Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain

From The Digital Editor

Walter Finch

Dear Olive Press readers,

I’m back after an extended weekend exploring the nooks and crannies of Cadiz province and occasionally straddling the frontier with Malaga. Many thanks to Ben for holding the fort while I was away.

We are very grateful to the hardworking team we have at the OP, some quite unsung and others still getting their feet under the table.

Along with the redoubtable Ben, we have our Costa Blanca correspondent Alex Trelinski, with several aeons of experience and an eye for a dark crime story, not to mention Dilip our news editor who does more than most behind the scenes.

We also welcome two new – and highly valued – journalists to the team in the shape of Alessio Ghirlanda and Rachel Gore. So please give them a metaphorical round of applause and warm welcome, and go easy on them in the comments if they write a triggering story.

The news last week was dominated by two entirely separate – but somehow bizarrely intertwined – occurrences.

The first was the almighty hammering Storm Alice dealt out to eastern regions of Spain, including a number of red alert weather warnings and the ignominious clips of cars floating down what was once a quiet residential road.

WATCH: Cars abandoned and garbage bins float away as tourist hotspot Alicante floods – with RED ALERT Storm Alice swinging over the Costa Blanca

TORRENTIAL rain has left Alicante under water after dry riverbeds flooded and streets turned into raging torrents. Videos flooding social media show abandoned cars submerged in the Barranco del Juncaret…

But the other was seismic for a different reason. The European Union, after years of dallying and delaying, finally got round to introducing its new Entry Exit System (EES).

It promises to revolutionise entry (and exit) to the Schengen zone for non-EU nationalities (ie Brits). In the end, on day one it was only implemented at Madrid Barajas pending a 12-month incremental rollout, but Brits should now expect to encounter it when they come to Spain.

EXPLAINER: Here’s how the new EES border system will work for Brits entering Spain and other EU countries from next month

BRITISH travellers will face fingerprinting, photos and binding questions at EU borders from October once the new Entry/Exit System (EES) comes into force on October 12. The digital scheme will…

The other upshot of the new system is that it will bring to a close the ‘turn a blind eye’ regime of the 90/180 rule, something many Brits have been taking advantage of to visit second homes in Spain. Now the reality is that vacationers who try to push their luck will automatically be flagged by the system, and the penalties are quite harsh.

‘Wake-up call’ for Brits: Second homeowners in Spain face travel bans when 90/180 ‘blind eye’ regime ends next week

BRITS are facing a clamp down on access to their second homes in Spain when the EU’s new digital border system starts next week. From this coming Sunday, October 12,…

EDITOR’S PICKS:

Tommy Robinson is a refugee: Activist tells UK judge he formally lives in Spain during court hearing over refusal to let police search his phone

Tommy Robinson is a refugee – The frequent provocateur – and even-more-frequent Spain visitor – told a UK judge this week that he lives in Spain. His allies explained that the measure was because he is no longer safe in the UK. Which means Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is a refugee. The irony appears lost on too many.

‘War is better than socialism’: One in five Spaniards believe the Franco era was either ‘good or very good’, according to new poll

One-in-five are Nazis – A shock public opinion poll found that around 20% of the population believe that the Franco era was either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ for Spain, with the figure actually rising for those between 18 and 24. Some youngsters even openly told Spanish TV that Franco was ‘cool’.

Hacienda’s unlawful harassment nearly killed her husband. Now, this retired Dutch expat is challenging Spain’s tax authority in a new memoir

Tax nightmare – We get these stories from time to time, and they never lose their power to shock and disturb. A Dutch expat is writing a novel detailing the Kafka-esque nightmare she and her husband were forced into following a catastrophic administrative error by Spain’s tax agency. It drained their finances and triggered her husband’s near-fatal heart attack.

WATCH: Firefighters called to school in southern Spain after malfunctioning speakers blast ‘Happy Birthday’ at full volume until 4am

Happy birthday – And rounding things off on a departure from all the doom and gloom – firefighters in Murcia were called out to one of their more unusual jobs last weekend. Why? Residents in sleepy Javali Viejo had begun to mutiny after malfunctioning school loudspeakers blasted out ‘Happy Birthday’ at full volume all throughout the night – until our heroes deactivated them around 4am.

Enjoy the weekend folks. And please do get in touch with any thoughts or comments you might have!

Best,
Walt

Follow The Olive Press

Our mailing address is:

The Olive Press

Edificio Centro Comercial El Duque, first floor, Carretera N340, km 144.5

San Luis de Sabinillas, Malaga 29692, Spain

Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.

Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain

From The Digital Editor

Walter Finch

WATCH: Cars abandoned and garbage bins float away as tourist hotspot Alicante floods – with RED ALERT Storm Alice swinging over the Costa Blanca

EXPLAINER: Here’s how the new EES border system will work for Brits entering Spain and other EU countries from next month

‘Wake-up call’ for Brits: Second homeowners in Spain face travel bans when 90/180 ‘blind eye’ regime ends next week

Tommy Robinson is a refugee: Activist tells UK judge he formally lives in Spain during court hearing over refusal to let police search his phone

‘War is better than socialism’: One in five Spaniards believe the Franco era was either ‘good or very good’, according to new poll

Hacienda’s unlawful harassment nearly killed her husband. Now, this retired Dutch expat is challenging Spain’s tax authority in a new memoir

WATCH: Firefighters called to school in southern Spain after malfunctioning speakers blast ‘Happy Birthday’ at full volume until 4am

Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain

Spooktacular Halloween Sale

Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain

Spooktacular Halloween Sale

The Genal Valley’s incredible copper forest is the perfect winter escape, especially to visit its amazing black pigs, writes Jon Clarke

DR CLAUDIO: The importance of warm-up exercises before and after sport

Why is December 6 known as Constitution Day in Spain?

THIS WEEK IN SPAIN: Michael Coy has been diving into the Spanish archives again…

These are the December opening dates for Mijas’ incredible new Grand Park – with a lake, sports courts, dog park and open-air amphitheatre