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FREE Vol. 3 Issue 68
MALLORCA
Your expat
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www.theolivepress.es November 22nd - December 5th 2019 JAILED: Grinan and Chaves finally face crimes
How a Cartagena naval officer’s ‘land of submarines’ made waves around the world see pages 10-11
STIR FRIED
Police called after expats charged double the price - and then assaulted - for failing to finish a meal at Wok restaurant EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade
A BRITISH couple have called in police after being charged DOUBLE for a meal they thought was below standard. Expats Wayne Clarke, 34, and partner Natalie, were left stunned after staff at Wok Asia 5 restaurant also then physically and verbally abused them. The pair told the Olive Press they were ‘assaulted’ for merely refusing to pay for four people when only two of them had eaten at the buffet-style restaurant, in La Zenia. “The food was over-cooked and dry and appeared to have been heated up from the night before,” explained Clarke, a builder who is originally from the Midlands. “But when we asked for the bill they charged for four people, and
See on Page 13
when questioned said it was because we However, that wasn’t the end of the had left food on our plates! saga, as later that night, at 3am, the “Obviously we refused to pay double, but couple awoke with what they believe was they wouldn’t accept paying for two.” food poisoning. To make matters worse, when they start- It is also apparent that their experience ed to leave the staff got aggressive and isn’t unique, as online reviews give simistarted shouting at them. larly low opinions. “The owner’s son grabbed my wife by the On Tripadvisor, Wok Asia 5 is rated arm and shouted abuse at both of us,” he 42nd out of 45 restaurants in La Zenia, continued. with all but one of this year’s reviews be“I then called the police, who were luck- ing rated with one or two stars. ily on the scene quickly.” Comments include, ‘Worst garbage ever Police backed up the couple and told the presented with’, ‘Dreadful, no wonder restaurant staff to accept the offer of the it was empty’ and ‘Horrible food, very couple paying for ‘what they had eaten’. rude waitress’. 1 16/06/2017 “While they told us we could report Untitled-1.pdf the Understandably, Clarke15:36 has one word of assault, we just wanted to pay and go advice for Olive Press readers, “AVOID!” home,” added Clarke.
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IT is the biggest public money scandal in Spanish history, estimated at nearly €1 billion. Now, finally, two former Andalucia leaders are heading to prison and banned from office for their links to the disgraceful ERE scandal. Ex-Junta president Jose Antonio Grinan has been sentenced to six years jail and banned from office for 15 years, while predecessor Manuel Chaves has been banned from office for nine years. The pair oversaw the scheme, which saw the shocking theft of at least €680 million - dubbed the ‘Reptile fund’ - meant to go to companies in trouble and to stimulate employment.
Bent
A further 17 politicians and businessmen who worked with the Junta received a total of 86 years in prison between them, a Sevilla court has ruled. This included eight years for former Employment minister Javier Guerrero, who helped set up the scheme which embezzled money from 2000 to 2009. The bent politician was particularly guilty, having set up two bogus companies with his former driver - dubbed the ‘Cocaine Chauffeur’ - defrauding over €700,000 between them. The pair are said to have spent much of their afternoons spending the money taking cocaine with prostitutes at brothels near Sevilla. The final 1,700-page report, issued by a panel of judges, announced that 13 of those accused received six to eight years in prison while all have been banned from public office for at least 10 years. A further three, José Antonio Viera, Francisco Vallejo and Carmen Martínez-Aguayo were also ministers. In a major embarrassment for the PSOE party, Chaves and Grinan led the Junta for a combined 23 years, two thirds of the regional parliament’s history. The pair had been icons of the party, while Chaves went on to become a minister in both the Spanish governments of Felipe Gonzalez and Jose Luis Zapatero. The pair had overseen the set up of the €855 million slush fund, intended for retired and unemployed workers and struggling companies. Under Chaves’s presidency between 2001 and 2008 more than €576 million was diverted into the fund. It is now nine years since judge Mercedes Alaya first began investigating the more than 200 companies and dozens of politicians. A total of 507 people were investigated across an amazing 146 separate probes. The scandal is named after the so-called ‘expediente de regulacion de empleo’, or ERE, which means a collective dismissal procedure for companies which need to downsize. Hundreds of illegal ERE payments were made to allegedly struggling firms to make severance payments to laid-off workers, many who didn’t exist, the probe discovered. Millions were also handed out to companies and friends via grants which prosecutors described as ‘totally opaque’. The Olive Press first revealed about the ERE scandal in 2015 when a total of €1.3 billion was believed to have been embezzled by corrupt officials over a 12-year period. In a front page report in May, that year, we revealed how 16 politicians at the employment ministry were behind the scheme. President Chaves was warned about the fund as long ago as 2004 by a union complaining about bogus redundancy payments to miners in Huelva who did not exist. In a letter published in national newspaper El Mundo, the group complained that these people had ‘not been near the mine, neither inside or outside’. Opinion Page 6
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2 www.theolivepress.es It stinks HARSH fines are being dealt out in order to deal with the growing problem of bulky rubbish left on the sides of streets. The city of Manacor has imposed its first fine of €750 to a resident who left a refrigerator on the path near the bins. It is the first time the city has imposed the maximum penalty for the ‘minor infraction’, but the city explains that more heavy fines are coming ‘to fight uncivil behaviour’. “The abandonment of bulky junk in the street is one of our greatest problems and now we are committed to making it visible,” said Sebastia Llodra, alderman for the ministry of environment. “Instead of removing the items immediately, stickers will be placed on the abandoned junk with the phrase, ‘Someone did not do it right’ so citizens can see the bad action,” Llodra continued. The items will be removed after a couple of days, after enough time to shame those responsible and annoy the neighbours.
SQUALID: The women were living in overcrowded bunk beds
Police arrest 35-year-old Spanish women after finding trafficked sex workers living in appalling conditions in illegal building
A SPANISH woman who forced trafficked single mothers to pay rent for their stay in a brothel has been arrested by police. The 35-year-old forced the mainly Columbian women to pay between 25 and 30 euros a night to stay in the accom-
Girl gone wild A FLASHER has been arrested in Palma after flashing numerous people her breasts. A 40-year-old woman approached a group of minors and pulled up her T-shirt to flash her chest while making obscene comments. Police were notified of the woman, who was also aggressively ap-
modation where they had to be available 24 hours a day to have sex with clients. The suspect contacted the women in their native countries and offered them sex work in the Mallorcan capital with the promise of good conditions and payment of travel
proaching other strangers, and were sent to the scene. After confronting the woman and checking her ID, the woman again pulled up her shirt and flashed her chest to the officers. Witnesses reported seeing her smash up a car in a nearby parking lot. Officers quickly arrested her for exhibitionism and property damage.
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
Brothel madam behind bars
expenses. However, upon arrival the Spanish national tried to prevent the women from obtaining residency and work permits on the Balearic Isle in order to trap them in the abusive working conditions. The women were forced to
spend a minimum of 21 days in the brothel and would be woken from sleep in order to service customers. The Spanish woman pocketed 50% of the money earned by the trafficked South American workers. Upon the police raiding the premises they found the women crowded into dingy rooms in bunk beds in an illegally built house. The living area didn’t have washing facilities and the women had to go down two flights of stairs and into a patio area to reach a bathroom. The arrested woman will now face a Palma court, charged with sex trafficking and crimes against workers’ rights.
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
3
POP versus POPulism
Let die and live
FORMER Bond girl Jane Seymour might have spent her time dodging death as Solitaire in 1973 hit Live and Let Die. But the closest she has ever come to death is in Spain, she has revealed. The 68-year-old star told the Times how she somehow ‘came back from the brink’ after a routine jab she had on the mainland gave her an anaphylactic shock. “I basically died and had to be resuscitated,” she revealed. She said the near-death experience means today she lives life to the ‘fullest.’ Seymour has recently spoken out against ageism, saying that ‘not every designer will dress someone my age.’
FAR right party Vox has hit back at Spain’s biggest pop star Rosalia after she announced ‘f*** Vox’ in a tweet. The 26-year-old star made the outburst after the party took a historic 52 seats in parliament. But Vox hit back with a photo of Rosalia on a private plane, insisting: “Only millionaires like you who have private planes can permit themselves the luxury of not having a homeland.” The party has campaigned on a platform of anti-immigration and pledged to repeal gender violence laws. The Catalan singer had the last laugh though when she took home three trophies at the Latin Grammy Awards. The 26-year-old Flamenco pop star picked up the best album gong and best contemporary pop vocal album award for El mal querer, as well as best urban song for Con Height. She is the first female winner of the album prize since 2006, when Shakira won.
Brexit brings me home HE is Malaga’s most famous son. As Antonio And now Antonio Banderas may be Banderas celebrates coming home for good… all thanks to Brexit. the launch of a The famous actor - who has just new theatre in his opened a new theatre in Malaga he is ‘worried’ about conbirth city, he may revealed tinuing to live in the UK, where he be seeking to move has been based for four years. Legend of Zorro star insists that home from the UK The Brexit may ‘force’ him to move back
Goyasmacked
KING Felipe and Queen Letizia didn’t seem to know what to make of a self-portrait by Spanish artist Goya during their historic visit to Cuba. It came as the royal couple visited a Francisco de Goya exhibition in Havana during a four day trip to the former colony, the first by Spanish royalty in 500 years. The pair seemed bemused by the pallid self-portrait completed in 1815. Cuba is Spain’s third-biggest trading partner after China and Venezuela. See Greatest Goya, page 14
A HOST of big names from Spanish cinema and beyond attended the debut of musical A Chorus Line, in Malaga. Academy awardwinning director Pedro Almodovar (left) led the guests for the musical, which will go on tour to Madrid, Barcelona and the United States next year. Former Real Madrid defender Miguel Torres and Malaga-born bullfighter Javier Conde (left) also made appearances at the star-studded event.
to his home city of Malaga, where his new Teatro del Soho CaixaBank has just opened. He revealed that the continuing ‘uncertainty’ about Britain’s departure from the EU made him pine more for Spain. Banderas currently lives in the Surrey town of Cobham, with banker girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, but said he is ‘worried’ about the ‘uncertainty’
caused by Brexit. “There is the possibility of moving back to Malaga,” he said. “Malaga is just the size of city I love and I’m coming here more and more.” The 59-year-old inaugurated his new Malaga theatre with a performance of A Chorus Line, attended by Spanish film legends including Pedro Almodovar at the weekend. Banderas won Best Actor at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, in which he plays a ruBLACK comedy is coming to Mallorca next Spring as John Cleese ined film director reflecting is bringing his Last Time To See Me Before I Die tour to Palma. on his life choices. The longest surviving member of Monty Python has been selling The Hollywood star, born out shows across Europe with his dark humour and storytelling. in Malaga in 1960, also reThe tour has been running for over five years, with no sign of vealed that his Swiss-Gerslowing down for the Fawlty Towers actor who recently turned man girlfriend Nicole has 80-years-old. begun learning Spanish in Tickets are on sale now for the April 4 event at the Palma Auditopreparation for a possible rium and are expected to sell out to see the grandfather of modern return to his home country. comedy.
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Graffiti express
NEWS IN BRIEF
Not me A 27-year-old man has denied to a Palma court that he sexually assaulted a 94-year-old woman by masturbating on top of her.
On set A NEW Spanish version of the popular BBC TV show ‘Liar’ is set to start filming in Mallorca, and will last for two weeks.
Revamp A MAJOR roadworks are planned for Calle Nuredduna of Palm in 2020, with a €3 million budget set.
Brace RESIDENTS of 14 homes in central Palma have been evacuated over fears the buildings could collapse.
NEWS THE Mallorcan government’s €700,000 clampdown on graffiti has been a success figures suggest. 73 tags were reported on the is-
Europe’s leading budget airline may be hit with penalty by regional government for unlawful add-on charges, following court ruling A BUDGET airline could be slapped with a huge fine after the Balearic Islands’s government began investigating it for charging passengers for carry-on luggage. Irish-based Ryanair could be fined as much as €600,000 by the gov-
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
land’s trains and rail networks in 2018, while this year only 38 have been found so far. Increased CCTV around the trains and stations are thought to be behind the drop in vandalism. Since the cleanup scheme was launched in 2018, more than 3,000 metres of graffiti has been scrubbed clean off trains on the Balearic island.
Backdoor charges crackdown ernment if its charges are found to be unlawful. The move follows a ruling by Madrid’s Commercial Court this week which said that the airline’s carry-on luggage policy broke rules. Politician Felix Alonso said that the General Directorate of Consumer Affairs had registered two complaints filed by Ryanair passengers who were forced to pay an additional fee for handheld
luggage. The government department is also processing a complaint submitted by the Facua consumer organisation, which has made complaints to local authorities across all of Spain about the charges. If the budget airline refuses to pay any fine imposed by the regional government, it could be taken to court. Alonso is urging any Ry-
Santa’s helpers CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and that means retails stores are in need of extra workers. This is also true of El Corte Ingles in Palma, a store that has at least 250 temporary
jobs available for the festive season. All of the new employees will be given full training. Positions are available in warehouses or in store wrapping up gifts for customers and working on the shop floor, selling clothes,
games, accessories and toys. El Corte Ingles is Europe’s largest department store and the third biggest wordwide. It is also Spain’s only remaining department store chain.
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PEOPLE in the Balearics have the second-worst English out of all of Spain’s regions. The islands scored 52.9 for the level of English spoken in the area, a slight drop from last year and less than one point above Extremadura, whose residents speak the least English in Spain. Internationally, Spain ranked 35 this year for English language skills, with the Netherlands ranking number one. More than 2 million people from 100 countries have taken part in the study led by Education First, a Swedish company who specialise in language training and cultural exchange. The study found the people in the Basque Country, Barcelona and Madrid speak the best English. Italy is the only European country with a lower level of English. India ranked higher than Spain this year.
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anair customers who think they may have been wrongly charged to keep all receipts and to file a complaint against the company. Rival budget airline, Vueling, is currently being investigated by the consumer affairs directorate for charging extra for suitcases. The government is considering smacking the Spanish firm with a €300,000 penalty. Ryanair recorded a net income of over €1 billion last year.
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Almost €300,000 has been allocated to cleaning 1,220 metres of graffiti off carriages in October of this year alone. This week four members of a graffiti gang were arrested in Spain for spraying graffiti on trains across the mainland and further afield. The gang caused more than €6 million worth of damage and clean up costs.
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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.
FEATURE
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
IT’S WARMING UP... ...and SHE’LL be there...
OPINION The reptiles have finally been caged It’s thanks to the unshakable determination of one woman that this week 19 Andalucian politicians and business leaders were sentenced to a total of 86 years in prison for swindling the public out of millions of euros. The iron lady of the Spanish justice system, judge Mercedes Alaya, has devoted almost a decade of her life to uncovering the gross corruption of the former PSOE leaders. And it is she who should be remembered as the unsung heroine of the sorry ERE saga. The €1billion-plus slush fund that paid for ex-employment minister Javier Guerro’s cocaine-fuelled afternoons in brothels has been dubbed the ‘reptile fund’.
Fag
And this 63-year-old alleged socialist can only be described as reptilian, seemingly unable to arrive or leave a single court hearing without a fag hanging from his mouth or gripped between his fingertips. Hopefully his eight year jail sentence will give him ample time to reflect on why splurging money meant for laid off workers and the unemployed is a bad look for a politician meant to be on the people’s side. It is a further kick in the teeth to those who voted these politicians into power that exJunta president Chaves - who incredibly avoided jail - turned a blind eye when miners in Huelva tried to warn politicians of the bogus payments in a letter published in El Mundo. Let’s hope the sentences today serve as a reminder to our elected representatives that they may help make the law, but they’re not above it. Publisher / Editor
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Heather Galloway on how hosting the climate change summit COP25 could be a game-changer for Spain
M
ADRID will be front page news next month when 25,000 of the world’s environmental experts fly in for the UN’s COP25 climate change summit. And not only because teen activist Greta Thunberg will be among them (and she’s sailing in, not flying). Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stepped up to the plate when social unrest forced Chile to pull out as host at the eleventh hour, giving Spain front row seats and a golden opportunity. Chilean president Sebastian Piñera will continue to preside over the proceedings, which will be staged at the IFEMA conference centre from December 2-13. But Spain’s Ecology Minister, Greenpeace spokesperson Teresa Ribera, a prestigious Tatiana Nuño is also positive. figure on the global scene, “Our country is a rough diawill also take a leading role. mond when it comes to renewAnd she has had to employ able energy,” she tells me. “And the same sense of urgency people here are aware; they required to reduce CO2 emiswant to act and participate. sions to prepare for the deluge “We have the potential to be up of experts and negotiators in there with the most progressive record time. countries. But we need a stable Among those guaranteed to government, one that puts enattract global attention during ergy transition at the centre of the summit is Swede Thunberg, its agenda.” 16, who has droves of followers There certainly should be an in Spain, where Fridays for Fuincentive, Spain being on the ture strikes have taken off. frontline when it comes to the She does however, have her deimpact of climate change in Eutractors, such as rope. the far-right Vox A 2016 report naysayers who published in have attacked the Spain is already Science preactivist, branding dicts a range experiencing her ‘a puppet’. of scenarios for Having already the south, dealarming embarked on her pending on the developments zero emissions rate at which journey, Greta are like flash floods emissions found herself checked... the stranded on the worst possibilwrong side of the ity is being a Atlantic until Australian couple ravaged ecosystems of semiRiley Whitelum and Elayna desert for much of Andalucia Carausu came to the rescue and Murcia and poor prospects and offered her a passage on for those living along the coast their catamaran, back the way as sea levels rise and temperashe came. tures increase by five degrees So will the summit act as a by 2100. catalyst to Spain’s fight against Spain is already experiencing climate change, perhaps turnalarming developments such ing the country into a European as an unprecedented increase leader on the issue? in flash floods, blamed by the Ribera has high hopes and Observatory of Sustainability
The end of the world as we know it?
2012 - 2019
“The world may already have gone down the toilet in terms of emissions. That is what is moving Extinction Rebellion. That’s what I see on Greta’s face. Somehow she symbolises the cock-up of our generation. What we need to do is to sell emerging economies the truth; that sustainable economies are the most economically viable, bringing quality jobs, reduced energy insecurity and reduced foreign control.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW There will be climate-change demos almost every day, with the biggest march (see left) going from Atocha to Nuevos Mi nisterios on December 6, organised by various groups including Fridays for Future COP25 will cost €90 million to host and is predicted to bring a cash injection of €200 million
on climate change, economic growth and unbridled urban development which increases impermeable surface areas. Murcia’s Mar Menor is also acting as a wake up call. Fish are being starved of oxygen and Europe’s largest salt-water lagoon is turning into a graveyard, due in large part to intensive farming and flooding. It didn’t happen overnight of course. As former renewables journalist, Anthony Luke, points out, “Everyone was surprised when tonnes of fish were washed up on the shores of the Mar Menor this autumn following years of pollution from agricultural pesticides. “The warning signs,” he said, ”have been there for years but nobody took the blindest bit of notice. The Mar Menor has now become synonymous with environmental disaster. But it could occur on a far larger scale anywhere in the world if the signs are not heeded.” Ignoring the signs is a major issue. Less than 2% of Spaniards listed climate change among their top three political concerns in a survey carried out by the Centre for Sociological research (CIS) in the run-up to the November 10 general election. Coupled with the gains made by the extreme right wing party Vox, which remains sceptical about climate change, this is somewhat at odds with Ribera and Nuño’s optimism. However, when the current PP-led Madrid council tried to dismantle the low-emissions scheme ‘Madrid Central’, it was stopped in its tracks after thousands came out in protest, prompting a court ruling. Nuño is also encouraged by the fact that climate activists have called for demonstrations against Black Friday at the end of this month and believes people power will be a significant factor during COP25. “The demonstrations will put pressure on Madrid not only to maintain Madrid Central but to expand it and get the emissions within the city down to
There will be an alternative summit called the Social Climate Summit held at the Complutense University from December 7-13 The Paseo de la Castellana will become the Green Castellana – the focus of cultural and citizen activity In IFEMA, COP25 will occupy seven pavilions. The Blue Zone will host the multilateral UN negotiations The Green Zone will raise environmental awareness among the public with open dialogue and workshops Some 400 volunteers will be working at the event Madrid will host a Youth Conference from November 29 to December 1 and the young people are set to play a significant role in the conference zero,” she says, adding that it will force the government to be more ambitious with its targets for 2030. She hopes to see it aim to reduce emissions by 55% as opposed to 20% with respect to 1990. Meanwhile Sergio de Otto, of the Renewables Foundation in Madrid, believes Spain does not have the weight to become a leader in Europe in the fight against climate change. However he does see Spain’s hosting of COP25 as a positive means of raising awareness. “We can feel optimistic that we have someone like Teresa at the head of the Ecological Transition Ministry,” he tells me.“But there is a lot of resistance. The government is going in the right direction but there are obstacles slowing things down when the only thing we need right now is to go fast.” Whether or not we can pick up the pace depends on the consumer. “If we as individuals act,” he says, “then we can demand more urgent action from the authorities, pushing them to legislate.” The ball is in our court, it seems.
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FEATURE
7
The Berlin Wall fell 30 years ago this month, but populism and far-right groups like Vox are building another one that is dividing our response to the climate crisis, writes Jon Clarke
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AS the Olive Press continues to grow around Spain - having just opened its FIFTH paper in Murcia and the Costa Blanca south this month - so does our community footprint. Thanks to our huge - and genuine - social media following we have an enviable head start. Yes, our REAL 22,100 Facebook followers and our TRUE 7,250 Twitter fans means that we are already known in the new region. While we get hundreds of thousands of engagements each fortnight, it is our website that takes the biscuit. For www.theolivepress.es leads the way in Spain in English by a country mile. Indeed, it is bigger than any rival by nearly FOUR TIMES. Yes, you read that. Thanks to our dozens of stories every day about Spain - not celebrity tittle tattle in the UK, or accidents in France - we are the ONLY English website in the Top 1000 in Spain. This is definitive and comes from an official ranking by Amazon’s Alexa.com, and backed up by legitimate Google analytics.
T
ANTI-IMMIGRANT: HERE was never any quesFar right partion where we would aim for. ties are making It was my university’s hitch inroads around Euhike for charity and it began exactly 30 years ago, during the rope today, while week the Berlin Wall started to fall. (below) the wall A precursor to my future career as a journalist, there was only one place in the world that I wanted to be. Just 20 years of age and half way through a degree in Geography at Manchester University, the opportunity to see this momentous world event close up had incredible allure. And despite a later 15-year career covering numerous big stories – including Chernobyl, Maddie McCann and the death of Princess Diana – it presidents, Bill Clinton and George still leaves a bigger imprint on my Bush heard what the defeated formind. mer rival had to say, but went ahead So much still sticks in the memory, with what they planned anyway. from the edgy faces of young East Millions of eastern Europeans also German border guards standing took the promises of a bright new nervously on top of the wall, undawn at face value, only to pay a sure what to do, to the families of heavy price in unemployment, ecoWest Germans, standing by Checknomic collapse, and social turmoil. point Charlie handing over wads of And despite Germany investing banknotes to total strangers as they some two trillion euros, unemployarrived through the wall in their batment and social problems are still tered Trabant cars. higher in the former communist Deeply interested in the rift between part. communism and fascism from studyIt took Hungary and Poland, the ing the Spanish Civil War during my richest Iron Curtain countries, a full history A-level, it was incredible to decade to recover economically from think that this formidable barrier to where they were when the world peace, which wall came down. saw 239 people shot There has also been a dead trying to cross Dresden in sharp rise in racism in it, was finally coming these former Eastern the east of down. Bloc countries, a problem The unbreakable which has spread around Germany has spirit of people who dared to dream came declared a ‘Nazi’ Europe. Dresden in the east of to a head at Berlin’s Germany has just deemergency Brandenburg Gate on clared a ‘Nazi’ emergenNovember 11, 1989. cy, saying it has a severe That night, at around problem with the far 11pm, the border guards finally right. The city has long been viewed started letting its citizens leave East as a bastion of the far-right and is Germany. In the following days, the birthplace of the anti-Islam Pecracks started appearing in the wall, gida movement. as the exodus swelled. By the weekMeanwhile, the far-right Alternative end after it became a deluge as thoufur Deutschland is now Germany’s sands made their dash for freedom, official opposition, having won 94 aided by thousands of West Gerseats in the 2017 elections, while mans chiselling away at the hated Angela Merkel’s party shed 65 seats. barrier with hammers, pickaxes, In this month’s Spanish elections, shovels and even hydraulic drills. the far right Vox party which calls Nobody seemed to be working. for the ‘reconquest of Spain’ I joined them, arriving back in the has made huge gains everywhere, UK five days later with a suitcase full including the expat hotspots of the of souvenir chunks. It was an amazCosta del Sol and Murcia, to become ing time to be in Berlin. the third force in parliament. As former British prime minister Vox took 52 seats in Congress, a maGordon Brown later told up to a million Germans: “Because of your courage two Berlins are one. Two Germanys are one, and now two Europes are one.” Yet, once again all is not well in Europe. While the reunification of Germany eventually ushered in a new, larger and more powerful Europe, it had a double-edged meaning. Millions regained their basic freedoms but various promises made to Mikael Gorbachev at the time were never kept. In particular, the Russian leader was promised that NATO would not expand into the bases left by departing Russian troops in East Germany. US LANDMARK: Jon notes his 1989 trip
Olive Press7 online
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
jor increase on the 24 seats it previously held. Many believed Spain was immune to the far right because of memories of life under Franco. But Vox’s anti-immigration stance aligns it with many right wing parties across Europe, and it has sought to change legislation aimed at protecting women from gender violence, claiming it discriminates against men. These are worrying times. Over my nearly 20 years in Spain I have seen a horrifying disregard for European laws, protecting both human rights and the environment. The tsunami of cement that has seen its coastlines almost completely destroyed over the last two decades has made the country a watchword for excess, while wide scale corruption has allowed the real estate sector to steamroller its way over thousands of protected green spaces. Thousands of foreigners have seen their homes in danger of being knocked down, despite acquiring the correct licences. Many more lost out in off-plan schemes, only now finally being rectified by law. It’s 10 years ago since the Auken Report into environment and human rights abuse was issued by the EU demanding action. But despite the millions in taxpayers’ money spent compiling, interviewing and investigating the excesses, little has changed. That is where the European Union, as a higher authority, should have stepped in. And indeed it would have done, if a crucial vote to withhold €185 million of benefits from Spain hadn’t been shelved at the final hour. There is much speculation about why this was allowed to happen, some claiming it was the Spanish government threatening to block further EU legislation. Either way, if such blatant disregard for European laws remains unpunished, what then is the point of the EU? Certainly, it is vital that issues like this are addressed, particularly with the spectre of climate change likely to hit Spain a lot harder than northern Europe. Madrid is hosting the UN Climate summit next month when world leaders and climate change activists, Greta Thunberg included, will discuss how to stick to the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement promise of keeping global warming below 2 degrees. But actions speak louder than words. Having seen the fall of the Berlin wall it is vital that we Europeans, whether from the East or West, harness that same spirit of unity to solve the environmental crisis. It is going to be painful financially and difficult socially. But if we don’t work together on this one, it will create a wall dividing not only Europeans but the whole of mankind.
THE PAPER WITH THE REAL NUMBERS And what can you learn from this. Well firstly we are ranked globally at 12,854th position, putting us above the Liverpool Echo and Scotland’s prestigious Daily Record. Thanks to our high traffic figures - between 30,000 and 50,000 visits a day - we are at 593rd position in Britain and 870th in Spain. Meanwhile we have zoomed up to 638th position in Ireland and are 79th in Gibraltar.
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
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- Grumpy Bake Off star Paul Hollywood threatens to fill in Olive Press cakehole for asking a question (42,369) - Storm Cecilia from the Atlantic to blast southern Spain this week as Costa del Sol, Murcia and Costa Blanca on alert for strong winds ahead of FIVE DAYS OF RAIN (30,999)
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- ‘Fake bus driver’ who made €3.2 million from tourists and kids on Costa del Sol and across Spain arrested and has his 19 buses seized (24,721)
- Shocked beach-goers watch as drug boat carrying migrants runs ashore on Spain’s Costa del Sol (21,605) - REVEALED: This is the restaurant in British tourist hotspot in Spain accused of treating staff ‘like slaves’ with €2.80 per hour salaries (20,619)
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November 22nd - December 5th 2019
Tracking the trekkers SOON Mallorca will know how many hikers are travelling through the Tramuntana mountains and when. It comes as counters are being installed throughout a trail between the Galatzó estate and Estellencs. Three trackers are already in place along the trail, camouflaged so they are not damaged or stolen. More counters are planned to be installed once suitable locations are found for the solar-powered machines. “The plan is part of the EU Interreg-Med project,” explained Josep Manchado, director of the Environment Agency for the Council of Mallorca. It is part of a larger project to monitor the number of holidaymakers in popular hiking regions and exchanging experiences and data. “We chose the Galatzó trail, which is not the highest mountain but one of the best known,” said Manchado. Previously the government hasn’t known how many people are visiting the hiking trails in
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Mallorca. Knowing how many hikers are visiting and at what time of year will be beneficial when planning and regulating trails, officials hope. Local environmentalists are pleased with the trackers’ installation. Some groups have been complaining about certain routes being over trodden.
Across 7 Elude (5) 8 Love affair (7) 10 Obscurity (7) 11 High building (5)
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The city council are also investing in a mobile app and new website, which will work like Google Maps and assist hikers on their trips. “Many routes in the Tramuntana are very neglected and badly marked and hikers should be able to quickly see if a route is private or public,” said Manchado.
A NEW campaign has begun in the Balearics to bring attention to the need for bone marrow donations. The Ministry of Health has joined the ‘One Match X One Life’, to promote donations among young people, those between 18 and 40 years old. Since the National Marrow Plan was launched in 2012, donors have quadrupled nationwide, with nearly 6,000 in the Balearics, but more and more are needed. Those interested can have samples sent to the bank foundation, where chances of finding a non-family match are one in 4,000. There is only one bone marrow donation centre in the Balearic Islands, located in Palma in Mallorca.
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New monitor installed by Mallorca’s Environment Agency will allow officials to count the number of people hiking in the mountains, amid fears some routes are being overused
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LA CULTURA Stony reception
Tragicomic award
AN ILLUSTRATOR has won a prestigious Spanish Comic Award for a graphic novel telling the story of the 2006 Valencia metro disaster, which killed 43 people. Cristina Duran’s partner Miguel Angel Giner - who cowrote the novel - took the call announcing her victory as the 49-year-old was undergoing surgery for breast cancer. It is the first time the gong has been awarded for a piece of journalism. El dia 3 recounts the events of the 2006 Valencia metro catastrophe and the ensuing battle of victims’ families for justice. The jury praised the novel for its ‘narrative in which emotion, graphic excellence and the use of powerful visual metaphors are balanced.’ The comic was published in February 2018 in Spanish and later in Valencian.
A DISPUTE has broken out between a local heritage group and a university over the age of an aqueduct. The Los Milagros aqueduct in Merida, Extremadura, was thought to be from the Roman era. However, two engineers from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid say that tests carried out on a brick from the aqueduct show it is in fact Byzantine and
AN 81-year-old Catalan poet has been awarded Spain’s most prestigious literature prize. Joan Margarit won the annual Miguel de Cervantes award which has a prize pot of €125,000. But Margarit may be less than impressed, having previously said ‘́poetry is not literature; it’s another thing.’ The octogenarian poet and architect published his autobiography To have a house you have to win the war earlier this year. He has described the book as ‘the epilogue of my complete work.’ Announcing the prize winner, Minister of Culture Jose Girao, described Margarit as
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November 22nd - December 5th 2019 was built in the fourth century. But the ancient city’s archeological committee disagree. They have slammed the study as being ‘without archaeological rigour.’ The committee’s director, Felix Palma, said: “They have come to the theory without taking into account the rest of studies and knowledge about the aqueduct.” Merida’s mayor, Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, also dismissed the findings.
Ode to a poet A famous Spanish writer and poet has been awarded a distinguished lifetime achievement accolade
‘a great poet in Spanish and Catalan’ who was ‘worthy of the prize.’ The award’s jury said the Catalan poet was deserving of the accolade ‘for his poetic work of deep transcendence and lucid language, always innovative.’ “[His work] has enriched both the Spanish language and the
Catalan language and represents the plurality of the peninsular’s culture in one dimen- MULTILINGUAL: Joan Margarit sional universal mastery,” it said. Recently, he Margarit wrote only in Spanish until 1981, spoke publicly in when he switched entirely to Catalan. Since support of Catathe 1990s he has written in both languages. lan autonomy. “It is the only language, or one of the few intellectual languages, PALAM’S famous christmas lights will be switched on next week, in a without a state,” celebration fit for Santa himself. Circus acts, acrobats, DJs and food ven- he said. Margarit dors will take over downtown Palma on November 28 to mark the light will be officially turn on. Children’s entertainment begins at 5:30 pm, with the largest presented with parties of the night taking place on Passeig des Born. The lights will be the award on turned on at 7pm by the charity Angels Without Wings who work with the April 23 next year families of sick children. LED balloons will be released in the square with at Alcala Univerchurro stands and hot chocolate offered by stalls. sity in Madrid.
Big switch on
what’s on New wine SANTA Maria del Cami is hosting a New Wine Fair on November 30, with tours of new vineyards, wine tastings and an evening full of tapa and wine combos for just €2.
Mountain heritage A TRADITIONAL mountain festival is taking over Bunyola on November 24 to honour their patron saint, Saint Catherine, with live music, parades, theatre and special food events.
Bird bash THE annual Partridge and agricultural fair is back in Montuiri, with quails, partridges, pheasants and more farm animals on show for entertainment and education – a great day out for children on December 1.
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November 22nd - December 5th 2019
In the Land of (Spanish) Submarines
Jack Gaioni dives deep and reveals how a visionary Spanish naval officer could have changed history and how his legacy is still making waves today
W
hen asked about the meaning of the lyrics to Yellow Submarine, Paul McCartney and John Lennon called it a “fun song” - a children’s song. They simply wanted kids to sing along. Many music critics weren’t so charitable. Some called the lyrics “nonsense, illogical and meaningless”. One critic used the Latin descriptive “Reductio Ad Absurdum” or “reduced to the absurd.” After all, no one really lives in a yellow submarine. But for one Spanish sailor, his life in the land of submarines converges with “absurdity” in a rather bizarre chapter in Spanish Naval history. Many of us would be surprised to learn that the modern submarine was invented in Spain. Granted, many throughout history have envisioned an underwater vessel (e.g. Leonardo Da Vinci) but a Spaniard named Isaac Peral is credited with the first prototype of today’s modern submarine. He was born in 1851 into a naval family in Cartagena — home to Spain’s Mediterranean fleet. Isaac had sea travel in his DNA. His father was a naval officer and later taught at Spain’s prestigious naval academy in Cadiz. Isaac would enter that academy at 14 years old and went to sea
at 16 years old. He was decorated for bravery in Cuba and The Philippines. What separated young Isaac from his fellow officers however was his expertise in hydro-graphics - the study of oceans as it relates to maritime travel. He would be awarded the chairmanship of the physics and chemistry departments at the naval academy. There, he committed himself to submarine navigation. By 1884 Peral had designed an advanced torpedo launching sub that was state-of-the art both militarily and scientifically. It featured advanced periscopes, a chemical system to oxygenate and the ability to launch torpedoes while controlling depth.
MAKING WAVES: Isaac Peral (above) was born to sail
Enthusiasm
These were major breakthroughs. Under Isaac’s command, a series of trials were conducted publicly in the Bay of Cadiz. Thousands of spectators cheered wildly as Peral’s creation would submerge, resurface and fire torpedoes successfully at simulated targets. A wave of enthusiastic pride swept Spain. Isaac found himself at the center of attention
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LA CULTURA
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November 22nd - December 5th 2019
“In the town where I was Lived a man who sailed toborn sea And he told us of his life In the land of submarin We all live in a yellow sub es marine, a yellow submarine…”
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The Queen Regent Maria Christina was so excited about Peral’s project that she ordered her naval aide-decamp to ride along during the test trials. She later sent Isaac a jeweled sword in appreciation. There is speculation that had Peral received proper funding, his submarine would have revolutionized the Spanish Navy and perhaps changed history. For example, had Peral’s submarine been in Manila Bay and Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish American War (1898), the superior American fleet would have been sitting ducks to Peral’s invention. The outcome of the war might have been different. After Peral’s launch in 1888, his prototype ended up in a junkyard. Thanks to some dedicated naval aficionados who recognized its value, it became an exhibit in the Seville World Fair of 1992. Today Peral’s sub is on permanent display in the Naval Museum in Cartagena.
s r r nd ou e sa in pap ou s s Th viewnew l of ita g di
Embarrassing
In 2013, (already (10 years behind schedule and millions of euros over budget) officials disclosed that the Isaac Peral was 75 to 100 tons too heavy. Were it to go out to sea, it would not be able to surface! According to El Pais, “the fatal flaw was the result of someone in the design process placing the decimal point in the wrong place.” Rafael Bardaji, Spain’s Defense Minister, said: “It was a fatal mistake from the very beginning - nobody paid attention and reviewed the calculations.” The solution? Lengthen the submarine by 7-10 metres to increase the buoyancy metric. This project was contracted to an American defense contractor Electric Boat Co.
Three years and millions of euros later, The Isaac Peral was successfully made sea-worthy. Mission accomplished? No…. It gets worse. Now 15 years after the submarines were ordered there is a new problem. The Isaac Peral is too long to fit in its home port at Cartagena. It is even more embarrassing than the original buoyancy issue because Spanish authorities had five years to ponder the ramifications of enlarging the sub’s design. Cartagena authorities have proceeded to enlarge the port, construct new piers and dredge the harbor. Full commission of the vessel is planned for 2022 - a full 15 years after construction began. It is perhaps a stretch to intersect the Beatles’ “land of submarines” with the concept of absurdity. But in the case of Isaac Peral that case could be made. He was a man who sailed the seas… in the land of submarines but because of some ineffectual and foolish actions of the Spanish Navy, his legacy is borderline absurd.
te l ee ia 00 si Fr tor 0,0 eb i 1 w ed ur ay o -d in r-a to si vi
and his story ran in all the major newspapers. He became a national hero. After all, this is the country that brought us the Spanish Armada and long legacy of naval superiority. Could Isaac Peral become the restorer of Spain’s faded naval glory? The excitement was shortlived. Many of his fellow officers viewed him as an upstart. His peers became jealous and envious as they tried to delay trials and downplay the submarine’s abilities. They even tried to sabotage construction. His rivals were able to convince the top naval brass that submarines were a useless curiosity and there was no future in underwater naval power. Ultimately, all funding of Peral’s prototype was cancelled. The navy believed that their future was in “above surface” armoured battleships. Heartbroken, Isaac left the navy in 1891 and died four years later. The Spanish Navy has since got serious about building submarines. In 2003, the Spanish company Navatia was awarded the contract to build a new class of submarines at their ship yard in Cartagena. Isaac’s legacy resurfaced (pun intended) as Navantia’s lead ship was named The Isaac Peral in honour of the “man who lived in the land of submarines”. Production has not gone well. Monumental miscalculations at the engineering stage has “reduced to absurdity” the construction of the Isaac Peral series.
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12
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
We need more immigrants BUSINESSES in one of Spain’s most unpopulated areas have called on the Government to make it easier for immigrants to work there. The northern province of Soria is one of the most deserted areas in Europe. Companies there are in desperate need of workers, but the legal paperwork needed is making it hard for them to source potential employees. “The lack of workers has never been so staggering,” said president of Soria’s Chamber of Commerce, Alberto Santamaria, who has asked for help from the Secretary of State for Migration. The Chamber of Commerce estimates that some 1,700 workers will be needed in Soria three years from now - and if none come, there is concern companies will have to close or put their expansion plans on hold.
BUSINESS
Bad for business
TURMOIL in Catalunya is turning British companies off investing in Spain. UK firms believe the political instability in the pro-Independence region will lead towards an ‘unstable’ future, according to recent data compiled by International Financial Analysts (AFI).
The report suggests that 51% of British companies believe that political unrest in Catalunya will continue over the next two years, while 28% expect the instability to escalate. Only 21% believe it will reduce in that time. The survey also indicated that three out of ten British firms have considered changing their current and future investments in Spain, owing to the recent crisis in the northeastern region.
Time out for overtime SPANISH companies have been fined €1.26 million for failing to maintain records of staff working hours. New rules introduced in May forced employers to register the hours put in by workers and store them for four years. The PSOE government brought in the measures in a bid to crack down on unpaid overtime. Between May and October, investigators had over 5,000 complaints submitted to them relating to inadequate completion of paperwork. The Ministry for Labour has begun investigating 2,000 cases related to oversights in recordkeeping and 107 com-
Companies who fail to pay employees for working overtime will get hefty fines as a new law comes into force
panies have so far received fines of up to €113,000. Next year, in conjunction with local councils, the government is launching a crusade against
Bicycle boom MORE bicycle lanes are coming to Palma next year as the city plans to spend €50,000 on expanding the city’s cycle routes. The Mobility Department of the Palma City Council plans to add 20 kilometres of cycling lanes to the existing 83 kilometres of lanes around the city.
businesses which fail to adequately document employees’ working hours. Spanish workers are thought
A cycle lane connecting Porto Pi to Cala Nova in Sant Agusti will be added next year, as well as a new lane from Son Malferit – the area around Ikea – to Rafal Vell. The city’s first solar-powered recharging station will be installed for electric bicycles and scooters. The fleet of electric rentals around the city will also be increased.
to put in 2.6 million unpaid hours per week, down slightly from a peak of 3.5 million in 2015. When the law was announced in May, several organisations representing employers criticised the new rules, saying they would drag Spain back into the past when workers had to clock on and clock off. At the time acting labour minister Magdalena Valerio dismissed these concerns, saying that modern technology has made it easier to keep records electronically.
Lining up Growth
STRUGGLING Vodafone Spain has bounced back from a poor start to the year, gaining customers and reducing losses. The phone network added 112,000 customers across its mobile, internet and TV services in a three month period. While turnover dropped 8.7% between July and September, it was an improvement on the 9.3% reduction it recorded between April and June. Vodafone attributed the fall in profits to a temporary increase in costs, linked to its decision to leave the football streaming sector. The phone giant’s income from its services was €978 million between July and September. Vodafone started in the UK in 1983 and won the license to build Britain’s first mobile phone network. It broke into the Spanish market in 2000 when Vodafone Spain was founded. It is now the world’s number one mobile network, with 444 million customers in 26 countries.
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
13
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
Nine is fine MALLORCA has one more Michelin star following the prestigious awards ceremony which took place in Sevilla this week. Only seven months after opening, Voro in the Park Hyatt Mallorca has received a Michelin Star. Voro - which means ‘devour’ in Latin, is the proud project of chef Allvaro Salazar, who already had three Michelin stars to his name. The 34-year-old opened Voro after running the Argos restaurant in Port de Pollensa where he was awarded a Michelin Star in 2016. “After this season in Voro, we know that we have only just begun,” said Salazar, who recently also won Chef of the Year in Spain.
What’s on for foodies!
T
Mallorcan restaurant now has yet another Michelin star under its belt following the 2020 awards
TRIPLE STAR: Salazar (left) at the awards
Voro received one of only 19 new Michelin stars which was given out this year in Spain and Portugal.
The newest top culinary destination is tucked inside Spain’s only five-star Park Hyatt Hotel, located in Can-
Grapes of wrath
THE climate crisis is drying up Spain’s wine industry. Production this year has fallen more steeply than any other country in Europe, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. Spain saw a 24% drop compared to an average 10% decrease across the rest of the world, The country produced 34.3 million hectolitres of vino in 2019, compared to 46.6 million hectolitres in Italy and 41.9 million in France where output fell by only 15%. Portugal was the only country in Europe where wine production increased, rising from 10% to 6.7 million hectolitres.
yamel in the northeast of the island. The other seven Mallorcan restaurants with eight stars between them have stayed the same as last year, including British expat Marc Fosh’s eponymous establishment in Palma and the only two-starred restaurant Zaranda by Fernando Pérez Arellano. Meanwhile on the mainland, Dani Garcia waved goodbye to his three Michelin stars as he closed his Marbella restaurant with a last supper. The celebrity chef enlisted a star-studded culinary guestlist including chefs Ferran Adria and Joan Roca in a sell-out night to big goodbye to his legendary Golden Mile restaurant which opened in 2014. Elsewhere, Cenador de Amos in the Basque Country earned a third star at the awards in Sevilla on Wednesday. Bardal in Malaga and Angle in Barcelona were also awarded their second Michelin stars at the event in the Andalucian capital.
apa tour
Big cheese A SPANISH cheese has been voted among the top three best in the world at the World Cheese Awards. The annual event, considered the ‘Oscars’ of cheese awards, compiled a list of the top 16 best in the world and put Spain’s Torta del Casar Virgen del Prado in third place, behind Nazionale del Parmigiano Reggiano of Italy in second and the United States’ winning Organic Blue Cheese Rogue. Virgen del Prado was made by Queseria Dona Francisca, a company founded in 2011 in the town of Casar de Caceres, Extremadura. The awardwinning cheese can be purchased in wheels of 350g for €8, 600g for €12 and 900g for €17.
TAPALMA is back – the very popular tapa and cocktail route that hits around 40 of the city’s favourite bars and restaurants takes over the city from November 27 through December 1.
H
ealthy fresh
THE annual ‘Eat Well’ gastronomic festival is back in Sa Pobla through November 24, with plenty of paella and rice dishes made from rice and produce from the local wetlands.
S
hroom fest
IT’S mushroom season as locals have begun foraging for wild mushrooms and Mancor de la Vall is hosting their annual esclatasang mushroom fair through November 24.
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At OD Port Portals we have our own star rating. In fact, we have all the stars of the Mallorca sky and we will enjoy them all together every summer night at OD Sky Bar, on our spacious terrace and at our restaurant On Top. A hotel full of local experiences, music, art, gastronomy, yoga, pre-parties, flea markets, brunches, concerts, Pilates, tardeo, sea, sun and all the stars. A hotel full of life.
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PROPERTY
14
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
Finance famine
Nature bites back Keys Isl nd to the
A SHORTAGE of finance available for smaller construction firms is leading to a Spanish house building crisis, industry leaders have warned. More and more banks are refusing to provide the costs that small and midsized house builders need, according to the Asprima builders’ association. The belt tightening means that, increasingly, only the biggest developers who can afford to stump up between 30% and 40% of the money for projects themselves are able to secure the necessary funds to build. Spain has significantly fewer large developers than its European neighbours, meaning that the lending restrictions are having a disproportionate impact on house building on the mainland. Some 150,000 new homes per year are needed across the country to keep up with demand.
By Gillian Keller
THE town of Andratx will have to pay more than €15 million in compensation to a property developer it allowed to build apartments in a protected area. The city granted permission for the massive illegally built complex to be constructed on protected lands in Montport. Some of the apartments have been nearly finished for 12 years, but all eight buildings with around 90 apartments in total will be demolished. The Supreme Court of the Balearics has confirmed an earlier ruling that found Andratx’s council responsible for paying compensation to the developer who had permission to build 20 apartment complexes with 150 apartments in the idyllic Montport area. The city must also pay back the 13 owners who already purchased their apartment in the complex. The dodgy approval was given
Ex-corrupt mayor’s dodgy construction scheme in areas of natural beauty cost Mallorcan town millions in repayments
when Eugenio Hidalgo was running the town hall – a man now in jail for corruption. The developer and 13 owners are estimated to receive around €15 million.
Another builder who worked on the project is expected to come forward and claim compensation from the council. The city will also be responsible for paying for the demolition of the buildings and returning the area to its natural state RESIDENTS of Palma’s richest district earn €50,000 per year through planting more than those in the poorest, a new study has revealed. native trees and The average personal annual income in Sa Teulera is €21,918, flowers in the area. with the average family earns €73,435 a year. The city hall has On the other end is Son Gotleu, where the average annual until December 30 income is €5,947 personally, while the average family brings to try and appeal home €20,355 a year. the decision one Many of the historic old town neighbourhoods ranked high on last time. the list, while areas on the outskirts of the Mallorcan capital including Arenal and Cas Capiscol have the lowest incomes.
Income gap
By Amanda Butler
Stuck in limbo
Amanda Butler takes a look at Mallorca’s spiralling property sales against the immovable backdrop of Brexit Royal Decree to reassure British Residents that little will change NOT a week goes by when I don’t hear someone around me concerned about their residency rights once a decision is finally made to Brexit or not. There is certainly a great deal of fear mongering going on, but I do find it astounding that anyone would think that if there is a nodeal Brexit, a door will be opened and all resident expats will be turfed out unceremoniously. Having lived here for 17 years and paid a great deal of taxation in my time, it would be nuts for Spain, any other EU Country, or for the UK itself to bid farewell to any regular sources of taxable income. Despite all the forecasts of chaos on its way, Spain has approved by Royal Decree that there will be little change for Brits already legally resident in Spain. That has not been reciprocated as yet, but is certainly anticipated to be. There will be a transition period regarding state healthcare running to the end of 2020, but this could be extended. What happens thereafter depends upon the final agreement, but one would anticipate a mutually agreeable arrangement on both sides. Property sales down According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), official real es-
tate sales figures in the Balearics are down considerably on 2018. The biggest dip in sales was in July with a 21.9% and September, showing a drop of 13.9% compared to last year. The only increase for the year was in May, showing at 4.6%. Official figures are not yet out for October, but the word amongst my real estate associates was that there was a flurry of activity, so I wouldn’t be surprised if sales were up for last month. However, an anticipated increase – even a sizeable one – is unlikely to make up for the losses of the earlier months. This, of course ,reflects the general uncertainty in the market due to global politics, rates of exchange, the shortage of newbuild and lower cost housing and the difficulty of financing. With a drop in sales, one would normally expect a reduction in prices, but this is not the general trend in the Balearics, with prices increasing this year by 8% compared to 2018. Part of the reason for this untypical market trend is that many owners in the Balearics are wealthy second home owners without the need to sell, with an attitude of ‘if I sell, fine - and if I don’t, I’m in no hurry.’ This is one of the reasons Mallorca stays firmly in its very own unique real estate bubble.
The paper NOT to miss on Mallorca island THE Olive Press is now distributing all over the island in an incredible 500-plus locations. Found at golf courses, tourist offices, museums and petrol stations, it has become the most sought-after English newspaper in MalAlaro Alcanada Alcanada Alcudia ALGAIDA Andratx Andratx BENDINAT BENDINAT BENDINAT Binissalem Cala Estancia
lorca every fortnight. Look out for one of our many stands, as seen here at Santa Catalina market, in Palma, and in Andratx town centre. We print between 7,000 to 8,000 copies every issue and take our distribution very seriously,
Aim estage agent Alcanada Golf Spar Tourist Information EROSKI Tourist Information CCA Andratx CAN NATURA Lindew Hotel Real Golf at Bendinant Eroski Aqua Restaurant
EASY TO FIND: Fara Homes in Andratx
Cala D’or Cala D’or CALVIA CALVIA Cala Llamp CAMP DE MAR CAMPOS CAN PASTILLA CAN PASTILLA CAN PASTILLA Can Picafort COSTA DE LA CALMA Costa den Blanes Costa den Blanes Deia Deía EL TORO ES CAPDELLA Esporle Festival Park Inca Inca Llucmajor MAGALUF Maioris Manacor Manacor PAGUERA PAGUERA PALMA
and need you, the readers to keep us informed of numbers... and more importantly if each location needs more or less papers. We also want to know where you would like to see it and where you don't think we should
Yacht Club Eroski ROSITA RESTAURANT TOWN HALL Gran Folies Golf De Andratx HIPER CENTRO SPAR EROSKI AQUARIUM Ponderosa Beach Bar THE GLASGOW SUNDOWNERS MOODS Robert Graves Museum Forn Deía SPAR BAR NOU Spar Tourist Info Office Barretts Hipercentro EROSKI Golf Club Pontiene Maioris Gof Club Lidl Bar Mingos VILAMIL HOTEL TOURIST INFORMATION BOATHOUSE
bother. Here are a select group of a few dozen key drops. Please get in touch at Newsdesk@theolivepress.es to find your nearest drop or suggest another.
WELL STOCKED: Stands are always regularly stocked such as Santa Catalina market PALMA PALMA PALMA PALMA PALMA NOVA PALMA NOVA PALMA NOVA PALMA NOVA PALMANOVA PALMANOVA Palmanyola Pollensa
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If you have a sports story, newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call 0034 951 273 575
SPORT Clawing Striking out ahead 15
November 22nd - December 5th 2019
Lionel sum
LIONEL Messi has been revealed to be the highest paid sports star of the year, according to Forbes, surpassing Juventus star and footballing rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Barcelona ace earned €115 million this year, while Ronaldo made €100 million and Neymar, who spent four years at the Camp Nou before moving to Paris Saint-Germain, received €94 million. On the list, too, was Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez and tennis superstar Roger Federer. Former Barca playmaker Andres Iniesta was the only Spaniard to make the top 50.
David Villa waves adios to the sport that brought him adoration across Spain SPAIN’S all-time leading goalscorer, David Villa, has announced his retirement from football at the end of the season, ending his spellbinding 20-year career. One of the least appreciated players in modern football, Villa earned his first international cap in 2005 and went on to score 59 goals for his country - 15 more than second-place Raul, and 22 more than third-place Fernando Torres. The striker started his career at Sporting de Gijon, before
moving to Zaragoza, then to Valencia, where he made his mark as one of La Liga’s most prolific goal scorers. Barcelona brought Villa to the Camp Nou in 2010 for €40 million and he enjoyed three seasons in Catalunya before heading to Atletico Madrid.
For the later stages of his career, he moved to the USA, to play for New York City, and then Japan, teaming up once again with Andres Iniesta, this time at Vissel Kobe where he is finishing his esteemed career. The 37-year-old has scored 12 goals so far this season, his career total being 376 goals in 752 games. Villa will be best known for his time at Barcelona where he, Lionel Messi and Pedro made up a devastating attacking trio under Pep Guardiola at Barca, in what’s often labelled as the best club side of all time. For his national side, Villa helped Spain emerge victorious in the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup.
Nada for Nadal
RAFAEL Nadal crashed out of a major tennis tournament, only four hours after lifting a world number one trophy. The 33-year-old Spaniard was beaten by Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the ATP Finals in London on Friday. It was the third time he has been knocked out of this seasonending spectacle in the group stages. Nadal, winner of 2019’s French and US Opens, tipped Djokvic to the number one title for the fifth consecutive year. He will now be setting his sights on the trophy at the Davis Cup, which is taking place in Madrid this week.
Wheel good advice
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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
OP Puzzle solutions
Across: 7 Evade, 8 Romance, 10 Nowhere, 11 Tower, 12 Danish, 13 Player, 15 Deride, 17 Evicts, 21 Caber, 23 Toddler, 24 Outcome, 25 Niche. Down: 1 Pernod, 2 Taiwan, 3 Released, 4 Trees, 5 Emit, 6 Nearer, 9 Newly, 14 Loved one, 15 Doctor, 16 Rabat, 18 Calico, 19 Shriek, 20 Steel, 22 Rook.
SUDOKU
Quick Crossword
17:01
LOBSTER customers can now surf the internet more and for longer at no extra cost, as we have increased data by up to double across all tariff plans. The Small Plan now has 4GB per month, the Medium Plan 10GB, and the Large Plan 25GB. All Lobster tariff plans continue to include unlimited calls and texts in Spain, as well as the UK and other countries. Everyone gets the increase in data, both new customers and current customers. Our tariff plans are tailor-made for British expats and other English speakers who reside in Spain. Our prices start from just 12€ per month VAT included. We pride ourselves on being the only mobile operator in Spain to offer a service completely in English, and in addition to unlimited calls and texts in Spain and the UK, all our tariff plans also include unlimited calls and texts to Denmark, Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the USA. Our brand was created to establish and maintain an emotional bond with British values and service. So far, our winning formula that has appealed to over 10,000 happy Lobster customers in just nine months and we’re growing rapidly. Tony Watts, marketing director of the company, said: “We are always listening to our customers’ feedback and it is important to us that our customers have the highest levels of satisfaction.” Signing up for the service can be done through any one of the over 600 retail stores. Customers can also easily find the closest store to them using the store finder our website Lobster.es. If customers prefer, they can also sign up online or by calling us at our contact centre for free on 1661, where all our agents are English-speaking. To top it off, we have extended our promotion of ‘first month for free’ for a limited time.
BRIEF
Economy class
FINAL WORDS
After Rosalia’s slanging match with Vox, where she cussed them on social media and they scrutinised her for flying in private planes, the singer has returned to using commercial air travel.
P u p p y fat TEMPERS had to be calmed and security called at a VOX party rally in Barcelona when one attendee said to another: “I am not Spanish? I am more Spanish than you - you have a monkey face.”
Space Sevilla Sevilla has been selected to hold the next ministerial summit, where it will be decided when the next space missions to the Moon and Mars will occur.
OLIVE PRESS
The
wNEWS IN
FREE Vol. 3 Issue 68
MALLORCA
Your expat
voice in Spain
www.theolivepress.es November 22nd - December 5th 2019
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My mate Marmite SUN, sea and sangria are all very well but most expat Brits still yearn for a taste of home, a poll has revealed. A Great British cup of tea, along with crumpets and Marmite top the list of comfort foods and beverages they crave after moving abroad. Other delights, such as Heinz salad cream, Bovril and Scotland’s speciality drink Irn Bru are also firm favourites. The poll of 1,000 expats by
New poll reveals the food and drink British expats just can’t live without
the British Corner Shop also found marmalade, custard, back bacon, mustard and Twiglets on the list. And an incredible two thirds said they missed foods from home, while 52% said they missed traditional British pubs. “Moving abroad can be tre-
Sail away for €300m A SUPERYACHT, currently based in Malaga, has gone on the market for €300 million. The 100-metre long megayacht Octopus, which has eight diesel engines, is owned by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who passed away last year. It is the fourth time the 9,000 ton yacht has docked in Malaga.
mendously exciting,” explained the company’s Alex Kortland. “But often it’s only once you’ve settled somewhere else you realise there are certain things which are much harder to get hold of. “They may seem small and insignificant but sometimes you want that little taste of home. “Short of making extra visits to the UK or forcing guests to bring jars of Marmite out with them, we’ve been helping Brits satisfy their cravings for over 20 years.” While some said they missed Tennent’s lager and cod roe, one expat insisted it was Whiskers Crunch for her cat.
CRAVINGS: Expats miss the taste of crumpets Among the Top 30 favourites are: Tea Marmite Gravy Biscuits Baked beans Pies Pickles Sausages Crumpets Squash Bovril Mustard Salad Cream Marmalade Irn Bru Custard Malt Vinegar Scones
Natural wonders
A RARE glimpse of Ibiza has been snapped from the Balearic Islands’ smallest atoll, on the same day as a pod of killer whales were spotted nearby. Formentera resident Jaume Escandell Tur captured the image on one of the few days on which Ibiza’s iconic mountains were visible from its smaller sister island. The stunning shot was taken from the village of El Pilar de la Mola, which lies about 100 metres above sea level.
Ham fisted
A SHOPLIFTER has been charged with stealing a leg of ham from a supermarket. The Calpe local reportedly used ‘baggy clothing’ to hide the cured jamon Iberico, which can weigh up to 8kg and measures almost 90cm. She was arrested along with three others involved in a ‘Christmas campaign’ to steal chocolates, perfume, makeup kits, turrones and cockles worth more than €500 from supermarkets.