chris Monks, Gran Canaria
Evil staff I refused the insurance as I have my own and so endured all the bullying. I then had my card blocked for €1,200 but I was also charged an extra €79 for supposedly agreeing to a diesel car. I tried to get my money back without success. In April this year I hired from Interrent and was appalled it is the same firm as Goldcar. When I got my card bill they had taken a further €29. I rang to be told it was for a deep clean for sand? I put a formal complaint in and asked for proof as there was no sand in the car. This time they refunded. I am used to the hard sell with most of them now, but Goldcar staff are evil. Kath Kirby, Alicante
Nothing but good things We have rented cars from Goldcar exclusively throughout being retired in Spain for the last three years. The service is fantastic at the Jerez Airport office, we have never experienced any pressure to buy additional insurance. We wholly endorse and recommend using Goldcar, and sincerely hope that your inflammatory ‘reporting’ doesn’t harm the reputation of the manager and staff here. Patricia Geesing, Jerez de la Frontera
Has anything piqued your interest in this week’s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@ theolivepress.es or message us on at www.facebook.com/OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress
The Proven Path to Success
In 2018 I went to Spain for a month. I made a rental here in Canada for €900 and with normal insurance. When I arrived at the Avis in Barcelona and showed all my papers the problems started. In the end they charged me another €1,350 on top and wanted me to pay risk insurance for €100 per day. I made complaints in Spain and at the US headquarters too, but heard nothing. Carlos Molina, Canada
We booked from August 15 to September 5. We paid €181 for the hire at Malaga Airport. I was told that I could either leave credit card details and they hold €790 and pay €56 for the full tank of petrol and if I had an accident it would be €300, or I could pay €218 up front and I would be totally covered. So I got worried and paid it. I did email Wiber stating that by paying €181 for hire, another €218 was a bit excessive. They said that it states in the small print I had another option, but I can’t recall seeing it. I’m a bit peeved off and worried about booking hire cars in the future. Hayley Davis, Kent
I booked from July 23 - 26. On collection I had to submit a second credit card as the card I always use was declined. At the car collection point an irate Hertz employee was on the phone and I told him I had discovered six scratches. He was quite annoyed. He said grumpily, ‘you damage car, you pay’. I was careful and returned the car to Hertz Bristol Airport. But 14 hours later I had an email saying there was a scratch on the front left bumper. I did not have any incident during the rental period. I was charged €240 in total. I now see they have charged me twice, as I just received my statement from the card that was declined. The whole thing is sharp practice and no one is policing this wrongdoing. Kevin Barry, Bristol
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Issue 33
Modern masterpieces
September 2019
El Ca Cap nt ric ab h ria o,
From pet passports to dodgy removal men, one British family’s highs and lows as they set up in Spain before Brexit strikes... See page X Ca Ba sa rc Ba el tll on o, a
But which is Spain’s favourite modernist building? See page III (a clue is in the picture in the middle)
C Ca asa s Le tilla Lis, on y
P Lo alac M ngo io d ad ri e rid a,
UPS AND DOWNS Growth figures for July make up for sluggish foreign buyers and a drop in June SPAIN has recorded its best month for property sales for 11 years, new government data has revealed. A total of 47,890 transactions were reported in July 2019, marking a 3.8% year-on-year increase. June 2008 was the last time more homes were snapped up in Spain, continuing the trend of steady market growth. The regions of Extremedura (23.4%), La Rioja (22.4%) and Castilla-La Mancha (21.6%) recorded the largest year-on-year
growth. In total, 11 of Spain’s 17 regions grew over the last year. It made up for a 9% year-onyear drop in June, which suggested the market was really slowing down. There have also been some big declines in the long time foreigners favourite the Balearics as well as Madrid, which saw drops of 21.9% and 8.1% respectively. In the Balearics the slump follows on from the introduction of strict new rental laws which have made it more
difficult for owners to rent to tourists. This has made property on the islands less attractive as investment opportunities. Further negative news saw foreign buyers drop by 7%, with British buyers among those being put off purchasing in Spain (see Slow Down, pg II). It is hoped that the end of the Brexit saga, possibly next month, and the long awaited return to political stability can help recuperate British losses while also bringing a boost to both the foreign and domestic markets.
DECLINE: Mallorca’s property market has dramatically slowed down following new rental laws
II
PROPERTY
Mark Stucklin
COOLING OFF September 25th - October 8, 2019
www.spanishpropertyinsight.com
Foreign buyers, Brits included, were turned off investing in Spanish property this summer, writes Mark Stucklin SPAIN was not the flavour of the 2019 summer season for overseas buyers. The number of Spanish homes purchased by foreigners declined in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. And it’s not just a blip. This is the second consecutive quarterly decline in what looks like the start of a downward trend. The number of property sales deeds registered in the Spanish land register by a foreign buyer in the second quarter of this year numbered 16,209, according to the latest report by
Spain’s Association of Land Registrars. That compares to 17,338 a year before, a decline of 7%. Before Q1, foreign demand for Spanish property had not declined in any quarter since foreign demand started to recover back in 2010 (and four years before local demand began to recover). Now it has declined for two quarters in a row. By nationality, the biggest group of buyers was once again the British, with 2,159 Spanish property acquisitions registered in the quarter (13% of the foreign market), followed by the
French some way behind with the biggest markets all appea1,236 (8%), and the Germans red to turn upwards towards with 1,184 (7%). positive growth in Q2, with the In terms of market share the exception of the UK, where de‘rest of the world’ is mand growth is gaining whilst the negative and poinbiggest markets are ting down. The trend in on the retreat. When you look at Almost all markets foreign demand is the overall market posted a decline clearly downwards including local dein Q2, with the exmand, the figures and looks set to reveal a second ception of Morocco, Romania, France, continue that way consecutive quarand the rest of the terly decline and world. a clear downward However, if there is trend, so it’s not one bit of good news in the fi- just foreigners who seem to be gures it was that demand from going cold on Spanish property.
As a result of the change in both local and foreign demand, buyers from abroad represented 12.5% of the Spanish property market in Q2. As I concluded in my article on the Q1 foreign demand for Spanish property figures: “The trend in foreign demand is clearly downwards and looks set to continue that way in the next few quarters at least.” I see no reason yet to change that conclusion based on the Q2 figures. The downward trend is taking shape.
www.spanishpropertyinsight.com
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PROPERTY
III
September 25th - October 8, 2019
Transfer time
Disgraced former England manager Sam Allardyce sells his Spanish villa for new pad
Go Gaudi
EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
Brutalist birthday A TRIO of Brutalist Costa del Sol blocks celebrated their 50th anniversary this month. The ‘Los Manantiales’ complex in Torremolinos was finished the same year Judy Garland honeymooned in the town - way back in swingin’ 1969. The three striking 18-storey towers have been acclaimed for their unique features including external spiral staircases and concrete tubing used to channel sea breezes. Madrid-born architect Luis Alfonso Pagan is behind the
ANDALUCIA’S capital city is growing sharply having approved 2,000 new homes, with construction to be carried out mainly in the south and east of the city. The new houses in Sevilla have been given the go-ahead, with some 18,000 homes set to be completed over the next three years. Otaisa Architecture Studio will
complex, which houses 450 apartments and a 45-bedroom hotel. Originally only planned as a six-storey development, Malaga City Council upped the ante due to Pagan’s ‘quality’ design. Los Manantiales even went on to win a Silver Hexagon at the Space International Awards in 1979. Brutalist architecture, a style that emerged in the 1950s, was characterised by its monolithic appearance, rigid geometric style and large-scale use of poured concrete.
Capital growth carry out the plans, with the new neighborhood, named ‘Buenaire’. It is set to have many trees, a children’s playground, spaces for walks, bike lanes and a leisure centre.
FORMER England manager Sam Allardyce has sold his multi-million euro villa on the Costa Blanca, a wellplaced source has claimed. The five-bedroom pad, named ‘Big Sam’s Villa’, had been on the market at a reported €3.9 million since April 2017. But the five-bedroom property was sold earlier this year while the high-profile manager has reportedly bought land further up the Cumbre del Sol, the source added. With sweeping views, the villa views features a stunning private garden, wine cellar, swimming pool and is close by the Club de Golf Javea. The villa has been taken down from Rightmove, but agency Font Moraira - which features an image of property on its Facebook banner - said it could ‘neither confirm nor deny’ the sale due to confidentiality agreements. It comes after the Olive Press reported how Allardyce, 64,
escaped to the villa in 2016 after his shock resignation as England manager following a newspaper sting alleging he chased a €460,000 deal to top up his salary while offering advice on bypassing transfer rules. Life-long friend David Ingham said at the time Sam was
‘sad’ and ‘very hurt’. “I’ve known Sam for 40 years since he was a young Bolton player and he’s a lovely man with a high moral compass,” Ingham told the Olive Press. “He’s being painted as a greedy money grabber but that’s not the man I know. He’s a great guy.”
Round the houses HE might have problems selling his Spanish mansion, but it hasn’t stopped Michael Douglas playing the property market. The US star has splashed €4.1 million on a home in the New York suburbs, despite failing to shift his S’Estaca estate, in Mallorca, now down to just €29 million from an original €50 million asking price. The Basic Instinct actor’s new buy, with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, dates back to 1895 and is set amongst 12 acres of meadow on the Hudson River. It also boasts two indoor pools, a tennis court, gym, sauna, steam room, two-story library and guest cottage.
GAUDI’S remarkable Casa Batllo has been crowned the greatest modernist building in Spain. An Architectural Digest poll put the Spanish architect’s masterpiece in Barcelona in first place with 21% of the vote. In second place came Cantabria’s El Capricho, with Casa Lis in Castilla y Leon third, and Madrid’s exuberant Palacio de Longoria, in fourth. Casa Batllo, which is known for its peculiar skeleton-like balcony, sits in Barcelona’s Eixample district. It was however, snubbed as the city’s best building in 1906, when it was finished, with another architect being awarded that year’s title.
Rental woes RENTS have surged at more than 30 times the rate of wages in Spain for the last five years. Whilst the average rental cost in Spain is 50% higher than the same property in 2013, wages have only increased by 1.6% in the same period. Around half of Spain’s tenants spend over 40% of their pay packet on rent. Mallorca’s capital, Palma, saw the steepest increase in rents, alongside Barcelona, with rents going up by more than 50% since 2013. In Malaga, Madrid and Valencia, properties are 45% more expensive than in 2013.
PROPERTY
IV
September 25th - October 8, 2019
Superior exteriors EXPOSED brickwork has been all the rage in interior design for at least a decade but brick façades were considered an unfashionable relic of the Industrial Revolution … until now. So it is great to see Spanish architect Jesus Perales going back to basics with Casa Almudena in the north of Spain. Showing off the construction’s lines and structure, the bricks also enhance its look. Created for a family in Catalunya, who love to spend as much time together as possible, the home is designed around a series of continuous paths which cross each other via a central axis in the form of a glazed indoor courtyard. “The shape allows a house with circularity and links the different parts of the living,’ explains Perales. “It doesn’t matter if you are cooking dinner while the kids are doing homework: you always have the feeling of being with your family.” The home, which additionally shows off its exposed concrete beams, sits near the village of Banyeres del Penedes among the region’s famous vineyards. It also opts for large windows which allows for heaps of natural light. Here we take a look at three other contrasting external styles from around Spain.
Brick is back, we’re going manic for ceramic and stone is here to stay. Laurence Dollimore takes a look at five intriguing new homes, each with a different external feel and look
Bricking it
Medieval mould
Barcelona-based Arquitectura-G managed to slot in abrand new house among the medieval stone walls of a ruin in Palau-Sator last year. The plot in the centre of the village in Empor-
da, near Girona, had previously contained a stone house that had almost disintegrated into dust. The firm managed to seamlessly revive the site while respecting its historic context.
The new home is called Single Family House and is kitted out with an ultra-modern interior. The stunning property gives new meaning to out with the old, in with the new.
PROPERTY
V
September 25th - October 8, 2019
Classic ceramic
Stone in love
This traditional Spanish country house has been transformed by a new quirky ceramic cladding while inside, vibrant furnishings and feature windows give it a playful personality. The brainchild of Spanish architects Iys Villalba and Enrique Espinosa, the ‘Young Old House’ is an extension of a 1970s farmhouse. Situated in Cercedilla, some 60km from Madrid, it was completed this year for a couple and their four daughters. All materials from the renovation project were salvaged and repurposed.
This weekend retreat by Madrid firm Lado Blanco Arquitecturas is embedded among mountains and rivers in a location somwhere in Andalucia that has been kept secret by the owners. Casa Madriguera, completed last year, was created with reclaimed stone and roof tiles from derelict buildings. It is described as a ‘very personal project’ which aims to encourage ‘slowing down and observing the splendour of mother nature.’ Hence all the materials - stone, lime, wood and iron - were sourced locally and put together by local builders.
952 147 834 * O f f e r
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www.theolivepress.es
VI September 25th - October 8, 2019
PROPERTY
Making
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Designer Magnus Ehrland stitches historic styles together seamlessly in this new hotel on Palma’s seafront
WEDGED between the Med and Palma cathedral it couldn’t ask for a better location. And Mallorca’s hottest new hotel El Llorenc Parc de la Mar is already making waves. The stunning 33-room guest house cleverly knestles into this historic location, while also sending out a strong message. Its clean lines and simple exterior, bely the sumptuous, stylish interiors within. But it is the rooftop swimming pool which really takes some beating, with its amazing views across Palma bay and inland towards
waves
the cathedral and far away hills. Its architect Pedro Rabassa has created a clever balance and included all the necessary luxuries one would expect of such a hotel, such as a Turkish steam bath and spa. Designed by Swedish interiors guru Magnus Ehrland, the rooms eschew the well-worn beach linen and wicker combos of many boutique hotels, and opt for a style befitting this historic suburb of Palma. So think Moorish patterns alongside art deco and you get the picture.
www.theolivepress.es
PROPERTY
VII 19 September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Traditional beauty C H A R M I N G F A M I LY H O M E I N C O N V E N I E N T L O C A T I O N I N M A R B E L L A T O W N
Price: 2.150.000 €
Beds 6
Built 418 m2
Bath 4
Plot 1.229 m
2
Ref: DM 4525
Traditional style villa with sizeable plot situated in a quiet and discreet residential area next to the ‘copper tower’ in Marbella. Quality of life with every service and amenity, several schools, shopping centres, restaurants and beaches within a couple of minutes’ walk from your doorstep. Distributed over two floors plus basement and a rooftop solarium with sea views, the functional layout offers bedrooms in all three levels with master suite on the top floor, spacious lounge with formal dining room, fully fitted modern kitchen with breakfast corner, games and cinema room as well as guest quarters. Perfect for family gatherings and entertaining, the outdoor area features a covered porch, impeccable garden, gazebo and heated swimming pool.
VIII www.theolivepress.es 20 September 25th - October 8, 2019
PROPERTY
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Cabin Fever As a location it couldn’t get much better. High in the hills above Ibiza’s sleepy village of Es Cubells, it needed to fit into the landscape. An extension of a millionaire’s palatial villa, it also had to have an impact. The Cabana, as it is called, acts as an extension to the villa as well as ‘a refuge for the owner and his guests looking for a more primordial experience’. Created by Atelier LAVIT, an architectural and design practice, based in Paris, the room faces south, overlooking a valley and the sea, while the roof and walls have been designed to give
the outdoor spaces 24/7 shade. Meanwhile, the carefully stacked wooden screens on top of the hut guarantee the privacy of its dwellers, as well as sheltering them from the sun and wind. Inside, the design is simple, with the bathroom and dressing room separated from the bedroom. The project was largely prefabricated in a wood workshop in the south of France, before being shipped onto the island. All the parts were numbered, dismantled and rebuilt on site within just three weeks.
PROPERTY
V
September 25th - October 8, 2019
PROPERTY
X www.theolivepress.es 22 September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Brexit made us do it! As the Halloween deadline looms, Karen Livermore relives the trials and tribulations of her own family’s recent Brexodus to Spain
R
EWIND to the summer of 2016 and refer- worse-than-usual poendum result day. My partner and I were litical backstabbing. relaxing on a friend’s terrace over a chilled Key messages about glass of Rioja, gazing up at the awe-inspir- trade and freedom of ing Sierra de las Nieves mountains, when the re- movement got lost. sults started to come in and pictures of a gurning We became increasNigel Farage filled the TV screens. ingly incredulous at Compared to our spectacular surroundings it was the inept handling of not quite such a pretty sight! negotiations with the It was also the outcome no one expected. Even EU and when MPs began acting like sulky chilFarage originally declared the dren in kindergarten we decided it Leavers had been defeated just was time to go. a few hours after the polls closed. Three quotes, one It wasn’t a decision taken lightly. A shocked nation, a PM’s resignawere hardly militant pro-Euroif we moved pre- We tion, Parliament in turmoil, calls peans hoisting the blue and yellow for a general election ... the weeks Brexit, one for no- flag outside our house. But the following were muddled and chaextremism and fake news stories otic. Three years on it’s eerily the deal and another from both sides left us cold. Insame... stead, like a growing number of Back in the UK, we watched sides if there was a deal rationally-minded Brits, we could being drawn up. We were told how see what effect leaving the EU President Trump would give us would have, and we didn’t like huge trade deals to make up for the plethora of what we saw. companies and industries that were packing their If we were going to make a move, we wanted to go bags and heading for the nearest Channel port. before Brexit - whatever that looked like - to avoid Let’s see how that pans out. being caught in a potential red tape nightmare. We witnessed changing global economies and After a dalliance with France and a mad half hour suddenly Leavers who had cast their votes on considering Australia, we chose Spain. the back of an immigration campaign started to My partner speaks fluent Spanish (which has IDYLL: Karen’s Brexit-free paradise with Hubby realise that this was an insignificant part of the been a godsend) having lived in Menorca for over Terry (top left) and her dogs (right) overall picture. 15 years, while his sister and her husband have or no-deal, it could alter the stakes drastically in I think at the time of the referendum, huge num- been based in Andalucia for almost 20. Really it terms of freedom of movement and the status of bers of the electorate simply did not know what was a no brainer. And so the property hunt began. Brits in Europe. they were voting for or the impact the result would Many a Sunday morning was spent flicking Meanwhile the exchange rates were going crazy, have. The campaigns were full of rhetoric and through inmobiliario websites shortlisting prop- rollercoastering to highs not seen since 2017 erties that could be our new before suddenly plunging to levels that made us gasp. Poring over the pound to euro exchange home. A quick viewing trip back to rates became an obsession. When you are Andalucia, and we fell in love changing property-sized amounts of cash, every with the first place we saw. Yes, centimo counts! Even the physical move was hivery dangerous I jacked by Brexit. Astonishingly, know. one UK-based removal compaAlas, just as we We watch the ny gave us three quotes - one were about to if we moved pre-Brexit, one for make an offer, news - glasses a no-deal scenario and anoththe agent told us the vendor of chilled Rioja in er if we moved and there was a deal! Not unsurprisingly, they had accepted a private deal. hand - with a more didn’t get our business. Instead, we found a great company based The house with detached view on the Costa del Sol which quoted its 360-degree one price and a good one at that! panoramic views We also didn’t realise how Brexit of whitewashed villages, the Sierra de las Nieves would affect our dog and two cats. Dylan the dog and Sierra de Mijas was no lon- was already well-travelled with a pet passport from the previous year, obtained by a simple proger an option. However, as happens in the cess - get the rabies jab, pay £90 and wait for the house hunting business, the passport to arrive in the post. next property we found had This time around vets acting on DEFRA advice, equally stunning views, needed which of course could not be definitive, were not less work and our offer was ac- only recommending a £90 rabies jab for all three pets but a further blood test four weeks later at cepted. By now it was December 2018 £120 and, depending on the antibody count, and the Brexit clock was ticking. another £90 rabies jab and then another £120 The vendors needed to find blood test. Then a three month wait before they somewhere, their lawyers were could travel and a potential further unspecified not the fastest in the world and cost for a second certificate alongside the pet we wanted completion before passport. the then Brexit deadline date of Oh, and despite only being a few months into her original rabies jab, Dylan had to go through the March 31. Then, as now, no one really process again too. knew what would happen. Deal However, we were advised that should Brexit not
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happen, then the old regime was adequate which made the whole process look like a money-making ploy rather than extra vigilance over rabies. And this was all coming from the UK government, not Europe. Given the cost for transporting our pets would come to £1,200, and convinced there was no way Brexit would be delivered by the end of March, we took a chance and brought them over on the current system. Since then, like a lot of expats, we have adopted another dog and getting her passport from our new Spanish vet was a breeze - at half the price! Now we watch the news - glasses of chilled Rioja in hand - with a slightly more detached view, glad to be out of the mayhem choking the UK, although we sense the panic as the new October 31 deadline looms. We eventually completed on our house on March 29 - just two slim days before the initial Leave Europe deadline. It all went smoothly, which is more than can be said for the shambles that is Brexit.
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PROPERTY
XI 23 September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
PROPERTY
XII www.theolivepress.es 24 September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Watertight As floods in Spain once again make global headlines, one expat company is pouring in to help
DURING late 2018, Andalucia was hit by the Owner of the property Master Choy was so inworst flash floods in living memory. spired by the series of heavy duty windows and Similar to last week’s terrifying deluges in east- doors installed that he decided to create some ern Spain, the Costa Del Sol and the Serranía new opportunities for his students to join the de Ronda took a battering. business. While we didn’t see the death toll of Alican- “Protecting a physical building is a mirror of te and Almería, thousands of residents had how you protect yourself,” he told the Olive to live through the painful Press. experience of being forced “Like Tai Chi taught me, I am from their homes, powerless willing to invest in loss and I against the wrath of nature. put 17,000€ into flood-proof Hundreds were badly flooded doors and windows for the out. Dozens of families lost whole property.” everything. He continued:”I knew in my That’s the case of Tom, Linda gut that I had to find doors and Andy, who came to live in and windows that are proved Cortes de la Frontera just 150 to work, tested again and feet from the river Guadiaro. again.” Coming to study with Tai Chi After doing his research he and Taoist Master Choy and met Malcolm Snape, the ownother students from the UK er of StormMeister, and perand Holland, they had only suaded him to come to Spain been settled-in for three days to supervise the installation. when the floods came. As both Tom and Andy are Almost everything they owned TOUGH: These doors will keep both experienced carpenters in the finca was swept away, floods at bay they decided to learn to install with the water level rising to four feet high in these special fittings themselves. the house. This is where it sparked and clicked immediThey worked for weeks just to make their home ately. Malcolm was looking to expand his busilivable again. ness in Spain and saw in the group a great And then they came up with a clever plan, potential to start providing flood protection which they hope will inspire many other expats installations here. - and Spanish - around the country. This is how StormMeister Spain was born and Their fresh start involved bringing in Storm- now homeowners have the real opportunity to Meister, a UK-based world leader in Flood Pro- make their homes flood proof. tection constructions. Now the same problems are back and after a
TEAMWORK: The solid doors and windows are guaranteed to keep rain out dry summer the floods are striking again and the phenomena is not showing any signs of slowing down as the climate is getting more and more uncertain. “Andalucia and the Costa Blanca are wonderful places to be enjoyed and many would be wise to protect their homes to make sure this is how their time in Spain is going to be,” explains Tom.
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AGONY Property ANT YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES
MORTGAGE LOAN CLAMPDOWN Lawbird’s Antonio Flores explains how the Supreme Court makes it more difficult for banks to foreclose IN line with the resolutions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the Spanish Supreme Court (SC), a recent ruling on September 11 has ruled on the consequences of the invalidity of mortgage repayment default clauses that allowed termination of the loan agreement and in doing so, has sealed the fate of thousands of ongoing foreclosure proceedings dealt with by Courts of First Instance. As of September 11, the following rules apply in loan foreclosures in Spain: 1. Banks will be able to foreclose if:
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2013 by applying the default clause recognized as null and void, the case will be disa. The borrower has defaulted on its repay- missed. ment obligations on principal, or interest. b. If the loan was terminated after May 15 b. The sums unpaid amount to 2013 by applying the default a minimum of: clause recognized as null and b.i. 3% of the principal borDismissed if the void: rowed, if default takes place b.i. The case will be dismissed during the first half of the default does not if the default does not meet the mortgage loan term. This concriteria of gravity and proportiondition will also be considered meet the criteria ality, by application of art. 24 of met when the borrower is at Act 5/2019. of gravity and least 12 months in arrears (or b.ii. The case will not be disequivalent). proportionality missed - and may continue to be b.ii. 7% of the principal borprocessed - if the default meets rowed, if the breach takes the criteria above described. place during the second half of the mortgage loan term. This condition will 3. Where the bank is legally unable to also be considered met when the borrower is continue with ongoing cases: at least 15 months in arrears (or equivalent) In this case they will still be entitled to bring 2. Loan foreclosure cases that are ongo- further loan foreclosure applications but exing will be dealt with as follows: clusively based on contractual default based on the criteria of Act 5/2019, and not on the a. If the loan was terminated before May 15 existing loan default clause.
Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com
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PROPERTY
September 25th - October 8th 2019
XIII 25
September 25th - October 8, 2019
XIV 26
PROPERTY
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September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
What to conserve, what to throw, what to enhance and what to grow… in the third part of our series on renovation, Gabriella Chidgey looks at the key flooring issues in converting an 18th century Spanish pile into luxury Ronda Romantic Apartments
RUSTIC LUXURY
T
HE elegant facade of the beautiful, abandoned 18th century Andalucian townhouse
belied the chaos behind its front door. What hid behind was a muddle of pig stys and chicken
sheds, storage sheds, outdoor kitchen and a stable block all crowded into its diminished courtyard. Inside was all crumbling walls, rotten window frames and cracked ceilings. Our challenge was to unify the disparate buildings and styles without obliterating the distinct character of each area. Once we had identified what we wanted to keep and put up the structure, we then needed to convert them into half a dozen luxurious rental apartELEGANT: The townhouse and its builder (Pedro Romero) ments.
Airbnb wary
Non-residents renting out to tourists must declare the income before an October 20 deadline. It is not worth risking a fine, insists Rosana Tejada, of Tejada Lawyers
AS Andalucia and the Costa del Sol become increasingly popular for tourists visiting Spain, many landlords have seized the opportunity to earn some extra income by letting out their properties. Before internet hospitality platforms, such as Airbnb emerged, this sector wasn’t attracting that much attention in Spain and it remained relatively uncontrolled. But as local property owners started to make substantial profits and cities were flooded with tourists, the tax office (Hacienda) decided to impose stricter controls on holiday rentals. From that moment on, every landlord renting out a property in Spain is obliged to register it officially, to obtain an ‘occupation permit’. To get this you have to comply with certain health, usability and bureaucratic requirements (i.e. ventilation, furniture, air conditioning, heating).
manente). Form 210 is to be submitted quarterly during the first 20 days in April, July, October and January. Read more on the blog of Tejada Solicitors: In contrast, resident taxpayers will need to include this income in their yearly tax return, which will be taken into account when calculating income tax (IRPF).
What can happen if you don’t declare your rental income? “What many landlords don’t know is that the actual internet platforms like Airbnb, Spotahome and Homeaway have to report their rental income (including the person who generated it) to the tax authority through Form 179,” informs Rosana Tejada, tax consultant at Tejada Solicitors. “So even if landlords are non residents and they don’t report this income, Hacienda will eventually know about it.” To avoid paying fines, non-residents who are renting out a property in Spain must declare their earnings submitting Form 210 (IRNR, Impuesto sobre la Renta de no Residentes sin establecimiento per-
Must you charge VAT (IVA) on your rental?
Another tax which needs to be considered when renting out to tourists for short stays is VAT. In general, holiday lettings are VAT exempt. But if hospitality services, such as laundry, meals or regular cleaning services are offered, as happens in hotels, the rental is subject to 10% VAT. Last but not least, if the landlord signs a sublease contract with a third party (as for example, a broker agent or a booking platform), allowing them to re-rent the house or apartment, the rental will be identified as commercial (e.g. not focused on providing common housing) and VAT will be increased to 21%. In each of these cases, a professional tax specialist will be able to offer tailored advice and consider the characteristics both of the property and services offered. If you are seeking professional guidance by an English speaking tax consultant, you can contact the Tejada Solicitors, who have offices in Malaga, Marbella, Fuengirola, Nerja, Torrox, Velez Malaga and Torre del Mar.
Visit www.tejadasolicitors.com for more information
DON’T GET FLOORED The choice of floor surface is key in determining the look and feel of the finished style of our rental spaces. The issue was what to keep? The original building had changed uses so many times that every area had a different floor surface. The graceful ground floor sitting room became the local school before turning into a bar. The first floor housed grains, hay and dried vegetables before it became the area for curing hams hung from hooks on iron rafters. The central rooms with vaulted ceilings encircling a small plant filled patio were perhaps once a chapel, but later, these few rooms became the home for the former owner Catalina until she died a few years ago. Since I wanted the house to retain the charm of its past (it was built and owned by Pedro Romero, the bullfighter who built Ronda bullring) I hoped to use as much of the existing flooring as I could. The original earthenware (barro) rustic floor tiles upstairs, where the hams were stored, needed to be lifted to repair rotten ceiling beams. Unfortunately, only enough survived to surface the floor and kitchen countertop of one of the two first floor ‘loft’ apartments. The rest were used on all the new and existing window sills so that the view of the building from the garden would appear consistent. To keep the style of the second loft in keeping with the first, I chose new earthenware tiles for the floor and reclaimed encaustic cement tiles for the kitchen surface.
BATHROOM TILES For the bathroom surfaces, we were incredibly lucky to be given a series of care-worn cement tiles intended for the rubbish heap from two nearby Ronda convents. One day we arrived to find about 1000 of them neatly piled up in one of the internal rooms. It was like Christmas come early. The builders expressed doubt that we would be interested, however once they were laid, it was obvious that they complemented the handwrought iron window bars, old wooden doors and uneven walls. Some were plain black and cream and others patterned with grey stars, all were used for floors, bathroom walls and kitchens. Finally we used some left over patterned (baldosas hidraulicas) encaustic cement tiles we had been saving up from the conversion of our rental farmhouse Alcantarilla (www.alcantarilla.co.uk) a decade ago. I was particularly happy how well they worked out in one of the upstairs loft bathrooms (right), highlighted by some white concrete tiles our builders had provided.
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September 25th - October 8th 2019
27
i n s t a l a c i o n e s info@instalacionesemasur.com www.instalacionesemasur.com
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STYLE BY DEFAULT I had planned to remove the old terrazzo floor tiles (marble chips in concrete) in the front apartment since they did not seem in keeping with the rest of the building. Very common in Spain over the last 50 years, they reminded me of public spaces and cheaply renovated housing. My husband agreed. But after sitting and pondering in the dusty, cold room for hours I eventually decided they could stay. Since I wanted to keep the character of the building, and also to use natural, local materials, it seemed foolish as well as unnecessarily expensive to change them. Not to mention that terrazzo is also, rather fortuitously, having its moment in the world of interiors. Given their fashionable status, companies such as Mosaic del Sur are making beautiful, pastel coloured versions for around €100 a square metre. Those available in our local builders merchants for just €9 euros a square metre did not quite have the same appeal, that was until I discovered that the latest standard white batch at a yard in Malaga had erroneously and inexplicably come out with a pale pink background. A discovery worth the perilous drive down from Ronda through last September/s torrential rainstorm. The new terrazzo also furnished the shower walls of that apartment, and while the white marble base cut in a single piece replicated the other apartments, the choice of shower and taps needed to be different. A classic style and chrome finish worked with the reclaimed tiles, but would have
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OLD FASHIONED: But how hip, terrazzo floors made the terrazzo look like an ill thought out 80s flat. I thought black matt taps and shower with a circular grey above surface wash basin would define the terrazzo as a style choice rather than as a design accident. This sits upon a sleek marble base while the other apartments have rustic wooden tables with white ceramic bowls for a softer look.
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SPECIAL AUTUMN OFFER: The half dozen luxurious apartments sit in the heart of Ronda’s historic old town and are among Ronda’s best 1% of places to stay, according to Booking.com and Airbnb.com. Search Ronda Romantic Apartments or visit www.alcantarilla.co.uk for more information. They cost from just 75 euros a night, with a minimum two night stay. And for any Olive Press readers quoting the paper, you can have a bottle of cava on arrival, or free drinks and tapas in the nearby square. Don’t miss the final part of the Ronda Romantic Apartments article in the next Property Magazine
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XVI www.theolivepress.es 28 September 25th - October 8, 2019 The Property Insider
le
by Adam Nea
PROPERTY
September 25th - October 8th 2019
NEW DAWN FOR MARBS?
Marbella’s urban planning saga dates back years but brighter days may be just around the corner, writes Adam Neale
I
T has been mired in controversy for over six years but there may be light at the end of the tunnel for Marbella’s belated PGOU. THE current problems surrounding the Plan General de Ordenacion Urbanistica (PGOU) and Marbella’s ability to effectively manage its own urban development date back to the town hall’s original submission in 2010, and its rejection by Spain’s supreme court in 2013. Let’s see how things stand as we near 2020. The 2010 PGOU, as it was called, was an attempt to normalise the local housing situation in the wake of both the global financial crisis and a decade of planning infringements carried out under a succession of Marbella mayors and town planners. The document was pragmatic in its nature, seeking to find a streamlined way to legalise the approximately 16,500 properties in Marbella that were (and continue to be) without normal legal status. However, ‘easy’ solutions are hard to find. And while it is understandable that Marbella mayor, Angeles Muñoz, and her team sought to re-establish normality and confidence in the market, in the end their approach proved to be too pragmatic and streamlined and was declared null and void by a higher power - the national supreme court.
GROWTH: Can Marbella’s town plan finally be passed?
Original outcome The result was that the town hall was sent back to the drawing board, this time not to produce a hastily assembled, perhaps overly pragmatic document, but a complex, highly technical and legally entwined
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blueprint of the kind loved by Spain’s In fact, it may be a good thing that lawmakers. development has been more evenly The fact that after several years it still spread out along the coast this time appears nowhere near finished has beround, leaving some land available in come a source of local and national emMarbella for future development. barrassment. The process - or lack of one - has also After the Supreme Court ruling, the town meant property price growth hasn’t automatically reverted back to the previbeen distributed more evenly, reducing ous 1986 PGOU. However, being over 30 the likelihood of location price bubbles. years old, it woefully failed to deal with However, the fact that Marbella contintoday’s urban requirements and comues to have no clear deadline set for the plexities. delivery of a modern, functional PGOU The result is that those poor souls who by which to manage its future growth bought land for development in the wake and evolution is certainly not good for of the 2010 PGOU have, in many cases, anyone. seen their projects become unfeasible, at least for as long as the current imTwists and U-turns passe exists. Overall, the waiting time for approval Meanwhile in a new twist, the PGOU or rejection of a planning submission worked on for several on a build project - large years, then scrapped and or small - has lengthened given to an independent to between one and two company to start all over Marbella has years – totally unacceptagain - is back at square able in a place like Mar- decided to rescind one. bella which depends on In a complete turnaround, the contract to property development as Marbella Town Hall has a prime economic activity. complete the decided to rescind the In the end, many simply contract and complete PGOU gave up on Marbs and the PGOU in-house after much of the investment all - though it will be startand development of recent ing from scratch again. years has gone to neighbouring towns The 12-member team will consist of two like Estepona, Benahavis, Ojen and Milegal experts, two architects, a specialjas, which have their planning laws in ist in mobility, an infrastructure expert, order. a financial controller, two geographical data experts, an IT engineer and an administrative person. Winners and losers On a more positive note, it has been announced that the new PGOU is intended The efficiency of Benahavis and Estepoto include more of a focus on creating a na in particular, where it typically takes liveable, modern town that is inclusive, two-to-six months to obtain a building litechnologically advanced and contains cence, has meant that both towns have green spaces in a drive towards envicashed in over the past few years at ronmental sustainability. Marbella’s expense. It will also aim to reach an accord with That said, there have still been a good developers to lower building densities number of new projects created in locaand focus more on quality and less on tions such as Marbella East, the Goldquantity. en Mile and Nueva Andalucia, plus a If the new Marbella PGOU delivers all of renaissance in building licenses for rethis, it will actually have been worth the form projects. wait!
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THE
PROPERTY
XV 29 September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
MEWS THE DEVELOPMENT
The Mews, Town Range – a rare opportunity Within metres of the Governor’s Residence, The Mews is an enclave of 7 boutique houses and apartments each meticulously designed and built to a flawless standard, drawing on its unique gated location in the heart of the old town. Four contemporary mews-style houses will be built on the foundations of the 19th-century stables, at the rear of the original, grand Victorian house, which will itself be refurbished to provide 2 thoughtfully designed apartments and a stunning duplex penthouse, commanding spectacular views. Mews houses are, by their nature, located in the very best parts of town. Providing a safe, traffic free environment that is both practical, and hugely charming.
PROPERTY DETAILS MEWS HOUSES Prices start from £750,000 Roof terrace with stunning views & optional jacuzzi hot tub. Master suite comprising Juliet balcony, fully fitted walk-in wardrobe & a luxury en-suite. 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms 1 guest toilet Apartments & Duplex Penthouse details & POA
These carefully crafted prestigious homes have been designed to capture and celebrate the unique aesthetic of Gibraltar’s Old Town, melding light, space and structure to provide a traditional, yet contemporary interior design scheme that compliments its unique heritage.
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PROPERTY BUY HIGH, SELL LOW
XVIIIwww.theolivepress.es 30 September 25th - October 8, 2019
September 25th - October 8th 2019
Jonathan Holdaway recounts Harry Enfield’s shaky lesson in finance, while offering his rather better advice on how to get a balanced investment portfolio
O
NE of my favourite comics is the last two years, and the general the great Harry Enfield, who state of investment markets globally. first came to my attention If you prepare yourself psychologicalwhen appearing on C4’s Sat- ly for a potential bear market ahead urday Live. of time, it decreases the chances of It was the diversity of comic charac- ruining your portfolio by making unters that I really admired – having forced errors. been a budding ‘impressionist’ my- Over the past year there have been a self around the age of 10, putting on few warning signs of impending volashows in old people’s homes with my tility appearing in markets. Frank Spencer or Columbo skits. You don’t need to get fancy with diBoth Harry and his sidekick Paul saster hedges either - high quality Whitehouse’s performances reflect- short-term bonds have been your ed the mood of the mid 80s in the best option for preserving capital UK, with colourful characters like the during an economic disaster consisobnoxious plasterer ‘Loadsamoney’ tently in every negative market year and Stavros the Greek kebab shop since 1928. owner. They do their job as the portfolio But one of my favourite characters anchor during periods of stress to ‘Tim Nice-But-Dim, give investors options an endearing ‘upper for buying back into class twit’, appeared stocks on the dip or Constant tuglater in his career in for spending purposhis own 90s TV series. of-war going on es so stocks can be Having just become held during a crash inside our brains without needing to be a qualified financial adviser myself around between fear and sold. that time I was particRemoving some risk ularly amused when from the portfolio and greed Tim was giving advice it is suitable for your to his bank manager attitude to risk should on investment. result in less sleep‘Buy high sell low’, he confidently ex- less nights when volatility hits. claimed, then adding ‘or have I got that the wrong way round? Course I Don’t panic as stocks fall have …sell low, buy high’. Stocks can fall far and fast but also Although Tim’s character is a parody tend to recover very quickly. and his advice sounds absolutely ab- That’s why bailing out of stocks afsurd, it does serve to highlight the un- ter they crash just compounds your certainty of investing for the unwary problems compared to simply holdor inexperienced. ing them through the crash in the So what’s the best way to handle first place. price swings in stock markets and If you have lost money on a stock retain value within an investment investment my advice is to hold the portfolio? stock unless there is a fundamental This is the perfect time to consider reason why that specific stock will not this, given market movements over recover.
Balance is the key to surviving these periodic crashes. The Balanced Asset Class Index which included large caps, small caps, value stocks and bonds fared much better than the all-stock options and outperformed other more aggressive/ cautious options over a five cycle LESSON: Though wacky, Tim Nice-But-Dim’s advice does leave us with a lesson in uncertainty 80% of the time. financial goals if you carry a more risk on inside our brains between fear Diversify your portfolio averse portfolio. and greed depending on the market The key is always having a diversified environment. portfolio of investments. Don’t tie everything up We want to be able to sidestep losses The biggest thing is to have a plan And for those investors that are in or in the markets and only participate in and stick with it (everyone says this approaching retirement, don’t have the gains, but it’s impossible to invest but it’s true). money tied up in stocks that you’ll in stocks and not experience periodic You won’t know the exact reasons need to use for spending purposes losses. ahead of time as to why the market within three to five years or so. Pick your position and understand will fall, but understand that you will It’s too much of a risk that stocks your emotional swings. see a handful of market crashes over could take a hit right when you need Maintain a balance of assets within your lifetime. to sell if you have an all-stock portfoyour portfolio and always keep an eye There’s no way you can avoid risk in lio. open for a new entry point if stock the financial markets if you hope to There really are no one-size-fits-all markets do become cheaper. beat inflation over the long-term and answers to this problem as every inMost importantly don’t overreact to earn a respectable return on your vestor’s tolerance for risk and investshort term movements. portfolio. ment strategy is different. And finally remember Tim’s closing Stocks outperform bonds over longer Investing really is a balancing act remark to his bank manager – ‘never cycles, which in turn outperform cash that’s full of trade-offs. lend money to Charlie’. but bonds provide stability when you There is a constant tug-of-war going need it the most. Stocks wouldn’t offer a risk premium over bonds if they didn’t have these periodic large selloffs. It’s also important to understand your ability and willingness to take risk. Allocate more money to less volatile investments if you can’t handle losses, but understand that you will likely have to save more to reach your
Send your comments and feedback to Jonathan at jonathan.holdaway@ chasebuchanan.com or call him on 00447723027864
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MORTGAGE THINK TANK
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September 25th - October 8th 2019
by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola
B-DAY APPROACHES WE are finding that a lot of banks are pulling out of their 70% LTV deals for British clients as they worry about the implications of Brexit on the exchange rate and possible effect on employment prospects generally. A good case in point is Banco Sabadell, which has previously been open to this type of business but also has been affected by its somewhat toxic purchase of the British bank, TSB. Added to this are the implications of the new mortgage laws which have become more onerous and, arguably, weighted unfairly against the banks. As a result they are becoming more risk-averse again. Among the new laws that have inevitably led to banks pulling back on lending relate to the greater difficulty in foreclosing on a non-performing loan and the new rights allowing clients with foreign income to switch the loan to their home curren-
Brits applying for mortgages in Spain should not panic, but should be Brexitready, writes Tancrede de Pola
cy if there is a material (downward) change in the value of the euro. Both of these could potentially prove to be very expensive for the banks. With the value of Sterling plummeting to historic lows - even dipping below â‚Ź1.10 in August - Brexit has the banks scared. What the devaluation of the pound against the Euro also means is that buyers in Spain are effectively paying more for their
monthly installments. For those on holiday, it may mean less to spend on ice cream, but for those setting up their new life in the sun, it could have more profound impacts. With the price of Sterling now dropped, Brits in Spain may be seen as higher risk by banks, and this could see more of them denied mortgages than before. Having said that it is worth remembering that Brexit does not seem
to have put Brits off setting up a new life in Spain. From January to June 2019 there were 7,613 property purchases by Brits in Spain - a 13% increase since the 2016 referendum on EU membership. However, if you are still worried, there are a few things you can do to ensure you are Brexit-ready for a mortgage in Spain: - Take into account the effect of exchange rates on having funds available for completion (you will typically need 30% of the price, plus closing fees) - Calculate carefully that you can afford your monthly repayments taking into account a possible future drop in the exchange rate - Ensure you have some sound advice from a quality mortgage broker’s like the Finance Bureau, especially at a time of volatile markets
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670
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WINNING STREAK
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M1 Legal go from strength to strength, having passed the 2 million pund mark for timeshare victims FOLLOWING on from our previous article, there’s been some fantastic news for some more unhappy timeshare owners since the Spanish courts re-opened their doors at the beginning of September following their summer recess. Our timeshare specialist lawyers at M1 Legal reported TWO victories against Silverpoint. The court heard that both contracts failed to disclose the minimum information required by Spanish law of the accommodation specifications such as failing to clearly identify the time of year it could be used. One of the contracts was also in perpetuity which means it did not have an end date. The judge ruled both contracts to be deemed null and void and ordered Silverpoint to pay £23,657 and £48,264 respectively. For any timeshare enquiries call 0034 951 562209 or email pr@ecc-eu.com
ANFI GROUP X 5
M1 Legal reported FIVE victories against Anfi Group all in one week! In all five cases, again the court heard that the contracts did not disclose the minimum accommodation information and two of these contracts were in perpetuity. The judge ruled that all five contracts be deemed null and void. Anfi were ordered to pay out in total £99,862.
JURISDICTION VICTORIES X 6
M1 Legal also reported a further SIX jurisdiction victories against Club la Costa (CLC) whereby CLC argued these cases should not be heard in Spain however their application in all six cases was overruled. The contractual names were: Paradise Trading S.L.U Continental Resort Services SL Club la Costa PLC EP Club la Costa (UK) Sucursal en España
All jurisdiction victories are now awaiting to be re-heard in the Spanish Court of First Instance
in Po vi ta W p in ea f tio re or a n ju co to st f tim ab fee ov a Pa Av es rq . C e I nd ue ar ha c a m el n Mi e H e a re r n nd inf 4B ama Sae ad o ow , 2 r S nz of in rm 96 2 d fc M a ne 0 e e 51 8 ija l c Mi Bu Teja h rs s jas ild da Co at Co ing , 5 st – st , 4 20 a a t 8
SILVERPOINT X 2
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ECC congratulate the M1 Legal team
XXII www.theolivepress.es 34 September 25th - October 8, 2019
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Industrious!
Marbella bank has a homely New York loft style feel LOOKING more like a Shoreditch studio or a Hells Kitchen loft, BinckBank’s Marbella HQ certainly takes some beating in the design stakes. The Dutch bank has broken all the rules to create a warm, friendly and stylish building to work with its clients. Under the watchful eye of director Kaspar Huijsman and partner Femke Utrecht, it has numerous personal hallmarks and a distinct industrial feel. Quirky and original touches, such as the diver around the fire extinguisher (right), make it a space conducive to work in. “We brought a lot of our own personal touches to the design,” explains marketing boss Utrecht, 44, who oversaw the renovation in the former warehouse on Marbella’s Golden Mile. “We wanted it to be a space both our staff and clients felt comfortable in,” she adds.
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Oh what a night! CREATIVE: The bank’s interior has been cleverly imagined with lots of personal touches
IT was the perfect opportunity for budding investors to let their hair down. The party at BinckBank’s HQ, in Marbella, saw over 150 guests celebrate the launch of the new services for English-speaking investors. The Warren Buffet(t) offered stock market themed food ranging from Danish Futures Frikandellers to FTSE Fish and Chips. Kaspar Huijsman, director of BinckBank Spain & Portugal, gave a speech in which he high-
lighted the importance for investing due to the current low interest rates. He went on to explain the advantages of Saxo Bank’s platforms and technology in conjunction with the local support from BinckBank Spain. He explained how the new venture sees BinckBank and Saxo Bank join forces to offer investing and trading accounts in Spain to English-speaking expatriates. Historically BinckBank Spain, which has another office in Al-
icante, has served mainly the Dutch-speaking expats in Spain. The new platform not only offers a state-of-the-art trading environment developed by Saxo Bank for investors, but also supports English, Dutch and no fewer than 28 other languages. With the BinckBank brand, customers will have access to Saxo Bank’s multi-asset trading platform, giving them access to a wider selection of global markets, and the ability to trade in a variety of products across asset classes.
IS THERE A NEW RECESSION COMING? Learn from Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist & CIO at Saxo Bank, who gives his vision on the global economy and his thoughts regarding the possibility of a new recession.
SEMINAR OCT 24 15:30-17:00 | Free Entrance Marbella, Investment Academy Register your seat today at BinckBank.com/seminars
Steen Jakobsen Chief Economist & CIO
XXIVwww.theolivepress.es 36 September 25th - October 8, 2019
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Surrounded by golf
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Modern design
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Private gym and spa
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Huge saltwater pool with beach entry
September 25th - October 8th 2019
LA CULTURA That bombed!
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Costa del Series
ALMOST 1,500 shows were shot in Andalucia in 2018, an increase of nearly 3% on the previous year. The Crown, the season finale of Game of Thrones and the sixth installment of Terminator were amongst the popular TV shows and films shot in the province. The Andalucian TV and film industry employs more than 23,000 people, up almost 8% on 2017, and brings in just over €130,000 to the region. Other hit shows filmed in Andalucia in 2018 were the BBC’s media drama MotherFatherSon starring Richard Gere and the Netflix-produced Costa del Sol Brigade, which tells the story of the coast’s first anti-drugs squad.
what’s on
United Nations apologises after webpage claimed Republicans were Guernica bombers
THE United Nations has apologised after it wrongly attributed the bombing of Guernica to Spanish Republican forces, who were in fact the victims of the attack. The UN website that records gifts donated to the organisation said the 1937 painting was created by Pablo Picasso as an ‘artistic protest against the atrocities of the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.’ In truth, Nazi German and fascist Italian forces carried out the aerial bombardment of the Basque town in support of their fascist Spanish ally,
SINKING STONES
Served TENNIS has returned to the Costa del Sol. The Senior Masters Cup Marbella will take place September 28 at the Puente Romano Tennis Club.
Awaken A SEMINAR will take place at Marbella’s Oasis Business Center on September 25 teaching the community to raise human consciousness, at no charge. General Francisco Franco. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the error was a ‘horrendous mistake.’ He added: “The Republicans were the victims, not the perpetrators. We regret the error and extend our apologies to the people and Government of Spain.”
THE Spanish Government has ruled out rescuing ‘Spain’s Stonehenge’ from being submerged by a swamp. The 55 granite standing stones of the 4,000-year-old Dolmen de Guadalperal made headlines when they emerged ‘like magic’ from the waters of Valdecanas lake in Extremadura in August. There is now a ‘very high probability the stones will be lost to water erosion’, according to the Geographical Association of Extremadura.
Atwood returns The Testaments - Margaret Atwood’s critically acclaimed sequel is unmissable
T
he long-awaited sequel to the startlingly prescient The Handmaid’s Tale has finally arrived. The story picks up 15 years after the previous book (nicely leapfrogging the TV show which, from season two, is operating on its own). For this return trip to the Republic of Gilead we follow three narrators – Aunt Lydia, the taser wielding facilitator of Handmaid training from the first book, Agnes, a girl being raised in Gilead who is being groomed to marry an old commander, and Daisy, a teenager growing up over the border in Canada. Many questions posed by the original book are tackled here as Aunt Lydia describes the very early days of Gilead, her induction into the Sons of Jacob and her subsequent survival strategies. Meanwhile the fate of baby Nicole is explored as too are the effects on young girls of growing up in a situation where absolutely all power has been ceded to men. However, the book is not without hope and there are hints that a brighter future awaits. This gripping novel is on the Booker Short List and is this year’s must read. €25.00, Available from The Bookshop San Pedro www.thebookshop.es
Bombers dropped over 45,000 kilos of explosives on Guernica during the 1937 attack, reducing the town of 5,000 people to rubble. The description on the UN website is in reference to a tapestry of the painting that was commissioned in 1955 by former US vice-president and
tycoon Nelson A. Rockefeller. It has hung on a wall at the entrance to the UN Security Council chamber since 1985. The tapestry was created under the supervision of Malaga-born Picassso in a workshop in the south of France. The UN has since removed the offending description.
Essex underworld THE premiere of the Rise of film Footsoldier Marbella will take place in the eponymous city, October 4.
GREAT WHITE HOPE AN exhibition by Irish artist Sean Scully has been chosen to relaunch Malaga’s crisis-hit Centre for Contemporary Art (CAC). The New York-based painter and printmaker, 74, is expected to exhibit his famous oil and fabric works at the gallery later this year. The two-time Turner Prize nominee was selected for the CAC’s return, after the signing of a new five-year contract worth €13 million. The gallery was shut down when its management contract expired in July. This followed the sacking of 17 staff from on-site Oleo restaurant, while 22 CAC workers denounced Malaga Town Hall over contract disputes.
Eye on the prize A UNIQUE art exhibition has been planned for Jimena de la Frontera next month. Jinema Style are a group of artists and designers, who live in the small eponymous community. The collective use Instagram to show off their work, but now members of the public will be given an opportunity to see the work up close. The week-long event, running from October 12 - 20, involves the artists styling a village house in Jimena, featuring a timeless array of sculpture. This will include metalwork, hand-printed textiles, pottery, woven blankets, and furniture. Caroline Gullick, one of the organisers, said: “We decided to bring together a fusion of our work and styles to celebrate the importance of original art and design. The purpose is to move away from homogeneity through exhibiting original unique products in the local context.”
Digital donations VISITORS to Malaga Cathedral can now make donations using their mobile phone or smartwatch. CaixaBank has installed two digital collection boxes which allow visitors to donate via their phones, contactless cards and smartwatches. The ‘smart money’ collection boxes are among the first introduced in Spain by the high street bank. The donations collected in the boxes will be used to pay for essential maintenance of the 18th century religious site. The bank’s regional director for Andalucia, Juan Ignacio Zafra, said the cathedral was ‘one of the jewels of Andalucia.’ CaixaBank plans to rollout hundreds of the digital collection stations by the end of 2019.
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Lost in translation Setting up any new business in Spain is hard. Try setting up a newspaper. In the first part of a hilarious new serialisation, Jason Heppenstall (right) recounts the strange, bizarre and quite frankly shocking genesis of the Olive Press newspaper
W
HEN the door swung open into what would be our new office it revealed a scene that suggested the previous occupant had left in a hurry. The brass plaque with the lawyer’s name was still attached outside the entrance and the picture from his law school graduation remained on the wall above the desk, but of the man himself there was no sign. Next to the picture stood a bookshelf packed with leather-bound tomes of the type lawyers like to be pictured sitting in front of. It was difficult to overlook the fact that the splintered wooden door had a bootprint on it, and an upturned chair lay on the floor surrounded by scattered legal
COLUMNISTS
papers. She waited for our reaction, and failing The elderly landlady was showing us to detect one, started again, a little around. louder this time. “These books are inMercedes was a sturdy-footed senior cluded in the price of the rent.” with a booming voice “We’re not lawyers,” and a cast iron hairstyle. I pointed out, “but She was speaking so thanks for the offer.” “At least you are fast that Marcus, our The landlady didn’t editor, had to translate not English. I must seem to understand for me as we inspected Spanish but repeatadmit, I respect my what was clearly a resied the offer again very dential apartment rath- what you Germans slowly as if we were er than an office, comboth deaf and dumb. have done” plete with floral curtains “THESE BOOKS ARE INand a kitchen sink full of CLUDED IN THE PRICE washing up. OF THE RENT. “These books,” she “They are very valushouted as if we were deaf, “are includ- able. Maybe you will need them here ed in the rental agreement.” in my country so you can understand
Balking the talk Belinda Beckett on about jargon that make her retch
THIS month I’m ‘opening the kimono’ about my pet hate - people whose ‘narrative’ is peppered with buzzwords. It may be state of the art and all that jazz but I am not loving the aesthetic and the bottom line is, I am no longer singing from the same hymn sheet as the rest of modern society. Call me carbon-dated but I’ll never be able to get on the front foot with all the fancy phrases trotted off the tongues of today’s ‘influencers’. They call it ‘disruptive’, I call it gobbledygook. I have zero synergy with ‘blue sky’ and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking. Spoken English has got to the stage where I no longer know where anyone’s ‘coming from’. Lapland or Botswana perhaps – it’s all Greek to me. Do you hear what I’m saying? Of course not, this isn’t a podcast! Taking a holistic approach, I blame everyone – the Americans, marketing geeks, SMOCs (Social Media Obsessive Compulsives, pronounced ‘schmucks’). Having no monarch themselves, our friends across the Pond were never content to stick to ‘Queen’s English’, inventing ugly substitutes like bangs and fanny pack for hair fringe and bum bag. And now, the effrontery of it, Donald Trump - the president with the vocabulary range of an embryo – has been allowed to add officially to the lexicon. ‘Fake news’, describing stories that say ‘very bad things’ about Donald Trump (IMHO) is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some blame for the most irritating phrases in the English language date back to Ricky Gervais’ David Brent character in Noughties sitcom, The
Office, which would now be called The Workplace. ‘The bard of Slough’, was a maestro of the mixed metaphor, expecting his staff to ‘run a few ideas up the flagpole’ while simultaneously ‘bedding them down’ in order to ‘fasttrack a solution’ – and all before ‘doing lunch’. Shall I run that by you again? Had Shakespeare himself been around today, he would be having a Twelfth Nightmare trying to fit sayings like ‘the feel-goodfactor’ into a rhyming couplet. They say that half the world’s
6,700 languages will be extinct by the end of this century and that Americanised English is putting paid to dialects which would be a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions or, in the modern vernacular, a right bummer. But even in the best-case scenario, if I’m honest, without an exit strategy it’s a no-win situation. All I ask is that next time you need to shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or get your ducks in a row, just keep it to yourself.
Other phrases that don’t float my boat … Reach Out - Please don’t. An email’s quite sufficient. We Brits don’t do touchy-feely with strangers Giving 110% – No one can give more than 100% of themselves unless they have a clone It is what it is – Thanks! (Idiot) I hear what you’re saying – I’m just not listening Going forwards – Can’t, my nose would hit the computer screen It’s not rocket science – How do you know? Pushing the envelope – I prefer a knife opener The fact of the matter is – I’m just a long-winded, pompous person Let’s touch base – How very dare you! He’s such a woke dude – He’s socially aware, even when asleep
the law.” “Jesus,” grumbled Marcus, “why do these old Spanish people have to say everything three bloody times?” Having considered cutting costs and working from home, the prospect of possessing an office in Órgiva would lend us at least some credibility, we figured. But office space was in short supply in Órgiva, a town in the Alpujarras mountains of Granada province, unaccustomed to white-collar employment, and we had almost given up the search when Molly, Marcus’ girlfriend, had put us onto Mercedes. Surveying the wreckage in the office before us the question had to be asked, and Marcus duly obliged: “What
FOUNDER: Olive Press stalwart Jason Heppenstall and behind Orgiva town happened to the lawyer who was here before?” She eyed him suspiciously. “Gone. He is gone away,” she said with a dismissive flick of the wrist, “to Madrid.” I got the impression that ‘Madrid’ was a euphemism for ‘away: destination unknown’.
FURIOUS Giles Brown may be a petrolhead, but a health and safety inspector he is not
JUST in case I haven’t mentioned it before in my column - and let’s face it; you’re sensible grown ups and probably looking for the food news and classified advertisements rather than eagerly searching for my rabid ramblings - I have a ‘bit of a thing’ for motorsports. Horses terrify me, I only listen to golf and tennis on the radio when I want to nod off, and I don’t get caught up in the collective national rollercoaster of emotions that is following the English cricket or football teams. I love my rugby, having been an exceptionally less than average player for several sides, even gracing (and that’s using the term lightly) the hallowed grass of Marbella Rugby Club. Motorsport, however, is a different thing.
Tea trolley
Dad was a professional racing driver, competing at Spa, Le Mans and the Nurburgring in the 60s. He’s a life member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which has meant that I have bumped into some bona fide legends such as Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart and Damon Hill in the clubhouse at Silverstone. I spent much of my childhood playing Scalextric in my bedroom as a small boy, and far too much time on racing games on the PlayStation as a grown up. I never had the opportunity to race myself, however, as now it’s very much an extremely rich man’s sport. But whenever I get the opportunity to get behind the wheel of anything fast and furious, I grab it with both hands. I managed not to spin a Formula 1600 at Thruxton several years ago.
GILES: and (inset) his dad at Spa 1969 ‘You looked like you were enjoying yourself’ the instructor observed. ‘Your grin was making the sides of the helmet bulge’. At the start of summer I had the opportunity to have a thrash around the fabulous track at Campillos. The four-stroke karts were great fun and I was more than a little proud to be the quickest of the assembled media. Then the owners asked if I fancied a blast on the two-stroke karts. I said yes without hesitation. It was only when I was heading backwards through the gravel on what was basically something weighing not much more than a tea trolley and capable of 100km/h, that I thought I might have bitten off more than I could chew. When you spin a four-stroke, you curse to yourself and then try and get going again. As I left the circuit at speed in the twostroke, however, the thought of me landing somewhere near Antequerra flashed through my mind. Luckily I landed with a thud, checked my spine was still in place an then a marshal pushed me back on and I was off again.
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“So he’s not going to come back and find us in his office?” I asked, a little hesitantly. In truth I was more worried about people coming in looking for the man. Whoever had kicked in the door and smashed the place up probably didn’t look wet behind the ears.
A SMALL FART AFTER A DUMP Our new printer Carlos greeted us and led our party inside the facility in an industrial estate in Granada (ED: appropriately in the suburb of Peligros, meaning ‘dangers’). A handful of tired-looking workers wearing blue boiler suits were leaning against different parts of the mechanical contraptions that filled the cavernous space. He led us around, pointing out the functions of the machinery that would print The Olive Press. A worker yawned loudly, and Carlos apologised, telling us that they had just spent the night printing 200,000 copies of local rag Ideal, as well as various magazines and books, and all that stood between them and their beds were 10,000 copies of The Olive Press
Bloodshot
The man said something to his mates and they all burst out laughing. Carlos looked embarrassed. “What did he say?” I asked, and Marcus explained that he’d said printing our newspaper would be “like a little fart at the end of a long shit.” And thus, with that thought in mind, and without any fanfare whatsoever I was invited to press a large button, setting in motion the entire printing press. The cacophony was enormous, like being inside an immense metal tank while men with jackhammers tried to smash their way out. A huge roll of paper, like a giant toilet roll, span around and a single continuous sheet of printed paper flew above us at speed as it was fed into a box. It appeared from this box just a fraction of a second later chopped neatly into small piles and recognisable as a newspaper. These newspapers flew onto a high speed conveyor belt, which took them around the warehouse at a dizzying speed before they emerged on another belt at table height where a man with a magnifying glass picked copies off at random, inspecting the colour balance with one bloodshot eye.
“He will not be coming back,” Mer- you say you are, you’d be pirates. And I cedes replied with a wry chuckle that do not let my office out to pirates!” sounded a little sinister. “If you want She spat the word ‘piratos’, disgust his books I will also throw in the desk flashing in her eyes. She continued, alblotter as well.” most at a whisper. “As if we’d want that…” muttered Mar- “No, you are nothing more than babies. cus. But at least you are not English and, I “What are you doing here in my coun- must admit, I respect what you Gertry?” she suddenly demanded, her mans have done in the past.” penetrating stare putting us both on “We’re not bloody Germans,” said Martrial. cus, in English. “We’re making a newspaper,” said She reached out and squeezed his Marcus. cheek, causing him to blush, and con“An estate agency?” tinued almost in a whisshe replied, as though per. that was the only ra“You may rent my office tional reason to be Avocado-coloured but, by the Lord, the launching a business I am charging you bathroom with rent as an expat in the very is so low it pains me. rural region. You hear me, it pains a leaking tap, “No a newspap...” me! And me, a pensionno light and an er being held hostage “Yes,” she interrupted, “you estate agents unflushable toilet in my own country by come here to sell the foreigners!” land from under our We both looked at her. feet. Just as I thought. She seemed to be “Well, you may rent my office while you completely mad, but an office was an go about your unsavoury business, but office, even if it wasn’t really an office on my word, I trust you only because of and was a bit on the pricey side. your German heritage.” “You may pay me a deposit of three “We’re English,” I interjected, feeling months’ rent and the first month’s that perhaps I’d missed some part of rental in cash, plus a breakages the conversation. The old woman’s deposit. But do not push my genereyes narrowed as she scrutinised my osity, if I do not hear from you by face for signs of dishonesty. tomorrow I will give it to someone “Ingles?” she said, h e r else.” And with that the old lady voice softenturned and left us on our own. We ing. looked around the apartment unim“If you were peded. It was large, conEnglish, as sisting of a spacious reception room and two smaller ones. The kitchen was stacked to the ceiling with cardboard boxes, and an avocado-coloured bathroom with a leaking tap, no light and an unflushable toilet. The one large window looked We needed a name for the newspaper, and down from the racked our brains to come up with one. The Órsecond floor onto giva Post seemed an obvious moniker, but this an abandoned litwas swiftly rejected by Marcus and Molly, who ter-strewn courtyard disliked the association with the town, which they in which a lone fig regarded as a Spanish version of the spaceport tree had sprouted Mos Eisley from Star Wars (“You will never find a from a gutter. Stray more wretched hive of scum and villainy...”). The cats sunned themnext proposal was the leftie-sounding Voice of selves atop a graffiti the Alpujarras, which had a pleasing resonance covered wall beside and seemed to fit in with the area’s self-regard the church. “Óras an enclave of radicalism. The name, howevgiva really is a er, was likely to put off people who lived outside dump isn’t it?” Las Alpujarras. I looked around at the landscape said Marcus. with my foreign eyes for inspiration and came up Naturally, we with The Lemon Tree. Nobody could find a good took the office. reason not to dislike this title and so it remained The Lemon Tree for quite some time prior to the first issue. But then, one day, standing in the More adventures kitchen of one of my neighbours and listening next issue from as he lamented the amount of work he had put : THE OLIVE into harvesting his olives compared to the puny PRESS: NEWS amount of oil he had received as payment from FROM THE LAND the olive press, a new name struck me. I texted OF MISFITS Molly: “The Olive Press?” She texted back immediately: “We have a winner!” (available on
Forget the Lemons!
Amazon)
INTREPID: Jason and daughter on Alpujarras peak, (left) his book and (top) the first issue
40
BUSINESS GROUNDED!
September 25th - October 8, 2019
French connection FRANCE’S national grid has announced it will choose Spain over Britain for future electricity links due to Brexit uncertainty. The country is planning €33 billion of investment by 2035 and has also been negotiating with Belgium and Germany. A government source said projects with the UK ‘risk remaining on standby, as the UK is still set to crash out of the EU without a deal on October 31. “There are three or four projects that are on standby, Brexit or not,” National Assembly spokesperson Francois Brottes said. “If you multiply links, you may end up with too many of them.”
Covering losses
Iberia staff to hold new wave of strikes as bosses slam door on union talks GROUND handlers for Iberia are set to stage an eight-week walkout this autumn in protest at the national airline’s suspension of negotiations with unions. The Union General de Trabajadores (UGT) has called for strikes every Monday from September 30 until November 18.
Fortunes
The nationwide strikes come off the back of August strikes that took place at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and Bilbao and led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights. The Iberia management suspended negotiations following
the summer round of strikes, saying that it ‘cannot continue negotiating in good faith, subject to the blackmail of strikes’. The UGT has called on all its members who work for Iberia to join the strike, as well as members of Iberia’s workforce who belong to different unions. Iberia has around 13,000 ground handlers across Spanish airports. These include airport personnel such as baggage handlers, mechanics in charge of aircraft maintenance and service staff. The UGT argues previous terms it signed with Iberia were agreed to on the basis of ensuring the sustainability
THE devastating floods in Almeria, the Costa Blanca and Murcia have affected at least 25,000 people and will see more than €140 million paid out in insurance claims. According to experts at the Insurance Compensation Consortium, damages made to homes, shops and insured vehicles across the southeast peninsular will see at least €142 million paid out in claims. In Andalucia, the damage is estimated to be around €10 million euros, with about 2,500 people affected.
of the airline. The agreement involved the union accepting concessions on wages and working conditions. The
union says Iberia’s fortunes have since reversed and the company now has a high volume of work.
Taking granny abroad A SPANISH company will soon start shipping its award-winning Abuela Carmen (Granny Carmen) cheese abroad. Sevilla-based Quesos Los Vazquez - which makes €10 million annually - is expanding around Europe from 2020 and expects to grow by 7% this year alone. The cheese is named after the owner’s wife.
Pay gap WOMEN with degrees in Spain can expect to pocket up to €9,500 less than their male counterparts each year, it has been revealed. While more Spanish women are working than ever before, their annual pay packet is still on average €5,982 less than men’s.
The Union General de Trabajadores (UGT) criticised the gender pay gap, saying that the shortfall could no longer be attributed to a lack of skills amongst women. It added: “There is a severe undervaluation of women’s work.” The OECD, which published the data, said the gap could partly be accounted for by women choosing lower paying careers.
Oh Dia!
DISCOUNT supermarket chain Dia lost an eye watering €420.7 million during the first half of 2019. Losses at the beleaguered retailer were 14 times higher than in the first six months of 2018, when it shed €29.5 million. The company said that recent measures, including store closures and redundancies, will lead to better results in the long-term. Its restructuring plan will see the closure of 30 Max Descuento stores, part of its Grupo El Arbol subsidiary.
Crash cash
HOME buyers could be compensated millions of euros after a court ruling that mortgages may have been ‘abusively’ priced. The IRPH mortgage price index which overcharged buyers billions during the financial crisis could have been misrepresented, the advocate general of the European Court of Justice has said. Although non-binding, the ruling may mean that Caixabank, CBK.MC and other banks may have to pay out compensation. That is because these institutions still have IRPH-derived mortgages, collectively worth over €16.5 billion.
KEEPING THE BEAR AT BAY
G
LOBALLY, we may be experiencing a bull market, but the one certainty about market cycles is that they are almost impossible to predict; a bear market could always be right around the corner. This might seem like scaremongering considering that the US, the world’s biggest economy with a GDP of $20,494.10 billion in 2018, is currently experiencing the longest economic expansion in history, but that’s not the case. At Blacktower Financial Management one thing we have discovered over the course of more than 30 years of expat wealth management is that being properly diversified across different asset classes (including equities, bonds, commodities, etc.), countries, sectors and investment strategies (value vs momentum), coupled with rigorous and active risk management is, will most likely tilt the investment odds in your favour. Financial markets will inevitably rise and fall but having a medium to long-term horizon whilst avoiding short-termism and emotional selling may well turn the downturns into opportunities. Over time, investors and wealth managers who have been able to consistently do this have been greatly rewarded. In this article we look at three ways your wealth manager can help you weather market
Wealth managers are a must-have for keeping your investments safe and weathering the market storm
BY TIM GOVAERTS fluctuations. Keep a cool head There is no point trying to predict the market or time it - by trading your investments during volatility. In all likelihood it is better to consult your investment adviser so you can stay disciplined, remain invested and ride out the uncertainty. Remember that it’s better to spend ‘time in the market’ than trying to ‘time the market’. For example, many investors sold shares in the hours immediately following the Brexit referendum in June 2016, resulting in a subsequent 8% fall in the FTSE 100. Was this emotionally-charged decision wise? Given that the FTSE has now risen by around 25% since that infamous day, it should be clear that such emotionally-motivated decisions are unlikely to benefit investments in the long-term. Understand value rather than price Warren Buffet, one of the greatest investors of all time, famously said: “Price is what you pay, value is what you get”. Sometimes, investors and, consequently, markets chase the heat of particular securities
that are having their prices distorted by headlines and hyperbole. In recent years we have seen this in many areas - particularly in relation to tech and cybercurrencies. Investors often suffer from a phenomenon called FOMO (fear of missing out) and base their investment decisions purely on the assumption that if the price of something has continuously risen, then it will surely continue to rise. This is typically a recipe for disaster. Bitcoin went up by circa 1,600% in 2017 only to crash spectacularly in 2018. Keep your investments diversified People like to invest in the familiar; we all feel comfortable with what we know; if you are British, there is a good chance that your investment portfolio might be heavily weighted towards UKbased securities. Data from MSCI shows that the average UK investor holds more than 45% of their stocks in UK companies. This can be quite imprudent when you look at the numbers and see that UK equities account for only 5.2% of the MSCI World Equity Indexes. Furthermore, with an average annualized return of 3.6% (accounting for dividends), UK equity markets have consistently lagged behind MSCI World Equity Indexes over a one, three, five, 10 and 20 year periods ending in December 2018. An experienced wealth manager can be ex-
www.theblacktowergroup.com tremely important in helping you understand how your attitude towards risk, your personal circumstances and your income requirements can be taken into consideration when managing and constructing your portfolio. With the current global challenges of political uncertainty and rising populism the IMF has reduced its global growth forecast to 3.2% for 2019 and 3.5% the following year, at the same time that the FED (USA’s central bank) is going to cut interest rates in a bid to stimulate the economy. If Brexit has taught us anything, it should be that we cannot rely on Britain alone. A good wealth manager should never over-expose you to any single area but should ensure that you are invested across a diverse portfolio of assets, including those of established companies which can be expected to remain robust during a bull market and those of developing companies that exhibit plenty of growth potential. International wealth managers in Spain Blacktower Financial Management can help you structure your wealth and assets so that you have the best chance of protecting and growing your assets, even during times of volatility or when a bear market hits. We offer a personalised approach to international wealth management with a unique cross-border and bilingual service.
Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV in Spain
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Street cred HAMtastic!
THERE’S more to the Spanish delicacy Jamon Iberico de Bellota than great flavour, texture and quality. It can also prevent digestive problems, scientists have discovered. Munching on the meat made from acorn-fed pigs reduces the symptoms of intestinal conditions such as Ulcerative colitis. Scientists found that a particular variety of ham made by the Joselito family for six generations had ‘superfood’ powers. Dr. Felipe Lombo, who led the study, said: “[This] is the only one that does not contain heavy metals, dyes, or preservatives. “[It is] 100% natural and of the highest quality.” Jose Gomez Sanchez, a member of the Joselito family, said: “We have 151 years of history: we develop a product of the highest quality, completely natural.” Some 180,000 people in Spain suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, according to 2016 figures.
Madrid barrio among top 10 coolest suburbs in the world A SPANISH suburb has made it into the top ten world’s most fashionable addresses. Embajadores in Madrid has been voted in at number nine in a list of the 50 coolest places to live around the globe. The barrio - just a stone’s throw from the city centre and historic Plaza Mayor - is awash with trendy restaurants, bars and shops, according to the poll by travel bible Time Out. As well as including the Lavapies district, which came top last year, it also incorpo-
Top tip
Edgy
‘Florists arrange their bouquets in Plaza Tirso de Molina next to the bold murals of street artist Okuda. Next to the Indian restaurants that have been popping up around Calle de Lavapies, you’ll find traditional eateries like the legendary Melo’s, where punters gather to order their famous zapatillas (two slices of bread, as large as a skateboard, stuffed with heaps of Lacon pork and tetilla cheese).
CHILLED: Rastro market (inset) and (right) caracoles chef The vast majority of residents were incredibly friendly and there was a real sense of an upwardly mobile, but above all proud and creative vibe. Businessman Fernando Barandilla, 42, who owns a series of tourist apartments just off Plaza Cascorro, one of the area’s nicest squares said: “I love the alternative buzz and edgy feel - plus at the weekend it comes completely alive with the Rastro.” The Time Out Index survey asked more than 27,000 city-dwellers around the
Tequila swiftrise
A MYSTERIOUS plant which had lain dormant for 60 years has suddenly shot up to 15 feet within three weeks. The agave was sitting at Cambridge University’s Botanic Garden when, this summer, it sprouted at such ferocity some feared it could break the glass roof above it. Some staff members had even discussed throwing it out before the growth spurt in June. The plant has now been identified as an agave vivipara, which is native to Mexico. It is known to have laborious growth during colder climates, but suddenly shoots up during the heat.
rates hip La Latina and the famous Rastro flea market area that has been going for a century in Madrid. It was pipped at the post by Arroios in Lisbon and Wedding in Berlin, while Peckham, in London comes 11th. While many locals in Madrid warn tourists off the area, citing high levels of crime and drugs, the Olive Press spent a few days in the suburb this week finding, the very opposite.
41
September 25th - October 8, 2019
Master chefs
world about the ‘best, most overrated and most undervalued’ neighbourhoods in their hometown.
ANGEL Leon, Dani Garcia and Paco Morales were among 32 Michelin-starred chefs who have appeared at a huge cooking convention. ‘Andalucia Sabor’ is the bi-annual all-star event, which highlights the excellence of the region’s cuisine. Held in Sevilla, the seventh edition of this event was marketed with the slogan, ‘Quality Roots,’ to emphasise fresh Andalucian produce.
42
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
September 25th - October 8, 2019
Costa del Despite the collapse of Thomas Cook, in the week of World Tourism Day, Robert Firth discovers that Spain’s tourist credentials are still decidedly rosy bringing in more cash even than France
S
PAIN is the second most visited country after France, having overtaken the USA last year in the tourist stakes. But, best of all, it makes more than its nearby competitor in terms of what tourists spend. In total, Spain grossed €67 billion last year from tourism, compared to just €61 billion for France. That’s certainly something to celebrate as World Tourism Day approaches this Friday. Despite the slight fly in the ointment of Thomas Cook going under this week (with an estimated 60,000-plus trips to the country affected), Spain is still likely to see around 83 million tourists arriving from around the world this year. That is more than the total population of Germany and the number one visitors are Brits,
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
• The Alhambra (right) is the eighth most popular tourist site in the world • The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) set up World Tourism Day in 1979. • Palma de Mallorca has more visitors than Barcelona, with both being in the world’s top 20 most visited cities
• Greek visitors to the Costa del Sol have tripled over the last few years TOP: Spain rakes in more money than France, despite a lower footfall who take around 19 million ber of Greeks coming to the trips here a year, making up Costa del Sol last winter almost around 23%. tripled. Brits, who have been flocking to And surprisingly, they’re not the country since just visiting for the 1960s, also the sun, sea and make up around sangria. It’s not just 60% of all the visMany are ditchitors to the Costa ing the beach foreign visitors del Sol during the and moving inwinter. land to explore that Spain is But there are the cultural increasingly other nationalriches Spain ities now vying has to offer. The popular with for Spain’s sun Moorish charms loungers in the of Granada’s Alwinter months. hambra palace Visitors from the US have inattracted 3.5 million visitors creased by almost a million in last year, making it the eighth just three years, while the nummost visited monument in the
Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.
With a UNESCO world heritage site offering 120,000 years of human history and only short drive from the Costa del Sol, enjoy the warmth of the British Gibraltarians and splash out VAT-free in Sterling. Gibraltar. Sun, sea and history served with a very British twist. PROUD
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For further information call: Gibraltar Tourist Board +350 200 74950 Or to download a brochure go to: www.visitgibraltar.gi
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43
SOARING world. The WTO told the Olive Press that many visitors are now choosing Spain for its sports and gastronomic offerings, particularly in the Basque region. “That’s good for diversifying the economy, easing pressures and making tourism a year-round thing,” a spokesman explained. While an increasing number of tourists are seeking out less well-trodden regions for their next holiday, the people taking a stroll in the resort of San Luis de Sabinillas on Thursday had come for one thing only: the sun. “I’m here for the sun, the sea and the sangria,” pensioner Eileen Farrell, 66, visiting from Ireland, told the Olive Press. Her friend, Lisa Mcguinness, 52, added: “To get away from work. And for the sun.” The statistics don’t dispute this sentiment. A whopping 13 million people are expected to visit the Costa del Sol in 2019, three million more people than live in the whole of Portugal. And it’s not just foreign visitors that Spain is increasingly popular with.
Domestic tourism up
More than a third of bookings in Spain on Airbnb over the summer were made by people who also live in Spain. The number of Spanish travellers booking accommodation in Spain on the rental platform this summer was three times greater than the number of holidaymakers arriving from the UK. Airbnb’s marketing manager for
MORE MONEY: Spain Spain, Arnaldo Munoz, said that the trend for holidaying local was driven by Spaniards’ concern for the environment. “Carbon footprint is a concern that is increasingly present when travelling,” he said. “Spanish families are increasingly attracted to local tourism.” Spain now pockets €6 million more a year from its beaches, tapas and Moorish palaces than France does from the Alps, moules frites and the Notre-Dame, even though the latter attracts more tourists. Mallorca’s Palma remains Spain’s most visited city, with 8.79 million people landing on the Balearic island to explore its beaches and gothic streets each year. So as September draws to a close, whether you are sailing around the Balearics, sunning it on the Costa del Sol or exploring Madrid, raise a glass to Spain and its visitors!
DATA: Palma de Mallorca among top cities, while London first
September 25th - October 8, 2019
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Fergusson’s Estepona September 25th - October 8,by2019 Sponsored
Fabulous Fergusson Peter Manley reflects on another exciting month of golf in the summer heat at Alcaidesa
D
uring the heights of the summer months and not withstanding the high temperatures, the ex-Estepona Old Boys Society have continued to prosper with ever increasing numbers wanting to play at Alcaidesa. The real highlight of the summer was an arranged awayday for the group at Cabopino where 16 of the group played a Stableford Competition for the Away-Day Trophy. The winner on the day with a very credible 38 points off a handicap of seven was the proprietor of Fergusson’s Bar in Estepona Andy Fergusson, who as penance for his victory had to provide the traditional chips for the group after the game. Second was the old wounded golfer with golfer’s elbow, Nor-
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man with 35 points and third with 34 points was Oreste. Nearest the pin at the fourth in two was Andy, nobody made it onto the seventh, Ana was nearest the pin at the 13th and Martin (one inch away from a hole-in-one) at the 15th won the prize there. During the summer months we have enjoyed relatively empty courses because the number of visitors greatly decreases during this period. As the weather cools, the course will become busy again and we can say farewell to our ‘millionaire’s golf’ and go back to the frustration of fivehour rounds. However, what else would I do that gets me out in the fresh air, gives me a bit of exercise amongst such pleasant company and keeps the competitive juices flowing.
MUM’S THE WORD
Marbella expat golfer returns from maternity leave to beat Americans and take home Solheim Cup AN expat living in Marbella has helped Europe beat the USA in the Solheim Cup 2019, before announcing her retirement from golf. Suzann Pettersen, 38, had been away from the sport on maternity leave for two years. Many doubted that she should have even be selected, having only played in two events prior to the competition. But she came back with a bang, holing her birdie putt on the 18th to defeat Marina Alex and win the
trophy. The sportswoman celebrated as the ball rolled in, and soon her euphoric teammates joined - they had only half an hour prior resigned themselves to defeat in the competition. Indeed, Pettersen’s selection by her captain, Catriona Matthew, had some eyebrows raised, some believing the Scandinavian was too rusty to compete, but she soon put paid to that. Following her dramatic victory the Norwegian said: “I think this is a perfect closure. “A good end to my professional career. It doesn’t get any better. “Life’s changed so much for me over the last year.
UNDERDOG: Petterson had been on maternity leave
“He’s [son Herman] obviously the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me. “But now I know what it feels like to win as a mom. I’m going to leave it like that.” Pettersen retires with an esteemed career, having
won 15 times on the LPGA Tour, including two majors - the 2007 Women’s PGA Championship and the 2013 Evian Championship. She is a member of the Aloha Golf Club, a high-end private members’ 18-hole PGA Tour course between San Pedro and Marbella.
Garcia’s Dutch courage SPANISH golfer Sergio Garcia has won the KLM Open in Amsterdam with a one-stroke victory. The triumph marked his 16th European Tour win and the 2017 Masters champion’s first title in the Netherlands.
A final-round three-under 69 did the job for the 39-year-old, as he finished one clear of Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard. The victory could mark a return to winning ways for the Castellon-born sportsman, who has fallen to
43rd in the world rankings. Earlier this year, Garcia was disqualified from a tournament held in Saudi Arabia after he damaged the greens. He was also condemned for chucking his driver at his caddie.
Fairway to hell A POPULAR golf resort has been flooded following the worst storms in Alicante for 140 years. Two days of rain lashed Spain’s Costa Blanca, with deadly floods killing seven and washing away cars in Valencia, Murcia and eastern Almeria. Online footage has
emerged of the popular Marquesa golf course’s bunkers and sandpits completely waterlogged by storms. Thousands of locals and expats are believed to have joined the cleanup efforts dealing with the aftermath in the days that followed CHAMP: Sergio Garcia
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MOTORS Driving forward
Future is green
A SURVEY has revealed that 80% of Spaniards believe that hybrid or electric cars will take over the roads in the coming years. According to European Mobility Week, rental car company Europcar carried out a study on Spanish drivers, which showed that most residents have a firm belief that motorists will soon turn to a greener mode of transport. Some 70% of pollers also felt that the shared car is a valid option to replace car ownership in the coming years. This refers to the ‘roundtrip’ model, which consists of users picking up a car for a temporary period, before returning it at the end of the service.
Look, no hands! A TECH park in Malaga has announced it will allow people to use driverless cars motorised by 5G. The project sees companies Telefonica and Dekra collaborate with the Malaga City Council. The technology makes it possible for vehicles to communicate through 5G, meaning drivers would be able to communicate with other vehicles, roads, traffic lights and signals. The newly-opened facilities which consist of a simulated urban roads and buildings - will be available and open to anyone who wishes to use them.
THE Spanish car industry is set to grow by around 3.7% in 2019 and 2.4% by 2022, a study has found. The findings from the EAE Business School also show that Spain ranks second among European producers,
one place behind Germany. Globally, the European country is the eighth highest car manufacturer, while China is top with a massive 27.6%. EAE professor Eduardo Irastroza said of the findings: “We speak of a robust and recog-
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September 25th - October 8, 2019
Top business school predicts Spain’s automobile industry will rival Germans following huge surge
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nized sector, both for the quality of the products and for the competitiveness of their costs and therefore of their prices. “This contributes to the powerful subsidiary industry that also has a great worldwidereputation.” The study also reflects the autonomous communities’ favourite car.
Electric
Death drive SPAIN has suffered a weekend of carnage on the roads, with almost a dozen deaths occurring on September 14 and 15. Ten people were killed in car accidents, including pedestrians and one cyclist. This is according to the General Directorate of Traffic, which claimed this year there have been 759 deaths on the roads. In September alone there have been a reported 48 people who have lost their lives in car accidents.
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Castile y Leon like Renault, Catalunya go for Seat or Nissan, Valencia chose Ford, while Aragon chose Opel. Despite a recent survey suggesting the population believe Spain is heading towards hybrid or electric cars, the report indicates that the sales of electric cars in Spain are still very modest. Since 2018 the sale of this car model accounted for 0.8% of the total, while petrol sales account for 63% and diesel 36.1%. It comes after the Government also launched a €45 million buying incentive programme called MOVES this year, which offers buyers €5,500 for cars whose price is €48,400.
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Home insurance with Linea Directa has you covered if your fridge or freezer breaks
Contents insurance guarantee What about the contents of your fridge? A big part of our monthly expenditure goes on shopping for food. And a fridge packed full of food is a significant cost. Imagine your fridge or freezer stops working in these hot summer months and all the food is quickly ruined. Will it be covered as part of your contents insurance? Fridge and freezer cover as standard Our home insurance policy covers the contents of your fridge and freezer up to a maximum of €300 per claim for food stored in a domestic refrigerator or freezer that has been spoiled due to the fridge or freezer unit breaking down or a power cut that lasts longer than six consecutive hours.
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Putting in a claim If you need to claim, simply provide a copy of the repair invoice for the fridge or freezer, and in the event of a power cut spoiling your food contents, then a justification from the electricity company confirming the power outage. Tips for power cuts and surges Power cuts and surges are a nuisance and often occur during thunderstorms during the hotter summer months. And it’s not only the contents of your fridge or freezer that can be spoiled, expensive electronics, home alarm systems and other appliances may be affected. We recommend you install surge protectors and remember to unplug your most prized electronics during thunderstorms.
We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 147 834 More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com
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French invasion
FINAL WORDS
A NOTORIOUS French artist has appeared in court over 15 mosaics he stuck to buildings in Malaga. The artist, known as Invader, is charged with crimes against heritage.
Pickpocketing pensioner A THIEVING pensioner who robbed other elderly people at banks and pharmacies has been arrested. The man was carrying four different identity cards when he was stopped by police.
Chill officer A POLICEMAN in Murcia was found with €220,000 of weed stashed in his house.
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Vol. 13 Issue 327 www.theolivepress.es September 25th - October 8th, 2019
WHITE STRIPES
AN albino tiger locked in a cage next to the swimming pool of a Spanish residence has raised alarm bells among municipal law enforcement. A photograph of the tiger was released with a statement saying Policía Local,
Rare tiger - one of 20 left in world - found in garden
Seprona and the Department of Health were ‘checking’ if the owner possessed appropriate licences.
Tractor trek A BRIT has driven a tractor towing a caravan from Spain to Yorkshire and topped the Amazon book chart with a memoir about the 1,700 mile trundle. The 65-year-old conservationist, Micheal James Wiggins, drove from the south of Spain to his home in West Yorkshire in the 56 year-old tractor with his dog Luna. He had the idea of buying a tractor and taking it back
to the UK whilst holidaying with his partner Lindsey in Spain. Micheal said: “The tractor journey has been my greatest achievement.” His travelogue about his experience, Tractorman: Adventure at a Snail’s Pace, has been called ́highly enjoyable by critics.
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Deer me
RARE: Tiger found at Spanish home
The statement added albino tigers are ‘extinct’ in the wild and only ‘20’ exist in the whole world. “Alicante, with this exceptional specimen in private hands, has become part of the few enclaves in Europe that have one of these wild oddities,” the statement said. “But the Department of Health assumes these wild beasts must live in their natural habitats, since their trade is driving their extinction.” Police and the Department of Health are now investigating if the owner lacks the ‘documentation, permits, insurance and other requirements concerning the
possession of a dangerous species’. Spain’s Ley 42/2007 prohibits ownership of a list of animals deemed either invasive or critically endangered. However, only indigenous Iberian animals at risk of extinction – not foreign animals such as tigers – are illegal to own as pets. Owners of dangerous pets, such as dogs, are required to possess both licences and insurance of ‘no less than €120,000’, according to Spain’s Real Decreto 287/2002. Lacking any special precautions for tigers, however, in theory it is easier to possess a licence for a tiger than for a Staffordshire Terrier.
CYCLISTS have rescued a deer stranded in floodwaters in Andalucia. The animal had become stuck in ruins, following heavy rainfall that has hit the area in the last few weeks. The walls of the ruins were too steep for the animal to jump over. A team of four lycra-clad cyclists from Club Ciclista Huescar 1925 managed to pull the deer out by its antlers. The animal then charged off into the woods, but not before knocking a couple of the cyclists to the ground. The club posted a video of the incident on social media, where users praised the bravery of the good samaritans. One user said: “Thank you guys for your bravery. God and life will reward you.”