Valencia Olive Press - Issue 10 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

Hottest new restaurants, secret escapes and hidden gems... Sevilla is the first in our new series of incisive Insider’s guides to the very best of Spain

The

OLIVE PRESS

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR Vol. 1 Issue 10 www.theolivepress.es FREE

Decision time

Your expat

voice in Spain April 8th - April 21th 2021

Keep out

‘Fury’ at Spanish airport as 40 Brits deported back to UK, while dozens are kicked off flight from Gatwick NEARLY all of the COVID-19 restrictions in the Valencian Community are expected to be renewed today (April 8) but there’s a chance that bars and restaurants could be allowed to stay open for longer. The current package of measures is due to expire this Monday. The region is the only one in Spain that is classified as ‘low risk’ for the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister, Ana Barcelo (pictured), said: “We will analyse infection figures to see if there is any scope for making changes and that will include bars and restaurants.” The regional hospitality sector has a current closing time of 6 pm. Valencian officials will almost certainly extend the 10pm curfew and regional border closure until next month. They are both expected to run through till May 9, which is the end of the second national State of Alarm order.

EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade

DISAPPOINTED: Stuart Miller DOZENS of Brits arriving at Alicante airport have been refused entry to Spain and sent back to Manchester on the same plane despite having evidence that they had residence status. B o r d e r guards had erected a sign in the terminal stating, ‘NO TIE CARD, NO ENTRY’ to the amazement of travellers, some of whom were flying to Spain to collect their TIE cards. Some 40 people who

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had arrived from Manchester Airport were left upset, angry and confused - considering UK border officials AND airline staff had approved exit from the country. Stuart Miller, a 47-year-old offshore-worker from Manchester, described the situation as ‘absolutely diabolical”. “Even travellers who had letters from Alicante Foreigners’ Office asking them to collect their residency cards were turned away,” Miller told the Olive Press. “I mean what more proof do you need of residency?” Some of the others sent back included a woman wanting to see her sick father, stranded and alone in hospital. So heavy handed was the arrivals desk that border agents were flanked by armed police, putting ‘the terror of God’ into those waiting to be questioned. “It appeared that only those who were actually on a list of legal residents, possibly checked in advance against the plane’s manifest, were allowed in,” said Miller.

DIABOLICAL: Brits were turned away by Spanish authorities

Mr Miller’s wife, Caz, warned other travellers: “Whatever paperwork you have with you, and whoever tells you that you’re okay to travel, be prepared to be carted back on to the plane and sent back. “I think the airport policy depends on nothing more than the mood of the officials at the border.” Since the incident, other Brits travelling from UK airports to Spain have been subjected to ‘arbitrary rules made up on behalf of another country’, according to one Olive Press reader. Tension One expat based in Rincon de la “The rest of us were sent back Victoria, near Malaga, told the Olwithout even being able to ex- ive Press that a ‘staggering dozen or so passengers’ were refused to plain our legitimate reasons.” As the 40 plus travellers board his flight from Gatwick to re-boarded, the flight was subse- Malaga yesterday (Monday). quently delayed, adding further The retired businessman, 60, who asked not to be named, described to tension in the cabin. Miller added: “There was no ad- it as ‘running the gauntlet’. vice, no help and no good reason “It was so traumatic. You just had for us being turned back at Al- no idea who was going to be allowed on. icante.” Ryanair staff had assured every “Everyone turned away had valid traveller that their documen- PCR tests or they had valid reatation - including COVID tests, sons to travel, whether to see ailletters and passports - was suf- ing relatives or to secure or visit their properties,” he said. ficient to gain entry into Spain. Meanwhile, a retired IT professional described how he was turned away from boarding a Ryanair flight to AliSee page 15 cante at Manchester on Monday. He had specifically checked the gov.uk

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website to check that buying a property was one of the ‘reasonable excuses’ for travel to Spain. He described how he and six others were turned away at the gate because they weren’t in possession of a TIE card, regardless of their reason for travel. “Ryanair staff had made the arbitrary decision to deny their passengers travel on behalf of the Spanish authorities,” said the 63-year-old who only wanted to be identified by his first name Alec. He claimed that staff had ‘no intention’ of engaging in any conversation and couldn’t back up or justify their own ruling with any evidence in print or online. Others refused on board the FR4007 included a woman with Italian citizenship who was travelling back to her family home in Spain.

Embassy And a married couple, where the husband had the TIE card, but not his wife. “It is crucial that when making plans to travel from the UK to Spain, a UK National must make sure that they meet both the requirements to leave the UK and those to enter Spain, bearing in mind that they are not the same,” said a statement from the Embassy in Madrid. Opinion Page 6

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF Rapists sentenced TWO men aged 19 and 21 have been sentenced to 23 years in prison each for kidnapping and raping an underage woman 10 times in Burriana.

Not again! BURGLARS stole €60,000 worth of electric scooters and bicycles after breaking into Smart Mobility Systems in Castellon eight times. The shop has also suffered 28 attempted burglaries since opening its doors.

Sad end THE body of a 58-year-old man who died of natural causes in Museros several weeks ago has been discovered, partly devoured by his 10 dogs which were unable to find anything else with which to feed themselves.

Hard times FOREIGN tourists visiting the Valencian Community fell by 94.7% in February compared to a year earlier, with a third of the total coming from

Pringles pullover TWO drug dealers couldn’t fool the Guardia Civil after officers discovered drugs and cash in two Pringles snack tubes. The men from the Valencia region were pulled over in a routine stop but their nervousness made the officers suspicious about what they were up to. The Guardia spotted the Pringles snack tubes and decided to take a look inside them, finding €930 in notes stashed in it. Both tubes had false bottoms, which they unscrewed to discover 11 plastic pouches containing hashish and marijuana ready for potential customers. A SOCIAL media con run by two men netted over €70,000 from lonely people looking for love who thought they were in contact with soulmates. One female victim in Navarra sent €40,000 to a fake US army general who apparently wanted money to buy a house in Spain. She made a series of transfers from bank accounts and money exchange companies. She eventually realised

CRIME

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Bad date

Gang that relabelled out of date food on industrial scale busted By Alex Trelinski

AN operation that was relabelling hundreds of thousands of out of date food products and selling them on after relabelling has been busted. Police seized over 500,000 date-expired food items that were destined to be distributed throughout the Valencia region. A Spanish-Pakistani couple ran the enterprise in La Nucia and employed unregistered workers to work from three Benidorm warehouses.

The price of love

that she had been hoodwinked and reported the scam to the Guardia Civil. The two fraudsters, aged 66 and 29, were arrested in Elche and Santa Pola. Guardia investigations uncovered victims in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Taiwan, and the United States as well as closer to home in Valencia.

INDUSTRIAL: Scam could have affected thousands The items were imported warehouses which had no from Romania, Poland and business licence. Employees Turkey and stored at the spent their time using solvents to remove the sell by dates and then add stickers A Guardia spokesman with a new expiry date. said: “The men created The scale of the operation bogus profiles on varionly became apparent when ous social networks to police visited one of the establish romantic rewarehouses after receiving lationships with people a complaint from a disgrunwho they then persuadtled customer ed to make bank transFour retailers were being fers.” supplied with products and The scammers would officers learned that two othalso ask for money to er buildings were being used pay for a trip to see their to store the cheap imports. new girlfriend; cash to The investigation is continucover the cost of hospital ing with criminal charges treatment following an laid against the wareaccident; and the cost of house owners that would bail and a lawyer after a lead at the moment to over wrongful airport arrest. €120,000 in fines.

SEEN HIM? BRITISH police are appealing to expats in Gibraltar and Spain in the belief someone in the country may hold the key to solving a 27-year-old cold case. Karen Reed, 33, was shot five times after answering the door at her home in Woking on April 30, 1994, to a hitman disguised as a pizza delivery driver. “Intelligence from the original investigation suggested that suspects involved in the murder could have left for Spain in order to lie low from police,” DI Gareth Hicks of Surrey police told the Olive Press. Investigators believe it was a contract killing but that the intended target may have been Ms Reed’s sister, Alison Pointing, whose husband was jailed for murdering a former Chechnyan prime minister and his brother.

VICTIM: Karen Reed and (above) the suspect

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

April 8th - April 21th 2021

LOVE RETURNS ONE of Britain’s most popular reality series is set to be filmed in Spain this summer. Love Island is gearing up for its big return after the coronavirus halted last year’s production plans. Producers of the hit dating show confirmed yesterday that the series would be going ahead as hoped for 2021 and that it will return to Mallorca this year. A source said: “All precautions have been taken to make sure it goes smoothly. They’ve included COVID safety measures and increased checks on contestants’ mental health.”

Walk off

VALENCIA football team walked off the pitch after an allegedly racist slur directed at one of their players. The game against Cadiz on Sunday night was temporarily abandoned after 30 minutes when Cadiz’s Juan Cala allegedly flung insults at defender Mouctar Diakhaby. Cala, who has since ‘strenuously denied’ allegations against him, received a yellow card for his actions and seconds later Valencia players made the decision to halt the match and walk off the pitch in protest. Diakhaby eventually urged his teammates to continue the match and Hugo Guillamon took his place on the pitch. Cala stayed on for Cadiz and the team eventually won the match 3-0. Following the incident, Valencia released a ten-point statement entitled ‘no to racism’ on their official website. They added that Diakhaby is the ‘latest victim of racism in football’.

Footballers behaving badly Stars flouting COVID travel restrictions

TROUBLE: Goncalo Guedes

HAPPY FAMILY: But Marcelo could be in the dog house REAL Madrid star Marcelo could be fined €2,700 for breaching COVID-19 regulations after he posted a photo of himself enjoying an unauthorised day trip to Valencia.

Royal approval

By Kirsty McKenzie

The club’s €10 million player is under investigation after he shared a snap of his family at

QUEEN Letizia never puts a foot wrong, and continued to show off her array of high fashion ensembles as she attended celebrations to mark 275 years since the birth of Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The royal, 48, opted for a tailored jacket and skyscraper heels for her appearance in Zaragozaher alongside her husband King Felipe VI, 53, to remember the painter who was born near the city in the town of Fuendetodos in 1746. The mother of two cut a stylish figure as she greeted members of the Goya Foundation in Aragon.

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Malvarrosa beach on Instagram last week. In the image, Marcelo can be seen beaming alongside his wife and children, with none of the family wearing a mask. Marcelo, his wife and eldest son now face being slapped with individual fines amounting to €700, €600 for not respecting the perimeter closure plus €100 for not wearing a mask in a public space. The fines amount to 0.01% of his salary. Marcelo is not the only one who has been misbehaving of late - Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was spotted in Marbella and Valencia player Goncalo Guedes went to Ibiza over the Easter weekend.

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Jammy Queen! SEVILLA’s Moorish Royal Alcazar palace is famed for the colourful splash of its orange trees. But palace authorities face a problem of what to do with all the fruit when they pick them to encourage new blossoms. Now they have decided to get rid of some of the problem by sending them to Queen Elizabeth. In a revival of an old tradition, a crate of the citrus fruit is to be packaged up and presented as a gift, with the oranges destined to be turned into marmalade to grace the royal breakfast table. The tradition of Sevilla gifting oranges to the British royal family dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria. Her granddaughter Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg married into the Spanish House of Bourbon.

4 www.theolivepress.es No cash back TWO British residents in the Valencian region want their money back, nearly four years after it was seized by police. Over £24,000 in Scottish banknotes has gone missing and the Brits are suing the Justice Ministry for a refund. The Guardia Civil seized £36,390 during a criminal investigation and house search in June 2017. Six months later a Denia court acquitted the two Brits of money laundering but most of their cash has not been returned as the authorities ‘don’t know where it is’. The financial crimes division of the Guardia Civil deposited some of the money into a bank account controlled by the Denia court, but the rest cannot be accounted for. It was also admitted that the Bank of Spain would not accept the Scottish notes despite the fact that they were legal tender.

NEWS

SPAIN is giving €650,000 to help pay for the exhumation and identification of Civil War victims buried at the infamous Valley of the Fallen site outside Madrid. The remains of 33,833 people are interred at the site from both sides of the conflict. They were mostly brought there from cemeteries across Spain between 1959 and 1983. Around half of the bodies have never been identified. On the orders of former dictator General

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Closing a chapter Franco, construction of the monument began in 1940 and continued over the next 18 years. The dictator was himself buried at the site when he died in 1975 but the current socialist-led government of Pedro Sanchez ordered the removal of his remains to a family mausoleum in 2019.

Optimistic Sanchez PRIME Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has said that he does not plan to ask Congress to extend Spain’s second State of Alarm beyond its scheduled ending of May 9. Sanchez also detailed the country's vaccination schedule at a news conference on Tuesday with 70% coverage to be achieved by late August. The current State of Alarm was introduced to give the country's

A NEW law has caused a backlash after it appeared to make wearing a mask obligatory even on beaches or in the countryside. The daft decree led to headlines around the world, damaging Spain’s already reeling tourist industry. Until now, the coverings

Mask off! were only compulsory in public and outdoor spaces when it was not possible to keep safety distances, specifically in urban areas and indoor public spaces, as well as on public transport.

GANDIA will have the first sustainable beach bars in Spain. The local council has unveiled plans to swap the current type of temporary summer chiringuitos for buildings that are more eco-friendly. They will use recycled materi-

Careless cops

No plans to extend State of Alarm past May 9 17 regions legal support for introducing local curfews and border closures to slow down COVID-19 infections. Pedro Sanchez said: “We want May 9 to be a full stop and we are working towards that. We have no plans to extend the State of Alarm any longer.”

Green bars

Sanchez was bullish over the vaccine roll-out programme with a large rise of doses expected to be delivered over the coming weeks and months. Ever since December, the Prime Minister has stuck to his guns that 70% of the population would be inoculated by late summer. He backed up his confidence with details of Spain's vaccination timetable. “We will be getting 3.5 times more doses in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the first,” he stated. That adds up to 38 million doses, rising to 48 million between August and September. “10 million people will have got two injections by the first week of June.”

TWO police officers had to be cut from the wreckage of their patrol car when they jumped a red light and crashed into a car carrying a young family. Witnesses say the Policia Nacional car was driving at high speed through the bus lane on the Ronda Sur road in Valencia city when it ploughed into a Peugeot 307 occupied by two adults and their two small children. The patrol was rushing to attend an emergency callout due to a robbery, with flashing lights and siren on. The patrol car flew through the air and landed upside down on a roundabout, while the family vehicle was pushed along the road. Firemen had to cut the officers free while passers-by helped the stunned family out of their vehicle. No one was seriously hurt.

als, be designed for low energy consumption and have solar panels and wind-powered electricity generators. And once open, bar owners will have to follow environmental measures, such as a ban on single-use plastics. The move has been announced for summer 2024, when the current bar licences expire, making Nord beach the first in the country to feature the sustainable buildings. Gandia Town Hall has called on the Valencia School of Architects to launch a competition, aimed at young professionals, to design the new chiringuitos. The council’s plans include increasing the number of removable bars on Nord beach to 12, each occupying up to 200 square metres.

Trash talk A PROTECTED nature park in Peñiscola has been turned into an unofficial rubbish dump. Residents and the local council are complaining that the Serra d’Irta is now full of plastic bottles, cans, glass, wooden boxes, discarded sandals and rusting paella pans. According to the town hall Environment department, maintenance of the coastal park is the responsibility of the regional government – but the Generalitat’s failure to keep it clean could force the council to intervene.

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The Olive Press all editions - FP_342x256 - PROMO MAN - April 7th

NEWS FEATURE

www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

OPINION GET A GRIP! THERE was a depressing inevitability about the latest round of bad news relating to Brexit and the ongoing travel restrictions between Spain and the UK . The blame for this fiasco lies squarely with an incompetent and disorganised relationship between the two governments. Boris Johnson and his cronies were part of a dishonest campaign during the 2016 referendum which led to the country voting narrowly for leaving the EU. In the mess that followed, Johnson refused to back sensible compromises and instead pursued an ideologically rigid Brexit that was oblivious to the concerns of thousands of people who rely on free movement, whether it is to be with their families or boost the economy. We’re still paying for the recklessness of Brexit – with no end in sight. And while vaccines will deliver us from the worst of the travel restrictions, the hard truth is that it will take some time before faith in travelling between Spain and the UK is restored. But there is something that the Spanish government can do now - and that is GET A GRIP! It is unforgivable that it can not ensure its own agents - police and border controls for example follow ITS OWN RULES. These incidents reported on our front page must not be swept under the carpet or tied up in knots with red tape. And while potential solutions are not obvious, the UK Government must provide as much support to Brits to help them navigate this nightmare - not wash their hands of the problem or worse, direct them to another vague statement on the government website. The rules need to be clearer, the communication needs to be stronger between the EU and the UK and airlines need to assure passengers that they won’t be hauled back home on arrival. We can accept Brexit has happened. But no one agreed to this fear and uncertainty as a result.

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AWARDS

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Driven to distraction EXCLUSIVE By Fiona Govan

PAIN and the UK are holding high level discussions to allow Brits to continue to exchange their driving licences for Spanish ones without the need to take the Spanish driving test, a senior British diplomat has told the Olive Press. It is one of those issues that has been a thorn in the side of Brits living in Spain as Brexit loomed; the need to exchange British driving licences for Spanish ones. The issue took on an urgency for Brits as the end of the transition period approached. Appointments at the DGT were scarce due to a sudden last minute rush compounded by delays during the pandemic Brits were told that as long as they registered their intent to exchange their driving licences before December 30 then they would have six months in which to do it.

Test

Battle of 100 DAYS ON: The phoney war’ is well and truly over three months after the end of the withdrawal transition period and the consequences for expats are just starting...

HOUSANDS of British expats who were oblivious to rule changes in the New Year have been left exposed and unprotected in the new age of Brexit, warns The Expat Centre in southern Spain. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, Britons wanting to enjoy the rights and freedoms they previously enjoyed living in Spain, must now prove they lived here legally prior to December 31. While most registered as residents under repeated advice by both British and Spanish authorities, and hundreds more are still in the process of getting their documentation, there are still many who failed to start the process before the end of year deadline.

Those who missed the boat have been told they will have to take the Spanish driving test. However, there is some hope that a simple swap may be re-introduced. David Hunt, the Head of Citizens’ Rights and Mobility Department (Europe Directorate) at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office told the Olive Press: “We are working on an agreement with the Spanish authorities that will allow Brits to exchange their driving licences for Spanish ones without the need to undergo a practical test.” However, he could not guarantee that a bilateral agreement would be in place before the present June 30 deadline and warned people to follow the legal requirements in the meantime. “We are hopeful for a future agreement, but in the meantime ask people to follow the rules of the road in the countries where they live.”

By Fiona Govan

Brexit is ringing the changes in Spain - but it’s not the sound of till bells

This leaves potentially thousands of Brits unprotected in Spain without healthcare, without rights and – thanks to COVID-19 – without a way of easily getting back to the UK. Those who are not legally resident or in the process of applying for residency, risk falling foul of the 90-day rule that came into effect at the end of March. “Any stays beyond the 90 days in any 180-day period will be dependent on the applicable visas and immigration rules for Spain. This may require applying for a visa and/or permit,” warns the British Embassy. Many of those struggling to get their paperwork in order have

HOMEWARD BOUND: How many Brits will have to leave?

Costa packet OST deliveries, disastrous delays, hefty hidden customs duties when goods do arrive – business owners in post-Brexit Spain report that things have changed but not for the better. Nadine Walker (pictured below), who runs Nest gift boutique in one of Madrid’s coolest neighbourhoods, has faced nothing but obstacles in the three months since the Brexit transition period ended. Over 13 years she has built up the business to become the capital’s go-to place for British greeting cards, funky wrapping paper

By Simon Wade

and handcrafted knick-knacks imported from the UK. “But since Brexit I have had huge problems with deliveries,” she fumes. “Orders used to arrive within three to seven days but since New Year, I’ve had deliveries go missing, packages that have been turned around and returned to the UK and had to be resent … And I’ve had to pay couriers cash on arrival to cover customs duties that weren’t included in the original price.” When you run a small business with narrow margins, this is more than a mere annoyance. “At the beginning of January, I made a big order of cards and gifts for Valentine’s Day but it didn’t arrive until well after February 14, so I lost out on all that trade,” she adds. She now has to pay between €10 and €50 extra on each delivery and often has to struggle to get receipts so that she can claim it against tax. “My margins have become smaller, and I’m trying to source things from elsewhere within the EU, such as Ireland. But I set up the shop specifically because there was a gap in the market for the sort of things I could find in the UK but not here.” Nadine hopes that these are just teething problems that will be sorted out in the coming months. “The big problem seemed to be that no-one knew what the new rules were, especially the courier companies. I’m already worried about Christmas which is when I need to rely on deliveries coming in on time.”

Fighting for

NNE Hernandez is supposed to be retired. Instead she spends her days and much of her nights helping Brits across Spain sort out problems that have been caused by Brexit. “Since January 1, I have been busier than ever,” the President of the Brexpats in Spain organisation told the Olive Press. “It’s incredible how often I was accused of scaremongering when insisting people needed to sort themselves out and get their paperwork in order before the deadline. “Now they are coming and asking for help to get residency, sort out their driving licences, get in the health system, but many of them have just left it too late. “There was this arrogance of ‘Oh I’m British and the Spanish need us here so they’ll sort something out for us,’ and only now are they realising the full impact of not being registered as residents,” she said from her home in Mijas Costa “I just can’t fathom why so many people left it until the last minute. There are those Brits who just had their head in the sand about the whole thing and ignored the warnings and have no-one else to blame but themselves,” she explained. “But there’s also a whole lot of people who tried to do things properly and went to lawyers or gestors and unfortunately were given the wrong advice.” She complains that different issues arise from region to region, province to province and often depending on different civil servants working within the same office. “We have a Spanish system that has just

Time’s up!

Olive Press online

By Kirsty McKenzie

become overwhelmed with applications and apparently confusing guidelines that means the decisions are often left to individuals behind the desk. “The decision on whether your residency application is accepted or rejected could come down to whether the clerk is having a good day or has skipped their morning coffee,” she said. Spanish authorities have not stated what measures will be taken for those who overstay or whether exemptions will be made for those affected by travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic. “No-one knows the real implications of overstaying as we have no real guidance about what will actually happen to people if they don't leave when the 90 days is up. Could they be fined and told to leave the country? Or will they be deported?” Hernandez asked. “Some of these people don’t have homes anywhere else and yet could be banned from Spain,” she said. “Brexit has caused a hell of a mess,” she concluded.

BUT The good news is…

RITISH holidaymakers can now claim back the IVA (VAT) on goods bought in Spain - as long as they are not resident in an EU country. As Francesca Cerqua, Knowledge Manager at Marosa VAT in Spain, clarifies: “If a UK traveller visits Spain and makes purchases where Spanish VAT is charged and the value of those purchases is above €90.15, he or she will be able to reclaim that Spanish VAT at the airport before taking the plane back to the UK.” In addition to spending a minimum of €90.15, a British holidaymaker shopping in Spain must: - Live in England, Scotland or Wales. - Take the unused goods outside of the EU within a three-month period. - Display their passport upon purchase together with a separate document providing proof of address. - Complete an electronic refund document while in EU territory and have it validated at EU customs.

When making the purchase, request an electronic refund form (known by the initials DER in Spain), which you must validate electronically before checking in your luggage at the airport. To do this, go to the indicated counters, or the offices displaying the tax free seal, and show them: - Your passport. - The goods for which you are requesting the refund. - Your boarding pass or ticket. This is a fully digital process, so you won’t receive a physical document after validation. However, people can check the status of their refund at any time by putting their CSV number (secure verification code), which appears on their electronic tax free form, into a search bar at the official website. And remember, if the goods are worth more than £390 in total, they will have to be declared at customs in the UK, incurring import VAT and possible duties. Happy shopping!

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THE START: The first edition of the

Olive Press in 2006

March 24th - April 6th 2021 Vol. 15 Issue 365 www.theolivepress.es

As the Olive Press reaches its 15th birthday, we recall a few of our favourite interviews and remember a couple of our top readers, such as ex-prime minister Rajoy (above) and prime joker Paul Gascoigne...

after a EXCLUSIVE: Private school warning moved to Spain, convicted British paedophile and found dodged criminal record checks work as an English teacher Spain INTERNATIONAL schools around a British have been put on high alert after most man began teaching at one of Madrid’s conexclusive colleges months after being victed in the UK. Lewis, Questions have been raised after Ben be31, was able to work at the school despite ing on the UK’s sex offenders register. Lewis, The Olive Press has discovered that sex ofwho is now awaiting trial for child V, fences at Centro Penitenciario Madrid and a managed to hoodwink TWO schools

NAMES: two different passports

Fiona Govan in Madrid

idenlanguage academy after creating a new tity, using forged documents. reFormer colleagues of the sex offender to dodge vealed that he created a new namerun sumcriminal record checks in order to to mer camps and teach private classes young children. after He had changed his name to Ben David and being convicted in June 2016 of taking in possessing indecent images of children England. As well as being placed on the sex offender list and being handed a two-year suspended sentence, he was barred from leaving the country or working with children. Yet within weeks he had moved to Spain and found work in Zaragoza as a livein au pair to a family with three young children. The following year he relocated to Madrid and began teaching children at a well-known language academy after getting a criminal record check from Zaragoza police to show he had no convictions in Spain over the previous 12 months. Then in December

Horrified

for 18 “We worked together at the school gomonths, took on private classes together for ing to the homes of some of the children summer extracurricular teaching and ran a said the camp at the school during 2018,”horror at Irish colleague, who is filled with the access he had to children. the day The Olive Press has discovered that his after sentencing in the UK he changed Lewis name by deed poll from Ben David just 15 to Ben David, in a process that takes minutes. a British He then applied for and received also prepassport in his new name, while he Israeli sented a doctored photocopy of his a passport stamped and verified by non-existent law firm that showed his name as Ben David Rose. The Olive Press has seen photocopies of these, plus a teaching degree and Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) certificates presented in the name ALL AREAS COVERED of Ben David Rose as well as certificates in his original name. 4G UNLIMITED What is amazing is that by April 2019 he had applied for a teaching INTERNET job at a leading private school in the IDEAL FOR upmarket Arturo Soria district that STREAMING TV teaches the British curriculum to the ALSO IPTV, children of Madrid’s elite. By now he also had a DBS certificate SATELLITE TV

Award Winning Rehabilitation Clinic

post DANGER: Lewis got teaching teacher 2017 he accepted a job as an English secat a leading semi-private (concertado)from ondary school that receives subsidies the state. David by “He was going by the name Ben another then and was offered the job aftera former teacher dropped out mid-term,” the Olive colleague Natasha Fitzsimons told Press. the posi“I think they were desperate to fill as tion so maybe they weren’t as thorough they should have been.

...meanwhile, we spend time at the home of the world’s most famous plumber as he announces he’s becoming a Spanish citizen, after 15 years here and losing €15m to his ex-wives...

SKY + + THE DOCTOR

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Opinion Page 6

Continues on Page 4

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Vol. 15 Issue 365 March - April 2021

Getting things done

ROM its very first issue in 2006 the Olive Press has been campaigning for its community. Whether fighting for the environment or digging into crooks, we have taken some big scalps. Starting from Issue One (see top right) we highlighted the ridiculous plans to build 2000 houses, two golf courses and two hotels on UNESCO-protected land near Ronda, as well as exposed the madness of building a 350-room monstrosity on a virgin beach in Almeria’s Cabo de Gata. Both schemes - Los Merinos, in Ron- maverick Jeremy Griffiths, and Nigel da, and the Algarrobico hotel, in Alme- Goldman, a degenerate gold-dealing ria - went into reverse after our stories dirt-bag, who had a restaurant column made the UK AND Spanish national in a local newspaper, which he used to newspapers and green groups includ- cover his tracks. ing Greenpeace and Ecologistas en Ac- We also tackled timeshare crook Toni Muldoon, who certainly deserves a cion joined our protests. And then there were the crooks, like mention for conning thousands of peoCrimestoppers’ Most Wanted Daniel ple and eventually went to prison for Johnston, a bank robber, and Matthew setting up fake escort websites. Sammon, a dangerous paedophile, Meanwhile, our crime reporting on who we single-handedly tracked down missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick ‘blew open to a village near Sevilla and a car park the case’, to use the words of her grandmother, while our continuing investigain Fuengirola. And fraudsters like David ‘the dogman’ tion into missing Maddie McCann has yielded exclusive after exclusive, with its Klein, pet transport frequent links to Spain. DON’T MISS OUR 20-PAGE

ON ESTEPONA

Vol. 8 Issue 186

www.theolivepress.es

CONMAN FOUND

PEDDLING COINS

The Olive Press

A decade and a half of campaigning has scored some big wins for the Olive Press

Andalucía’s Fortnightly

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Issue 26, January 24th 2008

Where are they?

EXCLUSIVE

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OH TO BE IN OLVERA

page 14

HUMILLADERO 126 TEL: 680 152 690 OR 629 340

On behalf of all at the British Embassy and Consulates, I want to wish huge congratulations to all at the Olive Press on your 15th anniversary. The English language press plays a vital role in keeping UK nationals in Spain informed. And we very much appreciate your help in getting key messages out to UK nationals here. After an incredibly difficult year for so many of us, including many businesses, it is great to see the Olive Press thriving. We look forward to seeing what the next 15 years bring. BRITISH CONSUL CHARMAINE ARBOUIN

Publication

HOW TO DEAL WITH A MID LIFE CRISIS

**Western Edition** PR ON THE PROWL

Living Consciously

page 16

We send our hot new columnist to interview designer Sophie Cranston

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The hulking shell SWATHES of set for a 311-room of concrete - once danger of beingrural Andalucia are in mega resort remained an eyesore has a new planning concreted over after for years after work was halted by the regional law was brought in Bunkers are also by the courts. Green groups government. 700-home golf being dug to stop a tas en Accion including Ecologisand Greenpeace Nerja, which course scheme, near joined with hundreds have ment of one will see the developof local associations to fight final stretchesof the Costa del Sol’s fronts opened on a series of new up during the And protestersof pristine coast. crisis. COVID digging in to in Mijas are also SOON LEGAL?: They are up Algarrobico used to build stop the law being called LISTA in arms over the so- one, but TWO in woods overlooking the new hotels on the lockdown law - passed during beaches in virgin Thesea at El Chaparral. - that is set to the dozens of previously allow ed natural park supposedly protecttook first of many planned protests of outlawed proj- The place outside ects to go ahead. first involves Cabo de Gata. council offices la in In particular, a 30-room hotel the green light for It Cala de Mijas this week. activists are outraged could also see about a controversial famous Bahia near the globally Valdevaqueros the controversial de Los Genoveses new golf beach, while course in Nerja, project of hundreds stand of woodlandas well as a final star hotel the second is for a two- of homes go up on a heavily-proclose tected in Mijas. They are also de San Pedro to the pristine Cala Under virgin beach, near Tarifa. furious about bay the recently not Protestors fear the(pictured above). resubmitted project, backed new law will now allow the legalization of also Rosa Quintana,by TV celebrity Ana nearby between the stunning Bolonia and Tarifa area El Algarrosee a series of would bico hotel, Ecologists are hotels get built. built also worried that dis- Los Merinos the gracefully project for on a virgin courses and hundreds two-golf of housbeach, near es on UNESCO-protected Carboneras, land near Ronda could be virgin due to a despite being quashed by revived, the Sup l a n n i n g preme Court. mix up. Fairway to hell: See page 6

GREEN CAMPAIGNS: Against golf courses (left and top) Tel: 952 147 834 in issue See page 24 one and coastal lopment (above) develast year

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21/6/19 13:30

Within an hour, team scrambled the Olive Press car, Sammon learning from to Fuengirola, and remainedcovered his face another builder silent when that he was currently questioned by the Olive camped He was out at the feria then bundled Press. ground. into the After a day working BMW and taken nearby, the be Londoner duly fingerprinted to Madrid to English-plated arrived in his for extradition. and prepared cream Moncayo campervan. Following the Parking up, he two Reid said arrest, father-ofas he took his looked relaxed to see Sammonhe was ‘relieved’ dog for a walk taken away. around the feria “As ground and the soon as I saw his face among spoke with neighbours. most wanted I felt sick,” Once identified, we called the said Reid, from Blackpool. Guardia Civil and Crimestop- “I let him hang around my pers and so began children, we took him in with a tense threehour waiting game, with Reid arms and at first were noneopen sitting in the car wiser. the Sky News crime beside us. reporter Mar- “But we always thought he tin Brunt was was a bit weird, he’s Eventually, assoon there too. never talks abouta real loner and his family. and truly fell, night had well “He creeped an unmarked my family out black BMW much that so plain clothes arrived and two Incredibly, I fired him.” detectives swiftly police moved in for the evidence from did not take any cating his passportarrest, confis- cluding his his campervan incomputer and Frisking him at and phone. other the side of the CONTINUES

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page 24

Exclusive story

Longest established British bar

Open

44, Mollina

EXCLUSIVE: snare one of Expat tip leads Olive Press UK’s most wanted team paedophiles to

EAGLE-EYED readers helped Olive Press snag one of BritWORDS AND ain’s most wanted By Rob HorganPICS Spain, just hours fugitives in and Laurence Dollimore after he had been named. Following a tip off to the paper, al Crime Agency, who arrived suspected paedophile the scene after at the arrest. Matthew “Well Sammon was campervan in dragged from his thanks done Olive Press and to the expat community time raid and a dramatic night- for tipping whisked away an unmarked police in son we run us off, this is the reathese car. Working closely The dramatic campaigns.” day had started Daniel Reid, with informant when Crimestoppers firstly track we were able to annual issued its to Fuengirola, down Sammon tives in list of most wanted fugiTorremolinos Guardia Civil tothen call in the day morning. on ThursOn the run for arrest him. two years, Sam- Leading to hundreds mon - a blackbelt of press stories around in Jujitsu the world and was wanted in the UK for shar-- on national television, ing indecent images the hunt was immediately on. His seizure came of children. But, it was to popular just 10 hours after he was named local newspaper the in Opera- that Olive Press tion Captura and expat plasterer recorded arrest is the quickest reached Reid, in the joint UK out to, trusting 40, and Spanish police us to SUCCESS: ‘do the job properly’. Reid, Horgan, “It was a fantastic operation. Reynolds and result,” said In a series of Facebook Brunt Steve Reynolds, from the Nation- sages, he announced that mes- as a labourer and was Sammon, 45, had worked for him living in a campervancurrently the Mijas and Fuengirolaaround area.

INVESTIGATIONS: Tracking 59€ down paedophile Matthew Sammon, probing missing Amy (right) and exposing animal cruelty (far right)

Fuengirola

21st 2020

page 3

19th 2007

the

olive INVESTIGATES press

AN ecological nightmare, hundreds of “This is ancient oaks parently stand ap- attempt a cynical and botched to create ambience Pulled up for dead. a huge golf mac- around the golf roproject, they course and create space,” line up in rie rows like said tree surwar graves in ee- geon Kit Hogg. Somme. “I am sure the very few of these Many centuries old, they have trees will survive. protected been sacrifi It is disgusting.” ced for Europe’s insatiable desire Despite ongoing holiday homes. for golf and stop the work, EU efforts to Part of investigations and – crucially costaficationthe unrelenting guarantee – no of Andalucia, of they sound Los Merinos,water, work at the death knell nature conservation near for continues unchecked. Ronda in southern Spain. This is the true price of golf.

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Here’s to the next 15!

Fortnightly News

EU steps in to investigate El Algorrobico hotel opening after Junta u-turn that “disgraces” Spain... while a pair of British pensioners watch as their house - which DID have a licence - is torn to the ground.

on page 3

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Last stretches by new law, of pristine coast endangered alongside inland beauty spots EXCLUSIVE

Full story on page 16

While Brits’ dream home is demolished in Almeria

can reveal that The Olive Press may the Russian President a multimillion have bought with a euro Marbella mansion group of six businessmen.

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HANDS OFF!

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the olive press

for Sick safari hunters jailed shooting tigers and lions Hypocrisy in Spain

See page 8 & 9

in the sun

Cartel behind Putin’s mystery costa home

IMPACT: Tracking down crooked Nigel Goldman (above) and covering the devastating Costa del Sol fire in 2012

legends Ferran Adria and Gordon Ramsey. And it was nice to chat to Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera, as well as the only newspaper to be able to pose a couple of questions to Michelle Obama on her visit to Marbella a few years ago. Indeed, the positives far outweigh the negatives and we would prefer to be judged over 50 rather than 15 years. As far as we are concerned we have only just begun.

www.theolivepress.es

CAGED!

And were these men involved?

El Horrible opens

can Nigel

EXCLUSIVE: fraudster and By Tom Powell using reveal that convicted Jamie Micklethwaite is back in business Monte’ fraudster Ni- Goldman ‘Howard Del COSTA del Solis hiding out the false name gel Goldman last year country Goldman fled Spainof fraud, in a classic English Couling false name his partner Suzannewares via amid accusations cottage under the dozens of vicleaving behind peddling their mil‘Howard del Monte’. ‘Del Monte’ - are account called tims owed a total of €15 Goldman - aka to the busi- a joint Ebay lion. answer has also returned and selling ‘Bensons Emporium’. staff told the he refused to happy ness of buying antiques, it Village post office he regularly While he seems Olive Press that addressed to questions, Couling, her two coins, stamps and living with in the can be revealed. month lease collects parcels and also ‘sends daughters and two cats propRenting on a six Berkshire ‘Del Monte’, modest three-bedroom in the charming he and many packages’. erty. village of Kintbury, are Kintbury’s (top) with Suzanne While the pair conversation, UK bolthole and hottest topic ofseen and ‘keep HIDEOUT: Goldman’s a parking ticket. why he they are rarely themselves’. to say to you, with understand themselves to live nearby “I have nothing if a trafto meeting “I don’t hasn’t been arrested, but I look forward happier in Couling’s family find him then he called down. BRITS are stillreports sugfic warden can in Hungerford.secretive man you again,” can,” said Spain, despite have abansurely the police In fact, the who wished to is seemingly gesting 90,000 dream. the neighbour, from Del Monte leaving the Parking ticket doned the expatOlive Press remain anonymous. village only ever seen post office. An exclusive but “Everyone in the more than house to go to the Press conGoldman, whathair was disheveled, survey found that of our readWhen the Olivehis country- His did not have the mous- knows he’she goes under.” three quarters since makhe his claimed he ever name fronted him in refused ers are happier tache some haveas part of his Goldman, who deleted is side retreat, Goldman recently, door, instead now sporting ing the move. Facebook accountinvestigated to come to thehis head out of is disguise. Coul- currently being see No briefly poking to return millions For the full story, The previous morning, dream on leaving the for failing his fihis bedroom window. end to Spanish ing was seen load up their of euros to investors in page 4. house at 9am to Zafira with nancial companies. Olive silver Vauxhall off, possibly Various victims told the are practically boxes and head Press that they life after losing their to a car boot sale. Building explained that destituteto his schemes, that One neighbour Costa Del Sols Leading into the savings since 1996. Page 4 the day they moved warden arContinues on and Window Specialist, house, a traffic the couple rived and issued

It’s MORE fun

When it comes to corruption we were the first English newspaper to write about the ERE scandal at the Junta de Andalucia that cost an estimated billion euros to the taxpayers, while we also tackled town hall theft on a local scale on dozens of occasions. Animal cruelty has been a continual bugbear and we have exposed so many evil abusers, as well as the scoundrels who allowed hunters to kill innocent circus lions and tigers at a finca in Extremadura (see below). On a more positive front, it was great to interview everyone from Princess Diana’s ex-lover James Hewett to cooking

the olive press

14 2014

FROM ENGLISH

The man from Del Monte

EXPOSED: COSTA

on page 2

www.theolivepress.es

only English-language The original and in Andalucía investigative newspaper

April 30 - May

FREE

girls A PAIR of young Max Clifdophile PR guru on the ford sexually assaulted led to his Costa del Sol have conviction. visiClifford - a long-time and involved tor to the coast local events in charities and guilty of - has been found sexual assault, eight counts of mostly on minors.groomed on At least two were being lured in the coast, afterof stardom. with promises here with his He is pictured Kenny Lynch showbiz chum at a bash in Marbella.

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Diminished

Roughly half of the 800,000 British property owners in Spain have residency, but the rest, like Sue and Dave can now only spend a maximum of 90 days in the country during any 180-day period. Sue said: “It doesn’t make sense for us to become residents as we only spend three months a year here and the process of getting residency is long and complicated. “But now our hands are tied. We have to go back whether we like it or not.” Dave agreed: “Brexiteers say they voted for freedom but I don’t feel free. I feel diminished.” Due to coronavirus travel restrictions, the task of returning to the UK hasn’t been easy on the pair - or their finances. The couple shelled out nearly £800 in travel expenses and COVID tests and had four flights cancelled since the start of the year. “If we had failed our COVID tests or if the airline had cancelled the flight we would immediately have become illegal immigrants through no fault of our own. It’s daunting,” said Dave.

25 EGAP RATS GNINIHS - ’RATS

anopetsE ni saw ohw MP eht sun

yojaR elihw...

no pu sehsurb swen tapxe sih

turned to get help from The Ex- have access to social media or pat Centre based in Ciudad Que- trustworthy news sources, have sada on the Costa Blanca. been unaware of the recent and “Brexit has changed so many ongoing changes. things in a wholly negative way,” “This leaves Brits vulnerable and Moira Carmenate who runs at the mercy of hearsay – I really The Expat Centre told the Olive feel for them.” Press. Pressure on some Spanish auThe Withdrawal Agreement thorities has forced them to wasn’t properly amend the required thought through and documentation that the consequences A lot of elderly Brits would use to for some individuals prove their residenfolk living here cy status. and businesses have been catastrophic,” have not been It has emerged that she continued. the Foreigners Ofaware of the “After four years fice in Alicante will of soundbites and now only accept a changes false promises from copy of the 2020 pathe UK government, dron as proof that an those picking up the applicant was living pieces are the vulnerable Brits in Spain before December 31. right throughout Europe, not just Barbara Cobos is an established Spain. translator and residency expert “As a consequence a lot of el- based at The Expat Centre who derly folk living here who don’t told the Olive Press that the change in requirements was to ease the strain on the authorities that process residency applications. She said: “The strain on the system has been unprecedented since the new year, and the auShe may thorities just can’t cope. “Currently, there is still no forbe retired, mal agreement in place between but Anne UK and Spanish governments to clarify what the Third Country Hernandez ruling is regarding residencia eligibility,” said Cobos. has never

HE Olive Press launched in 2006 and has just celebrated its 15 year anniversary (below left). This is the 366th edition of the newspaper in print and now we have some exciting news to share about our next project. While across the Costas our readers enjoy picking up their free newspaper every fortnight to be informed on the big issues in Spain and what’s going OLIVE on locally, our team of PRESS 15 YEARS journalists are also workOF FUN ing every day to bring up Lessons to date reliable news from needed across Spain on our website, which receives over 1 million visitors each month. We aim to serve our readers with not just the top news of the day from around Spain but explain the stories beyond the headlines and explore those issues that could impact your life and experience in Spain. It is here that we can provide the latest news from extreme weather warnings, to new travel restrictions as well as breaking exclusives and campaigning on those issues that are important to our readers. We will imminently be launching a new dedicated travel website that will provide detailed guides, re- FOOD,DRINK ILLA & TRAVEL SEV SPECIAL views, travel tips from our team of writers who want to share their experience of destinations across Spain and what we love about SNAPSHOTS them. reipaN anoI :OTOHP

LINES DRAWN: Britain and the EU are both looking after their own interests

A site well travelled

The

FTER spending almost every summer in Spain for 50 years, Sue Cronin and husband Dave Cronin (pictured below) couldn’t wait to buy their very own apartment on the Costa del Sol. Five years ago they found the perfect spot – an idyllic flat in Estepona overlooking the Med where the pair could leave behind rain and responsibilities in the UK and enjoy long, hot days in the sunshine. But their carefree retirement plans were short lived. Not long after they purchased their dream home, the UK voted to leave the European Union. “When Brexit was announced we were horrified,” said Dave, 73, who voted to remain. “We knew it would have terrible consequences for British people living in Europe, but no one could have predicted how much of a complete and utter disaster it would be. “I don’t think the British Government is fully aware of the hidden consequences of Brexit affecting the day to day life of people in Europe.” Now after five months riding out the pandemic from their holiday home, Sue and Dave are one of the thousands of Brits who wereforced to return to the UK by March 31. “It’s terrible timing. The restrictions are lifting and the sun has arrived, it really is the perfect time to be here,” said retired musician Sue, 69. “We’ve always been able to come and go as we please and now we are no longer able to stay in our own home. We had no choice in the matter. We would have become illegal immigrants on April 1.”

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April 8th - April 21th 2021

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THERESA May has vowed Britain won’t half out’ Brexitaccept a ‘half in, speech that is in a landmark likely to have long-lasting effects on Gibraltar and all expats in Spain. The Prime Minister issued 12-point plan to take Britaina out of the EU, ing Street looking with Downto scrap EU single market and current customs union access. In the biggest month tenure,speech of her sixclear, what I amshe said: “To be proposing cannot mean membership of the single market.” She added Britain would no longer give ‘huge EU, however she sums’ to the Parliament will conceded that vote on the deal. have the final Maintaining the common travel area between the United Kingdom and EXCLUSIVE Ireland is also the Republic of By Gabrielle a priority during Pickard-Whitehead the Brexit negotiations. and Laurence Dollimore However, the tar with Spainborder of Gibral- A BRITISH was not menexpat rushed to the tioned. after finding five has called in police vets he died 30 later. of her dogs executed minutes a late-night massacre. in An X-ray showed The Guardia in 2004, found Control shot through the he also had a bullet ing the horrificCivil are now investigatin their pens onthe five rescue dogs shot Meanwhile, roof of his mouth. “We want to attack that one of the Reyes (ThreeJanuary 6, the night of was migration fromcontrol our imof Illona Mitchell’s horses also left one also attacked, Mitchell’s 12 horses Kings). with its eye Her beloved seven-year-old so savagely May. “We also the EU,” said gouged out. eye may have to be removed. that its of the friendliest Dizzy, ‘one Vets importance of recognise the The detectives from the have been struggling environment the brightest section Seprona meet’ and a puppydogs you will ever four-year-old, and the best coming to treat the told called Maisie shot dead at the here. We it was one of the worstMitchell, 48, that were he has become named Rocco, because recognise the attacks too nervous and Meanwhile Cocogates of their pens. have made.” contribution they seen and were visibly shocked they had Deeply traumatised skittish. They have put shot in their beds, and Domingo, were thankfully by the May is believed on extra patrolsby it. with Mitchell was not seen attack - that ing they had permit system to favour a workan eye on the estate at weekendsto keep by her daughcowered in their believ- ter Ella, 11 - Mitchell before being killed and at kennels so angry continued: “I trigger Article 50as she looks to night. in cold blood. am that someone “I am sickened Coco, two, had would do someIt comes as the by March. thing as disgusting as to why range betweenbeen shot at point-blank animals.” as this to innocent published data House of Lords would carry out such a cruel someone the eyes, while and bar- week. year-old Domingo three- Mitchell, der closure withshowing a bor- baric attack on innocent, was shot through from side of his face. put 40% of jobs Spain would animals,” she told the Olivedefenceless The mother-of-one, the tack is linked Chester, believes the atPress this her at risk in Gito her recent They later found above, who bought braltar. ban hunters from decision to estate in mountains German Shepherd,Jack, a six-year-old estate her huge 173-hectare near Granada The 32 page-report, that sits in stunning having convulsions under a nearby based on Gibraltar the Sierra de Baza. scenery in tree, but despite government evibeing dence, estimates Continues on Rock’s 26,000 10,500 of the Page 4 the border daily.workers crossed Opinion Page Est 1984 6 “A frontier which necessary fluidity lacked the fore put directly would thereAntiques, Jewellers of 40% of the at risk the jobs For all your Gibraltar work& Pawnbrokers force,” said a spokesman. insurance needs! May’s speech A huge variety was cheered of over Leave campaigners, by 1 carat diamond pushing for a ‘hard’ who are jewellery. Brexit. She said:“We adopt a model do not seek to HIGH STREET PRICES: already enjoyed estepona@ibexinsure.com by other countries. Choose one of 7,000€+ our great We do not OUR PRICE: 1,500 seek to hold on lens offers or - 2,000€ get 30% bership as we to bits of memoff selected Fuengirola “The British leave,” said May. frames UNBEATABLE change. And people voted for PRICES GUARANTEED See our ad inside it is the governWE BUY, WE ment’s job to deliver for details. fuengirola@ibexinsure.com PAY MORE, WE it.” Diamonds@anthonys-diamonds.com PAY CASH Opinion Page 6

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Happy 15th anniversary!

April 7th - April 20th 2021

As the Olive Press prepares to launch a brand new travel website, we give you a preview by taking a look around Andalucia’s historic capital

Thanks

OF SEVILLA

STUNNING: Sevilla is a city noted

for its beauty, architecture, gardens

and lifestyle

in Spain. By Dilip Kuner In this four-page special, to celebrate our dedicated travel portal to Spain, the launch of HE streets of Sevilla are normally thronging at takes the this time of year. a look at some of the highlights ofOlive Press Sevilla. The first city to be spotlighted in Tens of thousands of people flock our new to the capi- website, tal of Andalucia to witness and savour in the coming months we will be travel the solemn taking pasos, or processions, that wend their way through a close look at Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Madrid the historic heart of the city at Easter. and Valencia, plus all the other key destinations An extremely popular tourist destination around - equally Aside Spain. busy for the Feria de Abril a few weeks later - Sevilla dozensfrom the articles included here, there will be is famous for its beautiful architecture more vignettes and features on Sevilla and its outdoor lifestyle and terrace dining. as well as its wonderful province. But, as these pictures show, now This includes potted guides to the if you want to avoid the queues - is the time to visit mona, Ecija, Osuna, as well as key towns of Carand it is all down special features on to COVID-19 restrictions. the curious communist town of Marinaleda, mounOf course you may have to wait tain escapes like Cazalla de la Sierra and the wonthe restrictions to finally lift, but a few weeks for derful Roman city of Italica. you a taste of the treats in store these photos give At the moment, while many foreign tourists are when you CAN finally make a trip to one of the most missing out on their travel dreams, famous cities local at expats can make the most of whatleast the is easily Europe’s most diverse and colourful country. Watch out for the new portal which will be at:

It’s been a year with few opportunities to travel thanks to the coronavirus pandemic but we are optimistic that Spain will open up to tourism again soon, so we want to inspire you to plan your next trip. We are starting with a focus on that most fabulous of all Spanish cities, Sevilla, a firm favourite among our staff who have gone to great lengths to discover not just the highlights of the Andaluce capital itself but also places of interest within the province. We have eaten typical Andalucian delicacies, sipped sherry in squares filled with the scent of orange blossom and walked miles across cobblestones all in the name of journalism. You’re welcome! https://travel. theolivepress. es/

EMPTY: Sevilla’s streets are normally

packed at Easter (below centre)

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: Fury at Spain’s Alicante Airport as 40 Brits 1 -deported back to UK after clearing customs at Manchester Airport (55,057 views) No plans to deport British citizens as au2 -thorities in Spain urge calm over 90 day rule (views 5,070) away at UK boarding gate by 3 - Brits turned staff acting on behalf of Spain (views 3,956) Backlash as controversial new rules for 4 - Spain’s beaches are being reviewed within hours of starting (views 3,956) Semana Santa hats conical and 5 - Why arearethethey linked to the KKK? (Views 2,636)

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April 8th - April 21th 2021

fina hroes o AS our e ong p an we are n he Th s s pr here re re o n buy ng a home n Spa h er whose mar y or our d sab ed adu daug ura v am n ness s a ev a ed s gn fican y by na D recogn sed As he repercuss ons o Brex now he Br on ed ra e perp ever raud es grea as he a so now are we gh enou bad n were sh peop e ch wh s por pass ne vacc o hrea aced w h he her o y man ke es hor au sh seems he Span y go ng o ngovernmen s wor dw de are ac ua roduce o be vacc We ke m ons o o her peop e cann w mean our s Th ons reas o ber num a or ed na on o mee ng soc a ves n Spa n - he asc na exper enc ng aces p new ng or exp e new peop v am n D new cu ures benefi ng rom na urawned Spanreno by ded prov and a hea h er d e nu fied sh ea er es - s now be ng as good ason o buy ng We are no n he or una e pos V sa or Non Span sh res dency s a us (Go den Spa n w be Lucra ve) wh ch means our s ay nrave ng back m ed o 90 days n every 180 so be somewha and or h rom he UK s go ng o her peop e n proh b ve or us and m ons o o he same pos on

The Olive Press ran an online survey that revealed 77% of our readers are pro-vaccine passports

No vaccine, no travel

What’s the big deal? I REALLY don see he prob em w h vacc ne passpor s I s no a per ec wor d and governmen s need o be seen o be do ng he bes hey can or he ma or y o he r c zens There s a nas y d sease and hey are ry ng o pro ec he r c zens w h some vacc nes Peop e don have o have hem desp e he r sks he ma or y o he med ca commun y see n re us ng So or he m nor y o peop e ha don have he vacc ne here w be a persona cos I he ma or y o he popu a on sees he vacc ne as a good h ng hen hav ng a documen o prove hey have had won be a prob em or hem The ma or y o peop e w see as a way o keep ng n econ ra es down and o s opp ng hosp a beds rom becom ng u

TRAVELLING w h a vacc ne passpor or COVID-19 w be no d fferen o fly ng o A r ca or Sou h Amer ca where you need o have proo o hav ng had a ye ow ever vacc na on No vacc ne no fly ng S mp e

David Cliffe via FB

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Lessons needed

EXCLUSIVE: Private school warning after a convicted British paedophile moved to Spain, dodged criminal record checks and found work as a teacher

ABORTION VOTE

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CHEAPER, GREENER ELECTRICITY

Vol. 15 Issue 365 March - April 2021

Getting things done A decade and a half of campaigning has scored some big wins for the Olive Press

Andalucía’s Fortnightly

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Where are they? And were these men involved? See page 8 & 9

Issue 26, January 24th 2008

for Sick safari hunters jailed shooting tigers and lions Hypocrisy in Spain

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Last stretches by new law, of pristine coast endangered alongside inland beauty spots

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See page 7 SPACES AND

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DS O

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AN ecological nightmare, hundreds of “This is ancient oaks parently stand ap- attempt a cynical and botched to Pulled up for dead. around the create ambience a huge golf golf course roproject, they macand line up in ee- create space,” said rie rows like tree surgeon war graves Somme. in the very Kit Hogg. “I am sure few of these Many centuries old, they have trees will survive. protected been sacrifi It is disgusting.” ced for Europe’s insatiable desire Despite ongoing holiday homes. for golf and stop the work, EU efforts to Part of investigations and – crucially costaficationthe unrelenting guarantee – no of Andalucia, of they sound Los Merinos,water, work at the death knell nature conservation near for continues unchecked. Ronda in southern Spain. This is the true price of golf.

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The hulking shell SWATHES of set for a 311-room of concrete - once rural Andalucia danger of being are in mega resort - has remained an eyesore a new planning concreted over after for years after work was halted by the regional law was brought in Bunkers are also by the courts. Green groups government. 700-home golf being dug to stop a tas en Accion including EcologisNerja, which course scheme, near and Greenpeace joined with hundreds will see the develophave ment of one of of local associations to fight final stretches the Costa del Sol’s fronts opened on a series of new And protestersof pristine coast. up during the crisis. COVID digging in to in Mijas are also SOON LEGAL?: They are up Algarrobico used to build stop the law being called LISTA in arms over the so- one, but TWO in woods overlooking the sea at El Chaparral. new hotels the lockdown law - passed during beaches in the supposedlyon virgin The first of many - that is set to dozens of previously protecttook allow ed natural planned place outside council protests outlawed proj- The first park of Cabo de Gata. ects to go ahead. involves offices in la In particular, a 30-room hotel the green light for It Cala de Mijas this week. activists are outraged could also see about a controversial famous Bahia near the globally Valdevaqueros the controversial de Los Genoveses new golf beach, while course in Nerja, of homes go project of hundreds the second is for stand of woodlandas well as a final star hotel close up on a to the pristine two- tected virgin beach, a heavily-proin Mijas. They are also de San Pedro bay Cala Under near Tarifa. furious about the recently not Protestors fear the(pictured above). resubmitted project, backed new law will by now allow the legalization of also Rosa Quintana, TV celebrity Ana nearby the stunning El Algarro- between Bolonia and Tarifa area bico hotel, see a series of hotels get built.would Ecologists are built also worried disgracefully Los Merinos project for that the on a virgin courses and hundreds two-golf of housbeach, near es on UNESCO-protected See page 24 Carboneras, land near Ronda could be virgin due to a despite being quashed by revived, the Sup l a n n i n g preme Court. mix up. Fairway to hell: See page 6

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THERESA May has vowed Britain won’t half out’ Brexitaccept a ‘half in, speech that is in a landmark likely to have long-lasting effects on Gibraltar and all expats in Spain. The Prime Minister issued 12-point plan to take Britaina out of the EU, ing Street looking with Downto scrap EU single market and current customs union access. In the biggest month tenure,speech of her sixclear, what I amshe said: “To be proposing cannot mean membership of the single market.” She added Britain would no longer give ‘huge EU, however she sums’ to the Parliament will conceded that vote on the deal. have the final Maintaining the common travel area between the United Kingdom and EXCLUSIVE Ireland is also the Republic of By Gabrielle a priority during Pickard-Whitehead the Brexit negotiations. and Laurence However, the Dollimore tar with Spainborder of Gibral- A BRITISH was not menrushed to the expat tioned. vets he died 30 after finding five has called in police later. minutes of her dogs executed a late-night massacre. in An X-ray showed The Guardia in 2004, found shot through the he also had a bullet Control ing the horrificCivil are now investigatroof of his mouth. in their pens onthe five rescue dogs shot Meanwhile, “We want to attack that one of Mitchell’s the Reyes (ThreeJanuary 6, the night of was also migration fromcontrol our imof Illona Mitchell’s horses also left one Kings). attacked, so savagely12 horses with its eye Her beloved seven-year-old eye may May. “We also the EU,” said gouged out. that its of the friendliest Dizzy, ‘one Vets havehave to be removed. importance of recognise the The detectives from the been struggling environment the brightest section Seprona meet’ and a puppydogs you will ever four-year-old, to treat the and the best coming told called Maisie shot dead at the here. We it was one of the worstMitchell, 48, that were he has become named Rocco, because recognise the attacks too nervous and Meanwhile Cocogates of their pens. Deeply traumatised have made.” contribution they seen and were visibly shocked they had skittish. They have put shot in their beds, and Domingo, were thankfully by the May is believed on extra patrolsby it. with Mitchell was not seen attack - that ing they had by her daughpermit system to favour a workan eye on the estate at weekendsto keep cowered in their believ- ter Ella, 11 - Mitchell before being killed and at continued: “I kennels so angry that trigger Article as she looks to night. am in cold blood. someone would “I am sickened Coco, two, had thing as disgusting It comes as the50 by March. do someas to why range betweenbeen shot at point-blank animals.” as this to innocent published data House of Lords would carry out such a cruel someone the eyes, while year-old Domingo and bar- week. three- Mitchell, from der closure withshowing a bor- baric attack on innocent, was shot through side of his face. the tack is linked Chester, believes the atput 40% of jobs Spain would animals,” she told the Olivedefenceless The mother-of-one, to her recent Press this her at risk in Giabove, who bought They later found braltar. estate in mountains Jack, a six-year-old ban hunters from her huge decision to near Granada German Shepherd, having estate that sits 173-hectare The 32 page-report, in stunning scenery under a nearby convulsions the Sierra based on Gibraltar tree, but despite in de Baza. government evibeing dence, estimates Continues on Rock’s 26,000 10,500 of the Page 4 the border daily.workers crossed Opinion Page Est 1984 6 “A frontier which necessary fluidity lacked the fore put directly would thereAntiques, Jewellers of 40% of the at risk the jobs For all your Gibraltar workforce,” said a spokesman. & Pawnbrokers insurance needs! May’s speech A huge variety was cheered by of over Leave campaigners, 1 carat diamond pushing for a ‘hard’ who are Brexit. jewellery. She said:“We adopt a model do not seek to HIGH STREET PRICES: already enjoyed estepona@ibexinsure.com by other countries. Choose one of 7,000€+ We do not our great OUR PRICE: 1,500 seek to hold on lens offers or - 2,000€ bership as we to bits of memget 30% off selected “The British leave,” said May. Fuengirola frames UNBEATABLE change. And people voted for PRICES GUARANTEED it is the governSee our ad inside ment’s job to deliver WE BUY, WE for details. fuengirola@ibexinsure.com it.”

SLAUGHTER Expat’s rescue animals mercilessly killed over ‘hunting row’

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plumber as he announces he’s becoming a Spanish citizen, after 15 years here and losing €15m to his ex-wives...

Costa Blanca Issue 52 Continues on Page 4

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Goldman fled Spain last year amid accusations of fraud, leaving behind dozens of victims owed a total of €15 million. While he refused to answer questions, he seems happy living with Couling, her two daughters and two cats in the modest three-bedroom property. While the pair are Kintbury’s hottest topic of conversation, they are rarely seen and ‘keep themselves to themselves’. Couling’s family live nearby in Hungerford. In fact, the secretive man from Del Monte is seemingly only ever seen leaving the house to go to the post office. When the Olive Press confronted him in his countryside retreat, Goldman refused to come to the door, instead briefly poking his head out of his bedroom window.

**Western Edition**

Issue 26, January 24th 2008

are they?

And were these men involved?

EXCLUSIVE: The Olive Press can reveal that convicted fraudster Nigel Goldman is back in business using the false name ‘Howard Del Monte’ his partner Suzanne Couling are peddling their wares via a joint Ebay account called ‘Bensons Emporium’. Village post office staff told the Olive Press that he regularly collects parcels addressed to ‘Del Monte’, and also ‘sends many packages’.

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HIDEOUT: Goldman’s UK bolthole and (top) with Suzanne with a parking ticket. “I don’t understand why he hasn’t been arrested, if a traffic warden can find him then surely the police can,” said Parking ticket the neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous. His hair was disheveled, but “Everyone in the village he did not have the mous- knows he’s Goldman, whattache some have claimed he ever name he goes under.” is now sporting as part of his Goldman, who deleted his disguise. Facebook account recently, is The previous morning, Coul- currently being investigated ing was seen leaving the for failing to return millions house at 9am to load up their of euros to investors in his fisilver Vauxhall Zafira with nancial companies. boxes and head off, possibly Various victims told the Olive to a car boot sale. Press that they are practically One neighbour explained that destitute after losing their life the day they moved into the savings to his schemes, that house, a traffic warden arContinues on Page 4 rived and issued the couple

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SWATHES danger of of rural Andalucia being concreted The hulking a new planning are in shell of set for a by the regional law was over after concrete brought - once remained311-room mega Green groups government. in work was an eyesore for resort - has tas en Accion including EcologisBunkers halted by the years after joined with and Greenpeace courts. are also 700-home hundreds being ciations of local have golf course dug to stop to fight Nerja, which fronts opened assoa on a series scheme, will ment of near of new up during crisis. one of thesee the developthe COVID final stretches They are Costa up in arms And protestersof pristine del Sol’s SOON called LISTA LEGAL?: over the digging in Mijascoast. the lockdown law - passed so- one, but Algarrobico used to in to stop the are also TWO new during beaches - that dozens of hotels on previously is set to allow the sea build in woods law being in the supposedly ects to go virgin ed natural outlawed ahead. The firstat El Chaparral. overlooking In particular, proj- The first park of Cabo protecttook placeof many planned involves de Gata. activists about a 30-room the la Cala de outside council protests course a controversialare outraged famous hotel neargreen light for It could Mijas this week. offices in the globally stand ofin Nerja, as well new golf beach, Bahia de also see Los while as a final Valdevaqueros the controversial They arewoodland in Mijas. star hotel the second Genoveses also furious of homes project is for close to de San Pedro go up on of hundreds the pristinea two- tected about not bay (pictured a heavily-proProtestors Cala Under virgin beach, above). near Tarifa. now allow fear the new project, the recently law will the legalization resubmitted also Rosa backed by of nearby Quintana, TV celebrity El Algarrobetween Ana Bolonia the stunning area bico hotel, see a series and built Ecologists of hotels getTarifa would dis- Los built. are gracefully Merinos also worried that the on a virgin project courses beach, es on and hundredsfor two-golf near UNESCO-protected of housCarboneras, land near Ronda could due to virgin despite be revived, a preme being quashed plann Court. by the mix up. i n g SuFairway to hell: See page 6

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Within an hour, the team scrambled Olive Press learning to Fuengirola, car, Sammon that he from another and remainedcovered his face out at thewas currently builder questioned silent by the Olive when After a dayferia ground. camped He was Press. then bundled Londoner working nearby, BMW and duly arrived the be taken to into the English-plated fingerprinted Madrid in his campervan. cream Moncayo to for extradition. and prepared Parking Following up, he looked as he took two Reid the arrest, father-ofrelaxed his dog said he around to see Sammon was ‘relieved’ the feria for a walk spoke with “As ground taken away. neighbours. and the soon as I saw Once identified, most wantedhis face among Guardia we called said I felt sick,” the “I Reid, from Blackpool. pers and Civil and Crimestoplet him hang so began hour waiting a tense dren, around my chilgame, withthree- arms we took him sitting in Reid wiser. and at first in with open Sky Newsthe car beside were none us. tin Brunt crime reporter the “But we was soon Mar- a always thought Eventually, there bit weird, he was he’s a and truly as night hadtoo. never well “He talks about real loner and black BMWfell, an unmarked his family. creeped plain clothes arrived and my family much that two Incredibly, I fired him.” out so detectives moved in cating his for the arrest, swiftly evidence police did not take Frisking passport and confis- cluding from his campervan any phone. him at the his computer inside of the and other CONTINUES Est 1984

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His take jailed foron the Brits “saving environment” the

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How the CEO of crime corrupted organized a town hall PAGE 8

EAGLE-EYED readers Olive helped snag Press ain’s most one of BritSpain, just wanted fugitives WORDS By Rob AND PICS in been named.hours after Horgan he had Laurence and Following Dollimore suspected a tip off to the paper, al Crime Agency, Sammon paedophile Matthew the scene who arrived after campervanwas dragged at from his “Well done the arrest. time raid in a dramatic and whisked night- thanks to the Olive Press and an unmarked expat for police car.away in son tipping us off, thiscommunity Working is the reaDaniel closely with informant The we run these campaigns.” dramatic firstly Reid, we were day had track down able to when Crimestoppers started to Fuengirola, Sammon annual list issued of most Guardia then call wanted its in the tives in Torremolinos On the Civil to arrest him. fugiday morning. on Thursmon - arun for two years, blackbelt Sam- Leading to hundreds was wanted stories in Jujitsu around of ing indecent in the UK for the worldpress shar- on national television, His seizure images of children. and was immediately the hunt came just after he on. 10 hours But, it was was named tion Captura in Opera- newspaper to popular and recorded the Olive local arrest inis the quickest that expat plasterer Press and Spanish the joint reached Reid, police UK ‘do out “It was the job to, trusting us 40, a fantastic operation. Steve Reynolds, to SUCCESS: In a seriesproperly’. result,” said from the of Facebook Reynolds Reid, Horgan, Nation- sages, he announced mesand Brunt mon, 45, as a labourer had workedthat Samand was living in for him currently the Mijas a campervan and Fuengirolaaround area.

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On behalf of all at the British tes, I want Embassy and Monkey to wish huge Consulabites fox at the congratulations Olive Press on to all your 15th anniversary. The English plays a vital language press Mafia town role nationals in Spain in keeping UK we very much informed. And appreciate your help in getting EXCLUSIVE: snare one key messages Expat of UK’s tip leads Olive out to UK nationals most wanted Press team Secret Malaga paedophiles to After an incredibly here. year for so many difficult of us, including many businesses, it is great to see In the Serrania Press thriving. the Olive We look forward to seeing the next 15 years what bring. 2 FOR 1 BRITISH CONSUL ANTHONYS Estepona Antiques, 952 INVESTIGATIONS: 887 125 Jewellers CHARMAINE & Pawnbrokers 59€ ARBOUIN Matthew Sammon,Tracking down paedophile Fuengirola 952 465 588 probing missing (right) and exposing animal cruelty Amy (far right) Foxes star Louisa monkey on a trip bitten by to Gibraltar

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The man from Del Monte

COSTA del Sol fraudster Nigel Goldman is hiding out in a classic English country cottage under the false name ‘Howard del Monte’. Goldman - aka ‘Del Monte’ has also returned to the business of buying and selling coins, stamps and antiques, it can be revealed. Renting on a six month lease in the charming Berkshire village of Kintbury, he and

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The Olive Press can reveal that the Russian President may have bought a multimillion euro Marbella mansion with a group of six businessmen.

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Vol. 8 Issue 186 www.theolivepress.es

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Cartel behind Putin’s mystery costa home

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EXPOSED: COSTA CONMAN FOUND PEDDLING COINS FROM ENGLISH VILLAGE

A PAIR of young girls paedophile PR guru Max Clifford sexually assaulted on the Costa del Sol have led to his conviction. Clifford - a long-time visitor to the coast and involved in charities and local events - has been found guilty of eight counts of sexual assault, mostly on minors. At least two were groomed on the coast, after being lured in with promises of stardom. He is pictured here with his showbiz chum Kenny Lynch at a bash in Marbella.

I BELIEVE you used o cover he Tarragona reg on bu or some years you have s opped cover ng h s area s here any reason why? I m ss oca news n Eng sh rom he area Wha wou d ake o ge a sec on or somebody cover ng h s reg on?

CHEAPER, GREENER

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ROM its very first issue in 2006 the Olive Press paigning for its has been camcommunity. Whether fighting for the environment or digging taken some big into crooks, we have Starting from scalps. we highlightedIssue One (see top right) the ridiculous build 2000 houses, plans to two golf courses and two hotels land near Ronda,on UNESCO-protected as well as exposed the madness A decade and monstrosity onof building a 350-room a a virgin beach scored some bighalf of campaigning has ria’s Cabo de Gata. in Almewins for the Olive Both schemes - Los Merinos, Press maverick Jeremy da, and the Algarrobico in RonGriffiths, and hotel, in Alme- Goldman, a ria - went into Nigel When it comes degenerate gold-dealing dirt-bag, who had made the UK reverse after our stories the first Englishto corruption we were a restaurant column in a local newspaper, newspapers andAND Spanish national legends Ferran about the ERE newspaper to write which he used Adria scandal at the cover his tracks. ing Greenpeace green groups includand Gordon Ramsey. to de Andalucia that Junta cost an estimated cion joined our and Ecologistas en Ac- We also tackled And it was nice billion euros to the taxpayers, Muldoon, who timeshare crook Toni also tackled And then thereprotests. to Ciudadanos to chat certainly deserves town hall theft while we Albert leader Crimestoppers’ were the crooks, like mention for conning on a local a scale Rivera, as well ple and eventually thousands of peo- Animalon dozens of occasions. Johnston, a bankMost Wanted Daniel as the only newspaper cruelty robber, and Matthew went to prison setting up fake Sammon, a to be able to for bugbear and we has been a continual dangerous paedophile, pose a have exposed Meanwhile, ourescort websites. who we single-handedly couple of questions evil abusers, so many tracked to missing teen Amy crime reporting on who allowed as well as the scoundrels to a village near Michelle Obama Sevilla and a cardown the in Fuengirola. case’, to use Fitzpatrick ‘blew open circus lions hunters to kill innocent visit to Marbella on her park and tigers at a a few mother, while the words of her grand- tremadura And fraudsters years ago. finca in Exour like David ‘the Klein, pet transport dogman’ tion into missing continuing investiga- On a more (see below). Indeed, the yielded exclusive Maddie McCann has to interview positive front, it was great far outweigh positives everyone frequent links after exclusive, with its ana’s atives and wethe negDON’T MISS OUR 20-PAGE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ON ESTEPONA to Spain. ex-lover James from Princess DiHewett to cooking prefer to be would the over 50 ratherjudged than 15 years. FREE As far as we are cerned we have cononly just begun. Where

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IMPACT: Tracking down crooked covering the devastating Nigel Costa del Sol Goldman (above) and fire in 2012

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THERESA May has Britain half out’won’t accept a vowed ‘half in, speech Brexit in a landmark that is long-lasting likely to have and all expatseffects on Gibraltar The Prime in Spain. Minister 12-point issued a out of plan to take the EU, Britain ing Street looking with Downsingle market to scrap toms union and current EU cusIn the biggestaccess. month tenure,speech of she said: her sixclear, what “To be not mean I am proposing membership cansingle market.” of the She added longer give Britain would no EU, however‘huge sums’ to the Parliament she conceded that will vote on the deal. have the final Maintaining travel area the common Kingdom between the United Ireland and the Republic is also a of the Brexit priority EXCLUSIVE By Gabrielle However, negotiations. during Pickard-Whitehead and Laurence tar with the border of Dollimore tioned. Spain was notGibral- A BRITISH menafter finding expat has a late-night five of her called in police Control The Guardiamassacre. dogs executed in “We want Civil are ing the migration to control rushed our imof Illonahorrific attack now investigatMay. “We from the EU,” later. to the vets he that also in 2004, died 30 gouged Mitchell’s horses left importance also recognise said An X-ray out. minutes in their found the five with its one The detectives showed the of the pens on rescue dogs eye and the shot through he the Reyes January brightest section shot Meanwhile, the roof also had a bullet recognisebest coming here. (Three Kings). 6, the night Seprona from the environment Her beloved of his mouth. it was one the contribution We told Mitchell, of was one of Mitchell’s have made.” seven-year-old of the also seen and of the worst they friendliest May is believed eye may attacked, so 12 attacks 48, that Dizzy, ‘one meet’ and They havewere visibly shocked savagely horses they had dogs to permit Vets havehave to be removed. that its shot dead a puppy calledyou will ever system favour a workan eye on put on extra by been struggling trigger Article as she looks four-year-old, patrols it. the estate Meanwhileat the gates of Maisie were night. 50 by March. to treat to at weekendsto keep It comes he has become named Coco and their pens. shot in the “I am Rocco, and at publishedas the House Deeply too nervous sickened because ing theytheir beds, with Domingo, were traumatised would carry as to and skittish. had cowered Mitchell der closuredata showingof Lords thankfully before being by the attack baric attack out such why someone with Spain a borin their believ- ter Ella, was not seen put 40% a cruel - that Coco, two, killed in cold kennels on innocent, animals,” and barby her daughbraltar. of jobs at risk would so angry 11 - Mitchell continued: had been blood. she told week. range between in Gishot the Olivedefenceless The The 32 thing as that someone “I am year-old the eyes,at point-blank Press this mother-of-one, page-report, on Gibraltar animals.”disgusting as would do somewhile threeside of hisDomingo was her estate this to innocent above, who shot through governmentbased dence, estimates Mitchell, in mountains They later face. bought from the tack Rock’s 26,000 10,500 evinear Granada found Jack, German is linked Chester, believes workers of the the border a six-year-old ban hunters to her recent the atunder a Shepherd, having crossed nearby “A frontierdaily. estate that from her huge decision tree, but convulsions to necessary which lacked the Sierra sits in stunning 173-hectare despite being de Baza. the fore put fluidity would scenery in Est 1984 of 40% directly at risk thereContinues of the Gibraltarthe jobs on Page force,” said 4 For all Opinion a spokesman. workAntiques, May’s speech Page 6 insuranceyour was cheered Leave campaigners, Jewellers needs! by pushing & Pawnbrokers A huge for a ‘hard’ who are She said:“We variety Brexit. 1 carat diamondof over adopt a do not by othermodel already seek to jewellery. estepona@ibexinsure.com seek to countries. We enjoyed HIGH STREET bership hold on to bits of do not as we leave,” mem“The British OUR PRICE: PRICES: 7,000€ said May. people change. 1,500 - 2,000 + Choose Fuengirola voted for And it one ment’s job is € lens offers of our great UNBEATABLE to deliverthe governit.” or get 30% fuengirola@ibexinsure.com off selected Opinion PRICES WE BUY, Page 6 frames GUARANTEED WE

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Happy 15th

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What about us? OL VE PRESS

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THE START: The first edition of the

As the Olive Press reaches its 15th birthday, we recall a few of our favourite interviews and remember a couple of our top readers, such as ex-prime minister Rajoy (top) and prime joker Paul Gascoigne...

ing handed a two-year suspended sentence, he was barred from leaving the country or working with colleges months after being children. Yet within weeks he had convicted in the UK. Questions have been raised moved to Spain and after Ben Lewis, 31, was able found work in Zaragoto work at the school despite za as a live-in au pair being on the UK’s sex offend- to a family with three young children. ers register. The Olive Press has discov- The following year he ered that Lewis, who is now relocated to Madrid awaiting trial for child sex and began teaching offences at Centro Peniten- children at a wellciario Madrid V, managed to known language acadhoodwink TWO schools and emy after getting a a language academy after criminal record check creating a new identity, us- from Zaragoza police to show he had no ing forged documents. NAMES: Lewis Former colleagues of the sex convictions in Spain over the and doctored and his real passport offender revealed that he previous 12 months. created a new name to dodge Then in December 2017 he tencing in the UK he changed criminal record checks in accepted a job as an English his name by deed poll from Ben order to run summer camps teacher at a leading semi-pri- David Lewis to Ben David, in a and teach private classes to vate (concertado) secondary process that takes just 15 minschool that receives subsi- utes. young children. He then applied for and reHe had changed his name to dies from the state. Ben David after being con- “He was going by the name ceived a British passport in his victed in June 2016 of taking Ben David by then and was new name, while he also preand possessing indecent im- offered the job after another sented a doctored photocopy teacher dropped out mid- of his ages of children in England. Israeli passport stamped As well as being placed on term,” a former colleague and verified by a non-existent the sex offender list and be- Natasha Fitzsimons told the law firm that showed his name Olive Press. as Ben David Rose. “I think they were desperate The Olive Press has seen phototo fill the position so maybe copies they weren’t as thorough as degree of these, plus a teaching and Qualified Teaching they should have been. Status (QTS) certificates presented in the name of Ben David Rose as well as certificates Horrified in his original name. “We worked together at the school for 18 months, took What is amazing is that by April 2019 he had applied for a on private classes together teaching job at a leading private going to the homes of some of the children for extracur- school in the upmarket Arturo ricular teaching and ran a Soria district that teaches the British curriculum to the chilsummer camp at the school dren of Madrid’s elite. during 2018,” said the Irish By now he also had a DBS cercolleague, who is filled with tificate (a criminal record check horror at the access he had to children. The Olive Press has discovOpinion Page 6 ered that the day after sen-

The

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...and our team of long-term writers, recall their decade and a half living in the world’s most exciting country. See pull-out inside.

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Vol. 2 Issue 52 www.theolivepress.es March 25th - April 7th 2021

Are you feeling depressed? Addiction problems?

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Lessons needed

OL VE PRESS

Costa Blanca Sur - Issue 36

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Our story ‘No one knows the real implications if Brits overstay the 90-day rule’ drew a response Ban and a fine OF course we know what w hap pen t w be the same th ng that has been happen ng for years to Amer can and Canad an tour sts who overstay n the Schengen area t s up to the d scret on of the offic a who catches the scofflaw but they may mpose a fine of thousands of euros and a mu t year ban from the Schen gen area f they so choose

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FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL

SE9VILLA SPECIAL

April 8th April 21th 2021

As the Olive Press prepares to launch a brand new travel website, we give you a preview by taking a look around Andalucia’s historic capital

Snapshots of Sevilla

STUNNING: Sevilla is a city noted for its beauty, architecture, gardens and lifestyle By Dilip Kuner

HE streets of Sevilla are normally thronging at this time of year. Tens of thousands of people flock to the capital of Andalucia to witness and savour the solemn pasos, or processions, that wend their way through the historic heart of the city at Easter. An extremely popular tourist destination - equally busy for the Feria de Abril a few weeks later - Sevilla is famous for its beautiful architecture as well as its outdoor lifestyle and terrace dining. But, as these pictures show, now is the time to visit if you want to avoid the queues - and it is all down to COVID-19 restrictions. Of course you may have to wait a few weeks for the restrictions to finally lift, but these photos give you a taste of the treats in store when you CAN finally make a trip to one of the most famous cities

in Spain. In this four-page special, to celebrate the launch of our dedicated travel portal to Spain, the Olive Press takes a look at some of the highlights of Sevilla. The first city to be spotlighted in our new travel website, in the coming months we will be taking a close look at Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Madrid and Valencia, plus all the other key destinations around Spain. Aside from the articles included here, there will be dozens more vignettes and features on Sevilla and its wonderful province. This includes potted guides to the key towns of Carmona, Ecija, Osuna, as well as special features on the curious communist town of Marinaleda, mountain escapes like Cazalla de la Sierra and the wonderful Roman city of Italica. At the moment, while many foreign tourists are missing out on their travel dreams, at least the local expats can make the most of what is easily Europe’s most diverse and colourful country. Watch out for the new portal which will be at: https://travel. theolivepress. es/

EMPTY: Sevilla’s streets are normally packed at Easter (below centre)

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Barack Obama

Uma Thurman

April 7th March 25th- -April April20th 7th 2021

Time travel

Columbus

OU can easily picture Christopher Columbus setting off for the Americas as you stroll along the banks of the Guadalquivir in Sevilla’s central neighbourhood of El Arenal. The medieval shipyards here - which have existed since the days of Julius Caesar - are central to this ancient city’s history. Boasting a Gothic style, the galleys they built played an important role in the battle for the Strait of Gibraltar and the Hundred Years’ War - and more notably as the launchpad for Columbus’ explorations. (They also played an important role in the fictional world of Game of Thrones, posing as the crypts of the Red Fortress in the seventh season of the hit fantasy

There’s no better place to get lost in history than Sevilla, the city which hosted the departure of Christopher Columbus - just ask the likes of Barack Obama and Uma Thurman, writes Laurence Dollimore

series). the explorer’s plundering of South AmerTo this day you can sail along the river, ica, saw the country’s empire become just as the explorer did, and gaze in awe among the most powerful in the world. at the medieval marvels along the way. Between 1492 and 1681, gold and othAnd just a stone’s throw er minerals from the ‘New away in the Santa Cruz World’ catapulted Spain neighbourhood you’ll find into an era of wealth and Murillo and the tomb of Columbus at prosperity, with its literaVelazquez are ture and arts also flourthe Catedral. The largest Gothic church ishing (showcased best just two who in the world, covering at the Museo de Bella some 23,500sqm, it chose to live in Artes). was completed in the Just ask the greats Muearly 1500s before being the historic city rillo and Velazquez, who registered as a UNESCO chose to live in the romanWorld Heritage Site in tic city. 1987. The former has gorgeous gardens It is one of dozens of remnants from named after him while you can still visSpain’s Golden Age, which, thanks to it the birthplace of the latter tucked behind a narrow street in the Alfalfa neighbourhood. Luckily for us, the era also saw the Habsburg Dynasty solidify HE Alameda neighbourhood is the area surrounding and including the Alaand create some meda de Hercules, a long mall accompanied by bars, cafes and restaurants of the cities most on either side. stunning sites. Lying in the northern part of the city’s old town, the Alameda was once a These include meeting point for the elites in the 1800s. the stunning Real However following the Spanish Civil War, it quickly deteriorated into one of the Alcazar palace poorest barrios and was ravaged by drugs and prostitution - with up to 35 brothand gardens, just els operating in 1989. opposite the CatBut it is now back in action following a rescue plan in the early 2000s which saw traffic limited and the promenade edral. restored, and lined with poplar and hackberry trees. Declared a World Today it is the place to be for the young, cultured and anyone looking for a good time. Heritage Site by It also the most gay-friendly quarter of Sevilla, with bars like Dilema, Nua and 1987 acting as the warm up acts to nightUNESCO in 1987, clubs Holiday, Fun Club, Men to Men or Itaca. it is among the There are also great cocktail bars like Gigante (which does a great Moscow Mule) and a flavourful selection of restauoldest palaces rants, from the traditional to the nouvelle. in Europe having begun conEATING... struction in 913, If you’re looking for gastro-tapas then you cannot leave Sevilla without visiting Eslava (on Calle Eslava). You may have when the caliph to queue to be seated (opt for a spot at the bar for a shorter wait) but it is more than worth it with one of the quirkiest of Andalucia Abd and tastiest menus around. al-Rahman III first Among the classic pork ribs and solomillo or jamon, other highlights include Vaca Tataki (beef tataki), vegetable strudel and manchego cheese ice cream. For Middle Eastern fusion head to Arte y Sabor, situated along the Alameda promenade. Boasting a sun-kissed terrace it is unique in its wide range of vegetable dishes and innovative and creative salads. If you want something more traditional, stop at Casa Ricardo, which has been serving locals since 1898. Their melt-inthe-mouth jamon can be knocked back with a cold sherry while enjoying the old-school writing of orders with chalk on the bar and walls adorned with religious art. If you’re looking for something less Spanish, Nickel has some of the best burgers in Sevilla while Al Solito Posto has delicious pizzas. Or if you want a taste of gentrified London, head to the Cereal Cafe.

Potted barrios guide to... Alameda

decided to build a fort. However, it was along Calle Betis. over 500 years that the grounds were The riverbed comes alive with food and added to by successive Moorish, Chris- drink stalls lining the riverside calle while tian and finally Catholic rulers, making it during the day a centuries’ old competione of the most emblematic attractions tion known as the La Cucana sees parin a region characterised by its multicul- ticipants attempt to walk along a boat’s tural history. bow which has been slathered in grease And don’t miss the Giralda bell tower at- and attempt to catch a little flag attached tached to the Catedral, the top of which at the end - with prizes for those who is accessed via a series of ramps which complete the task. used to be ascended by Moors on horse- Back over the river, however, something back before calling citizens to prayer. new is brewing. But it’s not just the old town centre In the central neighbourhood of Alfalpacked with sites, with medieval church- fa, the Soho Benita area is proving this es, convents and centuries-old food mar- ancient city can also host 21st century kets around every corner. gems. No neighbourhood knows this more than Covering six streets (Golfo, Perez Galdos, Triana. Don Alonso el Sabio, Ortizo de Zuniga, Once home to sailors, potters, Flamenco Santillana and Jose Luis Luque), it indancers and bull-fighters, Triana’s rich corporates around 20 small businesses, history is as colourful as its buildings including a modern art gallery, nail salon which light up the river bank on its iconic and traditional barbers, and was recently Calle Betis. tipped as a must-place to visit by the New The barrio was once known as an arra- York Times. bal, the name given to areas separated The newest arrival is the RecoVeco from the centre of Sevilla. And many in restaurant on Calle Ortizo de Zuniga, the town still see themselves as strictly opened just this year. trianero and distinct from The Spanish ‘heritage’ the rest of the Sevillanos, eatery promises traditionoften referring to the al and seasonal AndaBelieved to neighbourhood as the lucia dishes but with an Independent Republic of Avant Garde twist - and all have been Triana. in a super-chic setting... founded by the the perfect place to treat Believed to have been founded by a Roman col- Roman emperor yourself or loved ones for ony under emperor Traa night. jan, it is entered by crossAnd you wouldn’t be the Trajan ing the Isabel II bridge, a first to want to hang out in landmark in itself. the Alfalfa barrio. It’s home to a traditional Former US President pottery and tile industry - with a museum Barack Obama was papped entering the paying homage to the crafts - vibrant fla- popular eatery Bache San Pedro after menco festivals and hugely popular mar- attending a climate change summit in kets and festivals. the city. If you’re braving the Sevilla heat between No one knows what he opted for, but the July 21 and 26, don’t miss the Vela San- pork with ‘special sauce’ is sublime, as ta Ana festival held every day and night is its famous cheesecake, made with

SITES….

At either end of the promenade you’ll find two Roman-style columns. The northern side features a lion atop each column while the other end features Hercules and Julius Caesar. The two lions and Hercules represent the emblem of Andalucia, which bears the Pillars of Hercules and, obviously, two lions. Legend has it that Hercules founded Sevilla while Julius Caesar also ruled it for a time. Head to Convento Santa Clara and marvel at its impressive cloister which is frequently used for exhibitions. While there, don’t miss the Torre de Don Fadrique, named after the late owner of the site and which offers a stunning example of early Gothic architecture in Sevilla. Built in 1252, the tower is also surrounded by beautiful gardens. Finally, the Convento San Clemente is adorned with fascinating frescoes and artwork from the 1500s and you can also buy some pastries made by the nuns who live there. STUNNING: The Moorish Alcazar is a must-see in Sevilla

A L L I V E S FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL L A I C E SP www.theolivepress.es

April - April 21th 2021 7th8th 20th April 8th - April 21th 2021

OLD AND NEW: The architecture of Sevilla is stunning, whether it is the El Salvador church (far left) historic centre or the modern La Seta (above) payoyo cheese from the hills of Cadiz. Back in 2015, Uma Thurman dressed up as the Virgin Mary while drinking at the uber traditional El Garlochi bar - a watering hole like no other, with more religious art than wall space and only the holiest of music blaring through the speakers. Alfalfa provides the perfect snapshot of Sevilla, where centuries’ old traditions live in harmony alongside 21st century upgrades. Just head to the modern-day Las Setas in the neighbouring Encarnacion barrio. Officially known as the Metropol Parasol, the imposing structure boasts six parasols and is spread over four levels. It was designed by Berlin architect Jurgen Mayer who entered into a government-run competition to renovate the area in the early 2000s.

Repeatedly ranked as the number one tourist attraction in Spain by TripAdvisor users, the Plaza de Espana is truly a work of art. Designed by Caidon Fox for the 1929 Sevilla Expo, it was created to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits at the historic fair. The complex is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge, boasting a mix of 1920s Art Deco, Baroque and Neo-Mudejar styles The buildings are accessible via four bridges - representing the

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Plaza de España four ancient kingdoms of Spain - built over a moat which runs the whole length of the complex. In the centre sits the Vicente Traver fountain while by the walls are tiled alcoves, each depicting a different province of Spain. If you REALLY have time to kill, you can row a boat in the moat in what is possibly the most unnecessary tourist trap - although it does make for a nice photo.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL April 8th - April 21th 2021

IT is known as El Sarten, the frying pan of Spain because it’s location in a dip surrounded by the olive groves of La Campina means it regularly records the hottest temperatures in southern Europe. But Ecija is also dubbed the ‘City of Towers’ and ‘City of Palaces’, no surprise when you see the skyline interrupted by several dozen towers, some with detailed ceramic work and usually topped by a stork nest. Located 85km from Sevilla, a visit to this gem of a town is like stepping back in time. And if you are struggling under the weight of tourism in the provincial capital, or nearby Cordoba, you certainly won’t be here: It’s unlikely you’ll hear a single English accent, even after COVID. Narrow cobbled streets, white-washed

SEVILLA SPECIAL

April 7th March 25th- -April April20th 7th 2021

Fry away inland Ecija: A visit to the charming city known as ‘the frying pan’ of Spain, where ‘cat soup’ is on the menu By Fiona Govan

houses and alluring porticos reveal glimpses of bloom-filled patios within. While avenues are lined by orange

STUNNING: One of dozens of mosaics found

ROMAN CITY: Ecija is awash with historic monuments and priceless Roman statues

trees, their blossom filling the air with the powerful scent that screams this part of Andalucia. Once an important Roman settlement known as Astigi on the via Augusta, or A-4, the longest and busiest Roman road in ancient Hispania, the town became Madinat al-qutn (City of Cotton) when it fell under Arab rule in 711 and was renamed Ecija when Christian settlers moved in after the reconquest in 1240. This is the place to visit churches, even just to raise your eyes to admire towers such as Las Gemelas (the twins) of the Iglesia de la Purísima Concepcion or the exquisite triple bell tower of Iglesia de San Juan. For fans of the Baroque style, don’t miss a visit to the Church of Limpia Concepcion with its fabulously ornate plasterwork ceiling, decoration that was added in the 18th century and the Iglesia de los Descalzos with an altarpiece which is said to rival that of Sevilla’s cathedral. Then there’s the palaces. In the 18th century the city was home to 40 noble families whose patronage saw Ecija transformed under a golden age that is still possible to see glimpses of today, with some open to the public. At the Palacio de los Palma the rooms

are preserved as they were in its heyday with all the original furniture, while Palacio de Peñaflor is the place to marvel at frescos - some of the best in Spain - stretching across 60 metres of its exterior walls. The Palacio de Benamejí is home to the tourist office, a good courtyard restaurant Las Ninfas (with its Roman statues) and the Museo Historica which boasts a series of breathtaking mosaic floors from Roman times. It also housesthe 2,000-year-old Amazona Herida, a perfectly preserved statue which was discovered in 2007 when digging out a car park under the city’s Plaza España. Dine out with locals at one of the many restaurant terrazas in Plaza España or around the fountain in Plazuela de Santa Maria or grab a table on the little Plaza del Nuestra Señora del Valle and enjoy views across to the magnificent half ruined Iglesia de Santa Cruz, which was damaged in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

WHERE TO EAT

eing the capital city of Andalucia, the dining scene in Sevilla is unsurprisingly diverse. Famous for its central tapas bars, where locals typically tapear at up to five or six different bars in a session, it also has a bustling restaurant community that is as competitive as it is var-

ied. I first found the likes of Tribeca and Abantal over a decade ago, buzzing joints that I included in my book and website Dining Secrets of Andalucia. They are still around today, with the latter now with its own Michelin star, thanks to the hard work of its chef Julio Quintero. He himself had trained at the legendary Taberna del Alabardero, a glamorous grand dame of the local dining scheme that had its own culinary training scheme, but is, to be fair, a little stuffy. I also picked Vineria de San Telmo in a great location next to the Alcazar, which brilliantly combines good food and wine. Its Argentinian boss Juan

MIX: duck ham tapa at Casa del Tigre and La Sal terrace

CREATIVE: sea urchin dish at Canabota and (right) Eslava

MY TOP FIVE IN SEVILLA Jon Clarke shares his dining secrets in the Andalucia capital

Tarquini skillfully manages to provide both at excellent prices, and it’s still around today. But you should also look next door where there is a brand new hip joint freshest seafood on offer called Bar la Sal, serving up the very and changes by the day with best local seafood - particularly tuna a new menu. - that you can imagine. It’s not cheap, but it’s the Opening in December 2020, its dy- place to have shellfish, namic owner Charo Alvarez already such as razor shells, which has another restaurant in the city were served with a delicious and a famous joint in cream of algas Zahara de los Atunes, soup or the on the Costa de la Luz, amazing puntilA wonderful in Cadiz. litas with fresh With this place she peas and an mix of flavours wanted to make it more onion caldo. informal, less punishBut its piece de from around ing on the pocket, yet resistance was Spain and still serving up the best the medley of bluefin tuna you will cuts of Mero, Spain’s abroad ever eat in a dozen difmost popular fish ferent guises. known as ‘grouper’ At least three of her in English. We had tuna starter dishes have won prizes an amazing trio of belly, fillet and as the best tapa in Zahara’s famous spine, some of the tastiest fish I annual tapas competition. have ever eaten. It’s the most buzzing spot around this The wine list is great and you can Spring and you will need to book one have Bollinger champagne by the of the excellent terrace tables that glass at €10. sit next to the For a totally different take on dinc e l e b r a t e d ing, head to the recently opened Jardines de La Casa del Tigre which is one of Murillo park the most romantic, original diners with its amaz- in Andalucia. ing trees. Opened by four friends just before A n o t h e r the COVID lockdown in December amazing fish 2019, it got its name after an old restaurant - zookeeper who infamously kept a probably the tiger upstairs in his flat for years. best in Sevilla It is sumptuously decorated with and, among acres of velvet, but also stylish the best I patterns and artworks, doffing have eaten at their hat appropriately to African in Andalucia - wildlife. is Canabota. The food is hard to describe as This minimal- anything other than eclectic, but ist joint only it is a wonderful mix of flavours has the very from around Spain and abroad, in-

cluding fish cheeks, beef mollejas (glands next to the heart basically) and the most amazing Taco de Puchero, basically an unreconstructed grandma-style croquette. Don’t miss the cool foie and duck ham starter that comes on a bed of lettuce, while the wine list was exceptionally good, with plenty of wines by the glass. Finally, if you’re looking for gastro-tapas then you cannot leave Sevilla without visiting Eslava (on Calle Eslava conveniently). You may have to queue to be seated (opt for a spot at the bar for a shorter wait) but it is worth it for one of the most original menus around. Among the classic pork ribs and solomillo or jamon, other highlights include Vaca Tataki (beef tataki), vege• La Casa del tigre table strudel • Canabota and manchego cheese • Bar la Sal ice cream. • Esclava

• Vineria San Telmo

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL Getting back to normal

April 8th April 21th 2021

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RECORD breaking chef Pepe Becerra has passed away at the age of 70. He had become a symbol for Spanish gastronomy,and was regarded as a hero in his local town of Castellon. His many successes include Guinness World Records for the largest ever potato omelette, the biggest fideua – a typical Valencian fish and noodle dish – and the largest salad in the world. Although originally from Badajoz (Extremadura), Chef Becerra was linked to Castellon Province for the whole of his professional career. After running several top restaurants in the 1970s, Becerra was best known for preparing giant paellas for thousands of people over the years. BOTTLED water sales in Spain have risen by 8.5% between 2015 and 2019 with higher increases in regions where people don’t like the taste of their tap water. A survey compiled by the Sustainability Observatory showed that in 2019, which offers the last available annual figures, the average

SPAIN’S Tourism Minister has said that she is ‘confident’ that the new EU vaccine passport will be ready by July. Reyes Maroto (pictured) says it will play a key role in allowing foreign holidaymakers to return this summer. “The digital passport will hopefully be ready by July and will help everybody to be safer,” she commented. Officially called the ‘Digital Green Certificate’, the pass will be free and bilingual in the language of the issuing

Tapped out

Spanish bottle spend was €62 per annum. People in the Canary and Balearic Islands spend up to €140 each year on bottled water. The Costa Blanca region has

EU vaccine passport in July but UK not included By Alex Trelinski

EU member state and English. It will be available in either digital or paper formats and will have a QR on it to guarantee security and also the authenticity of the certificate. Maroto said that her department had done surveys that shown a 12% hike in bottled water purchases in the four years up to 2019, with an average annual spend of €85. Murcia’s average is just below €90 per annum. At the other end of the scale, the northern Basque Country comes in at €20, which the survey concludes is a strong endorsement of their local tap water taste.

show that ‘travellers want to come to Spain’ and that the pandemic had ‘not damaged the brand’. The minister added that previous mooted plans for ‘safe tourist corridors’ would not be needed as the digital passport was now the way forward

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Summer

“It may not be the summer that we all want but are getting ready to welcome back tourism on a gradual basis,” she stressed. The vaccine passport works ‘both ways’ and will therefore allow people living in Spain to travel freely to other EU countries. The UK, as a non-EU member, still has to decide on whether it will introduce a similar scheme.

Av. Regne de València 15-3, 46005 València (España)

GREEN

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What is Bitcoin doing for our environment, asks Martin Tye

GOOD question when you consider Spain’s move to a renewable and sustainable future. We all prefer good news rather than bad. Sweet is better than sour. Positive better than negative. How inevitable when elections were looming in Spain in 2019, the Government raised its renewable energy target to 74% by 2030, with a goal of 100% sustainability by the year 2050. This is all conveniently in line with the climate neutral strategy set by the European Union. The main technologies to be employed to achieve this target are wind and solar. How are we faring so far:

WIND

In 2020 wind power generation represented 28,000MW capacity. The target for 2030 is 50,000MW. So basically an increase of 78%. 100% Certified Green Energy

April 8th - April 21th 2021

IS THERE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? So is this going to be possible? We would all like to think so, but as I have commented before, if we (the government and us) all do a little, we will only achieve a little. I really want to believe we are on the right track, but then I read an article that illustrates human madness in its finest form.

SOLAR

In 2020 solar power generation represented 8,500MW capacity. The target for 2030 is 37,000MW. So an increase of 335%!

Bitcoin in the works

No matter how many times my learned friends try to explain Bitcoin to me, my eyes still gloss over. It’s a bit like Ohm’s law and why Easter is a different date every year, and Christmas not. What I do understand though is that creating bitcoins uses more energy than Spain does, according to research by the University of Cambridge this year. In order to ‘mine’ Bitcoins, as you do, specialised computers (usually large numbers of them, even warehouses full of them) are connected to the cryptocurrency network. They all commune together for a period of time, using a lot of electricity, and, hey presto, a bitcoin is birthed! The problem is, do we really need to have them? Why can’t we just use the normal banking system? I can’t help but think all this electricity is being wasted in a lottery, fuelled by human greed. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Or are we our own worst enemy? You tell me. SEND ME YOUR COMMENTS AT….. Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch copany Mariposa Energy. Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es

ECTRICITY

Plenty of juice YOUR ENERGY BILL

A SPANISH city is turning a squishy mess into green electricity. While orange trees are an emblematic part of Sevilla - with the heavy scent of their blossoms ladening the air at the moment - disposing of fallen and rotting fruit has long been a problem. The bitter oranges are not a popular choice for eating amongst Spaniards and are grown mainly for their fragrance and colourful display. Some of the fruit from Sevilla’s 50,000 orange trees are exported to the UK, to make ‘Seville’ marmalade, but most end up falling onto the city’s streets, where they rot and can cause people to slip as well as attracting flies and insects. Now, the city is turning this nuisance into clean energy. The city’s water utility company Emasesa has started a pilot scheme that uses the waste oranges to generate clean energy that runs one of its purification plants. The juice from the citrus fruit is combined with sewage and left to rot. As the mix decomposes and ferments, methane is released. This in with Mariposa Energía turn is burnt to power a generator to produce king a switch electricity. Results of the pilot show that a ton of oranges can produce up to 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity – enough to power five homes for A QUOTE TODAY one day. Emasesa says if all Sevilla’s oranges were harvested, they could create enough electricity to 20 830 power 73,000 homes. AENERGIA.ES The skin and pips of the fruit are used to make organic fertiliser. AENERGIA.ES

Green matters

By Martin Tye

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ENERGY: Oranges are the new green

Staying clean MORE than half of the energy generated in Spain during March came from renewables. Some 53.7% of power came from solar, photovoltaic and wind energy, and 76.9% was produced from technologies that do not emit CO2 equivalent, such as hydro and nuclear. Wind energy was responsible for 25.5% of the electricity produced and continued to be the leading technology in the national mix for the fourth consecutive month. Electricity demand grew 5.2% on the mainland to 20,835 GWh. and increased 1.4% in the Balearic Islands and fell 4.4% in the Canary Islands.

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BUSINESS

April 8th April 21th 2021

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THE FUTURE?: Super-fast travel

A SPANISH consortium is taking on the world as it tries to revolutionise high speed rail travel with a hyperloop project. Zeleros has revealed that it will be taking a six metre life size replica of its hyperloop concept to the Dubai Expo later this year in its first overseas public appearance since its development. Born from a 200-year old idea by British inventor George Medhurst, re-born in 2015 by tech mogul Elon Musk, a crack team from the Polytechnic University of Valencia rose to the challenge to compete in an international competition to bring the concept to reality. The idea of the hyperloop concept is to create a meth-

Off the Rails Spanish firm’s Hyperloop concept to be debuted in Dubai By James Warren

od of transport that utilises vacuum technology to propel passengers and goods at speeds of over 1,000

Locked wallets THE eventual end of COVID restrictions will not lead to a spending splurge. Seven out of 10 people will hang on to any cash they may have saved during the pandemic, according to a global survey. When asked the question: “Are you likely to spend the majority of the extra money you have managed to save over the last 12 months?” 72% responded ‘no’, 16% said ‘yes’ and 12% did not know. The 450-plus respondents were clients of the deVere group who currently reside in North America, the UK, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, Australasia and Latin America. Britons have amassed around £100 billion of ‘excess’ savings during the lockdowns, according to the Bank of England. The household saving ratio soared to an all-time high of 29.1% in the second quarter of last year.

BANKIA is officially no more. The bank founded 12 years ago as a result of merging seven savings banks - including Caja Madrid and the Valencian Bancaixa – and absorbed by Catalan giant CaixaBank in September last year, appeared on the stock market for the last time last

BYE BYE BANKIA week under its own moniker. All Bankia signs and logos will now disappear and the entity will no longer feature on the books, with the new, expanded

kph in a sealed ‘tube’ using magnets that levitate the capsule four inches off the ground. Powered exclusively by electricity, the technology is being heralded as the future of rail transport, is environmentally friendly and hopes to connect Europe’s major cities with a travel time between Barcelona and Paris of under one hour.

Backers

The project has received a handful of high profile backers, including Airbus, ArcelorMittal and Red Electrica and has seen direct support and collaboration with the central government of Barcelona. Ximo Puig, president of Valencia, has been vocal in his support for the project, and will accompany the team to Dubai in October.

CaixaBank entering the Ibex 35. The resulting institution is now the largest financial group in Spain with more than €660 billion in assets, an estimated 50,000 employees and a network of 6,700 branches throughout the country to provide a service for around 20 million clients.

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Talk to the people who know

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PROPERTY

Crypto buyer

AN apartment in Sevilla has become a nationwide first by being the first property in Spain to be sold using crypto currency. Investors hope that it is the first of a new trend in property sales. The apartment was bought using Ether (ETH) the digital currency of the crypto provider Ethereum. It was put up for sale on the Spanish crypto exchange program Criptan through the real estate investment firm Rental IT for the price of €55,000. The funds were raised through a collective of 32 international buyers from Spain, Argentina and Mexico who invested a minimum of €100. The property will now be rented out by Rental IT.

€20m makeover

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Optimism over prospects of property market recovery AN international real estate consultancy says it is optimistic about a property recovery later this year as the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out. CBRE Spain commissioned an investor survey which shows that 55% of European property investors plan to build in Spain this year.

Looking up

Climbing

That takes in both commercial and private developments with purchases potentially climbing up to 20% more than last year, when business was severely curtailed due to pandemic restrictions. CBRE Spain's Mikel Marco-Gardoqui said: “The survey sug-

gests that there are genuine grounds for optimism in the property sector, helped by increased vaccinations.” The survey says 56% of investors are keen to attract and retain solvent tenants, and to

SKY HIGH RENTS SWANKY: Princess Di stayed here three times THE owners of one of Spain’s most luxurious hotels that hosted Princess Diana and the Rolling Stonesare to be handed a €20 MILLION grant to reopen its doors. The European Regional Development Fund has pledged to support the reopening of the Hotel Byblos in Mijas, which

has been closed since 2010. Its previous owner, UK business tycoon Lord Alan Sugar, had been embroiled in a lengthy legal wrangle with troubled developer Aifos. After finally settling, Madrid-based Ayco Inmobiliaria snapped up the 135-room hotel pledging to reopen it.

VALENCIA has seen the sharpest rise in home rents in Spain, with one third of residents now paying more than they can afford. A new report by trades union Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) entitled ‘Rented housing in Spain’ warns that nearly a quarter of a million people currently spend more than 30% of their income on monthly rent payments. This is leading a large percentage of these 244,900 citizens to be in a situation of high risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to CCOO. On the other end of the scale, most property owners are said to have two or more houses on the market, while

work towards increasing their rental income by expanding their portfolio of homes and business properties. Pressure on landlords to keep home rental prices affordable, especially in large cities, could

mean residential property investors who are able to undercut market rates for tenants will find the houses and apartments they buy in high demand. In spite of the sharp rise in home-working forced upon most countries by the pandemic, sales and purchases of office blocks continue to be one of the favourite areas for investment, with 52% saying this was their preferred option. Domestic properties like apartment blocks or urbanisations consisting of several villas, are the second-most popular type of likely investment in Spain this year. 14% of investors told the survey that this would be their main objective for 2021.

there is a growing interest on behalf of investment funds such as CaixaBank and Blackstone to cash in on the renting sector. Official figures show that the Valencia region is leading the increase in rent costs in Spain due to demand being higher than offer, with prices doubling in the capital city over the last five years thanks to a boom in the foreign market. Although prices have stabilised over the last few months, experts predict further hikes once the uncertainty caused by COVID blows over and tourism returns. CCOO’s analysis of the statistics suggests that families who live in rented accommodation generally have more precarious economies and are forced to make an extra effort to meet excessive charges levied by an ‘inefficient and speculatory market’.

LA CULTURA

Do you have a what’s on?

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Floored!

ONE of the biggest Roman mosaics ever found has been unearthed. The El Altillo Roman Villa complex was discovered in an olive grove near the village of Rus in Jaen after fragments of the floor were spotted. A team from Jaen University led by Marcos Soto Civantos and Jose Luis Serrano Peña excavated the site to reveal an extensive villa dating mainly from the 4th century AD. Within the villa, a mosaic measuring 18 metres by nine was discovered. It consists of geometric designs and guilloche patterns. Next to the villa, archaeologists also found a cemetery, a tile kiln and an olive oil mill. Rus Mayor Manuel Hueso now wants the site to be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest allowing the town council to secure grants for future digs and to preserve the remains.

IT is one of the most famous and popular beaches on Southern Spain’s Atlantic coast. Its kilometres of white sandy beaches have proven to be an irresistible draw for families bringing their children for a fun day by the sea. But it would seem that there is nothing new in this – proof has just been discovered that Neanderthal man did just the same thing 106,000 years ago.

Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Footloose Modern humans following in the footsteps of Neanderthals

Play Fossilised footprints from what appears to be a family group – young children included – have been found that scientists believe show the youngsters skipping around – as if at play around a lagoon. The discovery was made by chance. Two biologists from the nearby Doñana national park - Dolores Cobo and Ana Mateos - were taking a stroll along the Matalascañas beach when they came across a section of beach in front of the Asperillo Cliff that had been washed away by winter storms. Revealed were numerous footprints made by deer, wild boar and dogs. But what re-

SPAIN will use tax credits as an incentive to boost TV and film production by 30% over the next four years. Bolstered by the international success of Money Heist and an increase in big budget movies and TV shows working out of Spain, the government has announced a move to expand production still further. Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, unveiled the plans which also include the creation of an Audio-visual ‘Hub Bureau’ to entice foreign producers to invest in Spain and Spanish companies.

PRINT: Proof that the beach has long been popular

By Dilip Kuner

ally caught the attention of the team of researchers from the University of Huelva who came to study the site was

the presence of hominid footprints. After months of analysis, the results of the study have just been published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. In addition to studying the shape

Cash action Over €2 billion of film tax credits will be offered as an additional carrot up to 2025. Spain has a recent history of providing locations to series like Game of Thrones and more recently Warrior Nun on Netflix, as it offers tax incentives and low overhead involving local production companies and facility providers.

of the feet of the Neanderthals who made them, they have been able to establish the biological and social characteristics of the group that set foot on the beach of Matalascañas millennia ago. Researchers believe the footprints were made by nine adults, 15 adolescents and seven children. The presence of children and women indicates that the lagoon could have served as a playground for the youngest members of the group, while the abundance of mammals and the proximity to the coast made it a very useful place for hunting and fishing.

Love of music A RECORD number of people gathered at a concert hall in Barcelona to watch the Spanish band Love of Lesbian perform, marking Europe’s largest musical event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 5,000 packed into the Palau Sant Jordi hall as part of the government sanctioned concert to test whether events in controlled settings could restart again without contributing to the spread of coronavirus. Ticket holders were asked to take a high-speed antigen test ahead of the sold out show, with ticket prices covering the cost of the test as well as a face masks which had to be worn for the duration of the show. People with heart disease, cancer, or those who have been in contact with someone infected by COVID-19 in recent weeks were asked not to sign up. The concert was backed by local authorities .

Shackleton’s September Start A

NEW international school with an innovative way of teaching will open in Valencia this September in spite of the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shackleton International School in Burjassot, which is still being built, will be an offshoot of the Superfriends English nursery that has provided early learning for youngsters up to the age of six for the last decade. Shackleton School managing director, Celeste Cutter (pictured right), said: “We’ve been wanting to do this for five years and the last two years has seen the plans come to fruition after finding a suitable location for the school. “The pandemic did create uncertainty and make things more nerve-racking but it did not derail our objectives or lessen interest from parents wanting to send their children to us.” The school is named in honour of the great explorer, Ernest Shackleton, who with a combination of integrity, leadership, determination, and leadership is viewed as a historical role model. The school philosophy will be about inspiring youngsters with confidence through encouraging creative thinking and talent; speaking a language besides Spanish; and using the latest teaching methods based on the British education system. Celeste explains: “We believe in giving youngsters an education based on values, which goes beyond just subjects and the curriculum. “We want all of the pupils to develop values like effort; curiosity; companionship; being adaptive; and respect though strengthening their inner-self and through their social interaction.” There has already been a good uptake of children enrolling for Shackleton, many of whom have been at Superfriends, with the new school catering for youngsters aged up to 11. Celeste said that many of the pupils at Superfriends and the future Shackleton school come from families where either their mother or father speaks another language besides Spanish. Children are taught English along with German as a second language at the nursery stage at Superfriends and that will be carried through to the new school.

New international school set to open

“We use the Total English Teaching(TET) method which is similar to the way that young babies learn to speak and we have adapted that technique for the German language,” said Celeste. Shackleton will have 10 teachers who have all worked within the British school system with appropriate qualifications. Celeste Cutter says this is great news for the new enterprise: “We will have a team which is very qualified and we will apply the high British standards to all of the lessons which will be done in an innovative way with the latest teaching methods.”

Philosophy Shackleton will also adapt the current ‘STEM’ teaching philosophy of the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to widen out to become ‘STEAM’ with the inclusion of Arts.

“We want to access the creative potential of children at a young age and we have come up with ‘STEAM’ that harnesses their talent in the widest possible way,” added Celeste. “Every student will get the necessary tools to develop their skills and enhance what they learn with the freedom to be creative.” More details are available via the website, shackletonschool.com or via their Facebook page, Shackleton International School.

LA CULTURA

Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse

WHEN 11-year-old Elsie suffers a tragedy, she returns to her old family home. However a new family lives there now, so Elsie hides. She lives in the attic, the walls, under the house, completely secret and hidden. The house is Elsie’s last connection to the parents she has lost. Eddie is 13 and calls the same house home. But Eddie senses there is a girl in the house, just out of reach in his peripheral vision. When his older brother admits to sensing her too, they formulate a plan to get rid of the presence they are not sure even exists. A captivating and tense novel examining grief and fear of the unknown.

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Madam Dynam te Jack Gaioni honours the Republican resistance fighter whose heroism literally blew people away ….

€16.90 The Bookshop San Pedro, www.thebookshop.es

HE’S dynamite! It’s a compliment today, although you would never have associated the phrase with Rosario Sanchez Mora, had you met her in later life.

Dishevelled

Dishevelled in dress and disabled, with only one hand, she could often be seen on the streets of Madrid selling contraband American cigarettes and snuff. A widowed single mother with two

DEADLY: Rosario took up arms (right) and made grenades daughters, she was hardly the picture of a privileged citizen.

Yet, people who knew the explosive story of Rosario ‘La Dinamitera’ (The Dynamiter)

as she became known, would tell you differently. Not content to stay behind

New Tax Year, New APARI

APPY New Year! No we haven’t gone mad, or hopped into a time machine - we, of course, mean Happy New Tax Year! And a new year means a new start and big changes all around! With the spring budget announcement in March, new tax rates and allowances are now in effect, and it also looks as though we are starting to see the green shoots of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic - putting an end to a year most of us would rather forget! Alongside government and economic changes, APARI are also embracing that ‘New Year, New Me’ feeling with an amazing new look, new logo and, more importantly, at the end of April, we will be releasing our New Software! APARI has been a labour of love for our founders Sudesh & Anita Sud, and the whole team

It’s the time to be thinking about the UK tax year

are really proud of what’s been achieved by the original APARI Product - but staying ahead of an emerging market means we have to adapt and adjust with our users and their UK tax requirements. As showcased during our March Webinar, the upcoming upgrade of the software includes enhanced features designed to make your transition to Making Tax Digital (MTD) as smooth as possible. APARI has been created with you in mind it is not only a tool to calculate and submit tax, but also to manage your property and business portfolio. Our brand new mobile application will enable you to keep up to date on the go, and amazing features such as snap and save receipts along with bank feed connection, will make digital record-keeping near effortless. Some things will stay the same - APARI

has always, and will always, remain free for the whole MTD submission journey, and we will only charge for enhanced optional features.

Right

So, how do you know that APARI is the right product for you? Well, to be honest, that’s something only you can decide - but the joy of APARI is that you can sign up and find out for free! And, even if you’re still unsure, it really is the best time to prepare and start digital record-keeping, ready for the official switch to MTD in the UK in 2023.

But just remember, even though the new APARI software won’t be released until later this month, the current APARI software is always here to support you in the transition to MTD.

Find out more at www.apari-digital.com

LA CULTURA www.theolivepress.es

April 8th - April 21th 2021

All change LIBERTY SEGUROS explains the new changes with respect to the so-called Green Card

the front lines in the Spanish Civil War, Rosario was just 17 (and something of a brunette bombshell herself) when she volunteered for the brigade engaged in the skilled, but extremely dangerous task of making homemade bombs. The only woman at the front, she was given, La Dinamitera, stuck throughout the war. She devised a specialised way of pouring dynamite powder into recycled condensed milk canisters to make hand grenades. Later, she could calculate the calibre of her rudimentary bombs by using fuse variations. But in September 1936, just

a few months into the war, ly sentenced to death by the she came within inches of victorious Francoist governher life when one of her milk ment. However, her sentence can-hand grewas commuted nades detonatto 32 years in ed prematureprison, of which She had lost ly as she was she ultimately throwing it into served three. her hand, youth an enemy bunShe had lost ker. She lost her her hand, her and much of right hand. youth and much her personal Fearlessly deof her personal termined to refreedoms but freedoms turn to the front never the paslines, after her sion for her berecovery she lief in the strugwas back delivering rifles, gle for the Spanish Republic. mail and supplies. She also A war bride, after her resupplied intelligence as a re- lease she tried to find her sistance activist. After the war she was initial- estranged husband but

The beloved Spanish poet and so s playwright, Miguel Hernandez, wa te wro he ry sto life moved by Rosario’s : ode ing the follow

Rosario Dinamitera (the Dynamiter)

The dynamite watched over on your pretty hand envying its fiery attributes… The enemy knew well the hand of this maiden because it ignited the dynamite and made her a star!

Franco had dissolved all Republican civil marriages and he had remarried. To support her family, Rosario set up a tobacco stall in Madrid. She was in her 80s when she was finally formally recognised as one of Spain’s mutilada de guerra (war wounded). She died on April 17, 2008, at 88 years of age and was buried in the civil cemetery of Madrid. With the tricolored Spanish Republican flag waving, Hernandez’s ode (see left) was read aloud to the many who attended. La Dinamitera, fearless volunteer soldier, war veteran, underground resistance activist and lone woman in a man’s world, died a hero. Rest in peace, Rosario.

S of April 1, the green card -which verifies the validity of Compulsory Liability Insurance for vehicles- was no longer green and will now be sent by email to policy holders by their insurance provider. In a move that will see more of the sector enter the era of digital transformation, drivers will be able to print their own green cards, with black and white prints on standard A4 paper. This change has been driven within the decision of The Council of Bureaux, the organisation acting for the protection of cross-border road traffic and coordinating the activities of the different EU members of the Green Card system, to check the validity of Third Party Liability Motor Insurance through a new centralised single platform. Now, using advanced security measures, its centralised web platform will allow insurers of its member countries to generate “QR-coded” Green Cards, which will then be sent to policy holders as downloadable PDFs. So, these documents no longer need to be printed on the traditional, green-coloured paper and as such, the traditional Green Card may simply become black and white. These changes mean that when you are driving in a Bureaux member country, the authorities will be able to check automatically, through this platform, if a vehicle is duly insured. But, despite these changes, LIBERTY SEGUROS reminds that when you are visiting countries that are not part of the European Economic Area (such as the UK and Gibraltar), the green card document, although now a printed version, will be mandatory as it always has been. In the same manner, insured vehicles from countries OUTSIDE of The Council of Bureaux and those that are not part of the European Economic Area (including, UK and Gibraltar-registered vehicles) will also be required to carry the document whilst driving in Spain.

Welcome For LIBERTY SEGUROS, no longer having to print and post Green Cards in a specified colour and format will be a welcome change. For policy holders, LIBERTY SEGUROS assures drivers that the new process is as easy as printing an airline boarding pass. With the changes that surround Brexit, LIBERTY SEGUROS understands that there’s a real need for clear and transparent information regarding changes to driving in Spain, and it remains on-hand to keep you informed with regard to your obligations as a driver. The expat’s preferred insurer, LIBERTY SEGUROS offers a wide range of covers for car insurance that can be tailored to your individual needs, with advantages that stand out against competitors. For example, with LIBERTY SEGUROS, there’s no need to declare vehicle accessories if they have been fitted by the manufacturer; and, in the case of a claim, any luggage or personal belongings are covered up to 500€. LIBERTY SEGUROS also offers extended cover in case of Total Loss or Total Theft at 100% of the value ‘as new’ if the vehicle is less than 2 years old, or at 80% of the value ‘as new’ if the vehicle is between 2 and 3 years old. A courtesy car is included as standard for up to 45 days (35 days for vehicle breakdown) and policy holders are free to choose a garage of their choice in the event of a claim. What’s more, LIBERTY SEGUROS has specific cover for electric vehicles too. There are other benefits as well. With LIBERTY SEGUROS there’s no maximum age for drivers – provided they have a valid driving license – and Roadside Assistance is available from Km.0. Furthermore, with LIBERTY SEGUROS you can also take out car insurance for UK-plated vehicles (except for vehicles registered in Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Gibraltar), as well as cover for classic vehicles and Spanish and UK-registered motorhomes! With an extensive network of more than 300 expatriate brokers and agents that speak YOUR language and who are at YOUR disposal for friendly and expert advice that’s tailored to you, it’s easy to see why LIBERTY SEGUROS has become expat insurance provider of choice in Spain with over 175,000 expat clients.

To find the location of your nearest broker/agent, simply visit: www.libertyexpatriates.es. or call 91 342 25 49.

LA CULTURA

April 8th - April 21th 2021

Surrealist love

As France and Spain agree to set up a joint commission to prepare for the 50th anniversary of the death of Picasso, Dilip Kuner takes a look at the colourful love life of the man behind the paintings

ICASSO was once told by a doctor to have ‘plenty of sex and good wine’ – an adage he certainly must have followed having lived to the ripe old age of 92. To say Picasso had a colourful sex life is an understatement. While there is often talk of his ‘seven’ lovers – who we will take a look at below – the real figure probably runs into the hundreds. Possessive, yet unfaithful, Andalucia’s most famous son rarely committed to women and was untrue even to those he loved dearly.

Virginity

After losing his virginity at the age of 15 in Barcelona, Picasso ended up breaking many a woman’s heart and leaving in his wake at least two suicides and two nervous breakdowns. Yet, without this promiscuous nature, the work of Spain’s most prolific artist would not have been what it was. Indeed, it was at 19, after he slept with the love interest of his impotent friend Carlos Casagemas, causing his subsequent suicide, that he entered his famous ‘Blue Period’, where he used dingy colours to depict miserable scenes incorporating beggars and drunks. “I started painting in blue when I learned of Casagemas’s death,” he later admitted. Picasso’s first real love was Paris ‘it’ girl Fernande Olivier,

MAN OF MANY WOMEN: Fernande Olivier (left) with Dora Maar (main picture) and long suffering first wife Olga Khokhlova cided to take a new lover – Feran artist’s model whose relaxed nande’s friend Eva Gouel. and independent outlook was a Eva later died of tuberculosis, refreshing change from the reli- and while Picasso was devastatgious Spanish ladies and prosti- ed, he still found the energy to tutes he’d hitherto enjoyed. conduct an affair with a woman Fernande sparked called Gaby, a new phase, the while Eva was ‘Rose Period’, Fernande was on her death where from his palbed. often locked up Struggling to let Picasso chose warmer orange and when possesive keep up? So are pink tones, paintwe! ing happy scenes Picasso went Still sad about of harlequins and Eva, Picasso out clowns inspired by went to Rome Fernande’s womanwhere he met ly form. Although Pithe bourgeois casso was possessive and would Russian ballet dancer, Olga often keep Fernande locked up Khokhlova. In 1918 he married when he went out, he soon de- Olga – his first wife – and she

gave him a son, Paulo, whose birth inspired a series of paintings of babies breastfeeding. Olga was insanely jealous, and once again this sour turn was reflected in his painting, which now depicted grotesque females with warped body parts. Indeed, Olga never recovered from her Picasso experience and continued to send hate mail after they split. But she had reason to be jealous – as Picasso had since met 17-year-old Marie-Therese Walter (Picasso was now 46). “You have an interesting face,” the artist told the blonde when he spotted her at a Paris department store in 1927. “I am Picasso.” Marie-Therese provided youthful solace from his bitter wife Olga, and the pair were happy enough to produce another child.“She was the greatest love of his life. He absolutely adored her,” said a friend. Indeed, the Frenchwoman inspired some of the Picasso’s greatest work. His love for her is perhaps obvious by the fact her statue was later placed over his grave. It didn’t, nonetheless, stop him from being tempted by Dora Maar, with whom his secret affair was wrenched out into the open when the two women met by accident in his studio one day. “Marie-Therese turned to me and said, ‘Make up your mind. Which one of us goes?’” Picasso later said. “I was satisfied with things as they were. I told them they’d have to fight it out for themselves. It’s one of my choicest

memories.” And fight it out they did, literally. Dora won the wrestle. She moved in, and Marie-Therese left. Inspired by the drama, Picasso later depicted the mo- LOVER: Eva Gouel with furry friend and (inment in a painting, set) Picasso with Marie-Therese Walter Birds in a Cage (below), where a black dove (Dora) is only of Picasso’s seven to have shown fighting with a white dove the strength to do this. (Marie-Therese). Jacqueline Roque was another of Despite eventually leaving him Picasso’s models, with whom he voluntarily when he started had begun an affair while Fransleeping with new muse Fran- coise was still on the scene. coise Gilot, Dora suffered a men- She was 24, while Picasso had tal breakdown and decided to reached 70. live the rest of her life like a nun, In 1961 she became his second famously saying ‘After Picasso, wife, taking on a secretarial role only God’. to manage his New flame Franwork. coise was 21, But she was posDora decided while he was in sessive, barring to live the rest the artist’s chilhis mid-60s. She went on to and grandof her life like dren bear him two children from the children, Claude house and, una nun after a and Paloma, and derstandably, not breakdown moved to Antibes keen to share her in France – but husband with oththeir bliss was er lovers. shattered when the mentally In painting terms, this triggered unstable Olga, who lived nearby, a throwback to the ‘Blue Period’, started breaking into their home where the artist once again used and physically attacking Fran- glum colours to reflect the incoise. tense goings-on in his private life. The drama continued, with Picas- He painted almost 400 pictures so continuing to philander with of Jacqueline, who some say was new conquests. the only woman to reign Picasso Francoise hated this – but her in – encouraging him to live an allover just told her ‘women are most hermit-like existence during machines for suffering’. his last years. She finally escaped relatively un- While Jacqueline was by Picasscathed, and perhaps was the so’s side when he died in 1973, she later shot herself, unable to cope without the man she had called ‘God’. The cost of Picasso’s attitude to relationships was certainly borne dearly by the women involved. The fruits of this constant stream of emotional turmoil, however, will be appreciated for evermore by those contemplating Picasso’s incredible body of work.

MODEL: Marie-Therese posed for Picasso (left)

HEALTH

April 8th - April 21th 2021

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PHONE operator, Yoigo, has launched a telemedicine service for its customers. At €6 per month, the Doctor Go telemedicine service offers video-consultations with family doctors and specialists, as well as pharmacy services for electronic prescriptions and the delivery of medicines. The service covers two adults and all children within a family unit. The initiative aims for immediate round-the-clock medical care, which includes a chat platform with specialists, access to over 40,000 professionals in the Quiron private medical network, booking of COVID-19 testing and electronic prescriptions with the delivery of medicines.

Eyes right

Don’t miss out on eye tests

PEOPLE are being warned to not skimp on eye tests during lockdown restrictions, with new research revealing 42% of people have noticed sight deterioration since March 2020. This represents a significant increase in the number of people noticing a deterioration in their vision during the first lockdown (34%) as reported by Specsavers Opticas last year. Yet, the new study by the high street opticians shows that half (50%) of those suffering any deterioration are yet to address the issue and see an optician. It also showed that people are feeling ever more concerned

IMPORTANT: Tests can spot many hidden diseases about leaving their home. These results have been released for World Health Day (April 7) because an eye test is an important health check,

Cloud’s silver lining SPAIN'S lockdowns have seen people turn away from alcohol but some have replaced it with drug taking. An Observatory for Drugs and Addiction survey revealed that binge-drinking was slashed by half due to reduced hours for bars and clubs, but the use of unprescribed drugs has gone up. Health Minister, Carolina Darias, said: “The restrictions on nightlife and leisure venues has almost certainly contributed to the large fall in alcohol abuse, especially ANYONE who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Valencian Community will be able to download a receipt that confirms that they have been jabbed. Details can be obtained via the regional health department website but it has been stressed that it is not a vaccine passport, which the EU

among youngsters.” Around 9.7% of those surveyed said they engaged in binge-drinking, down from 17.2% before the first State of Alarm in March last year. Almost 22% of the survey of 9,000 people across Spain said they had cut back on drinking, as opposed to 3.3% who said they had increased their booze intake. The proportion of people saying they consumed unprescribed drugs grew to 3.1% from 1.9% before the pandemic.

Paper trail will introduce this summer. Health Minister, Ana Barcelo, said: “This is purely aimed at providing information including details of the vaccine brand that has been used and the batch number.” The receipt can be obtained

COLUMNISTS

SOFA SUDS

Jab on

SPAIN will remove the upper age limit for AstraZeneca’s (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine,. Spanish press have reported that the decision to not use it for people aged over 65 has been reversed at the same time as giving approval for the Johnson&Johnson jab to be used for those aged 66 and over. The move came a week after Spain decided to reintroduce the AstraZeneca treatment for people aged 18-65. Several European countries including Germany have restricted use of the AZ drug over blood clot worries. German authorities say nine people have died due to clots soon after being vaccinated with the AZ jab.

by going onto the health website and filling in details from the SIP health card. A security number is then sent to the user’s mobile phone which will allow them to access their information. The website, in Spanish or Valencian, is: coronavirus.san.gva.es

HEN I was young, 'online' meant pegging your washing out to dry. Never thought that one day this innocent household word would signify the demise of high street shopping. Today, with the aid of an iPhone or laptop the world is yours without even leaving your living room. Users have access to checks, cancelled flights, lost luggage, and walevery product, or service under the sun, ranging king miles to find a loo. Go-direct with `Amafrom Bovril to Bolivian holidays, wills to winter zon Travel´ without even stepping outside your woollies, or even pop-up Karma Sutra books. front door. Nothing is out of their reach and that of courTake a virtual reality trip to Australia, land of se includes the latest surge in popularity, home swinging corks, Roo-burgers, and picturesque food deliveries. upside-down landscapes, or maybe Link all these trends to the latest delve into the depths of the Borgovernment survey that shows neo jungle? Sample genuine canover 80% of office workers on nibal soup or collect a souvenir COVID leave who say they preOLD HAC K IN shrunken head (Note: 'Sold Out': fer working at home. So, the THE SUN Emmanuel Macron and Ursula big question must be, are we in Benny Davis von der Leyen; only two Angedanger of becoming a nation of Rambling s of an 80-something expat la Merkels left, but Boris back in couch potato home-bound herstock). mits, or in my language, Sofa If you want that touch of sheer luxury and Spuds? Will online technology eventually incorindulgence, take a virtual sea cruise to the maporate a three-dimensional virtual reality video gic destination of your choice, including realistic with online sales to enable would-be purcharough seas, and 16 meals a day (per person) sers to get a closer tactile examination of goods delivered to your door complete with a midniprior to credit card commitment? ght buffet and sick bags. Suffering from a bit of Just imagine the sales pitch: Through the magic fecal impaction at the moment, the posh name of VR, be transported to a restaurant environfor constipation, so off to the loo with a 3D virment that suits your food mood. Or how about: tual reality video of 'The Shining'. That should Holidays around the globe from the comfort of do the trick! your couch? Avoid the hassle of airport security

and missing these tests can not only put eyesight at risk, but potentially other aspects of their health too. Jorge Martinez de Lizarduy Araico, from Specsavers Opticas, said: “It’s important that anyone noticing a change in their vision gets it seen to right away. “There are several changes we may notice in our vision which could be a sign of a wider health condition. For example, red spots on the front of your eyes, persistent floaters, changes with your eyes such as blurred vision, or yellowing of the eyes can denote health issues from high blood pressure and cholesterol, to liver issues or diabetic retinopathy.”

Keep it on

THE Valencian Health authorities are reminding drivers that masks must be worn inside cars when travelling with people from different households. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to €100, the only exception being children under six years old who are not required to wear facemasks.

Janssen boost AN estimated two million people in the Valencia region will be vaccinated with the single-dose Janssen anti-COVID jab between midApril and September, president Ximo Puig announced this week. The fourth EU-approved vaccine is said to be easier to store and transport, and suitable for anyone over the age of 18.

Think before you post Why Iron Mike Tyson has a point when it come to social media

Lisa Burgess

DON’T advocate violence in any form but Mike Tyson (pictured) has a point when he said ‘social media made you all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it’. The latest figures show there are 3.78 billion global social media users and as a former addict, I can attest to the fact that using it far less has been thoroughly good for my health. I have found that I have accomplished work faster with added creativity. I am less stressed, getting more sleep and have learnt more about myself. I have sat around less, read more books and challenged my mind with puzzles and quizzes. Heated political debates no longer rage into the early hours. We all have that one friend who seems to have the perfect life on social media but, you know what, they don’t. The more they post the less likely they are to be truly happy. You cannot help making social comparisons with them but you are only seeing a narrow view of their life. David Greenfield, PhD at the University of Connecticut

and founder of the Center for Internet & Technology Addiction says that ‘if you are using social media addictively, you have elevated levels of dopamine, so when you stop doing that there is some withdrawal’. The good news is it will only last for a few days. It is not necessary to completely quit social media as it certainly has helped me during my health struggles and connects me with my family and friends around the world. A word to the wise though, think before posting - what happens on social media stays on Google forever!

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FINAL WORDS

WHILE most of us can’t wait to forget all about coronavirus, it seems some people want a permanent reminder, with the numbers of COVID related tattoos featuring bats and masks on the rise, according to tatooists in Malaga.

Boar on NIGHT time curfews have given wild animals the chance to roam further than before, with many towns and cities now hosting growing populations of boars totalling 1 million, according to Madrid University.

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR Vol. 1 Issue 10 www.theolivepress.es FREE

Your expat

voice in Spain April 8th - April 21th 2021

Job’s worth BOTCHED restoration work on a historic Spanish monument has been slammed by critics, comparing the work to a jobbing builder. The renovations completed at Antequera Dolmens in Antequera, Malaga have been lambasted as sloppy by experts from the Department of Prehistory and Archeology of the University of Seville. The professors, who were asked to review the work done on the 6,000-year-old monument, said the damage to the complex

Strike a light A DAZZLING meteor has been filmed soaring across the Spanish sky at 96,000km per hour, with it being spotted streaking from Castilla-La Mancha to Jaen (Andalucia).

Va va voom

was ‘urban cruelty’. Expert Leonardo Garcia Sanjuan quipped: “An architect who builds terraced houses cannot intervene in a 6,000-yearold monument.” Garcia Sanjuan, along with co-author Coronada Mora, warned that the excavations in the Menga dolmen between 1842 and 1847 by Rafael Mitjana and Ardison already ‘changed the appearance’ of this megalithic construction, with ‘the presumed accumulation of the tumular mass extracted in

HISTORIC: The dolmens date back 6,000 years another area different from the original one. They continued that by beginning in the 1980s, ‘there were

Turtley dangerous

PEOPLE are being warned to be on the lookout for a potentially dangerous breed of turtle whose beak can snip of fingers. The Andalucian Environmental Agency (AMA) is investigating the discovery in Huelva of a snapping turtle, an exotic, large freshwater species, originating from America.

Experts blast bodge job restoration

It was found in El Portil, on the coast of Huelva. The turtle is approximately half a metre long and belongs to a species that is potentially dangerous. While rare, a snapping turtle can bite off human fingers or toes with its impressive jaw strength of over 1,000 pounds.

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also interventions that affected the physical integrity of the monuments’ including ‘the brutal exterior transformation of the Viera dolmen in 2004’. The experts also blasted the renovations done between 2001 and 2003 on the interior walls of the Menga dolmen, which they note was done ‘without geologists who knew the properties of the rocks or specialists.’ The authors added that today there is an ‘urban fierceness’ in the Antequera dolmens, which ‘is an intensely urbanised area with concrete paths and squares, parking lots and a visitor centre’.

A CYCLIST crossed paths with the law after giving his bicycle extra speed by attaching an engine to it. The 41-year-old man redefined the meaning of pedal power as he whizzed up an incline on the CV-905 in Torrevieja (Costa Blanca). A Guardia Civil patrol was bemused by the bicycle’s speed especially as the cyclist did not appear to be pedalling. They also thought they heard a purring-noise coming from the two-wheeler. The cyclist realised he had been spotted and decided to revert to peddling the bike himself in the hope of continuing his journey, but to no avail. He was pulled over and the Guardia patrol discovered that he had gone to a lot of trouble to convert his bicycle into a moped. A small engine was attached to the bike’s frame and the diesel tank was hidden underneath a T-shirt so as not to attract any attention. The handlebar had been modified to include links to an accelerator and a brake. The Guardia seized the bike and took it to the ITV test station in Torrevieja who confirmed it had a two-stroke engine capable of going over 50 kilometres per hour.

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