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OWN LOCK-IN
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you to drive The new rules allowing summer in Spain until next Page 6
Spain’s smallest turning it into so myself, we’ve say of Emerald Isle colon a cornucopia even has Guinness pub. And if I job.” and it his regular Friday done a grand his favourUNABLE to haveboozer during lock- lectibles… El Irlandes, after it happily on draught. like a man Called film, night down the Wilde hit on a Martin Scorsese being cooped up I came up with ite his closest pals in for the usual down, expat Conorone - to build his “After in solitary in March real es- fits novel idea for this night Blarney. a plan,” the Valencia-based near Dublin, the Olive Press. Friday own pub! 46, got his mates tate consultant told the garden. I Wilde, from Skerries, Valencia agency The Irish expat, an old shed in his garden shed has run the Found over and converted is Spain’s small- “I had – Tuejar, El Galgot the lads overand we set about for two decades. into what he claims Champ – watering hole. 2.5m, it counts lego & Conor est by Measuring 2.4m FORGET THE DRAUGHT: local and pals at makeshift
! Valencia is open open for visiVALENCIA remains restrictions more tors, with COVID other regions, inrelaxed than most sists tourist chiefs. praised by busiThe city has been alike for its nessmen and tourists
Vol. 4 Issue 97 www.theolivepress.es January 15th - January 28th 2021
By Eugene Costello
which has kept ‘sensible’ approach, as best as posthe economy running sible.
we must move “Life goes on andAntonio Bernabé, forward,” insistedTurismo Valencia director of the Olive Press, this Foundation, to the week. a good balance be“We have struck
Back to Blanca from Va-
How Amy’s guitar-maker world lencia won over the Page 15
The best Spanish shows to get you through the long days at home
While the army is on the streets, 8,000 have died, millions of jobs are at risk and everyone is on a four-week lockdown, there are...
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LIFE OF BRIAN: Always
...REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
normal and keeptween keeping life ing it safe.” down 80% on last While tourism is boss says all activyear, the tourist and museities, including cinemas ums, are open. much of Spain, Best of all, unlike must only stay in locals and tourists and 6am. between midnightto discover the city “It’s a great time adds Bernas there are no queues,” abe. seriously, pandemic the take “We in the right to but we also believe have a full life.” in the Comuto Currently few places restrictions due tough face nidad high infection rates. has developed The city meanwhile, called Valencia On, an activity card can download, not an app anyone just aimed at tourists.
Global warming reverses
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From Joe to Ulysses... the 10 tomes to catch up on Top see
p11
Price of petrol is down
Infection rates are slowing New shelves are finally up
Wuhan’s back to work Bees are buzzing
No weeds in the garden
Quarantinis in abundance
Parking spaces everywhere
Kane and Son will soon
The best nearby escapes the lockdown ends see p11 once
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Blueprint
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March 4th - March
5, starting on April With Semana Santa are worried about businesses in Spain busiest weeks will whether one of Spain’s go ahead as normal. visitors traditionally By Dimitris Kouimtsidis More than a millionand Malaga combined descend on Sevilla and restaurateurs during Holy Week.Spain’s Gross Domestic NERVOUS hoteliers for the devasA total of 14% offrom tourism, according are bracing themselves could have on Product comes Travel Commission. tating effect coronavirus industry. to the European fear Spain’s tourism Eduardo Santandtourist chiefs who It’s Executive Directorof the virus on EuThey are joined by Semana Santa week, er said: “The impact seaa major hit to critical massive — we’re start of the holiday tourism will be ropean which heralds the Airways, losses.” of the company that owns Britisha drop in talking about big here, the son. the surge in cases has seen its number travel any But despite It comes as Spain 150, with the number in Vueling and Iberia suffering has yet to issue 9%, the highest of UK authorities country, as Spain has cases soar to over almost overnight. value of more than warnings to the Madrid doubling analytics firm Forward- company in the Ibex 35. Air Transport Associawith Italy. that Data from travel flights booked The International the virus outbreak will doneUK Foreign Office simply insists addithat alin The Keys shows international comply with any the US were downuntil tion estimates than €26 billion travellers shouldmeasures put in place by from the UK and cost the sector more period up screening most 20% for a five-week 2020. Ralph Hollis- tional the most and Travel and tourism analyst,“If the virus is the Spanish authorities. February 23. football may be Easyjet, Ryanair said: British Airways, all started cancelling ter, from GlobalData impact by the end Meanwhile, the same see page 4 Lufthansa have and those to China. still having could start to inflights within Europe cut prices in order of April, cancellationsas consumers deem a rapid rate Opinion Page 4 Some have drastically with Ryanair reducing crease atto their health to be greater than to fill empty seats,25%. risk the holiday.” flights to Italy by too, with IAG, their need for a Stocks are plummeting
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in advance and Guardia Civil under 24 hours‘not entitled’ to a denuncia to the to Malaga was therefore and reported Griffiths s EXCLUSIVE refund. (OMIC). Trading Standardsregistration de- However clause 11 of the contract, SOCIAL media recommendation By Joshua Parfitt – but for one makes no But without any can be life-saving Blanca expat to see re- seen by the Olive Press, and init will be difficult over-trusting Costathe hands of an mention of cancellations speechless,” Ma- tails will happen in I was absolutely Press. sults. a post led her into to stop this stead details what is present to alleged serial conman. for a pet ria told the Olivethe Olive Press “I’m determined the event no person from insisted Vila. The recommendation using his moth- receive a pet. on Facebook “Articles number of years man,” came up over a in transit and “He is so dodgy, an English motransport company lose €350 to a address and saw Maria Vila is a ‘scam’ and about dogs dying Heart-attack used I then found Jer- er’s number.” other problems. firm she claims Olive client’s bile the would be poor by appropriate one money contacted said the emy insisting operating ‘without it was ‘over- When Griffiths was unrepentant He a pet ‘for charito help bring over dog had died because Press, licences’. business was reg- ty’ in the future. had contacted The 43-year-old to arrange the weight and fat’.” “Most pet trans- and insisted his – however ComDianne Lunt, from She continued: istered in the UK no record of the It comes after her pet pug sufPet Taxi Transport to amazing are London from Marbella, said porters I’ve knownbackwards for panies House has travel of her cat in January. while in tranfered a heart-attack in and will bend over this man is an company ever existing. her home in Spain for the UK’s De- sit under Griffiths from Spain but checks she paid A spokesperson Despite further full to bring her a beloved pet, Compliance Team is 2013. the fra Transport the company in Rex called Gats- utter crook.” in emails that therefor Another expat, Alec Strathern, immediately cancelled kitten, a Cornish Valencia. She and asked for a refund for confirmed Pet Taxi Transalso denounced order ‘no transporter authorisation by to her villa in Gandia, his three dogs owner Jeremy trip. It was only when right) refused the January 25 no refund was Mr Griffiths’. in Torre del Mar, port after claimingin a van without when based transported Griffiths (above with holes Maria had were forced to shell Griffiths, basic compa- However, Malaga, added the com- ‘air conditioning’ and requests to provide Vila became made, she was for a separate near 11’ of in the floor. out an extra €275 ‘violated clause ny information that company to delivera pany’s contract as she cancelled suspicious. into Google transport has now made “I then put his namewebsite, and her kitten.She to find his company 96 649 18 29
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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 sea at El Chaparral. new hotels on the lockdown law - passed during beaches in virgin The the that supposedly is set dozens of previously to allow ed natural protect- took first of many planned protests place outside outlawed proj- The first park of Cabo de Gata. ects to go ahead. council offices involves 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 of homes go the second is for stand of woodlandas well as a final star hotel close up on a heavily-proa two- 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 by 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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N equal world is 1911, so now in a new cenan enabled world. tury and a new decade are This is the theme of we making a difference? to International Wo- At first glance, it’s easy something men's Day 2020. On March say yes. There’s like real 8 the spotlight turns to wo- in the air that feels and men throughout the world change. The #metoo were who are striving for gender #timesup movements where parity in the workplace, in a palpable moment being only their businesses, in sports, women were not were in culture and arts, and in heard, but their voices powerful. They were calling their communities. The movement started in out previously untouchable
Over a century after International Women’s Day first started, Karen Livermore asks, are things really any better in 2020? media giants, companies, politicians and stars. Being male, rich and powerful was suddenly no longer a shield. Out of it has come a real effort to shift, not only
unpalatable men from their positions, but the views they represent, from public acceptance. Things that matter to and affect women, are finally
Last getting heard, and action women is still alarming. 12 months is being taken. But there is year was a dark women kistill so far to go. We may be in Spain with 55 or ex celebrating the downfall of lled either by partnersfigure Harvey Weinstein, and the partners. The highest only the shaming of Placido Domin- since 2015. It's not figugo over his admission of se- country where these in xually harassed women, but res are rising. However,Vox the in Saudi Arabia women are a disturbing move for cuts still high fiving their right to party is lobbying genown a passport without the in funding to combat consent of a male guardian. Continues overleaf Gender violence against
for Spanish residents
We needed to change the work culture
Women on the frontline in Spain Let’s raise a glass to celebrate International Women’s Day 2020 or, as we say in Spain, Día Internacional de la Mujer. Ten women in Spain from all walks of life share their views and inspirational stories
in that we needed to change the work culture and in doing so society if we wanted to see advances the field of equality. Ana Botín, “Since then these ideas have been reflected in the President of equal opportunity policies that we first pushed for in Banesto, then in Santander in the UK and more the Santander in the Santander group as a whole,” she banking group recently continued. “In that speech I emphasised the becompany. And with data Botín made an honorary nefits of diversity in the I explained that having from different studies, more women in managerial positions, apart from being fair, was good for business. Besides talent, the first Award for Responsible Capitalism after women bring skills to business that complement taking the helm the year before. those of men – better interpersonal communicaAna, 59, is also a pioneer. The first woman to run tion, cooperation, horizontal thinking and a capaa major European bank, she’s been ranked eigth city to really listen as well as more empathy and on the Forbes’ list of World’s Most Powerful Wo- the ability to prioritise.” men. Within her corporation, this financial whizz Botín has also introduced a life-work balance has made a point of boosting female direction, ai- scheme because, ‘one of the keys to equal opporming for 30% of its CEOs to be women by 2025 tunities lies in domestic work.’ (they currently account for 20%). Beyond 2025, She said: “For men to increase their share of this the aim is technical equality, which means a 60%- responsibility, we need public policies that allow 40% ratio, irrespective of gender. for greater flexibility in the workplace.” In an article she published on her LinkedIn page Ana is adamant there will be no discrepancy in in response to a debate over her feminist creden- salaries between male and female staff members tials, she wrote, “I have spent years as an execu- taking on equal responsibility in a banking institutive; years in which I have seen enough to knowa tion that is ranked 16th in the world. that in general women don’t get a fair deal… In Forbes magazine also notes that Botín has a pospeech delivered to a room full of men in Bilbao licy of ‘backing small companies and companies in 2008, I talked about the importance of women owned by women’. acting with more confidence in ourselves and
ot only was Ana dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the N Financial sector in 2015, she was also awarded
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British wife of seriously-ill husband cannot return to Spain ‘unless he is close to dying’
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH expat stranded in the UK has been told she can only return to her chronically ill husband ‘if he is on his deathbed.’ Carole Clarke, 68, is pleading for help after she got stuck in Belfast after flying out on December 19 to deliver Christmas presents to her daughter and grandchildren. Her husband Frederick, 81, is chronically ill back at home near Almuñecar, suffering lung disease COPD and diabetes. Despite this, the former nurse and aerobics instructor, who has lived in Andalucia for 20 years, was refused boarding on her easyJet flight back to Spain after new coronavirus measures demanded she must prove her residency. “I have been trying to get an appointment since December to start the process but it was impossible,” Carole told the Olive Press. “There were none available anywhere.” She added: “If I had known I would not be allowed back I would not have flown in the first place.” It has turned out to be a total night-
CONCERNED: Carole is desperate to get back to husband Frederick
mare for the pensioner, who has long lived with her husband, Frederick, 81, both from Portsmouth, in a villa at La Herradura, in Granada. Despite having a negative PCR test, which set her back €120, Carole was told that having a dependent husband did not qualify as an exemption. Her situation reflects that of many people on
Mallorca who have not been able to return home - even in some cases those with the correct paperwork in order. “The Spanish Embassy told me that unless he is on his deathbed, I won’t be allowed back,” Carole said.“It’s horrific, my husband should not be going out but he is alone and has no choice.” It comes after Spain brought in tougher restrictions on UK arrivals following the discovery of a more contagious coronavirus strain, dubbed the UK variSee page 5 ant. Anyone returning from the UK must be either a resident or a
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the city this week s.es message out around of this team getting the Vol. 1 Issue 23 www.theolivepres said ‘by the end Taoiseach Martin the outlines of a deal’. FREE week we could see come down to ‘political By Dilip Kunar the EU and Britain He said it wouldUnited Kingdom and I’m the A TRADE deal between will, both in the will is there from the Eubeing finalised, after agreement. SOMETHING is on the verge of in on fishing rights. in order to get an to clear the political EU looked set to cave to say that it looked promise had previously been refusing Union’. THE weekFrance demanding ropean were told over the on FOR An MEP broke ranks the EU ambassadors on any fishing deal, would have to comprowith Britain is WEEKEND? likely the FrenchJohnson’s demands over back down to the UK’s coastal waters. end that a trade deal near-parity of the Bank of En- verge of being finalised. mise with Boris of the 11 main visit to Spain’s It comes as the governor Brexit would told the majority UK waters. Take a said the EU would gland warned that a no-deal than They were issues have ‘joint legal texts clinch Christophe Hansen secret Acropoli points’. negotiation economically damaging UK’s demands to more the be outstanding meet to fewer have Urfewer and will be compromis- COVID to the UK. to get a deal with European commission president,note, quo, See page 10 an agreement. "There The Bailey said failure fisheries. The status a positive es to be made on we're not going to land,” Andrewwould create a massive cross-border very von der Leyen, struck signed goodwill be- sula “After difficult weeks with very, that is somewhere saying: in the last blockage and damage now we have seen he told an event. are understood to have trade Brussels and the UK for years. on Martin slow progress more movement tween French fishermen better progress, good.” despite losing out Meanwhile, Ireland leader Micheal is that a Brex- days backed the compromise important files. This fishing grounds. Mi- said on Monday he was hopeful this week. on access to certain EU’s chief negotiator it deal would be completed It came after the the need to comchel Barnier demanded
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it offers a huge Run by Visit Valencia for museums, range of discounts transport and events, restaurants, can find it at www. even hotels. You and it is completely valenciaon.com, free. 55, a company Roland Wareham, was imdirector from Andalucia, well the city was pressed by how handling the pandemic. from his native On a business triphe said: “I was Mijas this week, life seemed. In normal struck by how and restaurants Ruzafa, all the bars the terraces were were open, and and friends crowded with families lifestyle. enjoying the al fresco bars and “In Andalucia, meanwhile, close by 6pm, and restaurants mustghost town at night. my town is like a serve as a blueshould “Valencia of Spain.” print for the rest 6 Opinion, page
FF
A BRITISH expat has branded Spanish border officials ‘ridiculous’ and ‘clueless’ after they confiscated his Nando’s Peri Peri sauce at the Gibraltar border. Joseph Lathey, 27, was left fuming when much of his weekly shopping was binned as he tried to cross back into La Linea. This meant seeing his bananas and leeks being tipped into a customs officer’s bin. It also included his vegetable samosas, one of his favourite weekly treats he buys from Ramsons, on Waterport Road. M e a n while, his chilli and cloves were deemed acceptable. “I was comp l e t e l y stumped. I had a chicken which I thought m i g h t have been stopped but not the Peri Peri sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press. “The officials said it contained onion puree, meaning it contained processed veg and was therefore not allowed over. “I said that that was ridiculous as most of my shopping would not be allowed in.”
Palace conto
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Spanish citizen. A British Embassy spokesperson told the Olive Press they would be looking into it, as we went to press.
Compassion She said: “We have raised the issue of compassionate cases with the Spanish authorities, who have confirmed they will consider, on a case-by-case basis, the circumstances of nationals who wish to enter the country on compassionate grounds to support a vulnerable family member.” Opinion Page 6