HE grew up diving for balls under the Spanish sun – and now Hannah Hampton has dived her way into English foot-
The England goal-
FAR-RIGHT rabble-rouser Tommy Robinson has done a runner again to Spain – this time fleeing to Tenerife just hours after allegedly knocking a man unconscious in London. The ex-English Defence League (EDL) leader vanished on Tuesday morning after being caught on camera pacing around an unconscious man at St.Pancras station.
Olive Press sources revealed he had arrived in Spain on Tuesday morning and was ‘planning to visit Alicante’, where he has many local contacts.
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
Hooray for Hannah
er, 23, who spent much of her childhood living in Spain, pulled off two massive saves in a heart-stopping penalty shootout victory over Spain on Sunday. It allowed the Lionesses to secure back-to-back European Championship titles and earned revenge after Spain beat us in the World Cup two years ago. And if that wasn’t enough, the Birmingham-born
star stunned reporters by giving her post-match interviews in fluent Spanish. Her linguistic skills garnered cheers from fans on both sides of the pitch and went viral online.
With Spanish fans left speechless and English expats swelling with pride, Hampton is being hailed as the ‘bilingual brick wall’ who shut down Spain’s Euro dreams.
The Brummie spent five formative years in Spain, moving there with her teacher parents at age five.
While living in Castellon province, her Continues on Page 3
EXCLUSIVE
By Dilip Kuner & Adam Husicka
His departure came after a video showed him ranting beside the man claiming to witnesses: “You saw him come at me, bruv,” before bolting from the scene when police arrived. Paramedics were seen resuscitating the victim, who remains in hospital with serious injuries, as British Transport Police confirmed they were in-
holds an Irish passport – was on a 5.55am Ryanair flight from Stansted to Tenerife South, the Olive Press discovered.
Robinson - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - had landed in the Canary Islands by mid-morning, with one of our readers posting it on TikTok.
The two videos posted were captioned ‘spotted Tommy Robinson getting on my flight this morning’ with Stansted as the location tag.
However, the Olive Press can reveal, it is likely just a short pit-stop as sources believe he’s already plotting a return to his spiritual bolthole on the Costa Blanca.
According to insiders, Robinson has used Tenerife before as a holding zone, including earlier this summer when he stayed in a €1.5 million villa near Adeje.
He later headed to the luxury Quinta do Lago resort in Portugal, where he also stayed at Christmas.
ON THE RUN
fore popping up on far-right influencer Mahyar Tousi’s stag do.
In fact, his travel trail paints a clear picture: every escape route seems to lead back to Albir and Finestrat, where he’s long had ties.
He’s previously rented at the Campana Gardens complex – a development linked to mysterious Russian investors and promoted by fellow UK farright influencer Paul Thorpe.
A trusted Olive Press source said this same network was behind a covert trip to Cyprus, during which he used Spain as a launchpad, flying out via Austria.
“He always circles back to Costa Blanca,” said the source. “That’s where the money is. That’s where the people are who bankroll him.”
KNOCKOUT: Robinson (in blue) tells fellow traveller ‘He came at me’
Despite being bankrupt, Robinson has been spotted in dozens of luxury properties across Spain and Portugal, often using them to record far-right podcasts with high-profile extremists like Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes.
One of the villas he used, a gleaming white mansion in Albir, was revealed by the Olive Press to be owned by billionaire fashion tycoon Philip Day –boss of Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Peacocks. A spokesman for Day denied all knowledge of the matter.
Robinson threatened Olive Press journalists when they investigated the property, snarling: “See if you like it when I knock on your mum’s door.” His history of using Spain as a legal escape hatch has raised alarms once again – particularly with the seriousness of the latest assault. Some sources suggest he could even face attempted murder charges if the victim’s condition worsens. An Interpol Red Notice remains a possibility, should British police push for cross-border cooperation. But for now, Robinson remains off the radar, possibly with the same backers footing the bill for this latest trip – just as they did with Cyprus. And the big question remains: Where will Tommy turn up next?
He also then jetted to Benidorm for a few days, be-
Flood defence
OVER €14m will be spent to strengthen the Segura river’s left bank to stop a repeat of the September 2019 floods that hit several Vega Baja towns.
Costly blaze
A FINCA owner, 43, is suspected of starting a forest fire in Ibi that destroyed 185 hectares after he dumped ashes from a barbecue.
Murder fail
An Alicante man is behind bars after he allegedly tried to kill his girlfriend by setting fire to their apartment. Neighbours had to escape the flames by scrambling across the roof.
Big show
ELCHE’S spectacular Nit de l’Alba firework display takes place on August 13, with the UNESCO-recognised event set to attract 40,000 visitors to the city.
WIKI-WAVE
British
drug
kingpin Brian Charrington - aka the ‘Wikipedia Narco’ - dies before prison fate sealed
ONE of Britain’s most infamous drug traffickers, Brian Charrington, has died on the Costa Blanca – just as Spanish courts were deciding whether to throw him back behind bars.
The 68-year-old, whose life reads like a narco-thriller and even earned him a Wikipedia page, passed away at Marina Baixa Hospital in Villajoyosa, near Benidorm.
The notorious gangster – once worth an estimated £20 million – was awaiting a decision on whether he’d have to serve an eight-year prison sentence over
By Dilip Kuner
a 2013 cocaine haul worth £10 million.
His lawyers were fighting to keep him out of jail on health grounds.
Charrington, a former Middlesbrough car dealer turned international drug lord, rose to infamy alongside Curtis ‘Cocky’ Warren.
The duo shipped hundreds of kilos of cocaine from Venezuela into the UK during the 1990s. He dodged justice for years
Dog cops Brits for drugs
A BRITISH couple driving around Javea won’t forget a police dog called Kosmo in a hurry.
The 57-year-old man and 37-year-old woman have been arrested for drug trafficking.
That’s after Kosmo sniffed out two plastic bags containing 48 grams of cocaine in the back of a passenger seat.
The car was pulled over after it tried to turn around to avoid a police checkpoint on Avenida de la Libertat.
The male driver tested positive for cocaine and also displayed a distinctly nervy attitude, prompting Javea officers to bring in Kosmo to find his drug stash.
thanks to his role as a police informant, which even caused a 1992 mega-trial to collapse.
Despite being relocated to Australia under witness protection, his visa was soon torn up and he resurfaced in Spain – where he built up links with Moroccan traffickers and apparently continued laundering millions from his Calpe villa. He later moved to Altea.
He was jailed in Germany and France, but kept bouncing back.
His 2013 arrest in Spain, following a multi-agency sting involving SOCA and Ameripol, led to his eventual conviction.
But Spain’s Supreme Court quashed the original verdict, forcing a second trial, where he was again convicted.
Charrington died before the courts could rule on his lawyer’s plea to spare him prison time.
One of his three adult children posted a brief tribute: “Rest in
A family friend told the Olive Press: “He’s been on death's door for some time.
“It was a respiratory thing and he’s been having problems with it for a while.
“He was a heavy smoker, and he also came into contact with asbestos in England many years ago.
“He was quite a grafter and had quite a few jobs so that didn’t help.
“In the end, he had a car business, but clearly realized he could make more money from drugs.”
He added: “He had recently been appealing a sentence for drug smuggling again, and didn’t ever go to prison, so he was able to die at home with his family.”
His wife was living with him, and his parents lived nearby, according to the source.
Fugitive thieves
TWO fugitives from French justice broke into cars parked by beaches in Calpe, Javea, and Moraira.
The Algerian nationals, aged 31 and 42, had European Arrest Warrants issued against them. One of the men faces a murder charge, while the other escaped from prison where he was serving time for theft, fraud, and extortion. They were caught by the Guardia Civil in Calpe after a patrol saw them throw a stolen backpack into a rubbish container. The men were allegedly responsible for 10 robberies - taking cash, jewellery, and electronic gear.
Street seller raids
ALICANTE has stepped up action against illegal street hawkers with 120 police interventions in July.
The city council has also destroyed two tonnes of fake goods since Easter including 720 football kits and 206 bags or purses. The Policia Local has acted this month against sellers operating on Alicante seafront as well as the Playa de San Juan promenade. Also targeted are hawkers operating on beaches selling refreshments and fresh fruit.
DEAD: Crime boss Brian Charrington peace Dad.”
SPEAKING THE LINGO
playground kickabouts led to a trial at Villarreal FC - where she became a striker whose fluency in Spanish developed alongside her talents.
That early exposure to Spanish football philosophy - tight passing and technical skill - helped shape her style.
She credits her ball-playing ability and distribution as strengths rooted in her time in Spain
The 1-1 final had already delivered 120 minutes of drama. But it was penalties where history was written.
After Beth Mead’s early miss, all eyes turned to Hampton – and she didn’t flinch.
Hannah saved back-to-back penalties from Mariona Caldentey and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, giving England the edge.
“Today I played against the country I still call home,” Hampton told Spanish media after the match, flashing a smile and switching seamlessly between languages.
“But my heart’s with England – and I’m so proud of what we’ve done.”
Tmain boulevard of San Pedro Alcantara.
As we made our way towards the echoing chants of Three Lions on a Shirt, we knew this Irish Pub was the place to watch.
Lioness roar and Guinness galore
Olive Press reporters Josie Sharp and Olivia Idle joined football fans in San Pedro Alcantara to soak up the sun, stout and soaring drama of the Lionesses' nail-biting clash against Spain
ter, got everyone in the mood.
The pub fell silent as the whistle blew, and then came the groans when Mariona Caldentey scored for Spain in the 25th minute.
In response, we ordered more Guinness
Nerves were high at the rickety trestle tables outside, where most were backing England –except for one Spanish family and, of course, the Irish pub owner, who sported a bright red Spain shirt. In true form, we ordered two pints of Guinness and tried to ‘split the G’, which, combined with pre-match ban-
The mood shifted, and the Spaniards, understandably, turned to teasing us with cheeky chants and smirks.
All in good spirits and, in response, we ordered more Guinness – and a mountain of nachos topped with an unexpectedly delicious chilli con carne.
When good old Alessia Russo netted the equaliser in the 57th minute, the crowd erupted. Our cheers echoed through the street. No, the town, confusing and likely
MULLINS IT OVER
horrifying a few passing locals.
As the match wore on, tension mounted. With every pass and missed shot, we clenched our pints tighter, casting nervous glances at the screen. Extra time meant another Guinness, of course, and as the dreaded penalties approached, fans from both sides looked on nervously. A roar of relief went up when Salma Paralluelo sent her penalty wide. But just as Chloe Kelly stepped up to seal England’s 3-1 win, disaster struck – the screen cut to black. It was
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE IN THE UK AND LIFE IN SPAIN, WRITES CHARLIE MULLINS
PIMPS, POLITICS AND PENALTIES
Spanish PM caught in steamy slur while Women’s Euros deliver the real drama
IT must be summer in Spain when the man who’s held the country together since 2018 - often by the skin of his teeth - turns up at the Cortes Generales for a day’s hard legislating, only to be accused by the opposition of being a pimp!
Yes, really. Poor old Pedro Sanchez. Just when you thought Spanish politics couldn’t get any more theatrical, along comes a plotline worthy of Shakespeare - or at least a steamy Netfl ix mini-series.
Spain’s Prime Minister and his wife Begoña are being accused of living off the proceeds of prostitution. The opposition claim that Begoña’s late father’s company, Sabiniano, once owned a few brothels and gay saunas.
THIS is the heartwarming moment royal worlds collided at the Women’s Euro 2025 final in Switzerland, as Princess Charlotte met Spain’s Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.
The Spanish royals released photos showing Leonor and Sofia greeting 10-year-old Charlotte with a warm handshake ahead of the match.
There’s been an offi cial investigation (which found nothing dodgy), but that hasn’t stopped the conspiracy mill grinding on. The couple own a couple of nice homes, so naturally, some are convinced they’re secretly raking it in from sex work. You’ve got to hand it to the opposition - if you’re going to sling mud, sling the juicy stuff. Forget the costof-living crisis, national debt, or the state of public health. No, let’s go straight in with: ‘The PM’s a sex criminal!’ Theatrics like this almost
make you wish the UK Parliament had a little more Spanish fl air. At least voters might feel they’re getting their (tax) money’s worth in drama.
Speaking of high drama - what about the Women’s Euros?
Whether you’re Spanish or English, that fi nal was a cracker. No prima donna tantrums, no Z-list celebrity behaviour - just raw talent and proper football. The skill on display would put many top-fl ight men’s teams to shame.
Sunday’s match wasn’t just great sport - it was played with real spirit, grit, and respect. Every player left it all on the pitch. Someone had to lose (sadly), and although I now call
Spain home, I’ll admit I was still quietly cheering on the Lionesses. And what about the head coach, Sarina Wiegman? With all the money that’s been trousered by foreign supposed super-star coaches over the years in the men’s game, what a legend!
I’m sure all the players will get medals of some kind very soon, but what about the Dutch coach who has masterminded two Euro championships, and got her team to the World Cup fi nal? If ever there was a case for the awarding of an honorary Damehood, Sarina must be a dead-cert!
Well, that’s my deadline made for another week, so I think it’s time for a little siesta. For some reason I seem to have a bit of a headache today! But what a night! What a game!
Charlotte was accompanied by her father, Prince William, who was seen chatting with the Spanish sisters before kick-off. Leonor and Sofia, who both studied at top UK boarding schools, are fluent in English, making conversation easy. Despite Spain’s loss, the Spanish royals were all smiles. After the final, Leonor and Sofia visited the La Roja dressing room to offer their commiserations and praise the team’s performance.
HE bellows of Brits abroad waiting for the Lionesses to emerge at the Euro final against Spain could be heard from halfway up the
From front
GREAT NIGHT: Olivia (left) and Josie enjoy the craic ROYAL
Tourists go home!
RESIDENTS took to the streets of Alicante in protest against mass tourism – with banners reading ‘Refugees welcome, tourists go home’ waved along the city’s seafront.
Residents march through city with fiery banners and demand crackdown on holiday lets blamed for soaring rents and vanishing neighbourhoods
By Alex Trelinski
short-term lets squeezing locals out of their homes.
Around 1,000 residents joined the noisy march – the third protest in less than a year – as anger grows over soaring rents and the flood of
The group behind the demo,
A CRIMINAL investigation will not be reopened into the Campanar apartment block fire in Valencia that claimed 10 lives in February 2024. The Valencia Provincial Court upheld a lower bench decision that nobody was criminally responsible and that it was an accident.
It threw out an appeal from relatives of victims plus the owners and residents association to overturn the Court of Instruction verdict made in May. The Valencia Provincial Court ruling
Alicante – Where are you going?, claims the city is fast losing its traditional character and becoming a ‘playground for profit’.
Spokesperson Jordi Arnes warned: “Mass tourism is a big problem that’s putting huge pressure on housing and entire neighbourhoods.”
The protest wound its way through the city centre before ending at El Postiguet beach, where organisers read out a manifesto demanding action from politicians to protect residents and restore Alicante’s ‘welcoming’ spirit.
APPEAL DOUSED
said: “There are no reasonable suspicions of the possible commission of a crime in regard to the fire’s origin, nor with anybody involved in constructing the building, or those involved in extinguishing the blaze.”
Reconstruction work started on July 1 - costing €20 million - with the completion date set in time for Christmas 2026.
The original two-year moratorium came into force in January – but is already facing legal challenges.
The Valencian Association of Tourist Apartments (APTUR CV) claims the freeze is unjustified, arguing that Alicante doesn’t suffer the same housing stress as other Spanish cities
Battle
“The tourist housing situation is moderate,” said APTUR CV president Silvia Blasco, who insists tourism brought in over €220 million last year alone. Despite the smaller turnout compared to protests in Mallorca, Barcelona and the Canary Islands locals say the battle for their city is only just beginning.
It comes as the city council voted to extend a freeze on new tourist apartment licenses, with the ban now covering not only flats but also guest houses, hostels and standalone properties.
GUTTED: The block was destroyed in the blaze
Beni brawl
A BRAWL broke out between a British stag party and hotel security guards at a Benidorm resort – with stunned guests watching as punches flew and bodies tumbled into the pool. Footage shows a guard at the Marina Beach Resort appearing to strike a tourist mid-jump, sparking a violent melee.
At least two bouncers fought with the group, some of whom retaliated by shoving them into the water.
An England flag reading Ash’s Stag 2025 hangs nearby.
The hotel and police have not commented, and it’s unclear whether any arrests were made following the chaotic punch-up.
Parks of hope
VALENCIA is splashing out €150 million on two massive new riverside parks to double as flood defences after last year’s deadly deluge. The 35km green corridor, dubbed the ‘Park of Hope’ by regional president Carlos Mazon, will snake along the Turia river and Poyo ravine (see left), with cycleways, 100km of trails and space for memorials to the 228 lives lost in the October 29 floods.
Set to absorb floodwaters like a sponge, the parks are inspired by climate-proof projects in Munich, Paris and Vitoria.
Work will start next year with €2 million earmarked to begin designs. One park, L’Horta Sud, will stretch 18.5km from Albufera to Picanya, while the other extends the Turia Gardens 10.5km to La Vallesa.
Experts from Valencia’s Polytechnic University and Mediterranean environmental centres are leading the design.
“This isn’t just rebuilding,” said Mazon (pictured right), “it’s reimagining the future of Valencia.”
PIPELINE FEARS
ENVIRONMENTALISTS are opposing plans for a new hydrogen gas pipeline between Valencia and Murcia.
Ecologists in Action say the 206-kilometre-long connection would cross natural areas of great ecological value and endanger habitats of protected species. The route would link Montesa in the north with Cartagena in the south.
Opponents say a trick is being played where the pipeline project has been split into 15 sub-sections to avoid
Last chance saloon
BENIDORM City Council is going to Spain’s Constitutional Court in a final bid to stop a €330 million compensation payment to developers. The case revolves around the loss of building rights dating back years in the
Eco-warriors blast plan to carve up countryside for hydrogen route
By Alex Trelinski
an impact report to probe any environmental consequences of the full project. Ecologists in Action says the ruse violates European law which guarantees the right of people to participate in an environmental deci-
protected Serra Gelada Natural Park. In June, the Valencian Supreme Court upheld a 2024 award to two companies. The money granted is €283 million plus interest, which is over twice the annual Benidorm council budget. The authority said it has taken ‘expert legal opinions’ to support its final plea to a court to reverse the original decision.
sion-making process.
They add there is little technical or energy justification to support such a project which they claim is ‘oversized’ due to the low level of green hydrogen production in Spain.
in Alicante province.
The group claims the pipeline would affect over 13,700 hectares of land containing priority habitats and endangered species such as the Bonelli’s eagle, the falcon, and several species of bats and hedgehogs.
Around 70 kilometres would run through or be next to protected areas such as the Serres de Mariola-Font Roja and Sierra de Escalona- both
The planned work involves creating access routes up to 17 metres wide and the use of heavy machinery, which would cause dust and noise as well as a risk of polluting vulnerable aquifers, according to Ecologists in Action. They’ve demanded an immediate stop to plans for the Montesa-Cartagena pipeline, as well as a comprehensive impact assessment of Spain’s entire hydrogen gas network.
The
hospitality association says there's a trend towards more diners at up-market eateries - led by UK customers.
Money
It says its view is based on money spent among its member businesses. Abreca’s Alex Fratini said that ‘higher-end’ restaurants have reported a 5% revenue increase during the early part of the summer season. That’s despite prices having gone up, while income has fallen by 8% at cheaper outlets.
“This drop is possibly due to lower spending by Spaniards,” commented Fratini.
‘Not our fault’
AIRPORT workers have hit back at claims they’re behind Europe’s summer travel chaos, blaming airlines for delays and cancellations.
A new report from the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) accuses carriers of creating a crisis through chronic understaffing, cost-cutting, and unrealistic turnaround times.
The report says flight crews are being pushed to the limit, with 25-minute turnarounds causing knock-on delays.
ETF insists strikes are not the main problem — just 2.35 minutes of last summer’s average 21-minute delay were due to air traffic issues, according to Eurocontrol.
In Spain, disruption hit airports in Malaga, Palma and Barcelona earlier this month.
“The EU’s obsession with cost-cutting and automation has backfired,” the report concludes.
A TINY Balearic village with just 205 residents is being swamped by more than 55,000 foreign tourists every summer – making it one of the most overwhelmed destinations in Spain. Escorca in Mallorca now sees 272 visitors for every resident during peak season, with one in five tourists being Italian, according to new data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute. The figures, gathered using mobile phone data, highlight how Spain’s coastal towns and islands are under enormous strain from mass tourism.
On the Costa Brava, Lloret de Mar – home to 42,000 residents – welcomed nearly half a
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
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million foreign tourists last summer alone.
“You collect taxes for 44,000, but provide services to 1.5 million,” said Elizabeth Keegan from Lloret Tourism, who added the pressure on cleaning, security and lifeguards is immense.
The Balearics dominate the list, with Alcúdia attracting over 430,000 foreign visitors in just four months.
With infrastructure buckling under the strain, there are growing calls for authorities to act – before the very charm drawing tourists to these picture-perfect towns is lost forever.
Priced out
AS temperatures soar across Spain, locals are dreaming of the coast – but for many families, a beach break is now simply out of reach.
The average holiday budget for two people is €1,225, according to Cetelem Observatory. Yet even a week’s bargain break to Mallorca now
By Josie Sharp
BEING SWAMPED
Soaring holiday costs at home force Spaniards to look abroad
costs €736 per person for a two-star hotel and flight – or €1,472 for two. Menorca and Ibiza are even worse, with week-long trips topping €1,000 each. Meanwhile, flights from Madrid to the Costa del Sol are now averaging €170 – just €70 less than a return to Bali, where food and accommodation is much cheaper.
“Spaniards are more likely to travel abroad because Spain has become more expensive as a destination,” said Raul Gonzalez, CEO of Barcelo
STAR ARRIVAL
The world’s largest cruise ship, Star of the Seas, has docked in Cadiz for final inspections ahead of its maiden voyage from Port Canaveral, Florida, on August 31. Built in Finland, the 364-metre Royal Caribbean vessel features over 2,800 cabins, a 327-ton glass
and steel AquaDome, and the largest waterpark at sea, complete with six waterslides.
The 248,633-ton ship also includes an ice rink, surfside neighbourhood, and 40 restaurants and bars. It’s the sister ship to Icon of the Seas, launched last year.
Hotel Group. It comes as Spain’s booming tourism sector is predicted to grow 2.7% this year, making up 13.1% of GDP and breaking pre-pandemic records.
Since 2023, flight prices to popular domestic destinations have jumped by up to 68%, with hotel rates rising as much as 26%.
But while the tourism surge has filled the coffers, it’s also sparked growing anger. Mayors in Malaga, Granada and Sevilla are backing a tourist tax to protect residents’ quality of life.
With 94 million international arrivals in 2023, Spain is on track to overtake France as the world’s most visited country – even as its own citizens are priced out of paradise.
SPAIN’S rice farmers are facing wipeout, as their fields are overrun with weeds and pests – thanks to a pesticide and herbicide crackdown.
Agri-food cooperatives are pleading with the Agriculture Ministry for emergency approval of AURA, a herbicide banned in Spain but allowed in Italy, Portugal and Greece. They want it authorised on just 10–15% of paddies, calling it their last hope.
Cheap
“We’re working at the limit,” said Flix Liviano, head of Spain’s rice sector. With rice acreage down 24% in southern Europe and cheap imports rising, farmers fear not just crop loss – but the end of Spain’s rice industry.
BRITISH tourists are splashing the cash in highend Benidorm restaurants as Spaniards are spending less at cheaper places.
Abreca
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
Not wanted here
ONCE again, Tommy Robinson is in flight – and, once again, all signs point to Spain. The far-right firebrand, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, allegedly fled the UK just hours after being filmed next to a seriously injured man at London’s St Pancras station. Now, the Olive Press can confirm he is ‘likely’ holed up somewhere along the Costa Blanca –a region he knows well. Or he will be here soon! Let’s be clear: Robinson is no political dissident. He is a convicted criminal with a documented history of spreading hate, provoking violence and dodging accountability. His rap sheet includes fraud, assault and contempt of court. Yet time and again, he has slipped into Spain, enjoying the sun while escaping the consequences of his actions. Why? Because he knows Spain has been soft on him. From a luxury villa in Albir to rented pads in Finestrat, and podcasts filmed with neo-Nazis in Tenerife, Robinson has used the Iberian Peninsula as his personal hideaway. His connections run deep – from UK influencers to shadowy investors. Enough is enough.
Spain cannot continue to be a convenient bolthole for extremists and criminals.
While the vast majority of British expats are honest and law-abiding, Robinson is neither: He represents a dangerous ideology, one that corrodes democracy and spreads fear. If he is on Spanish soil again, authorities must act decisively. Investigate. Arrest. Deport.
Spain is better than this. We are not a haven for hate, nor a playground for fugitives.
Tommy Robinson may believe he can lie low here once again. But this time, Spain must prove him wrong – for good.
PUBLISHER / EDITOR
Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es
Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es
Yzabelle Bostyn yzabelle@theolivepress.es
Samantha Mythen samantha@theolivepress.es
Tom Ewart Smith tom@theolivepress.es
Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 154 841 admin@theolivepress.es
SIXTEEN and seventeen-year-olds will be able to vote in the next UK general election, following a landmark decision by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government -marking the biggest expansion of the British electorate in decades.
But while ministers hail it as a step toward greater democratic inclusion, some critics are warning that the UK should look carefully at Spain before assuming young voters will always back the Left.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner defended the move, saying it will “get democracy back on track” and give teenagers “a stake in our country’s future.” She argued it was unjust that 16-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland are denied voting rights enjoyed by their counterparts in Scotland and Wales.
Writing in The Times, Rayner said: “There are many 16-year-olds across this country who are working, paying taxes, and even serving
By Ben Pawlowski
Labour's youth vote gamble faces stark warning from Spain’s political shift
in the armed forces. Why shouldn’t they be trusted with a vote?”
Yet while Labour appears confident the policy will translate into greater youth support at the ballot box, analysts are pointing to a cautionary tale from Spain - where the Left’s assumptions about young voters have been upended.
“Spain’s far-right party Vox has become the most popular choice among voters aged 18 to 24, with over 27% of this group backing the nationalist outfit, according to polling by 40dB.
That’s more than Spain’s centre-left PSOE (Labour’s sister party) and its left-wing allies
Top of the cons
MOVE over Pedro Sanchez – there’s a new sheriff in corruption town.
The various scandals engulfing the prime minister have been knocked off the top spot by a new case gripping
combined. By contrast, only 11% of voters aged over 65 support Vox, revealing a generational reversal in political trends.
This dynamic is not unique to Spain. Similar patterns are emerging across Europe, where disillusioned young men are gravitating toward nationalist and populist movements. Vox’s rapid growth in Spain suggests that political identity among youth is more fluid and less predictably progressive than many on the Left might assume.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accused Labour of trying to ‘rig’ future elections by expanding the franchise to an estimated 1.6 million young people.
“ Among males aged 18 to 28, nearly onethird say they would vote for the far-right party
The appeal of Voxknown for its hardline stance on immigration and Spanish identity - is particularly strong among young men. Among males aged 18 to 28, nearly one-third say they would vote for the far-right party. It’s a sign that the populist right is not just a force among older generations but is increasingly resonating with younger voters, especially across social media platforms.
His party, traditionally more popular among older Britons, has recently stepped up its efforts to connect with younger demographics via TikTok and Instagram - mirroring the digital strategy that has helped propel far-right movements in Spain and beyond.
A recent YouGov poll shows Labour leading among 18-24-year-olds in the UK, with 28%, followed by the Greens (26%), Lib Dems (20%), Conservatives (9%) and Reform UK (8%).
But if Spain’s experience is any guide, those figures may not hold. As online influence and nationalist narratives gain traction with younger voters, Britain could see its own version of the Spanish youth shift - potentially turning Labour’s electoral reform into a double-edged sword. The question facing Labour now is not just whether young people will vote - but who they will vote for. And Spain’s political transformation suggests that age is no longer a reliable predictor of progressive politics.
There’s a new chart topper in Spain’s all time corruption scandals - a €2.2 billion whopper in one year alone… set up by a former treasury chief
By Walter Finch
Spain.
Roll over ERE and Gurtel (ED: some of you will need to look these up), this is a monster
wrote tax laws to benefit gas companies in exchange for cash in the form of ‘consulting fees’.
phones were tapped for 42 days back in 2021.
Deposito Legal MA: 498-2019
case, which is already taking the attention away from Spain’s beleaguered leader.
The claims centre on former PP finance minister, Cristobal Montoro, who headed the Treasury from 2000 to 2004 and from 2011 to 2018 under former leader Mariano Rajoy. Montoro allegedly exploited his position to helm a network that re-
Prosecutors estimate his schemes delivered a fiscal windfall – and deprived the Treasury (aka Hacienda) – of roughly €2.2 billion in 2012 alone, while five large conglomerates saved at least €51 million.
Later, from 2014 to 2018, a firm owned by Montoro allegedly acted as a well paid go-between for a string of petroleum giants and pals of his at the Treasury. The parties colluded to reform the tax rules and in return these companies paid out around €50 million timed to coincide with each successive legislative tweak.
The investigation spans the former minister’s two terms in office, first under Jose Maria Aznar and later with Mariano Rajoy, and reaches deep into the heart of the Treasury.
Exploited his position to helm a network that rewrote tax laws
A judge has now indicted Montoro alongside 27 co-conspirators for ‘influence-peddling’ with the aim of lining their own pockets.
It comes after judge Ruben Rus ordered that four tele-
Among those charged are eight senior ministry officials accused of drafting or approving the legislation, three successive director generals of taxes, and several ex-partners of Montoro’s firm, Equipo Económico who once held government posts. Prosecutors allege that the petroleum giants channelled payments through Montoro’s consultancy, with some sums coinciding exactly with the years in which favourable reforms were passed. Further down the list are construction and renewables firms that also sought faster payments or lighter levies. The scandal even ensnares
IN THE FRAME: Diego Martin-Abril (above left), Alberto Garcia (above right), while (left) JoseMaria Aznar and Mariano Rajoy
RIGHT LEANING: Youngsters in Spain at a Vox demo
All about
Costa de la luz e
THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING
Southern Spain’s most evocative coastline is bright, breezy and brilliant for walking, eating and watersports, writes Jon Clarke
WHILE it’s blowing a hoolie outside and well over 35 degrees in the sun, I’m sitting in deep shade and wondering what amazing culinary creation is going to appear next on my table.
This is La Traina, in Zahora, one of the true dining secrets of Andalucia.
Tucked away down a scruffy potholed lane somewhere between Vejer de la Frontera and Zahara de los Atunes you are not going to find it by accident.
Recipe for success
THE Costa de la Luz’s celibrated culinary prowess is down to the local surroundings, which produce some of the best quality in- gredients in the world.
’
By Jon Clarke
And don’t expect silver service and menus in English or German…This is, after all, the Costa de la Luz - the Coast of Light - and a million miles away from its nearby cousin the Costa del Sol. Indeed the costas in general. This is a coastline of castles and carpaccios, calas and corvina (one of its
best local fish)... the perfect blend of nature and its best ingredients. This is a coastline of gems; historic Tarifa, the bridgehead for the Moors in Spain, and a crossing point for centuries and beautiful Vejer, with its cobbled streets and dynamic restaurant scene. This is a coastline of laid
The obvious examples are sherry, fish and the wonderful beef from the classic brown ‘retinto cows, which you often see wandering around in the hills and even on the beaches.
Of course the amazing ‘almadraba’ bluefin tuna (top), caught nearby (above), is spectac- ularly good and the vegetables available are also of a high quality, particularly from Conil. Another reason is the type of tourists who visit the coast, which has seen a distinctly more refined crowd than its nearby rivals on the Costa del Sol. They demand quality and are pre- pared to spend to get it.
arches of the Jewish quarter of Vejer to the extraordinary dishes at La Traina and (right) an inlet on the journey between Zahara and Barbate
From front page
Costa de la luz
QUIRKY AND LAID BACK
back, low rise resorts; Roman Bolonia and the biggest sand dune in the world, entertaining El Palmar, with its party
crowd and surf, and alternative Canos de Meca, with its quirky, laid back feel. But what best sums up this long stretch
of coastline for me is restaurants like La Traina, or other hidden spots like Patria, Castelleria or Punta Sur. These are right at the top of their game and all sit in leafy gardens, often high in the hills and sometimes with views to die for.
But even better they are surrounded by southern Spain’s most evocative stretch of coast, a canvas of contours and colours, a backdrop of Africa, and all illuminated by the most extraordinary changing light.
It’s everything you could want for a beach holiday: Long, unspoilt (and often empty) beaches, windswept sand dunes and a smell of mimosa and rosemary, alongside shady umbrella pines. Practically unique to Spain these days, and sadly busier and busier each summer, what you really need to do is ex-
A genuine tardis between two worlds, Zahara is the quintessential home of affluence; a golden magnet for stylish restaurants and a flotilla of Range Rovers and Teslas come peak holiday season.
In contrast, Barbate is a new town created by dictator Francisco Franco, a pockmarked working class place with high unemployment and ugly 1960s tower blocks.
plore. is
One of my favourite drives is the 15 minute journey from Zahara to Barbate. I actually walked it this Spring, but you’ll need a couple of hours.
What they share though, is privilege. A surrounding patchwork of greenery and long, unspoilt beaches, only broken up by inlets from the sea and a forest of pines.
This is what much of Andalucia’s coastline
From
BEAUTY:
the coast near Tarifa to the bustling main square in Vejer, while (top left) kite surfing is huge here
would have looked like half a century ago, with only the Cabo de Gata in Almeria coming near to match its beauty.
What this stretch of coastline has in particular though is a
variety of ancient and historic towns and villages.
Laid back and unshowy, its friendly, unfussy locals complement the breathtaking scenery and distinctive vibe.
Vejer, in particular, has an incredible mix of stylish boutique hotels and one of the best selection of high quality eateries in all of Andalucia (see overleaf).
Tarifa has an altogether different feel. This is a town for watersports lovers and a place to party, especially in summer, when it is heaving with buzzing nightspots open until the early hours.
But it also has a melting pot of worldly Spaniards and expats, who make for a distinct Tarifa scene, also with its fair share of restaurants and shops.
It is also one of the few towns in southern Spain – thanks in large to its wind – that still has a bit of life in the winter.
in Tarifa in 710AD making it their main bridgehead into southern Spain.
The Moors ruled this land for nearly 800 years and its historic ramparts are littered with references to the stirring catholic heroes who battled them, some with statues, including Sancho El Bravo and Guzman el Bueno.
There’s a kind of untouched purity to the place
You’ll love its ancient old town gateways, and the narrow cobbled streets of its old town, which still include an ancient fish market and plenty of fascinating buildings.
Heading up the coast from Tarifa, history lovers must seek out the famous Trafalgar lighthouse – off which the key naval battle once took place as well as the
It also has a fair share of history with the Moors first arriving
ancient fishing village of Sancti Petri, near Chiclana. Chiclana’s eight kilometres of golden beach meanwhile remain refreshingly uncrowded - populated mostly by Spanish families from inland cities like Sevilla. There’s a kind
of untouched purity to the place. The town centre offers a maze of Moorish-era alleys and historic buildings, like the clock-tower gate of Arco Torre del Reloj. Next door Conil meanwhile is an attractive place that hugs its own beach.
Renowned for the local seafood it was crowned the 2024 Gastronomic Town of Spain and also has a vibrant nightlife scene.
Look out for the Torre de Guzman, an old military fortification dating back to the 14th century.
SECRET SPOTS
One of my favourite must visits on the Costa de la Luz are the Roman ruins at Bolonia.
This well preserved museum showcases the success Roman merchants had on this stretch of Cadiz coastline and the nearby beach and its giant sand dune warrant a half day at least. Best of all, is the half an hour walk from Bolonia to secret El Canuelo beach, where you will find just cows, the celebrated brown retinto kind of the region. I also love the amazing walk through umbrella pines to the Torre del Tajo, high above Barbate, which finally gives out one of the best views in Christen-
Christendom. And his-
And then there is the stunning dovecote at El Palomar de la Brena, plus the historic inland gem of Medina Sido-
THE COAST WITH THE MOST
THE Costa de la Luz officially stretches for around 200kms all the way from Tarifa up into Huelva and to the border with Portugal.
nia. And, if you are still looking for more, how about San Fernando?
This is where Camaron de la Isla, the legendary flamenco singer, hails from. His childhood home now functions as a somewhat sanitised museum and this is a little-visited town with plenty of in-
INSPIRATION:
whitewashed homes sit beside an imposing American naval base - one of the largest in Europe. And let’s not forget the grand old city of Cadiz, said to be Spain’s most ancient and big back in Phoenician time. Oh the incredible lightness of being! teresting nooks and crannies. Further west, Rota offers an unexpected blend of beach life and military might. Here,
Split in two by the stunning Donana national park, the coastline also includes the so-called 'sherry triangle' or 'Cadiz coast' towns of Sanlucar de Barrameda, Rota, Chipiona and El Puerto de Santa Maria. It also includes the cities of Cadiz and Huelva.
FORTIFICATIONS: Tarifa and its statue of Guzman el Bueno, while (left) El Palmar beach
MOORISH
The entry into Tarifa old town
RECORD-BREAKING:
The dune in Bolonia and Roman ruins (behind)
at an amazing speed.
WE are about equidistance between Spain and Morocco in the deepest part of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Flying fish, turtles and two types of whale are basking around, feeding and luxuriating in this food-rich marine paradise, some 15 minutes offshore from Tarifa.
And that’s not to mention the dolphins, including a pair of Bottlenose, who are shepherding their calf, that is apparently no
more than a week old. Soon we have found a school of dolphins swimming around the boat and, being so calm, we can see them clearly under the water. It’s an almost religious experience for the boat-load of tourists, as the stunning mammals clearly swim over to take a closer look at us.
“These two are particularly inquisitive,” pipes up a voice from the cockpit above, as one particular pair come sniffing up to the boat, then swim underneath
The words come from Dr Katharina Heyer, a remarkable woman of 83 years of age, who has become, without a doubt, one of the world’s authorities on sea life off the tip of southern Spain. It’s her 27th year working with her company Firmm, which was set up after she was guided to Tarifa to see whales and dolphins by a ‘spiritual man’ in 1998.
Then running her own fashion company in Switzerland, she visited the area to find nobody
Whale of a time
organising trips to see the mammals and almost no research on them.
“I arrived on a really rainy, awful day to find no whale boats, just fishermen, and had to rent a diving boat to take me out,” she explains.
It may not have been perfect weather conditions, but what she saw completely changed her for good.
Flying fish, dolphins and giant turtles pay a visit on a trip into the Straits the
and many other fish.
It is one of the best places in the world to see them, with the currents bringing a lot of food from both directions, explains Katharina.
moved out to set up her ‘respectful whale watching’ company in Tarifa and has never looked back.
While she had long enjoyed diving holidays with her teenage sons in the Caribbean and the Maldives, seeing a group of Pilot whales and Bottle-
Indeed, so respected has been her research into the mammals over the last two decades - in particular her sensitization work for them – that in 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel.
There are now a handful of companies taking visitors out to see the mammals from Tarifa, and on most days they can expect to see Sperm whales, Pilot whales and even Orcas, not to mention various types of dolphins
However, this brings in itself severe risks, as they are entering one of the busiest waterways in the world with more than 300 freighters and other sea traffic passing every day. Indeed, as you look out into the Straits you are witnessing a battle for survival.
“The lives of dolphins and whales are at risk from ferries getting faster and faster, the noise from shipping traffic and more,” she explains.
“We are trying our best to monitor their numbers and do our best to minimise the issues they face.”
Visit www.firmm.org
PIC CREDIT: Turmares Tarifa
EYE-OPENING: The sighting of whales and dolphins often has visitors in tears
The village that stole the spotlight
THE quiet mountain village of Gaucin has found itself in the spotlight this summer as it becomes the unlikely setting for an international feature film.
The whitewashed streets of the Andalucian pueblo, known more for its artists and writers than film crews, are now at the heart of Magdalena’s Land – a movie that explores themes of authenticity, transformation, and cultural connection.
The multinational cast and crew from Latvia, Gibraltar, the UK and America have descended to not just shoot a movie, but also bring in elements of the pueblo and its people, weaving themselves into the fabric of the local community.
“We all have different accents and I feel this mirrors society and life here in Spain because nowadays families are connected with people from everywhere,” said supporting actress Leilla Satie, praising
Hacienda itself: Two former bosses, Diego Martin-Abril
The Olive Press went behind the scenes of Magdalena’s Land as an international crew turns a sleepy Gaucin into a cinematic gem
By Olivia Idle
the diversity on set. “It’s a truly organic real-life story.”
Magdalena’s Land is a story of connection between people, places and the paths they have chosen and with eight Gibraltarian actors and leading Latvian star, Rezija Kalnina, playing Magdalena, the diversity on set is the film’s strength.
“The most interesting part of an international team is that all the nationalities have something different – their own way of acting and speaking and that has brought all the nationalities together,” explained producer Guna Stahovska, 51.
After two months of scouting across Andalucia, Latvian-born director, Uldis Cipsts, 51, found his answer in Gaucin describing it as ‘the true Spain with the best scenery and atmosphere in the world’.
From winding mountain roads to centuries-old homes, the village has provided more than just a backdrop for the film.
“Before coming here, everybody said if you shoot in Spain, especially as internationals, the police will come to stop the filming and ask for documents, but this hasn’t been true. Everyone has helped us,” explained Cipsts.
“People even offered to let us shoot in their homes or take their cars! Nowhere else has been as supportive and as easy to make movies.”
A transformational role
Actress, Kalnina, 54, with over 95 roles to her name and a lifetime of theatre behind her, describes her role as ‘nothing short of authentic’.
She said: “It’s a transformational role – it shows how human beings go through life and how we make decisions.”
And she told the Olive Press how fond she is of Gaucin. “You don’t have to hurry here. I love the freedom and you really have time to prepare and get ready for the next scene.”
Thousands are now paying to be informed on news stories in Spain everyday
THE Olive Press website is fast becoming the go-to website for expats and tourists with any interest in what goes on in Spain.
While nearly 80,000 people have now registered an account at theolivepress.es, an incredible 2,500 are now paying for our service, with 200 alone signing up over the last month.
After significant investment and changes to our paywall provider and web server, we are now seeing between 10 to 20 people registering with us each DAY, while often more becoming paying subscribers.
HARD WORK PAYING OFF: Free sign-ups (red) are being overtaken by investment in our trusted journalism (blue) with new paying subscriptions being taken out daily
Registered users enjoy a range of benefits, including the chance to comment on stories and receive daily newsletters as well as a string of weekly newsletters.
These include travel, health and property and, as of this month, business as well as a weekend Editor’s Picks mailout.
They also get exclusive competitions, special discounts for restaurants and hotels and a comprehensive daily update keeping them informed of all key news in Spain.
Last issue we handed out two pairs of much sought after tickets for a Robert Plant concert in Granada this week.
Discount
In our special early summer discount offer last month we had 160 new annual sign ups. We will be running another special deal next month. The continued success is thanks to our crack team of NCTJ-trained journalists, who are dotted around Spain and report on the latest news from the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Madrid, Balearic Islands and elsewhere.
In May our young reporter Yzabelle Bostyn won Best Young Journalist of the year award the UK NCTJ awards, beating out the Times and the Express and Star.
Our exclusive reporting is also followed up by the world’s biggest news outlets, such as the line, BBC, Sky and The Telegraph, opening us up to a wider audience.
Please use the QR code here to register and join our growing team of loyal readers. NO OP, NO
and Jose Alberto Garcia, face charges for their ‘decisive’ roles, while two senior figures in finance and the state lotteries have been removed from office amid allegations of ‘grave abuse’ of their positions. If it proves to be true, the Montoro case will likely eclipse most others in Spain’s downright disgraceful history of corruption scandals.
SETTING: Gaucin is the set for the filming of Magdelena’s Land (top), with leading actress Rezija Kalnina (top right)
SCANDAL: Montoro is accused of taking cash for ‘consulting fees’
CASE NO. F2024-001911
Extract from complaint currently being dealt with by Oslo Conciliation Board –Dept. 4 Case No. F2024-001911
Defendant: Daniel Omar Perez Fornassero. Sist kjente adresse: Calle Italia, 13, Puerta 26, Es-38109 Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain
The Complainant has filed a complaint against the Defendant with Oslo Conciliation Board with a demand for payment of NOK 101126,01 with the addition of interest at the legal rate and legal cost
The Defendant is ordered to reply to the Conciliation Board in writing by 03.09.2025 stating whether or not the Defendant acknowledges and accepts the Complainant’s claim. If a reply has not been delivered prior to the expiry of the stated time limit, judgment by default can be pronounced on the basis of the Complainant’s representation of the facts of the case.
As the Defendant has no known address, service will be executed with authority in the Courts Act Section 181. The complaint and order to reply will be deemed to have been legally served when it has been posted at the legal venue for four weeks. The documents pertaining to the case can be collected from the Conciliation Board’s offices at Pilestredet 19, 0033 Oslo, Norway. The documents can be sent to a new address supplied by the Defendant if the Defendant so requests.
SPAIN is facing a backlash after awarding Chinese tech giant Huawei a €12.3 million contract to store sensitive judicial wiretaps.
The deal has sparked outrage in both the US and EU, with Washington reportedly reconsidering intelligence-sharing ties
SPYWARE FEAR
with Madrid. US lawmakers fear Huawei’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party could compromise shared secrets, while cybersecurity experts
warn Spain has made a ‘huge mistake’. Brussels is also alarmed, with MEPs calling the decision risky and irresponsible. Despite Spain’s Interior Ministry insisting the contract meets national cybersecurity standards, rights group ARTICLE 19 is demanding an urgent review. Critics say Huawei's involvement in EU security undermines years of efforts to limit foreign influence in critical infrastructure.
TAX BACKLASH
SPAIN’S former tax boss has launched a blistering attack on the country’s revenue agency, accusing it of abusing power and targeting wealthy foreigners.
Ignacio Ruiz-Jarabo, who led Spain’s tax office (AEAT) from 1998 to 2001, has branded the system 'broken, abusive and dangerously authoritarian'. Writing in Vozpópuli, he said the Hacienda now views citizens 'as prey' and likened it to a 'modern-day feudal power'.
His comments come amid growing backlash over Spain’s treatment of high-earn-
THE nationwide power cut that hit Spain has cost energy giant an estimated €170 million in lost revenues from its refineries and chemical plants.
The April 28 blackout, which plunged much of Spain and parts of France and Portugal into darkness, led to an estimated €100 million in losses across
Ex-tax chief slams Spanish taxman for 'robbing' wealthy Brits and expats
By Ben Pawlowski
ing expats under the so-called Beckham Law – a tax break aimed at attracting foreign professionals. A damning white paper by international law firm Amsterdam & Partners has accused the Hacienda of 'systematic and ongoing violations' and 'malicious audits' that demand huge penalties from residents years after arrival.
Cash cut
five Repsol refineries. The company also faced a €40 million hit at three chemical plants, insiders said, with smaller power disruptions over the period contributing an additional €30 million in costs.
The blackout affected more than 50 million people and severely disrupted industrial operations across the Iberian Peninsula. While the full financial impact has yet to be calculated, energy sector experts estimate the total losses across industries could reach between €2 billion and €4 billion.
The report, backed by over 100 expats, says victims are hit with sudden reassessments and pressured into paying large sums or settling without recourse. Ruiz-Jarabo added that inspectors target the wealthy, regardless of nationality, because 'they’re bound to have more assets'.
He also slammed a €125 million staff bonus scheme rewarding inspectors who collect the most tax – claiming it fuels 'invented cases'.
Robert Amsterdam, the white paper’s co-author, told the Olive Press the Hacienda must 'reinstate the presumption of innocence' and reform its broken appeal process. Backing the campaign, Supreme Court judge Jose Antonio Montero warned tax fines were now being used as a 'pressure mechanism'. Despite official claims that less than 1% of assessments are disputed, new data shows 60% of appeals succeed.
STOCKS, BONDS AND YOUR MORTGAGE
WE’VE all heard of stocks and bonds, and most of us have a basic understanding of what they are. Stocks represent ownership in a company, while bonds are essentially loans to a company or a government.
It’s widely recognised that it’s wise to hold both in your investment portfolio. Why? Because putting all your financial eggs in one basket is rarely a good idea – diversification helps manage risk.
Even better, stocks and bonds are often negatively correlated. When stock markets dip, investors tend to seek the relative safety of bonds – which pushes up bond prices. By holding both, you can reduce volatility, aim for the same returns with less risk, and avoid emotional investing pitfalls like panic selling. But how much of each should you hold? That’s where opinions differ.
The big question in investing –known as the asset allocation decision – has many answers. Strategies include:
● Time horizon-based: The longer you have until retirement or needing the money, the more stocks you can hold. Shorter time frames favour bonds or cash.
Why smart expats in Spain need a tailored investment strategy
● Goal-based investing: Allocate different stock/bond mixes to different goals. For example, a child’s university fund might be 50/50, while a short-term house deposit could lean 20/80.
● Target-date funds: These adjust your portfolio based on when you plan to retire, gradually shifting from stocks to bonds over time.
● Age-based: A classic rule says subtract your age from 100 (or 120) to determine the percentage to hold in stocks, with the rest in bonds.
At BISSAN Wealth Management, where I work, we take a goalbased approach. First, we learn about your financial objectives – retirement, children’s education, a property purchase – and then quantify these using our optimisation model. We calculate expected future cash needs and place those funds in bonds to shield them from market swings. The remaining capital is then invested in stocks.
• MBA in finance
• MS in Spanish taxation
• BS in economics
• European Financial Planner in Spain
• Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® in U.S.
• Author of two financial planning books
You might say: “Goal-based investing has arrived in Spain.” But there’s another wrinkle – your mortgage.
If you still owe on your home, your asset mix might not be as balanced as you think. A mortgage is essentially a
bond in reverse – instead of receiving interest, you’re paying it. Let’s say you own €200,000 in bonds and €200,000 in stocks. On paper, that looks balanced. But if you owe €150,000 on your mortgage, then the interest from a large chunk of your bonds is simply going to cover that debt. Your net bond position is only €50,000 – meaning you’re more
heavily invested in stocks than you might realise. Some may take this as a sign to buy a cheaper home in Spain and avoid a mortgage altogether. My view? Find a trusted financial advisor in Spain who can help guide you through these decisions, so
you don’t have to navigate it all alone. Same facts. Smarter conclusions.
Back home
A RARE painting by Catalan artist Joaquin Mir Trinxet has been recovered by police 16 years after it was stolen from a Barcelona gallery.
The vivid landscape piece, titled Paisaje, is valued at €21,000 and was taken in 2009 by a gang of art thieves.
Mir y Trinxet (1873–1940),
a key figure in Catalan modernism and the ‘Generation of 1898’, has many works displayed at Barcelona’s MNAC. Following a joint operation with Interpol, police located and returned the painting to its rightful owner.
No arrests have been confirmed.
In a similar high-profile case, five Francis Bacon paintings worth €30 million were stolen from a Madrid flat in 2015 –with one still missing.
Beacon of culture
A GRISLY discovery in the Catalan Pyrenees has unveiled the shocking reality of prehistoric violence - with a flint arrowhead embedded in a human rib more than 4,000 years old. The remains were found
Flint arrowhead found in human remains reveals
violent conflict in ancient Spain
PREHISTORIC MURDER MYSTERY
FILM BACKING
By Dilip Kuner
at the Roc de les Orenetes burial site, and offer proof of ancient conflicts.
Dr Carlos Tornero from the Universitat Autonoma de
TO Brits the name ‘Trafalgar’ is forever linked to Admiral Nelson and the battle in which he was killed.
But now the cape has a new claim to fame.
The Trafalgar Lighthouse is on track to be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.
Built in the late 19th century by engineer Eduardo Saavedra Morgas, the lighthouse is celebrated for both its historical significance and its role in maritime navigation.
Barcelona has been leading a team of archaeologists digging into the site, located over 1,800 metres above sea level.
The team has found a human rib with a flint arrowhead lodged in it, evidence that someone was shotand survived.
OSCAR-winning filmmaker Pedro Almodovar (pictured) has joined nearly 100 prominent cultural figures in defending Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, calling recent corruption accusations an ‘orgy of fake news’.
The official declaration, published in the State Gazette, places the lighthouse under the ‘monument category’, ensuring its preservation and cultural recognition.
The Ministry of Culture will now forward the resolution to the relevant bodies including Barbate Town Council and the Port Authority of the Bay of Cadiz to continue with formal procedures.
OP QUICK CROSSWORD
1 Professors’ world (7)
5 Bottle for drugs (4)
7 Dr Scores turned out for humanitarian organization (3,5)
8 “Doesn’t look good” (2-2)
9 Formerly Nyasaland (6)
10 Lengthen or broaden (6)
11 Spitfire, Interceptor or Defender, perhaps (3)
12 --- Sykes (4)
14 Basic idea (4)
15 Approves (3)
17 Airfield holding areas (6)
19 Least tainted (6)
21 Need (4)
22 Danger from above (3,5)
23 Rowan Atkinson role (4)
24 Family line (7)
1 Place for sports (5)
2 Outdated (7)
3 Strangely different (6)
4 Most important Christian festival (6)
5 Secure compartment (5)
6 Swarms (7)
13 Supersede (7)
14 Relevant (7)
15 Old saw about Presidential murderer (6)
16 Displays (6)
18 Many times (5)
20 Assassinated Egyptian President Anwar --- (5)
X-ray
Now the team is turning to X-ray microtomography and biochemical analysis, which could reveal even more about the victim’s suffering and survival.
The Roc de les Orenetes site, a high-altitude cemetery used by a community
The rib shows signs of healing, proving that the person didn’t die immediately after the attack. of herders between 2200 - 2000 BC, has yielded over 6,000 bone
fragments.
While earlier digs at the cave - which was discovered in the 1960s - found fractures, cuts, and signs of weaponry, this arrowhead provides the first undeniable proof of a violent encounter. This is not just an ancient burial ground - it’s a snapshot of the struggles and brutal reality of early mountain life.
In an open letter, artists including Ana Belen, Joan Manuel Serrat, Miguel Ríos and writers Luis Garcia Montero and Rosa Montero condemned what they describe as a ‘conservative offensive’ against the Socialist-led government.
They argue the coalition’s social and economic progress is being drowned out by ‘attacks reminiscent of fascist tactics’. While acknowledging serious allegations involving senior PSOE figures, the letter insists no government should fall based on ‘a police report’ without a fair trial.
The message also criticised politicised judicial actions and called out media manipulation creating an ‘unbearable political climate’.
LA CULTURA
FROM Malaga they drove away from the coast across a rolling treeless plain the color of brick and yellow oxhide. The road was unsurfacedlittle more than a wide track - and they stayed in third gear, bouncing through potholes and sweating profusely in the dry heat.
The azure sea with its silver waves, lost to view behind them, seemed like a fading dream from which they had now awoken to the hard reality of a desert land.
There was at most a trickle of water in the dried-out streambeds in which stunted pink and white oleander bushes clung to life alongside the ubiquitous gray-green agaves with their coarse, spiky leaves. Behind the car, a cloud of fine dust thrown up by the wheels hung in the still air like a curtain.
Sometimes they stopped to drink water and let a passing wagon drawn by a team of straining mules go by. Theo saw how the drivers shouted and cracked their whips and pitied the poor creatures anchored to their traces as they labored slowly on under the merciless hot sun.
A lifetime of uncomplaining drudgery until they finally dropped dead, leaving their carcasses behind to be sold for leather and glue.
At a crossroads, a cart brightly painted with vines and flowers and laden with olives had been pulled to the side of the road under the shade of a grove of thick-leaved poplars. The driver was asleep in a hammock slung between the high front wheels, while his mule slept, too, standing up with only its tail twitching involuntarily against the attentions of the flies.
A few yards farther on, a small wayside shrine made of peeling painted wood contained a chipped blue-and-white statue of the Virgin standing on a makeshift plinth. At Elena’s insistence, they parked
and went over. A small bunch of wildflowers was lying on the ground at the Virgin’s feet, wilting now in the heat, and beside it, a handwritten notice weighed down with pebbles begged passersby to pray for the soul of a child, Maria Fuentes, killed here by a madman.
There was no date and no explanation. No answers to the obvious questions that sprang into Theo’s mind - Why the killing? Why here?
Just the hard, red plain stretching out on all sides baked dry by the sun. The child was dead.
‘What do they do with all that wood? It can’t just be for themselves’
The madman had killed her. What was done was done. Elena crossed herself and prayed briefly before they returned to the car, leaving the driver and his mule fast asleep under the trees.
Slowly, the road started to wind and climb toward the foothills of the distant snowcapped mountains. Men and women were working in the dusty fields, bent double as they hoed, and Theo was surprised to see teams of oxen pulling wooden plows. Nothing was mechanized except their car. It was as if they were driving backward, he thought, into a biblical world that had survived unchanged since the dawn of time.
They began to pass villages that ap-
peared like splashes of white paint against the ocher-colored hills, with short columns of smoke rising into the still air above their crimson-tiled roofs. Outside one, they were stopped by a column of sheep moving slowly across the road like an eddying river.
Below, a real stream defied the drought and trickled between the rocks where women with worn, leathery faces and hair tied up in kerchiefs were laundering sheets and shirts. They stopped their work and stood for a moment motionless, staring up at the car as if it were some alien visitor from another planet, and then as one went back to their washing.
“The peasant women are tough here,” said Sir Andrew, looking down. “They give birth in the morning and are back washing their husbands’ clothes in the afternoon. It’s always been the same.”
Theo saw his mother shudder. There were more people on the road now as they drove on. Women with water jugs balanced on their heads as they walked and bent-over men coming down the paths
Have and
In the first of an Olive Press serialisation of Simon Tolkien’s The Palace at the End of the Sea we head back to Spain in the early 1930s, a time of great turbulence and suffering. A true journey of discovery, we follow young American protagonist Theo as he finds out about his wealthy landowner stepfather Andrew, who owns huge tranches of olive groves and orange farms in Andalucia
from the hills with tied-up bundles of firewood and pine cones on their backs.
Some were carrying such heavy burdens that Theo couldn’t see their faces. They looked like some strange species of tree creature, he thought. Not human at all.
“What do they do with all that wood?” he asked. “It can’t just be for themselves.”
“The bakers need it to fire their ovens,” said Sir Andrew. “They give the gatherers bread in exchange.
It’s not an easy life.” Such understatement! It was a terrible life, Theo thought. Not one worth living. He had never seen such work. The firewood gatherers endured worse than pack animals, who at least could stay upright under their loads. His mind reeled as he tried to imagine their wretchedness.
“Will we be there soon?” asked Elena, whose suffering in the heat made her oblivious to the misery of others.
Marmalade
“Yes. Very soon. These are my orange trees,” said Sir Andrew, pointing proudly out of the window toward carefully tended groves running down the hillside as far as the eye could see in long, even lines.
“We send them to Scotland for marmalade in the spring. It’s a small business - not like the sherry - but profitable and guaranteed. The manufacturers in Dundee have to use these oranges because without them the taste changes. They tried switching to cheaper ones from Portugal in my father’s time and lost half their customers, so I think they’ve learned their lesson.
“The British are connoisseurs when it comes to their marmalade.” Sir Andrew laughed, and Theo wondered what else his stepfather owned. It was another version of Spain that he seemed to be projecting: a network of flourishing business interests flowing plentiful profits through the rural economy and into his capacious pockets, completely at odds with the vi-
CONTRASTS: Between the local peasant farmers and the giant orange estates owned by Theo’s stepfather
sion of grinding poverty that Theo had been witnessing with growing disquiet outside the car window.
They passed a weathered stone calvary in a grove of silver-leafed olive trees and a sign announcing the name of the village as LOS OLIVOS.
“Half a village and half a town,” said Sir Andrew with a wry smile.
“Too big for one, too small for the other. The people have been arguing about it for years, but they can never come to a decision. So one day they are villagers and the next they are townsmen, and whatever you call them, they are insulted.”
Ahead, the village-town climbed toward the silver-domed belfry and spire of the church rising above the tessellated roofs in the shimmering sunlight, and beyond and behind that in the haze, the pine-clad foothills skirting the mountains. Higher and higher, leaving the plain behind.
They drove slowly up through the narrow, winding lanes. Here, in the lower quarter, the single-story houses were no more than hovels with collapsing thatch for roofs and their once-whitewashed stucco walls fading to mottled gray, matching the faces of the inhabitants whom they passed here and there, leaning back against the crumbling masonry, staring into nothingness.
Only the children were mobile, running barefoot after the car in their dirty smocks, with their hands outstretched and white dust streaking their tousled black hair. They were shouting, but Theo couldn’t hear what they were saying through the closed windows of the car.
The confining walls on either side gave way as they entered a square with a small crumbling fountain in the center, dripping water into two galvanized tin troughs, where a donkey was drinking and a girl was filling an earthenware jug.
Her face was turned away from Theo as she
bent
down, but she had a scarlet hibiscus flower in her hair—a stab of unexpected color amid the monochrome townscape.
Sir Andrew stopped the car, unable to go on because their way was blocked by an overturned cart that had lost a wheel.
A sack or two of prickly pears had spilled out of the back onto the filthy cobblestones, and the children who had run after them into the square were busy picking the fruit up and dropping them as the thorns cut into their hands. The driver of the cart was yelling at them, but they paid him no attention.
Across the way, on the other side of the fountain, men in berets were drinking and playing cards at tables set up outside a small café, apparently indifferent to the commotion.
Sir Andrew wound down the window for a moment to shout at the driver to pull his cart out of the way, and Theo’s senses were immediately overwhelmed by the acrid smells of the barrio - animal excreta and urine and rancid oil and smoke - and raucous sounds, too - a radio somewhere
Asturias was just the beginning
The problem is that Spaniards aren’t political. They’re religious. The Left just as much as the Right. They all think they’ve got God on their side. Or Marx or Bakunin or history. It doesn’t matter. What does is that they believe the people on the other side are the Antichrist or the class enemy, not human beings but rabid dogs. And you don’t talk to diseased animals. You shoot them, particularly if you have a taste for violence like the people here do. Violence is where all this will end. Asturias was just the beginning.”
playing tinny flamenco, two invisible dogs carrying on a howling duet, and, closer at hand, the shrieks and cries of the children.
A few moments later the way was clear and they drove on, leaving behind the children and the girl whose face Theo had still not seen and now never would. As the car turned out of the square, he just had time to notice a line of red graffiti reading VIVA LA ANARQUÍA, daubed on a wall that had previously been invisible behind the cart. Looking back over his shoulder, Theo felt a secret excitement. The bent-over backs and the hollow stares of the peasantry were misleading. There was life here beneath the surface. Anarquía—he tasted the word silently on his lips, wondering who it was that had scrawled it so boldly on the wall with the trailing paint dripping down from the bottom of the letters like blood.
So you’re an anarchist now?
As if by mutual agreement, Andrew and Theo remained where they were, standing and sitting, saying nothing, until they heard the sound of the front door closing. Looking down, he saw that his hands were shaking again, and he felt a terrible stiffness in his neck.
“Thank you,” he said, looking up at his stepfather. “I was all over the place and you saved me.”
“From your own foolishness,” said Andrew harshly. “I assume you did throw that flashlight?”
Theo nodded. It didn’t occur to him to lie. He needed his stepfather and instinctively realized that Andrew wouldn’t be able to help him if he didn’t know the truth.
“So why did you do it?” Andrew de-
manded icily. “Because you’re an Anarchist now? Is that it?”
“No.”
“No? So you told the lieutenant the truth about that, even though the rest of what you said was lies?”
“I understand why they’re so angry about the exploitation and the injustice, but I don’t agree with what they want to do about it.”
Theo spoke slowly, trying to get his words right, refusing to be provoked by his stepfather’s angry sarcasm into a reflex response. “The burning and the violence, you mean?” asked Andrew. “Is that what you don’t agree with?”
Theo nodded.
“So why did you try to help them burn down the town hall?”
DÉNIA
JOURNEY BACK IN TIME:
Hero Theo can’t believe the poverty he is seeing as he climbs into the Malaga mountains
Lucky lionesses
ACCORDING to Spanish women’s captain Peredes, the lionesses were ‘lucky throughout the Euros’. She told reporters her team was better, after losing in the penalties on Sunday.
No plonker
GORDON Ramsay has declared Spanish wine ‘in another league’ and ‘one of the hidden gems of the world’ saying for this reason the Iberian Peninsula vino has been on his menus for years.
Asian attack
THOUSANDS of tons of invasive seaweed from Asia are piling up in Gibraltar and Spain’s southern coast. In Cadiz, they’ve removed over 1,200 tons since May.
Ryanair draws outrage for its ‘humiliating’ tone on social media
A CHEEKY tweet from Ryanair has ignited a firestorm of criticism, with some branding the low-cost carrier’s tone as downright humiliating.
The message telling passengers to ‘walk to your destination if you don’t like our rules’ – posted with a chirpy ‘buenos días’ –has drawn sharp rebuke online. It was slammed as a brazen symbol of ‘low-cost capitalism at its crudest’ by Spanish Revolution, a grassroots activist group and content producer.
The tweet comes as no surprise to those familiar with Ryanair’s no-nonsense approach, but the sarcasm has struck a nerve.
Spanish Revolution argued it’s more than just a quip, suggesting the airline is peddling ‘humiliation as part of the product’ to people who can’t afford better, urging a general boycott.
“They transport a model of the world where everything goes if it’s cheap enough,” the account
By Walter Finch
fumed, tapping into growing frustration with hidden fees and strict baggage rules that have long irked travellers.
Ryanair, a staple for Brits jetting to and from Spain’s costas, faced a €108m fine last year as part of a €179m penalty from Spanish authorities for charging for hand luggage and seat reservations – practices the airline insists keep fares low.
Ring and a prayer
WALK THIS WAY
A 2022 European Commission study backs the discontent, revealing 68% of budget airline passengers feel pressured into accepting extra costs.
A KEEN beachgoer has been caught on camera reserving his slice of paradise before the sun even had a chance to rise.
Footage from a weather cam at Playa del Cura in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca shows the mystery man arriving at 5.36am – armed with nothing but determination and a beach umbrella. Within minutes, he was back with two sunbeds, and by 5.40am his seaside em-
EARLY BIRD
pire was fully established. But while his dedication is admirable (or mildly unhinged), there’s one problem – Torrevieja bans early furniture placement, with €150 fines for offenders. It seems he beat the sun... but may not outrun the town hall.
A MAN has been rescued from the Med after a bonkers attempt to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes using nothing but an inflatable ring, a wetsuit and a pair of flippers.
Holidaymakers sailing off the Costa del Sol were stunned to spot what they thought was a bird or fish bobbing 20km south of Benalmadena - only to realise, through binoculars, it was a man struggling in open water.
The crew dragged him aboard and alerted Spain’s maritime rescue service. Wrapped in blankets and barely speaking, the mystery paddler had been attempting to swim from Morocco to Spain.
