OLIVE PRESS
The
EXCLUSIVE: Did Maddie kidnapper bring her in his distinctive van to this Valencia restaurant? Closing in, Page 2
Your expat
voice in Spain
COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA FREE
Vol. 1 Issue 16 www.theolivepress.es June 11th - June 24th 2020
Pic by Joshua Parfitt
SEEN THEM:Van or paedophile Christian Brueckner, believed to have taken Maddie?
MOCKERY
INTRIGUING: Various witnesses swore to police they saw three-year-old Maddie get out of a VW van and go into the Tunnels Restaurant in Alcossebre in May 2007
Demands from victims as convicted holiday rentals conman avoids prison AND paying back stolen fees A BRITISH couple conned out of €2,800 through a fake holiday website have turned detective and had a Spanish fraudster convicted. However, the angry holidaymakers are now demanding action after the conman with Valencia links failed to return their money, despite a court order. The couple, Lucia and Peter Myers, both 54, from London, are furious that Alvaro Lopez Uribe only paid one installment out of an agreed 11, after being found guilty of the elaborate scam. A Spanish court sentenced Uribe to six months jail for ruining their holiday in Mallorca last year and then suspended the term on condition he re-paid the couple. But Uribe has now declared himself insolvent and the court has therefore declared the case over. “I thought that the lockdown might have been why we have had no payment for months, but then I got an email informing us that the matter was now ended,” IT specialist Lucia told the Olive Press this week. She and husband Peter, who runs a
EXCLUSIVE By Dilip Kuner
computer business, had handed over the cash via a bank transfer to pay for a one-week stay at an upmarket villa near Palma, in 2017. But just the day before they were due to fly out, they were told the villa was no longer available. The couple, who were travelling with their two children, Julia, 15 and Alicia, nine at the time, were forced to book another villa. Incredibly, on an internet search for a last minute rental they were offered the actual villa by the real owners and told that they had been the victims of a classic scam that has caught hundreds out over the last few years, as the Olive Press has frequently warned.“It turned out these scammers had simply stolen the pictures from the internet and set up a fake site,” Lucia explained. money to be returned was refused as there were no funds in the account. Lucia managed to find two other couples who had fallen for the same scam.
SCAMMED: Brit Lucia had Uribe (right) convicted over villa rental but now conman is ‘bankrupt’ One of them turned up in Mallorca with their two children to find they had nowhere to stay. Determined that no-one else should fall victim to the site, she managed to have it closed down after making an official complaint. She also went to the Guardia Civil, which eventually took on the case, with Lucia twice flying out as a witness to Granada. “The court paid the expenses, but I think the defendant’s lawyer was surprised to see me. If I hadn’t turned up, that would have been the
end of the case,” she said. During the two year investigation she compiled a huge dossier of information – including details of a bank account in Valencia that was also used by the same scammers. “The authorities in Spain don’t seem to take this very seriously,” she continued. “But to my mind this is a big crime. How much money has been stolen from innocent people?” While Uribe claimed he was not guilty and other shadier figures were behind the scam, she believes he should pay for the crime for which he is convict-
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ed. “This puts us off visiting Spain. Scams like this are not good – the authorities should make it harder for conmen.” A home address given to the court by Uribe in Granada appeared empty this week. Neighbours told the Olive Press they had not seen him for ‘some time’. An official address for his ‘holiday lettings business’ turned out to be empty with local businesses saying they had never heard of him. Opinion Page 6
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NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
June 11th - June 24th 2020
DID YOU SEE CHRISTIAN (RIGHT) OR HIS VW WESTFALIA VAN ON THE COSTAS?
Case against prime Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner grows stronger as series of key Spain links emerge EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore & Joshua Parfitt, in Alcossebre
MADDIE McCann was reportedly seen getting into a German-owned VW van with a mystery man just weeks after her disappearance, it has been revealed. Unearthed police files, published this week, show how a witness was convinced he saw the British toddler leave a restaurant in Alcossebre on the Costa Blanca. The alleged sighting took place at Tunnels, at 11am on May 28, 2007, just three weeks after the three-year-old vanished. The area in Valencia is 600 miles from where Maddie was snatched in Praia da Luz, in Portugal, and is popular with people living the camper van lifestyle, such as prime suspect
Pics by Jon Clarke
SPOTTED: At Tunnels in Alcossebre
CLOSING IN Christian Brueckner. The 43-year-old paedophile was living in Praia de Luz when Maddie vanished and was driving a distinctive VW T3 Westfalia van (pictured). A German expat, who has lived near the restaurant for years, remembers the day well as it was his friend who contacted the police. Jorge, who asked to stay anonymous, told the Olive Press that it was ‘the talk of the town’ and his friend clearly saw the VW van and he ‘still swears it was Maddie’. Following the tip off at the
BIRD’S EYE VIEW: Breuckner’s rental home overlooked McCann’s apartment in Luz
time, Leicestershire cop DC John Hughes issued an international Interpol alert with a ‘risk to life missing person’ warning demanding that both Spanish and German police investigate. He urged police to check the location for CCTV and witnesses and asked for the German van’s details, which were allegedly BMS 1049. It is not known what checks were made. The police report, is-
sued as part of Operation Task, explained that the restaurant was in an area called ‘Cap Y Corp’ and that the witness had an ‘unimpeded’ view of the girl who walked straight past him. German police said there were indications that he could have used either the van or a Jaguar model XJR 6 with a German number plate to commit the snatching of Maddie and appealed for help tracking where they were parked. The Olive Press has established (see box) that he was seen back in the Algarve area a couple of weeks later in the same van,
EXPOSED: The paedo’s lair SPECIAL INVESTIGATION by Jon Clarke & Laurence Dollimore, in Foral
HIDEAWAY: House where Breuckner stayed in Foral and (below) our story in Mail on Sunday
SCARED: Landlady Lia
The Mail on Sunday June 7 • 2020
guy, people were scared of him in the village,” owner Lia Silva revealed. “He claimed to be a private detective and he carried a gun which was obviously really terrifying.” She revealed how the house was rented to a German woman Nicole, who was living there with her boyfriend Roman, who allegedly beat her up. Parethat nts kicke out adopted She explained the dwoman hadson a as teen after crim young daughter of ager her own, but she also e spre e took in troubled teenagers from Germany, who she fostered for a living. ‘They had difficulty ‘I got the feeling that he to control him’ enjoyed torturing a “She wastryingsupposedly running me’ rehabilitation programme for troubled youths, but one escaped and came back pregnant, him under alongside police thathadman who believe was SurVeiI llance Christian.” The property has become a key part of the investigation into the movements of Brueckner around the time of Maddie’s disappearance. The home, which is currently being rented by two Brits, has extensive grounds and a large swimming pool and barbecue area. Nicole abandoned the property in 2009, owing Silva around €10,000 in unpaid rent. “They left behind needles, used syringes with a spoon and bricks of hashish,” reUNKEMPT: Maddie suspect Christian
By Mark Hookham and Abul Taher in Germany
Brueckner
THE prime suspect for the abduction of Madeleine McCann was kicked out as a teenager because his adopted of home mother could no longer cope with his spiralling criminal behaviour. Speaking for the first time, Christian Brueckner’s mother Brigitte insisted she want to know what crimes her does not depraved adopted son has committed, saying: ‘I don’t know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it.’ Kind-hearted Brigitte and her husband Fritz adopted Christian as a baby after he up by his birth mother. But when was given seriously injured in a car crashFritz was Brigitte was unable to cope with in 1992, caring for both her brain-damaged husband and the increasingly delinquent teenager. Christian was sent to a children’s home for disruptive teenagers, but soon debauched life of crime and sex sank into a offending. In 1992 he committed a burglary and a year later molested a six-year-old playground, only stopping when girl in a she began to scream. F i v e m o n t h s l a t e r, h e approached a nine-year-old girl tions, including theft, assault, drug and dropped his trousers. ‘unkempt hands’, including It marked the beginning of an trafficking, violations of the weap- fingernails. It even detailschewed couple, very kind. But what hap- that is when he was sent to a dis- pened with their boy Christian appalling 27-year criminal career. ons law, child abuse, possession of tinctive scar on his groin. is a school for delinquent a reform teenagers Last week German police child pornography and rape. The file – and the testimony of catastrophe,’ one neighbour said. in Wuerzburg.’ Astonishingly, he has been extra‘They took him in as a baby announced that they were investihis friends and acquaintances Another neighbour added: ‘If – brought him up as their own. and gating the 43-year-old on suspi- dited back to Germany from abroad provides a picture of an ‘He was often in trouble and he what I read is true it will destroy cion of murdering three-year-old to face justice no fewer than three and dangerous sexual itinerant his mother. Brigitte and Fritz offender did Madeleine, who disappeared from who appeared to flit between Ger- got worse and worse as he grew everything they could for him when a holiday apartment in the Portumany and Portugal at will, comhe was a boy.’ guese holiday resort of Praia mitting serious A third crimes neighbour told the Gerda wherever Luz in 2007. he settled. man newspaper Bild that the home Brueckner is also being investiBrueckner was born Christian where Brueckner was sent had a gated in connection with the disapFischer in 1976 but given up by bad reputation: ‘There were only his pearance of a five-year-old German birth mother and adopted by bad young people there.’ the girl who vanished from woods Brueckner family, who At his trial for the child sex in times: twice from Portugal northern Germany, in 2015. and Bergtheim, a village lived in offences in 1994 at Wuerzburg near the into a teenager. As the man of the District Court, Inga Gehricke – often referred to once from Italy. Given his repeated offending, the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg. Brueckner was as Germany’s Maddie – vanished Neighbours yesterday said the house, it was Fritz who disciplined asked by the juvenile judge what the boy. Christian during a family barbecue. Brueck- file provides a vivid physical family had difficulty controlling hand. But after needed a firm he thought about his actions. the accident he ner lived 48 miles away in a cara- description of Brueckner who has a him and the situation He replied: ‘I didn’t think anybecame could not do that any van on scrubland by an abandoned pockmarked face, pierced ears, a impossible after Herr more. thing.’ He was given a two-year Brueckner, five-inch scar on his lower back, ‘Brigitte, the mother, box factory. an who has since died, was confined did her to but she could not cope with best, sentence but fled to Portugal with Police are also examining poten- eight-inch scar on his right arm, a wheelchair after the car the boy a girlfriend in 1995 crash. birthmarks all over his body and before it was tial links to the disappearance ‘The Brueckners were a lovely and look after her husband. in ‘Christian had been in trouble and completed. 1996 of another German youngster, He worked for a sales company, René Hasse, six, who vanished fitting awnings and swimming pool from Amoreiras beach in the Porcovers, and with his then girlfriend tuguese coastal town of Aljezur – rented a remote whitewashed farm25 miles from Praia da Luz. house on a hillside near the beach And yesterday the Belgian authorwhere the McCanns would later GERMAN police considered ities said they are investigating prison for child sexual abuse and play during their week’s holiday. Christian Brueckner so dangerous surveillance. The officers then whether Brueckner might have possession of child pornography. In 1999 he was arrested and extrathat they put him under roundbegan openly following him. been involved in the murder of He was eligible for release in dited back to Germany where 16the-clock surveillance. ‘We stood in front of his house he year-old Carola Titze in July 1996. August 2018, but the German served out the remainder of The convicted paedophile was his The teenager, whose mutilated authorities were desperate for him at night, walked beside him youth sentence for the child sex released from jail in 2018 as a when he was out, and talked to body was found six days after she to remain behind bars for drug offences. The following year result of a bureaucratic bungle him,’ said an investigator. he vanished while on holiday at trafficking. Under extradition law, was back in Portugal – but his life a against the wishes of German Brueckner went to the Flemish resort in De Haan, West Portugal had to give its consent became increasingly chaotic. police and prosecutors. In panic, Netherlands, where the Dutch Flanders, was allegedly seen at and it is claimed the Portuguese Neighbours described an ‘angry’ a officers were sent to follow him, police who took over surveillance disco with a German man, who was authorities car did not dealer who raced along the do so in time – but he gave them the slip. never traced. meaning Brueckner was released. lost him. From there he fled to quiet country roads. He collected Brueckner had been arrested in Italy, where he was arrested a The Mail on Sunday has seen Detectives first tried to covertly lost balls from golf courses to sell Portugal month in 2017 later and extradited to and extradited back to Brueckner’s 19-page police file, track his movements but he and stole diesel from parked trucks a Germany to serve 15 months in Germany where he was convicted shocking catalogue of 17 convicsoon realised that he was under and boats in nearby marinas. of the 2005 rape of a pensioner. Then, one hot evening in early September 2005, just 18 months
June 7 • 2020 The Mail on Sunday
V1
Suspect’s secret lair could lead police to Maddie
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called Silva, “it was horrible finding that in my house, but I burnt it all, I didn’t want to be incriminated by that stuff.” Brueckner was not seen in the village after Ni‘People were afraid of him in the restaurant’ cole and Roman left. Police turned up a couple of times looking for Roman but did not reveal to Silva why. “He received some serious looking legal letters from Lisbon so maybe it was related to that.” Talking to the Olive Press inside the grounds, she said she welcomed police digging up if it helps solve the Maddie case. “I just want this case closed like everyone else, the parents need closure. If it was him who took Maddie, then I hope they hang the bastard.” Several other witnesses in the town confirmed that Portuguese police have never visited to ask questions about the case. From Jon Clarke and Laurence Dollimore
in FOraL, POrTUGaL
NOTORIOUS DRUNK: Brueckner
out in a bar in Hanover in 2011
PAEDOPHILE Christian Brueckner regularly visited a rundown house hidden away in the Portuguese countryside in the months after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The property – pictured exclusively and never before linked to Brueckner – could now become a focal point in the investigation into whether the German kidnapped and murdered Madeleine. An investigation by this newspaper has established that Brueckner often stayed at the villa in the village of Foral in 2007 and 2008. He reportedly parked his distinctive Volkswagen KEY CLUE: The villa in Foral, Portugal, that was visited by Brueckner Westfalia campervan, which was subsequently seized by Ger- also had a young teenage girl 14 miles from Foral. Meanwhile, living with her who was not man police, in the car park of a her daughter. The woman would Brueckner’s German police file nearby restaurant. lists one of his ‘abodes’ as ‘PortuThe villa is about 40 miles from fly kids over from Germany and gal. Messines’. The village of Sao the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, was supposedly running a reha- Bartolomeu de Messines is just the holiday resort where three- bilitation programme for trou- six miles from Foral. year-old Madeleine disappeared bled youths.’ Lia Silva, the owner of the propBrueckner’s visits to the propin May 2007. erty in Foral, said an intimidating The villa, which is understood erty could form a key part of German man would visit the to have never been searched by police attempts to piece together and visit Nicole. At one pointvilla it is his movements after Madeleine claimed police, was rented between 2002 he helped track and 2009 by a German woman vanished. He is thought to have one of the German teenagersdown who left Portugal shortly after and had run away. called Nicole who is said to have used it for a rehabilitation pro- returned to Germany, reportedly ‘Suddenly a German guy turned gramme for troubled teenagers. up, and the rumours were that he A German couple who have was a private detective of some lived in the village for more than nature,’ said Ms Silva. ‘Some peo20 years said they immediately ple were afraid of him when he recognised Brueckner when he used to go to the restaurant. was named last week as the prime ‘Eventually, the guy found the suspect in the disappearance of runaway girl … and it turns out Madeleine and his image telling friends that he had stolen she was pregnant. It was a major appeared in the media. problem. It was then that Nicole ‘I said, “That’s Christian” before a lot of cash during a burglary on was no longer allowed to receive I even read what his name was,’ the Algarve. He first moved to the German kids from Germany, so she lost said the husband, who asked not all her income.’ of city of Dresden for a few to be named. When Ms Silva was shown a ‘The first time I met him he was weeks and then to Augsburg in photograph of Brueckner, she hosting a party at the restaurant. Bavaria, staying in the attic of a said: ‘Yeah that looks like him, it ‘He had two dogs, one medium- home owned by landlord Alexan- could be him.’ sized, one small. The name of the der Bischoff, 64, for two or three She added that Nicole abansmall one I even remember, it weeks at a time. But according to doned the villa in 2009, allegedly was called Frau Muller and was Mr Bischoff, Brueckner was owing 10,000 euros in rent. always rummaging around often away, including on trips ‘I found syringes and used neeback to Portugal. the bins. In 2015 he sold the VW T3 West- dles and a spoon and bricks of ‘The female tenant was German hashish in a shoebox,’ Ms and had a young daughter. She falia to the German owner of a added. ‘I was devastated Silva to find scrapyard in the town of Silves, that in my house.’
was armed with a ‘curved sabre’, beat the pensioner with a metal, flexible object. ‘I felt that he enjoyed torturing me,’ she later told police. Two of Brueckner’s acquaintances stumbled across evidence of his horrific crime when they burgled his farmhouse the following FAMILY HOME: The house in Bergtheim year, but apparently failed to tell where he was brought up the police about their find until before the abduction of Madeleine, many years later. his offending took a horrifically – Casa Jacaranda – having reguThey stole his camcorder but depraved turn. Less than a mile larly stopped there to pet the cats were horrified to find a film from his farmhouse was the home on his way to the beach. sequence in which an older woman At about 10.30pm, as she watched was bound of a 72-year-old American widow, and masked and who had lived alone with her cats TV, the woman was grabbed from then raped. A second film whipped showed behind, dragged upstairs to her for 17 years following the death young woman tied naked to a of bedroom where she was a tied-up, wooden beam in the house. her Austrian husband. Brueckner knew the widow’s villa gagged, blindfolded and raped. ner is understood to have Brueckcourted Brueckner, who wore a mask and string of young women during a his
12-year stay in the Algarve and had a year-long relationship with a British expat. He disappeared from Praia da Luz shortly after Madeleine was snatched as she slept alongside her twin siblings in May 2007. German police last week revealed Brueckner took a mobile phone call, placing him in the resort between 7.30pm and 8pm on the night she vanished. He initially settled in Hanover and became a notorious figure in the city’s backstreet bars, often leering drunkenly at women and wearing an ill-fitting and pungent suit. ‘I remember him,’ said Diana Bieler, who worked at the Cuban-themed bar Havana, where Brueckner was photographed in
April 2011. ‘He used to come to the bar twice a week, always on his own. He always had beer and looked unfriendly. ‘He was a dirty man, and I did not talk to him. He always smelt and always looked tense.’ It was his habit of drunkenly boasting in bars that may have sealed his fate. In 2017, he apparently suggested that he was responsible for Madeleine going missing while drinking with an associate in another German bar. Shockingly, he then allegedly showed his fellow drinker a video of him raping a woman. The associate informed German police who passed the new information to New Scotland Yard.
OLIVE PRESS SPAIN
Anguished mother: I don’t want to know what he has done V1
ALAMY / AFP / REUTERS
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EPA / PIXEL8000 / PHIL NOBLE /
T
HIS is the house where the prime suspect in the Maddie case spent several months following the toddler’s disappearance. The extensive property sits in the sleepy village of Foral, around 45 minutes drive from Praia da Luz, where the three-yearold vanished in 2007. Several locals confirmed to the Olive Press they saw Brueckner, now aged 43, and his distinctive Westfalia van parked outside the property, where troubled German teenagers were supposedly nursed back to health. The German paedophile was around for months and often worked at the village’s O Faro restaurant and did odd jobs to earn cash or in exchange for showers. “He came and went and was a really scary
but that he could have easily have been driving any number of different vans. It comes as Brueckner, who lived for many years around Praia da Luz, allegedly told colleagues in Germany that Maddie was dead. Reports say he became frustrated when his work pals would not stop talking about the case while working at a kiosk between 2012 and 2014. “The child is dead now – and that’s a good thing!” Brueckner reportedly screamed, “you can make a corpse disappear quickly… pigs also eat human flesh!”
Boasted
While he was discounted from the Portuguese investigation in 2007 and again in 2012, the net began to close when German police started probing him in 2017. It came after Brueckner told a pal on a night out about the case and boasted how he had raped a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz, two years before Maddie was snatched. It came after a picture of Maddie flashed onto the TV screen in a bar they were in, it being the 10th anniversary of her disappearance. He went on to show the pal videos, allegedly of the sadistic rape, for which he has now been convicted, and possibly of Maddie. The suspect has 17 convictions, many of them sexual offences against young children. His first known offence was when he molested a six-yearold girl in Germany at the age of 17 in 1993. A year later he attempted to sexually assault a nine-year-old girl. He moved to Praia da Luz with his then-girlfriend in 2005, but broke up with her soon after arriving. He had a series of other girlfriends, including a British girl, and also found work as a waiter and carried out odd jobs.But meanwhile he was also robbing apartments and selling drugs. Eerily, he was living in a rundown property, rented from a British owner, which overlooked the resort from a nearby hill and just a short walk to the beach. One of his neighbours, an Austrian woman, Salamanda, told
the Olive Press he was always polite to her and a good neighbour. “I even had coffees with him on a few occasions and he seemed fine,” she said. It is the circumstances of his sudden departure from the resort around the time of Maddie’s disappearance, plus a mysterious 30-minute conversation with someone called ‘Diogo Silva’, on the night she vanished, which is so intriguing. The fact that he sold or at least re-registered his Jaguar car the day after her death is suspicious, as is the fact that just a couple of weeks later he started living in a small village, Foral, some 45 minutes away inland. German police issued both phone numbers used on the evening an hour before she vanished, and also gave out photos of his van and car. Yet, Portuguese police became obsessed that it was her parents who killed her and did not even include Bruekner on a list of 600 possible suspects. Despite his close links, now confirmed by the Olive Press in Foral, police have yet to search the property or properly probe his links there.
Sex attack
The village has now become filled with investigators and journalists trying to crack the case, following our expose, including the BBC that filmed on Monday in the strange property that housed troubled teenagers brought in from Germany. Brueckner would go on to commit more crimes against children, including another sexual attack in June 2013. He has now been linked to another five missing children and a series of rapes both in Portugal and Germany. Whether he could have committed offences in Spain on his many trips across the country is now a question for Spanish police to grapple with. According to German magazine Der Spiegel, in September 2013, he wrote in an online chatroom that he wanted to ‘capture something small and use it for days.’ Do you recognise the van or jaguar pictured? Do you remember seeing either of the vehicles throughout the 2000s? Contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
June 11th - June 24th 2020
Party prince
That’s rich ENRIQUE Iglesias and Anna Kournikova have been named as Spain's top celebrity power couple and 22nd worldwide. Credit company Guarantor Loans released its list which combined couples’ net worths and social media followings to rank the top 40 pairings in the world. In first place was Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham, worth a combined €2.75 billion. The top performing couple that includes at least one Spaniard was singer Enrique Iglesias and tennis star Anna Kournikova who ranked 22nd worldwide, with assets of €133 million between them.
Cue music ONE of Spain’s most prestigious international awards has been awarded to two of cinema’s great composers. The Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts has been given to Ennio Morricone (right) – responsible for much of the iconic music in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns including The Good the Bad and the Ugly – and John Williams (right), most famous for the Star Wars music. Morricone has written more than 500 movie soundtracks while Williams has composed the music for some of Hollywood’s biggest hits including ET, Fiddler on the Roof, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List and the Indiana Jones movies. This latest award adds to the long list of Oscar, Grammys and other prizes the two composers have to their names.
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Kickback King
Spain’s former monarch embroiled in new scandal amid probe by country’s top court
DISGRACED former King Juan Carlos is being investigated by Spain’s Supreme Court over whether he illegally received millions of euros of kickbacks from Saudi Arabia. The probe dates back to another inquiry launched by Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor into a massive contract won by Spanish companies in 2011 to build a high-speed railway linking the cities of Medina and Mecca. Swiss newspaper La Tribune de Geneve claimed that before his 2014 abdication, Juan Carlos received nearly €100 million from the late king of Saudi Arabia. As king, Juan Carlos enjoyed
MALAGA’s favourite son Antonio Banderas has been chosen to spearhead a €22.5 million campaign to attract tourists to Andalucia this summer. Regional Tourism Minister Juan Marin described the plan as a bid to rescue the peak season. The famous Hollywood actor features in an advertisement that started airing this week on radio and television as well as in the printed press. The campaign will also be heavily featured on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, aimed at attracting foreign tourists.
EARNER: King ‘took €100 million from Saudis’ immunity from prosecution. But now the supreme court prosecutor is looking to see if he can be included in the case for any actions that took place after he abdicated in favour of
Hollywood hero
his son, when he ceased to be covered by immunity. A statement from the prosecutor said: “This investigation focuses, precisely, on establishing or discarding the criminal relevance of deeds that happened after June 2014, when the King Emeritus was no longer protected by immunity.” Juan Carlos had enjoyed immense popularity and respect, built up during Spain’s transition into democracy after dictator Franco died in 1975. A series of scandals destroyed his reputation and eventually forced him to hand the throne to his son, Felipe. One of these centred on his relationship with businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. The former king is alleged by La Tribune de Geneve to have given her nearly €57 million.
BELGIAN Party Prince Joachim is under investigation by the Spanish authorities as more details of his jet set lockdown antics have been uncovered. The 28-year-old prince flew to Spain from Belgium in May to visit high society Spanish girlfriend Victoria Ortiz Martinez-Sagrera. But instead of self-isolating for two weeks, he attended two bashes in Cordoba before he and another guest tested positive for COVID-19 First he partied with 11 others at his girlfriend’s family farm, then the next day he joined 15 friends for more revelries.
Costa crime FOOTBALL star Diego Costa has been sentenced to six months in prison for tax fraud, but will avoid serving time. The Atletico Madrid and former Chelsea striker has also been handed a €543,208 fine. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to charges relating to €1.1 million in unpaid taxes. Brazilian-born Costa also failed to declare more than €1 million in image rights. He will avoid jail, as Spanish law allows sentences
shorter than two years for non-violent crimes to be exchanged for a fine, in this case an extra €36,500.
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www.theolivepress.es
NEWS IN BRIEF New charge THE convicted ‘La Manada’ rape gang has seen four of its members charged for a second attack carried out two months before the infamous gang rape of an 18-year-old at Pamplona’s running of the bulls in 2016.
Sour note A MAN has been denounced in Murcia for beating his son, 17, leaving him seriously injured, because he wanted to become a musician and not go to university.
Play time PARKS and gardens have reopened in Torrevieja with councillors pledging to ensure slides, see-saws and other play equipment be disinfected every two days.
Market forces ORIHUELA has reopened the last of its remaining outdoor markets as part of the de-escalation process, with strict social-distancing guidelines in force.
Putt them away! GUARDIA Civil have arrested two men in Benidorm after a spate of robberies from cars at golf courses across EIGHT different provinces. During the course of just a week, the men, 30 and 32, were allegedly responsible for theft at 40 different resorts. Social media has been full of reports of thefts throughout the Costa Blanca at golf courses since the lockdown eased.
Gang busted FOUR hundred police officers arrested 26 people and seized €300,000 cash in a major anti-drugs operation in Cartagena. Guardia Civil brought in reinforcements from Valencia and Madrid as they launched 31 early morning raids in an attempt to smash the notorious Los Bartelos drug trafficking network in the Murcian city. Homes in the poverty-stricken Los Mateos area of Cartagena were targeted, with police finding cocaine, heroin, hashish and marijuana. In addition, five vehicles and seven firearms were seized.
NEWS
June 11th - June 24th 2020
We’ll sleep on that one
Party pooper
THE hugely popular annual beach bonfire fiestas of San Juan have been banned in Elche. Mayor Carlos Gonzalez said that the gatherings at places like Arenales del Sol and La Marina vil-
lage could not go ahead on June 23 because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said: “Access to all of our local beaches will be closed that night because we cannot risk any crowds forming.”
By Alex Trelinski
TWO former Orihuela mayors have been cleared of corruption charges. Public officials had been accused of taking bribes worth millions of euros over the 2006 granting of waste disposal contracts in what became known as the ‘Brugal case’. PP politicians Monica Lorente and Jose Manuel Medina were among 34 defendants acquitted by Alicante Provincial Court. Lorente said that she expected the verdict as she ‘believed in justice’, whilst Manuel Medina stated that prosecutors had a ‘vendetta against him’. Millionaire Orihuela businessman, Angel Fenoli, had
Cleared
been accused of being the ringleader and faced up to 37 years in jail if he had been found guilty. After hearing the verdict, Fenoli broke down in tears and said: “Justice has finally been done after 14 years.” It was the largest-ever corruption case to be tried in Ali-
It’s time to take control of your financial future! Chorus Financial’s Senior Partner Tracy Storer and I have a combined 15 years giving financial advice here in Spain. We’ve seen it all and our industry has certainly evolved during those years. We’ve seen countless advisers come and go, and it’s true to say that Chorus have been largely responsible for the short careers of many an IFA (independent financial adviser) here in Spain. The truth is, when we opened Chorus the vast majority of firms here were recruiting advisers on the promise of huge commissions and questionable sales practices. Almost none of them had experience as an IFA, and even less had anything that would resemble a recognisable qualification. So, they arrived in Spain looking forward to raking in huge amounts of commissions, only to find that Chorus Financial had begun a marketing campaign against hidden fees and poor practice that would go on to be recognised Europe-wide, earning Chorus many awards and accolades. We’ve seen advisers of these firms drop off like flies over the years, leaving Tracy and I amongst Spain’s longest serving financial advisers. The reality is that running a successful financial services business involves a long journey, not short-term targets. Companies like Chorus survive and thrive
not by taking huge commissions, but by building up a loyal and happy client-base over many years. This is why during this CV19 pandemic Chorus have been able to maintain our usual high standard of client service and industry leading portfolio performance. Because we have a long-term, client focussed business model, rather than one that relies on making huge fees each and every month to survive. What do you want and need as a client of a financial advisory firm? Do you want to know your adviser is making every decision based 100% on putting you first? Do you want to know that your adviser is fighting to get you the lowest possible fees and the highest quality solutions as possible?
cante province. The trial lasted more than nine months and was held in a specially expanded courtroom. An Elche courtroom was specially expanded to accommodate all the defendants during nine months of hearings held last year.
A CASE of thousands of dumped mattresses has yet to be put to bed. It comes after Torrevieja council revealed 9,000 mattresses were dumped around the city in just three months. Meanwhile, neighbouring Santa Pola saw 13,000 dumped by refuse containers throughout the year. Police in Orihuela say that their area is now suffering from the same problem, and the high number of mattresses suggest that a company is behind the tipping. “We have to stop this and we want anybody who sees this going on to give us a call”, pleaded a spokesman. Orihuela council has to stump up on average €10 to get rid of each one. Torrevieja’s clean-up bill last year came to over €160,000.
The Great Pretender A FAKE copper who scammed bank cards, PIN numbers and bribes from illegal immigrants has been arrested in Spain’s Murcia region. The 36-year-old reportedly ‘raided’ a property occupied by Bolivian nationals and demanded €200 for each illegal resident.
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Well, with the Chorus model that is guaranteed. We only take a low, transparent upfront fee, rather than a huge hidden commission, so we are absolutely aligned with your long-term goals from day one. By ensuring the needs of our clients are always put first, we also align the needs of our business by keeping our clients over the long term. This is a truly symbiotic relationship, and the only way a financial services company should operate. If your adviser has c o n s i st e n tly put their needs ahead of yours, tied you into expensive products for years on end and put you into funds that paid them commissions (likely without you even knowing), then they have acted against your best interests. Forget the annual reviews, the friendly coffees and chats, most of this is just a sales spiel they
By Sam Kelly DipPFS, EFA, BA (Hons). Managing Partner, Chorus Financial have been trained for. The reality is, they have placed your financial long-term security at risk for their own selfish gains, and you should not continue to reward this. It is time to reconsider your financial future, and put yourself in proven, trusted hands. Chorus offers you the opportunity to take real control of your financial goals and outcomes, and build a long-term, transparent and honest relationship with your financial adviser. Whether you’re looking for a new solution, or have an existing plan, for example a QROPs, SIPP, or Spanish Compliant Bond from providers like Prudential, STM, Quilter PLC (formally OMI), SEB or Lombard International, it’s time to take control today. Call me direct on +34 664 398 702, email s.kelly@chorusfinancial.es or visit www. chorusfinancial.es for more information.
The advisers trading as Chorus Financial are members of OpesFidelio and authorised to give financial advice subject to contract in parts of the EEA, including Spain, CNMV No Registro Oficial 3970. OpesFidelio is a trademarked network of the Aisa Group which includes Aisa Financial Planning Ltd and Aisa International s.r.o. Aisa Financial Planning is authorised and regulated in the UK as an independent financial adviser for UK retail clients by the Financial Conduct Authority, Reference number: 189652, and has permissions throughout the EEA under both directives IDD and MiFID. Aisa International s.r.o. is authorised and regulated in the Czech Republic as a financial adviser by the Czech National Bank and has permissions through selected EEA countries, including Spain.
Investment contracts are intended as medium to long term investments, and all investments have some level of risk. Figures in our articles are examples of what can be achieved and cannot be guaranteed; the value of your investments can go down as well as up. Fees and charges can vary and will be fully explained to you before any advice can take place. This article should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular product.
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5
Horrific!
Police probe house of horrors with dozens of animals dead
CARNAGE: Bodies of dead dogs littered the house
By Alex Trelinski
OVER 100 animals have been rescued from squalid conditions, surrounded by the decaying corpses of dogs, rabbits, pigeons and chickens, in Murcia. The Guardia Civil’s nature protection service Seprona was alerted by concerned neighbours after they realised no one had visited the prop-
erty in the small town of Moratalla for some time. Officers were met with a scene of horror. A menagerie in ‘deplorable’ condition was discovered, with the stench of decompos-
Date rape hell A WOMAN has been raped after meeting a man on their first date following the easing of Spain’s lockdown restrictions. The victim reported the incident just hours after it happened, with Guardia Civil charging the perpetrator with sexual assault. The woman said that she had met the man online on a dating portal during Spain’s state of alarm lockdown. When travelling restrictions were relaxed, they decided to meet face-to-face, and he agreed to pick her up in his car for a day out. The plans took an unwanted turn when he took a detour to a field in the San Javier area and assaulted her. While she claims they had sex against her will, when arrested he claimed it was consensual. He was released on bail after being formally charged with sexual assault.
ing animals overwhelming the house. Excrement and urine were in every room of the property as well as wild finches – a protected species - and a Vietnamese pig. They had no access to food and water. None of the animals had the required veterinary documentation. Police took the rescued animals for vet treatment before handing them over to animal sanctuaries, who are now looking after them. The owner of the property is being investigated on numerous charges, including animal abandonment and possession of a protected species. Guardia Civil were helped by the CARM Animal Health Service, the Cleaning and Disinfection Service, the El Valle Centre for the Recovery of Fauna and Flora in Murcia and an animal recovery centre in Mazarron, as well as local police.
June 11th - June 24th 2020
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OPINION Deal with this scum AS Spain tries to recover from the coronavirus crisis it definitely cannot afford to get a bad name for tourists. Millions of foreigners are eagerly scouring holiday websites looking to rent a villa or apartment as they try to brighten what has been a very miserable year. So to find themselves scammed by a lowlife keyboard warrior over a villa rental in Marbella or Mallorca will be the final insult. Sadly, the world is full of dodgy people looking to make a fast buck at the expense of honest, hard-working holidaymakers, as the Olive Press has pointed out for the last three summers. But not everyone is willing to lie down and accept losing thousands of pounds, as we report on the front page this issue. Hats off to Lucia Myers who turned detective to ensure someone was held to account for a fake website advert that stole money and inevitably wrecked dozens, if not hundreds, of holidays in Spain. A jail sentence resulted for one con man – suspended as long as the cash was paid back. But now, by the simple method of declaring bankruptcy, scammer Alvaro Lopez Uribe seems to have got away scot free. Legal experts say it is highly unlikely a court will activate his jail sentence. If Spain is to recover from the coronavirus crisis then such conmen need to be brought to account. And sent to jail for a stiff sentence. Justice must be done, otherwise people will – like the Myers family – simply go elsewhere.
Every little counts IT has been 13 long years since Madeleine McCann disappeared. Leads have been unearthed and followed, but none have answered the question of what became of this heart-breakingly gorgeous little girl. Now police in Germany and the UK have their biggest lead yet – but they need your help in tracing the movements of prime suspect Christian Brueckner. The Olive Press sent its reporters, plus editor Jon Clarke, around the four corners of the Iberian Peninsula at the weekend to follow up leads. Do not hesitate to help if you know anything. Even the tiniest thing can help Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry to finally bring this horribly long and painful saga to an end.
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FEATURE
June 11th - June 24th 2020
A life in the ti Rodents on the rampage, cockroaches and flies on the uptick, a bacteria dubbed ‘the other coronavirus’ wiping out olive trees … COVID-19 is bringing pestilence to our doorstep and turning the natural world upside down. And that’s not half of what we can expect in 2020 - prophetically, the Chinese Year of the Rat, as Cristina Hodgson (right) reports
W
HOEVER thought there would come a time when we’d see peacocks strutting in the streets of Madrid or wild boar trotting through downtown Barcelona. As people around the globe change their daily behaviour to slow the spread of COVID-19, the absence of people is having a ripple effect throughout the ecosystems of the RATS: It’s their year world.
DEADLY:
Experts anticipated Red palm that many pests would weevil flourish as a direct result of decreased human activity, especially in and around urban areas. Rats in particular have come out of hiding as lockdown eliminates litter on the ground and rubbish in bins. Some have even taken to the streets in broad daylight and invaded homes in a frantic search for food. According to Favio Ulloa, of Prestige Pest Services, New Jersey ‘There could be about two million rats running around in New York City.’ Coronavirus may have put
paid to Chinese New Year celebrations this January but their Year of the Rat is living up to its name. In Spain and the UK it’s not only rats that are running rampant. Both countries have seen an uptick in cockroaches and flies. Add in the seasonal invasion of mozzies and other pests as the summer months approach, and unwanted visitors are out in force. Pest control is already in action on the frontline of public health and agricultural sectors worldwide; and now their work could prove even more essential
Lowering the Tone Mud slinging in the Cortes is putting Spanish politics to shame, writes seasoned commentator Lenox Napier
T
HE current crop of insults traded in the Spanish Parliament reached a new low last month when PP spokesperson Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (right) branded Pablo Iglesias (below) ‘the son of a terrorist’. You may not like his hairstyle or the colour of his politics but does the leader of Unidas Podemos deserve such an insult … or, indeed, does his father? The Speaker, for one, didn’t think so. He ordered ‘La Marquesa’ as she is known, to withdraw the slander. She refused. Then ex-president Jose María Aznar added his centimo-worth, telling reporters that she was right to make the point. Not all of the PP sees mud slinging as a valid tactic with another conservative leader, Galician President Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, saying that such attacks against a political opponent ‘are a grave error’. But, as one political observer from the University of Barcelona puts it, ‘Politics is not like football, with goals scored against the other side in the Cortes’. Nor should we, the citizens, be behaving like fans as ‘our team’ scores an insult on the other side, shouting simplistic slogans and waving our party-colours like football scarves. Nevertheless it’s a game of two halves and even the media has joined in with enthusiasm. The ‘story’ that Pablo’s father Javier was a notorious political hit-man who once murdered a policeman is a ‘bulo’ - an invention - first put out by a Vox MEP called Hermann Tertsch who was subsequently ordered to pay €15,000 to Javier for his calumnies (plus a further €12,000 for slandering Pablo’s uncle into the bargain) back in 2016.
My thoughts by Lenox Napier
Javier was publicly accused of ‘terrorism’ in 2016 by the leading MEP for Vox, an ex-journalist called Herman Tertsch. He wrote that Javier was part of the ‘FRAP In fact Iglesias Senior was spending two communist terror group’ who murdered a months in prison for sharing political policeman. In fact, Javier was banged up leaflets (commie propaganda if you like) and on rations of bread and water when at the time of the shooting in 1973. Pabthe crime was committed. Now, reluclo’s mother didn’t mince her words later, tantly, he must sue La Marquesa. ‘I hate Tweeting that Álvarez de Toledo was ‘a having to go through with this, precisely fork-tongued tin-pot marquise’. because, when politicians are sued for Spain is once again in a period of politislander, it’s the taxpayer who has to foot cal extremes and although nothing written the bill, because politicians are exempt’, here will necessarily change the views of he says. readers, background is always a useful Coincidentally, Pablo’s grandfather Manthing. uel was a socialist politician who was So let’s take a closer look at the wispy comimprisoned and sentenced to death, latmunist politician with the ponytail, second er commuted to 30 years (finally he only vice-president of Spain and – keeping it served four) following the close to home – married to Spanish Civil War. He died Irene Montero, the 32 year1988. His great-unold Minister for Equality. Pablo, with his in cle (also slandered by Pablo Iglesias is well-versed rebel hairstyle Tertsch) was an air-force in his subject. He took Law captain executed by the and Political Science at and politics, is Nationalists in 1939 and university and has a PhD, in an unmarked grave. among several other dishated by the PP lies Pablo, with his rebel hairtinctions. He later became a style and far-left politics, voters lecturer in political science is basically anathema to a at Madrid’s Complutense swathe of Spanish voters. University. He formed PoHe is regularly accused demos in late 2013 and the next year of being in the pay of Nicolas Maduro became an MEP for the party. He speaks from Venezuela (who for some improbItalian and English. able reason wants to bring his ‘BolivariThere’s no doubt that his ideas stem from an revolution’ to Spain). Much is also his background (‘Pablo Iglesias’ was also made of his new home in a swanky part the name of the historic founder of both of Madrid. While it was bought with two the PSOE in 1879 and the UGT general mortgages, many people think he should workers union nine years later). be living up to his ideology in a draughty His father Javier, loft somewhere in a working class disnow a retired work trict. Meanwhile, the Anticapitalistas (the inspector who Junta de Andalucía’s Teresa Rodríguez, also studied Law the mayor of Cádiz José María González, at Complutense, known as ‘Kichi’ and others… who recentwas an anti-Franco ly resigned from Unidas Podemos) have activist in his day claimed indignantly that Pablo Iglesias ‘… (there were lots of has now evolved towards more moderate them, as might be positions’. Something of a sin for a lefty. supposed). His son The right, when not chipping away at the Pablo says of him national government, claims that ‘the cor‘For the Dictatorrosivity in politics is due to Podemos’. The ship, he was conright-wing ABC newspaper recently ran sidered a criminal, not one but two articles with the peculiar and so he still is by COMRADES: Podemos leader Iglesias with his assertion that Pablo Iglesias is plotting a the spokesperson pamphleting padre (left) who was labelled a terrocoup d’état. for the Partido Poprist by the Spanish far right We hope he takes his father’s advice first. ular, 50 years later’.
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www.theolivepress.es
ime of plague FATAL: The bite of an asp viper
Olive Press online ‘Spain’s best English news website’
Leading the way
W as unwelcome critters flourish during the coronavirus outbreak. A town in the province of Malaga has recently spent over €5,000 on batches of Torymus sinensis wasps in order to protect its chestnut productions. They are the natural predators of the Chinese chestnut wasp which has been wreaking havoc on chestnut production in the Malaga town of Farajan. They are not a new threat - the area has suffered from this winged plague for the last five years resulting in the almost total destruction of the chestnut crops behind Marbella’s La Concha mountain. However treatment during the pandemic is crucial. “Animals are always quick to adapt and, as a result, we expect that many pest species will flourish because of these necessary global measures,” according to PelGar International, leading British manufacturer of insecticides around the world. Meanwhile, failure to act in time is having a detrimental effect on the fight against Xylella in Italy where the dangerous bacteria affecting olive trees has been nicknamed ‘the other coronavirus’. Xylella, neglected in Italy as the country battled to control COVID-19, has resulted in 600 new cases, 100 of them in olive trees with no containment measures. “The coronavirus pandemic cannot be an excuse for not dealing with emergencies like Xylella, an epidemic that is threatening the extinction of olive groves throughout the Mediterranean,” says Carmela Riccardi, president of the Association of the Comité Libero Anti-Xylella. In Spain meanwhile, the first outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa was detected at the end of 2016 in Mallorca. Subsequently, numerous other outbreaks have been recorded in the Balearics while in June 2017 it was detected for the first time on the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in almond plantations in the Alicante town of Guadalest. More recently, in 2018, its presence was reported in olive groves of Villarejo, Madrid. The disease could cost billions of euros over the next 50 years in Spain, Italy and Greece, the three countries most susceptible to the bacterium because of prevailing climatic conditions. Together, they account for almost 95% of PREDATORY: European olive Asian wasp oil production. As a result, severe restrictions are being placed on imports of olive trees and lavender bushes, where Xylella also thrives, in an effort to halt the deadly infection.
Another big threat is posed by the lethal red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), first detected in Spain in 1993 in the Granada coastal towns of Motril and Almuñecar. This invasive species hitched a ride on palms imported from Egypt causing astronomical damage to
Creepy crawlies and more... Rodents, cockroaches and bedbugs are the most widespread pests in Spain. Other destructive animals and harmful creepy crawlies found in Spain include: Processionary pine caterpillars (Thaumetopoea Pityocampa): Don’t be deceived by their cute and furry look, avoid touching! They are extremely dangerous to children and dogs. That said, the species is protected in Spain and can be found all over the national territory. Spiders: There are over 1,700 species of arachnid in Spain, but only four are in any way harmful to humans. The ones to watch out for are the Mediterranean tarantula, the Mediterranean funnel web, the black widow and the brown recluse spider. Scorpions: Buthus Occitanus, the common yellow scorpion, has a painful sting and when food is lacking, the females are known to eat the males. You might also come across the European black scorpion but it’s sting is less painful than a bee’s. Snakes: There are 13 different types of slitherer in Spain, five of them fatal to humans. Beware of the asp viper, Lataste’s viper (aka snub-nosed viper), Seoane’s viper, false smooth snake and the den adder or common viper Fortunately, of the estimated 50 snakebite deaths a year in Europe, only three to six occur in Spain. Wild boar which have become so numerous that they now venture into towns, even camping out in Barcelona and Madrid. Fencing off the countryside to try to keep them at bay is complicated and the more time the boars spend in urban areas, the more fearless they become and encroach increasingly on non-rural zones.
DID YOU KNOW?
palm trees as it spread along the coast, running up ‘billions of euros’ in bills for treatments to curb its rampage. Huge economic damage, border restrictions on imports ... sound familiar? Controlling coronavirus and harmful pests on a global scale have many similarities. A key question on deciding the best course of action in both cases is whether to focus on eliminating the harmful species entirely or controlling its spread to prevent the next outbreak. According to Adam Lampert, an assistant professor with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at ASU, three factors determine whether the species should be controlled or eradicated: the annual cost of maintaining the controlled population, the natural growth rate of the harmful species, and its response to the treatment. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Covid coin, lockdown could be endangering wildlife. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), together with CREAF, an ecological and forestry institute attached to Barcelona’s Autonomous University, warn that the reduced presence of people in open spaces is creating ‘a false perception that cities are suitable places to live’. Lockdown is effectively an ecological trap for many animals. The coronavirus outbreak has coincided with the breeding season of many species. Birds are nesting in areas that were previously avoided due to human activity and noise pollution. When traffic returns to normal levels, the chances are offspring will suffer. But environmental organisations such as the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO Birdlife) and the World Wildlife Fund stress that the reduced human presence in urban areas will not last long enough to alter the behaviour of fauna. In the meantime, animals are reclaiming what used to be their natural habitat. Peacocks have invaded the streets of Madrid, a giant eight-metre shark was videoed prowling the waters off Granada, and dolphins DANGER: Pine caterpillars can kill in Mallorca are swimming in water once polluted with sewage. The pandemic is turning nature upside down but who knows, it just might be our opportunity to create a new and better world.
HEN it comes to English language newspapers in Spain there is one, literally only one, that invests in quality journalism – the Olive Press. We are proud to be the only investigative expat publication in the country and know that we rely on the quality of our staff to bring you the latest news. This is why whenever trained and experienced journalists are available, we reach out a hand to pull them on board. The newest member of the team is highly experienced former BBC journalist Alex Trelinski (right). After 30 years with the BBC as a journalist, presenter and sports reporter, he moved to the Costa Blanca and carried on reporting for local papers. Having had a bad experience with one particular local rag, he now joins other journalists with extensive national media experience on our team. These include: Dilip Kuner (below), who has years of writing and editing expertise, including the UK’s Sunday Mirror. The irrepressible Giles Brown is a former Mirror man, while our very own Mistress of Sizzle, Belinda Beckett, worked on the Daily Express before making Spain her home. And it’s fair to say that the UK national press recognises the talent nurtured by the Olive Press under owner and editor Jon Clarke – who himself still contributes articles to the Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail on a regular basis. Bylines familiar to our readers include Tom Powell, now on The Standard in London, Iona Napier (below) who walked into a job with ITN after her stint in Spain and Joe Duggan who is now a reporter at The Sun. The reason? We give our staff the chance to shine. No other English language newspaper in Spain would even consider dedicating two journalists to sniffing out information over several days on one story, as we have, this week alone. Our Digital Editor Laurence Dollimore has been in Portugal to cover the Madeleine McCann case for five days, while our Alicante man Joshua Parfitt has been digging for more information about the chief suspect on the Costa Blanca for two days. The Olive Press values journalism – which means we value our staff and they value us. The results speak for themselves, we hope.
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: woman arrested after lying that €140 had 1- British been illegally withdrawn from her bank account (21,901) British expat on Spain's Costa del 2-SolEXCLUSIVE: has card details hacked losing nearly €500, but bank refuses to refund amount (20,363) Police in UK and Spain reopen case 3- ofEXCLUSIVE: Costa del Sol bar owner who vanished 27 years ago (18,001) Two arrested in Benidorm after robbing foreign 4-cars at ‘40 golf courses’ across Spain’s Costa Blanca (17,958) From June 8 you can travel throu5- BREAKING: ghout whole of Spain's Andalucia, Government announces (14,853)
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Your reporters on the Costa Blanca
Mask up!
June 11th - June 24th 2020
Pawty pooper
Mayor blames dog walkers as he bans pooches from popular beaches, undoing years of campaigning By Simon Wade
Reporters Simon Wade and Joshua Parfitt And introducing Alex Trelinski in Quesada Contact them with any stories or news on 951 273 575 or email newsdesk@theolivepress.es
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DON’T forget coronavirus! This is the message from a British councillor who has made a plea for residents who are ‘ignoring’ rules on facemasks. San Fulgencio councillor, Samantha Hull (above), has warned people to ‘mask up’ or risk getting a fine. She told the Olive Press that, despite bar and restaurant owners putting up plenty of warning signs, she’s seen customers still flouting lockdown laws in the La Marina urbanisation in particular. “I have received several complaints via social media that masks are not being worn,” the councillor said. “The law is absolutely clear over masks, i.e. anywhere the social distancing rules of two metres cannot be followed, which includes when people are seated on an outdoor terrace area. “You must also have a mask with you if you go inside to use the toilet.” She noted reports of people who are forgetting that hugging and handshakes are not allowed. “Residents should not become complacent as the coronavirus is still here, and we all need to remain vigilant and responsible,” she added.
THE Mayor of Torrevieja has placed the blame for his controversial decision to ban pooches from several beaches on dog walkers. Eduardo Dolon said he wanted to ‘avoid conflicts’ by sending dog-walkers to Cala Rocio, a rocky outcrop, while keeping them away from sunbathers in popular areas like Cala del Moro and Punta Margallo. It comes after years of campaigning, including a 14,000-signature strong petition in 2018, finally led to those beaches being declared
SHOPS selling bicycles and scooters in the Valencia region will be able to get money next week to offer cut-price deals to customers. The Valencian government will start a grant scheme of €75 subsidy for pedal bikes and up to €250 for motorised ones. The region wants to encourage the use of non-motorised
dog-friendly all year round. The new designated dog zone on the 1,600m2 outcrop will come with signage, fencing, a drinking point and shady hitching points for pooches. Dolon said: “We replaced
Wheely good deal!
transport around the area and support local businesses. The subsidies are available to all Costa Blanca residents who will have to fill out a form at any participating store.
some sites that did not meet the conditions and services with another that would, and we have been working on this solution for months.” The decree was published without any publicity on Friday, causing a backlash from residents. “We have not made it public before because we wanted to do it along with the other measures on the beaches,” Dolon said. He then went on to suggest it was dog-walkers that were to blame for the changes. “Since [the dog-friendly beaches] were created in 2018, there has been a constant source of conflict … we know from the Policia Local,” he claimed. Dolon said that dog-walkers were to blame for bringing this ‘conflict’ into the hands of ‘nearby residents’.
Singing the blues
BEACHES in the Valencia region, including the Costa Blanca, have once again picked up the largest number of coveted Blue Flag awards in Spain. The overall total in Valencia is one down on last year’s figure at 134, while the Costa Blanca received 74 flags, two more than in 2019. The Murcia region is up one to 26, but for the fourth consecutive year, beaches around the Mar Menor area of Murcia have failed to win anything due to environmental issues. Spain continues to be the world leader for bagging blue flags, a position that it has held every year since 1987, with Greece, Turkey, and France its closest rivals. Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Oliver, said that the country’s coastline ‘maintains high quality standards which act as a benchmark for world tourism.’ “The news over the flags is once again a source of pride,” Oliver added.
LA CULTURA ART lovers are in for a treat at Madrid’s Prado Museum. It has now reopened its doors and announced stringent coronavirus restrictions to ensure the safety of visitors. This meant it had to keep attendances to fewer than 1,800 people a day, and large sections of the massive art gallery had to remain closed. With just a quarter of exhibition space open, many of the most famous works by artists of the calibre of Velazquez, El Greco, Rubens, Tit-
Pure Prado
ian and Goya were out of bounds. So Miguel Falomir, director of the art gallery, decided to bring together 250 of the most important works into one ‘super exhibition’. The 16 exhibition rooms host what Falomir calls an ‘unprecedented’ concentration of the greatest art pieces in the museum collection. He said: “As many times as you have seen the Prado, you have never seen it like this. And you will probably never again be able to see it like this. This is pure Prado.”
Masks and crafts A CREATIVE design and technology teacher has raised nearly €1,000 for charity by recycling old fabrics into novelty face masks. Mandy Henry, a teacher at the Lady Elizabeth School, in Javea, launched the business to help struggling families during lockdown. The expat of four years has so far made 200 masks,
QUESADA, Vista Lounge & Cocktail Bar, 7.30pm Smart-Phone Quiz, all socially-distanced! QUESADA, Aurora Bar & Lounge, 5pm - Ian’s Crazy Quiz Night.
Friday 12 June QUESADA, The Marquee Bar, 5pm - Tony Marsh, acoustic guitar session. LOS ALCAZARES, La Zona Mini Golf, 7.30pm - Jojo, female vocalist.
THEY scrapped Semana Santa, now they have called off feria season. The Junta de Andalucia has ordered that all town carnivals should be cancelled until at least September amid COVID-19 fears. Health chiefs have warned that 37 ferias and festivals planned for June, July and August must be postponed. The move is a devastating blow to the region’s already-crippled economy, which could shrink by up to 16.2% this year. The call to curtail this summer’s events came after spokesman Elias Bendodo said it was ‘completely impos-
Summer shutdown sible’ to maintain strict health protocols at these huge summer gatherings. Bendodo also urged ‘common sense’ in the fight against coronavirus, while emphasising that the ferias are the responsibility of the town halls. He said: “Other moments will come, but now it is time to secure the end (of the pandemic) and not to take any wrong steps. “We have based our recommendation on scientific reports.”
British DT teacher raises nearly €1,000 for struggling families with personalised mask campaign
including one for her favourite local newspaper. “I’ve been a teacher all around the world, and have fabrics from the countries I’ve lived in like Oman and Thailand, so it was a good way to get rid of cotton too,” Mandy told the Olive Press. She put the word out on social media that she was ready and willing to make personalised masks for a donation to the Todos Juntos charity. Within an hour,
By Simon Wade
she was ‘inundated with orders’ for 100 masks and after another hour, she had to delete the post for fear of being overwhelmed. In the end she made 200 masks and is still getting ‘daily requests’. There are three types; a flat style for adults, a smaller version for children and a curved version so the wearer can wear glasses. All cutting of the fabrics, sewing and delivering was done alone, with her collection of fabrics being used up without charge. “I made personalised masks,
VERTICAL BLINDS, ROLLER BLINDS & VENETIAN BLINDS CREATIVE: Teacher Mandy
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some with lips on, or an IKEA-themed one, and an Olive Press one too,” she revealed. “I may make more masks in the future, but I am so desperately in need of a rest for now!” she admitted.
CALL TODAY FOR A QUOTE
EVENTS GUIDE Thursday 11 June
9
June 11th - June 24th 2020
ENTRE NARANJOS, Flannigan’s, 8.30pm - Live singing with Rain O’Connor.
Saturday 13 June ALGORFA, Chandelier Sports & Entertainment Bar, 8pm Debbie H, live singer. LA ZENIA, CC’S Bar, 8pm Chloe Leigh sings Motown, Country, Rock, Disco, Soul.
WE GUARANTEE YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED WITH YOUR PURCHASE
QUESADA, Spanglish Bar, 7pm - Jojo, female vocalist
Sunday 14 June CAMPOAMAR, The Stray Sod, 8pm - Michael Jackson Tribute Show. CAMPOAMAR, The Champagne Bar, 5pm - Elvis and Me, with Danny Fisher. QUESADA, Vista Lounge & Cocktail Bar, 4pm Jojo, female vocalist. VILLAMARTIN, Driver’s Bar, 9pm Karaoke and Motown with Angie McKay.
Monday 15 June
QUESADA, The Marquee Bar, 5pm - Massive Music Quiz with Brian & Sybil.
Tuesday 16 June VILLAMARTIN, Driver’s Bar, 9pm - Karaoke and Motown with Angie McKay.
Wednesday 17 June LA FLORIDA, The Emerald Isle, 7pm - FUSION with Stevie Spit & many more.
Thursday 18 June QUESADA, Vista Lounge & Cocktail Bar, 7.30pm - SmartPhone Quiz, all socially-distanced! QUESADA, Aurora Bar & Lounge, 5pm - Ian’s Crazy Quiz Night. VILLAMARTIN, Driver’s Bar,
9pm - Karaoke and Motown with Angie McKay. Friday 19 June
INFO@QUALITYBLINDSINSPAIN.COM WWW.QUALITYBLINDSINSPAIN.COM
QUESADA, The Marquee Bar, 5pm - Karaoke with Brian & Sybil. ENTRE NARANJOS, Flannigan’s, 8.30pm - Live singing with Rain O’Connor.
Sunday 21 June VILLAMARTIN, Driver’s Bar, 9pm - Karaoke and Motown with Angie McKay
Monday 22 June QUESADA, The Marquee Bar, 5pm - Massive Music Quiz with Brian & Sybil
Tuesday 23 June
VILLAMARTIN, Driver’s Bar, 9pm - Karaoke and Motown with Angie McKay
NB: If your business has events from 25th June to 8th July, please email full details to us at simon@theolivepress.es
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LETTERS Beach wars
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June 11th - June 24th 2020 Check out our issues online at www.theolivepress.es
Shocking but not surprising
expat
My best mate’s gone!
Inside Spain’s TV hit, White Lines Page 3
Spaniards block roads in protest Page 6
bars and restaurants are full
of places to sit, but one chilled
Dad pays heartfelt tribute to his tragic daughter Danielle, who ‘lived to sing, laugh and party’ A BRITISH bar worker has been found dead ‘in her wardrobe’. Danielle Finlay Brookes was found at her flat in Magaluf by police. The bartender from Crewe, 23, lived near the famous Punta Ballena strip,
ETA terrorist behind Killing Eve Page 9
where she worked at the The Three Lions karaoke bar. Expat friends told the Olive Press she was always ‘cheerful’ and ‘full of life’. One, Meghan Tattersall, said: “You
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RIP: Brit Danielle found dead
By Isha Sesay
are my best friend and my angel high in the sky. I’m truly heartbroken.
Those that would like to donate to help repatriate her body can do so by visiting: https://www.gofundm com/f/for-danielle-brookee . sfamily
What made Fabian tearful?
The Rock’s ONLY free local paper
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May 27th - Jun 9th, 2020 Vol. 5, Issue 123 www.theolivepress.es
Meet Gibraltar’s new Page 5 Governor
Spaniards block roads Page 6 in protest
Catalan Bay in continued coronavirus
The Costa del Sol’s Nazi shame Page 10
blocks access to the beach at
fending the Rock’s right to self-deany termination is not eroded in Brexit process. the The Chief Minister said that not mentioning of bilateralism ‘will be a persuasive tool in the discussions to come.’ the The first round of talks between in UK, Gibraltar and Spain took part Algeciras with COVID-19 delaying the next meetings on the Rock. is Analysts fear that now the process starting up again it is possible that Spain will use the Gibraltar smokeits over criticism deflect to screen handling of COVID-19. Making undemocratic claims to dis-a credit Gibraltar as anything but strategy Spanish a been has colony since Franco made his territorial claim of the Rock at the UN. This tendency was especially prevbe could but times PP alent during continued by the leftist government to recapture right-wing sentiment fanned by far right party Vox.
GIBRALTAR has slammed Spain By Diexter Thomas and John fuCulatto for excluding it from talks on its ture relationship with the EU. of It comes after Spain’s Minister braltar to one side. Foreign affairs Arancha Gonza- Understandably, politicians in Githey may not be lez Laya spoke in a radio interview in braltar are furious about ‘agreeing a new status allowed to have a say over its own light of Brexit for Gibraltar between future. Spain and the The UK has repeatedly promised to United King- include Gibraltar in its own delegadom’. tion. G o n z a l e z “It is certainly unacceptable to sugseemed to be gest that any such ‘negotiation’ biat hinting be ‘between Spain and the talks could Kingdom’,” said Chief Minlateral United between Spain ister Picardo. and the UK, He said he is being very ‘proactive’ Gipushing over the Brexit negotiations with UK BASED Spain to ‘secure the prosperity of Gibraltar and the whole region around us’. Opposition MP Keith Azopardi said that Gibraltar must be careful to make sure that decades of de-
Brexit tensions flare as Spanish minister’s ‘sovereignty’ comments riles Picardo
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Vol. 2 Issue 31 www.theolivepress.es
Your
A pot of bother
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PHONE TRAGEDY! May 28th - Jun 10th 2020
Spain erupts in protest. Full story on Page 6/7
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A DANGEROUS could see Spain’slurch to Vox party the right becominganti-immigrant ers in tion. this weekend’s the kingmakgeneral The massive electhe recent surge of Islam Catalan - off the back of ing 15% - could seecrisis and a fear of the seats the party The expected EXCLUSIVE seizin By Joshua damage gains Parliament. centre-right will seriously Parfitt which could lose POLICE Ciudadanos, while the over have beenon the Podemos ruling PSOE half its seats, Costa slammed allowed and Blanca are also fer. a confused expectedleft wing after they tated Vox, which to sufand disoriento walkBritish great-grandfather has pledged Spain into the out of a ed to from immigrants, to ‘defend’ police dead of The family is predictstation fourth finish third in night alone. Pearce, of pensioner years. general electionthe country’s in as many The latest swers 68, are demanding Philip polling by Santiago why hefrom Benidorm suggests anits 24 seats Abascal, ber 10, was released police over Vox, led at 3am. on Septemin Spain’s will increase liament They now to 46. 350-seat has been fear for his par-
Duty of police care claims station at 3amafter missing in clearly British great-grandfather disoriented state was
Meanwhile
We expose fugitive gun nut Brit Page 2
allowed
to leave
life missing two months. for an after he alarming And in British a shocking
Failed
dadanos Albert Consulate,email from Rivera’s will be Olive Press 14. In reduced seen by the Ciuthe 40dB suggestions this week, from gain 14% the of the poll Vox is 57 to of care. of a breachthere are PP in second vote, alongside set to The official of duty 91 seats place with the and the pensioner with 27.3% email PSOE 21.2% and coming had clearlyreveals and 121 The he ‘did the first votes. not remember told police would PSOE’s predicted was staying’ DISAPPEARED: see the seats than where from in (above party victory nor Philip right) England. where he he prompting in April’s with two less The consulate the last Pearce enjoying was last election, another leader picture Philip email headache a drink of the form a Pedro Sanchez passportwas carrying also stated He was pensioner (above), government. as he for its having neither tries to in Alicantewhile he was nor his a good his until he left wallet taken Airport Benidorm’s his Playa holiday when hotel at 5.30pm by Opinion spent Policia a stranger to tion in Levante page 6 ‘four to Nacional to his buy cigaretteson September the Old day midnight, five’
Press they ‘do individual not comment A Policia cases’ such on Nacional as Philip’s. claimed scrambled‘helicopters’ spokesman had been to search various Benidorm for Philip However, hillsides. on questions they failed bearings staTown hours before 9 ings scouring abandoned as CCTV about just police. every of his firms. he lost and was and traveller the to answer release footage after around taken build- whether However, from exact details conto “I even the Costa communities and why what is not searches sniffer dogsthe station or Blanca. clear he was GoPro sent my dog and ground had the station would Wallet camera allowed is how Two out with be soon.been deployed bush and months to search “The policethree hours to leave a or ive Press on, Lee in every in we’ve Have swering are simplylater. told the a request corner,every in you found search Ol- ing,” McQueen Pearce, our questions,” not annothand sniffer for ‘a ground but touch seen Philip? unanswered, 41, told at newsdesk@ Get theolivepress.es “I’ve last night. dogs’ the Oliveson Lee left while the has gone driversgot 130 said. “It’s absolutely Press “We searching taxi family just need for answers. are at 4am who start for us gut-wrenching er my at 2am, and finish where as a family, dad is closure on Lee said. but not knowing still alive wheth- the peared.he is and why hotels none of “But apart or not,” tablishments he disapand es“I just want him sent out from claiming seen miss him home so the police some drones to have ip.” a sign of have so much.” Philip badly. Philwas known to look, The I anything don’t seem from the to be doing to It comes at all.” spent family has tia, but early signs be suffering as scores idents ting up weeks putwhen was ‘happy of demening forhave spent of British res- handing posters and smiling’ friend he left for Alicante weeks and signs and travelling ther-of-three. out of the search- of his with grandfa- aroundmissing flyers partner. a Owner father David of Alicante Benidorm with contact McQueen, Transfers, A spokeswoman Find out details. said he has the British for eating what’s Tel. (+34) Consulate told 96 649 18 info@hispaniahomes.es 29 the Olive Paul Hollywood www.hispaniahomes.co.uk
Spain to the goes polls
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OLIVE PRESS ANDALUCÍA
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 13 Issue 344 www.theolivepress.es May 27th - June 9th 2020
Spaniards boiled over with banging pots and pans, andanger, roads across Spain in protestblocking at Government’s COVID-19 response at the weekend
NOT FINE
Full story on Page 6/7
Inside Spain’s TV hit, White Lines Page 3
Female expats slam police for sanctions, as it emerges Spainridiculous issued over ONE million fines has for breaking the lockdown
EXCLUSIVE By Giles Brown
the ridiculou zens and ex-patriots by police during the coronavirus crisis (That’s a fine mess, pg 6, Issue 31). This is not the first time the Olive the dupage story aboutpolitical Press has run a front lly, asina uniform. essentia EU,these sees the Moore Rosebious people ur of behavio The 7). pg 325, Issue and proud, is any compete dictatorship (Leave nt I wonder whether there are 28 sovereign states, reality is the opposite. Therecontrol to police, the of in is who authority the UK, which voluntarily chose to become including and zeal their from people ordinary rd would safegua UK the that believes Dunne Steve associated. themthey to to ensure going andterms. notnot I’mare excesse Not so. on s,WTO fair better is my opinand authority chapter their by g page quoting. It exceedin letters down your weighselves tion into the overreac looks and Steve nd that tion police intimida I recomme butthat verse,ion Trump That cy that knows. democra industry withhethe of any ble that specifics compati is not should UKordinary an EU-free deal with a tradeitself to get and that is trying to be, claims Spain deals trade Trump’s know: to want you all to go able tell you be to right absolute an people have forof speaks Mahler Brent Finally, labels. US-firsttheir have about fear legal day-to-day lifeEUwithout force armed an wary ofoppress citizens UK of a number not do I ion. called be only what can , these are ideas union. However and an ever closer thing a is ’ consent by ‘policing that consider am I and not EU policy. floated by specific peoplethat bepolice respect this country of proyears 40-plus insidious any at the and moreinworried d with compare be only can deserve they h, lieve Telegrap Mail, the by EEC/EU the paganda against this Is did bullies. by school What comman thatTimes The Sun. of course, and,ded Express, anso their was in people why hewant Spanish askedreally thewhen whatsay he was Murdoch along the?lines of: “When I go into ticg kingdom Somethin ti-EU?democra lett, The the EU.” Cam go toian No. 10 they do what I say: when IAdr ent! rola Fuengi implication is that he had to ask for an appointm
Get educa-
in Maga
eryone who drank in her bar. Thank you. Absolutely heartbroken. She will always be my baby girl.”. A GoFundMe fundraiser to repatriate the young Brit’s body has raised almost €7,000, but a friend told the Olive Press the family are ‘still long way from bringing her home’.a Police had been called to her block of flats after friends said they had not heard from her ‘for hours’. They said they had become worried when they noticed a change in her behaviour in the last few weeks and had called the emergency services after not hearing from her for several days. Her landlord gave police a spare key to her apartment, where they found her body inside a closet. Her father added he had to stay strong for her three siblings and Danielle’s mother who were described as ‘heartbroken.’
GIBRALTAR
The FREE
I was appalled, although not
LEAVERS: surprised, to read of entirely Trio of Brits in Spains fining of citi-
A PAIR of female expats have pealed to their town halls over aptimidation and overreaction intheir local police forces during by the COVID-19 lockdown. In particular, the officers wanted The British duo are demanding to between us, but the tion over extortionate fines, as wellac- know why the freelance writer had I was walking with police said that ‘rough treatment’, they received as not driven to the bank, failing to be- nounced me. It wassomeone and defor lieve that she did not drive. completely unbreaking the coronavirus lockdown. true and unfair.” Natalie Rose Kern, 37, from London, "They told me that I was paseando – To make matters worse, the officers walking too slowly. 'This is NOT how Page 9 is furious she was fined €1,000 then followed the shaken expat to ‘walking too slowly’ back from for you walk to the bank,’ they told me, her house where they her ‘You are showing no urgency’." took her details local bank in Estepona. and issued the fine. The mother-of-one told the Olive In another alarming incident, an Ol- At no time, she says, were the police ive Press reader was stopped after Press she had also been shouted wearing masks or gloves. at chatting to a friend, while and questioned why she did not have walking Another expat, who preferred her dog, in the countryside near a car. her main anonymous, also had to rehome. an en"They said they were fining counter with the €1,000 – despite having a bank me Istan resident Corran Fraser, 36, was when he borrowed same Istan force ceipt to show them," she insisted. re- then marched back to her apartment He said: "I had justa friend's car. got home when a “But the fine was nothing compared and given a €650 fine by officers not patrol car roared around the corwearing masks. to the intimidation. They took ner. They hadn't recognised my “I was walking my dog and handbag and went through it, queschatting to a woman that I had bumped into. the car that I was driving and tioning me about its contents. thought that it was someone I live alone and if I see someone it's breaking “They were really shouting at me the restrictions. Page 10 frightened and humiliated me." and nice to interact,” she explained. “Even though I know the “I think there was a five-metre gap officers they informed me that I ‘wasn't allowed to drive THE SKY a car that wasn't mine’ and that I DOCTOR wouldn't be allowed ALL AREAS COVERED to leave my house in it. “They also wanted to TURBULENCE 4G UNLIMITED know exactly how I INTERNET ON THE had picked up the car, ANGRY: Kern and (inset) IDEAL FOR checking if I had broken STOCK MARKET Fraser both fined in lockdown STREAMING TV any social distancing BRINGS rules.” ALSO IPTV, pathised with Corran, and while exNatalie and Corran have SATELLITE TV plaining he had no influence admitOPPORTUNITIES since received replies ted: “The powers given to the police from their local mayors tel: (0034) 952 763 840 are affecting each person differently.” TALK TO US TODAY advising them to appeal. info@theskydoctor.com A Facebook group, ‘Covid 19 InjusIstan mayor, Diego www.theskydoctor.com tice Costa del Sol’, has since been set Marin Ayllon, symBinckBank.com/opportunity up, with many women sharing similar stories. Spanish police have issued a staggering ONE million plus fines during the lockdown, over 100 times the UK and three times almost every other EuroSee page 9 & 13 pean country.
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The Costa del Sol’s Nazi shame
“I’m so proud to be able to spend everyday with you. Fly high my princess. RIP to my girl I’m so proud of. I love you.” Another mate, Rob Dury described her as a ‘beautiful young woman taken too soon’ and added: “No words can describe how much all your friends and family will miss that smile. Her father Michael meanwhile, wrote a heartfelt tribute which her friends have passed on to the Olive Press. In the emotional passage, he describes Danielle as his ‘best mate’ and they had shared an amazing relationship since she was a young child. He said she had ‘lived to sing, laugh and party’ and that they would go out together ‘at a drop of a hat’, singing their hearts out until the early hours of the morning. He added: “She loved Maga and ev-
UK BASED
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We expose fugitive gun nut Brit Page 2
SUNNING IT: Mallorca’s now-open
A pot of bother
Dear Olive Press,
Your voice in Spain
Vol. 4 Issue 81 www.theolivepress.es May 29th - Jun 11th, 2020
From next year Brits with property in Spain which they let will be required to pay 24% tax on the gross income. EU nationals can deduct expenses, IBI, cleaning, laundry, electricity, water, community fees, agents’ fees, etc. Paying on gross income will mean paying 24% tax on all the expenses. That will mean a very small income. In an example I sent to a lawyer, the income this year would be €2,000, while next year on the same gross rental they would be left with €80. The lawyer agreed. When potential UK, non-EU resident buyers realise that, I assume many will decide they cannot afford to buy a second home. I would think the knock-on effect on property prices will be significant.
Readers react to announcement of new dog beach in Torrevieja, Alicante, after mayor blames dogwalkers for causing ‘conflict’ on previous beaches
Tel: 952 147 834
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21/6/19 13:30
Humans with dogs leave waste and very seldom pick it up. Last year I helped clean a one mile strip of beach in Malaga, and I alone collected 600 small bags of dog poo left on the beach! The hundred or so volunteers, we covered about 5 miles in total, and collected over 3,000 small bags of dog poo!! Bins are available to use but, no, they leave it on the beach instead. I have 6 dogs, and they stay home in the summer. My granddaughters and children want to use the beach, a clean beach, not go blind from dog poo! People think they are entitled to do what they please and let their dogs run free, poo, no control, no lead. Enough! I’m sure in October when I meet up with the volunteers again there will be plenty more dog poo to pick up.
John Carrington, Malaga
Do as I say, not as I do I saw a recent story about someone getting fined €600 for stopping at a five metre distance to speak to a friend (That’s a fine mess, pg 6, Issue 31). But this policeman was ok to speak to his friend, without a mask on May 31. The guy was about 3 0 c m away and was literally leaning into the car!
Alex Neate, Ardales
Fair enough I thought all dogs were banned on beaches from May to September? It is a reasonable ban. There are other places to walk dogs in the summer.
Lisa Codrington , Elche
Paws for thought Beaches are far too hot in summer. Have you ever walked barefoot on hot sand? Don’t let your dog do it either!
UK’s Foreign Office call centre thought British dementia sufferer in late 60s was ‘drunk’ in the crucial hours before his death
EMary S. Burns, Cartagena
SPEECHLESS: Lee (inset) can’t understand why dad Philip (right with a pal) was allowed to go EXCLUSIVE arettes’. grees By Joshua Parfitt He had been taken to the station and followed by torrential rainfall a 68-year-old man with clear signs flooding. around THE British Foreign Office (FCO) year, by 10pm on September 9, last As the Olive Press revealed in a of dementia was let go in the worst a concerned British tourist front page storm for 100 years. thought a British holidaymaker who spotted story Philip in a ‘disoriented ip was believed in November, Phil- “You wouldn’t let your own dog out suffering dementia on the Costa state’. to suffer a sudden onset of vascular dementia, per- in that weather. Blanca was ‘drunk’ and just needed Police asked “I believe a consular contact cen- haps brought to ‘sober up’, the Olive Press on by the weather, realised that had the authorities can tre assistant what to do with Phil- and was my dad was not drunk, but reveal. not well. ip, who A Freedom of Information request whetherdid not speak Spanish, and Yet, incredibly, Benidorm Police let had got dementia, he would still be concerning the death of British where histhe FCO could figure out Philip leave the station at 3am on with us.” A spokesperson for the FCO mainhotel was. September grandfather Philip Pearce, 68, But an internal FCO report reveals Lee Pearce, 10, leading to his son tained that Philip was the ‘responshows the FCO’s emergency contact 41, to insist the Spanish Philip, from Bridgwater, in Somer- police had ‘failed’ in their duty to sibility’ of the Spanish authorities. centre believed he was ‘not vulner- set, told the “We FCO class officer a British he national as vulprotect him.. able’ just hours before his death in ‘couldn’t remember where he was “But I think nerable a ditch in Benidorm. in that phone call the selves if they cannot protect themstaying’. from significant physical or FCO had the Documents seen by the Olive Press Furthermore, he couldn’t even re- alive,” Lee toldpower to keep Dad emotional harm, or be protected by show Spanish cops telephoned the Olive Press this others,” member he said. “Our Global Reweek. Malaga-based call centre asking a Making ‘where he lived in the UK’. matters worse, it was during An internal for sponse Centre provides emergency assistance with Philip, who had lost email seen by the Olive the horrific ‘gota fria’ storms, which Press shows clearly that he was not support to British nationals globally his bearings after going out for ‘cig- saw temperature when embassies and consulates highs of 28 de- well, with a consular are official confirming in the following days that closed. he ‘kept saying he was in England’ “Mr Pearce was with the Spanish and had ‘no clue’ he was in Spain’ authorities, who were best placed to provide assistance, and we were during that fateful phone call. not made aware by them that Mr Pearce Despite these signs of senility, spokesperson for the FCO told a may be vulnerable.” the An FCO spokesperson Olive Press they were ‘not made said staff aware that Mr Pearce was vulner- have access to ‘detailed guidance and training on a wide range of able’. isAn internal report on Philip, a for- sues, including mental health and mer joiner, just says ‘Police will mental capacity’. Despite this, there hold onto [Philip] until he sobers are zero guidelines for dementia patients abroad on the FCO’s website. up’. Philip’s later disappearance made It comes as Philip’s body will be headlines in the UK and Spain, buried in Bridgwater today (May until he was identified in Febru- 28), with just a maximum of 10 ary from a ‘severely decomposed’ people due to the coronavirus pandemic. corpse found just 2km from the po- A report from the UK’s lice station. Alzheimer’s SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS The corpse carried the same Society this year also revealed amount of money as when Phil- emergency dementia admissions to Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea UK hospitals are up 35% in the ip was registered in the station, last a five years. death certificate revealed. Philip’s son, Lee, told the Olive www.moraira-hamiltons.net Press: “It leaves me speechless how Opinion Page 6
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Across 7 Romance language (7) 8 Continuous dull pain (4) 9 Ooze (4) 10 Wrist band (8) 11 Corridor (7) 14 Cinder (5) 15 Expel (5) 17 Exacted retribution (7) 21 Rousing (8) 22 Silent (4) 23 Retained (4) 24 Imitate (7) Down 1 Picture theatre (6) 2 Door fastener (4) 3 Knapsack (6) 4 Relative by marriage (2-3) 5 Rep (8) 6 Steal (6) 12 Safety (8) 13 Period of history (3) 16 Protruded (6) 18 Vitalityl (6) 19 Respect (6) 20 Duck with soft down (5) 22 Fosse (4)
All solutions are on page 14
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Far from the madding crowds
H
op in your car, drive a few hours and you will arrive in the enchanted land of the alchemist right in the heart of Andalucia at magical Suryalila Retreat Centre. Suryalila is a warm and welcoming home away from home, far from the madding crowds, surrounded by fields of sunflowers and sweeping vistas of mountains and lakes. To help you ease gracefully and pleasurably out of lockdown, Suryalila is opening its doors to local tourism with an excellent selection of last minute five day alternative and healthy rural holiday packages with accommodation choices to suit all budgets. If you in are in need of a break and would like to avoid crowded areas, beach restrictions and boost your immune system at the same time, look no further! Throughout the summer and autumn months Suryalila is offering hiking, nature, horse riding and adventure holidays as well as a couple of more gentle healing yoga retreats and on another note, wine tasting and yoga holidays. The varied excursions happen in the cooler mountain mornings, to avoid the heat of the summer. Afternoons can be spent lazing by the pool, indulging in a luxurious massage or partaking in a relaxing yoga class. Located in a sprawling beautifully restored olive farm that is tastefully decorated with an exotic eastern flare, Suryalila exudes a special magic from the moment you drive down the impressive flag lined driveway. Suryalila has been voted one of the Best Retreat Centre’s in the World by Yoga Journal, but even if you have no desire to attend one of Suryalila’s dai-
ly world-class Yoga classes, there is plenty to enjoy here. The Centre is renowned for its outstanding international chefs, providing you with three wonderful organic vegetarian feasts every day. There is a delightful salt water pool and various types of massage offered. In-house Amrita Cafe serves coffee, wine, beer, and fresh juices and smoothies. There are plenty of enchanting hang-out spaces to curl up in with a good book borrowed from their library, as well as an impressive meditation garden with breath-taking views. If you like to shop, the centre’s Shakti boutique carries yoga clothes and a good selection of exotic gifts. The cortijo also hosts a fascinating permaculture project and is building a food forest on it’s land. The grounds themselves are spell-binding with a unique blending of fruit trees, succulents, alpacas and donkeys. Make sure you ask for a fascinating tour of the grounds. Whether you are traveling alone, with a friend or partner or with your family, it’s an equally welcoming and charming environment. You have the choice of joining one of Suryalila’s special summer holidays or retreats or to book as an independent hotel guest and simply enjoy the tranquil surroundings and delightful facilities. There are lots of optional dates throughout the summer for national tourism. The main language spoken at Suryalila is English but they can also cater for Spanish and German tourists, offering Yoga classes in all three languages.
For more information and to book your getaway, visit www.suryalila.com, email info@suryalila.com or call 856 023 631
11
June 11th - June 24th 2020
Bulli for Ferran Spain’s most famous restaurateur speaks out on ‘tragedy’ of hospitality industry left reeling amid pandemic SPANISH chef Ferran Adria – the man behind the world-famous El Bulli restaurant – has spoken of the challenges the hospitality industry faces post COVID-19. While restaurants around
Easy does it EASYJET has revealed which Spanish airports serving British holiday hotspots will be back up and running in July and August. Last week the airline announced that it would resume 50% of its 1,022 routes in July and 75% in August. However it was unclear which of Spain’s airports would be included as services were ramped up.
Spain are starting to open their doors as the country comes out of lockdown, Adria has been working hard towards the relaunch of El Bulli nine years after he closed it down.
The budget airline has confirmed to the Olive Press that the following airports would be taking passengers in and out of Spain in July and August:
Malaga Bilbao Alicante Madrid Ibiza Gran Canaria Mallorca Murcia Barcelona Santiago Lanzarote Almeria Fuer teventura Seville Menorca Valencia Tenerife Reus
Boarding Card
PENSIVE: Top chef Ferran Adria It was once renowned for the exceptional quality of its cuisine, with it being named best restaurant in the world in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. But at the height of its fame Adria closed it down to concentrate instead on the El Bulli Foundation dedicated to creation and innovation in gastronomic science. Now El Bulli will reopen in August, as a ‘creativity laboratory to foster inventions in both gastronomy and other areas,’ rather than as a restaurant. Creativity is the key to the future of the restaurant trade, said Adria, as the coronavirus lockdown has caused ‘a lot of grief’ for the sector. He added that it was going to be difficult for the hospitality industry to recover as it has changed many people's relationship with their own kitchens at home. Speaking to AFP he said: “It's a brutal situation, a real tragedy.”
Longing For a Different Kind of Holiday? Your new home-away from home, magical Suryalila Retreat Centre is located in the rolling foothills of the Sierra de Cadiz, in the heart of Andalusia. Stunning scenery, designer decorated accommodations and outstanding organic vegetarian feasts in a warm and friendly environment. Special last minute five day packages or hotel stays which include three daily meals, use of our salt water pool and optional Yoga classes. Suryalila offers outstanding healing arts therapies and daily Yoga Classes to suit all levels. Beautiful and varied accommodation for all budgets from deluxe suites to glamping tents.
Five Day Packages Hiking, Nature and Yoga Holiday Adventure and Yoga Holiday Horseriding and Yoga Beginners Yoga Intensive www.suryalila.com info@suryalila.com 856-023-631
Relax and Restore Retreat Wine and Yoga
12
June 11th - June 24th 2020
PROPERTY
Spanish property prices to ‘crash 20%’ says expert
A SPANISH property boss has predicted house prices could crash by 20% this year because of the coronavirus crisis. President of the Remax real estate agency network in Spain, Javier Sierra has forecasted that house sales could plunge between 10% to 30% with corresponding ‘coronavirus discounts’ having to be offered by sellers. The boss of the estate agency franchise, which has more than 150 offices in Spain, gave the extreme-
Covid crunch
ly negative forecast to the Idealista property portal. Most property forecasts have predicted more modest price reductions, with banks PRICES: Of property for last three years generally anticipating a 6% tor, Adam Neale, is uncondrop, while other predic- vinced by Sierra’s gloomy tions – including from the assertion. EU – are He said: “I would equate around the trying to forecast what is 3% mark. going to happen with trySierra said: ing to predict the score in a “We mustn’t world cup final - extremely forget that unlikely to be accurate and the real es- at best a wild guess. tate market “The last financial crisis did takes time not see a blanket reduction OFFICIALS have begun looking at to adjust be- in prices but rather a rantax breaks for second Spanish holiday cause sellers dom pattern based on locahome-owners who are unable to travel need time to tion and circumstance. amid the pandemic. find out at He added: “I would say at Letting agents in tourist areas have reportwhat price present most buyers are ed a collapse in demand for the summer they should looking for discounts beseason over fears of international travel sell at, and tween 5% and up to 15%. restrictions. the same “Some owners based on Agents that deal in bookings for mainly h a p p e n s circumstance are willing to UK visitors like in Murcia’s Mar Menor to people trade but the majority are area have reported little or no interest who need to not, so expect discounts of from potential travellers. buy.” 5% to 10% at the most.” That means that property owners are left But the Ol- “People want to get back to to count the cost on their investments with ive Press’s normal as soon as possible revenue streams drying up for them. p r o p e r t y and not just what they were c o m m e n t a - doing before.”
Catching a break
NORMAN Foster’s sixth building in Spain may not be in a city or cross a river – but in a village of 135 people in semi-arid Almeria. The famous bouncer-turned-modern-architect,
TRAVEL ASSISTANCE HOME START
85, is considering plans to build a conference centre and touristic homes upon ruins from the Moorish civilisation in Alcudia de Monteagud. In cooperation with local historians and politicians, the
project is intended to bring new life and work opportunities to a region devastated by rural depopulation. The proposed accomodation for just ‘20 people’ and a 250m2 multipurpose space
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INVESTORS are still looking to buy properties in Spain despite the coronavirus pandemic. Latest figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE) show that prices for new-build homes have risen by 6.1% over a year, compared to March 2019. Analysts say that it is an indication that people regard Spanish properties as a good bulwark during any recession. The INE report does not break down where the buyers live, as the country´s real estate sector looks to regain traction after the severe lockdown restrictions.
Busy
In overall terms, Spain´s property price rises, including the second-hand market, have seen their smallest increase between January and March for five years. As interest rates continue to remain low, and construction sites in areas like the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca remain busy, the foreign buyers market is seen as crucial. Notary figures from the second-half of 2019 showed that 57.7 per cent of all property transactions involved non-Spanish residents, and that´s clearly where the market is going to look to over the coming months.
Forget new normal, is this a new Norman?
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New build boost
are a far cry from Foster’s landmark achievements – which include London’s ‘The Gherkin’, the Millenium Bridge, the Great Court at the British Museum, the tallest bridge in the world (Millau Viaduct), Apple Park, Spain’s second tallest building the Torre Cepsa, Bilbao’s entire Metro system, Apple Park and a series of Repsol petrol stations. But since the creation of the non-profit Norman Foster Foundation in 2017, the architect with a Spanish wife has intended to focus his work on new societal problems. “Infrastructure,” Foster told the Guardian in 2015, “is investing not to solve the problems of today, but to anticipate the issues of future generations.” Alcudia de Monteagud is the Foundation’s first Spanish site where many of Spain’s current problems converge. “The new centre will serve as a springboard for social and economic recuperation en the Sierra de Filabres, and a symbol that the province of Almeria has exited the crisis,” local historian and collaborator Juan Garcia de la Torre said.
BUSINESS Package for poorest
13
June 11th - June 24th 2020
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Calls for Spain’s minimum income scheme to be extended amid pandemic
TOUGH: De Schutter on Spanish poverty
A UN expert has called on Spain to extend its new minimum income scheme to more people. Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said the plan shows
example of how to develop an inclusive approach to addressing poverty and inequality.” At the moment, Spain’s ‘minimum vital income’ scheme is expected to reach more than 850,000 households and
how states can take advantage of the global COVID-19 pandemic to address extreme poverty and reduce inequality. He said: “The scheme will provide much-needed relief to those in need and is a great
Taxing times
SPAIN’S proposed Google tax has cleared its first hurdle despite opposition from rightwing parties. The tax is part of a finance bill currently going through parliament. The conservative PP, centre-right Ciudadanos and far-right VOX had backed a series of amendments that would have seen the tax dropped. But Congress rejected the amendments. Although this is a victory for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist coalition government, the Google tax is a long way from being approved. The entire finance bill still has to be ap-
proved by Congress. It also includes other new taxes, including environmental ones, as well as a reform of corporate tax. Minister of Finance, Maria Jesus Montero, said the Google tax would not affect small and medium businesses or retail e-commerce sites. It would apply to tech giants with a global revenue higher than €750 million a year and more than €3 million income from Spain. They would be faced with a bill of 3% of earnings from online ads, deals brokered on digital platforms and sales of user data.
Law changes
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benefit 1.6 million people living in extreme poverty. The poorest households would receive between €451.5 to €1,015 per month, depending on family size. “I encourage the Spanish government to continue to expand coverage for this scheme and lower eligibility and bureaucratic requirements,” De Schutter said. “Public spending on social protection at this time is a crucial investment whose impacts will last for years to come.” “It is essential that the scheme be designed to reach as many people in need as possible.” Despite the economic recovery experienced after the 2008-11 crisis, inequality in Spain has remained well above EU averages and regional minimum income schemes have been largely inadequate.
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Sun Lawyers walk you through changes to Spanish mortgage laws A NEW property mortgage law has come into effect and is very important to you if you are looking to get a mortgage here in Spain. Sun Lawyers are right across this piece of legislation, which is good news in boosting your rights in the early days of your mortgage process. If you are thinking of applying to getting a mortgage, then we are the people to help you. Our team have the experience in all property matters, and all those all-important changes to the law. Sun Lawyers take all the stress out of dealing with all the legal red tape, with a team that you can trust. The new law has many aspects about it, but these are some of the key points that we have identified, which will save you money as well! Mortgage Tax Before the changes, you as the customer had to fork out pretty much all the costs for your mortgage. But now the emphasis shifts to the mortgage lender – though you still have to pay for the valuation and an arrangement fee. Sun Lawyers will make sure that you only pay what the new law says you have to, and you pocket the savings! Better Customer Protection A mortgage provider now has to offer written guarantees as to what they are offering to you, with all the terms and conditions clearly spelt out, including what their various rates will be in different situations, like changes in the interest rate. You will also have to visit a notary at least a day before a formal signing to certify, free of charge, that you can keep your end of the bargain, and that your lender has provided all the correct legal documentation. Any clauses in any mortgage agreements that don’t comply with the law can see you take legal action, but Sun Lawyers will have made sure that you won’t be putting pen to paper for something that is not correct. We have the experts that will pour over all the details for you to make this process straight-for-
ward. Cheaper Repayments Early mortgage repayments will be made cheaper and can only be charged for if the bank will make a loss. The limits will be different depending on the type of mortgage. Repossession Reduced If you get into trouble with your repayments, don’t panic. One of the big new changes in the law is that banks cannot enforce a repossession until at least 12 months, and that can stretch to 15 months, if you hit problems later on during your mortgage period. Floor Removed The new law sees the ban of applying a minimum interest rate to variable mortgages, which means that banks will no longer be able to apply the controversial floor clause to mortgages. Multi-Currency Customers that have a mortgage in a currency like the British pound will have the right to switch to the Euro at any time, and the lender will have to say how much extra that would cost you. Helping You A new body to handle complaints over mortgages will be introduced, but now, the Bank of Spain will be across such matters. These are just a few of the headlines of the new law that Sun Lawyers have identified, but there are also many other aspects, which will vary from person to person. If you are buying a property and looking to get a property, then get in touch with us a free no obligation quotation in the secure knowledge that we know what we are talking about, with years of experience on the Costa Blanca. With all the new complexities of the law, which has boosted customer rights, it is vital to get the right sort of legal backing, which is why we at Sun Lawyers are here to help. For more information, do get in touch with us at Sun Lawyers, and don’t forget that free consultation. You can call on +34 965 321 193 or email us at admin@sun-lawyers.com
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HEALTH
14
June 11th - June 24th 2020
Fag frenzy Chin up!
AROUND 40% of Spain’s smokers are getting through more fags during lockdown than normal, a study has revealed. Meanwhile 20% of habitual or social smokers claim they are partaking in the habit twice as much. Also, 30% of ex-smokers have sparked up again since Spain shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The findings have been revealed by Top Doctors, a Spain-based private health platform. Surveys were carried out for two months
Four in 10 smokers have been sparking up more often during Spain’s lockdown, study finds
from March 14 when a state of alarm was announced in Spain. The increase in smoking is due to the pressures of life under
lockdown, according to Dr. Coll Klein, head of the Pneumology service at Barcelona’s USP Dexeus University Institute. He said: “For smokers with a more volatile, more anxious character, the impact of confinement in relation to tobacco use will be higher than usual. “Confinement has led us to almost completely limited situations, and this may have favoured in some cases a return to tobacco. “Although to be able to take stock and collect more exact data, we will have to wait a few more months.” Another striking finding is that two out of three former smokers who have started up again are on the Government’s ERTE programme.
Stress
“Being locked up has a negative impact, since it causes a perception of anxiety, stress and anguish,” said Malaga doctor Salvador de Oña. “To combat this sensation, smokers increase their tobacco consumption,” the regional boss of the Spanish Association against Cancer added. Oña also dispelled the myth that microdroplets carrying the COVID-19 virus can be spread via tobacco smoke.
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HEALTH APPOINTMENt By Jeremy Kenton
Three months of lockdown may have been fantastic to catch up on Netflix series, but all that sitting could cause new problems, writes osteopath Jeremy Kenton Have you started to experience neck pain, back pain or shoulder pain in the last three months when you have never, or hardly ever experienced it before? 8 weeks of being trapped in your home may well have a lot to do with this sudden onset of symptoms but do not panic. Look at the way that you are sitting now as you read this. Are you reading this on your phone or tablet? If so your head is bent down exerting a force on the joints of the neck which in turn compresses the nerves and produces pain and inflammation. You may be sitting at a computer at home in the wrong type of chair and your screen is positioned incorrectly exerting stress on your upper as well as your low back producing low back pain. You have also started to exercise in the hours where you are allowed and may well have started to cycle for the first time in years. But remember you have spent two months at home possibly flopped on the sofa taking in news and countless hours of television series in one long sitting. The more enlightened of you have kept up a exercise regime during quedataencasa but for many of you who have remained static movement is the key to moving forward. Gentle stretching before any activity is important and for those of you who have experienced pain persisting for more than a few days it’s now time to do something about it. Alter your posture and don’t push yourself too hard with exercise. Persistent pain is a warning sign, just like the check engine sign on your car dashboard. When it lights up you don’t ignore your car so similarly you must not ignore pain, your body’s very own “check engine” warning light.
Bridge the gap DREADED is the dentist – and dreaded still are dental implants. The popular procedure to turn toothless grin into beaming smile is costly, lengthy and requires intensive surgery to screw a tooth into your gums. It’s not for the squeamish. Dental implants can also create a risk of infection and pain, especially when pressing on unintended nerves. Which is why K Sud Dental are offering a new, cost-effective procedure to replace missing teeth in just one visit to the dentist. The fixed bridge can also replace dentures at an affordable price. The
procedure is also low risk, reversible and doesn’t involve putting a screw in, well, anywhere. “We’ve been able to convert someone’s existing removable denture, and it works really well,” Dr Karan Sud said. “The fixed bridge looks the same, but feels amazing because you won’t have your palate covered anymore. “There are no hidden surprises, and you’re no worse off than when you started should any complications arise.” K Sud Dental is a British dental clinic based in Clinica Britannia in Calpe. We offer general and cosmetic dentistry along with facial rejuvenation treatments. All work is carried out by British qualified clinicians in a cross infection quality controlled medical centre.
Visit: www.ksuddental.com - Email: ksud - Call: +34 965 83 75 53
“I chipped my front tooth on Saturday, phoned Monday, and got a cancellation appoint-
ment for Wednesday afternoon. I thought my 30 minute slot was for Karan just to look, but he repaired there and then. Perfect. This is the best, most organised dentist I’ve ever been to. Great people, these are now my forever dentists.” Mark Kirby
Couples shelve baby plans SALES of pregnancy tests have exploded in Alicante during the COVID-19 lockdown. Health experts are worried that mass unemployment has seen more couples shelve plans to become a family. An increase of over 100,000 tests were recorded in the province throughout April, compared with the same month last year. The 10.9% increase in sales brought total sales to 950,100, according to statistics from Spain’s branch of US pharmaceutical analyst IQVIA. Figures also showed that sales of tests for ovulation fell a dramatic 16.3%, while ovulation stimulants dropped 11.9%. Couple therapist and coordinator of Sexology for the Official College of Psychologists (COP) said the cancellation of medical appointments cannot explain the figures by itself. He said: “I think a large factor in these figures is couples losing motivation to get pregnant, whether due to fear of catching coronavirus in a medical setting, or probably because right now couples have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.”
15
June 11th - June 24th 2020
Weighing in Lisa Burgess offers her experience on weight-watching and how chemo can affect things
Lisa Burgess
www.weekender.news know it is there. It is a very simple tip but I have never tried it properly, always having a hidden cache of crisps, my weakness, in the house. I don’t weigh myself daily, it’s far healthier mentally to weigh in weekly or fortnightly. As my ‘Bridget Jones’ knickers slacken, I am on the way to my goal, albeit at a snail’s pace. It really is mind over matter. For those who totally despair, I really understand and I would recommend small steps towards weight loss. Take the stairs instead of a lift, park lovingfromtheir away wheretruSculpt you are go-iD results. In a your separate study ing to lengthen walk and of individuals force yourself towho stickhad at the it procedure, percentyour said every day so100 it becomes routine. Findsatisfi different physical they were ed, would get activities you enjoy such refer as it done again and would golf, pilates, (when a friend for swimming truSculpt iD. And we are allowed) and just everyone felt better in - keep or out walking. an eye on those of - theirKeep clothes. portion sizes and replace your So, if you’re about dinner plate withthinking a side plate looking new kind or small into bowl,a visually yourof personalized plate looks full.body sculpting without resortingso you to don’t drastic Vary your routine become differentiD measures,bored, find afind truSculpt walks, trynear a new I had provider yousport. by searching to adapt after my mastectohttps://trusculpt.com/find-amy and swap tennis for padel provider. as my right arm is usually in freeze mode having had 25 lymph nodes and 15 tumours removed, I am lucky I am a left-handed player. We all need to make our physical and mental health a top priority and I recall famous American musician, Steve Adler, who said: “you can have all the riches and success in the world, but if you don’t have your health, you have nothing”.
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Y weight has always gone up and down much like Elizabeth Taylor except she was much more beautiful and had more husbands than me. In my late teens, I weighed in bya hefty BPT 15 stone. I was planat ning my first big fat American runners yoga enthusiasts wedding and in Los Angeles and topping the list.to lose weight. was desperate According to boardI watched a motivational programme Oprah Winfrey certifi ed on the plastic surgeon Show which my life. Walter L. changed Bernacki, MD It gave advice on starting yourin of Ohio Plastic Surgery weight loss slowly by simply Central Ohio, “The newest walking every day. non-surgical body contouring I kept at it and headed down system the aisleis atCutera’s a more truSculpt decent iD that uses radiofrequency 11 stone. I forged ahead with (RF) to target and Jane technology Fonda videos, Weight permanently destroy fat and in your Watchers, Jenny Craig a sensiblespots nutritious diet nuntil trouble (think muffi tops I had whittled myself down and love handles) - in just 15 to 8 stone. It minutes lost me my comfortable withfirstno marriage. We Instead being downtime. have of found that invisible on Doritos aisle 4, I the treatment works on all skin had metamorphosed into a types, physiques, decent sizes lookingand broad on eye including individuals who candy aisle 5. were previously not because considered I tell you all of this I believe weight was acontouring factor in candidates for body my contracting cancer. When procedures.” I lost my dear mum in 2014 What’s more, truSculpt my produces weight ballooned out of iD an average fat control. I had to hitpercent, the weight reduction of 24 and control restart button again in visible improvements are seen 2018 and repeat. in 6 topeople 12 weeks following the Some on chemo actu-
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but additional treatments may be required for optimal sculpting results. “TruSculpt iD is a very exciting new development in non-surgical body contouring. The lower abdomen and love SKINNY DAYS: and handles can be Lisa treated inTV just a stylist O’Connor single Cathy 15-minute comfortable treatment session. Our patients haveput been pleased with the ally onvery weight due to probody sculpting results they can gressive anti-sickness drugs achieve this innovative but I waswith determined to lose what my says oncologist strictly system,” Dermatologist advised. beautiful Jeffrey S. With Dover,the MD, FRCPC weather in Mijas, the breath-in of Skincare Physicians taking boardwalk Chestnut Hill, MA.and a communal pool large, at mypeople disposal By and are it wasn’t that difficult. I was very careful with what I ate, keeping portion sizes small but frequent and sticking to a diet of fish, vegetables, fruit and nuts. This brings me to what I learnt just recently as I embark yet again on a weight loss regime with one more stone to lose before my operations ahead. Don’t buy any junk food AT ALL because you will eat it and you
Get tested
Clinica Britannia can privately offer two types of coronavirus test at their Calpe clinic on the Costa Blanca
Are you feeling anxious or worried about a high-risk family member? Do you want peace of mind? Why not put your mind at rest and use either ‘direct’ (PCR) or ‘indirect’ (ELISA) procedures for detecting coronavirus? ‘Direct’ (PCR) means that a fragment of the RNA of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) is detected in any patient’s fluid (mostly respiratory). ‘Indirect’ (ELISA) means that what is detected is not the virus, but the reaction of the immune system against the virus. The reaction is identified with the presence of antibodies, either called ‘IgM’ (early response showing short-term immunity) and/or ‘IgG’ (late response showing long-term immunity). PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a technically specific test that can detect the virus at an extremely early stage. It is considered the most accurate, but there is a window of two to three days for the results. The ELISA test detects the antibodies in the blood. This is a simpler test with results usually in 24 hours. Both tests direct or indirect can be done in asymptomatic or symptomatic patients. It is NOT necessary to go to hospital or the public health system to have the corona virus diagnostic tests. Please remember it is mandatory to consult with your doctor to decide on what test is necessary and the interpretation of the results. For any further questions, please feel free to contact us. Clinica Britannia Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe www.clinicabritannia.com Tel: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851
CRYOLIPOLYSE Our treatments will cool off the fat cells and as a result they are destroyed permanently. Already from the very first treatment there is a permanent result!
CRYOLIFTING Our treatments make your skin tighter and firmer where you want it.
NO SURGERY - NO INJECTIONS NO PAIN - NO SIDE EFFECTS THE TREATMENTS ARE FOR MEN AND FOR WOMEN C/ Richard Wagner n° 2 blq 5 Orihuela Costa (Urb Villamartin) (by appointment only)
Tel: +34 699.500.734 info@institutocarmenmaria.com www.institutocarmenmaria.com
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FINAL WORDS
ECUADORIAN embassy bosses have opened a disciplinary process against one of their attachés after police found him at a Madrid barbeque with 46 people.
Arab aid THE United Arab Emirates has sent 18 tonnes of medical aid including PPE and alcohol gels to Marbella.
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Turtley worth it A SEA turtle entangled in a Spanish fishing net has been returned to the sea by police. The creature was rescued thanks to the quick thinking of a sailor, who sounded the alarm off the coast, near Aguilas, in Murcia. Moving Guardia Civil footage shows the turtle
Bikini bust BIKINI-clad PP Councillor Paula Moreno has left an Andalucian town hall red-faced after attending a Zoom meeting from a beach with her kids.
Rescued turtles escape back to the wild after two lucky escapes fighting to survive after becoming snared by the net. Luckily agents from the Special Group for Underwater Activities (GEAS) swiftly arrived and were
COVID charge A TWITTER storm has erupted after a bar in Tenerife started charging a ‘COVID tax’. One disgruntled customer posted a picture of a re-
PAY UP: Extra charge
ceipt showing a ‘servicio COVID’ levy of €1. Some have backed the business, pointing out that gloves, alcohol gels and masks all cost money. But most responses have been less understanding, with consumers’ rights organisation FACUA branding it illegal and urging people to make official complaints about the practice.
able to carefully aid the turtle’s escape. The incident occurred just days prior to Oceanografic in Valencia releasing its 500th turtle, which was rescued after swallowing plastic. The release coincided with World Oceans Day, at El Saler de Valencia, this week. The turtle was rescued by a fishing boat in the Cullera area, after ingesting significant amounts of plastic including a long string of a helium balloon 50 centimetres long. It also had a piece of fish lodged in its dorsal and a serious fracture in the shell, possibly caused by a collision with a boat. After seven months of vet-
FREE: Turtle released
erinary care in which it underwent various treatments, it was released by rescuers from ARCA del Mar. They said the incident 'crudely exemplifies' the human impact sea turtles face in the Mediterranean. The Guardia Civil’s animal protection arm SEPRONA investigated over 4,000 crimes against the environment in 2019.
What a croc
A CROC hunt has been launched after a 1.5 metre long crocodile was spotted roaming around Valladolid. Terrified locals reported multiple sightings of the beast on a stretch of the River Duoro between the towns of Simancas and Tordesillas. Drones have been dispatched to look for the giant reptile, which experts said is likely a Nile crocodile. The species, which can weigh up to half a tonne, is native to Africa, and the croc in Spain is thought to be an escaped pet or was released by his owner. As a precaution, fishermen and kayakers have been excluded from a five kilometre radius of the first reported sighting of the animal. The discovery of ‘two nests’ has bolstered the alleged sightings, while fish have been spotted with distinctive bite marks, typical of a large reptile.
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