Olive Press Newspaper – Issue 257 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

What have Han Solo, Franco and Prince got in common? Voted BEST expat paper in Spain FREE

Vol. 11 Issue 257 www.theolivepress.es January 18th - January 31st 2017

Property www.theolivepress.e

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They’re all in our new Property magazine out this week

Removing the floor

January 18th -

January 31st 2017

January 18th -

January 31st 2017 13 Spain Property Guides

Don’t get caught out when buying in Spain

Issue 12

A VICTORY for mortgage owners has been awarded by the European Court of Justice. The court has ruled that two million mortgage holders in Spain are entitled to additional refunds from the banks because they paid It came due to too much interest. clauses’ that saw the so-called ‘floor fail to lower their most Spanish banks rowers to match interest rates to borthe base rate set the European Central by The court ruled that Bank. it was unfair and that repayments entire life of the should cover the time that interestmortgage during the rates were low and continue to be. When the central bank base rate was lowered to stimulate economy some years the eurozone ago, mortgage repayments should 1.5% to 2%, howeverhave tracked it to many borrowers continued to pay 3.5% and more. The surprise ruling is final and cannot be appealed. Around two million now be set to receiveborrowers should timated to be worth repayments, esbillions of euros.

Little slice of home

BRITISH expats are on a buy-to-let spree in London and the south east of England. According to mortgage lender Skipton International there cant rise in expat has been a signifiinvestment over recent years. New figures reveal to-lets are in the UK40% of expats’ buycapital, while 25% are in the pricey south east. “Prices in London have increased significantly in the past ing that capital gainsfew years, meanhave been very attractive for investors,” said Skipton mortgage director “Expats have manyNigel Pascoe. ing and long term reasons for investinvestment is usually the most important.” The trend has occurred come easier to secure as it has bepats, who previously lending for exstruggled with credit checks and recent credit history. Some 35% of expats vestment as their cited long term ining, while another main reason for buy19% of their pension plan. said it was part

New Year, new house?

ET your hands on one of the first new properties of the year - right on the beach! This stunning villa with wonderful contemporary heated infinity pool sea views and market this week. has gone on the Just a few steps from one of Marbella’s loveliest stretches of sand, the four bedroom and cinema could home with a gym be yours for a cool €7.9m. The chic new addition to Bahia Marbella, just east of the town, includes the latest technology, installed sound system, with a preand underfloor heating. solar panels The property, marketed by Panorama Properties, sits in a gated community with 24-hour security.

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MALAGA province’s €2 million project second biggest castle will finally be La Estrella castle failed to take off almost a decade ago.renovated after a being used duringis spread over 25,000 square metres Spanish TV series the filming of ‘Douglas, el Guardian and is currently which features the A project to give the battle of Teba, wherede Historia’ – a onset of the global structure a face lift was abandoned the castle lies. financial crisis. in 2008 at the It now back on, and will improve accessibility, investigation, consolidate undertake archeological the walls and generally structure. improve the existing

PAGE 13

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Bracing for Brexit

THERESA May has vowed Britain won’t accept a ‘half in, half out’ Brexit in a landmark speech that is likely to have long-lasting effects on Gibraltar and all expats in Spain. The Prime Minister issued a 12-point plan to take Britain out of the EU, with Downing Street looking to scrap EU single market and current customs union access. In the biggest speech of her sixmonth tenure, she said: “To be clear, what I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market.” She added Britain would no longer give ‘huge sums’ to the EU, however she conceded that Parliament will have the final vote on the deal. Maintaining the common travel area between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is also a priority during the Brexit negotiations. However, the border of Gibraltar with Spain was not mentioned.

Control

“We want to control our immigration from the EU,” said May. “We also recognise the importance of the brightest and the best coming here. We recognise the contribution they have made.” May is believed to favour a workpermit system as she looks to trigger Article 50 by March. It comes as the House of Lords published data showing a border closure with Spain would put 40% of jobs at risk in Gibraltar. The 32 page-report, based on Gibraltar government evidence, estimates 10,500 of the Rock’s 26,000 workers crossed the border daily. “A frontier which lacked the necessary fluidity would therefore put directly at risk the jobs of 40% of the Gibraltar workforce,” said a spokesman. May’s speech was cheered by Leave campaigners, who are pushing for a ‘hard’ Brexit. She said:“We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave,” said May. “The British people voted for change. And it is the government’s job to deliver it.” Opinion Page 6

Slaughter Exclusive By Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead and Laurence Dollimore

A BRITISH expat has called in police after finding five of her dogs executed in a late-night massacre. The Guardia Civil are now investigating the horrific attack that also left one of Illona Mitchell’s horses with its eye gouged out. The detectives from the environment section Seprona told Mitchell, 48, that it was one of the worst attacks they had seen and were visibly shocked by it. They have put on extra patrols to keep an eye on the estate at weekends and at night. “I am sickened as to why someone would carry out such a cruel and barbaric attack on innocent, defenceless animals,” she told the Olive Press this

Expat’s rescue animals mercilessly killed over ‘hunting row’

week. The mother-of-one, above, who bought her estate in mountains near Granada

in 2004, found the five rescue dogs shot in their pens on January 6, the night of the Reyes (Three Kings). Her beloved seven-year-old Dizzy, ‘one of the friendliest dogs you will ever meet’ and a puppy called Maisie were shot dead at the gates of their pens. Meanwhile Coco and Domingo, were shot in their beds, with Mitchell believing they had cowered in their kennels before being killed in cold blood. Coco, two, had been shot at point-blank range between the eyes, while threeyear-old Domingo was shot through the side of his face. They later found Jack, a six-year-old German Shepherd, having convulsions under a nearby tree, but despite being

rushed to the vets he died 30 minutes later. An X-ray showed he also had a bullet shot through the roof of his mouth. Meanwhile, one of Mitchell’s 12 horses was also attacked, so savagely that its eye may have to be removed. Vets have been struggling to treat the four-year-old, named Rocco, because he has become too nervous and skittish. Deeply traumatised by the attack - that thankfully was not seen by her daughter Ella, 11 - Mitchell continued: “I am so angry that someone would do something as disgusting as this to innocent animals.” Mitchell, from Chester, believes the attack is linked to her recent decision to ban hunters from her huge 173-hectare estate that sits in stunning scenery in the Sierra de Baza. Continues on Page 4

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OLIVE PRESS – 70mm x 40mm FRONT COVER

18 January

CRIME

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105

Stories and features in this edition of the coast’s number 1 English newspaper

More chokey A DISGRACED ex-mayor could face a further eight years in jail for yet another court case. Former Marbella chief Julián Muñoz and his planning advisor Juan Antonio Roca, both below, are to stand trial with businessman Manuel Lores in the Lorcrimar case, on January 30. The case centres on an allegation that the trio embezzled €3 million in public funds through an illegal town planning scam. The pair were behind the illegal re-zoning of a 90,000 square metre area of protected land near Puerto Banus. Both are currently serving out other sentences in prison.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Baby boiling man faces jail A NEGLIGENT father is facing a 12year prison sentence for allegedly bathing his five-month-old baby in boiling water. The Jaen man has also been or-

Charities want law changes after rise in reported child sex abuse AN INTERNATIONAL charity has demanded law changes due to an increase in reported child sex abuse in Spain. Save The Children wants the government to give victims more time to report offences that they may at first be too traumatised from to report. It made the appeal after the government reported that latest data showed reports of the offence had increased by 5% from 2014 to 2015, when 3,919 offences were reported. Currently, once a victim

dered to pay €180,000 in compensation, after he left the child with second and third degree burns on 70% of his body. It took considerable surgery and

a year to heal, leaving him permanently scarred. The incident happened in 2012 when the baby’s mother was out shopping.

More action needed

reaches 18 in Spain they have up to 15 years to report the crime, depending on its severity.

Save The Children wants to increase this to 30, to help those who may not feel ready to report their abuse until

Say Cheeba! CORDOBA police found an unexpected extra stink when they cut into a confiscated cheese and found it crammed with a kilogram of cocaine. They had arrested a man carrying the cheese wrapped in cellophane after he had acted suspiciously. It is the first time police have uncovered the crime.

they are much older. The change would give them more time to understand the full extent of their abuse and pluck up the courage to denounce the perpetrators. "While more cases of child sexual abuse are coming to light, this crime is still taboo", said Andrés Conde, director of Save the Children in Spain. "Violence against children is a hidden problem, and the numbers of complaints are just the tip of the iceberg. "We lack mechanisms to allow children to denounce and that means that many cases go unpunished."

Banged up A CORRUPT politician has finally been locked up after almost four years on the run. Ex-PP minister Manuel Rodríguez de Castro has been handed an eight year stretch after being picked up in Mexico last year. Rodriguez, 52, fled to the country after being convicted of embezzlement and prevarication, while working for Cadiz’s Zona Franca (free trade zone). The Sevilla-born crook had been living the high life thanks to a successful company he set up in Mexico City. He has been fined €8m and been barred from taking political office for 30 years.

NE WS

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No tears this time THE young expat who won the hearts of Junior Masterchef viewers after sobbing over a fish and chip fiasco has redeemed himself on ITV’s This Morning. Nine-year-old Oscar Jefferson melted hearts on the Spanish edition of the show last week as his grandfather’s traditional fish-and-chip recipe did not go as planned. The British youngster, who attends Sotogrande International School, made mistakes and ran out of time. He burst into tears, crying that he had ‘disappointed his grandfather’. Waves of support for the popular contestant rushed in on Twitter, and the youngster was invited to redeem himself on This Morning, where he followed the recipe to perfection.

Crime pays for Pantoja SHE got a big slap on the wrist and spent a year in prison. But it has not apparently stemmed singer Isabel Pantoja’s popularity. Just months after being released from a sentence for corruption and money laundering ‘la Pantoja’ has got a gold disc for her new album. The Sevilla singer, who dated disgraced former Marbella mayor Julian Munoz for years, has already seen her new release Hasta que se Apague el Sol (Until the sun sets), reach 20,000-plus sales. However, sales are slower than her previous album Diez Boleros released in 2006 with critics claiming this shows her success is on the wane. The drop is more likely however, due to the amount of illegal downloading in Spain. Pantoja, 60, served just over half of a two-year sentence as an accomplice of convicted fraudster Munoz, who remains in prison.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

In the spotlight A PAIR of Spanish stars are in the running for illustrious BAFTA awards. Pedro Almodovar’s flick Julieta and Catalan actress Laia Costa have both been nominated for a gong at the glitzy British ceremony on February 12. Shortlisted for best foreign language film, Julieta tells the tale of a woman who has become

Marbella’s very own wows on Hollywood red carpet MILLIE Bobby Brown looked positively chic on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards. The Marbella-born actress glowed in a silver Jenny Packham mididress as she posed for photos outside the prestigious Los Angeles bash. The 12-year-old British star was nominated for Best Drama Series for Stranger Things, the break-out Netflix show of the summer. “It's incredible, I'm so grateful,” said Brown, who spent her early years growing up in Marbella. “Being here with everyone, I really couldn't have done it without Net-

estranged from her daughter. It stars actresses Adriana Ugarte and Emma Suarez. Meanwhile, Costa, 31, will vie against four other actors to be named best rising star. She earned the nomination thanks to her stand out role in Victoria, a German crime thriller shot in one continuous take.

UP FOR GONGS: Costa (inset) and Ugarte and Suarez (above)

Millie’s made it flix.” She went on to thank her family too, but when asked where her fellow costars were, she admitted that she was late to arrive. “I came late. I'll probably meet up with them later,” she said, before admitting that she wanted to try and find her favourite actress Natalie Portman at the awards show. Stranger Things sees a group of boys in 1980s Indiana attempt to save

their friend from a dark underworld with the help of a girl, ‘Eleven’- played by Brown - who has special kinetic abilities. It lost the award to The Crown, a drama chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s to modern times. She lived in Marbella, where her grandparents run a restaurant, until she was four, and is a regular visitor for holidays.

Brit-vision A HALF-British heartthrob is in the running to become Spain’s next Eurovision contestant. Malaga-based Mario Jefferson, whose mother is English, is one of the six remaining singers who hope to become the country’s representative at the flamboyant 2017 event. The 26-year-old

pop star, who cites his influences as Mika and Jessie J, has beaten off almost 400 other entries to make it to the final TV selection showdown, in February. If he wins he will compete against 42 other countries in this year’s contest in Ukraine, in May.

A STAR IS BORN: Millie

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www.theolivepress.es News IN BRIEF

Market returns THE Sabinillas Sunday market is back in action after an absence of over a month, caused by damage to the site in December floods.

Water works THE government has said that work will recommence “imminently” on Nerja’s water treatment plant. Construction, which is 95% complete, ground to a halt in early 2016.

Solar power THE first solar-powered cars in the world have been put on the market by Málaga cooperative Evovelo. The cars have a top-speed of 50kmh and can drive for 90 minutes on one charge.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Caged at last

High in the sky A ZIP line is to be built in a new recreational area by the Jardines del Rosario in Casares, designed to provide residents with more common areas for open-air enjoyment.

NE WS

GUILTY: Marin

AN animal shelter boss who illegally froze dogs to death has been jailed for three years and nine months for animal cruelty. Carmen Marin, the former boss of the Torremolinos animal shelter, was found guilty of the ‘unjustified killing’ of more than 2,000 cats and dogs. The Olive Press was the first paper in Spain to

Animal dumping ground A SHOCKING 3,000 dogs were dumped in Malaga province last year. Of this a depressing 547 dogs had to be put down. Despite the gloomy figures, adoptions were up by 12% on 2015 thanks to increased awareness, with 863 dogs finding new homes. See Not Just for Christmas on page 6

Shelter boss found guilty of executing animals for her own ‘financial gain’ highlight the ‘extermination sessions’ that she carried out. We exposed the practices of Marin in November 2011, before linking her to fraud in connection to Torremolinos town hall in 2012. In one exclusive, we revealed how Marin spent up to €1 million of her animal sanctuary’s funds on trips abroad, spa treatments, cars and driving lessons. Based on a police probe, we told how she also

transferred €100,000 of the ‘non profit-making’ centre’s money to help her daughter redecorate her cosmetic surgery clinic. The judge ruled that she had deliberately administered insufficient doses of euthanasia chemicals for her ‘financial gain’, while dogs were found frozen alive. Marin claims the charges are unfounded and maintains that she is completely innocent. She is launching an appeal against the ruling.

Massacre of the innocents From front page

“The only motive I can think of is hunters getting revenge,” she said. “I recently stopped hunting on my land, and made this clear to all local hunting groups. “It has led to me receiving harassment from local hunters calling at my house. “They have also stopped me in

MURDER: Pet attack

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the street, hurling insults and intimidating me.” She hired a solicitor after reporting a number of these incidents to the local police and town hall of Caniles in the previous months. She believes the attack was planned on a night when the police would be extremely busy with it being Three Kings Day and a national holiday the

next day. Only three dogs survived the attack while one remains unaccounted for. A series of reward posters to try and catch the assailants are going up around the area. Animal charities and rescue centres have been offering help, as have the general public via a crowdfunding page, to help pay for the vets’ bill.

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EMERGENCY river repairs are to be carried out in floodwrecked parts of Andalucia. The Junta has promised €6.6 million to fix waterways and attempt to stop future floods in Malaga, Cadiz and Huelva . It is believed that blocked rivers part contributed to the severity of December’s deluges, which left two people dead and caused millions of euros of damage.

Open at last RONDA’S new hospital opened its doors this week. The hospital has begun treating outpatients in the first step in a 12-week takeover from the old regional facility. The Junta has invested €45.8 million in the departments opened this week, which include general surgery, dermatology, anesthesia, gynecology, obstetrics and paediatrics.

Refugee aid BIG-HEARTED Casares residents are being asked to put up 12 immigrant families this summer. It is hoped locals will open their doors to the families for 10 days in July as part of the Malaga’s ‘positive action’ project, which has been created to try to better refugees’ lives. The adults, who all currently live here, are also being given training to help them find jobs, particularly in the hotel sector.

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www.theolivepress.es Politics

Full steam ahead? By Chloe Glover

A CONTROVERSIAL new motorway link to Tarifa and a fast freight line from Algeciras to Antequera could be given the go ahead this month. It comes after the government provisionally set aside funding for the two projects in 2017. Improvements to the Algeciras to Bobadilla freight line, which were first pub-

Concern as high-speed freight rail link and motorway to Tarifa included in huge regional transport investment lished in 2010, are expected to come out of the €1.3 billion set to be used by the Junta for transport improvements before 2020. The Junta hopes that its provisional plans to make the line faster - plus put a

Socialist showdown

THE leadership race for the socialist party has swung into action. Popular Basque Patxi Lopez is the first politician to announce his intention to stand in the PSOE contest in May. If elected, the former Party of Euskadi president has promised a ‘return to the basics of socialism’ and a hard line against Mariano Rajoy’s PP government. Lopez is expected to be a popular choice for party members against the two other likely candidates, current Junta de Andalucia head Susana Diaz and ex-PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez. All candidates must announce their intention to stand by the end of March. Primary elections will be held in May, with the victor formally chosen in June, when the Socialists hold their annual congress. Sanchez resigned from the role in October, triggering the need to find a new leader.

Our man in London resigns SPAIN’S ambassador to the UK, Federico Trillo, has resigned in the wake of revelations about a military plane crash that killed 62 Spaniards while he was Minister for Defence in 2003.

Trillo announced the move had been long-planned, but the haste of his resignation has implied it is a direct result of the political storm surrounding the Yak-42 case.

dual carriageway from Vejer to Algeciras via Tarifawill be agreed by the government this Spring. If given the go-ahead, a new line and better infrastructure will be installed to enable freight trains to travel faster between Algeciras port and Bobadilla, near Antequera. Part of the so-called ‘Mediterranean Corridor’, the improvements could cut journey time to a new ‘dryport’ storage area near Bobadilla, from four hours to just one-and-a-half hours. From here, the freight could be sent in various directions north. The ‘Pista 2020’ plan, announced by transport secretary Felipe Lopez last week, is likely to bring around 26,600 jobs to the region.

Disastrous

Lopez said the plan, which puts aside €557m for roads and €407m for railways, will be ratified when the Transport Minister Inigo de la Serna next comes to Andalucia. Further funding for the socalled project was sought by Junta boss Susana Diaz in Brussels in November. The Olive Press has warned that both plans the Tarifa motorway and the freight line - could lead to huge environmental destruction, however, as well as destroy key tourist areas around Tarifa and Ronda. Under original plans a new part of the freight line was to be dug through Ronda’s important tourist valley Llano de la Cruz, where former British Prime Minister David Cameron and DJ Fatboy Slim have stayed. This was later cancelled, but locals fear it could be resurrected. Any motorway that was installed close to the coast around Tarifa would be ‘disastrous’ for many hotels and the important undeveloped ecology, say critics. Under the projected government plans, some €33m will be set aside for better cycle lanes around the region.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

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January 18th - January 31st 2017

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 200,000 copies distributed monthly (130,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Cage them

THERE is no denying that levels of animal cruelty in Spain can sometimes be shocking. At this newspaper we have reported on many examples of such behaviour over the last decade. But the savage attack on expat Illona Mitchell’s animals sinks to new depths of depravity. A massacre of five of her dogs is now being investigated by Guardia Civil. A horse may also lose an eye. Barbaric doesn’t do it justice. For someone to target innocent animals is a shocking indictment of the often casual disregard some people in Spain can have for our four-legged friends. While trends show clearly that the country is getting the message in regards to animal welfare and there is now even a political party representing animal lovers, this hits to the core. The real measure of change will come once they find the perpetrators and punish them properly… by caging them for a very long time!

What now? AFTER months of equivocation, Theresa May finally spelt out her Brexit plans. Her speech will cheer those in the Leave camp clamouring for a hard Brexit. Single market access will go - at least for most. May will not negotiate on that in return for freedom of movement. So we have the bones of the plan. Now we need the flesh. One of the key issues for expats in Spain is whether we will now need work permits to continue working here? And how we will travel around Europe? Could pensions and healthcare now be affected? And what will happen to the 10,000 cross-border workers in Gibraltar. How easily will they get in? May made no reference to Gibraltar in her speech. But encouragingly she said the ‘common travel area’ between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is a priority. Hopefully free movement for expats in Spain and workers in Gibraltar will continue. But another question remains. What is Spain going to do now that the genesis of a hard Brexit comes to pass? Not even Theresa May can answer that.

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T’S Christmas Eve, a time when families gather together to celebrate and children volunteer to go to bed early to speed Santa’s arrival. But not everyone is tucked up snug and warm in a loving home. At Estepona’s Adana Dog Shelter, an early ‘present’ (of sorts) has just arrived. Seven puppies squashed into a plastic crate. The volunteers are instantly won over by the adorable pups who are fed, watered and checked over by the vet in preparation for their first night at the centre. While the little mutts bring a smile to the faces of the volunteers, they are a poignant reminder of the literally thousands of homeless animals in need across Spain. “Every dog deserves a good home,” Adana FAMILY: The Adana team president Mary Page tells me. “It is frightening to see so many dogs abandoned and we are just doing our bit to put that right. “Above anything else, our job is to rehome these animals.” Mary, a former Labour politician in the UK, has been at the helm of Adana since the board was reshuffled in July, promoting her from Vice President, and she relies completely on the team around her. “We have some amazing people here,” she says. “From our treasurer Reg Winkworth who is a trained builder and takes care of all the maintenance work, to our on site vet Frederica Dorma, we are one family. “And then we have our fleet of volunteers who give up their time to walk the dogs or clean out the kennels,” she adds. “It really is moving.” Founded 25 years ago by expat Sonia Longman, Adana has established itself as one of the best kennels on the coast. But there are - unfortunately - some which give the hard-working, honest

Spain is still notorious for abandoned pets - the furry festive gifts that bring delight one day and are discarded like old wrapping paper the next. Rob Horgan meets some of the people trying to change that

Not just for Christmas

centres a bad name. “There are a few places that really do tarnish the work we do,” says Mary. “The likes of Kim Halliwell, who used to operate in Mijas, make collecting donations terribly difficult for us. “If a dog shelter on the coast is not operating by the rules, then unfortunately the rest of us are tarred with the same brush.” She adds: “I believe that is what is happening with Triple A in Marbella. They are a phenomenal charity who do a lot of good and I am sure the Seprona investigation into them will be dropped.” And while Adana can home between 150250 dogs, there is still a problem with abandoned pets across the country. “New pups are brought to us every week,” Mary says. “It is still a problem but I think it is something Spanish people are becoming more aware of.” It’s a sentiment that the president of the country’s animal rights political party, PACMA, wholeheartedly agrees with.

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ABANDONED: The shelter houses up to 250 dogs

CRISIS: Thousands of pets need homes

“The Spanish psyche needs to adjust before we see the number of animal cruelty and abandonment cases go down,” Sylvia Barquero tells the Olive Press. “There are 3,000 festivals across Spain which revolve around treating animals with cruelty and even killing them. She adds: “Since 2009, European Union member states have been obliged to consider animals as ‘sentient beings’ in their national legislation, according to Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty, and that has helped. “When we started in 2003 we were considered as freaks, as a wasted vote. It has been a very difficult journey, but Spanish society values us now.” Securing 220,000 votes in the latest election was not enough to give PACMA its first parliamentary seat but it did represent a shift in mindset. Hopefully that new mindfulness can be put to use to support hardworking animal shelters like Adana.

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Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es January 18th - January 31st 2017 And our site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

I once had a normal life

The town hall whistleblower who is finally getting the credit she deserves for enduring a ‘nightmare’

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- One dead and two injured in more rainafter - 4616shooting views Spain (4,339)

 VIDEO: Floods hit Costa del Sol - Anger erupts as probe reveals ‘unqualified asback heavy to rainUK continues - 4604 Malaga expats flying for highly views paid placements looking after elderly.’ (4,267)

 Gangsters’ paradise: A look at

- Spain’s public holidays in figures 2017:past Theand natiothe key present of nal and Andalucian the Costalist del(3,938) Crime - 3872 views  Torremolinos Page Views: 289,788 to open Anda-

lucia’s biggest shopping and leisure centre - 3122 views Visitors: 140,487  Gibraltar schoolgirl reaches semi

-final of 9.64% Spanish TV talent show Bounce Rate: 3065 views

Statistics for: January 2 - January 17

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NIGHTMARE: Garrido has suffered unemployment, harassment and death threats

TOWN hall employee, Ana Garrido held one of the most secure jobs in Spain for two decades. But after she tried to expose corruption behind how her town awarded public contracts, her life descended into what she described as ‘a seven-year Calvary’. That path took her from being assailed by her office bosses and colleagues in Boadilla del Monte, on the outskirts of Madrid, to depression and sick leave, unemployment, and even death threats. She now sells handmade bracelets to make a living, and relies on crowdfunding to help cover her legal expenses, which have reached €20,000. She has sold most of her clothes and furniture and rents out her home to pay the mortgage. Instead, she lives as a squatter in an abandoned apartment with paint peeling from the walls. It is only now that Garrido is getting some belated recognition for undertaking one of Spain’s riskier endeavors: being a whistleblower. In April of last year, Garrido was invited to parliament by right-wing anti-corruption party Ciudadanos. Luis Garicano, the main economic advisor of Ciudadanos, told reporters on the day Garrido went to parliament that if Spain cannot protect whistleblowers like her ‘we don’t have a country that is worth it’. Garrido has become a symbol for anti-corruption activists who are pushing for a new law in Spain that would for the first time defend the rights of those who try to expose corruption. Countries like the United States and Britain have long-standing laws to protect whistleblowers, and since 2010, Hungary, Slovenia, France, Luxembourg, Ireland and Belgium have all enacted varying levels of protection. Spain, on the other hand, is among a handful of European nations without legislation for whistleblowers. “Spain has not followed up on recommendations from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the new rights

it granted to public servants exclude protection from retaliation when reporting suspected crimes,” according to NGO Transparency International. That lack of legislation, many believe, has contributed to a culture of impunity, and made Spain’s system of government one of the most corrupt in Europe. More than 200 corruption cases, involving nearly all major political parties, have arisen since the financial collapse in 2008. “There are a lot of corruption cases that don’t come to light because the whole system is designed to hurt rather than protect those who denounce corruption,” said Pedro Arancon, president of a Spanish association called Platform for Honesty.

In fact, anti-corruption activists suspect that few employees are willing to disclose fraud and risk their jobs, like Garrido, particularly with Spain’s unemployment rate of 21%. Victor Lapuente, an associate professor at the Quality of Government Institute of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said the response of the Spanish authorities to whistleblowers was ‘the world upside down’. “The resources have gone to protect the ones who want to hide information, not the ones filtering it,” Lapuente said. While on sick leave, Garrido compiled a 300page dossier on how Boadilla Town Hall awarded fraudulent contracts. She gave her findings to an organisation called Manos Limpias, or Clean Hands, which then presented them to the national court.

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OlivePressNewspaper The case turned into a major scandal for Rajoy’s Popular Party, involving several conservative mayors and officials who were indicted on charges of taking bribes from a network of businessmen led by Francisco Correa (known as the Gurtel ring). Garrido said Manos Limpias had disclosed her identity without her consent. Underlining endemic corruption in Spain, Manos Limpias was recently put under investigation itself after being accused of blackmailing potentially fraudulent officials in return for dropping charges against them. In mid-2011, Garrido returned to work at the town hall, but the job lasted only a few months. Boadilla’s new mayor and administration, she said, were ‘simply determined to make me pay’. She claimed the harassment went as far as ‘death threats and trying to drive me off the road’. She left and sued the town hall for harassment, winning her case before a court in Madrid. Boadilla’s new administration has rejected Garrido’s claims and is appealing the harassment ruling before the Supreme Court. Susana Guerrero, a town hall official, said Garrido should not be singled out as a special whistleblower — another 15 officials ended up providing court evidence over the fraudulent public contracts — but instead as the only one who was involved in a labour dispute with Boadilla Town Hall. “Ana Garrido said she became financially ruined because she denounced corruption, but the fact is that she herself asked to end her contract,” Guerrero said. Garrido sees the accusations against her as further evidence of why whistleblowing is a lost cause in Spain. “I once had a normal job and life, but once you denounce, you should get ready for a nightmare,” she said. “It’s a situation that I could never have endured if I also had children to look after.” Article courtesy of New York Times

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Isaac out

ISAAC Marrache has been released from prison on parole. The disgraced former lawyer had served just under two and a half years of a sevenyear sentence after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud £27 million in July 2014.

Unrealistic In a last minute drama, Supreme Court judge Adrian Jack ordered Marrache back to court, but changed his mind over the weekend. A legal source told the Olive Press that the judge's initial decision indicated the judge hadn’t considered Marrache’s order for parole was effective. Marrache had hoped to move to New York to work in the fi-

Ex-lawyer jailed in 2014 over multi-million fraud is finally out of prison

nancial sector, but cancelled his plans and decided to stay in Gibraltar, a decision that led to

his release last Thursday. Judge Jack described Marrache’s hopes of moving to New York as ‘unrealistic’. Marrache and his brothers were jailed after their law firm collapsed, hitting hundreds of investors. The ten-month Marrache court case was the longest in Gibraltar's legal history. Solomon Marrache, also sentenced to seven years, was released on parole in August 2016. Benjamin Marrache is still serving an 11-year sentence.

Soaring high GIBRALTAR International Airport saw a record number of visitors in 2016. Some 548,230 passengers passed through in the calendar year, a 23.4% increase on 2015. Altogether, there were 4,968 commercial arrivals and departures, compared to 4,100 in 2015, a 21.2% increase. December saw the highest percentage of growth, with 28.0% more passengers than in the same month in 2015. Minister for Commercial Aviation and Tourism Gilbert Licudi said: “2016 has been a bumper year with record number of passengers travelling through the airport, and exceeding the half a million passenger mark for the first time.”

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Star makeover? A MAJOR hotel chain has begun work on a huge renovation of its complex in a bid to boost its star rating. Iberostar has invested ‘several million euros’ in its Malaga Playa resort in Torrox Costa, the largest complex between Malaga and Motril. The hotel is currently closed so work can be carried out on its 1,000 square metres of gardens, 319 rooms, 94 tourist apartments and swimming pool. A spokesman for the hotel said that it will re-open by April 7 in time for the Easter holidays and that reservations can now be made from that date.

Beach rescue A PREGNANT woman was among seven migrants sent to Velez-Malaga hospital after a boat carrying 50 washed up on the Costa Tropical. Six others were also transferred to the Hospital Comarcal de VelezMalaga, where two were treated for hypothermia and four for abrasive wounds. Emergency services were called by a resident when she saw the boat on the shore line. The Guardia Civil, the National Police, Maritime Rescue, Policia Local and the Red Cross all rushed to the scene. The migrants are thought to have travelled from sub-Saharan Africa.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Smell it out

British people are giving a muchneeded boost to a village’s struggling population By Chloe Glover

FOREIGNERS are drastically boosting the population of a struggling yet award-winning pueblo blanco. Brits, Morrocans, Germans and French are among the extranjeros who make up 33% of Frigiliana’s 3,000-strong community, which is losing residents each year. This is despite it being named one of the ‘seven rural wonders of Spain’.

Rural wonder

Brits represent almost half of the foreign-born total, with 474 calling the village at the foot of Sierra de Almijara home. Moroccans count for one of the biggest recent rises, with 61 recorded by the town hall. The figures were published by local government officials, who are worried about the overall drop in population in the last year, which fell by 26 people.

Boom or bust

DWINDLING: Frigiliana is losing residents on an annual basis

The pretty village was given the rural wonder award in 2016 by booking web-

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both the “fresh mountain air and the salty smell of the Mediterranean sea.”

A HUGE cannabis farm has been busted in a sleepy Axarquia village. Police found 1,399 plants hidden in a house in La Vinuela above Velez-Malaga after neighbours complained of a strong smell of marijuana and incessant machinery noise. Most of the plants had been ensconced in a basement only accessible through a hole in the floor of the kitchen. Four men were detained at the scene for crimes against public health and fraudulently obtaining electricity. The ringleader has also been charged with illegal detention, threats, attacking a member of the police, damages and crimes against road safety.

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18 January

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Donana disgrace

Big cats on the rise AN ENDANGERED big cat is making a comeback in Spain. A total of 440 Iberian lynxes are thought to have been living in the country in 2016, up from 404 the previous year. The good news was revealed by Andalucia’s Junta, which is co-ordinating a national re-introduction programme. It said the biggest concentration can now be found in the Montes de Toledo in Castilla La Mancha. Numbers have also increased in the Andalucian zones of Guarrizas in Jaen and Guadalmellato in Cordoba. Programme co-ordinators hope that figures will increase further this year when 40 lynxes will be released across five provinces. Lynxes have been struggling to survive on their own due to a disease that is wiping out rabbits, their primary food source.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

BEAUTIFUL: The national park

Outrage as gas company is awarded millions to operate in Donana THE government has been condemned for committing an ‘atrocity’ in giving public money to a controversial gas company at the centre of a national park row. The Spanish government has doled out €6.4m to utility giant Gas Natural Fenosa, which was granted permission to store underground gas at fragile Donana National Park.

A rubbish effort RECYCLING rates are ‘stagnating’ in Spain despite an EU campaign. Only 6% more household waste was being repurposed in 2014 than in 2004, bringing the total up to 33%. The figures were published by the European Environment Agency, which has tasked all EU countries to recycle at least 50% of all

waste by 2020. Spain lags behind at 14th in the EU-wide rankings, which are topped by Germany, Austria and Belgium. Addressing Spain, the report said: “The percentage of recycling is stagnating. “Spain needs to accelerate its efforts if it wants to comply with the objective of 50% by 2020.”

It revealed the payment - which it insists the company was due - in a press release published over the festive season. Opposition parties have rallied against the company’s operations in the park, which lies across the provinces of Huelva and Sevilla, as have Greenpeace and WWF. The famous wetland, a paradise for birdlife, is currently in danger of losing its UNESCO World Heritage Site status due to a lack of adequate protection. “It’s an atrocity and like the government has given them a reward for poisoning those of us who live in the surroundings of Donana”, raged Amaro Huelva, PSOE senator for Huelva. He added that the Junta and the PSOE would both act to ensure that ‘this natural gas project is not carried out.’

Toxicity test A HUGE contamination study is to begin on a piece of prime re-development land. Asset management company SAREB has instructed specialist company Inerco to evaluate the soil of the former Repsol plant on Malaga city´s outskirts, due to fresh fears of lingering hydrocarbons. The cost of the study is €100,000 but the total could spiral if a cleanup of the 177.548 square metre plot between Avenidas Europa and Juan XXIII is needed. A detox of the land, which was used to store petrol in the 1970s, took place in 2002 but new legislation demands more tests. SAREB, which has rights to part of the land, came to an agreement to share the costs with the city council.

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la cultura GRAB your scuba gear and prepare to take the plunge at Europe’s first undersea museum, splashing down off The Canaries this month. The Museo Atlantico complex - just off the coast of Lanzarote - is the brainchild of British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, who has installed more than 300 works across a dozen large-scale installations. At a depth of 14 metres, the sprawling museum was created to promote con-

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servation and education. The sculptures are made from environmentally friendly and pH-neutral inert materials, and double as artificial reefs to attract local fish species. They will last for hundreds of years and, it is hoped, will raise awareness about the threat facing the world’s oceans and climate. Visitors can see the works on organised scuba diving and snorkelling trips.

Fresco battle

OVER one third of Spaniards never books.Press Theread Olive The government revealed A fight over that 35% admitted to in nevTOP for news Spain! er partaking in the pas- frescos is time on the eve of a huge ramping school reading drive. Fernando Benzo, minister up Madridof education, culture and sport, now wants schools Catalonia to dedicate the same time rivalry to reading as it does to children playing sport. A SPAT over medieval artA preoccupation with works has reopened rifts beachieving sporting suc- tween Madrid and Catalonia. cess has been blamed for Catalan leaders are being the problem by Daniel accused of undermining atFernández, president of tempts to repatriate priceless ART ATTACK: Medieval battle the Federación de Gremi- Romanesque frescoes. The 12th century pieces were os de Editores de España originally held the pieces, returned immediately, but removed from Spain during says they must be returned. Catalonians saw it as an anti(FGEE), the Spanish Civil War and Two Spanish judges ruled the Catalan verdict. He said that sport was “a form of national pride” and Franco era, before being de- artworks on display in Barce- “Aragonese authorities have that the “educative and so- posited in museums in neigh- lona’s Museu Nacional d’Art a great interest in recovering de Catalunya and a museum pieces in Catalan museums, cial system had not been bouring Catalonia. Monasterio de Santa Ma- in nearby Lleida belonged to but have no desire to recovpreoccupied with reading.” The ria de Sijena in Aragon, which the monastery and should be er other objects from Sijena An FGEE study found that those most likely to read are women between 30 and 55 years, who have a university education and live in big cities. MALAGA is the stage for a major children alike are to be performed theatre festival this month. in a range of theatres and alternaEl Festival de Teatro de Malaga is tive public spaces. a 36 day spectacular put together They will cover a whole range of by Teatro Cervantes that will bring genres, from comedies and tragsome of the most cutting edge and edies to musicals. successful new Spanish language plays to the city until February 12. Tickets can be bought online at A total of 48 works for adults and www.teatrocervantes.com

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January 18th - January 31st 2017

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Bad books

January 18th - January 31st 2017

what’s on

ranada, January 12 - February 18

Tariq Dajani’s photography exhibition “The Edge of Forever” will be on display at the Biblioteca de Andalucía, Monday-Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday 9am2pm. Admission free.

otril, 20

January

Save animals from the Motril pound by attending a benefit concert given at 9pm in Teatro Calderon by the band “One for my baby”. Tickets €8 on the night.

enalmadena, January 25

Address the haggis at this Burns Night supper in aid of Cudeca. The event will take place at Tamisa Golf at 7.30pm. Tickets, including a meal, cost €45 per person.

uengirola, January 27- February 1

that are, for instance, in the Prado in Madrid,” said Santi Vila, Catalonia’s cultural minister. “Why? For political reasons.” Catalonia has returned some of the smaller pieces but has refused to hand over the 44 more valuable works in Lleida, insisting the larger murals cannot be moved without causing irrevocable damage. Catalonia is now appealing the decision in a battle that has become emblematic of Madrid-Catalan tensions, which have deteriorated since the region’s first minister Carles Puigdemont promised a ‘legal and binding’ plebiscite on independence this year.

See Ray Cooney’s comedy “Run For Your Wife” at the Salon Varieties Theatre. Nightly at 8pm and 7pm on Sundays. Book tickets for €13 at www.salonvarietiestheatre.com.

Killing it THE Killers and Depeche Mode will play in Spain this summer, it has been announced. They will join The 1975 and Justice at the Bilbao BBK Live 2017 festival, taking place over July 6-8. Two Door Cinema Club, Die Antwood, Phoenix and Fleet Foxes are also included in the star-studded line-up. Tickets are now available for the three-day event, which will take place at the Recinto Kobetamendi on Calle del Monte Cobetas. To book go to bilbaobbklive. com

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OLIVE PRESS – 105mm x 256mm – Colour

18 January

L E TT E R S

www.theolivepress.es

Mountain out of molehill What a load of something over nothing, we learnt this children´s rhyme (eenie meanie...) as children and it was never deemed racist (Racism Row, issue 256). Friends of colour have never been offended when I have used the ‘n’ word, they would call me white honkie back and I did not find it offensive. There are too many about who are so narrow minded they cannot see the wood from the trees. The actor has my support. Phill Langley-May, Castillejar

Let it go What’s the issue here, that hard working expats who have a get up and go mentality like EU migrants to the UK or the fact that these care agencies can’t find people in work shy Britain to do the jobs? (Flight for your right, issue 256). It’s about time the UK press concentrated on the appalling state of the UK’s healthcare system rather than picking on hard working expats and EU migrants. Peter F, Cadiz

Que sorpresa This does not surprise me in the slightest (Spain has secondhighest life expectancy in the world, online). The mediterranean food, the lovely warm climate are coupled with care and respect for community.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Number crunching

Dubbing plans Good move In Portugal many younger people and school children learned English, German and French from TV a direct result of undubbed TV (PSOE demands end to cartoon dubbing, issue 256). When I moved to Spain I was shocked at how few knew languages other than their own regional take on Spanish. The translations on dubbed TV are often silly. We would sometimes have parties watching dubbed versions of famous movies to guffaw at the ludicrous translations. Clearly, the dubbers were either unfamiliar with English or perverse in their twisted translations. Charlie Thorn, Sabinillas

Common sense

with news broadcasts and TV shows. Lots of people would sooner hear the original, those that can't cope with that could have the subtitles. It’s amazing how the subconscious will pick up on words the more you watch in the original language. Don't dumb down! Linda Fowler, Estepona

Blame game How about just teaching the languages better in schools? Don’t blame kids’ TV shows for children not being able to speak other languages, the schools should be a lot stricter in their teaching. Children across the world should speak at least another language than their mother tongue, it will only help them in their future lives. Steven Carpenter, Mijas

This is common sense. They should show films in original languages too, but with subtitles. The same

Enshrined in the culture too is the ability to work hard and play even harder. Mix that with the love of family and it all makes it a smashing place to live! Jane Gudge, Marbella

All about the money Antibiotics, like any other pharmaceutical product need to sell to make more profit for the share

holders (Antibiotic resistant bacteria on rise in Spain, issue 256). I don’t think promoting healthier options such as better hygiene and a more nutritional diet to prevent and build natural immune defence system would ever be allowed by big corporation. Health makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't make a lot of money. Lex R., Fuengirola

Wake up

Now might be a good time to have the Spanish Government request the pharmaceutical companies to provide information/ instructions in BOTH Spanish and English (English being official EU language & widely understood throughout the Western World) (Killer Pill, issue 256). I know they have the information/ instructions in English as I’ve purchased identical medication (made by the same company) in Saudi Arabia. The leaflet enclosed was in English. David Royal,

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

32.6% is the drop in

numbers of pensioners who have abandoned their medical treatment since pharmaceutical companies began subsidising the cost in January of last year.

59.8% of Spanish people admit that they cannot speak, write or read in English, according to the Centre for Sociological Research.

86% of Valencia streets are named after men, in comparison to just 10% dedicated to women.

4000

people attended the 525th anniversary of the taking of Granada by the Catholic Kings in early January.

11,000 fewer native

citizens now live in Andalucia, compared to this time last year.

95,186

Spaniards are paid-up members of a political party, according to new tax figures.

€6.3m is the amount of

money the controversial Donana gas depot will be paid by the government.

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Vol. 11 Issue 256 www.theolivepress.es January 4th - January 17th 2017

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11pm news A BOMB squad was called to Puerto Banus to investigate a suspicious package last night. The roads surrounding the Playas del Duque area were closed off after a suspicious black suitcase (pictured) was spotted by authorities. Meanwhile a blast in an apartm e n t block in nearby San Pedro left a man seriously burnt. Olive Press sources say he was rushed to hospital while others were attended to. It has initially been put down to a ‘gas cannister explosion’ while police investigate further. A National Police source in Malaga told the Olive Press that Andalucia has been placed on high alert level 4 and that authorities will be on extra guard, especially between January 5 – 8. The source said there have been fears of an ‘imminent attack for weeks’. A Guardia Civil source meanwhile told the Olive Press the police controls are at the highest they have been ‘in a year, everyone is on high alert’. There have been claims that police plan to use a hightech scrambling device for mobile phones in areas of high tourist and public concentration for the Reyes processions on January 5.

EXCLUSIVE by Laurence Dollimore

EXPATS have come out fighting for their ‘right’ to fly back to the UK for two-week intensive shifts looking after the elderly. It comes after the UK media revealed that Brits are ´funding their lives in the sun´ by taking fortnightly placements - earning up to €2,000 a time - taking sole care of the vulnerable. The ‘carers’, who are also said to get free travel and accommodation, are reportedly only required to undergo a few days training beforehand. But expats in Spain speaking to the Olive Press insist that the claims are wildly exaggerated. “I am very upset to be labelled as an ‘unqualified’ money-chaser after spending Christmas and New Year away from my family,” said one Malaga-based British carer, 44. “I was working 10 hours a day and could only leave the house of the couple I was caring for for two hours each day,” said the carer, who cannot be named for legal reasons. “In reality I was working 22 hours a day, it’s unfair that I have been made to seem like anyone off the street looking for extra money. And I have plenty of experience from before,”

added the mother-of-three, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for 12 years. The so-called scandal came about as experts cited the issue of recruiting in Spain as evidence of a ‘massive crisis’ in the UK care sector. A couple of agencies confirmed to the Daily Telegraph they

had seen a ‘huge increase’ in the number of expats taking the work, many allegedly claiming they were only attracted by the money. Age UK director Caroline Abrahams insisted it was ‘yet another symptom of a crisis in social care’ after many of the recruits were found to not have full proEst 1984

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ence working in care homes in the UK, as did most of the girls I worked with,” continued the Malaga carer. “On top of that the training course I took was a refresher of what I’d already done in. Opinion Page 6 Continues on Page 4

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Issue 12

Removing the floor

A VICTORY for mortgage owners has been awarded by the European Court of Justice. The court has ruled that two million mortgage holders in Spain are entitled to additional refunds from the banks because they paid too much interest. It came due to the so-called ‘floor clauses’ that saw most Spanish banks fail to lower their interest rates to borrowers to match the base rate set by the European Central Bank. The court ruled that it was unfair and that repayments should cover the entire life of the mortgage during the time that interest rates were low and continue to be. When the central bank base rate was lowered to stimulate the eurozone economy some years ago, mortgage repayments should have tracked it to 1.5% to 2%, however many borrowers continued to pay 3.5% and more. The surprise ruling is final and cannot be appealed. Around two million borrowers should now be set to receive repayments, estimated to be worth billions of euros.

G Little slice of home BRITISH expats are on a buy-to-let spree in London and the south east of England. According to mortgage lender Skipton International there has been a significant rise in expat investment over recent years. New figures reveal 40% of expats’ buyto-lets are in the UK capital, while 25% are in the pricey south east. “Prices in London have increased significantly in the past few years, meaning that capital gains have been very attractive for investors,” said Skipton mortgage director Nigel Pascoe. “Expats have many reasons for investing and long term investment is usually the most important.” The trend has occurred as it has become easier to secure lending for expats, who previously struggled with credit checks and recent credit history. Some 35% of expats cited long term investment as their main reason for buying, while another 19% said it was part of their pension plan.

ET your hands on one of the first new properties of the year - right on the beach! This stunning contemporary villa with wonderful sea views and heated infinity pool has gone on the market this week. Just a few steps from one of Marbella’s loveliest stretches of sand, the four bedroom home with a gym and cinema could be yours for a cool €7.9m. The chic new addition to Bahia Marbella, just east of the town, includes the latest technology, with a preinstalled sound system, solar panels and underfloor heating. The property, marketed by Panorama Properties, sits in a gated community with 24-hour security.

New Year, new house? NEW PROPERTY: Stunning Bahia villa on the shores of Marbella

And the King of all renovation jobs

MALAGA province’s second biggest castle will finally be renovated after a €2 million project failed to take off almost a decade ago. La Estrella castle is spread over 25,000 square metres and is currently being used during the filming of ‘Douglas, el Guardian de Historia’ – a Spanish TV series which features the battle of Teba, where the castle lies. A project to give the structure a face lift was abandoned in 2008 at the onset of the global financial crisis. It now back on, and will improve accessibility, undertake archeological investigation, consolidate the walls and generally improve the existing structure.

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January 18th - January 31st 2017

Property

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January18th 18th- -January January31st 31st 2017 2017 January

III 15

Feeling the force STAR Wars producers have pinpointed one of Spain’s property hotspots to begin filming the next in the blockbuster series. The sci-fi franchise is set to use Fuerteventura as the backdrop of its highly anticipated Han Solo spin-off. The yet-to-be named movie will be set on the Canary island, thanks to its wild sandy beaches and large mountainous areas. The scenic island was the fifth most sought after location for properties last year with an average asking price of €150,000. The upcoming film will star Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo, a role Harrison Ford originated, while Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke - who is has filmed across Spain for the hit TV show - has also been cast in an, as yet, unspecified role. The film is expected to premiere in May 2018.

MOVIE SET: Star Wars said to begin filming in Fuerteventura

Arch enemy

Home Swede home THE Swedes could soon overtake the Brits as the biggest foreign buyer group in Spain. Last year saw demand from the Nordics steadily increase, with sales in the third quarter rising 22.7% as UK sales fell by 16.3%. “Swedish demand is important in Alicante and the Costa del Sol, where they are the second biggest group of foreign buyers behind the British,” insisted property specialist Mark Stucklin. “And I expect they will become even more important after Brexit.” Daniel Nilsson, CEO of Swedish agent Fastighetsbyran said: “Ninety per cent our buyers are Swedish and we had more than 700 sales last year. “The main bulk is concentrated on the peninsula, 54% on Costa Blanca and 29% on Costa del Sol this year. We also see increasing demand for big cities like Barcelona, Alicante and Málaga, not only the traditional destinations.”

A POLITICAL party is calling for Franco’s victory arch in Madrid to be torn down. Left-leaning political party Compromis, allied to Podemos, has asked Mariano Rajoy’s government to tear down the monument. The Valencia-based party argues it is an ‘insult to the memory of

Purple pain STILL FOR SALE: Mansion was a wedding gift from Prince

the victims of the military coup’ that eventually brought Franco to power. The 43-meter high monument - which was completed in 1956 was built to mark the ‘triumphant’ entry of Franco’s troops into the capital after a bloody end to the civil war. However it was never officially inaugurated or used as a viewing point or exhibition, as originally planned. Rajoy’s government has yet to respond to the request but sources at Madrid City Hall have said local authorities hope to rebrand the monument – giving it a new significance – although the details are yet to be decided upon.

House of the late Prince struggling to sell nine months on

Dead good news

THE burial ground of celebrated British writers Gerald Brenan and Marjorie Grice-Hutchinson is receiving a €96,000 makeover. Malaga City Hall has announced that stabilisation work will be carried out on the charming English Cemetery in areas where the clay soil and the action of water run-off has taken its toll, endangering some of the graves. Walls and cracks will also be repaired during the three-month project. Established in 1830 by the then British consul William Mark, the cemetery - spread over 8,000 square meters - is the oldest non-Roman Catholic Christian cemetery in mainland Spain. It has a functioning chapel and graves of all denominations - and a number of former German sailors - making it the veritable Highgate Cemetery of the Costa del Sol. CONTROVERSIAL: Franco arch

Cave craze

HE sprawling Marbella mansion once owned by the late music legend Prince is seemingly impos-

sible to sell. The enormous 13-bedroom palace in Paraiso Alto - which appropriately comes with a recording studio and impeccable manicured gardens was put on the market in April last year for €5.25 million, but it has failed to drum up enough interest.

Failed

RENOVATION: Where Grice-Hitchinson and Brennan are buried

Prince, who died of an overdose last year, fell in love with the Costa del Sol after performing in Marbella in 1990. He is thought to have written many of his inspirational songs at the stunning estate. The wedding gift from the famous singer to his former Puerto Rican wife Mayte Garcia in 1998 also counts a gym, pool and tennis court. The property is listed with agent Engel and Volkers.

A GROWING trend for troglodyte living is turning Andalucia’s traditional cave dwellings into cosy homes. The unusual inhabitations in the Sierra Morena foothills, north of Cordoba, are being converted into rural housing at a rapid rate. Emblematic of the new cave craze is the Cuevas del Pino development, which sees ‘warm and fluid’ living spaces carved into the rock. The converted rock residences, which were traditionally used as makeshift shelters by wandering shepherds and poorer households, start from just €93,000.

Renovation revival DEMAND for budget properties in Spain is four times higher than supply, according to property website Kyero.com. Renovation properties below €60,000 are booming, according to the website, which features 200,000 homes from 3,000 estate agents. Politics and pressures of modern life are said to be pushing many to pursue the rural renovation dream. Richard Speigal, Head of Research said: “We’ve seen from the huge boom in searches for Spanish property that the Brexit vote seems to have, if anything, whetted Brits’ appetite for Spanish homes rather than driving down interest. “At the same time, buyers from the UK are looking for cheaper solutions as a result of the pound’s decline, so buying a dilapidated farmhouse and doing it up is an attractive option.”

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Property

January 18th - January 31st 18th -2017 January 31st 2017

Walk this way MADRID mayor Manuel Carmena wants to consult the public on her plans to pedestrianise the city’s famed Gran Via. She has also suggested launching a shuttle bus service as an alternative to the recent ban on vehicles, which is aimed at decreasing air pollution. “We want to make enquiries on how to best reduce the traffic and pedestrianise the Gran Via,” said

Carmena. The Gran Via is known as the Spanish Broadway and is packed with shops and bars while being considered as a showcase of early 20th-century architecture. Pedestrianising the area would be a large-scale project not seen since London’s Oxford Street announced it would be fully pedestrianised by 2020 last year.

Villa scam

OLIDAYMAKERS have been tricked out of thousands of euros in a villa scam that has led to at least 20 arrests in Spain. Dozens of suspected fraud victims were sold ‘bargain’ holidays in the Canary and Balearic Islands that didn’t exist. Seemingly genuine and slick websites filled with photos of luxury villas are luring families in while ‘customer service’ staff appear helpful in the emails they send out. Familied targeted were sent professional-looking contracts and were promised a ‘money-back guarantee’ in case anything went wrong. But once the money for their stay was transferred, the websites went silent, leaving them unable to pick up keys or

Brits conned out of thousands in hoax holiday rentals sting

get crucial details about bookings. One family lost €4,300 on a two-week holiday for eight in Tenerife, while others have turned up to find their accommodation already occupied. Some 20 Spaniards and Romanians have been arrested in Spain after allegedly conning €792,000 out of unsuspecting tourists. Spanish cops arrested a gang on suspicion of fraud and money-laundering, froze their bank accounts and seized €70,000 in cash, seven cars and a boat.

Future perfect

DEMAND from international buyers looks set to continue this year after a strong 2016. According to Lucas Fox International Properties, the last 12 months were a turning point for the country’s property market. Co-founder Alexander Vaughan said that the recovery continued throughout 2016 and price increases moved beyond the big cities like Madrid to desirable second home destinations. “We believe that a growing economy, low financing costs, good potential for rental returns and capital appreciation will continue to drive sales throughout 2017 and beyond,” he said. “Despite Brexit, across Spain as a whole Brits still dominate foreign sales with nearly a fifth of the market share, more than double that of French buyers.”

Primrose Real Estate Sales and Rentals

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MARBELLA EAST

Ref: OP9523

Beachside villa steps to the sea

NUEVA ANDALUCÍA

Mediterranean-style 4-bedroom villa located in a residential area in Elviria, next to one of Marbella’s best beaches, only 120-metres to the sea and within walking distance to all amenities.

GOLDEN MILE

Ref: OP9651

3-bedroom Andalusian-style townhouse located within steps to Puerto Banús and to all amenities. Views to La Concha. Community gardens & pool.

GOLDEN MILE

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Built: 80 m² Terrace: 42 m² Price: € 495,000

Fully renovated 3-bedroom townhouse in Ancón Sierra, an exclusive gated complex with communal gardens, pools, 24-hour security & concierge.

Built: 295 m² Plot: 219 m² Price: € 750,000

Ref: OP9361

Luxurious 1-bedroom, modern garden flat in Imara, a 5-star complex with 24-hr security. Just minutes’ drive to the sea & town. Top specs.

LA QUINTA

Ref: OP9597

Built: 528 m² Plot: 1,005 m² Price: € 1,800,000

Built: 108 m² including terraces Price: € 550,000

Ref: OP9554

5-bedroom villa in a gated community with 24hour security. Within a 5-minute drive to Puerto Banús. Wonderful mountain, sea and golf views.

Built: 565 m² Plot: 1,013 m² Price: € 2,250,000

Offices at the Puente Romano Hotel & opposite the Marbella Club Hotel Tel. (+34) 952 863 750 info@panorama.es www.panorama.es An International Associate of Savills

Regulated by RICS

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January January18th 18th- January - January31st 31st2017 2017

JU U AG DO ST RG A W 99 EN IN F N 5, T S O 00 A R 0 LE EU ... RO S

VI 18

STUNNING: Bathroom (top) living area and (below) kitchen

OH what a deal Property

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Bargain buy

It was one of the best-value villas in Marbella at 1.2m euros... now the price is down again

IVE the millionaire’s lifestyle or coin in €4,500 a week in summer rentals - with this great value fivebed villa, owners can do both. A heated swimming pool, self-contained apartment and wrap-around sun terraces are just some of its jaw-dropping features. It was on the market for €1.195 million, but now due to the need for a quick sale the owner has put the picture perfect Villa Atalaya on the market for just €995,000 making it definitively one of the best value Marbella property’s around. Five minutes from San Pedro and Puerto Banus, the stunning location offers sea views towards Gibraltar and Morocco. Recently kitted out with top-of-the-range furniture from Roche Bobois and El

LEAFY: The garden and pool are the

perfect escape

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November November - November22nd 9th9th - November 22nd2016 2016

XVII 35

Going for €1.2 million, is this the bestvalue villa in Marbella? SPACIOUS: Marbella pad on the market

IVE the millionaire’s lifestyle or coin in €4,500 a week in summer rentals - with this great value five-bed villa, owners can do both. A heated swimming pool, separate apartment and wraparound sun terraces are just some of its jawdropping features. On the market for €1.195 million in a picture perfect set-

ting, Villa Atalaya is possibly one of the best bargains in luxury Marbella property currently to be had. Five minutes drive from San Pedro and Puerto Banus, the stunning location offers clear views across the Mediterranean sea towards Gibraltar and Morocco. Recently kitted out with top-of-therange furniture from Roche Bobois and El Corte Ingles, the 450m2 villa

has five double bedrooms with fitted wardrobes and marble floors and four modern bathrooms, including a master ensuite with a sea-facing balcony. Underneath the villa, a self-contained apartment would make an ideal cinema room, bodega or gymnasium. Set in extensive, wellmaintained gardens with a heated pool, the covered terrace area is the perfect space for al fresco barbeques. A great investment, the villa is very successful in short term rentals and currently is on the short-term rental market for €3,500/ per week during low season and €4,500/ per week during peak summer time. For more information call Andrew on 615 286 038

Corte Ingles, the 450m2 villa has five double bedrooms with fitted wardrobes and marble floors and four modern bathrooms, including a master ensuite with a sea-facing balcony. Underneath the villa, a self-contained apartment would make an ideal cinema room, bodega or gymnasium. Set in extensive, well-maintained gardens with a heated pool, the covered terrace area is the perfect space for al fresco barbeques. A great investment, the villa is very successful in short term rentals and currently is on the short-term rental market from €3,500/per week to €4,500/ per week. For more information call owner Andrew on 615 286 038

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January 18th - January 31st 2017

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Property

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January 18th - January 31st 2017

Marbs megaho

Ojen resort

All is not lost Costa del Sol firm will fight for your lost deposit

DID you place a large deposit on an ‘off-plan property’ in Spain and believe you have lost your money due to either the developer entering into bankruptcy or failure of your development not being completed? Were you one of the many thousands of people from the UK or throughout Europe that this happened too? The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the Banks who backed the Spanish developers are now liable and have been instructed to return ‘purchasers’ deposits’.

Palo Alto is the latest new des res enclave in Ojen, an ambitious 50-hectare gated community which has just received €250 million of investment. It will initially include 60 apartments and 15 penthouses, priced between €440,000 and €1 million, designed by architect Villarroel Torrico. An incredible 50% of phase one has been sold in just 5 months. Just five minutes from Marbella, the 20 hectares of green areas consist of low-density, light-enhancing buildings, sizeable plots and luxury leisure facilities. Residents will benefit from a health club, a kids club, indoor pool, spa, a business centre and 24-hour security. Ailse Warriner, Marketing Director, says: “The balance of nature combined with modern contemporary living has great appeal for all nationalities. The majority of our buyers are professionals, aged 40-60 and are purchasing a first, second or investment home”. With luxurious furnishings from Gunni & Trentino, Palo Alto offers standards that are one-step above the rest. Every home will have high quality floorings, LED lighting, high quality carpentry and fully insulated UV protection windows.

Success

Many purchasers were caught up in this situation due to the recession that hit the Spanish property market in 2008. The Spanish court has ruled that purchasers are now able to reclaim their lost deposits for up to fifteen years from the time when their property was deemed to be completed. Each claim can only be brought before courts once and must be done so individually. Off Plan Property Deposit Refunds S.L. based in Estepona in Malaga, have been successfully reclaiming lost deposits for clients on a totally ‘no win no fee’ basis and are working diligently in conjunction with a highly professional team of lawyers who have been successfully reclaiming lost deposits through the Spanish Courts for the last ten years for hundreds of clients. FIGHTING FOR YOU: Off Plan Our lawyers are very well known and respected along the Costa Del Sol and have been in practice for over twenty years and specialise in this process of reclaiming lost deposits through the Spanish Courts for the last ten years for hundreds of clients. There are NO upfront costs required and no monies are required from a client at the outset or during the duration of a claim. Our ‘no win no fee’ basis has been set up whereby a fee is only paid on the successful outcome of an individual case. In the unlikely event a case is unsuccessful ALL COSTS on both sides are met by our lawyers as they are confident that when representing clients on a ‘no win no fee’ basis they WILL win the case. Each individual case can vary in length of time, this is normally between twelve and twenty-four months. However, a decision as to whether there is a viable case to reclaim your lost deposit is made very quickly by our legal department. If you were one of the unfortunate purchasers who lost their hard-earned deposit ALL IS NOT LOST! Contact us today to discuss your possible claim with no obligation. Call us on +34 642 74 07 08 or on our UK number +44 20 8150 3732 Email: info@o-ppdr.com www.off-planpropertydepositrefunds.com

Estepona pads Fast becoming the place to live on the Costa, property developers have been quick to move into this garden city which seems to add a new attraction every season. London-based Kronos Homes is building 70 luxury apartments in the Arroyo Vaquero area, some eight kilometers west of the town.

Marbella’s luxury hot €300 millio constructio mer. Hong Kongnum Estat nounced i struct th complex ne Zaragoza du It is expec open year-r summer 20 slated to cr stable jobs Spanning 151,000m2, acquired th €50 million

Cost del boom

Sexy new building projects t out for this year

UILDERS will be hard at work this year as Spain’s construction industry gets back into full swing with several exciting projects nearing completion and others just getting

started. From exclusive to lagoons an Laurence Dol look at the coo est projects change Andalu

Torremolinos leisure park Marbella mansions True to form, Marbs continues to attract luxury property developers and 2017 is no exception. Pacific Investments plans to build five upscale villas at a

cost of €25 million. Each property will sprawl over up to 3,000 square meters and will set buyers back €7 million a pop.

British property developer Intu is going to build wh the largest shopping and leisure complex in And some 200,000 square meters. The company is s approval, but says it intends to begin work earl completion due in 36 months. The giant leisure park will include shops, restau slope and large pool with surf waves. Located betw de Congresos and the motorway, it will directly cr jobs, while indirect employment should provide j 3,000.

www.theolivepress.es January 18th - January 31st

2017

otel

largest ever tel, costing on, will begin on this sum-

-based Platies has ant will cone 600-bed ear the Real unes. cted to be round from 019 and is reate 1,000 s. over , the firm he land for n in 2015

ta l m

and has reached an agreement with the town hall to develop it. The terms state that the buildings can be no taller than four storeys and the surrounding areas must include gardens and roads.

Lagoon living Ever pictured living on a beach? In 2017 that Malibu dream can become a reality at the first residential crystal lagoon resort in Europe. Alcazaba Lagoon in Casares offers resort-style living around

a lagoon featuring private fine sand beaches. Families can kayak, windsurf and paddleboard to their heart’s content, directly from their doorstep. The first 100 apartments are now ready to move into.

Haute hotel

to look

e new complexes nd fancy hotels, llimore takes a olest and grandshaping up to ucia’s skyline.

hat it says will be dalucia, covering still awaiting final ly this year, with

urants, a dry ski ween the Palacio reate 4,000 new obs for a further

Princess Diana’s favourite Mijas retreat, the Byblos Hotel, is set to reopen its doors to a new A-list crowd after being sold for €60 million. The erstwhile upscale holiday hideaway of royalty and rock gods has been closed since 2010. Since then its former owner, UK business tycoon Lord Alan Sugar, has been embroiled in a lengthy legal wrangle with troubled developer Aifos. But after finally settling, Madrid-based Ayco Inmobiliaria snapped up the 135-room hotel last September and has vowed to reopen it this year, creating some 300 new jobs. The blue and white building will reportedly be refurbished in a way that stays true to its original character. Princess Diana stayed no less than three times at this leafy enclave in the hills above Fuengirola, where she was famously photographed topless by paparazzi.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

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II 24

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January 18th - January 31st 18th -2017 January 31st 2017

Does the perfect sun deck

exist?

REALTY Building perfection since 1962

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Bumper year Inland property demand continues to soar

N estate agency selling inland properties is expanding following a bumper year of sales. Inland Andalucia, which sells homes away from the coast between Sevilla and Jaen, sold more than 100 boltholes last year and is expecting further growth for 2017. Now, to keep up with growth, owner Graham Govier is hiring two more staff and expanding one of his offices in Alcala la Real in Jaen. “We sold 110 properties with an average value of €70,000 last year – that’s a €7.7 million turnover and a 20% increase on the year before,” said Graham. “We have been totally unaffected by Brexit as buyers can see the unbelievable value for money, with liveable homes coming in at just €16,000, it’s incredible.” What’s more interest in the inland regions of Granada and Jaen is set to soar this year, thanks to new flights from Gatwick to Granada, introduced by EasyJet. “When Ryanair pulled out a few years ago we noticed quite a drop in business, so these new flights will definitely give us a boost,” added Govier. The company has also seen a spike of young professionals from the UK who have been priced out by the eye-watering house prices and the need for large deposits. “More and more young professionals, especially those in IT industries, are looking at getting on the ladder here in Spain be-

January18th 18th- -January January31st 31st 2017 2017 January

MORTGAGE THINK TANK

January 18th - January 31st 2017

by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola

Last year tested the Spanish market but confidence and business boomed

ON THE UP: Inland properties

cause the prices are so high back home,” he continued. “The young and first time buyers get a lot more help here so it’s definitely a smart move.”

XIII 25

ESPITE Brexit and political deadlock in Spain, 2016 was an unbelievable year. Mortgage rates continued dropping and prices of new homes across Spain rose by 3.3%. On a business level, the Finance Bureau had its best year since 2007. What’s more reassuring is that not only did the number of deals increase but so did the size, with more and more people investing in high-end apartments in the very best locations and villas. It’s a sign that there is a great deal of confidence in the market which has carried through to the New Year. January has kicked it off with a bang, the Finance Bureau is very busy taking instruction from clients and I hope this is a sign of things to come. There will of course be challenges, and while Brexit is yet to make much of a

Bring on 2017!

dent in business, this could change once the process of the UK leaving Europe begins particularly if this exerts further downward pressure on the pound. But as last year proved, there is such international interest in the Costa del Sol that there will always be demand from other Europeans who won’t be affected by the fluctuating exchange rate. Figures from the third quarter of last year, for example, saw Swedish sales increase by 22.7%, which helped off-

set the initial dip in British confidence post-Brexit. Additionally, banks are seemingly happier to lend to less straight-forward clients – such as self-employed investors and non European nationals – and I am hopeful that things will continue to get better and better for the borrowers. The growth and robust performance across Spain last year have managed to create a stable environment, and with mortgage rates starting as low as 1.25%, I expect a great year ahead.

To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670

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Property

January 18th - January 201731st 2017 January 18th - 31st January

Tower power The capital’s business district to receive new addition

ADRID’S Paseo de la Castellana is set to receive a fifth tower. Dubbed Caleido, the 36-storey building will cost €84 million to complete, and will house a university campus for the Instituto de Empresa, a Quiron medical clinic and a shopping mall. It is expected to create 1,559 jobs during its con-

Tel: +34 951 127 116 email: ventas@kingofcotton.com www.kingofcotton.com Centro Comercial la Colonia, Avenida Virgen del Rocio s/n San Pedro de Alcantara, 29670 Marbella, Malaga

T H E KI NG HAS ARRIVED 15% discount for Olive Press readers Use offer code: OLIVE15 in store or online

struction and another 3,992 once it opens. The Paseo de la Castellana is one of the longest and widest avenues in Madrid and is home to many business, banking and financial buildings. It is one of the longest and widest avenues in the capital and features many of the most important embassies.

How does ‘used’ compete with ‘new’?

The importance of the home report pack

May you live in interesting times” - Reputedly an ironic ancient Chinese curse, and certainly 2017 is likely to have many opportunities to be ‘interesting’. Locally, we see many new properties under construction, both individual villas and urbanisations. The vast majority of these are aimed at the upper price level and we hope that all have done their marketing analysis correctly. Certainly, many appear to be pre-sold or for individual owners, all of which is good news. Long may it continue, though for every new property built there are still a number of older properties available. Investigation of the market shows a definite double level, with older properties being available at often half or less per square metre compared to the new ones. That’s the effect of everything being offered as one package to a buyer, with guarantees, though sometimes the small print of the latter needs to be read very carefully. The sensible used property seller can compete with that by having a Home Report prepared that gathers all the information on their property together and offers it as one pack to buyers. It's what the increasing numbers of Northern European buyers

are used to in their home countries, so reassure them by giving them a comprehensive pack with copies of floor plans, Nota Simple, Catastral, Energy Certificate, Electricity and Water invoices. Copies of First Occupation Licences, Decennial Insurance Certificate, proof of Community and IBI payments, and any other licences or permissions that you have for extensions, should all be included.

Connections

As internet connections are becoming more important, so a copy of an Ookla internet speed test would also be good. Photos of inside, outside and views, plus location maps and aerial photos will be really helpful too and it doesn’t have to be a fancy brochure. It can all be on a memory stick that’s given to viewers or even create an individual website. Too much bother? Well, realise that the majority of that information is required by law to be given by sellers and their agents to every enquirer. If it's not available, both will be heavily fined, and we are talking thousands of euros potentially. Also, it's all going to have to be available for the eventual purchaser’s lawyer doing their ‘due diligence’, so why not have it all available anyway. You

13 11+

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ALL PROPERTY MATTERS BY CAMPBELL FERGUSON

RICS BUILDING SURVEYORS & VALUERS

For peace of mind follow these property buying rules

even could negotiate a reduction in the lawyer’s fee by handFind Your‘on Property ing them everything a plate’. A responsible agent will help you gather it as reassurance for themselves that they are not goInstruct Instruct ing to do all the marketing, but Building Lawyer then find thatSurveyor it can’t be sold or the buyer is ‘lost’ due to extensive delays while the paperwork is sorted out.Buy Yes,with theKnowledge agent may want an exclusive deal for a pe& Confidence riod in return for all the work, but by doing it they show themselves to be true business people who +34 952 923 520 Connect with us! are likely to be successful in admin@surveyspain.com surveyspain.com their marketing too. A prudent buyer is going to be delighted and reassured with all the information. It may also mean that a higher price can be achieved as the buyer knows what they are acquiring. Also, for us as surveyors carrying out pre-acquisition surveys and/ or valuations, we are undoubtedly going to look more favourably on a property for which we can get all the information we need and thus avoid the ‘no information supplied’ comments that can reduce the value. The days of selling a ‘pig in a poke’ and keeping fingers crossed are passing by, as the majority of buyers are much more informed, prudent and ‘canny’ than in the boom times a decade ago.

Contact Campbell and the team on +34 952 923 520 or email info@surveyspain.com

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a very special counTry properTy! From the Owner

Three separate buildings, chic Country Style, natural materials, stone, wood, etc. Modern kitchen and bathrooms. Big well build pool 4 hct. land, perfect entrance from main road. Orange and fruit groves Great views -Gibraltar, Africa, Sea and Riverland10 min. Gaucin, 25 min. Sotogrande and Coast Near offer Suitable Boutique Hotel or three Family-homes!

1.250.000 €

Two fanTasTic land holdings!! 40 hct. and 38 hct. both bordering Rio Genal, Ronda Valley The 40 hct. is perfect for any touristic use. 800 m River frontage, very old mill, flat lands! Olives + Cork wood’s, old buildings to renovate. For training centers, Eco farming, horses, animals sheep, etc.. Summer schools for children, Yoga, executive training, Art Hotel/ Restaurant. Idea plan’s available, Townhall approval. Work team, best price’s and experience. 15 min. two Villages, 45 min. to Estepona.

700.000 € The 38 hct. much closer to Coast, Sotogrande! Great views River, buildings to renovate. Idea perhaps parking short -and longterm for Caravans. Hotel/ Restaurant/ Apartaments. idea plan’s available,Townhall approval. 4 min. main road, 15 min. Coast, 25 min. Sotogrande!

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More information call or email: Margarita, tel. 952 11 74 51 / Mob. 616 736 600 margaritaftaylor@hotmail.com

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

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+TheolivepressEs Oil’s well BULK sales of olive oil from SpainBE to the US have skyrock‘APPY! eted, new figures show. In 2007, 16% of 113,000 tons of olive oil - mostly from Spain - arrived in bulk containers, but last year that figure had increased to more than 42% of 331,368 tons. The figures, released by and the Download our app now International Olive Council enjoying the best Spanish (IOC), begin reflect the rising popularity of olive news on oil. the go. Spain accounted for 62% of bulk imports last year, while Italy’s share of the burgeoning large container market was just 4%. Spain’s dominance in the smaller container market has also surged at the expense of Italy’s. The In 2007, SpainOlive suppliedPress just 9% of the small container market, butfor it has now grown TOP news in Spain! to account for 25%. Meanwhile, Italy, which once accounted for two-thirds of olive oil imported in bottles and tins, now only accounts for a third.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Drone deal DECIDED

SPAIN has awarded a US arms company a €60 million contract to expand its fleet of military drones. General Atomics will provide Spain with MQ-9 aircraft - or Reaper Drones - and its associated equipment over the next two years, with the work

expected to be completed by January 2019. The drones are capable of remaining in the air for 27 hours at a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet. Their systems can be used to monitor borders, help direct rescue efforts following natural disasters and support Spain’s military missions.

Phone bill shocker Roaming charges expected to jump after Brexit as operators cash in

BRITS’ mobile phone charges may be set to soar when they visit the continent post-Brexit. Mobile phone operators are planning for a worst case scenario of higher call and data charges once the UK finalises its exit from the union. The networks fear that European companies could seize the opportunity to raise the wholesale cost of calls and data for Britons travelling around Europe because the EU-wide caps implemented by Brussels will no longer apply. The feared hikes could see Brits pay up to €50 to stream a single song on their phone. It comes after the European Commis-

sion has already indicated that a quick bilateral deal between the UK and the EU on roaming charges will not be possible. The German commissioner responsible for telecoms policy, Gunther Oettinger, said last year that there are ‘obvious restraints’ as World Trade Organisation rules state that any bilateral agreement outside a comprehensive free-trade deal would have to be extended to all other WTO members. Countries like Spain, which receives high numbers of British tourists, may be unwilling to offer good terms because tourist traffic and congestion on networks would be weighted in one direction.

Property

AGONY ANT

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

Who pays the mortgage?

The continuing legal campaign for justice for home owners

he recent court ruling by the EU Court of Justice, allowing customers of banks in Spain to reclaim billions of euros because lenders did not pass on savings from interest rate cuts on variable-rate mortgages, seems only the penultimate headache for Spanish financial entities. The abusive nature of these contractual clauses, which makes them void, stems from the description made by the Supreme Court: “An abusive clause is such when the consumer is unable to have influence over its suppression or content, being left with the choice of accepting the clause and adhering to the contract or pulling out of the contract.” Now, a less recent judicial ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court (Dec. 2015), which has only transpired now, appears to give consumers free rein to claim from banks ‘unilaterally imposed’ mortgage set up costs, i.e. notary and land registry fees, bank’s legal fees (gestoria) and even the tax (Stamp Duty). The 2015 Supreme Court ruling contradicts tax laws in force – which stipulates without doubt that borrow-

ers are to pay the tax - by resorting to consumer legislation, which prohibits businesses transferring to consumers taxes of products and/or services they benefit from. Lower Courts in Barcelona and Zaragoza have relied on this ruling to order banks to return all mortgage costs to two borrowers. But not all judges are of the same thinking. Less than a month ago (Dec. 2016), a court in Oviedo (Asturias) ruled that the Administrative Division of the Supreme Court had passed judgement previously and had specifically exonerated banks from paying stamp duty even though it was clearer that all other mortgage-related costs could not be –unilaterally- imposed on the borrowers. With these arguments, the court sentenced the Liberbank to reimburse the claimant notary and land registry fees, as well as gestoria costs but not stamp duty. So who pays mortgage costs is still a matter under discussion; as there have been rulings for and against individual claimants, it is still too early to know whether borrowers are going to be winning any major victories in court.

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com

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Up and away NORWEGIAN Air posted its highest ever passenger figures in a single year, thanks to new routes to Spain and the UK. The company carried almost 30 million passengers in 2016, 3.6 million more than the previous year. It comes after the popular airline took delivery of 21 new aircraft and launched 34 new routes, mainly in the US, Spain and the UK. CEO Bjørn Kjos said: “The traffic figures show that our global strategy works and our competitiveness are strengthened. It is gratifying to see that more and more people choose to fly with us.”

Going green CARREFOUR has announced plans to eliminate paper receipts in Spain. The supermarket giant will give its customers the option of receiving a digital version through its Mi Carrefour app, which allows customers to select a ‘no paper’ option when purchasing goods or using discount coupons. The move is part of its Papel 0 initiative which intends to systematically eliminate the use of paper receipts.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Bidding war SPANISH pharmaceutical firms saw stock prices drop by up to 2.9% the morning after Donald Trump said in a press release that the industry should bid more for government contracts.

Under the sea EUROPE´S first underwater museum has opened just off the coast of Lanzarote. The Museo Atlantico, designed by a British artist, is situated 14 metres below sea level.

Berry nice SPAIN has overtaken Poland as the top European producer of Blueberries, with production in 2016 rising to an estimated 28,350 tonnes.

More choice AIRLINE Cathay Pacific is to introduce a new fourtimes-weekly seasonal service from Hong Kong to Barcelona, in order to offer its customers “more choice” in destination.

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motors

January 18th - January 31st 2017 January 18th - January 31st 2017

Driving forward

On the move

NEW car sales rose by 9.3% in December to almost 100,00 in just one month. In 2016 as a whole, new car sales rose by 11% from 2015 to 1.15 million. The boost was helped by strong vehicle purchases by car sales companies and by a record-breaking tourism year which drove demand in the rentals sector. The figures are another sign that the Spanish economy is finally turning the corner after a brutal recession.

TRUCKS covered with bright murals are touring Spain in a bid to make art more accessible. The Truck Art Project, first launched in November 2015, commissions local street artists to adorn the vehicles with vibrant works. The man behind it Jaime Colsa, art collector and CEO of Spanish logistics and transport company Palibex, said: “We thought, ‘how good would it be, instead of being stuck on the wall, art could be on the side of the truck for everyone to see?’” The trucks can be seen carrying anything from wine to toilet paper on commercial routes around Sevilla, Toledo, Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza. “It’s much nicer to see a piece of art drive by than an advert when you’re waiting for the bus or walking down the street,” added Colsa.

Shiny and new THE Mercedes Formula 1 team will unveil its hotly anticipated new car just four days before winter testing begins in Spain. The German manufacturer has announced the new vehicle will be shown to the world at the UK’s Silverstone Circuit on February 23. The new motor W08 will then be put through its first paces when winter testing begins in Barcelona on February 27, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Mercedes is yet to confirm who will partner Lewis Hamilton this year following the unexpected retirement of world champion Nico Rosberg.

RULE BREAKERS: Audi´s new advert defies stereotypes

Gender bending AUDI Spain has set out to challenge gender stereotypes with its playful new car advert. Entitled ‘The Doll that Chose to Drive’, the three-minute ad sees two toy aisles divided by pink and blue lights. In the pink aisle, dolls are

New Spanish car ad aims to tackle gender stereotypes pushing strollers and putting on makeup, while on the blue side sit cars, dump trucks and

cranes. But while sitting in a horse and carriage missing its driver, one

Drive time NEARLY two million used cars were sold in Spain during 2016. The number rose by 8% year-on-year, with second hand cars now counting for one in seven on the country’s roads. The findings were made by Ganvam, the association of motor sellers, who said that mileuristas (those who earn €1000 per month) are the biggest buyers. Currently, cars over five years old sell for a country-wide average of €4,000.

EGISTERING a nonSpanish vehicle in Spain is a complex and potentially costly procedure. However, you may be exempt from Spanish registration tax by getting Spanish number plates within one month of entering the country. But to do this, you need to become a resident. Linea Directa has been insuring expat drivers in Spain for over a decade and understands all the steps involved. Below we outline this process.

of the dolls realises she’s not going anywhere fast, so she swings over to the ‘boy aisle’ and finds her own ride - the Audi R8. The car opens up the passenger door for her, but the spunky doll shakes her head, walks around to the driver’s side and takes off down the aisles, where she sees a muscular male doll drinking tea from a pink tea set, girls playing football and a pink pony skateboarding. The advert closes by saying: “Because playing, like driving, should not be influenced by gender stereotyping. “Let’s change the game, #changingthegame.”

Moving your car How to best registering your vehicle in Spain

STEP 1: OBTAINING A CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY This is a statement by the car’s manufacturer that it conforms to EU regulations. You will need the car’s chassis number to complete this straightforward process online at www.eurococ.eu/en/ cer tificate_of_conformity. The charges for this service will vary according to type of vehicle, make and country of 1st registration. STEP 2: CURRENT LOG BOOK The vehicle’s original log book showing your name as the owner, the vehicle's age and a valid UK address. You will also need the bill of sale for the car. STEP 3: RESIDENCY IN SPAIN The Spanish residency certificate (Certificado de Empadronamiento) is your official proof of residency in Spain. Your local town hall can provide you with this document. You will need to take your passport and proof of Spanish address (rental contract, contract to purchase or property deeds).

STEP 4: OBTAINING A SPANISH MOT CERTIFICATE All vehicles over 4 years old must be roadworthy and clearly display a valid ITV sticker. The ITV (Vehicle Technical Inspection) must be tested at an authorised centre, just as for an MOT test. You can find out the location of your nearest ITV centre on DGT website (equivalent to the DVLA). You can also call your local centre to make a booking. If the centre is busy, especially pre-summer, this can save a lot of time. The cost can vary but generally is around 40€ for petrol-engine

cars and 56€ for diesel-engine cars. STEP 5: OBTAINING A SPANISH EQUIVALENT OF A TAX DISC The Spanish Tax Agency can provide your vehicle with a valid “tax disc” for Spain, which must be carried in the car when in use. You will need to complete the relevant form online and pay the amount according to your car’s tax band. You can carry out all these procedures yourself or you can seek the assistance of an accountant to do this for you.

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2017

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Columnists

January 18th - January 31st 2017 January 18th - January 31st

What a difference a day makes Forget resolutions, there’s a reason to quit quitting every day of the year

O how’s your Dry January going? Did it all fall apart on January 17, aka National Ditch Your New Year Resolutions Day? Or are you staving off a binge until Beer Can Appreciation Day (Jan 24) and National Irish Coffee Day (Jan 25)? Are you aware how many awareness days, weeks and months of the year there are? If you thought Spain held the monopoly on high days and holidays you’d be wrong. In 2017, UN International Year for Sustainable Tourism Development, January is National Bath Safety Month, Blood Donor Month, Braille Literacy Month and Hot Tea Month while Na-

tional Hugging Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day and Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day are all coming up this weekend. There are so many theme days, Stateside, they created National Nothing Day on January 16, just to give Americans a break. Of course, only Nanny State Britain could invent a whole month without alcohol, an act of postChristmas cold turkey madness IMHO, especially as January is the most popular month to file for divorce, good reason for anyone to hit the bottle. And do they seriously think the Scots will be observing Dry January on Burns Night, coming up next week? But if you’re having trouble keeping your resolutions

GOING NUTS The greetings card industry is squirreling it away thanks to national day never fear, there’s a theme day to make it a lot easier. Those struggling with their New Year New You diet may be heartened to hear that coming up

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My take on responsible parenting, Costa del Sol style

y Goddaughter flew over from the UK to visit this Christmas. I suspect that several jaws have already dropped open at the thought of yours truly being a Godfather – the respected adult figure whose role is to guide the aforementioned impressionable child in the ways of spiritual matters and righteousness. I will have to admit that with a CV like mine, Godfather does seem an unlikely role for me but I can only assume that Ozzy Osbourne was busy biting the heads of bats that day, and so at some point in the early 90s the parents chose me. Said Goddaughter is the brilliant, brainy and beautiful Ziggy, who is now ridiculously grown up and works a a freelance alternative circus performer. This doesn’t mean that she cracks a whip a lions (and absolute nono) or gets shot out of a cannon (though several publishers have wished the same on me). Ziggy performs with, among other things, hoops and fire at most of the major festivals in the UK – including on stage a Glastonbury, Bestival and Boomtown, as well as around Europe. With bright pink hair, piercings and far too many tattoos to count, she is the perfect Goddaughter to my unorthodox style of God parenting. Think Marlo Brando in ‘Bringing up Baby’ and you have the general idea.

The trip was wonderful and so much fun that she decided to extend her trip by an extra two weeks. We did the Andalucian culture tour with trips to Ronda and Cordoba, caught a couple of movies, ate far too many pizzas and went to some great live music nights. Ziggy got on with my friends immediately, and went clubbing with them on New Year’s Eve. (I don’t do NYE. It’s the night for amateurs and I used to be a professional party animal, trust me) Like the dutiful Godfather that I am, I told Ziggy that she could call me at any time in the evening to come and collect her (taxis are like trying to get the last chopper out of Saigon in New Year’s Eve). I kept my phone on, snuggled down on the sofa and waited. At 11am on New Year’s Day my mobile rang. The little party animal was ready to come home please, and like the waifs and strays rescue service that I am, I sprang into action with a litre bottle of water and a warm jacket. Needless to say I spent the next two days bringing her reviving cups of tea and flipping on the next Harry Potter DVD as she recovered. She watched the whole series. In reverse. I have never been a prouder padrino!

over the last fortnight in January, in chronological order, there are ‘national days’ dedicated to popcorn, butter crunch, the granola bar, the blonde brownie (made with white chocolate) peanut brittle, chocolate cake, blueberry pancakes, corn chips and croissants. Only in America, land of the free, the brave and the clinically obese … The US calendar champions multiple causes on a daily basis and although none are official holidays, some have gone viral with many workers forfeiting a day of their annual leave to join in the fun. Groundhog Day, celebrated every February 2 in Pennsylvania since 1841, went viral after the movie and the ‘Pennys’ are still making tourist megabucks out of the buck-tooth, weather-forecasting critters.

Groundhog

The trend has gone global. Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day (July 27), is BBC-coverage big. And, ahoy all you scurvy bilge rats out there, don’t miss Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19 when normally sane folk don eye patches and bandanas and go around with toy parrots on their shoulders squawking ‘Pieces of Eight’. One man alone appears to be responsible for the crazier ‘national days’. Pennsylvania DJ Thomas Roy invented and copyrighted over 90 in the last 26 years to liven up his radio show, including Married to a Scorpio Support Day (November 18) and Hoodie-Hoo Day (Feb 20), when everyone is supposed to hit the streets at the stroke of noon to shout ‘hoodie hoo’. A surprising number of people do. “I just started doing it as a lark but it’s kind of scary,” says Roy. “This is how politicians get into office with these nonsensical ideas, and people buy into it.” It seems anyone can create a theme day and March 23 is Create Your Own Holiday Day, the perfect excuse. I’m thinking of Pay Newspaper Columnists Double Day. How about it, Ed?

Food, drink & travel www.theolivepress.es

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Chinese takeaway CHINA is now the second biggest importer of Malaga produce. Food and drink exports to the country more than doubled in the first 10 months of 2016 compared to the previous year, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Fresh and frozen fruits, olive oil and meats were the most popular exports, which rose by 113% in value to €81.7m, up from €38.3m in 2015. In tonnes, the rate increased by 103%, to 49,465 from 24,280. Only France beat it in both categories, with exports to China ahead of those to Portugal and Italy.

Brain food

A MEDITERRANEAN diet could prevent brain shrinkage in old age and stave off cognitive decline, a new study has suggested. Scientists have long known that the typical Spanish diet can help prevent dementia but they did not understand how it protected the brain. But a new study has shown how it keeps brain cells active for longer, helping to slow down inevitable shrinkage. “As we age, the brain shrinks and we lose brain cells which can affect learning and memory,” said the study’s author, Dr Michelle Luciano of Edinburgh University.

A Spanish diet can stave off dementia (and fish is good for the grey cells) “This study adds to the body of evidence that suggests the Mediterranean diet has a positive impact on brain health… and may be able to provide longterm protection to the brain.” Scientists gathered dietary information for 401 70-year-olds and then scanned their brains at the age of 73 and 76, measuring the volume and the thickness of the cerebral cortex. They found that those who closely followed a Mediterra-

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nean diet – oily fish, vegetables, nuts and fruit – retained more volume over the period. Dr Clare Walton, Research Manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There is an increasing amount of evidence to indicate that eating a healthy diet that’s rich in oily fish, fresh veg and nuts is good for your brain and can help to maintain your memory as you get older. “Fish really is good for the grey cells.¨

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Food, drink & travel

Spain’s foodie ambassador bows out

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A MALAGA wine has been voted one of the best in the world. Jorge Ordonez’ dry moscatel Botani was chosen by globally-renowned wine critic Robert Parker as one of his top three 2016 wines selling at under $20 a bottle. Parker said the Velez Malaga tipple, which scored 91 points out of 100, was ‘one of the greatest value wines of the year.’ He added: “All the aroma of a beautiful bunch of flowers makes this medium-bodied wine super fragrant and seductive with a crisp touch. Very elegant.” The other two chosen in the category were a Chardonnet and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Californian bodegas. The award is the latest triumph for Ordonez, whose seven wineries produce almost 40 wines. All carry the denominacion de origen label, the quality mark for Spanish wines.

MARIA Jose Sevilla is to step down as UK director of Food and Wines from Spain at the end of this month. Hailed as the country’s ‘unofficial ambassador’, she worked for the Trade Commission of the Spanish Embassy in the UK for 30 years, the last 17 as director. She is leaving to focus on her ‘own projects’, among them the completion of her book, The History of Spanish Food and Wine, due to be published in Britain in 2017. She said in a statement that she has loved the job and has ‘seen the UK’s attitude to Spanish food and wine

British tipple explodes onto the international market ENGLISH sparkling wine has arrived in Spain after sales boomed to more than €115 million last year. The country has joined nine others which began selling the now-recognised tipple in December. The number of importing nations grew by a third in 2016, as chalky soils, southfacing slopes and warmer temperatures produced ideal conditions for British growers.

change out of all recognition over the last 25 years’. Sevilla has been well-known for her efforts to make Britain better acquainted with produce from Spain. She presented the BBC television series Spain on a Plate in the ‘90s, and more recently appeared on Rick Stein’s Spanish Christmas. Allan Cheesman, former Sainsbury’s wine director and friend of Sevilla, said that she had been ‘at the centre of food and wine from Spain as long as I care to remember… there is no doubt that María José is the best unofficial ambassador that Spain could ask for.´

Lovely bubbly

Ideal

Producers have also secured contracts with some of the world’s most exclusive restaurants and hotels such as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the Ritz in London, while the UK collected 120 medals at the International Wine Challenge, the International Wine and Spirit Competition and Decanter World Wine Awards. English Wine Producers chairman Simon Robinson said: “It’s boom time for English wines. “The growing trend on the high street shows the retailers have really got behind them and the wine consumers of Britain are responding. “Our export sales are also on the up, with new markets opening up around the

world.” In addition to Spain, new markets for English sparkling wine in 2016 included

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Cooking up a storm A WORLD class chef has challenged foreign countries to improve Spanish cuisine for the ‘next generation.’ Three Michellin Star ranked Francis Paniego of Echaurren in Ezcaray (La Rioja) wants cooks abroad to put their own twist on traditional recipes to invent new fusion cuisines. He also said more Spanish restaurants should open abroad to showcase a wider variety of the country’s dishes. "The cooks have the mission to try to pick up and improve the recipes of our fathers, mothers or grandmothers and pass them on to the next generation", he said.

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golf

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January 18th - January 31st 2017 January 18th - January 31st 2017

Black hole?

Stiff competition SERGIO Garcia will putt against the legendary Tiger Woods at one of the first opens of the year. The Spaniard will be looking for a solid start to 2017 as he seeks the ever-elusive first Major victory. The 37-year-old, who is known as ‘the best player to never win a major’, will tee up against Woods at the Honda Classic between February 23 - 26 at the PGA National in Palm Beach, Florida. Irishman Rory McIlroy will also compete.

TEEING UP: Miguel Jimenez

Driving ambition A CHARISMATIC cigar-smoking golf star has set his sights on his next world contest. Andalucian Miguel Angel Jimenez, who is best known as ‘El Pisha’ in Spain and ‘The Mechanic’, will again compete in the PGA Champions Tour 2017, after obtaining good results last year. Jimenez, 53, will tee off against the likes of Scott McCarron and Colin Montgomerie at the US competition, which will run from September 11 to 17 at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia.

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Bearded golfer laughs off claims he is a ‘bad image’ for the sport ANDREW Johnston has revealed how he was told his beard was ‘bad for golf’ after winning the Spain Open. The 27-year-old Brit - who after winning the Major said he couldn’t wait to ‘get hammered’ - revealed how fans criticised him for his nowsignature facial hair during a BBC Radio 4 interview. “When I won in Spain, I was going to get rid of it that week,” he said, “then on social media I got a few messages saying, ‘Your beard is bad for golf, it’s a bad image.’ “Then I was like, well, I’m going to keep it now.” Affectionately known as ‘Beef’, the young player has become a favourite among the golfing crowd after seemingly coming out of nowhere last year. “I guess I’m just really down to earth, and at the end of the day, I’m just a normal guy who happens to play golf. I’m

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Bad beard

TRAGIC: Wayne Westner

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A BELEAGUERED public golf school is still yet to open almost a year after promised. And with the costs to run Almeria’s Escuela Publica de Golf de El Toyo mysteriously left out of the Junta’s 2017 budget, golfers are concerned it may not open at all. A total of €1.7 million has been spent on the 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art centre, which was first promised to the region in 2010 as a ‘priority objective’. Officials later said a licence would be granted to enable it to be used in September, but this still remains to be done.

STILL SHUT: El Toyo

In full swing

NOT FAZED: Brit Andrew Johnston

no different to anyone else.” He signed a lucrative deal with US sandwich chain Ar-

by’s at the end of last year, and will wear their logo on his shirt during tournaments.

Golfing world in shock

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THE golfing world has been left in shock after a former European Tour player took his family hostage before killing himself in front of his wife. Wayne Westner, 55, reportedly forced his way into the family home in South Africa following a recent separation from his wife. His wife and children are said to have locked themselves inside a bathroom after he demanded to see her. South African Police Service spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thulane Zwane said: “He allegedly wanted to see his wife and thereafter he allegedly shot himself. “The firearm used in the commission of the crime was seized by the police.” Westner won two European Tour events and captured the 1996 World Cup of Golf with fellow South African golfer Ernie Els before his career - which earned him at least €1 million - was interrupted by injury.

ONE of Spain’s top female golfers has changed her trainer to up her game in 2017. Azahara Muñoz has left Sevillano Marcelo Prieto for Bob Lohr, an American professional and former winner of the PGA Tour. But she revealed in a blog that the decision was mostly taken by Prieto, who felt the change would be better for her. “We parted after the Spanish Open”, said Muñoz, who thanked Prieto for his work. “It was a very difficult decision. “In fact, it was more of his idea than mine, and that only shows the honesty he has. “He told me that he thought it was the best thing for my career, that I needed fresh air.” Muñoz finished 2016 in 50th place in the global Rolex Ranking.

CHANGES: For Prieto

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Still got it RAFAEL NADAL has said he can challenge world No.1 Andy Murray at this year’s Australian Open. The Spaniard returns this year having played just three ATP events since the US Open after a wrist injury curtailed his quest for a 10th win at Roland Garros before wiping him out of Wimbledon. “If I believed that I could not have this chance during the next 11 months, I would be home fishing," Nadal said. "My real goal is to try to compete for the important things, I want to try to beat these guys. "If I am working hard and I have the motivation and passion to keep going, I feel that I can do it.” The Australian Open in Melbourne will be played between January 16-29 January.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Ban Russia SPAIN has called for Russia to be banned from all sports until it is fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. In a joint statement with anti-doping leaders from 18 other countries, it also demanded that those behind Russia’s sanctioned doping programme be punished, their national testing bodies become completely independent and that athletes who have been cheated out of medals be appropriately compensated. “It is our hope that these proposals will help sport move past these dark times and pave a path towards a brighter future – one where the promise of clean competition is fulfilled,” the statement read.

January 18th - January 31st 2017

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Wild card RISING STAR: Alex De Minaur (right) grew up in Alicante

A 17-YEAR-OLD expat has been given a wildcard into the Australian open. Alex De Minaur, who was born in Australia but grew up in Alicante, was granted entry into the grand slam after stunning world No. 46 Benoit Paire in Sydney in January. Just weeks before at the Brisbane International, the up and coming star dazzled fans through qualifying and managed to upset the 2015 Sydney

Expat will play with the greats at first Grand Slam of the year

runner-up Mikhail Kukushkin. It comes after a stellar 2016 on the junior tour which saw him become runner up at the junior Wimbledon, pictured above, before being named male junior athlete of the year at the prestigious Newcombe Medal Awards.

He is already impressing the Aussie tennis greats, and was invited to train with the Davis Cup squad in September. De Minaur moved to Alicante when he was five, and took his first steps as a tennis player at the Club Atletico Montemar.

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Run Rover, Run DOGS and owners will compete together in a quirky running race in Malaga. The Canicross trail competition in Benahavis on January 22 is the latest in a series of events that are taking Andalucia by storm. Hundreds of pet and running lovers are expected to take part in the contest, where entrants will run for two or five kilometres with their pet tied to them by a leash around their middle. The race is the latest in a series of events put on by the Andalucía Canicross and Bikejoring-Scooter Club federation. For more information on entries and race times, search for ‘Andalucía Canicross & Bikejoring-Scooter Clubs’ on Facebook.

Ink-spired HECTOR BELLERIN has revealed the family meaning behind his tattoos. The Arsenal full-back has had one designed for each close family member, spending at least 24 hours under the needle. The Spaniard, who recently signed a lucrative sixyear deal with the London club, was just 16 when he left Catalonia for London. “That’s when I had my first one, the rosary,” he said, “My grandma always used to buy them for me, but I could not wear them on the pitch because I am not allowed to wear jewellery, so I decided to get it tattooed. Then all of my sleeve represents my family, my little cousin, grandma, sister, my mum and dad and my grandad. Everything is all about my family. “The one on my right hand means friend in Arabic and I got it with a friend.” The star also had ‘tato’ - a Spanish word for brother - inked on himself along with best Arsenal buds Jon Toral, Emilio Martinez and Ignasi Miguel.

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FINAL WORDS

FANS of the motorcycle sport are campaigning for a track to be opened in Marbella, after an initial plan was abandoned in 2010.

Forever festive MALAGA’s town hall has decided to leave its calle Larios Christmas lights up long past Epiphany. They will stay on until the end of Carnaval on February 26.

Fitur Fun LIVE footage from the national Tourism Fair in Madrid (FITUR) will be streamed live on YouTube by Granada´s council.. Officials will focus on fun events put on by the city´s delegation.

UK pals reunite in Spain because flights cheaper than pricey trains back home IT should have been a quick and easy train ride between two UK cities. But it worked out cheaper for two pals - living in Birmingham and Newcastle to hop on planes to Malaga for a proper catch up. Lucy Walker, 27, hatched the plan after discovering that the return trip to Birmingham would cost SIX times the cost of coming to Spain and back. While the return from Newcastle came

January 18th - January 31st 2017

TWO brothers have broken the world record for the most consecutive stairs climbed while balancing a person on the head. Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep, from Vietnam, climbed the stairs of Girona Cathedral, in Catalunya, with one sibling balanced atop the other. They scaled the 90 steps - which have featured in the hit TV show Game of Thrones - in 52 seconds.

Fare play

January 18th - January 31st 2017

Marbella motocross

Off their heads

By Laurence Dollimore

in at €119, she was able to get a return flight to Malaga for €22 and pay just €15 a night for a hostel. She then persuaded friend Zara Quli, 26, to shell out €62 for her flights, making the overall cost of transport for both of them €34 cheaper. The pair had a great time staying in Malaga for three nights.

“Trying to travel last minute in the UK is always such a kick in the teeth as they put such a big premium on it,” said Walker. “Luckily, there are always these last minute deals for flights and we realised it was cheaper for the both of us to go to Malaga instead.” She added: “Considering I try to be environmentally friendly it’s not something I would normally do but the train is so expensive and this was just so much cheaper.”

Pump it up A SURGERY addict piled on two stone so surgeons could use the fat to make him a bigger bum. After gaining the 28 pounds, Rodrigo Alves, 33, had liposuction in Marbella before the doctors pumped the fat back into his behind. The Brazilian native has now spent more than €423,000 on 48 surgeries, including botox, six-pack implants and nose jobs. The air steward, who lives between Marbella and London, spent the last few months eating cakes and puddings, wolfing down more than 3,000 calories a day. Some 3.5 pints of fat were then sucked out of his back, waist and thighs before being pumped back into his bum last week.

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