Olive Press Newspaper – Issue 286 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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Vol. 12 Issue 286 www.theolivepress.es February 28th - March 13th 2018

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Sabinillas ll about Manilva, and Sabinillas Manilva, and Duquesa la Duquesa Puerto de 28th 2017 - February February 27th 2018 - February 14th15th February

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Vol. 12 Issue 285 www.theolivepress.es February 14th - February 27th 2018

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Gone fishin’

OCEAN C@FÉ & BAR

Passion

B I S T R O

Seasoned conwoman Paula Neale ‘flees to France’ with cops in pursuit Puerto de la Duquesa,

Estepona

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Marbella

Born to be wild

Puerto Duquesa Sabinillas

Manilva’s laidback vibe is founded on fish and wine and that authentic flavour is still something to savour, writes Jed Neill

TS rock pools full of tiny darting fish recall British seaside holidays of old while fishing boats still compete with sunloungers for space on the beach. Manilva is quite unlike your average Costa resort. Even in swanky Duquesa marina, you sense the history of a town whose first health tourist was Julius Caesar. And when you tuck into the shellfish - Duquesa’s speciality - you realise the locals know something about fish. In Roman times, Manilva was to garum (a paste, like Gencoves tleman’s Relish, that was all line of drying squids, while (inset) kids play on one of the many rocky NATURAL WONDERS: Sights on Manilva’s beaches include a shopping Jerez rage inofRome) you can practitheoutside August, July andwhat Indeed on many weekends sherry.and a good number have great yourself… to to TS hidden craggy coves fringed with wild grasses and flowers owe cally have the beaches is more to Cornwall’s rugged coastline than Spain’s Costa del Sol. chiringuitos to eat on. The town’s roots in fish saltyou to explore - and place deep runfind still you the perfect Chullera, But these are the attractive protected natural beaches of Manilva, a On one beach at Punta ing of of tourists remains a handful seeatthe another stillwhile the sea, true haven for nature lovers. Worlds away from the heavily commerrock pools and dive into can cialised sands of nearby Mijas or Fuengirola, four kilometres of golden to the half dozen of unspoilt beaches, that lie below the main N340 sunbathe next to a group of squids drying on a line. 16 which is on Page Continues of Manilva, draws reserve. ecological as anAn wildDAY: being kept rocky Manilva shallows coastal road. But the beaches are just one of the natural playas areCATCH eel in the OF THE Endangered western snowy plovers, chameleons and rare species of “These are some of the best beaches on the Costa del Sol and some broadly split into three areas; beach-front Sabinillas, port-side Duquesa dune plants are among the flora and fauna in renaissance here since of the least known,” explains Bish Witkowski, owner of local Castles Continues on next page the conservation zone was created in 2011. agency. BRUNOS eagle-eyed tourists are also beginning to be drawn estate Unsurprisingly,

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EXCLUSIVE By Jed Neill

POLICE are in pursuit of seasoned expat fraudster Paula Neale who has fled to France following an Olive Press probe. Detectives contacted us following a tip off that the mother-of-two was staying in a hotel in Catalunya and preparing to cross the border this week. She had been staying at Hotel Figueres, near Girona, and asked to pay for the room using her ‘husband’s’ credit card. It comes after four years of investigation by the Olive Press has uncovered more than 30 victims of her rental scams undertaken in various false names.

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Ransacked

Neale, 43, took rental deposits for properties she didn’t own and allegedly ransacked properties she had rented before selling the stolen goods online. However, despite four stories and at least eight denuncias ON THE RUN: Paula and (above) against her, she has yet to be Spain-France border and her picked up by police. hotel They’re singling This is looking increasingly me out! He refused to leave his hoNEWS hire car. unlikely after a receptionist at Freeze on tel room or open the door to They claimed she had a long the hotel confirmed plastic that Paula her, setting off alarm bells for chequered track record of had checked out on Tuesday Neale, who packed up and left scams and problems, and had morning. after repeatedly trying to raise IN DENIAL: Guerrero a third son, who was taken She had been planning to him. into care. cross into France with her two Neale’s speedy departure The friend described her as an children, Nina, 12, and Oscar, came as the Olive Press was ‘unfit mother who long dis14 and live in Bordeaux. handing over details of variplayed erratic behaviour’. Staff at the hotel saidAllthe Balcon wins big aboard! room ous denuncias and victims to THE alleged lynchpin in was left On one occasion she even prea ‘complete mess’ PROBE: Previous story in the Guardia Civil in Malaga. Spain’s biggest ever political after she in tended to be her daughter to left a hurry, with A detective confirmed they the Olive Press fraud claims he made SIX police arrivinginwithin try and strike up a connection an hour. were ‘in a race against time’ previous confessions up. CHANGING FACES: Paula with her long-lost son. Her plan to escape France to get an arrest warrant with LIBERTYHOME Former Junta employment was rumbled by hertoown ducer’. Neale fled to France pal, Catalan police. boss Francisco Guerrero in- actor Anthony Webster, who But after meeting her at the One of her victims, Sara Belsists he did not personally ratted on Neale when he found hotel and agreeing to drive mont, says Interpol has been RRP 3,000€ gain from the ERE scandal, out her real identity. her to Bordeaux, he said he notified but because the felt ‘something wasn’t right’ that saw up to a billion euros Webster told the Olive Press crimes were committed in have you when this week that he had recently she claimed her mother embezzled over a decade. Spain, she must be charged got that had suddenly He claims he only gave details befriended Neale online. died and that she there. Liberty needed to leave immediately. of the so-called ‘reptile fund’ He said she had promised to Family and friends back in feeLing? help He researched his acting career and her online and that he allegedly oversaw, the UK meanwhile, confirmed Liberty that Seguros makes stumbled upon our catalogue insurance a better after police put considerable she knew people in the film that she had made it across OUR PRICE industry, claiming to beexperience. of stories. ‘a propressure on him. the border on Tuesday in a € For an instant quote call 91 342 25 49 or go to www.libertyexpatriates.es 10

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NEWS IN BRIEF

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Ashya thanks

BRITISH ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, has thanked the Hospital Materno Infantil in Malaga for its treatment of Ashya King, on behalf of the British government.

www.theolivepress.es

Wasn’t me

ICELAND is the first supermarket in the world to remove plastic packaging from its own-label products. Customers of Overseas, which stocks Iceland products in 20 shops across Spain and Portugal, will benefit from the five-year plan to reduce plastics in 1,400 products. Calling plastics a ‘scourge’ on the world, Iceland managing director Richard Walker said: “A truckload is entering our oceans every minute, causing untold damage to our marine environment and ultimately humanity – since we all depend on the oceans for our survival.” Plastic ready meal trays will be removed first, followed by frozen vegetable bags changing to a paper based material.

Top stamps

SPECIAL edition stamps of King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been launched by postal service Correos. Showing official photographs of the Royal duo, they can be bought for €1.

Pensioner, 70, complains of discrimination after being ordered to take down extension, despite neighbours all having the same

January 17th - January 30th 2018

A FINNISH grandmother ordered to demolish a nineyear-old extension has accused Estepona Town Hall of being 'racially motivated' and 'singling' her out. Terttu Balson, 70, has been involved in an ongoing six-

EXCLUSIVE By Rob Horgan

without the correct planning permission. Several other properties in the Seghers community have similar extensions without planning licences - including Balson's next door Spanish neighbour - but Balson is the

Strike four!

Seasoned conwoman Paula Neale caught by the Olive Press a fourth time

year legal battle with the town hall after they served her with a demolition order and fined her €24,300 in 2008 for building a loft extension

Boozy trips

ONE in seven youngsters coming to Spain on holiday have admitted that they are drunk on the plane, according to a survey by website Jetcost. com.

Big Willy

MANCHESTER City goalkeeper Willy Caballero has told La Liga officials that he was approached by a match-fixing syndicate when playing for Malaga last year.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Terttu’s

‘illegal’ extension and adjoining

neighbour’s (right)

only resident facing court action. "It is completely discriminatory, I cannot help but think that it is not a coincidence that I have been chosen when I am the only foreigner living here," she told the Olive Press. Balson believed she had received planning permission when she contracted a Spanish architect Mario Jones in 2005. Now however, she feels that he did not do his job properly despite being paid €2,500 to take over the project and sort out the building licence. Jones, however, said he feels 'no guilt or responsibility and that Balson is to blame for the situation. He said: "I told her from the beginning that she wasn't allowed to build. Most people get away with it but she DESPERATE: Balson hasn't. "She is definitely being un- and dogs fairly treated and I am not sure why. I hope that the with so many foreigners livtown hall is not targeting her ing on the coast I don't think it happens now." because she is foreign. "Maybe that sort of thing Despite numerous attempts happened in the old days, but Estepona Town Hall did not answer any of our questions.

Still on-the-run

EXCLUSIVE By Jed Neill

Offer

A SEASONED British fraudster has struck again. Paula Neale - exposed in the Olive Press four times in two years - has brought her dirty tricks to the Costa del Sol again. The rentals conwoman has snared a series of unsuspecting foreigners through her well oiled ruse of sub-letting properties. A number of victims have lost thousands in lost deposits, after she took over a two-bedroom apartment in Mijas. Using the alias ‘Sharon Tate’ she rented the Riviera apartment for three months, before

A WANTED property fraudster has been tracked down to a luxury home in Benahavis, after an exclusive Olive Press investigation this month. According to neighbours in kids barely went to school upmarket La Heredia urbanand rarely even came out to isation, Rebecca Wells, 37, play. has fled owing money to sev“She never mixed with the loeral businesses. cal community here and one Keen horserider Wells - who day she was gone leaving an spent eight years posing as unpaid electricity bill.” an estate agent - is now being The Olive Press has still been sought by police, as reported unable to contact Wells, over in the Olive Press last issue, her defrauding of expats who after four denuncias were paid rent on properties she posted against her. did not own. “She owes money to the DISAPPEARED: Wells and La Wells, aka Prior, allegedly Heredia, where she rented a butcher, restaurant and the home took a series of deposits for baker, as well as for repairs to homes which her car,” said one neighbour. former neighbour Frank Coreported concern for her four If you have she did not own. An expat couple living oppo- myn, president of the Palmany information children. about Rebecca Wells, please site Wells’ house in the ur- eras del Golf urbanisation Comyn, who lived opposite contact banisation reported that they in Benalmadena Costa, has her for two years said: “The press.es newsdesk@theolivesaw her packing all the family’s possessions into a rental car on October 1 the day our expose came out. When the Olive Press visited a few days later, the house had clearly been abandoned and the family car - a black Fabulous food and entertainment Chrysler - was apparently including a 5* Christmas or New Years Eve Gala Dinner dumped outside. with fine wine Meanwhile another

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YEar the locks she has preto change Paying €1,700 fromChristmas November& NEw to February, Paula said she was vented anyone else moving in. Taken moving in with her child and However, in just the short a ride for amount of time she was over black cat. However, after reading our ex- this month, two disappointed pose on Neale in early Decem- couples arrived to stay. ber, Belmont quickly started to “One couple from Russia had investigate and found her prop- paid a two month deposit of erty being advertised to rent €1,400 for a year’s rental. They through a variety of Facebook were gutted,” Belmont told the Olive Press. groups. One had been shared an incred- “Then a few hours later an English couple turned up, also with ible 4,000 times. Fortunately she was able to a year’s lease and having paid move fast and after coming over a deposit.” It is unknown how many people in total fell for the scam, but her property was in a terrible state with a stereo and a toolkit also stolen. It took three days to clean. “It has got to stop,” added Belmont. “When is this going to end?” So far she has been unable to track down Neale, but has put up reward notices in various vets around Calahonda. In 2017, the Olive Press twice exposed Neale’s antics. But it has also emerged that we exposed her using the name ‘Sharon Tate’ in 2016 in inland Malaga. A new UK number Paula had been using did not answer our calls. UP UP AND

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Maddie: New sighting claim

VICTIMS are hunting erty fraudster who has an alleged propCosta del Sol owing vanished from the euros. tens of thousands EXCLUSIVE The Guardia of By Imogen Civil confirmed days as a is investigating Calderwood me aroundholiday rental, but horse-owninglast night it posits becca Wells expat Reto rent properties an 11-monthit and convinced she showed cias against after receiving me to sign contract. four denun- claim to. that she has “I want Briton Wells,her. One victim, no clared. her caught and 37, also known Page 11 British expat accused of punished,” told the Olive duping people as Prior, he deRaymond Wells, a Press: “I Iost Paul, hampton, mother-of-two into paying is posit on renting a €1,000 de- “She from Wolverappears to de- same had actuallya home she didn’t have repeated trick at different own. only rented the properties it for four the region over around A Facebook the last eight years. campaign has now launched by the group, been ing to gather aimas possible. as many victims In the case Yorkshire, of Paul, 60, from as a deposithe put down €500 first month’sand €500 for the erty in La rent at the propCala de Mijas August. in But after just three days asked Paul Wells and his clear out wife to certificate‘so an urgent energy dealt with’. matter could be “We were AN embattled two days, left in the dark for centre animal rescue owner has discoveredand upon returning the admitted staying there,another couple Kimplace is ‘out of control’. our possessionswith many of now Halliwell (above) still inside,” 15 agreed to allow an has he said. dogs and initial “We still her Mijas many cats to leave kennels, get some haven’t managed to an Olive following absolutelythings back, we are It comes Press investigation. furious and after filed a denuncia.” have spected the police also inWhen Paul site, following various denuncias set up an meeting urgent mer from forBLAZE: cuss whatwith Wells to dis- Afterstaff. F1 legend had happened, we told of Gachot (inset) failed to show. the she conditions’ loses yacht at Kim’s ‘terrible However Rescue, friends in fire Animal their earlyanother couple in ers and supportrallied around up telling 20s also turned aim of him they cutting the with the similar amount had lost animals by number of half. of money. a The “Lots of her Olive victims are worse situation emergency Press attended an in meeting, spoke than us, anda various who knows are still to how many more found other centres and with new volunteers. come out has woodwork,” he added. of the We have now Another launched appeal an is Stuart victim who lost out animals.to find homes for the Hall, 44, and his Continues

It’s the pits! EXCLUSIVE

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Police probe alleged expat property fraudster who ‘took homes she deposits for didn’t own’

HUNTED: Rebecca on her horse Wells

A LUXURY nus is ownedyacht that burst by ex-Formula into flames in Bertrand Gachot, it One racing Puerto BaThe 51-year-old can be revealed. driver Frenchman, dan between €2 million 1989 and 1995, who raced for Jormorning. yacht Gilliana that is the owner of the blew up on Two crew Sunday members with serious were rushed woman, 34, burns to his hands to hospital, one was treated and another, The 23-metre for smoke inhalation. a €42,000-a-weekPrincess yacht Gilliana to rent, via Rentals. costs Diamovit A source said: Exclusive “Gachot is The driver very upset.” Grand Prix was famously thrown team for spraying out of the the roundabout at Hyde Park CS gas at a taxi Jordan ceived a two-month driver Corner, for His race seat prison stint. which he on reacher, makingwas temporarily his Formula filled by Michael One debut. Schum-

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ALL CHANGE: Passport names and (right) 2016 story the owner, mother-of-three, the authorities in Gibraltar, Sara Belmont, rumbled the where she believes Paula keeps her money. scam. The 41-year-old owner, a fire- She told the Olive Press how she fighter from London, has now was contacted by Neale through brought in police and contacted an online rental website.

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IT has the best caves in Andalucia and some of the best beaches in Malaga province. Known as ‘Balcon de Europa’ it is somewhat fitting that Nerja has been chosen as one of the must visit destinations this year. Travel site Tripadvisor has listed the resort among its top 10 emerging worldwide destinations. It is the only destination in Spain to be tipped, with Gdansk, in Poland, Riga, in Latvia and Rovinj, in Croatia.

THE first ever ferry link between Ireland and Spain has been announced by Brittany Ferries. The company presented its new route from Cork to northern Spain today. It will begin at the end of April and will link Cork and Santander, with two return trips per week. It is the first ever link between the two countries.

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Guerrero is facing eight years in prison for embezzling €65 million of money from the €647 million emergency public fund that he managed between 1999 and 2008.

Struggling

The money had been set aside to support struggling Andalucian businesses. Instead, Guerrero allegedly awarded fake grants to companies registered in the names of more than 100 of his family members, friends and fellow PSOE politicians. His driver, Juan Francisco Trujillo - nicknamed the ‘co-

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However, a number of people who have worked with her, insisted that there was no such number, or anyone trained to accept calls. Indeed, on the charity’s official website www.childlineandalucia.org, there is no telephone number given for children in need. A section, called ‘Ziggy’s Helpline’ states: ‘Once our team of qualified counsellors has been established we are going to launch our telephone helpline for children and teenagers across southern Spain to call in and speak to a dedicated support professional about any problem they may be dealing with.’ Despite many attempts we were unable to contact Bennett to clear up the matter.

EX-BOSS: Bennett A local source, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The fact is there is no helpline set up, while she definitely received a salary for some length of time. So what is going on?” The Charity Commission in the UK confirmed that the not-for-profit had been officially dissolved by Companies House in December of

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MYSTERY surrounds a child helpline charity which shut its doors last week without ever allegedly setting up a phone line - despite taking donations for four years. The Childline Andalucia shop, in Sabinillas, which sold second hand items, closed after its British founder Tracey Leigh Bennett resigned from her post. It comes after several expats told the Olive Press that, despite opening the shop two years ago, no helpline for children has ever been set up. This was despite several specific fundraising events, including concerts by expat band the Jersey Boys, being held to raise money for the childline. The Olive Press and other local media gave free publicity and adverts to promote the charity.

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2016 after it failed to file its accounts. This is despite the charity’s website claiming until recently that it was still registered in the UK. “The not-for-profit did not file or declare its accounts on June 4 2016, leading Companies House to move to dissolve Childline Andalucia on October 1 that year,” a spokesperson told the Olive Press. While the charity is still registered in Spain, the Junta told the Olive Press it only de-registers charities upon request, and that they are not required to declare earnings. Meanwhile, British councillor for Manilva Dean Tyler Shelton, a local charity president himself, said he had concerns about the charity from its outset. “She requested that we help with infrastructure for events and fundraising, but she always made requests through third parties and when we asked to see forecasts, projections and other charity-related documents, they just went quiet.”

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However, in a social media post last week, Bennett - who also goes by Tracey-Leigh Kent - claimed she was no longer able to ‘maintain the overhead costs’. “As you know we were greatly affected by the roadworks from November to February which left volunteers paying out of their own pockets to keep the shop afloat,” she wrote on her Facebook page last week. Oddly, she went on to claim that the ‘free 121 helpline’ would ‘continue to operate confidentially with our professional counsellors four hours per day, seven days a week.’

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News IN BRIEF

Money talks ALLEGED Marbellabased Russian crime boss Arnold Spivakovsky has been released after posting €750,000 in bail.

Suit case THE father of an eightyear-old boy who was smuggled into Spain from Morocco in a suitcase has escaped a prison sentence. He was fined just €92.

Crackdown SPAIN has vowed to beef up its drug squad in Cadiz to prevent the south from becoming a hotbed for ‘narcos’ following a string of high profile incidents.

Justice coming for Agnese

Big pay out will help end Brit’s three-year wrongful imprisonment

Not for kids POLICE have arrested three members of a drug gang in Manilva which allegedly sold drugs to minors outside schools and playgrounds.

February 28th - March 13th 2018

EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

A BRITISH expat is suing the Spanish government for €5 million following a ‘25-year nightmare’ with the authorities. Gary Owens, from Stockport, was fingered for a murder he didn’t commit more than two decades ago. The ex-rocker was twice arrested and held in jail on remand in 1991 and in 2008, on suspicion of playing a part in the death of a wealthy Norwegian club owner in Marbella. The body of Mr Heta, 33, the owner of a nightclub and recording studio, was found down a well in 1991. As the Olive Press revealed in a hard-hitting investigation two years ago, he spent almost three years in prison. The guitarist, whose band A II Z played with the likes of Black

Sabbath and Iron Maiden, has finally been told there is no case against him and that he has grounds to sue. Owens said: “I have been unjustly treated by the Spanish and British justice systems. We are claiming compensation from the Spanish system for false imprisonment and human rights breaches. “I want to know how the Spanish justice system can destroy

my life…It is a total disgrace.” In documents seen by the Olive Press, it shows Owens has filed the lawsuit with Spain’s Ministry of Justice, based in Valencia. Owens was first arrested after a Spanish policeman tapped on the window of his partner Jayne’s Renault hire car in Tenerife. A shotgun was thrust through and was just inches away from his face before 15 officers swarmed around the vehicle and arrested him on April 2 1991. Eleven other people were arrested in connection with the murder but it remains unsolved. Owens had only met Heta twice and had agreed to record an album in his studio, which he argues shows there was no motive to kill him. Owens is calling for a public inquiry into why he was wrongfully imprisoned.

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A PAIR of British expats are set to go on trial over the disappearance of Agnese Klavina ‘within weeks’, it has been claimed. Westley Capper and Craig Porter will be joined in the dock by the former doorman of the nightclub from where she was allegedly abducted in 2014. The pair are facing 12-year sentences for abduction, although the lack of a body means they cannot be charged with murder, claims the Agnese family lawyer. Fernando Scornik Gernstein maintains the dead body of Klavina, a Latvian waitress, was dumped out at sea by the duo after they abducted her from Puerto Banus nightclub Aqwa Mist. The 30-year-old was pictured on CCTV being forced into a car with Capper, 39 and Porter, 35, while the bouncer at the time held the car door shut as she tried to escape. The men admitted leaving with Klavina but claim they dropped her off near her home in San Pedro. However Porter contradict-

ed this version of events in a later reconstruction, causing a judge to label his statement as ‘improbable’. Privately educated Capper and pal Porter were seen five days after Klavina’s disappearance, dragging a huge suitcase onto a yacht in La Duquesa. They donned caps and actively tried to avoid their faces being seen by CCTV cameras.

Trouble

They sailed towards Ibiza but docked in La Manga, claiming engine trouble, before driving back to Marbella. The Olive Press was the first paper to reveal that her abductors were British. We were also the first paper to report how the pair had run over and killed a Bolivian mother in San Pedro in May 2016, in pouring rain, before going for a curry and drinking beer. They both had cocaine and alcohol in their system. Capper was released on bail, but could receive an additional manslaughter sentence at the trial.

N o t

v a l i d

f o r

r e n e w a l s .

R e d d e m

a t

p a r t i c i p a t i n g

C e p s a

s t a t i o n s .

22/2/18 18:18

www.theolivepress.es

February 28th - March 13th 2018

Back on the costa IT’S great to have her back. Presenter Jasmine Harman has returned to film a new programme with A Place in the Sun. The seasoned star shared a photo of herself enjoying a morning at Estepona beach. The 42-year-old, who has been hosting the show for 14 years, said: “Wrapped in Estepona, now onto the next show in Benalmádena! Woohoo! As you know, it’s all glamour behind the scene.”

UNSEEN: Pics of Capa and Taro working finally came to light more than 75 years after the Civil War

LOVING IT: Jasmine

Good boys A TRIP to the Costa del Sol seemed to do the trick for Liverpool. After four days soaking up the sun and relaxing in Marbella, they beat West Ham 4-0 at the weekend. Stars Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana posted a series of selfies and group photos on Instagram during the week. The lads also largely behaved themselves, in stark contrast to the West Bromwich team, which had four players questioned for ‘stealing a taxi’ in Barcelona. The group – Gareth Barry, Jonny Evans, Boaz Myhill and Jake Livermore – were said to have taken the taxi on a boozy night out. Police are still investigating the case.

STARS: Firmino and Moreno

Oh, snap! By Laurence Dollimore

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to recognise German war photographer Gerda Taro’s work, which many believe was wrongly attributed to snapper Robert Capa. It comes after a never-before-seen photo of Taro, who documented the Spanish Civil War with Capa, emerged last month. It shows the heroine being treated by a doctor in a British hospital outside Madrid in El Escorial, just hours before her death.

Work of war photographer too often attributed to snapper Robert Capa, say campaigners

ICONIC: The Falling Soldier

Famous

She worked with the Magnum agency co-founder Capa - born Endre Ernö Friedmann - who was also her partner and first became famous as a war photographer in Spain. She died while photographing a chaotic republican retreat after the Battle of Brunete, shortly after Franco’s troops had won a major victory. But campaigners say a lot of her work was simply ‘lumped in’ with Capa’s after her death. A change.org campaign is now calling for photos on display at the Reina Sofia museum, in Madrid, by Robert Capa to also be attributed to her. The petition claims that the photos at the museum, as well as many other museums around the world,

TRAGIC: Taro being treated are the work of both photographers. “On the Reina Sofía website and museum posters, along with Robert Capa's photographs, it exclusively includes the name of Endre Friedmann, never that of Gerda Taro,” campaign author Ira Lombardia told the Olive Press. “The co-authorship of Taro with Friedmann has been documented,

so not recognizing it means committing a serious error and a tremendous injustice towards the memory of an important photographer who died in the Spanish Civil War.” Among the photos which were almost certainly taken by Taro are the famous falling soldier pictures, taken in Cordoba province (above). It comes after work by historians Eijiro Yoshioka and Fernando Penco proved that the snaps were taken by a Reflex Korelle camera, mostly used by Taro, and not a Leica, used by Friedmann. More than 60,500 people have signed the petition so far. It comes after never-before-seen photos of the pair in action were also revealed this week.

 

 

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Ready to pop MARBELLA belle Rosie Mac is set to launch her pop career after signing with Island Records UK & KidInaKorner. The 20-year-old first shot to fame as the stunning body double for Emilia Clarke, AKA Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen of Dragons in hit fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. She has now left the show to focus on her music career. The beauty – who was born in Cornwall but moved to Marbella when she was 11 – says she has high morals despite her sexualised persona online. “I’ve got high morals,” she insists. “I really like the whole thing of keeping yourself for your husband.” Her Instagram page now reads ‘Virgin till married’.

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Expats in France now warned to watch out for seasoned fraudster Paula Neale

EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

SEASONED conwoman Paula Neale has officially set up shop in France. Using one of her several aliases - Paula Kari - she Mijas is Costa now offering ‘bouncy blow dries and eyebrow tidying’ Gone infishin’ Perpignan. It comes just a fortnight after she crossed the border from Spain, with police in hot pursuit, following an ongoing Olive Press probe. The mother-of-two, 44, who is accused of taking rental deposits from dozens of victims where?? over a number of years, had ANTHONY’S fled to Catalunya following ‘ideal night out, 2aforspecial ocour investigation. 1 from 59€ Now wanted by Malaga po- casion, or just to save yourself lice, Neale, who uses vari- the effort. ous aliases, has set up shop, An Olive Press reader, who saw the ad, Jacqui Field, told claiming to be a hairdresser. In an advert on Facebook she the Olive Press: “I'm just anoffers to visit expats’ homes other of this woman's victims to blow dry their hair for an whom she scammed last year Voted BEST

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Ransacked

Neale, 43, took rental deposits for properties she didn’t own and allegedly ransacked properties she had rented before selling the stolen goods online. However, despite four stories and at least eight denuncias ON THE RUN: Paula and (above) Spain-France border and against her, she has yet to be her hotel picked up by police. They’re singling He refused to leave his hoThis is looking increasingly me out! hire car. NEWS tel room or open the door to unlikely after a receptionist They claimed she had a long at Freeze on her, setting off alarm bells for the hotel confirmedplastic that Paula chequered track record of Neale, who packed up and left had checked out on Tuesday scams and problems, and had after repeatedly trying to raise morning. a third son, who was taken him. She had been planning to into care. Neale’s speedy departure cross into France with her two The friend described her as an came as the Olive Press was children, Nina, 12, and Oscar, ‘unfit mother who long dishanding over details of vari14 and live in Bordeaux. played erratic behaviour’. Balcon wins big ous denuncias and victims to Staff at the hotel saidAllthe aboard! room On one occasion she even prewas left in a ‘complete mess’ PROBE: Previous story in the Guardia Civil in Malaga. tended to be her daughter to A detective confirmed they after she left in a hurry, with try and strike up a connection the Olive Press CHANGING FACES: Paula were ‘in a race against time’ police arriving within an hour. with her long-lost son. to get an arrest warrant with Her plan to escape to France Neale fled to France LIBERTYHOME ducer’. Catalan police. was rumbled by her own pal, But after meeting her at the One of her victims, Sara Belactor Anthony Webster, who RRP 3,000€ hotel and agreeing to drive mont, says Interpol has been ratted on Neale when he found her to Bordeaux, he said he notified but because the out her real identity. felt ‘something wasn’t right’ crimes were committed in Webster told the Olive Press you when she claimed have her mother Spain, she must be charged this week that he had recently got that had suddenly died and that there. she befriended Neale online. Liberty needed to leave immediately. Family and friends back in He said she had promised to feeLing? He researched her online and the UK meanwhile, confirmed help his acting career and Seguros makes Liberty that OUR PRICE stumbled upon our catalogue insurance a better that she had made it across she knew people in the film of stories. the border on Tuesday in a industry, claiming to beexperience. € ‘a pro10

the olive press - October 16 - October 29 2014

NEWS

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Ashya thanks

BRITISH ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, has thanked the Hospital Materno Infantil in Malaga for its treatment of Ashya King, on behalf of the British government.

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IN DENIAL: Guerrero

REPRESENTATIVE

Vol. 12 Issue 285 www.theolivepress.es February 14th - February 27th 2018

OPEN EV E RY DAY

Puerto de la Duquesa

Manilva’s laidback vibe is founded on fish and wine and that authentic flavour is still something to savour, writes Jed Neill

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act. “The smell is disgusting,” he told the Olive Press, “it is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes and it flows past our house and onwards down the rambla. “We have complained and put in

a denuncia to Albox town hall and nothing has been done.” Evans, from Middlesbrough, explained that every year there seems to be an overflow and a break in the pipes, causing foul-smelling sewage to overflow into the rambla. Albox town hall, and Gestagua, which maintains the sewage plant, failed to comment before going to press.

Swipe left! I

Ref. Nr. 186-00739P

It stinks!

EXPATS are demanding action after years of putting up with raw sewage leaking into a stream by their homes. Colin Evans, 67, has been in a battle with Albox town hall in Almeria to fix the problem for nine years. Despite reporting broken pipe work at the sewage plant in El Canico, which is just 2km from his home, he claims the town hall has still failed to

TS rock pools full of tiny darting fish recall British seaside holidays of old while fishing boats still compete with sunloungers for space on the beach. Manilva is quite unlike your average Costa resort. Even in swanky Duquesa marina, you sense the history of a town whose first health tourist was Julius Caesar. And when you tuck into the shellfish - Duquesa’s speciality - you realise the locals know something about fish. In Roman times, Manilva was to garum (a paste, like Gentleman’s Relish, that was all on one of the many rocky coves Jerez drying squids, while (inset) kids play you can practiAugust, rage inofRome) July andwhat theoutside beaches include a shopping line of Indeed on many weekendsto NATURAL WONDERS: Sights on Manilva’s sherry.and a good number have great to yourself… cally have the beaches is town’s roots in fish saltwild grasses and flowers owe TS hidden craggy coves fringed with chiringuitos to eat on. The you to explore - and place deep the perfect Spain’s Costa del Sol. runfind still you Chullera, more to Cornwall’s rugged coastline than On one beach at Punta ing of of tourists remains a handful another seeatthe natural beaches of Manilva, a stillwhile the sea, But these are the attractive protectedaway from the heavily commerrock pools and dive into can line. next to a group of squids drying on a on Page true haven for nature lovers. Worlds which is 16 that lie below the main N340 sunbathe draws of Manilva, four kilometres of golden Continues to the half dozen of unspoilt beaches, But the beaches are just one of the natural cialised sands of nearby Mijas or Fuengirola, port-side Duquesa reserve. ecological rocky Manilva shallows coastal road. as anAn wildDAY: eel in the being kept split into three areas; beach-front Sabinillas, playas areCATCH OF THE on the Costa del Sol and some broadly chameleons and rare species of Endangered western snowy plovers, fauna in renaissance here since “These are some of the best beaches Continues on next page owner of local Castles of the least known,” explains Bish Witkowski, dune plants are among the flora and 2011. the conservation zone was created in also beginning to be drawn estate agency. eagle-eyed tourists are BRUNOS Sabi_ink Unsurprisingly,

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Wasn’t me

THE alleged lynchpin in Spain’s biggest ever political fraud claims he made SIX previous confessions up. Former Junta employment boss Francisco Guerrero insists he did not personally gain from the ERE scandal, that saw up to a billion euros embezzled over a decade. He claims he only gave details of the so-called ‘reptile fund’ that he allegedly oversaw, after police put considerable pressure on him. Guerrero is facing eight years in prison for embezzling €65 million of money from the €647 million emergency public fund that he managed between 1999 and 2008.

Struggling

Top stamps

SPECIAL edition stamps of King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been launched by postal service Correos. Showing official photographs of the Royal duo, they can be bought for €1.

Pensioner, 70, complains of discrimination after being ordered to take down extension, despite neighbours all having the same

January 17th - January 30th 2018 EXCLUSIVE By Rob Horgan

year legal battle with the town hall after they served her with a demolition order and fined her €24,300 in 2008 for building a loft extension

Boozy trips

ONE in seven youngsters coming to Spain on holiday have admitted that they are drunk on the plane, according to a survey by website Jetcost. com.

Big Willy

MANCHESTER City goalkeeper Willy Caballero has told La Liga officials that he was approached by a match-fixing syndicate when playing for Malaga last year.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Terttu’s ‘illegal’ extension and adjoining

neighbour’s (right)

only resident facing court action. "It is completely discriminatory, I cannot help but think that it is not a coincidence that I have been chosen when I am the only foreigner living here," she told the Olive Press. Balson believed she had received planning permission when she contracted a Spanish architect Mario Jones in 2005. Now however, she feels that he did not do his job properly despite being paid €2,500 to take over the project and sort out the building licence. Jones, however, said he feels 'no guilt or responsibility and that Balson is to blame for the situation. He said: "I told her from the beginning that she wasn't allowed to build. Most people get away with it but she DESPERATE: Balson hasn't. "She is definitely being un- and dogs fairly treated and I am not with so many foreigners livsure why. I hope that the ing on the coast I don't think town hall is not targeting her it happens now." because she is foreign. Despite numerous attempts "Maybe that sort of thing Estepona Town Hall did not happened in the old days, but answer any of our questions.

Still on-the-run

EXCLUSIVE By Jed Neill

Strike four!

Seasoned conwoman Paula Neale caught by the Olive Press a fourth time

Offer

A WANTED property fraudster has been tracked down to a luxury home in Benahavis, after an exclusive Olive Press investigation this month. According to neighbours in kids barely went to school upmarket La Heredia urbanand rarely even came out to isation, Rebecca Wells, 37, play. has fled owing money to sev“She never mixed with the loeral businesses. cal community here and one Keen horserider Wells - who day she was gone leaving an spent eight years posing as unpaid electricity bill.” an estate agent - is now being The Olive Press has still been sought by police, as reported unable to contact Wells, over in the Olive Press last issue, her defrauding of expats who after four denuncias were paid rent on properties she posted against her. did not own. “She owes money to the Wells, aka Prior, allegedly DISAPPEARED: Wells and La Heredia, where she rented a butcher, restaurant and the took a series of deposits for home baker, as well as for repairs to homes which she did not own. former neighbour Frank Coher car,” said one neighbour. reported concern for her four If you have any information An expat couple living oppo- myn, president of the Palmchildren. about Rebecca Wells, please site Wells’ house in the ur- eras del Golf urbanisation Comyn, who lived opposite contact newsdesk@theolivebanisation reported that they in Benalmadena Costa, has her for two years said: “The press.es saw her packing all the family’s possessions into a rental car on October 1 the day our expose came out. When the Olive Press visited a few days later, the house had clearly been abandoned and the family car - a black Fabulous food and entertainment including a 5* Christmas Chrysler - was apparently or New Years Eve Gala Dinner with fine wine dumped outside. Meanwhile another

FaNtastiC DEals For

YEar the locks she has preto change Paying €1,700 from November& NEw to February, Paula said she was vented anyone else moving in. Taken her child and However, in just the short with for moving in a ride amount of time she was over black cat. However, after reading our ex- this month, two disappointed pose on Neale in early Decem- couples arrived to stay. ber, Belmont quickly started to “One couple from Russia had investigate and found her prop- paid a two month deposit of erty being advertised to rent €1,400 for a year’s rental. They through a variety of Facebook were gutted,” Belmont told the Olive Press. groups. One had been shared an incred- “Then a few hours later an English couple turned up, also with ible 4,000 times. Fortunately she was able to a year’s lease and having paid move fast and after coming over a deposit.” It is unknown how many people in total fell for the scam, but her property was in a terrible state with a stereo and a toolkit also stolen. It took three days to clean. “It has got to stop,” added Belmont. “When IT has the best caves in Andalucia and is this going to end?” So far she some of the best beaches in Malaga provhas been unable to track down ince. Neale, but has put up reward Known as ‘Balcon de Europa’ it is somenotices in various vets around what fitting that Nerja has been chosen as Calahonda. In 2017, the Olive one of the must visit destinations this year. Press twice exposed Neale’s Travel site Tripadvisor has listed the reantics. But it has also emerged sort among its top 10 emerging worldwide that we exposed her using the destinations. name ‘Sharon Tate’ in 2016 in It is the only destination in Spain to be inland Malaga. A new UK numtipped, with Gdansk, in Poland, Riga, in ber Paula had been using did Latvia and Rovinj, in Croatia. not answer our calls. Christmas

UP UP AND AWAY

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EXCLUSIVE

‘Animal centre needs rescuing’

on Page 5

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EXCLUSIVE

Maddie: New sighting claim

VICTIMS are erty fraudster hunting an alleged propCosta del Sol who has vanished from owing tens euros. of thousandsthe EXCLUSIVE of The Guardia By Imogen days as a holiday Civil confirmed Calderwood rental, but is investigating me around she horse-owninglast night it posits becca Wells an 11-monthit and convinced me showed to rent properties expat Reto sign contract. cias against after receiving four claim “I want that she has denun- One to. no clared. her caught and punished,” Page 11 Briton Wells,her. victim, British 37, also known he deexpat Raymond accused of told the Olive Wells, a mother-of-two as Prior, duping people Paul, Press: “I Iost into paying is posit on renting a €1,000 de- hampton, appears from Wolverde- “She to same trick had actuallya home she didn’t own. at different have repeated the only rented properties it for four the region over the last eight years.around A Facebook campaign launched by has now been ing to gather the group, aimas possible. as many victims In the case Yorkshire, of Paul, 60, from as a deposithe put down €500 first month’sand €500 for the erty in La rent at the propCala de Mijas August. in But after just asked Paul three days Wells clear out ‘so and his wife to certificate an urgent energy dealt with’. matter could be “We were left AN embattled two days, and in the dark for centre owner animal rescue upon returning has admitted discovered the place is ‘out of control’. staying there,another couple Kim Halliwell (above) has our possessionswith many of now agreed still inside,” he said. 15 dogs and to allow an initial “We still haven’t her Mijas many cats to leave kennels, following get some things managed to an Olive Press back, absolutely It comes after investigation. furious andwe are spected police also filed a denuncia.” have inthe site, following When Paul various denuncias set up an urgent from formeeting with mer staff. Wells to discuss what After we told BLAZE: F1 had of the ‘terrible legend Gachot failed to show. happened, she conditions’ at Kim’s Animal (inset) loses However another Rescue, friends yacht in fire and supportcouple in their early ers rallied 20s also turned around with up telling him aim of cutting the numberthe similar amountthey had lost a animals by of of money. “Lots of her The Olive half. victims are worse situation emergency Press attended an in meeting, than us, anda various who knows other centresspoke with are still to how many more found new and has woodwork,” come out of the We have volunteers. he added. Another victim appeal to now launched an is Stuart Hall, who lost out animals. find homes for the 44, and his

It’s the pits!

Continues

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197 www.theolivepress.es

Police probe alleged expat property fraudster who ‘took homes shedeposits for didn’t own’

HUNTED: Rebecca Wells on her horse

A LUXURY nus is ownedyacht that burst into flames in Puerto by ex-Formula Bertrand Gachot, BaOne The 51-year-old it can be revealed.racing driver Frenchman, dan between who €2 million 1989 and 1995, is theraced for Jormorning. yacht Gilliana that blew owner of the up on Sunday Two crew members were rushed with serious woman, 34, burns to his hands to hospital, one and another, was treated The 23-metre for smoke a €42,000-a-weekPrincess yacht inhalation. Gilliana costs to rent, via Rentals. Diamovit Exclusive A source said: “Gachot is very The driver upset.” Grand Prix was famously thrown team for spraying out of the the roundabout Jordan at Hyde Park CS gas at a taxi driver ceived a two-month Corner, for on prison stint. which he reHis race seat acher, makingwas temporarily filled by his Formula One debut. Michael Schum-

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when she sublet my house in the UK. “I would assume this is just a way to get into some expat homes in France and see how she can scam them!” Mother-of-three Neale, 43, took rental deposits for properties she didn’t own in Spain and allegedly ransacked properties she had rented before selling the stolen goods online. She perfected her craft for years, knowing that holidaymakers would more often than not give up and go home rather than stay and file a denuncia. Despite four stories and at least eight denuncias against her, she has yet to be picked up by police.

Meanwhile she has set up a new account on Tinder, discovered by the Olive Press. In the racy profile (above) she describes herself as 44 and ‘Not your typical English woman abroad’. That is certainly true.

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February 28th - March 13th 2018

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Childline woes NO one wants to question a charity’s purpose... and of course it is sad when one struggles or goes under. But after receiving countless calls and emails about local expat charity Childline for months, we felt it was time to investigate on behalf of our readers. Charities are mostly good and are trying to do great work, and Childline appears to have been set up for the right reasons. However, like any organisation or individual, it has no right to avoid scrutiny and be held accountable and transparent. While looking into Childline, it was clear that certain things didn’t add up... in particular that there was no properly set up or functioning helpline for kids. While we regret not speaking to Tracy Bennett - we have tried numerous numbers on many occasions - we will of course welcome her response in our next issue.

Need for cooperation

During our time with the Royal Gibraltar Police’s Marine Section, their love for the job and belief that they are making the terrority safe was infectious. However, as much as we admire the thin blue line for risking serious injury or worse, we couldn’t shake off the feeling that red tape and politics were hindering their plight. From the blatant lack of police numbers, to the strict no-go policy outside of Gibraltar’s three mile water radius, to the social media app which tracks their location - everything seems to be conspiring against them. While the smugglers are getting richer and richer, to the extent that houses can be bought in La Linea just to enable radars to be placed on the roofs, funding for public services just isn’t keeping up. Publisher/ Editor

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es Head of SALES Sarah Adams sales@theolivepress.es Admin Maria Angeles Vázquez (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es Jed Neill jed@theolivepress.es Joe Wallen joe@theolivepress.es Aleesha Hansel aleesha@theolivepress.es Designer James Partington design@theolivepress.es

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February 28th - March 13th 2018

Amid a rising drug ‘crisis’ in the campo, Joe Wallen and Aleesha Hansel go smuggler hunting with the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section

HE drug trade in the Campo gained international attention this week after Spain’s United Police Union (SUP) warned the region is in danger of becoming the ‘Colombia of Spain’. It came after 20 masked thugs stormed a hospital in La Linea and freed a suspected drug trafficker from under the watchful eye of the police. “There’s clearly a lack of security in La Linea and it’s down to the fact that we don’t have sufficient personnel or resources to tackle drug traffickers,” a spokesman said. “The increasingly high-profile drug trafficking lies at the root of the problem. “This is a city in the hands of the lawless and we can’t allow that.” La Linea is only a small town, with a population of just over 63,000 people. This conservative estimate suggests that just under 5% of the town’s population earn their income directly from illicit drugs. “They have thrown out whatever shame they had,” a former drug trafficker said. “These are mafias that don’t care about killing or being killed.” Despite their best efforts - and recent successes - the Spanish police are still struggling to keep up with organised crime. “We are seeing an average of 10 launches come in daily loaded with 1,000 or 2,000 kilos of drugs,” police admitted. Still, the Strait of Gibraltar must be a relatively safe place, right? After all, it is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and patrolled by a host of international powers, including the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States. On arrival at the HM Naval Base, our five shipmates entertained us with their best horror sto-

Murky Waters

I was chasing a RHIB boat when we heard two shots fire in our direction ries from patrolling the high seas. It was an initiation like no other. “It’s pretty common in a chase to come up alongside a smuggler’s boat, so close you could reach out and grab them… or vice versa,” the Skipper says ominously. “I was out several weeks ago chasing a RHIB packed with cannabis resin when we heard two shots fire in our direction,” interjects another of the police, “It can get dangerous out there.” I began to understand the importance of the lengthy waiver forms we had been forced to sign. We soon headed out on one of the RGP’s speedboats, the HMS John Chapple. Fitted with four Yamaha engines and with the ability to reach 60 knots, it is a vessel that should strike fear into the heart of even the most foolhardy smuggler. The crew of five will work on a six days on four days off pattern to ensure they are alert should a chase ensue. During the six days the group will work a mixture of early mornings, evenings and nights. But perhaps worryingly, Gibraltar only has one boat patrolling for smugglers at any given time, while certain high-tech apps can allow their boat to be tracked on any mobile phone or tablet only making it easier for traffickers to time their runs. “There is no real pattern for heightened smuggling activity, other than the number of RHIB’s coming across increases in the time period directly after a cannabis harvest in Morocco,” says one of the crew. “Sometimes we will have a week where we will have absolutely nothing then one night there will be nine or ten boats coming through our waters. “It could be at 4pm or 4am, they will try at all hours of the day.

ON THE RISE: Drug smuggling is becoming a crisis in La Linea, say Spanish cops The Spanish Interior Ministry has estimated that it seized 70% of all hashish exported from Morocco to Europe in 2017. For a successful journey from Morocco to Spain, a smuggler could expect to earn £50,000. The smugglers will typically try to land with their expensive cargo on unattended beaches in the Campo, but our crew are often called to intercept them as the criminals will also pass through Gibraltarian waters. The RGP’s Marine Section will also attempt to catch smugglers operating from South America, usually trying to bring cocaine into Europe. Lastly, they will assist HM Customs in catching tobacco runners, who routinely use small, inflatable Zodiac boats to transport cigarettes across the border into Spain, where they can be sold for over double the price. It becomes evident shortly after leaving shore that the men have no qualms about risking their lives to protect the Rock. “This is why we always have a boat out, we’re “This boat is like our second family,” the young always prepared.” Gibraltarian spotter says casting his eyes around The Captain explains that the crew have to the boat, “we depend on one another and our deal with several types of illicit smuggling in the absolute priority is ensuring the safety of each Straits. of the crew when we’re out on patrol. The majority of the RHIB’s passing through Gi- “Even the Skipper – and he is an Arsenal fan,” braltarian waters are those attempting to bring he jokes. hashish from Morocco into Spain. The job is certainly not for the faint hearted.

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Within a matter of minutes of setting off, the RHIB is corkscrewing through the choppy Mediterranean at a speed of forty knots. When the Skipper changes the direction the boat turns at a stomach churning 90 degrees, rendering you below the water level for a few terrifying moments. We patrol on both the east and west of the Rock, relying on a combination of state-of-the-art radar technology and the sharp vision of the crew to look for smugglers. The first couple of hours at sea are relatively quiet and a call around midnight explains the lack of activity. The Guardia Civil in La Linea has conducted a series of high-profile raids, making a large number of arrests. “The smuggling gangs have so many on their pay-book in these towns whenever there is a lot of police activity they will call over to Morocco and tell the boats not to come tonight,” explains one of the crew. “As the Spanish police are out in force tonight and they have cameras trained on the coast not even the most desperate smuggler would attempt to land this evening.” Slightly disappointed that an exhilarating chase could be off the cards, I consoled myself with the news that thanks to the action of the Spanish police, illegal contraband would not be making its way to the Campo that evening at least. My interest turned to the men’s relationship with their Spanish counterparts. “We are trying to do the same thing at the end of the day,” says the Skipper. “If we chase a boat and it goes into Spanish waters we will communicate with our Spanish colleagues and if they pick them up it’s great. “It depends on the individual, not all of them are so friendly but at the end of the day if we catch someone or they do, it is more drugs that will not be passing through the Campo and potentially into Gibraltar.” The men explained however, that if they could change one law, it would be to give them the power to chase suspected criminals into international waters. They hoped that a more open relationship between Spain and Gibraltar could lead to a relaxing of this law. I ask the men what their families make of their unusual job. “They are concerned but they know we are doing an important job,” shrugs one of the men. “I only fear when I go across the border into Spain. “In Gibraltar I am in the unique position that I might go out for dinner with my missus and be sat next to someone I nicked the week before. “No-one will bother me here despite that be-

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Statistics for: February 13 - February 27 SOCIALMEDIA OlivePressNewspaper olivepress olivepressnews BORDER FORCE: Gibraltar’s boats are powerful, but only one roams the waters at a time cause it is such a small community. “However, it is completely different say when I go across to do my shopping. “The smugglers know who we are, and I’m pretty sure they would have different photos of our crew as well. “If I nick someone’s brother for example and word gets out it was me, I would be a little cautious crossing over.” Just as the night appears that it will be an uneventful one, we identify a tobacco spotter at Sandy Bay. A spotter will watch out for the police boat and then call ahead to those shipping the drug into Spain to let them know when is best to make the run. They can make up to £1,000 a day. Sure enough, outside a dingy nearby carpark, a group of young men seem to be waiting on the beach. “When they get the call through that the coast is clear these men will load up their Zodiacs with tobacco and run it over to La Linea,” says one of the crew. “They can do it in five minutes or so, so its important we disrupt them as soon as possible.” Belted in once more, we career close to where the men are loitering. The men disperse and the police seem chuffed to have broken up what clearly looked like a major tobacco smuggling operation. “See, you can be having the quietest night and all of a sudden you have to go from 0 to 100,” says the Skipper. “Just last night one of our crews picked up a bloke trying to swim from Gibraltar into Spain with the world’s biggest wet bag full of tobacco, it is relentless.” As the night draws to a close, despite not intercepting any hashish heading for the Campo,

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the men are pleased to have kept the tobacco smugglers at bay for now. Another crew will relieve them of their duties at 6am, taking on the responsibility for protecting the Rock from the pervasive drug smuggling on the Med. As we return to the HM Naval Base, the Skipper makes an apt remark. “They are just getting more and more desperate and have so much money,” he says, referring to the hashish gangs. “And I’m not getting any younger,” he says laughing. “More and more boats seem to be coming across and people are worse off in the Campo, they are more willing to do things they wouldn’t have previously for money. “They aren’t bad people and I do sympathise but the situation is on the verge of tipping out of control there.” The next day, Spain’s interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, pledged to send more police to the Campo and promised the area will ‘not be dominated by narcos’. However with the sheer scale of the criminal activity at play, immediate action is needed. “It is too big an enemy; it’s like a seven-headed serpent, because no matter how often you cut one off, new ones grow,” complains Juan Franco, the Mayor of La Linea. He laments that the Spanish government has ‘abandoned’ La Linea, providing few job opportunities for locals who have then made tobacco and drug smuggling their source of income. For the crew of the HMS John Chapple they cannot influence socioeconomic conditions in La Linea. However, these everyday Gibraltarian heroes will still be out on patrol tonight, tomorrow and forever more, dealing with its effects. We all owe them a big thanks – even if the Skipper is an Arsenal fan.

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February 28th - March 13th 2018

TAKE OFF By Joe Wallen

Lift off BILLIONAIRE eccentric Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has blasted Spanish satellites into orbit. The Starlink broadband satellites and the Paz (Spanish for peace) radar-imaging satellite were loaded on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It is hoped the Starlink satellites will provide low-cost broadband on a global scale by a constellation of small satellites with limited service starting by 2020. The Paz satellite will be used for military and civilian purposes.

GIBRALTAR is set to open fresh discussions on sharing its airport with Spain. The government has confirmed it is ready to discuss the ‘technical’ arrangements for allowing Spain to use the runway. It comes after Spain’s Foreign Minister revealed his country hopes for an agreement before next month’s crucial EU summit, when Britain hopes to secure a Brexit transition deal. Alfonso Dastis has also appealed for greater cooperation on the issues of tax and

Gibraltar to discuss joint access to Gibraltar Airport ahead of Brexit talks

tobacco smuggling, although confirmed this is already

Smokescreen GIBRALTAR’S controversial tobacco industry has been brought under the spotlight. According to Spain, the Rock imported 72 million packs of cigarettes in 2017 despite its meagre population of just 34,000 inhabitants. If all of the tobacco imported went on internal consumption it would mean each Gibraltarian would have to smoke 5.8 packs of cigarettes every day. In 2017, 4.5 million packs of illegal cigarettes and 70 tonnes of tobacco were seized in Andalucia alone, according to the Spanish Tax Agency (Hacienda) This amounted to 63% of illegal tobacco seized around the whole of Spain.

SINGLE IMPLANT

happening. Speaking in the UK, Dastis said he wanted a deal that was as close as possible to the current status quo Spain has with Britain. However, his country wanted a deal that would see both countries ‘manage the airport together’. He added that Spain ‘has a claim’ to the land, insisting it was currently illegally occupied by the UK. On the subject of tax and smuggling he continued: “We need some more cooperation with the Gibraltar authorities but the situation has already improved. “The Gibraltarians seem

IMPLANT BRIDGE

willing to cooperate, we need to see that in practice.” The Gibraltarian government meanwhile confirmed to the Olive Press this week that it was happy to work with its neighbours over Brexit, including the issue of the airport. A government spokesman explained that its co-use had been outlawed by the current Spanish government despite a joint management agreement being signed in 2006. Under the so-called Cordoba agreement, it was ruled that a joint venture company would operate the airport on behalf of both Gibraltar and Spain. Gibraltarians would have access to the airport from their side, while the Spanish would be able to enter the facility directly from La Linea. Each side would have their own customs and passport control. The new claims threaten to spark more uproar among Tory backbenchers in the UK who are furious that the British government has not stood up enough to Spain over the Rock.

Cleaning up their act THE long-awaited final works on Nerja’s sewage treatment plant have finally began. Spanish firm Isolux-CorsanCorviam started the work after a string of protests - attended by dozens of expats demanded action in January and February. No finish date has been announced but the project, which is already 80% complete.

Rap sheet A RAPPER has been sentenced to three-and-half-years in prison after slandering the Spanish monarchy. Spain’s Supreme Court upheld the sentence that a Madrid court had given to Valtonyc, real name Jose Miguel, for ‘inciting terrorism’ and insulting the Spanish royal family. In his defence plea, Valtonyc's legal team argued that his lyrics were protected under the freedom of expression law. They added that rap often uses lyrics seen as ‘extreme, provocative, allegorical and symbolic’. Rejecting his defence, the court ruled that his lyrics ‘supported and praised’ terrorist groups such as ETA. The Bourbons are thieves, referred to the House of Bourbon of which King Felipe VI and his father, the former monarch Juan Carlos belong.

IMPLANT DENTURE

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Twisted train track massacre AT least 20 dogs have been found mutilated after being tied to train tracks in Sevilla. They were found in several towns by PACMA, Spain’s leading animal rights group. The corpses were found at train tracks in Espartinas, Olivares, Salteras and Villanueva del Ariscal. Some still had the rope used to tie them to

Expats slam dog sanctuary, still open despite demolition orders EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

EXPATS are demanding an ‘controversial’ dog sanctuary built on protected land be shut down following a twoyear legal battle. Despite several denuncias and an order to close from Velez-Malaga town hall, Refugio El Leo is still open. Residents first complained of the refuge in October 2016, which apparently houses more than 30 dogs which ‘bark, howl and fight constantly’. But despite the threat of a fine and an order to close the sanctuary, nothing has been done. “The refuge and the dogs are living in an awful state,” said British expat Nina Hicks, 46. “It has been an absolute nightmare but we have exhausted all legal routes and don’t know what else to do. “The dogs keep us up all night and are fighting all the time, it’s horrible to listen to.” Hicks, who has lived in VelezMalaga for 16 years, claims the reason the refuge has not shut is because it sits on the border with the village of Arenas, where it has its licence. “The fact is she is taking donations, and sending these dogs to Germany and Switzerland and is running a sanctuary on

the railways around their necks. At least one of the dogs had been used for hunting, which SEPRONA is investigating. PACMA has also reported that several animals have been found alive. It has called for the chips from each dog to be investigated to help find those responsible.

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illegal land,” she added. Expat couple Sue and Malcolm Dash, 73 and 75, told the Olive Press the sanctuary has made their lives ‘miserable’. “I love dogs, but having 30 snarling, growling and fighting for 24 hours a day has made our lives an absolute misery,” said Sue, from Shropshire. “The place stinks and is a stain on what is a lovely community.” The Spanish owner of the refuge told the Olive Press her charity is registered with

the Junta and that she is only trying to find the dogs new homes. She said the issue is nothing more than an ongoing border dispute between Arenas and Velez-Malaga. “This is the only suitable open area where I can house these dogs, where else can I do that? We need open space.” She added that she would be filing her own denuncia against Velez-Malaga town hall for trying to close her refuge.

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High and dry THE Iberian Peninsula will experience a drier and warmer than average spring. According to Accuweather, an ‘area of high pressure will build west of the Iberian Peninsula and shield much of western Europe from frequent storm systems.’ March is forecast to be the wettest period of the season, particularly across Portugal and parts of Spain ‘before a shift to very dry weather occurs from late March into May’. Infrequent storms will cause ‘unseasonable warmth

Drought to run rampage in Spain by 2050, warn climate change experts

to build from the Iberian Peninsula,’ the weather agency added. Eastern Spain and southern France are predicted to have the most prolonged and significant warmth. “The warm and dry weather will come at a cost as the threat for drought conditions will grow in eastern Spain and southern France,” the website warns. “Prolonged dry spells during spring may cause problems for agriculture due to a lack of soil moisture in areas that typically see very infrequent rainfall during the summer,” the forecaster added.

You’ve been warned!

MALAGA and southern Spain could see droughts 14 times more severe than in recent years from as early as 2050 onwards. That is according to an unprecedented study by Newcastle University, which forecasts what will happen to Europe’s major cities as a result of global warming. Even in the best case scenario, the likes of Malaga and Almeria will experience droughts at least twice as severe as those in recent years. The study analysed 571 European cities and showed that the impact of floods,

droughts and heat waves will be worse than previously imagined between 2050 and

2100. The research has analysed for the first time the changes

Green revolution THE Balearic Islands has pledged to phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In an ambitious plan, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera will take new diesel cars off the market from 2025. In the same year, all street and road lighting will be replaced by LEDs. The green manifesto will also see solar panels installed on all buildings with roof spans of more than 1,000 square metres, while coal plants will be phased out and all rental cars will be electric. Francina Armengol, president of the Balearics’ socialist-green government

Green revolution THE Balearic Islands has pledged to phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In an ambitious plan, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera will take new diesel cars off the market from 2025. In the same year, all street and road lighting will be replaced by LEDs. The green manifesto will also see solar panels installed on all buildings with roof spans of more than 1,000 square metres, while rental cars will be electric. Francina Armengol, president of the Balearics’ socialist-green government said: “We are very aware that plenty of the measures in the

law we are announcing demand efforts from the public and private sectors. “It has to be this way if the law is to be more than a mere statement of intent.” Joan Groizard, the islands’ director-general for climate change said it could clash with Madrid, and that the legal implications were being studied ‘very carefully’. “There is a live debate about what regions can and can’t do, and we are working very practically on the legal side of this,” he said. “We can’t ratify the Paris agreement on our own but we can take a decision to adhere to it.”

in floods, droughts and heat waves in all European cities using all climate models available. Published in ‘Environmental Research Letters’, the study shows a worsening of heat waves, increased drought conditions, particularly in southern Europe, and more flooding in river basins, especially in the cities of northwestern Europe. The study showed results for three possible futures that they separated into low, medium and high impact scenarios. The study shows that even the most optimistic of these, the low impact scenario (global temperature rise of 2.6C), predicts that both the number of days of heat waves and their maximum temperatures will increase dramatically.

Heatwave

The cities of southern Europe will experience the largest increases in the number of heat wave days, while the cities of central Europe will see the greatest increase in temperature during heat waves, between 2 to 7 degrees for the low scenario and from 8 to 14 in the worst case scenario. It means areas like Sevilla could see summer temperatures soar well into the 50Cs. In the low impact scenario, cities like Malaga and Almeria would experience drought twice as serious as those between 1951 and 2000. Assuming a scenario of high impact, 98% of European cities could experience worse droughts in the future, while cities in southern Europe could experience drought up to 14 times worse than today. The worst-affected cities will be Athens, Lisbon and Madrid. “Although the southern regions of Europe are adapted to cope with droughts, this level of change could be beyond the point of bankruptcy,” said Selma Guerreiro, lead author of the study.

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

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Sanchez: “The immense majority of Spaniards felt represented. Thanks, Marta.” But the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) said Sanchez was ‘playing politics with symbolic elements’.

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Transport 2 0 : 0 0 ; Tapas 20:30; Concert 21:30. Contact: info @ ladonaira.com, +34 615 38 11 19 co m i n g s o o n Australian soprano Allegra Giagu (April 17) The Rahman String Quartet (May 17) All-male a capella The Ramparts (June 9) Sao Paolo University Cello Ensemble (July 7)

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Culture

February 28th - March 13th 2018

Man of Secrets SALUT: Laurie loved a drop

By David Baird

HAT a charmer he was! Anybody who ever came into contact with Laurie Lee would agree on that. The English writer cast a spell on almost all those he met, particularly those of the female gender. In his writing, too, he had a magical touch. The luscious imagery of his poetry and prose has enchanted millions, particularly in two classic books about Spain. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning related his wandering through the peninsula in 1935 and 1936. And A Moment of War described his adventures when he returned to a country torn apart by civil conflict. Gregarious, witty and always ready to sink another pint, Laurie was in his element when he could socialise, whether with princes or paupers. They all had a fond word for Laurie. He was at his charming best when I met him in the 1990s on his last visit to Spain. On a golden afternoon on a sunny hillside overlooking the Costa del Sol, attended by his doting wife and daughter, he sipped wine and reminisced eloquently about his career. No indication, then, of the darker side to the writer-poet. For Laurie Lee had his secrets “In writing and only after autobiography, his death have some of them the only truth emerged. is what you Many questions remain remember” unanswered with respect to his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. His account, A Moment of War, was not published until 1991 - more than 50 years after that conflict. It was an immediate bestseller, hailed as compelling and mesmerising. Critics, however, including some veterans of the International Brigades, claimed the book was more fantasy than fact. In her biography, Laurie Lee - The Well-loved Stranger, Valerie Grove suggested: ‘It must rest in the no

Every spring, families and sympathisers of those who served in the International Brigades make their annual pilgrimage to the Spanish Civil War battlefields. One volunteer was

British author Laurie Lee. His vivid description of those desperate days became a bestseller – and a subject of huge controversy. David Baird sorts fact from fiction...

ADVENTURER: Lee with his daughter Jessy in Andalucia

man’s land between history and invention’, but stressed that the book did give ‘an almost cinematically vivid impression’ of Spain at war. Laurie told me it was a book he had to write, ‘out of a debt to my old friends.’ So why, I asked him, was it so long in coming? He said that piecing together the facts was ‘like retrieving the pages of a love letter that had been scattered by a cyclone’. The big problem was that his diaries had been stolen in 1969. “My eyes were going and I had other things to do. It was important that I did it sometime so I used to do perhaps one piece a week. I wanted it to be right. The last thing I wanted was a rushed job rather than a true account. It is really my farewell to that experience.” But some found it hard to LUXURY ITALIAN FORMITALIA credit certain details, not least Second hand furniture for sale in Nueva Andalucia his alleged encounters with The Formitalia ‘Reverso’ collection includes: Eulalia, a seductive 16-yeara sofa, 2 x armchairs, a side table, a coffee table, old temptress. She emitted a lamp and a mirror all with the distinctive a fragrance, wrote Laurie, ‘of Formitalia ‘Reverso’ zebra print design. trampled thyme, woodsmoke and burning orange’. Also offered for sale “Much of Laurie Lee’s story are 2 black leather poofs, a zebra print rug, must be classed as fiction and a solid mahogany bar, drinks cabinet and fantasy,” declared Bill Alexan2 x leather bar stools, dining room table, der, commander of the briga8 x chairs, 2 display cabinets containing a distas at Teruel. He claimed Formitalia dinner service. that Laurie never joined the InPhotographs and dimensions available on ternational Brigades and that request at arnmore19@hotmail.com he could not have worked with the Republic’s military intelli-

gence as he suggested. LIVING: Suspected spy loved Spanish food However, researchers have found documentary evidence that Laurie was indeed a mem- London pub, the Queen’s Elm in Old Church ber of the Brigades, though it is unlikely he St, Chelsea. Here doctors, diplomats and took part in any military action as he suffered drifters once rubbed shoulders with actors from epileptic fits. While the book suggested and vagabonds. Its better-known clients he was in Spain for four or five months, in included Eric Sykes, Sean Connery, Gerfact he was only here for nine weeks. ald Scarfe, Lucian Freud, Oliver Reed, Julie Almost as soon as he sneaked into Spain Christie, Helen Mirren and Francis Bacon. over the Pyrenees, Laurie was arBut those days are long gone. rested as a suspected spy, then The premises are now occupied dumped in a recruiting centre for by a trendy furnishings shop. the Republican army in Figueras. Outside is a flower stall. The Later, according to his own acholder, from somewhere east of count, after being involved in Dubrovnik, looked bemused at fighting on the Teruel front in the mention of Laurie’s name. Albacete he was detained again, Slad, however, the Cotswold vilsuspected of being a saboteur lage where Laurie grew up, is a and Fascist infiltrator. place of pilgrimage for his fans. Posted to besieged Madrid, he Here Laurie was in his element, apparently took part in some drinking with the locals in The propaganda broadcasts before Woolpack pub. On his tombstone it was decided to repatriate him. in the nearby cemetery are inBut when he arrived in Barcescribed the words: “He lies in the lona he was imprisoned as a valley he loved.” deserter. The writer spent some of his hapHe was mouldering in a cell un- WRITINGS: Of a torn piest years in Slad with his wife til Bill Rust, editor of The Daily country Kathy and their daughter Jessy. Worker, heard by chance that an They married in 1950 when she Englishman was being held and was 18 and he was 36. Their home, Rose vouched for him. Thus Laurie was sprung, Cottage, was idyllic but the marriage not alleaving Spain on February 19, 1937. ways. As he later declared, ‘In writing autobiogra- In the pub Laurie could be the life and soul of phy, the only truth is what you remember’, so the party. As he admitted: “I won’t deny the the precise facts of his sojourn in Spain will accusations that I am a heavy drinker. Drinknever be known. ing to me is a defence against panic, fear, Tracing his career, I sought out his favourite and if I can do without it I will.”

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February 28th - March 13th 2018 February 28th - March 13th 2018

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AT HOME: In Spain

HOME AND MORE: Cottage in Slad and plague in Almunecar

At home, however, he was prey to dark moods and, though he idolised his wife and child, he tended to treat both like children. He was also a serial philanderer, a trait for which Kathy showed an amazing tolerance. His biographer Valerie Grove commented after his death: “I could absolutely see that he was an unfaithful husband and also a very difficult father, as so many creative men are.” Celebrating Jessy’s birth in 1963, Laurie wrote: “‘She was born in the autumn and was a late fall in my life, and lay purple and dented like a little bruised plum, as though she’d been lightly trodden in the grass and forgotten.” She was not, however, Laurie’s only child. Not until many years later did Jessy learn that she had a half-sister, named Yasmin, born in 1939. Jessy had always thought that Yasmin was her cousin. In fact, she was the product of Laurie’s passionate affair with the ravishing Lorna Wishart, wife of a publisher. Just to complicate matters, Kathy was Lorna’s niece. This made Jessy and Yasmin both half-sisters and second cousins. Laurie’s controlling influence took its toll on the family and Jessy’s childhood was troubled. An unhappy teenager, she always felt she was a disappointment to her father. She quit her school studies and, GRAVE: In Slad

HAVING A BREW: In the Woolsack

moving into a bedsit in Cheltenham, she developed a taste for magic mushrooms. In 1982 came a breakdown, when she stopped eating or sleeping. When a psychiatrist examined her, he told Laurie his frank opinion: “This is a lot more to do with you than it’s to do with drugs.” This was something her par-

ents could not accept. Then Jessy, aged 20, had another breakdown. Suffering paranoid hallucinations, she spent two months in a nursing home. After this, the family clearly had a rethink and father and daughter reached some sort of reconciliation. Perhaps as a reaction to her early experience, Jessy later trained as a psychotherapist and became involved in social work. Family frictions seemed long buried when I met her, along with Laurie and beautiful blonde Kathy,

near Almuñécar on his last visit to Spain. Wife and daughter beamed fondly as Laurie quaffed his wine and reminisced. And Jessy told me: “The light and the sunshine are good for him. He comes to life in Spain.” It was from Almuñécar that, at the start of the Civil War, Laurie was whisked to safety on a British destroyer. A plaque on the seafront commemorates the writer’s connections with the town. Looking at my copy of As I Walked Out, Laurie smiled. “I had to fight for that cover because it summed up eve r y t h i n g … t h e young man, the open road before him, the village on the hill…” He was in mellow mood, full of charm, ‘the ultimate weapon, the supreme seduction, against which there are few defences’, SPANISH TO ME: Lee’s as he once wrote. Who could argue book on his walk through with Laurie Lee Spain about that? David Baird’s latest book is due out shortly, The Glories of Yesterday — Your guide to Granada, city and province (http://maromapress.wordpress.com). His other books include Between Two Fires - Guerrilla war in the Spanish sierras and Sunny Side Up — the 21st century hits a Spanish village.

Perhaps we don't have the systems in place to deal with the current amount of people and letting more in will only make it worse for those who currently live here (Human rights defender says Spain is ‘cruel’ to migrants, online). Daniel Arnold, Torre Almenara www.theolivepress.e

Expat ‘humiliated’ in front of hundreds of passengers EXCLUSIVE By Jo Chipchase and Laurence Dollimore

You fatties!

NEW S

BAGGAGE BULLIES

Readers react to the news that Estepona bullring will host a bullfight this year Voting

February 14th - Februa

A BRITISH grandmother forced to fork out hundredswas euros on another flight after of her hand luggage was deemed ‘too deep’ by Ryanair. The ruling came despite SAME bag being allowed the onboard for her flight out of Malaga. Expat Pamela Lipmann Lanjaron, was flying , from Bournemouth to Malaga from after visiting her family in the UK when she was told her hand luggage was too big. STUNG:Pamela Lipman The Granada-based artist n was “I was pulled told she would have to aside in front of additional 50 pounds pay an hundreds of other passengers,” ros) to carry it onboard. (60 eu- the mother-of-two told the Olive Press, “It was very humiliatThe 57-year-old, who had no ing.” credit cards and was only rying five pounds in cash, car- But that is when her ordeal got into tears fearing she burst considerably worse. miss her flight and not might “I was immediately told by a it home to Granada for make security guard to stop crying. Christ- But I just mas. couldn’t help it, I just couldn’t believe what was hap-

ANDALUCIA has been labelled the fattest region in Spain in a new study on obesity. The study revealed more than 47% of Spaniards aged 18 to 64 are overweight or obese, while one fifth of boys aged 15 to 16 weigh above the average. The number of girls who overweight has doubled are since 1996. Andalucia, Asturias and have the highest obesityGalicia, while the Balearic Islands,levels, Catalunya and the Basque are among the lowest. Country Some 16% of adults in Andaluica are obese and a worrying 23% of children. “All people have an individua l responsibility, but in our the ability to choose a society healthy diet at an affordable price is RYANAIR has warned there complicated,” said nutrition may be strikes ist this Easter thanks to ‘laughabl Miguel Angel Royo. e demands’ from its pilots. Poor exercise and diets Its boss Michael O’Leary heavy in meat and lackingtoo in was prepared to fight the said the airline fruit and vegetables were unreasonable decited mands of the European as fueling the obesity problem. want conditions similar -based pilots who to high-cost rivals.

ry 27th 2018

rights come nearer

No sympathy

Denise Collyer, Marbella

Hero’s welcome IMPLANT BRID GE

Well I hope he has a welcoming party upon his return! (Mijas snowboarder wins Spain’s first Winter Olympic medal in 26 years, online). We live in Mijas costa and would happily welcome this amazing guy! Simon P, Mijas

IMPLANT DEN TURE

i n f o @ ma r k d e n t a l

If you don’t like it, don’t go! Go and eat fish and chips and watch your crappy football and leave the Spanish people to their own Culture! John William Roberts, Malaga

Really?

for Ryanair

All the dimensions and weights are clearly stated so she was pushing her luck on the outbound flight. No sympathy (British expat forced to buy another Ryanair flight over ‘oversized’ bag that had been allowed on outbound flight, issue 285).

SINGLE IMPLA NT

Get over it!

A NEW law will allow all expats to finally vote in UK elections. pening.” This came despite a line passenge fellow passenger offering r.” Fortunately The Overseas Electors Bill, for the bag, but Swissporto pay for Lipmann staff at the airport due for a second reading company in charge of t, the clubbed together to get her the House of Commons in inspecton enough money to get February 23, will ing baggage, refused. back to a friend’s house a train the right to vote give expats An airport employee then nearby. no matter her if she didn’t stop crying told She was forced to book a £300 how long they have lived ‘would not be flying’ that she flight back to Spain the next abroad. day. day. If successful it will then And true to her word, after go the A Swissport spokesma other passengers had boarded, n told the to the committee stage beOlive Press it did not comment fore being voted the grandmother was on and befrog- on individua marched back through l passengers, but coming law. security emphasis and customs. ed that staff operate Currently anyone who has under strict lived abroad for more One female Swissport than opera- by all airlinesrules put in place 15 years tive allegedly told security over dimensions is disenfranchised from voting. to ‘drag’ Lipmann if she staff of cabin baggage. didn’t An airline Expats cooperate. expert explained that in Spain can only the ground staff were The same woman told within vote in local elections at she would never fly her that their rights to stop her boarding present. though and were It is Bournemouth Airport again not following standard certain however as airline procedur expats would be allowed , if she was a ‘danger to the es. to other “They could passengers’. not know whether vote if there was a second “I was treated like a common someone in an emotional state referendum on Brexit. could have a tantrum in-flight,” “There is no one rule convicted criminal, not an air- he explained can vote in a referendfor who . um,” a spokesman for the UK eign Office told the ForOlive Press: “When a referend is announced, Parliameum will decide who can vote nt While the low-cost airline managed to jurisdictio as part of the legislatio in it dodge Christmas strikes ns, then we will n on that referendum.” unions for the first time by recognising But pilots insisted they take those.” ever, only it has strug- same condition wanted the Of the estimate gled to formalise relations s to those at low-cost rivals d 1.2m since. living in Europe, expats “We are getting laughable such as around demands,” he SourceseasyJet and Norwegian Air. 800,000 said, adding: “Frankly claimed pilots were not happy with vote in the were unable to to those … if we have to we will never agree a toxic working environm last referend take strikes in those trust between staff and ent and a lack of in which the leave vote um, management. won by just over a million votes.

Easter strikes en rou te

February 28th - March 13th 2018

Load of bull

No room

LETTERS

www.theolivepress.es

Good grief what kind of person are you? How can you compare badly behaved people to people watching an innocent animal be tortured to death? But then again if I have to ask question, I already know the answer.

It’s murder

Rosemary Smith, Velez-Malaga

Can no-one stop this disgraceful act of animal torture? It’s not ART, It’s not CULTUR, It’s MURDER! Lorna Button, Torre del Mar

Not proud I will not just let them get on with it, as the bull will still be killed! We must make it as hard as possible for them to host bullfights and shout at the top of our lungs! Bullfighting is not culture it’s torture, put yourself in the bull’s position and see how you like it. Culture is stuff we should be proud of and bullfighting is not. Hayley Louise Stout, Torre del Mar

Horses only They should just stick to hosting equestrian

shows there. At least that's something most people enjoy and not too noisy for the neighbours. Zara Maria, Estepona

Leave it in the past Oh please, I know it was the culture, so was bear baiting, and other horrible so called ‘sports’. Tell you what, why not put a few disgusting humans in the ring instead? Now that might draw a crowd. Christine Holman-lobb, Plymouth

clinic.com

Has anything piqued your interest in this week’s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@theolivepress.es or alternatively message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress

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CA N

9 SA 0 VE % M

ON EY *

February 28th - March 13th 2018

PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

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February 28th - March 13th 2018

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

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Ryanair Malaga province has one of the bets on BE ‘APPY! biggest gender pay gaps in Spain Spain +TheolivepressEs

February 28th - March 13th 2018

Mind the gap

BUDGET airline Ryanair has announced 29 new WOMEN in Malaga provroutes to and within Spain ince are paid on average Download our now and and increased frequency of app22% less than men for the current flights. begin enjoying thesame best Spanish jobs, new figures The changes will introduce have revealed. news on the go. more international flights According to trade unions, from Valencia, Alicante 45% of women in the and Sevilla as well as new province receive less than domestic routes from Se- the minimum wage, while villa to Alicante and the their average salary sits Canary Islands. at €13,600, compared to Sevilla and Barcelona will €17,453 for men - a gap of have extra flights linking around €4,000. them to Italy, France, and The unions have also Morocco while in The Mallorca, Olive Pressconcerns that voiced many of the new flights fo- 94.2% of contracts signed cus on linking Italy (Rome, news in Spain! Ciampino, SicilyTOP andfor Milan) to the island. An additional connection will run from Santander to Budapest. SPANISH woman do almost twice as much unpaid It brings the number of work as men. routes operated by the Figures released by the National Institute of StatisIrish airline from Spanish tics (INE) show that women do 26.5 hours a week airports to 500 with a 41.5 compared to just 14 hours for men. million passenger capacity. The report indicates that unpaid time was spent It comes after the low-cost caring for children or family members, household airline has been locked in chores, studying or working for non-profit organizaa battle with its pilots over tions. working conditions and pay Being single is the only situation in which men spend rises that saw hundreds of a similar amount of time - 11 hours to a woman’s 13.3 flights cancelled last year. hours.

by women last year in Malaga were temporary with more than two thirds (68%) being less than a month long. Part-time hiring, both in permanent and temporary contracts, showed a simi-

National problem

902 123 282

lar percentage (64.6%). Women also sign 50% more contracts of this type than men. “This part-time hiring is not what women want, it is the only access to the market they have, so it is not only that we charge less but that our work is systematically more precarious,” said CCOO union spokeswoman Saray Pineda. CCOO and UGT have pointed out that the salary gap in the personal and leisure services sector is around 49%, while in other higher salaries, such as that of financial institutions and insurers, it is 35%. Unions are now demanding a law for equal pay.

DEAL: In UAE

Oil rich SPAIN’S second largest oil firm, Cepsa, has been awarded a 20% stake in two offshore oil fields in the UAE. In a deal worth $1.5 billion, the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), wants to increase its oil production capacity from 3.2 million barrels per day to 3.5 million by the end of 2018. The 40-year deal means ADNOC will retain a majority of 60%, with 20% going to Cepsa and 20% to another company. “This long-term agreement is a milestone in the development of Abu Dhabi’s integrated oil and gas sector and in the delivery of ADNOC’s 2030 smart growth strategy,” said ADNOC CEO Sultan al-Jaber.

*Offer valid for new customers only. Ends 31/03/18. Not valid for renewals. Subject to company underwriting regulations.

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9/2/18 18:03

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February 28th - March 13th 2018 February 28th - March 13th 2018

Backing flop

Bitcoin regulation comes to Spain a week after Gibraltar legalised ICO transactions

Yankie caution SPAIN’S Catalunya crisis continues to destabilise global markets amid one of the worst weeks for Wall Street where the stock market reached a seven-year low. According to a report released by US banking giant Goldman Sachs, Catalunya continues to dictate events not only in the Spanish banking system but also globally. The report stated: ‘We continue to see the political events related to Catalunya as an important risk for the recovery of Spain’. The news is at odds with Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy’s predictions of positive growth this year. “This year, 2018, we will have a growth forecast of at least 2.5 percent, with the creation of 400,000 jobs,” said Rajoy. The report comes as the US recovered from a shock week that saw $4 trillion wiped off global stocks as the Dow Jones tanked 1,175 points.

SPAIN is in the process of drawing up legislation to lure blockchain companies to invest in the country. Lawmaker Teodoro Garcia said the legislation would be pointed to ‘specific regulations’ across finance, education and health. “The level of digitisation for companies will be key. We hope to get the legislation ready this year,” Garcia told the press. The ruling Popular Party is also looking at ways to incorporate blockchain technology into government-backed tax subsidies, similar to that of Switzerland’s Crypto Valley and are summoning blockchain experts to speak in parliament. Garcia also hinted at a lack of

Crypto copycats

regulation to encourage initial growth in Spain but said ‘we want to set up Europe’s safest

framework to invest in ICOs’. This comes a week after Gibraltar announced its own

Axarquia to be left a 'poor cousin' POLITICIANS in the Axarquia are urging the Junta not to forget them during plans to build new railway along the Costa del Sol. The long discussed service, which will stretch from Malaga to Estepona at a cost of more that €3.8 billion, has prompted numerous mayors and officials to express concern that the Axarquia will become a 'poor

cousin' if left out. Francisco Delgado Bonilla, MP for Malaga and opposition councillor in Vélez said: “The Costa del Sol doesn't just run from Malaga to Estepona. It is the stretch between El Palo and Nerja as well, and we need to demand that the railway be extended along the eastern coast too.”

system of regulation to legalise ICO transactions in the territory. Part of this encouragement will be tax breaks for smaller ventures which will see little to no regulation. Spain’s bitcoin position is unique within the bloc as French finance minister Bruno le Maire and interim German finance minister Peter Altmaier have both gone on record to say that cryptocurrencies ‘threaten long-term financial stability’.

SPAIN’s finance minister’s shot at being the next vicepresident of the European Central Bank has hit troubled waters after he failed to impress MEPs. Despite being tipped to become Mario Draghi’s deputy, finance minister Luis de Guindos has to see off strong competition from Ireland’s central bank governor, Philip Lane. And it was Lane who came across as the ‘more convincing’ candidate during closed-door meetings with MEPs in Brussels. The candidates were grilled on their approaches to monetary policy, with some MEPs expressing ‘reservations for minister De Guindos’s appointment’, said Roberto Gualtieri, the committee’s chairman.

UNIMPRESSIVE: Luis

Property AGONY ANT YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

Legal linguo Understanding the language of the law in Spain

E often hear statements relating to the implication of contracts and other legal documents that are in a language different from Spanish. One of those statements has, by its own right, risen to the category of legal myth/urban legend: I am referring to the belief that a contract signed in Spain in a language different from official Castilian (or for that matter regional languages) is null and void and thus, does not guarantee rights or obligations. There is an evolution of the above far more twisted: that if a person who does not understand Spanish signs a legal document in this language, they can challenge it in court where, incidentally (according to a minority of expats) the Judge should -at the very least- know English, but if not, a translator should always be provided at to ensure his/her rights are protected. The following notes should help dispel any potential confusion as to what is correct

‘language-wise’: ►► A document of a contractual nature can be drafted in any language for which an official translation service is available. This implies that contracts in any language that is official somewhere in the world is legal, since a valid translation can be provided. ►► Not understanding the content of a contract is not an excuse, as much as ignoring the law excuses no one, as the principle goes (save for some exceptions, notably in financial or investment contracts). ►► Pursuant to art. 142.1 of the Civil Procedure Law, “In all judicial procedures, the Judges, Senior Judges, Public Prosecutors, Court Clerks and other civil servants in courts and tribunals shall use Castilian Spanish, the official language of the State.”, but it also adds in

143.1 that “when a person who does not know Castilian Spanish nor, in the event, the own official language of the Autonomous Authority has to be questioned or make a declaration, or when it is necessary to personally let him know a decision, the Court Clerk may issue an order authorizing any person who knows the language concerned to act as interpreter, in which case the said interpreter shall be required to swear or promise that the translation is true to the original.” ►► And finally, in accordance to art. 144.1, “any document worded in a language other than Spanish or, as appropriate, the official language of the Regional Authority in question shall have a translation of such document attached thereto.”

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com

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olivepressnews

All hooked up

+TheolivepressEs

SPAIN has more homes connected to fibre optic cables than any other country in Europe. There were 1.61 million new subscribers between September 2016 and September 2017 which saw 33.9% of homes hooked up

BE ‘APPY!

SPAIN’S property market has officially recovered from the 2008 crash, with 2017’s transactions reachDownload our apping nowlevels and last seen before the crisis. begin enjoying theNew best Spanish figures released this news on the go. week showed close to 465,000 sales last year, the highest annual figure since 2008 and a 15% increase on 2016’s.

Bank vault

SPAIN’S fourth largest bank Boom is to give shareholders €2.5 The country experienced billion over the next three a property boom in the years following a multi1990s before it crashed billion euro rescue package from the government. from dizzying heights in Bankia, which was partially 2008 following the global nationalised in May 2012 economic meltdown. due to the near collapse of Prices plummeted and forback news inbegan Spain! the company,TOP is giving only to rise again in the the money in an effort to 2014, when the recession partially pay the public bailin Spain ended. out cash. Across the whole counThe company received €22.4 try last year, the average billion to recover from propproperty price rose by erty-loan losses at the height 7.6% compared to 2016. of Spain's financial crisis. But while transactions The government is now sellare at pre-crisis levels, ing off the 61 percent stake it prices remain 21% lower holds.

to superfast broadband. In total, some 17.5 million homes have access to fibre optics. This makes Spain top in Europe out of 39 countries analysed for CONNECTED: Spain fibre optic connectivity.

Hot, hot, hot! Home buying in Spain nearly bounces back to pre-crisis levels

The Olive Press

than in 2007, the height of the real estate bubble, although a 3.1% growth in

COUDUNNIT?: Football ace has Spain villa ransacked

We was robbed BARCELONA midfielder Philippe Coutinho’s luxury pad in Spain has been turned over by thieves The football star was allegedly out at a restaurant with family members at the time of the robbery. He returned home in the early hours of the morning to find that thieves had ransacked his property in Barcelona. The Brazilian called in the cops immediately.

The palatial pad was reportedly made easier to burgle due to ongoing construction work. The 25-year-old did not travel with his Barcelona teammates for the Champions League tie with Chelsea due to his participation in the group stages with Liverpool. Coutinho has made seven appearances for his current employers so far since moving from Merseyside for a reported £142 million in January.

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the economy has helped boost the market. “Low interest rates along with a declining (although still-high) unemployment rate, which declined to 17% in 2017 from a record 27% in 2013, are supporting housing affordability,” said ratings agency Moody’s. “Moreover, although it is likely that housing sales will exceed 500,000 properties during 2018 for the first time in a decade, this is still far from the nearly one million of annual housing sales before 2007. “Construction activity currently is at 40% of pre-crisis levels in 2007, partially correcting the oversupply in place before the crisis.” The figures from Spain’s property register revealed 13% of home purchases

were made by foreigners last year, led by British and French nationals. In the Balearic Islands, foreigners accounted for 35% of sales and in the Canary Islands, 29%. Lucas Fox said Madrid was the hottest market in Spain right now, seeing a 92% jump in transactions last year and a 311% increase in sales value.

British buyers back in action BRITS are spearheading a home buying bonanza in Spain, according to the lastest figures released by the Spanish Land Registrar’s Association. Demand for homes in Spain by foreign investors increased by 20.4% in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to 2016, equating to 15,266 purchases. As a result, last year saw foreigners’ purchasing 13.6% of all Spanish housing stock, an all-time high. During 2017’s last quarter alone, British buyers led the pack with with 2,384 registered purchases (16% of all foreign purchases) followed by the French (1,242 properties - 8%) and Germans (1,198 - also 8%).

Property of the Week

Price slash

ONE of Spain’s largest property developers has cut its share price after delaying its stock market flotation. Metrovacasa, which owns a huge amount of land in Spain, announced in a statement that it was cutting it’s listing price in a move which has been seen as negative for the Spanish real estate sector. As one of the most active Spanish investors, the company’s assest value has now been slashed from € 2.69 billion to € 2.57 billion. Metrovacasa was taken over in 2009 by Santander and BBVA which remain majority shareholders.

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21 - March 13th 2018 February 28th February 28th - March 13th

Electric avenue DEVELOPERS behind the huge Intu project in Torremolinos have proposed building an electric train and new cycle paths to help deal with expected boom in visitor numbers. The project will create the largest shopping and leisure centre in the Mediterranean near the Palacio de Congressos. But the town hall has said it needs solutions to deal with the expected mass increase in visitor numbers, saying its current infrastructure will not be able to cope, particularly with the increase in traffic. Intu has proposed widening the roads surrounding the site, as well as building an electric train network that will connect the town centre to the complex. New walking and cycling paths have also been proposed. Under the plans, the €600 million site will have a huge off-site car park where visitors can leave their cars and

Intu project proposes electric train to cope with extra traffic ride an electric train to the park. The 600,000 square-metre project will create around 4,500 jobs and bring an estimated €3 million in annual income.

On track THE symbolic first stone has been laid at Estepona’s new athletics stadium. The complex will be the only officially accredited stadium from Mijas to La Linea, meaning it can hold competitive athletics championships. The complex features a seven-aside football pitch and huge underground car park.

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health

February 28th - March 13th 2018

Advertorial

Specsavers raise thousands for vital deaf and blind charity

GRANADA: Beer spa

Barrel of laughs FOR some the combination of beer and spa treatments is a match made in heaven. But reaching the pearly gates has now got a little easier. Just drive up to Granada for Spain’s first beer spa where the locally-brewed Alhambra beer is always on tap. According to Beer Spa Granada, the beer bath relaxes muscle tension, prevents skin ageing, reduces stress, and helps eliminates toxins in the body. Inside the bath itself is yeast, hops, malt and cinnamon which are absorbed into the skin in 20 minutes. Each bath also has an array of beer taps on the side for constant refills. There is also a barley bed where you can relax on a bed of fresh barley.

PTICAL group Specsavers has raised €6,107 for the charity Fundación ONCE para la Atención de Personas con Sordoceguera (FOAPS). José Ángel Moral-Tajadura, Retail and Business Development Manager for Specsavers Spain presented a cheque to Marcelo Rosado, ONCE representative for Andalucía, Ceuta and Melilla and José Miguel Luque Gómez, Director of ONCE for the areas of Málaga, Córdoba y Melilla at the ONCE offices in Malaga. The money will fund 407 hours of interpreting for deaf and blind people in Spain in 2018. The campaign will also raise awareness of the issues that the deaf-blind face and the excellent work that FOAPS does. Specsavers said it was ‘delighted to have been able to support the charity in this way.’ FOAPS is a charitable organisation formed in 2007 by leading Spanish charity ONCE to develop programmes to help deafblind people. They focus

Charity bonanza HELPING OUT: Specsavers gifting cheque

on education and employment, improving the quality of life and encouraging integration and development. FOAPS provide interpreters, who can help the deaf-blind communicate and interact with the world.

FOAPS’ Director Esther Requena Olea said: “We would like to say thank you for the 6,107€ donated by Specsavers Opticas to FOAPS, which will fund interpreters to allow them to continue their important work.”

Requena added: “FOAPS wants to sincerely thank you for your collaboration and hope that we can continue this work in the future, as your support in raising awareness of deaf-blindness and funds for this important cause

has been very valuable.”

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Love to care

Fatty watch

Sickening act FALLING ill while abroad in Spain shouldn’t be a financial burden. But in Barcelona tourists are being charged triple the normal rate by a third-party company employed by two hospitals in the Catalan capital. International Care Patient Assistance (ICPA) helps Hospital del Mar and Hospital de Sant Pau by charging patients for care once they have been discharged and head home. But ICPA had free reign to charge what they want and were managing the bills of 1,615 tourists in 2017, it can be revealed. Hospital del Mar received €852,000 but the ICPA received a whopping €1.8 million by charging double. Shockingly, not even the Hospital de Sant Pau know what they are charging the ICPA, which could be in the millions. The hospitals in Barcelona defend the company and say that they have insured the ‘vital payment for services rendered’.

A SPANISH town is full of so many fat people that a doctor has been drafted in to help them shed the weight. Narón in Galicia in northwestern Spain launched an intiative that will see 39,426 residents lose a collective 100,000 kilos over two years. Doctor Carlos Pineiro - who is in charge of the project - has set up healthy eating plans in local health centres while restaurants will offer healthy menus. It comes as obesity affects nearly 20% of the population with 6 out of 10 people overweight in the town. “In 10-year-olds, obesity has gone up two points and overweight five points, which increases the likelihood of those suffering from chronic diseases,” he said, “We want to correct this.” The plan, which was launched on January 25, aims to donate the equivalent of all kilos lost in food to local NGO Solidarity Resource Center Narón.

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Flu pandemic THE number of people who have died from the flu in Spain has risen dramatically. In what is the deadliest season of the last decade, some 472 deaths have occured because of the aggressive flu virus.

Since first being identified in November the National Network of Epidemiological Surveillance at the Carlos III Institute of Health have recorded all associated cases. Between January 29 to February 4, 116 new deaths were recorded.

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26 28th - March 13th 2018 February February 28th - March 13th 2018

Midwinter malaise Winter in Spain has not treated me well this year, writes Giles Brown

way to encourage her to leave. And before you all say, ‘why don’t you indulge in a spot of unreasonable and unacceptable male behaviour - that will soon shift her?’ I lived with the housegHAVE a confession to make. Again. I uest on and off for nine years during my, fell a little bit out of love with Spain ahem, ‘hell raising’ period –or as she dein February. Maybe it is a growing old scribed (in a loud voice) at a party once thing, but I have found myself growling – ‘Nine Years of Hell!’ So she’s seen it all and grumbling around the Casita more before, trust me. than usual, and the mug bearing the Or it may be something to do with the legend ‘Grumpy Old Man’ that I received uest still shows no sign of moving from small matter of having my account emlast Christmas has been spot on. It might have also had something to do the guest cottage – otherwise known as bargoed last month. This drew with the with the lack of rain which has led to the Wendy House. You may remember calm and measured response that you my boats being beached (I live on a res- that she moved in for a couple of weeks would expect from a caffeinated Celt ervoir which means if I don’t check on at the end of April while she found a new down to his last few centimos. If you saw the water level daily, I run the aforemen- place. It’s now the end of February and, a bald and bearded black clad figure short of a combination of a high-pressure belting seven bells out of a bank ATM as tioned risk. And guess what happened). Or it might be the fact that the houseg- hose and/or Napalm, I can’t think of a the machine ate his card, I must apologise. In an effort to find out why I’m currently brassic, I went to my longsuffering Rock n Roll accountant. We’ve been great friends since school – I call him the By Natalie Rose Ke Alcalde as I think he rn should stand for pubwas lic office - and I’m sure the climax of the month that he only takes me (no pun intended!) on as a client because For me, it was a Wednesday. of the entertainment Anticipating a card-less, flowervalue I provide. Plus I inless, chocolate heart-less day, I troduced the word ‘Unfound myself becoming unusually believable!’ to his staff, It’s time to forget all about February, cynical and scoffing at the hype when the DGT hit me and ridiculousness of this commerwith a rather large fine writes Natalie Rose Kern cial celebration; I was a veritable for having the late, unlaValentine’s Day Scrooge. mented Freelander, on As the morning of V. Day arrived three wheels in a polithough, it occurred to me that pergono parking bay with haps the child had a sweetheart he no insurance – another might like to give a card to. classic example of my “Hey Monkey, do you want to make cr*p car Karma. any Valentine’s Day cards before After a few loud ‘unbeschool?” lievables’ in his office, He scrunched up his face, pulled and general mutterings out his tongue and grimaced. about the way the sys“No? Are there no girls at school tem treats autonomos that you fancy?” in the pretty much the He pondered for a moment and same way that you would then turned to me, serious. get turning up in a Rajoy “Well, there is ONE person I’d like mask and Real Madrid to make a Valentine’s card for... shirt at a Puigdemont Mrs T*****” political rally, I hit upon “Oh!” I exclaimed, surprised, “Is a novel idea to solve my she your new favourite teacher financial malaise. then?” “Alcalde. Why don’t I He shook his head and looked up just bolt a cabin on one at me with big sombre eyes, of the boats, drag it “No, Mummy. She’s got cancer back into the water, row back.” into the middle of lake And there it was. and declare myself an Love at its purest. Offshore Tax Haven?” No glitter-covered, chocolate He looked over his dipped commercial romance. My glasses and gave me a faith in love was restored. weary smile. “That’s not I took my writing out onto the tera bad idea. I might just ing fit, as friends, office and class- deserted and whether it’s blustery race and discovered that when she join you!” mates drop like flies around us, or baltic, they are no less beauti- sun is shining, February is utterly So I’m now working and I can’t help but rejoice at the ful. Rambles into the countryside glorious! on a new plan. The ashat-fulls of lemons we return home are just as enthralling, as lemons, And so the office has now been sociacion de autonowith each time we go out walking. oranges and avocados are growing moved outside and I am finally mos de Andalucía fisCountry and beach walks have cer- abundantly and more often that not beginning to thaw out... Roll on cal cruise. I’ll keep you tainly been the highlight of Febru- we return laden with goodies. spring! posted on my progress… ary, as beaches are delightfully Of course, for most, Valentine’s Day

OOD gracious, February is a dull month. Mornings are cold, dark and dreary. Writing work is scarce, the landlord is chasing, clients aren’t paying and the bills are piling up. I can’t help but laugh at the unglamorousness of my so-called ‘glamorous Marbella life’, as I return home from the school run one morning and begin layering jumper upon jumper, a scarf and a wooly hat, before sitting down at my desk to write. Andalucian properties were built to keep cool during the blistering summer heat, but I’m not quite sure what they intended for us to do during the winter... especially as ours

I can’t help but rejoice at the hatfulls of lemons we return home with when walking was built without a fireplace! In a bid to keep warm, The Monkey and I have resorted to waddling about the apartment in everything but our skiing goggles — like giant Michelin men — and then peeling off layers each time we leave the house. The child has also introduced me to the video game Just dance and we’ve been spending the chilly evenings engaged in vigorous dance battles, which are proving to be excellent entertainment — as well as a great way to keep fit and warm — but goodness knows what the neighbours think of the thudding and banging about! So far we’ve managed to keep the dreaded flu that is doing the rounds at bay. I like to think that it’s my homemade concoctions of echinacea, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, honey and lemon to thank for keeping The Monkey and I fight-

Roll on spring

Marbella diaries

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Food, drink & travel

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OlivePressNewspaper olivepress

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with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

olivepressnews

THE locals are eating out more,

+TheolivepressEs spending more and, best of all,

widening their palate. In good news for expat restauthe average Spaniard BE ‘APPY! rateurs, ate out 158 times last year, an increase of 1.3% on 2016. The biggest winners are restaurants serving fast food, and in particular Italian restaurants. While the largest increase is trips out for breakfast and lunch, at the weekends punters Download our app now are and spending more on ‘a la carte’ begin enjoying the best restaurants. Spanish According to market research on thebros go. PIONEERS: news Bitcoin company NPD, total sales in the catering sector reached a record €3.6 Billion in sales last year, an

Cafe con leche? 0.00013 The Olive Press Bitcoin please

Dining adventure

Spanish are eating out more - and at more foreign restaurants

increase of 2.5% on 2016. It is the third consecutive year of growth in the sector with the number of restaurant visits reaching 98 million.

Each customer spent an average of €4.88 per trip, a rise of 1% on last year. At the beginning of the financial crisis the first thing that was hit

TOP SPOT: Rick Stein

were breakfasts out,” said NPD Spain boss Vicente Montesinos. “But with the economic recovery we are seeing an increase in the number of people eating out… and more jobs being created.” Fast food restaurants, tapas bars and coffee bars are the main driving force behind the growth, representing 86% of the increase.

Exciting addition

TOP for news in Spain!

A BAR in Malaga is now accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment. Hermanos Madrid, in the La Roca neighbourhood of Malaga, will hand over a coffee in exchange for 0.000135606 of a Bitcoin. The Madrid brothers who own the bar believe it will soon become a common occurrence as Bitcoin gains in popularity, and are excited to be first in the province to embrace the future.

2727

Let’s make it stick MALAGA is putting forward its ‘espetos’ for recognition under UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage label. The popular sardine skewer is ’emblematic’ of the entire Malaga coast and should be protected and safeguarded, the committee argued. Partido Popular representative Manuel Marmolejos insists the skewer is ‘a typical dish of the whole coast of Malaga’. Grilled over coals, fromissue a traditional fishing Theoften Local Spain 65.qxp_Thewooden Local Issue 5 10/07/17 16:44 Page 39 boat on the beach, it is also associated with villages of seafaring tradition in Granada and Cádiz provinces.

AN exciting new restaurant has opened in Marbella. Cascada Cocina and Bar is the sister restaurant of leading mountain eaterie Castillo de Monda. Counting on the same head chef, Dutchman Jaap Schaafsma it is opening after a total refurbishment of the former restaurant Nueva Kaskada. Castillo de Monda is already rated as one of the best inland restaurants in Andalucia.

Favourite export THE BBC has revealed its most popular shows in foreign countries. In Spain, it isn’t Blue Planet or the Great British Bake Off that tops the list but Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes. It turns out the Spaniards love his take on their traditional food and look to him for inspiration on their cooking. The series sees the British restaurateur tour the Mediterranean, sampling and cooking local specialities. His Spanish dishes included salt cod fritters inspired by his trip to Barcelona’s La Boqueria market, and Mallorcanstyle chicken with sobrasada sausage. His recipes appear to meet with Spaniards’ approval – the same of which cannot be said for Jamie Oliver, who caused outrage in 2016 when he shared a recipe for paella that combined chicken thighs and chorizo.

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Burgundy Burgundy sits in east central France and is home to some of the most expensive wines in the world. A case of 1978 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sold for $476,000 at an auction in 2013, just a tad more than the annual €686 spent on alcohol consumption per person in Spain. But while not every bottle of red Burgundy will mean you’ll have to remortgage, entry level is still relatively hefty coming in at around €1015. Made from a very tricky to grow grape called Pinot Noir, that is sensitive to its environment, it is loved for it’s crunchy tannins, pale colour, red fruit aromas and earthiness, which become more ‘barnyard’ and savory with time. Mencia grapes, found in the northwest of Spain, also produce wines jam packed with raspberry and dark fruit aromas. Though it is on the palate where it really earns its title as a pinot alternative. While not as complex, it offers a similarly earthy and peppery taste with a solid backbone of tannins and fresh acidity. A food friendly wine that works perfectly with salty tapas plates involving fried fish, olives and cured ham. Look for Bierzo, Ribera Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei on the label which state the region of production, and usually contain a majority of Mencia.

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Wine swap

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RANCE has long been associated with wine, but Spain and even the UK are catching up, with both now enjoying growing shares of the international market.

While the French are world-famous for their Vin, there are just as good and cheaper - Spanish alernatives, writes Aleesha Hansel

With French wines usually ending up in the higher price range, below are some Spanish varities that can match some of France’s most popular exports.

Sancerre An iconic name in wine, produced in the Central Val de Loire and made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape. The village takes ‘being French’ very seriously and was at the centre of the royalist rebellion to restore the French monarchy, as well as being a regional command centre for the resistance during the Second World War. Besides from being a pocket of political upheaval, it is perhaps just as famous for its terroir - the soil and environment that influences the grape. In this case it is chalk and flint soils that are said to give the wine minerality and ‘purity’. Sauvignon Blanc, which has been made world famous by the Marlborough region in New Zealand, is known for its high acidity and bold aromas such as gooseberry, lime and passion fruit. Step in Albarino, a citrus flavoured tipple - think lemon, lime, grapefruit, equally acidic and a subtly salty drop to drink. While salt may be a strange description and one that could make you think twice, it acts as a flavour enhancer, much in the same way as salted caramel. There is a little saying in wine world that ‘what grows together, goes together’ and so it’s no surprise that this wine from Galicia matches perfectly with seafood. The region of Rias Baixas, with its granite soil, tops the polls for best standard quality and should be drunk within two years of vintage to retain its freshness.

Chateauneuf du Pape Literally translates to ‘The Pope’s new castle’ and while evidence of viniculture in the Rhone has been found to date back to 600BC, the collapse of the Roman Empire nearly spelt the end of interest in wines from the region. Fortunes changed during the 14th Century, however, thanks to the Avignon Papacy in which seven successive popes resided in Avignon from 1309 to 1376, following a conflict between the papacy and the French crown. At the time wine growing in the region was less than illustrious with vines tended by local Bishops, but the second resident pope - John XXII, who also constructed the castle, did much to improve viticultural practices leading the wines to gain the name ‘Vin du Pape’. By the early 20th century Chateauneuf had gained such popularity that it was plagued by wine fraud. To counteract this, rules of production were drawn up and in 1923 the world’s first Appellation Controlee was born. One of the regulations for Chateauneuf production i s the permitted use of 18 grape varieties, the most dominant of which is Gr-

enache - or Garnacha in spanish. Any decent quality Garnacha in Spain, will display the typical raspberry, strawberry and sweet spice notes associated with the grape, but for something a bit more special try Priorat. A small rugged mountainous region south of Barcelona, unsuitable for anything other that grapes and olives. It produces powerful reds usually made from a blend of Garnacha and Carinena (Carignan). Expect red and black plum, black cherry, cassis and spice aromas with a minerality on the taste, claimed to come from the llicorella slate soils. It’s a soft wine with moderate acidity, high tannins and high alcohol.

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www.theolivepress.es British charities forge funding ties with Europe to offset Brexit fallout

STUDIES: Off to Italy

Never too old

AN 80-year-old Spanish grandfather, who retired from a career as a notary, is set to start a new semester as an Erasmus student in Italy. Miguel Castillo, from Liria near Valencia, won the grant to pursue his history degree at a university in Verona after enrolling at Valencia University two years ago. “It was a typical retirement,” said Castillo. “I looked after the grandchildren, went for walks, played golf, but didn’t do much.” But this all changed five years ago when he suffered a heart attack and was given a quadruple heart bypass. “On the road to recovery I told myself ‘I would like to do something beyond the classic napping’,” he explained. His wife, 65, will also be coming with him when he starts his studies on February 19.

THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) has created a joint research funding scheme with a German agency in a bid to preserve European collaboration post-Brexit. The €12 million scheme is the first time the charity has supported such a project and it has plans to launch more with other European partners. More than 250 BHF-funded scientists raised concerns about the fate of partnerships with their European peers after the UK divorce from the EU.

Education

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Double insurance BHF spends more than €100 million a year on cardiovascular research, making it one of the largest independent funders in Europe. The new scheme is a partnership with the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) and aims to tackle ‘new and important’ questions in heart diseases.

Hero teacher A TEACHER from Spain was forced to hide in a cupboard with her pupils as a white supremacist went on a killing spree in the US. Patricia Rivas, from Rioja, was with five students when gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire with an assault rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida. Cruz, who killed 17 people, had pulled the fire alarm to make everyone run outside into his line of fire. But as Rivas, 40, began to take her pupils outside, she heard a fellow member of staff shout ‘code red’. “I heard ‘Code Red Code Red’ and in that moment reacted very quickly, we started

to run,” she told RTVE in an interview. She took her pupils back to the classroom and hid in a cupboard. They stayed there for about an hour while watching live TV coverage on her mobile phone. “We stayed silent, I tried to calm everyone down, to keep them quiet,” she said. Eventually police found them and gave them the all clear to leave. Rivas, who has been at the school since July last year, found out that one of the students she taught Spanish to had been killed in the massacre. She added: “It was very intense, very stressful and above all very sad, a tragedy, a nightmare.”

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Funded projects will receive up to €4 million a year for up to four years, with half spent in the UK and the other half in Germany. Jeremy Pearson, BHF’s associate medical director, said the charity has been thinking about launching an international collaboration funding scheme for years, irrespective of the EU referendum. “The whole thing has been sharpened by Brexit,” he added. Some other medical charities in the UK have begun to fund international work in recent years. David Scott, director of discovery research at Cancer Research UK, said that research charities play a ‘vital role’ in promoting collaboration. “As the research funding landscape changes, the research community must continue to foster these relationships and endeavour to build new ones,” he said. Shaun Griffin, head of policy at the Association of Medical Research Charities, said that the BHF scheme was an ‘innovative approach’.

Language barrier MADRID has said it may reverse a policy that makes Catalan the dominant language in state schools in Catalunya. Currently, Castilian Spanish is only taught for three hours a week in line with English. The Central government is in charge of education after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reimposed direct rule on the region following the failed independence bid last year. Parents have fought legal battles over the years for their children to be taught in Spain’s predominant language, a right guaranteed in law as Castilian and Catalan Spanish are ‘co-official’ languages. Castilian Spanish is spoken by some 99% of Spaniards as a first or second language. Catalan is spoken by 19% of the population, Galician by 5%, and Basque by 2% of the population.

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Walking away?

Mijas snowboarder helps Spain’s record Winter Olympics haul SPAIN has won its most

CRISTIANO Ronaldo has medals ever in this year’s said he could happily retire Winter Olympics which as he has ‘no more dreams to was hosted in South Korea. achieve’. Regino Hernández and The Real Madrid forward has Javier Fernández both been linked to a move away took home bronze medals Olive Press from EuropeanThe and Spanish in snowboard cross and champions at the end of the men's single figure skating season, with reports suggestTOP for news in Spain! ing he wants to leave Madrid respectively. Hernandez, born in Ceuta over a contract dispute. The 33-year-old insists he is and raised in Mijas Costa, happy to remain at the Ber- and Madrid-born Fernabeu and still loves Madrid nandez are the third and but says he could also walk fourth people to bring back away from the game having a medal in Spanish Winter achieved everything he want- Olympic history. ed to at the start of his career. "It was an incredible day, “I never dreamt I would win I'm so incredibly happy. five Ballon d’Or awards. If I It does not matter if it's had to finish my career now bronze, silver or gold. It's I would do so super happy. I an Olympic medal, " Herhave won everything,” Ron- nandez told the press after aldo told Brazilian YouTube winning. channel Central Desimpedi- He added: "It's something dos. “If I win another one, two or I've dreamed of all my life, three Ballon d’Ors then I will winning this medal, makbe delighted but if not I al- ing history, its incredible." They now join the hall ready won five.” A POLICE officer has been killed in Spain during an organised fight between supporters of two rival teams. The planned brawl took place last night ahead of the Europa League match between Atletico Bilbao and Spartak Moscow. Policeman Inocencio Arias García suffered a heart attack after a flare was thrown in his direction during clashes between rival fans at San Mames. A minute’s silence will be held before all matches in Spain this weekend in his memory. The Spanish football federation said: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation wishes to convey its deepest condolences to the relatives and close friends of Inocencio A. García, a native of Ermua (Bizkaia), who belonged to the ninth promotion of the Ertzaintza (Basque police force).

of fame with 'Paquito' Fernández Ochoa, who took gold in Sapporo, Japan 1972 and his sister Blanca who won bronze in Albertville, France 1992 both in slalom.

Cop killed in footie brawl

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Not fazed RAFAEL Nadal has said he does not care about the world rankings. Speaking ahead of his return to the game at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, the Spaniard said he just tries to play his best. The 31-year-old, who has recovered from a hip injury, said: “I try to be competitive in every tournament, neither Roger (Federer) nor I fight for the no.1 spot, if it happens, it’s great, if not, it’s okay.”

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Health machine

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VENDING machines are set to get healthier under new regulations from Madrid to cut saturated fats by 10% over three years.

Bad frame MARBELLA town hall is taking down 15 offensive billboards as they say they are ‘harming the town’s image’ along the A-7 motorway.

Royal decree SPANISH PM Mariano Rajoy has said he is not keen to see Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar playing for Real Madrid saying he would not look good ‘dressed in white’.

SUPER SKATER: Javier Fernandez in superhero mode

OLYMPIC medalist Javier Fernandez delighted fans with a fitting superhero routine at the Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Korea. The bronze medalist, 26, became a hero himself when he became only the fourth ever Spaniard to win a Winter Olympic medalist. The hilarious routine at the winners’ closing exhibition saw the skater, from Madrid, perform an aerobics-inspired routine to pop hits from the 80s. He posed as an exercise instructor in jog-

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Hero lap gers and hoodie to a soundtrack of him speaking in English as he limbered up with stretches to Olivia Newton-John’s Physical. He then stripped to a superhero outfit in the colours of Spain complete with shiny satin cape to the songs Maniac by Michael Sembello, Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler, and I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner.

Three rounds with Tyson

Expat restaurant TV star says setting up in Andalucia has been the hardest job of her life

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EXCLUSIVE By Aleesha Hansel

AN expat restaurateur appearing in a hit TV show has described setting up in Spain as being like ‘going three rounds with Mike Tyson’. Lisa Burgess - whose chef partner Joffrey Charles, 28, previously cooked for Prince Charles, Madonna and Kate Moss - described setting up her restaurant in Mijas as being the ‘hardest job’ of her life. The former TV stylist from Ireland is currently starring with Frenchman Joffrey in Channel 4's A New Life in the Sun. The show is following their journey of opening a dream restaurant in Spain, having lived in Dublin together for four years. They set up their stylish eaterie Joffrey’s in La Cala to realise their dream after fears of the British economy and Brexit persuaded them to move. "I've never run a restaurant

so I had to Google lots of things, and when you are being filmed doing something that you don't know how to, it can be difficult," Burgess told the Olive Press. "It sounds easy but you have to be very prepared to work your ass off, the first year you are having to dig so deep, you feel like you've gone three rounds with Mike Tyson every day." Despite the hard work the couple are loving their new life in Spain plan to stay here for life. “This is the hardest job I have ever had but we have met some incredible people and had some incredible times." She added that Mijas was perfect for her burgeoning business.“It’s a proper Spanish town, right on the sea. There are restaurants there, but no French ones. It was a great opportunity for us.” They drew their inspiration for a move to Mijas from Channel 4's first series of the programme which featured The Blue Marlin restaurant nearby.

OH MY JAWS! A SHARK has been found washed ashore on a beach in Alicante. The scary fish measured in at a whopping four metres (13ft) long and weighed 200 kilos (31st 6lb). Police were called after the creature was spotted on a beach in Santa Pola, just south of Alicante, who then called transport firm Urbaser to remove its remains. The Marine Environmental Institute is expected to now study the dead body. Sharks do not pose a danger to humans as they feed on smaller fish.

Movie mania SPAIN has come in fourth place in the European rankings for best film locations. The European Audiovisual Observatory report also shows that film production in Spain has grown by 89%. It is one of only two European countries where film production rose.

‘what a Choker!’

A LOCAL shop owner was left devastated after she failed to pay for her regular lottery ticket. The Spanish shoe shop boss missed out on a massive €176 million payout that mostly landed in Manilva. “I’m gutted,” she told the Olive Press, asking to remain anonymous. “As it was February times were tough I couldn’t afford to pay for it. I’ve been buying with a group for years so this really hurts.” The latest EuroMillions draw left half of the amount in Manilva and the other half in the UK, with the money going to one lucky winner. The huge win in Spain was won by a consortium of 80 people in San Luis de Sabinillas and

Manilva, meaning dozens of millionaires were made overnight. The Spanish ticket was bought in the Loterías administration nº 6 of La Línea de la Concepción, located in the Carrefour Gran Sur-Torres Shopping Center, which is owned by the Luque de Manilva family. Municipal sources have reported the win in Manilva has granted around 140 residents €750,000 euros each. British councillor in Manilva, Dean Tyler Shelton said: “Lots of new local millionaires have been made overnight. “It’s fantastic news for all concerned and for our local economy in general.”