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The
OLIVE PRESS MALLORCA
www.theolivepress.es
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 7 Issue 179 www.theolivepress.es April 19th - May 2nd 2024
GAUDI AND GETTING A LIFE IN THE SUN
A MASTER Taking a look at the lesser known Gaudi creations
April 2024
See page 14
CLUCKS TO CREATIVITY n has beeio p that stud ken cooarchitect’s an The chic med into transfor
WINGING IT: Arnau grew
grew up on the farm where coop stands. He remembers the ing roe deer and other wildlifeseeon the land. And now he has clear views from his comfortable studio as the wildlife timidly approach the old coop. He said: “We watch the seasons and life go by through the window while we know that this little paradise is just a lucky fragment of the broken mirror of life.”
PERFECT BALANCE
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SIESTAS, lots of holidays and long warm evenings… it any wonder Spain offers is the second-best work-life balance France came third, followed break, most Spanish workers by in the world. Australia, Denmark, Norway statutory annual leave of By Yzabelle Bostyn According to new research, get at least an hour to eat. and the Netherlands. days, while 16 weeks of 36 hours, including part-time The United Spaniards have much more According to global HR comKingdom was in maternity leave (at €100paid work. time to relax outside of work pany Remote, Spain scored of 79. eighth position, week) and getting 60% a Despite coming first, Kiwis get age happiness with an avercompared to most European a healthy 76 out of 100 for The poll took of less annual score of 6.94 into account workers. countries.. public holidays, sick leave, your wage if sick were pluses. iards, with 32leave than Span- out of 10. days. While In comparison to the UK, In the company’s study of the healthcare, Brits get 28 days annual leave, wage is the minimum hourly However, their sick leave 60 countries with the highest where most people work nine per- al leave, £96 a weekof annulow at €7.41, it is commaternity for sick to five jobs with a short lunch GDP globally, only New Zea- happiness. leave and overall pensated by an average happi- centage is higher at 80% as leave and 39 weeks well as maternity leave of materland came above with a score ness level of 6.48 out of 10. al- nity leave at £24 (€27). Spain did extremely well lowance, at around €98 for 26 In ninth for An ordinary work week is 25.9 weeks. and tenth place were Canada and Brazil, respectively.
Spain is the second-best
country in the world for
work-life balance
American mystery ystery Was Valencia based expat teacher killed by her husband during sex game gone wrong? EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
HAD ENOUGH! GIBRALTAR’s Chief Minister has announced he will step down after his current term. Fabian Picardo told a popular podcast things had gotten ‘a little stickier’ and ‘I’ve had my fill of this job’. His words in The Rest is Politics come as an inquiry gathered steam over the early retirement of Gib’s former police boss. Ex-Commissioner Ian McGrail told Gibraltar Court this week how Picardo had ‘questions to answer’ over his involvement in an alleged criminal conspiracy. He claims he stepped in to effectively quash an investigation, called Operation Delhi, that threatened Gibraltar’s national security. It came after Caine Sanchez, John Perez and Tommy Cornelio were arrested in 2020 over a scheme to fraudulently transfer a €840,000-a-year border security contract to a company called 36 North Ltd. Picardo allegedly had full knowledge and ‘owned 3%’ of the company, which was set up specifically to take on the government contract, the court heard. His friend, James Levy - the boss of the Rock’s leading law firm Hassans - injected a ‘considerable sum’ into the company for a 33% stake. “I would not classify [the Chief Minister] as a suspect,” McGrail told the hearing. “But he had questions to answer.” In the end, Operation Delhi was discontinued in 2022 over ‘matters of national security.’ McGrail’s lawyers ‘allege corruption’ and that Picardo forced their client’s retirement after the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) carried out a search warrant at Levy’s office and took his phone and tablet. Lawyers for the government insist the police boss was forced to resign because of a series of poorly-handled incidents causing them to ‘lose confidence’ in him.
CLOSE friends of a teacher whose husband claims she died during a drug-fuelled sex game have poured cold water over the claims. They told the Olive Press they never saw expat Bianca Pitman, 43, ever take drugs. The teacher and mother-of-two, from Texas, was found dead inside a holiday apartment in Malaga on April 6. Her common law husband, Jose Betancourt, 50, ran into a square at 5.30am calling for help, saying his wife was unconscious. He is now being investigated over the death which he c l a i m s came after they engaged in ‘rape roleplay’ and after she took an unspecified ‘substance’.
and kept in touch with her after they graduated, she was such a popular figure. “She was very close with her children. Her daughter is best friends with my daughter. She had a great relationship with them… e v e r y - FLED: Bianca (centre) who lived in Xativa with her two children had come for body is ‘new life in Spain’ shocked by this.” She revealed how Bianca had been teaching English at a school in Xativa, in Valencia, and ‘seemed happy’ with her new life. During various conversations on
she was’. When emergency services arrived at the flat in Plaza de Camas, they desperately tried to revive Bianca, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police sources said Jose told investigators he and Bianca had enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city before having dinner, ‘lots of tequila’ and sex until dawn.
Autopsy
When police quizzed Jose, he also claimed that Bianca had ‘consumed a substance’, the details of which remain unknown. Jose was first arrested for reckless homicide before an autopsy revealed signs of asphyxiation due to strangulation. He is now being probed for domestic violence and will remain in prison without bail while the investigation continues. Authorities now must determine whether the strangulation took place during a sexual ‘rape roleplay’, or whether it was intentional and planned. Opinion Page 6
Tel: 952 147 834
952 147 834
See The Rumbles on the Rock, page 6
Snapchat, she sent videos of her new neighbourhood and friends. She added she didn’t understand how and why Bianca, from San Antonio, had come south to Malaga to meet her ex-partner. Valerie insisted she had ‘fled’ the States to start ‘a fresh new life’ in Spain - and more importantly, did ‘not want Jose to know where
Friend
Yet, Valerie Dullnig, a close friend, told the Olive Press that drugs were ‘never’ a part of her life. The Texan revealed: “She was an art teacher and a photographer. She was my best friend, she was happy and smart and encouraging, everybody loved her, everyone who met her felt better for being part of her life. “Her students loved her
ARRESTED: No bail for Jose over sex game (left) and the square Jose ran to for help (above)
up on the farm
W
HERE once chickens literally ruled the roost, a firm of architects is now drawing inspiration from of the Paratges de La Moixina.the nature Nestled within the scenic near Orlot (Girona), a natural park remarkable transformation has taken place. What was once a dilapidated chicken coop is now a centre of creativity and innovation, thanks to the work of the Arnau Estudi d'Arquitectura studio. Led by Arnau Verges, (below) the firm decided to restore the forgotten structure to its former glory. With a keen eye for design nau and his team renovated Arthe old coop, breathing new life into its weathered walls. The transformation of the ken coop into an archi- chictect’s studio has been nothing short of extraordinary. It exudes a sense of rustic charm, blending seamlessly with the natural beauty of its surroundings.. It was a labour of love for Arnau who
See page 2 & 5
TM