Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 276 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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expat paper in Spain

Mijas Costa See page 4 xx

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Vol. 11 Issue 276 www.theolivepress.es October 11th - Ocotber 24th 2017

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Pet poisoners

600 attend a demo against footpaths being blocked in a natural park

More areas hit by serial dog killers

Page 2

BACKING DOWN: Carles

Back from brink

SPAIN and the EU breathed a sigh of relief as Catalan’s leader failed to declare independence in a critical parliament speech last night. Instead, Carles Puigdemont reiterated the region’s right to break from Spain following this month’s referendum, when 90% of 2.4 million Catalans voted to leave. Switching between Catalan and Spanish, Puigdemont offered an olive branch, proposing dialogue with Madrid after ten days of mounting tension. “We propose to suspend the independence declaration in order to work towards putting into practice the result of the referendum. “We are making a gesture of responsibility in favour of dialogue.” He added: “The ballots say Yes to independence this is the will that I want to go forward with. “I want to follow people’s will for Catalonia to become an independent state.” He also called for internation-

Stitch-up Eco-warrior claims expat-linked ‘mafia developers’ planted cocaine in his car

EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

A LEADING ecologist has blamed ‘mafia methods’ after drugs were planted in his car to stop him protesting against the blocking of footpaths. Juan Clavero, a regional organiser of green group Ecologistas en Accion, believes expat-linked developers could be behind the seizure of 47 grams of cocaine found under a car seat. Clavero, who was arrested and charged over the offence, has now been found innocent after a judge dismissed the case. He told the Olive Press this

ANGRY: Clavero arrested over blocked footpath protests week: “It was a complete stitch up and like third world countries where drug traffickers reign. “It is inconceivable developers

EXCLUSIVE HUNDREDS of Brits in Spain are demanding action after losing up to £20 million in a failed pension investment scheme. Pension boss Darren Kirby has fled to Australia, leaving a string of allegations in his wake.

Expats lose €20 million in life savings through failed investment scheme SEE PAGE 4

Continues on Page 7

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Clavero has been involved in a series of protests against the blocking of footpaths and a development in the celebrated Sierra de Grazalema natural Park, between Grazalema and Ronda. On the morning of his arrest on August 26, he had taken part in a protest against the estate, run by Jerez-based company Breña del Agua Investments SL, near the village of Benamahoma. The company is owned by Belgian tycoon Marnix Galle, who is said to be building a huge 800-metre-square mansion on the land. Galle, one of Belgium’s richest property developers, purchased

the land for €11 million from a San Roque developer and is believed to be launching an upmarket hunting business there. When Clavero returned to his car Guardia Civil officers were waiting, pulling out a bag containing the drugs after a search of the vehicle. He was taken to Ubrique police station where he was kept overnight. “We are certain that there is a connection to the closure of public paths in this stitch-up,” he said. He added that his group had now identified the name and address of the person responsible for planting the drugs. “It has been given to police and the courts, but let’s see what happens next. “I am not aware Marnix Galle has anything to do with this or even knows about it, but he should investigate the actions of his employees and clarify what they are doing against those who defend right of way on public roads.” In his court case, last month, the judge at Ubrique court Continues on Page 9

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www.theolivepress.es News IN BRIEF

Flight chaos MORE than 100,000 passengers have had their flights grounded following the latest strike by French air-traffic controllers. Union members walked out on Monday and will continue until Wednesday.

Traffic tragedy FIVE people have been killed and ten injured in a major pile up involving nine cars, two trucks and two lorries on the A7 near Murcia.

Best doc IRANIAN director Mohsen Eslamzadeh’s Alone among the Taliban won best documentary at the 11th Marbella Film Festival. The film portrays the directors experience living with the Taliban in Afghanistan for 15 days.

October 11th - October 24th 2017

Pet killers EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

POLICE are probing at least two parks linked to the deaths of over a dozen dogs on the Costa del Sol by poisoning. According to Olive Press sources, detectives have found ‘toxic substances’ at San Pedro’s Eucalyptus Park, as well as Parque la Futura, in Marbella’s La Campana area. Police closed off both parks after poison was discovered by children’s swings and climbing frames. Some dogs have perished within minutes of coming into contact with the substance and even sniffing it can cause death within an hour. A vet last night told the Olive Press that he had seen ‘quite a

At least 12 dogs poisoned by ‘toxic’ substance planted on kids playgrounds on Costa del Sol number of poisoning cases in just a few days’. The spokesman for Urvet pet hospital, in Marbella, said: “It is very serious as the pets are being poisoned in play parks. “It seems to be the same toxin and is sometimes hidden inside sausages, or something similar but in 10 or 15 minutes they are dead.

“Imagine if a child ate that. We would be looking at murder.” The incidents, which could number up to 20 so far, are mostly taking place around the La Campana area of Marbella. However, one victim, a British expat, who asked not to be named, said his Yorkshire Terrier had died just 15 minutes after eating some-

‘Most wanted’ in mafia raid ONE of the men arrested over the Marbella FC money-laundering case was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Russian Arnold Tamm is said to be a leading figure behind the scheme which saw €30 million illegally invested through the football club

and two other companies. In total 11 people were arrested, with four refused bail. These include Marbella FC owner Alexander Grinberg, who is said to have purchased Marbella FC for €1 in a deal that saw him pay off the club’s €250,000 debt.

thing around the Bello Horizonte area, the other side of Marbella, on Sunday. The owner, a businessman, said: “I’m devastated. I rushed him to the hospital after he began having convulsions. It was only a few minutes after we got home. “He was trying to be sick to get it out and was acting aggressively. We knew something was wrong. “This is a very sick stunt. I hope the police catch them fast. “My vet told me he had seen five or six similar cases in the last week alone.” Parents are being warned to be extra vigilant of their children playing in parks, while the Guardia Civil’s Seprona arm is probing the case. The dogs become disorientated and symptoms include foaming at the mouth, diarrhea and vomiting. “It appears to be two types of poison and both are like rat poison, so once the dog tastes it or even sniffs it they have convulsions,” another source told the Olive Press. “If you know anyone whose dog has died because of the poison, it’s very important that they report it to the police because the police need denuncias otherwise nothing will be done.”

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Top drawer raid SPANISH cops have busted a second-hand furniture drug smuggling ring between the Costa del Sol and London. It comes after 59 packets of cocaine and 258 kilos of hashish - worth €4 million were found hidden inside a chest of drawers in a delivery van leaving Marbella for the UK this week. A 39 -year-old Spaniard and a Canadian, 46, based in Estepona have been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and being part of a criminal organisation. The home of one of the suspects unearthed 100 grams of hashish, three high-end vehicles, seven mobile phones, a gun, taser and a submachine gun.

DRAW: Hiding drugs

NE WS

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

I Want that Marbella feeling FORMER X-Factor winner Sam Bailey wants to bottle up the ‘Marbella feeling’ and take it back home. “I just love it here and wish I could bring back the feeling of Marbella to the UK,” Bailey, the 2013

Just Mabel

you can’t beat it really overlooking the ocean,” she continued, at the end of the summer bash at Olivia’s in La Cala, owned by pal, TOWIE star Elliott Wright. Fellow TOWIE funnyman Arg was also at the bash

EXCLUSIVE By Jed Neill

competition winner, told the Olive Press: “When you come here everyone’s in good spirits. This is proper glam. “The weather is great and

hanging out with pals before serenading punters at Olivia’s end of summer party. The singer bashed out a string of soulful classics including Let’s Get It On, by Marvin Gaye, and My Girl, by The Temptations.

SMILES: Sam & Jed

Mystery deepens WEBSITE

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September 13th - September 26th 2017

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Voted top expat paper in Spain

IT’S a shame that Julian Higgins’ dream of moving to Spain has been shattered by such a horrific experience. It’s hard to comprehend how someone could behave in such a vile way. As all of us know, living in Spain comes with unrivaled perks, from the weather, to the food and of course the lovely, friendly people. The majority of us are also used to a strong police force who take a no-nonsense approach to crime, of any level. Unfortunately, on this rare occasion, it seems they have proven woefully inadequate. We implore Estepona police to get to the bottom of what happened to Julian and to ensure that justice is served. We just hope Julian can give Spain another chance, we will be sure to make him feel welcome.

IT has been a real pleasure helping Australian Robert Gascoigne locate his long lost Spanish and Gibraltarian family. When he first contacted us at the beginning of the year, we were heartbroken by his story and agreed to launch an appeal. We must admit we thought it was a long shot, but it has been great to make such a valuable difference to someone’s life. It makes the whole story even more incredible that he is from the other side of the world. We are also very sorry to hear of the loss of Robert’s sister. Hopefully, his journey to Spain and Gibraltar has brought him some comfort in this difficult time.

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

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2012 - 2017

Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on

September 13th - Septemberwww.theolivepress.es 26th 2017

And our site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

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Every picture tells a story ...

Gina on her precious family photos:

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

A FORMER MalagaOPINION expat is taking the UK charts by A real shame storm. Mabel McVey, the daugher of Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey - has just finished her good first sold out UK tourFeeling and is about to release an album. The Malaga-born songstress has been making waves on the music scene thanks to her personal songwriting and infectious R&B sound. She spent her early years in Marbella, before moving to Sweden. Her father produced many albums, by bands including All Saints, Sugarbabes and Massive Attack.

F E ATU R E

“The best link to my early years in Malaga are these wonderful photos I inherited from my mother. In particularly I love the ones of the local people who looked after my sister and myself and in one picture, the girls who looked after us were twins, I think. The guy on the end of one of the pictures looks like the same one in the photo below with me. Maybe that’s Pepe, my father’s lover? My sister and I grew very close to these people and we only spoke in Spanish. All I know is that my parents built their home, somewhere in Torremolinos in the mid-to-late 1950s and the building may have been put in someone else’s name.”

HAPPIER TIMES: Gina and dad

In a heartfelt plea from the other side of the world, former expat Gina Harris opens up her photo album to the Costa del Sol community to see if anyone can solve the mystery of her father’s sad death

Family Quest

t is a question that has tormented Australian Gina Harris for over 50 years: what really happened to my father on the Costa del Sol? The last time she saw him was at five years old when she waved him goodbye from the Torremolinos finca her parents built in the 1950s. Too young to be aware of her parents marital prob- GINA: Today lems, all she knew was that she and her sister Anne-Marie were going with mum on a trip to Australia. “My father struggled with his sexuality, it was not a good time to be gay or bisexual,” Gina confides. “We had a guy called Pepe working for us and I understand they had a romance, my mother freaked out and needed a break.” But one year later, Geoffrey Harris was dead. “My mother got a phone call to say he had passed away,” recalls Gina, who runs a travel agency in Melbourne. “She let out a huge scream, it was awful. “To this day we don’t know how he died or what happened to our home.” Her mother, Judith Harris, wrote to embassies and authorities in Spain but no one could tell her what happened. “I personally spent hundreds of euros on Spanish lawyers myself to find me a death certificate but they have continued to come up short,” adds Gina, 61. Now taking matters into her own hands, the mother-of-two has shared her precious family photograph album with the Olive

fortnight on

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FAMILY: (Left) mum, Torremolinos home and (right) father’s lover Pepe Press and will make the 10,700 mile journey from Melbourne to Torremolinos later this month in pursuit of the truth. “There were suggestions he killed himself but I don’t think that was the case,” she says. “He liked to drink and it’s thought this es-

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calated after we left, we just want answers. “My sister passed away last year, and I’d like to find out the truth so it isn’t lost forever, I would truly like some closure.” Geoffrey Cameron Harris was among the first resident expats on the Costa del Sol and, as revealed in Gina’s pictures, was one of the lucky few to experience the area before it became hyperdeveloped. “They were a very flamboyant and party-loving couple,” remembers Gina. “They loved having local people over to the house and some of them worked for them. Fabulous food and entertainment including a 5* Christmas “I can’t remember much but the or New Years Eve Gala Dinner with fine wine young local girls loved dressing me and my sister up in flamenco FOR GOLFERS outfits and my mum drove a white includes 3 rounds of golf sports car.” Mum Judith came from a wealthy f a m i l y, meaning the

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WHAT HAPPENED?: To Pepe

SCENERY: Views of vintage Torremolinos couple didn’t need to earn a living. “They didn’t do much work,” says Gina. “My dad had a mink factory in Kent, England but they ran out of minks and so moved to Spain.”

I’m not looking for a payout or to take the building back, I just want answers And the love affair for all things Spain seems to be in the genes. Gina’s son Manos, an architect based in Paris, speaks Spanish and is a gifted flamenco guitarist. “He teaches the guitar to Spaniards,” she says, “I guess our love for the culture is in our bones.” Gina, who will be in Torremolinos with her son from September 19 -25, is now appealing to any locals who might have known the family and may know the truth behind what happened to her father. “We think the building might have been put into a local’s name. “I’m not looking for a payout or to

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DRESS UP: Harris sisters take the building back, I just want some answers.” If you knew the family or think you can help Gina track down what happened, contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es

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TOP for news in Spain!

Updated daily The Olive Press online www.theolivepress.es The website is conveniently accessible from your desktop computer to your laptop, tablets and smartphones throughout the day wherever you are. www.theolivepress.es

Useful numbers EMERGENCIES Ambulance/ Fire brigade/ Police 112 Local police 092 Medical 061 Fire 080 Guardia civil 062

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By Laurence Dollimore

Referendum rumours

HE may have split the opinion of fans over the Catalunya referendum - but he hasn’t split with long-time love Shakira. Barcelona star Gerard Pique has become the subject of vicious rumours over his relationship with the Colombian pop singer, with whom he has two children. Her publicist claims ‘troublemakers’, who are angry at the Barcelona defender for supporting independence, are stirring up false rumours. "Shakira and Gerard’s relationship is still going strong. Everything is the same,” she said.

IT was a heartfelt plea from Down Under to help find a trace of her vanished father. Now, after Gina Harris, 61, made an appeal to Olive Press readers a month ago, she has made the 10,700-mile journey from Australia to start to piece together the clues. All she knew was her dad Geoffrey Cameron Harris, lived on the Costa del Sol in the 1960s and apparently died in 1962. It came after he had declared he was gay and left the family for his boyfriend ‘Pepe’. From a series of charming black and white photos, she hoped to find her old home in Torremolinos and ultimately discover how her father - a mink breeder - had died. While that still eludes her, she does at least know that the home was in fact in Benalmadena… and it still stands today owned by a foreigner with the surname Jura. The Olive Press has discovered that the home in question ‘Villa

TRAGIC: Dad (centre) with boyfriend Pepe

MATCH UP: Gina lived in Villa Monterey (above) Monterey’ was sold by her father to a Bertha Clausen Stuart on December 12, 1961. It was sold six months after Gina and her mother and sister sadly bade their father farewell and left Andalucia for Australia for a new life. It emerged he then moved to an apartment in the celebrated gay area of Torremolinos La Nogalera the same year, but there is no official trace of him buying or selling it. “I’ve kind of hit a brick wall,” she told the Olive Press, now back in Australia. “I am still

MISSION: Gina says ‘Jura’ family now live there

no closer to finding what happened to dad but I am beginning to build a story.” She has now employed a lawyer to try and trace the Clausen family and search death notices, although the Olive Press was unable to find any trace at the celebrated English Cemetery in Malaga, which would have been the likely place of burial for an expat in the 1960s. What is however, an incredible coincidence, is that an employee at Torremolinos tourist office, who had read our original story and agreed to help Gina, turned out to be linked to Villa Monterey. “Inka was fantastic. I was there

for over an hour as she made phone call after phone call,” said Gina. “Then two days after I got home to Melbourne I got a call telling me that Inka’s own stepfather had actually owned the house. “It was such a shock to her. Apparently he had been trying to sell it for 10 years - last year he gave it to another daughter who oversaw some renovations. “She also told me her neighbour had visited my father's apartment in La Nogalera. “What I need to know is what happened next? But thank you so much for publishing the article. “I am sure we will finally piece together the puzzle.” Can you help Gina find out how her father died? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es

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New Sixth Form for Gibraltar PRIOR Park School has announced the opening of its new Sixth Form. The Gibraltar-based independent school - which has grown from 55 to 95 pupils in just a year - will launch the A-level curriculum from September next year. “The time is right for us now to open a Sixth Form,” explained Headmaster Peter Watts. “This is a really crucial stage in the school’s development because you look to your senior students to lead younger students and act as positive role models. “We believe that a senior school isn't just somewhere you come to get excellent academic results, although that is important too.” The growth is all part of a plan to eventually host between 200 and 300 students at the school. The former Sacred Heart campus was renovated in 2016 and will include a common room built for the sixth formers, where they will be able to work and relax in between lessons. A special Sixth Form Open Day for interested students and parents is to be held on October 26. Prior Park School is one of a group of three schools, the other two being based in Bath in the UK.

EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

HUNDREDS of British expats are battling to retrieve their pensions after losing up to €22 million in a failed investment scheme. Spanish-based financial advisory firm Continental Wealth Management (CWM) folded last month obliterating the heartbroken Brits’ life savings. Many of them had transferred their private UK pensions into the company, whose boss Darren Kirby has now allegedly moved to Australia. One Costa Del Sol expat told the Olive Press he sunk €62,000 into CWM, only realising he had lost €42,000 when his pension trustees sent a statement. “I couldn’t believe it. I have lost thousands of pounds,” he revealed, asking to remain anonymous. “The adviser kept telling me ‘This is guaranteed, it can’t go below a certain level’.” His money, and that of others across Spain and France, was put into high-risk ‘professional investor only’ assets, he claimed.

NE WS

October 11th - October 24th 2017

Brits’ pension fury

Expats lose millions in life savings through failed investment scheme

It is believed at least 300 of CWM’s 900 clients have had their pension pots decimated, with victims shocked to later discover the value of their investments had plummeted dramatically. Granada-based tax specialist Angie Brooks, a leading expert on pension liberation scams and founder of Pension Life, is fighting to help get victims’ money back.

She is working alongside pension trustees Trafalgar International and Momentum Pensions. “This process could take years and people are terribly distressed,” Brooks told the Olive Press. “They have lost large amounts of their retirement savings.” She added: “Some of these people are going to end up back in Britain on benefits.”

One small step for expats A MALAGA court has dismissed a Danske Bank loan foreclosure on an expat’s home. Euan Armstrong persuaded a court in Coin to throw out bankruptcy proceedings brought by the bank in 2010. Armstrong claims the seven-year battle began when the Luxembourg-based lender, previously based in Fuengirola, illegally sold Arm-

strong an equity release loan called ‘Capital Assurance’. After fighting two unsuccessful criminal cases against the bank - one directed to the bank’s representatives for aggravated fraud and a further one against a Coin-based Judge for negligence - a newly appointed judge threw the case out last month.

She added: “I have nothing but praise for Tony Barnett [Trafalgar MD] and Stewart Davies [Momentum chef executive]. They have been magnificent in trying to recoup people’s money.” The Olive Press understands it is highly possible legal action may be taken by some parties against CWM, based out of headquarters in Alicante, and its executives. The group were pictured celebrating at a charity ball as recently as March this year. When the Olive Press spoke to boss Kirby he ‘definitively’ denied responsibility over the crash. “I have lost my world,” he said. A close associate of Kirby’s told the Olive Press former CWM staff were all ‘very upset’. “They are working out what to do next,” he said.

‘Flamenco mayor’ found guilty A MAYOR and 33 cohorts were all behind an illegal scheme to concrete over their idyllic mountain village. In total, 33 people have been found guilty of building a total of 628 illegal homes in Alcaucin, in the Axarquia. The so-called ‘Flamenco mayor’ Jose Manuel Martin Alba, is expected to get a long prison sentence, after the judge ruled that he was ‘fully aware’ of planning laws. The singing politician, who ruled the town from 1991 to 2009, oversaw a get-richquick scheme that took lucrative licence fees to develop rural land. He once revealed that he intended to leave politics and emulate the famous singer El Farraquito and dedicate his life to flamenco. Numerous members of Alba’s family, friends, as well as the boss of Malaga’s town planning department, José Mora, have been found guilty. All had ‘contributed to the damage caused in this area of the Axarquía with the uncontrolled construction of homes.’ Current mayor of Alcaucín Mario Blancke said his town hall would ‘save as many houses as possible.’

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OPINION

Following last month’s police raid on a hippy colony (story right), the Olive Press sent Jed Hippy Neill to discover killer whether these New WHEELY Age veterans are FED UP spreading more than peace and love 2

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News IN BRIEF

CRIME

September 27th - October 10th

Women’s word

THE online community ‘Costa Women’ has reached 6,000 members. The group is now the go-to place for women looking for social events and business networks with 10 local meetings per month.

Rat-mare

A LOCAL cleaner has claimed that large rats are running around primary schools in San Pedro Alcantara like ‘large rabbits’ without anything being done by school authorities to combat the spread of these vermin intruders.

Fire rescue

THREE people were rescued from a house fire in Córdoba. The fire was started in the kitchen and quickly spread throughout the house. A 51, 62 and 73-year-old were taken to hospital for treatment.

A POLICE raid on a long established ‘hippy commune’ has led to the arrests of 24 people, including a man accused of strangling a woman in France. The morning raid on the new-age settlement, in the Alpujarras, also netted thousands of marijuana community plants, as well as illegal ve- living in a that has been valley near the hicles and animals. town of Orgiva since the In total, police have levelled 1980s. 103 charges against the The raid was launched this

week after an American tourist claimed she was sexually assaulted by a number of men in the settlement named Beneficio - near Ca-

“They used a rock to prop up the tyre, and they took my bolts! “I had to use three bolts on the to get home, I just thank God spare tyre there were no cars parked behind me otherwise I wouldn’t have noticed and would have A BRITISH expat has become driven a tyre stealing gang operating ina victim of tyre.” off with no back Sophie Dolan, 27, from Bristol, La Linea. had to fork Dolan has had to spend out almost €1,000 after returning from €608 on a new alloy, tyre work in Gibraltar to find her tyre had been and bolts. stolen. She added: “Santa BarDolan, who has lived in Sotogrande insurance for 26 bara have years, was told by police that the thieves been great and are trying had likely been studying her movements to to cover the costs even work out the opportune moment though my policy doesn’t “Police think the thieves parked to strike. cover it.” very close to mine so they could their car La Linea police told the Olive Press that from CCTV,” Dolan, who works be hidden they could not comment on any at Peninsula Petroleum, told the Olive Press. case, but added that tyre thefts individual ‘were not unusual’ in the town.

Expat who allegedly killed his girlfriend had been ‘hiding’ in a commune By Jed Neill

nar. Police confirmed they had seized a total of 2,320 marijuana plants in the raid, that utilised dozens of cars and a helicopter. Among the 24 arrested - many of them foreigners - was the 23-year-old who was being sought by the French authorities for strangling his wife. The alleged murderer was carrying the victim's mobile phone at the time of his arrest. Many of the crimes were against public health and involved illegal wells, building and land clearance in a protected area, inside the Sierra Nevada Natural Park. The settlement was allegedly set up in the 1980s by a retired nuclear scientist who had become a Hare Krishna. It bills itself as a centre for ‘peace and harmony’ and self-polices itself.

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

Video fightback

A HIGH-TECH video surveillance scheme has been launched in Marbella to combat a worrying rise in crime in the town. The new Marbella mayor Angeles Munoz has given the green light for the €1.5 million project. The scheme, which will see the installation of new cameras in Puerto Banus, as well as Marbella port and La Canada shopping centre, will offer better safety for locals and holidaymakers. New help points are also to be set up for tourists which will be jointly run by the local and national police. “We cannot just look the other way any more,” said Munoz. “This is a major priority for us.”

Uncomfortably numb MAFIA gangs on the Costa del Sol are showing no signs of abating. If they’re not laundering tens of millions of euros through football clubs, they’re smuggling drugs in furniture or planting them in the cars of innocent campaigners. While we have almost become numb to the prolific activity of crime bosses in the region, what happened to Juan Clavero should concern every local and expat living here. It’s just a glimpse of the power criminal organisations still have in Andalucia...and their likely links to the police. And with over 100 international drug gangs still based here, it is likely these stories of corruption and intimidation are set to continue.

Find them! THE deliberate poisoning of pets is both sickening and unforgivable. What’s even more concerning is that the toxic substances have been planted in children’s play areas. These evil wrongdoers must be stopped and receive the harshest punishment that the law can throw at them. It is only a matter of time before a toddler or child comes into contact and we could be looking at a murder investigation. Let’s hope the police catch these sick individuals as soon as possible, before more dogs are killed or worse, somebody’s child.

Relief IT is fair to say the country breathed a huge sigh of relief this week, when the leader of Catalunya´s government stepped back from the brink. As Carles Puigdemont stated in his key speech last night, it is time for dialogue. Let´s hope for once, Spain’s Prime Minister shows he is capable of this. And not just doing what he normally does, bring out the bully boys!

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

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HEY have lived in the valley since the 1980s – a disparate collection of European dropouts hoping to find a better way of life in the countryside of Granada. Ironically the Beneficio hippy commune, near the town of Orgiva, is not far from the finca where Driving Over Lemons author Chris Stewart famously found his own personal Nirvana. But last month police ransacked the New Age camp, said to be the oldest in Spain. In a shocking police statement, reported last issue, they seized 2,300 marijuana plants, issued 103 criminal charges and made 24 arrests - including a man on the wanted list for strangling his wife in France. Pictures showed a team of Guardia Civil loaded up with haywains of marijuana on their shoulders, while the story made national news and completely stunned the otherwise peaceful Alpujarras region, known for its healthy mix of locals and expats and famed for its spirituality, yoga retreats and breathtaking countryside. And so it was with a tainted view that I sat down with members of this 700-strong community to hear their side to the story and discover whether what we are told and what actually happened are two competing truths.

Battered

When you enter the camp - a kilometre up a dirt track from the small village of Canar - the first thing that strikes you is the collection of battered vehicles adorned with graffiti and home-made banners saying ‘pick up your rubbish.’ This curious jumble of real estate is prized like any home. The various tents and wooden huts are scattered around trees and the community certainly doesn’t seem in any way dangerous. Bubba, the community’s dreadlocked soothsayer, is quick to inform me that in last month’s raid, only five people were actually arrested by police, not 24. The Dutchman adds that only around 150 marijuana plants were taken, not thousands, as the police report exclaimed. In any case, he insists this is hardly a crime. He explains that marijuana is treated as a sacred plant in the camp and there is a broad consensus that alcohol, not pot, is the sum of the community’s problems, triggering two violent incidents in the camp this year alone. Coincidentally, alcohol (as well as dogs) was once supposedly banned in the community. This ‘rainbow family’ uses one central instrument for governance - the Talking Circle. When an issue arises, people sit down together and only the person with the ‘talking stick’ can speak; the others have to wait for the stick to be passed to them. It stops arguments breaking out. The elders inform me it is a ‘multidimensional way’ of ironing out problems which mostly end in a familial hug to strengthen their bond as brothers and sisters. Bubba, well into his 60s and with a Spanish wife, brushes off questions about getting bored in Beneficio saying, ‘I’ve got enough memories for

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GRANDEUR: A tippee tent for elders three or four lives, so I never get bored.’ Meanwhile Joe, a 50-year-old former office worker from Austria doesn’t worry about being bored or lonely either, saying ‘If I wanted to be busy I’d get myself a job.’ Next up I talk to Chris, a 66-year-old from Nottingham, widely considered to be an ‘original elder’, who lives in a well-crafted shack, with a fireplace and homely kitchen. “I am living outside the system,” explains the eloquent elder, who has been living on/off at the commune for a decade, supporting himself with a string of odd jobs. Lighting a joint, he warily selects his words (he insists he has never been interviewed before) while watching the smoke curl upwards. “It is a spiritual organisation. We’re a European gathering, part of a world-wide family,” he tells me. “We used to make weapons to fight wars, now wars are made to make weapons,” he adds philosophically, paraphrasing best-selling author Arundhati Roy. Over a game of chess later that evening, the modern-day Gandhi, opines that religion is a dangerous tool ‘because of the dual morality at its core’ and to be truly free ‘one must reject all monied possessions’. He has a point. Nayet, 31, a local Canar resident, one of a few I spoke to, who were fairly supportive of the community, tells me: “Some people really love it, others not so much. It depends on the person. It’s great for people who have no one, they accept everyone.” Yet it is this acceptance of anyone moving there that has dealt the community its ultimate blow. The raid would never have happened, after all, but for an Interpol report that the community was harbouring a wanted fugitive, unbeknown to them, they insist.

It was a local police report about the alleged rape of an American member, earlier this year, that led to police to investigate further into the Frenchman. “I am not sure the rape actually even happened,” says Chris. “It was something gossiped about within the community, but apparently with little real evidence. “What is true is he was definitely fairly creepy and people tried to avoid him. But that does not make him guilty and we didn’t know about the claims in France.” Chris does however add that ‘more often than not’ the commune is ‘a doctor’s waiting room for the mentally unbalanced.’ This is certainly apparent from the vacant stares from some commune members … people who seem to do nothing all day but follow the sun’s trajectory over their hillside. However, despite the odd drug-addled gargoyle, you feel increasingly welcome the longer you stay here because you are left to your own devices without being fully forgotten. The commune is made up of structured pathways that snake around the camp, and a stream running through it which supplies drinking water. The further up the hill you go, the more robust the buildings are. At the very top, I encounter a German family living in two tents with two teenage boys who are covered in dirt. Grinding her teeth, the mother informs me they were fed up with Germany’s open door policy and moved here to escape job competition. “The system in Germany is broken. There are too many immigrants,” she says, perhaps ironically. The father, a former computer engineer, takes his two boys to the camp’s community school from Monday to Thursday. He tells me that 25 children attend the weekly classes where a traditional curriculum - including Maths, English and Science - is taught by three ‘teachers’ in English, Spanish and German. Another resident believes the writing could be on the wall for the community and the group may soon be dispersed. It comes as during the police raid, officers took photos and measurements to sketch out a census of the community. “I’ve been here for four months and that was the first time I saw something like that. It’s a bad omen.” The truth is that to survive in Beneficio, you have to be resilient, hardened by your own ideals and with a clairvoyant picture that this life is better than the one you left behind in the country you once called home.

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www.theolivepress.es Olive Press reporter Joe Wallen spent a night at a Barcelona school on the eve of the most controversial referendum in Spain’s history

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S the sun set on Escuela Joseph LOCK IN: Students and teachers camp overnight in Barcelona school Maria Jujol on September 30, head “I am not even from Catalonia, but it is imteacher Isabel Safont was going noportant to be here. “The teachers are standwhere. Neither were her pupils. ing up for every person in Spain and their The school was to be opened as a polling right for democracy. From front centre the next day and they were all hold“It is not even about independence anyal mediation to address the crisis, after an ing the fort. more,” he said, alongside several Basque It was a Saturday night but Safont had the alarming 900-plus people were injured after activists. innovative idea of hosting an impromptu heavy-handed police tactics during the OctoOne of them, Aurkene, from San Sebastian ‘parents evening’ in order to keep the school ber 1 referendum. It came after two of Spain’s continued: “We have our own struggles with largest banks, Sabadell and CaixaBank, as well open into the early hours. the Spanish Government.” as Gas Natural, decided to shift their bases out Brave volunteers would then accompany the “That said, we are here in peace. Cataluof Catalunya taking €78 billion of business teachers in remaining in the school until the nya is standing up for us all tonight and the with them. A pro-union protest in Barcelona polls opened at 9am on Sunday. teachers are at the very front of this moveOctober 1 2017 is a date now indelibly in- last weekend was attended by 350,000 demment. scribed in Spanish history books. It was the onstrators “This is a movement for normal people and day of the Catalan independence referen- Catalan police chief Josep Luis Trapero apthese teachers, they are normal people. dum, a benchmark and bloody episode to peared in court accused of sedition - which “But tonight they are lions,” she says. rank among Spain’s very darkest, with riot carries a possible 15-year jail term - for allegIn Catalunya, 2,315 schools were regisedly failing to halt last month’s referendum. police running amok, sending a claimed tered as polling stations with around 200 of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he could 850 people to hospital. them occupied by teachers from Friday until Sitting with the headteacher and a small take control of Catalunya’s government. Sunday morning. group of teachers just a few hours before “I am not ruling out anything that the law While much was publicised about the bravdawn, who could have guessed that the day says,” he said. ery shown by activists in the streets of the would turn out nearly ten times more violent region – of the farmers driving their tractors than London’s famous Poll Tax riot? which they joked would ‘relax them’ ahead to block the streets and of the firemen formSafont believed that by keeping the school of election day. ing human shields to halt the Guardia Civil open and full of parents and children, who Lluís Fernandez meanwhile, had set up – little was written about the courageous would also be using the building to vote the camp in the lobby of the school with two teachers of Catalunya. next day, the police would be unable to shut friends, Manel and Ignasi. It was their secThey deserve to have their story heard. the polling station down. Peace would reign. ond night there. Without their incredible bravery, occupying Her colleague, Laid Fonts said they had had “Sleep? We didn’t,” he says. “The police kept their respective schools, the National Police no problem with the Mossos, the Catalan us awake all night. Also it is hard to relax bewould have much more easily been able to police, who had effectively cause we are worried what shut the polling stations down. promised to avoid any viowill happen to us if we are There would have been no vote, no referenlence. arrested. dum. We are here However, she told me, she “We could be fined; which And all this, despite the Spanish governcould not be sure about the to support our could stop us getting jobs, ment even threatening individuals like Spanish National Police nor they could Safont with fines of over Guardia Civil, both an unpre- teachers, they are make us out €550,000 and prosecution. dictable force. like common so brave and we “It has been so difficult but It was the second night criminals.” something positive is going these teachers were to cannot leave them Despite the on. We’re moving forward,” sleep over in an attempt to unpredictSafont tells me. “We are just protect their polling station. able morning teachers working here. All three recalled how, on ahead, he “Public schools are open to the previous night the National Police rang continued with a smile: “There everybody and they belong the bells outside every hour, on the hour, to is no doubt about seeing it to the people and not to the stop anyone inside from getting any proper through. We are here to supstate. sleep and, undoubtedly, to intimidate the port our teachers, they are so “The schools are ours, the teachers inside. brave and we cannot leave parents, the teachers and the “Let’s not talk about them, they want to pro- them to make this fight alone.” children of course, our next voke us,” Font muttered. “We are here for This was the general consengeneration,” she adds. peace, to protect the democracy.” sus among the crowd gathWith that comment, the head Given the subsequent action of the Spanish ered in the Escuela Joseph teacher smiled and took her police, her concerns appear to have been Maria Jujol. The courageous leave. justified. teachers were making a stand It was 3am and a basketball The members of staff told me how they had for democracy and the least game was set to start in the faced verbal threats from police in the lead anyone could do was show sports hall. up to the referendum. But they would not be their support. Isabel Safont wouldn’t miss intimidated. Albert Vidal had come all the it, or this referendum, for anyPROUD: Morning voter The teachers appeared more concerned way from Madrid for the soverthing... with the logistics of their 4am yoga session, eign sleepover.

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BLOCKED: Key footpath

Footpath eco-battle From front

ruled that Clavero was the victim of ‘malicious acts by third parties (...) involving him in a crime [drug trafficking] of which there is no evidence whatsoever’. A rally in support of Clavero, who is the spokesman for Ecologistas en Accion in Cadiz, saw tal cam-hundreds of campaigners depaigning. mand ‘full clarification’ of what happened to him. Some 600 people were forced to cut through barbed wire fences in order to walk on official ‘via pecuarias’ drovers paths up to the Perezoso Lake. During the march, last weekend, they were filmed by dozens of private security guards, who threatened the legal protesters, while Guardia Civil looked on and did nothing. Clavero understandably believes police may be involved in the case against him. “I have suffered violent acts, but a stunt of this magnitude, with surveillance on my house, probably involves some complicity within the State security forces,” he added.

Mafia

The Olive Press contacted Galle’s Brussels office, but at the time of going to press had not spoken with him. In 2007, the Olive Press reported on a similar case on Unescoprotected land next to the Sierra de las Nieves natural park, near Ronda, where developers used similar ‘mafia tactics’ to threaten protesters. Incredibly three expats were sued for €21m by developers linked to the shady Pujol family for undertaking their right to protest against the illegal Los Merinos macro project of two golf courses and 1000 homes. Our coverage reached the national press in the UK as well as locally in Spain, leading to the development eventually being shelved. The paper later won a prize in Cordoba for its environmen-

Spain facing fines after failing to comply with EU air pollution regulations EXPERTS have blasted Spain for failing to comply with EU air pollution levels. It comes as Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - which can cause serious respiratory problems - was found in excess levels in urban areas across the country. Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, have settled into a state of ‘chronic non-compliance,’ claims green group Ecologistas en Accion. “They have failed to comply year after year with regulations since enforcement began in 2010,” said

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a spokesman. He did however praise Madrid for its car bans and its plans to introduce further restrictions, saying ‘it is adopting measures for permanent reductions’ of pollution. But ‘Barcelona does not have those ambitious goals,’ he said. The European Commission sent a ‘final warning’ to Spain for ‘constant noncompliance’ in February,

with Brussels stating the pollution ‘poses a serious health risk.’ The country is now likely to be heavily fined. According to the Ministry of Environment, Valencia, Granada and San Sebastián de la Gomera in the Canary Islands are also bad offenders, ‘mainly due to traffic.’

October 11th - October 24th 2017

Bad year for fires THIS year is the third worst year for wildfires this decade. Some 105,000 hectares have been razed this year across Spain, some 10,000 less than the total in 2009 but well behind 2012 when 215,669 hectares were lost. It comes after Spain suffered one of the longest heatwaves, called Lucifer, in history. Temperatures reached 42C in Cordoba while the Costa del Sol and the island of Mallorca hit 43C, exacerbating one of Spain's worst droughts in modern times. A total of 40% of the fires were in northwest Spain with 30% along the Mediterranean coast.

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THE Canary islands have been rocked by two earthquakes in just one morning. The first, with a magnitude of four, hit the island of La Palma at 6.38am on Tuesday, with the second, much weaker at 1.5, arriving 20 minutes later. There have been 50 recorded quakes across the islands in just one week, with the authorities fearing a big one could happen at any moment.

BACK TO SCHOOL A SERIES of talks directed at educating OAPs about the environment and their carbon footprint have started at the town hall of Baza to protect habitats under the Natura 2000 network. The aim of ‘Greater for the Environment’ talks are to carve out an area of 53,000 hectares between the Baza, Caniles, Gor, Dolar and Zalabí Valleys just above the Sierra Nevada. Elderly populations are then being advised how to best look after their areas.

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Download our app now and A COLOURFUL range of like-mindenjoying the Spanish in his collectionbegin of musiedbest musicians cians, artists news onand the go. recording studio. revellers hardly At one spoken touched down as word event, Craig they partied at Sams, founder of the eclectic Space Green and Black’s Mountain music chocolate, talked festival. about the science The bash at the behind the brand. home of world “We wanted the famous music company to repOlive Press producerThe Martin resent something Glover, aka Youth, sustainable and broughtTOP to- for news in at the same Spain! gether an time someintriguing time mysmix of talterious,” he ents across told the authree stagdience. es. It was a very As well as communitylive music focussed from the weekend likes of the with plenty Orb there was an of families and chilart gallery, food dren. stalls and a ‘healing Now in its second centre’. year, it has propMeanwhile, Youth erly taken off and who has worked will hopefully grow with The Verve, over the coming Guns and Roses decade. and Paul McCartney, riffed with a By Jed Neill

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Ode to Almeria

MORE than 20,000 works by famed Spanish photographer Carlos Perez Siquier are going on display. Olula del Rio, in Almeria, has constructed the first museum dedicated solely to a Spanish photographer. Born in Almeria in 1930, Siquier once said ‘photography has been an impulse to live’. Almost all

Dali, Picasso and Matisse star in new Malaga exhibition MALAGA’S Thyssen Museum is expected to rake in more than €600,000 next year thanks to an exciting new exhibition. The Mediterranean exhibition, which aims to show the region as a meeting point for tradition and modernity, will see works from Matisse, Dali, Picasso and others. The museum has increased its budget by €200,000 to €3.5 million to put on the show, which is expected to attract 168,000 visitors in 2018. Total profits from tourist visits are expected to exceed €584,000. It comes after a successful year for the Thys-

for second and third also. Other cash prizes are available for Best Gibraltar Theme and Best Young Artist. Entries must be handed in at the Gustavo Bacarisas Galleries from Monday October 23 from 3pm to 7pm. Closing date for entries is October 27. Email info.

alaga - October 10-12 - Royal Livestock Fair

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Calling all artists! ARTISTS are being urged to enter the 44th Gibraltar International Art Exhibition. The competition is open to anyone aged 16 and over and entries must be in by November 7. A maximum of two paintings and two sculptures may be submitted by each artist. Works must be original and not previously entered competitively. There is a £4,000 cash prize for the winner and thousands up for grabs

what’s on

the photos on show were taken in Almeria from the 1950s and onwards. Siquier said: "For me it has not been necessary to go to exotic countries or photograph people from other places. “I have remained faithful to my land, and in it I have obtained images with such transcendence. In everyday life you can find the extraordinary.”

sen, which saw art sales increase by 6% and its shares increase by 10%.

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upgrades, replacing the current lighting in its exhibition spaces and installing halogen lamps and lights with LED technology. The exhibition programme for next year also includes works by Francisco Iturrino, known as ‘one of the great masters of Spanish painting’. From October 2018, the show will reflect, through 30 to 40 pieces, the best of the Cantabrian artist, whose production is ‘closely linked with Andalucia, its themes and the fascination he felt for the light and women from the south’.

It will continue its series of technological

ONE of Andalucia’s oldest fairs, celebrated since 1869 will take place at Villanueva de Tapia. This year the fair also includes a suckling goat culinary competition as well as the Malaga goat breed contest.

onda - October 21-22 - Chesnut and Wine Festival

YUNQUERA will host this annual festival to honour the autumn chestnut - a symbol of seasonal change. The town’s local dish, malconcinao will be on offer with locally produced wine.

ijas - October 13 - David Bowie Tribute

MARBELLA based band The Spiders will be delivering an evening of David Bowie featuring his greatest hits as well as his videos at the Que Bowling Mijas at 9pm.

Premium Christmas Menu Signature Christmas cocktail

Seafood Bisque

Lobster Tortellini

homemade black pepper crackers & rouille

fennel & roasted garlic purée

Cheese Soufflés

Duck Bonbons

apple walnut & pomegranate salad (v)

orange chilli jelly

Pomegranate & Cava sorbet

Roast Turkey

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pecan nut & date stuffing, crispy pancetta, chipolatas, served with a selection of seasonal vegetables & roasted potatoes

shellfish sauce, lemon potatoes & chargrilled minute leeks

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For groups of more than 10, after your party, coach transfer back to town, Ocean Village & the frontier is included. Manager: Geri Cummings | Executive Chef: Ben Hayes University of Gibraltar - Europa Point Campus - Gibraltar GX11 1AA Tel: +350 200 76588 or geri@huntergroup.gi

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As Spain prepares to celebrate the famous navigator’s arrival in the Americas on October 12, Laurence Dollimore embarks on a voyage of discovery into his real and imagined achievements

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

Expl ring Columbus

HRISTOPHER Columbus stares out at the Atlantic Ocean and tells his son the world is like the orange he is peeling: round, not flat. The scene - from the 1992 Ridley Scott film 1492: Conquest of Paradise - paints Columbus as an enlightened scientific figure, surrounded by naysayers determined to scuttle his plans. But that is a myth, and the author Washington Irving is largely to blame.

He Americanised the voyager in his best-selling 1828 biography, creating the idea that Columbus was an ‘all American’ hands-on seaman willing to challenge immobile academics who didn’t share his vision. But such an image is far from the truth. Columbus massively underestimated the size of the earth and thought he could reach Asia and its lucrative markets by going west, all the while avoiding Spain’s Moorish rivals in the

east. He had to beg King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella for their sponsorship, which they only granted out of desperation. And once he reached America - convinced it was Asia - he made several managerial decisions that created the conditions for mass genocide. Below we debunk the biggest myths about the early explorer.

Columbus was a great leader and businessman ‘Five lessons in leadership effectiveness from Christopher Columbus’ and ‘Three business lessons learned from Christopher Columbus’ are just a sample of the articles praising the explorer for his ‘acumen’. But did he really possess those qualities? It’s fair to say he was a confident risk-taker who had knowledge of the markets. From sailing the West African coast for gold in the early 1480s, he went on to the sugar markets in the Madeiras, but his sights were set on Asia and its spices. Perhaps if he had reached the easterly continent, he could have proved his worth as a businessman.

Old World

Instead he ended up in the Caribbean. Densely populated and lacking in gold, the island populations had no market economy to match the Old World. Ignoring these signs, Columbus thought he could make friends and trade gold for slaves, as Portugal was doing in Africa. He planted a colony - La Navidad - in north Haiti but when he returned on his second voyage, everyone in ‘Christmas Town’ was dead. His second settlement, La Isabela, ended in the same way. La Isabela was a trading post like many found in the Mediterranean. It was intended to survive by trade rather than self-sufficiency but this only led inhabitants to engage in suicidal raids on neighboring indigenous villages. Columbus’s misunderstanding of local economies and his failure to adapt to local conditions cost not only Spanish lives but also countless indigenous ones.

PROSPEROUS: The Silk Road ran from China to the Middle East and Europe and was highly profitable for traders who had access, selling spices, silks, gold, and more

Columbus believed he had discovered America As far as he was aware, Columbus was discovering parts of Asia not described by Marco Polo or other Western authorities. He also believed he had found a new route to the East Indies that would circumvent Muslim-controlled

PICTURED: Columbus lands on ‘Hispaniola’ - today’s Haiti

passages to the east of Spain. As Nicolás Wey-Gómez has recently shown, sailing south to the tropics was perhaps Columbus’s main innovation, since he wanted to reach the Spice Islands first. From there, he could travel to China from a safe commercial base — the fortified trading post he had tried to establish on Hispaniola.The idea

TRAVELLER: Columbus travelled to the Caribbean several times

of an entirely new world inhabited by many millions of previously unknown people was simply too much to grasp. If Columbus did discover something, it was the true extent of the North Atlantic trade wind circuit. Portuguese mariners had already observed this wind-and-current system. But Columbus went much further, proving that transatlantic sea travel in the age of sail was far more possible than anyone had imagined. But recent research confirms that the first humans to reach the Americas migrated from northeast Asia to North America via a temporary isthmus, or by short island hops in the Bering Strait and along the Alaskan and British Columbian coasts some 14,000 years before Columbus. These earliest Americans made their way south and east, rapidly settling and altering two vast continents and numerous islands. For Native Americans, Columbus’s arrival prompted 523 years of resistance. Whether we call it Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day, October 12 merits reflection.

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

Columbus committed genocide

. Nina and Pinta were not the actual names of two of Columbus’ three ships. Ships at the time were traditionally named after saints, but sailors bestowed less-than-sacred nicknames upon their vessels. Mariners dubbed one of the three ships on Columbus’s 1492 voyage the Pinta, Spanish for ‘the painted one’ or ‘prostitute.’ The Santa Clara, meanwhile, was nicknamed the Nina in honor of its owner, Juan Nino. Although the Santa Maria is called by its official name, its nickname was La Gallega, after the province of Galicia in which it was built.

. Columbus returned to Spain in chains in 1500 Columbus’s governance of Hispaniola (Haiti) could be brutal and tyrannical. Native islanders who didn’t collect enough gold could have their hands cut off, and rebel Spanish colonists were executed at the gallows. Colonists complained to the monarchy about mismanagement, and a royal commissioner dispatched to Hispaniola arrested Columbus in August 1500 and brought him back to Spain in chains. Although Columbus was stripped of his governorship, King Ferdinand not only granted the explorer his freedom but subsidized a fourth voyage.

. A lunar eclipse may have saved Columbus In February 1504, a desperate

DID YOU

KNOW

Columbus made money by enslaving and selling native people kidnapped from the Caribbean. He would make allies among what he called ‘good Indians’, before advocating fighting and the enslaving of native groups he presumed to be cannibals. By 1500, he and his brothers had sent nearly 1,500 natives to be sold as slaves in Europe. Even ‘friendly’ indigenous peoples were forced to mine gold, eventually dying from malnourishment, overwork and disease. A document discovered 10 years ago in Simancas, Spain, suggests he was equally abhorrent to his Spanish subjects. Witnesses testified that his brief government of Haiti was marked by routine cruelty. A Spanish woman who reminded the explorer that he was the son of a weaver had her tongue cut out while others were executed for minor crimes. While Columbus’ intent was not genocide he wanted a living and taxable population - the result of his policies and commercial aims led to genocide.

C o lumbus was stranded in Jamaica, abandoned by half his crew and denied food by the islanders. The heavens that he relied on for navigation, however, would guide him safely once again. Knowing from his almanac that a lunar eclipse was coming on February 29, 1504, Columbus warned the islanders that his god was upset with their refusal of food and that the moon would ‘rise inflamed with wrath’ as an expression of divine displeasure. On the appointed night, the eclipse darkened the moon and turned it red, and the terrified islanders offered provisions and beseeched Columbus to ask his god for mercy.

. Heirs of Columbus and the Spanish monarchy were in litigation until 1790 After the death of Columbus, his heirs waged a lengthy legal battle with the Spanish crown, claiming that the monarchy short-changed them on money and profits due the explorer. Most of the Columbian lawsuits were settled by 1536, but the legal proceedings nearly dragged on until the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ famous voyage.

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Columbus disproved the ‘flat Earth’ theory A round-shaped Earth was not news in Columbus’s time. It was already accepted as being more or less spherical. The more burning questions related to its size and how much of it was covered by oceans. Florentine mathematician Paolo Toscanelli is credited with inspiring Columbus’s voyage, but neither Toscanelli nor Columbus could convince Portugal’s court of its feasibility.

Rival

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella rejected Columbus’ request for sponsorship three times before finally accepting in 1492, but only as a last-minute Hail Mary to out-do their Portugese rivals

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Spain’s Catholic monarchs, however, were intrigued. Rival Portugal was pushing east to Asia by rounding Africa. From fear of missing out, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella granted Columbus another audience in early 1492. That April, an agreement was signed in the shadow of the Alhambra in Granada and Columbus became an ‘admiral of the ocean sea.’

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news politics quia laaxar cultura

October 11th - October 24th 2017 October 11th - October 24th 2017

s. Jed Neill reveals the top eight British programmes Spain has fast become the location of choice for raunchy reality TV romp companionship or just a good ol’ time. that exploit the country as an X-rated playground for those looking for love,

PlayA in Marbella Fly-on-the-wall series delving into the personal and business life of former TOWIE star Elliot Wright who runs La Cala’s high-end restaurant Olivia’s, named after his daughter. The show received mixed reviews but the intoxicating cocktail of sun and glamour kept fans thirsty for more.

Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents In this adolescent adventure abroad, unsuspecting teenage girls and guys go on their first holiday to Magaluf and other party destinations. However, the parents are watching their every move from the comfort of a hotel only a few steps away from the predictable scenes unfolding on the dance floor. A classic example of sun-meets-boozemeets-Brits with the show racking in 1 million viewers at its height, beating The Only Way Is Essex.

Benidorm The British sitcom filmed at the resort’s Solana Hotel is celebrating a decade of success with plans underway for a stage adaption of the show. Famous faces include Johnny Vegas, Siobhan Finneran and Kenny Ireland. Storylines deal with everything from dysfunctional families to bickering couples to middle-aged swingers with more slapstick than sun cream and oodles of innuendo.

Love Island

Coachtrip

This year’s revival of the dating reality show set in a villa on Mallorca took the UK by storm as viewers of all ages, from teens to grandmas, enjoyed a voyeuristic peek into the sex lives of the young and beautiful. Along the way, multiple challenges tested their mental, physical and creative abilities with the reward of a private date outside the villa. Iain Stirling’s comical narration landed him his first UK stand-up tour.

Reality TV show now in its third reincarnation with four-to-seven teams of two taking a coach tour of Europe (often Spain) and voting each other off the bus. Tour guide Brendan Sheerin is a staple character who has appeared in every episode. The journeys make for entertaining viewing with Brendan on hand to distribute his famous referee cards to punish naughty behaviour.

Eldorado British soap opera set in the fictional town of Los Barcos (a set created outside the Andalusian town of Coin), which followed the lives of expats in Spain during the early 1990s. The cast were mostly inexperienced actors and in an attempt to appear more European, characters often spoke in different languages without subtitles. Yet it still brought in a huge viewership with 8-10 million watching at home towards the end of the show’s run.

THE Only Way iS Marbs

Made in Chelsea

The explosive lip-pouting pilgrims of TOWIE come to Marbella for a summer special each year. The cast use such establishments as Sisu Boutique Hotel and Gran Hotel Guadalpin Banus to strut their honed and toned bodies and discuss philosophical dilemmas such as will Gemma and Arg ever get back together, should white shoes be worn to a white party and does a nose job make you more streamline?

For their Ibiza Special, the blonde toffs broke free from the Kings Road to add a touch of colour to their glamorous lifestyles following successful series shoots in New York, Los Angeles and the south of France. The cast used their beauty and wit to strike up relationships with those already in one, using the effective hesaid-she-said primetime television gambit.

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LE TT E R S

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Let down From what I saw after volunteering in a school for a short time, the teaching methods are old fashioned (Spain has one of the worst performing education systems in the EU, online). They teach on one level not taking into account different learning methods and needs of the children. It's far too textbookbased and delivery methods are boring not engaging the in children different ways of learning. I was shocked at what I saw. The children get far too much homework, each lesson is far too long and the school day is too short. I think many of the teachers seemed disinterested. It’s such a shame for the kids. Teaching by rote is ok on occasion but not all the time.

Julie Campbell, UK

October 11th - October 24th 2017

SHOCKER

Our readers react to the violence that broke out in Catalunya following confrontations between police and protesters MONSTER Farcical vote Luigi Romersa, Marbella PLUS... What are these leading agents and a string of celebrities doing in Mallorca this month?

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30km of his daughter Demmi Nicole and his grandson. He was also ordered to pay Demmi, who had mounted a private prosecution against him, a total of €180,000. The 21-year-old, who was in court, had reported Lyttle to British police for abusive behaviour. Lyttle, who expressed regret, admitted choking Lisa Jane with a mobile-phone cable in January 2016 during a fight.

Brit strangler admits to killing his wife… but not in a sex game By JOE DUggAN

What a farce.The referendum having been declared illegal beforehand meant only those in favour of independence are likely to have bothered to vote. Michele Morton, La Axarquía

Reaction pending Can't quite see how a vote that only half the region took part in has caused this amount of disruption. The lack of an EU reaction to this is remarkable. Allan Bowley, Malaga

Police state Just been watching police beat up old women and men. One guy with his dog was doing nothing BUT still beaten up by so called police. I have lost faith in police here if that's how they treat their fellow country men. Tom Mander Jnr, Granada

No leg to stand on

State terrorism Franco is laughing from hell. Now we see the true face of Rajoy and his followers. This is state terrorism: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation against civilians in the pursuit of political aims. Ketil Naess, Norway

Two-fold This is why they'll never get Gibraltar back. Who'd want to rejoin such an undemocratic country? Jamie Tristram Luck

History repeating itself Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Junker are the third reich. 20 years from now everyone will be working for a small wage, in small houses, eating little food and be curfewed from the moment they leave their homes. I won't be around to be an EU prisoner!

The English should keep their mouths shut. Your armies have shot and killed women and children in Northern Ireland. The British killed them in cold blood. Sunday BLOODY Sunday.

A BRITISH expat faces 12 years in prison after confessing to killing his wife. In a dramatic last minute plea deal, Warren Lyttle, 52, admitted strangling mum-of-one Lisa Jane, 49, in his Costa de la Calma flat and was found guilty of a lesser offence of homicide. Car salesman Lyttle had the claimed originally mum-of-one died during a sado-masochistic sex game that went wrong.

GUILTY: Warren Lyttle has admitted to killing his wife Lisa Jane (left) with a cable

The deal struck in Palma court was agreed by the jury, with prosecutors initially seeking a 20-year sentence for murder.

Lyttle looked on in silence as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdict, with relatives of Lisa Jane Lyttle bursting into applause.

The presiding magistrate will formally announce Lyttle’s sentence this week. The court also banned Lyttle from coming within

Trump plea

DONALD Trump has said he wants to see a united Spain. His comments came as prime minister Rajoy jetted And Trump delivered when he said: to the US to meet the president “I’m for a united Spain, I really think this week. the people of Catalonia would stay Rajoy had hoped to get Trump with Spain.” The pair also discussed on his side ahead of the Spain’s role in the EU and NATO. upcoming independence referendum in CataluCATA-STROPHIC SEE PAGE 6 nya. Untitled-1.pdf 1 16/06/2017 15:36

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Choked

“There hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t regretted what I did,” he said in court. “At first I didn’t realise she was dead. “We argued about money and because we had been drinking.” He added: “I lost my wife who was by best friend. And I lost a lot of people who were friends.'' Lisa Jane had flown from her home in Kilburn, London, to be with Lyttle two days prior to her death. She regularly returned to be with her husband. The court heard how Lyttle had phoned emergency services ‘two or three times’ after attacking his wife, but they were unable to arrive in time to save her. Following his arrest, he claimed to police that Lisa Jane had choked during a sex game. Lyttle said he ‘told them she wants money but I don’t have money’. Several hundred local residents had attended a vigil at Calvia Town hall following Lisa Jane’s killing.

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MallorcaSeptember - Living 14th- September 9 Inspiration 27th 2017

Mallorca Olive Press

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October 2017

Issue 2

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BrIng Out the BransOn

CALVIA has been named among four most popular destinations the for Brits buying abroad. The Mallorca town was beaten only by famous Andalucian resorts Marbella and Mijas, while Torrevieja topped the list. The report by homebuilder Taylor Wimpey cited Mallorca’s growing ulation as a holiday destination. pop“The preferred holiday destination of the Spanish Royal Family and location of numerous A-listers’ the ond homes, Mallorca is known forsecits exclusive feel,” explained boss Marc Pritchard, who has headed up the land’s HQ for over a decade. While isthe

developer boasts numerous premium sites across the island, it is properties in Calvia that have been the most requested this summer. While Torrevieja topped the charts,

Marbella and Mijas were very close behind. Marbella has ‘superb flight connections year round’ and new routes are being added every year, according

Second homes surge

HOLIDAY home demand is back in business… among Spaniards as well. New research reveals that 13% of homes sold to local buyers are intended homes, according to Fotocasa. as holiday Some 59% of buyers have no intention of renting out their second home, to offer holiday rentals. “The holiday rental market is one of the reasons whilst 34% plan are rising so fast,” explains Beatriz Toribio, why rental prices head of research at Fotocasa. Another report reveals that more than six million Spanish households own in Spain, of which 3.6 million are located a second home in coastal areas.

17 Property Shops on Mallorca

Magazine fULL of ProPerty neWS

Wheely harsh ExCLUSIVE

A MALLORCA expat has expressed ‘surprise’ after receiving a police notice for locking her bike to a lamp post. Brit Emilie, 39, found her bicycle slapped with the warning after leaving it on a secluded Palma street near her home. With no room in her flat, and no bike racks close by, the British mum-of-one says she had no alternative. “I’ve never bumped into anyone on this road, it’s really quiet,” she told the Olive Press. “Now I have to walk a lot further and lock it up on a busy road full of people out drinking, which makes me worry it could get stolen over the weekend.” She added: “You see empty bike locks around so perhaps the police have taken them.” According to Palma Town Hall regulations, Police may remove bikes that ‘constitute a danger or disturbance to traffic or pedestrians’. Fines are levied before withheld bikes are released to their owners.

Lightening strikes

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Truck bomb exercise

September 27th - October 10th

2017

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Back from the dead

Border boost SPANISH workers have been handed reassurances amid fears over Brexit’s impact on the frontier. It comes as Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis sought to calm concerns during a visit to La Linea. “I hope that there won’t be a hard Brexit, but we want to maintain the best relations with the UK and we don’t want to inconvenience or create a prejudicial situation for the citizens of this area,” he said. There had been fears that following the UK’s exit from the EU, Spain would shut its frontier with Gibraltar. This would cause economic ruin for La Linea, with an estimated 10,000 of its citizens relying on employment across the border for their livelihoods. The town is already among Spain’s poorest, with a high unemployment rate.

A TRUCK bomb causing multiple casualties was the subject of a dummy run for the emergency services on the Rock. Titled Exercise Assure, the emergency rehearsal involved officials from the Government, the Royal Gibraltar Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Gibraltar Port Authority, the Air Terminal, the Borders and Coastguard Agency and HM Customs. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, the Police chief Eddie Yome and the Commander of the British Forces, Commodore Mike Walliker were all involved. The exercise at No.6 involved a scenario where after the truck blew up, there was an ensuing manhunt in the Upper Town.

September 27th - October 10th

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IT has taken months of complaints and news stories. But Gibraltar’s cemetery is finally being brought back to life. An eagle-eyed reader took a shot of workmen cleaning

up the overgrown site. In total, the team of work-

men removed ‘at least 30’ big sacks of garden waste from the burial ground. It comes two months after the Gibraltar Olive Press launched the ‘Give Them Respect’ campaign following a slew of complaints from residents and readers.

ESCAPE TO THE ROCK EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

Londoner moves to Gibraltar after allegedly conning expats out of rental deposits in Spain

LAYING LOW: Karim Moumene

Moumene to return the money, including contacting his family and launching a social media campaign against him. She has now finally tracked him down to Gibraltar through his friends, and discovered he has been drinking in wellknown Main Street pub the Horseshoe over recent weeks. One member of staff told the Olive Press last that he had indeed been drinking there recently. and it is almost impossible to The barmaid said: “He didn’t find a room in Barcelona for a really talk much about himcouple. It has been very stressself. Just sat for a few pints and ful.” She has now reported the theft kept himself to Barcelona police and conto himself.” tinues to try and pressurise This week, in an astonishing confession, Moumene wrote to Nolan asking for forgiveness. It came after she wrote to MAYFAIR his mother ONMAIN ANGRY: Nolan in England Gibraltar’s luxury hair salon experience where quality & service matter

A SELF-confessed scammer has fled to Gibraltar from Spain with a pregnant woman’s rental deposit. alista.com. Londoner Abdelkarim [Karim] Five-month pregnant Nolan, a Moumene, 27, allegedly scarteacher who lives in Barcelona, pered with €2,300 in cash after only realised she and her partadvertising a flat he didn’t own ner had been conned when an on a rental portal. estate agent demanded they The wheeler dealer left Irish leave. expat Hannah Nolan, 26, and She told the Olive Press how her partner €800 out of pocket the agent ended up trying to over the property in Barcelona. break down the door, accusing Another young couple also lost them of squatting and telling €900 after Moumene allegedly them to move out immediately. pocketed their rental deposit, “Karim seemed so charming via an advert he placed on Idebut then he conned us,” she

said, “We wanted to find a place together for the remainder of my pregnancy before I returned to my native Ireland to have the baby. “We're both young, so don't have have a lot of spare income

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insisting she put pressure on her son. In the email he wrote that he was sorry he conned her and that she had ‘every right to be livid’ with him. He admitted it was a ‘scam’. It is not known how many other people he has ripped off. The Olive Press has discovered that the conman worked for four years at Barcelona’s Cheers Irish bar where, strangely, he used the name ‘John’, manager Sam Olsson revealed.

Police in Barcelona refused to give more details on the case, while police in Gibraltar confirmed they would be handing our dossier over to the intelligence department. His mother did not respond to calls in London and he did not reply to emails. Have you been the victim of a rental scam like this in Spain? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es

What’s up doc?

We meet Gibraltar’s deputy leader Dr. Joseph Garcia

See Page 5

In Gibraltar

Soheil S. Mark Sam Mark Master degree in Implantology and oral Rehabilitation

Calle Burgos 3 952 917 164 FUENGIROLA

ICHARD Branson has opened a swish new holiday pad at his Son Bunyola resort. The 680-acre estate began welcoming guests last summer, with two villas, the four-bedroom Sa Terra Rotja and the five-bedroom Sa Punta de S’Aguila offering a luxury island retreat. A smaller, third villa has now been added. The three-storey Son Balagueret is built round a 13th-century turret which would have been a sentry’s lookout point when Mallorca was invaded by the kingdom of Aragon. A central courtyard, heated pool and private chefs add to the villa’s glamorous pull. Branson has been a longtime fan of Mallorca, having previously owned Deia’s La Residencia hotel. He bought back the 4,000acre Son Bunyola estate for around €15 million in 2015, having previously offloaded it following a battle with the local mayor over development plans.

to the report. Meanwhile, Mijas was unique in attracting holidaymakers and avid golfers. “Many holidaymakers fall in love this holiday hotspot as they are with far from the sea or a golf course,”never said the report. Spanish tourism continues to records this year with over 10.5break lion tourists arriving in July– mil10% more than last year’s figures. British visitors were the largest group, accounting for over 2.3 million arrivals during the month. The homebuilder has a number of projects currently underway in Mijas and Marbella, as well as in Mallorca.

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Property Winning team

SHE is one half of Mallorca’s most famous tennis love match. But Xisca Perelló, Rafa Nadal’s girlfriend, has been serving up her own aces in the Balearic property market. Perello, Nadal’s 28-year-old childhood sweetheart, is the heir to Inmobiliaria Jaime III 2016, which she runs alongside brother Juan Miguel. Based in Palma, the company, founded in 1964, deals with both sales and rentals as well as property development. Xisca has been dating Nadal since 2005, but prefers to remain out of the limelight. “It’s not a world I want to be part of, nor do I think Rafa would have chosen to be with a woman who looked for that in life,” she said.

ToP oF THe PRoPS

Mallorca a hot favourite for Brits buying abroad this summer

TWO people have been seriously injured after being struck by lightning. The couple were watching a storm from a tower in Cala en Basset, a lookout point in Andratx. They were rushed to Son Espases hospital, where they made a recovery.

Ave de Gabriel Roca 4, Palma

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Especialidades Carnes de Caza y Pescado

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AN Pedro de Alcantara is dressed As San Pedro gears up for all kinds of success, and I don’t mean flamenco costumes for its feria - the last of (although look out for them if the season - Laurence you’re down that way in mid-October. The San Pedro fair famously closes the feria Dollimore discovers a town season here). that can throw a party to Like this season’s debutantes, Marbella’s ‘kid sister’ has come out in style, stepping match anything big sister from behind her sibling’s shadow into the limelight with glitzy attractions, gourmet Marbella can muster eateries and resident celebs all of her mier Jose Maria Aznar among them. Pantone 118c own. Meanwhile, the head-turning footbridge In my 15 years of having a home here, I with its serpentine coils, is doing for San have never seen the place go through so Pedro what the Golden Gate did for San many transformations. Francisco and the Guggenheim for BilFor a couple of years now, where snarled bao. lines of traffic once backed up along the And although very much part of the mucoast road, a striking urban boulevard nicipality of Marbella, San Pedro has sprouting trendy pavement cafes has re- forged its own shiny new identity that’s claimed the once maligned area. quite separate, yet complementary to, its With a new skating rink, a skate park jet-setting neighbour. and a hat trick of new Just 10km west of children’s play parks, the Marbs, it has been reseaside town is unrecogborn over the last deSan Pedro has nisable from a few years cade as a modernised ago. microcosm of Spain. forged its own And it is still in transforBut some things have mation, investing more shiny new identity never changed in all than €2 million in reinthe years I have been that’s quite venting its town centre, visiting the town, with semi-pedestrianised named after 16th cen-Pantone 118c separate zones between the boutury Franciscan friar, St levard and its commerPeter of Alcantara. cial heart. The evenings still see This expat favourite, which continues to veteran San Pedranos gather on shaded offer one of the most authentic Spanish- benches around St Peter’s statue, outpueblo vibes on the Costa del Sol, is also side the parish church; the traditional getting a new museum dedicated to the Saturday market remains a weekly highartist Vicente de Espona. light; and the pavement cafes and ice And perhaps more fortune will come its cream parlours are heaving on Sunday way after its main political party, Opción nights in summer, when Spanish families Sampedreña (OSP) helped bring back enjoy their ritual paseo along the prom. former Marbella Mayor Angeles Munoz in What has kept San Pedro special has a dramatic vote of confidence at the town been its ability to hang on to its Spanish hall this summer. persona in the face of massive investThere are also rumours that former UK ment from Marbella Town Hall - nearly premier Tony Blair has bought a holiday €100 million. home in the town’s exclusive Guadalmina It must have felt like winning the lottery urbanisation. jackpot but San Pedro has spent the And he wouldn’t be the first world leader to set up shop here, with ex-Spanish preContinues on next page

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money wisely. The central boulevard, crowned by its snaking pedestrian bridge, has turned the town from an also-ran suburb into a spanking new social hub where whole families come to skate, hang out and enjoy the regular food truck festivals. Office workers make a beeline for its congenial cocktail bars on Friday nights. The bridge may be more Gehry’s Guggenheim than typical Andalus but it has forged strong new connections with visitors who used to think Marbs ended at Puerto Banus. The €6 million boulevard it meanders over boasts an amphitheatre and is now the official site of the town’s four-day feria, the last of the year in Andalucia, timed to celebrate St Peter’s feast day on October 18. Other welcome upgrades have included the €85 million tunnel diverting dangerous high-speed traffic below the town centre, and a much-needed underground car park. “San Pedro really does have it all,” says local Sean Woolley, 47, who has run an estate agent from the town for 15 years. “The new boulevard and urban park have become a magnet for new restaurants and bars and it has created a place that now offers something for everyone,” he says proudly. “There is this charm and tradition of a typical Spanish town fused with trendy and cosmopolitan additions, from organic cafes to lively wine bars. When you couple this with its sandy beaches and fabulous promenade, San Pedro is pretty much perfect.” Beneath the glitzy exterior, San Pedranos are as friendly and unassuming as they were in their 19th century farming days. And if anything is a reminder of those rustic origins, it’s San Pedro’s resident pig! On any given Sunday this sociable

ANCIENT AND MODERN: New bridge and (right) coastal watchtower

SAN PEDRO, ACTUALLY creature and town mascot can be seen Murcia, Granada and Almeria, and San strolling around its new neighbourhood, Pedro grew into a sizeable municipality. uttering contented grunts of approval A statue of Gutierrez now stands next to (see next page). the old town, keeping Army General Don Marpaternalistic vigil over quez Manuel Gutierrez his creation. But San Pedro de la Concha founded Although development the farming colony in slowed during the early has never seen the 1860’s when he 20th century when acquired nearly 5,000 the rampant over- Spain was ravaged acres of agricultural by civil war, the town development of bounced back during land across Marbella, Benahavis and Estethe late 1940s and 50s, other resorts pona. with street lighting and But with malaria scytha main road. But San ing through the loPedro has never seen cal populace and poor irrigation, the the rampant over-development of other Marques introduced a series of innova- costa resorts. tive reforms, including an agricultural Central to its evolution has been its busschool for local farm workers, river bridg- tling beach promenade that links seames, dams and state-of-the-art machinery. lessly to Banus and Marbella, putting the Workers soon flocked from Valencia, town on the map for cyclists, joggers and

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walkers. Its beaches fly the prestigious blue flag, the worldwide standard of excellence, while chic chiringuitos like Macaao and Guayaba are hotspots for the cool and hip. The once-barren wasteland between the boulevard and the ocean now sports shops, restaurants, residential communities and world class amenities like Nueva Alcantara paddle and tennis club, which hosts regular international tournaments. The beachfront also reveals clues to the presence of less-recent visitors – a 3rd century Roman baths and a 16th century watchtower looking out over the panorama of sun worshippers and jet skiers. While, set back from the waterfront action, you’ll also find relics of the 6th century Paleo-Christian burial site, Vega de Mar, excavated in the 1930s.

A new road network has also made San Pedro more accessible to visitors and local chefs have cooked up an exciting dining scene in response. Just behind the boulevard, Alfredo’s traditional Spanish fare is always in big demand while next door La Bodega del Cantinero offers an exciting foodie fusion featuring foie gras with apple and honey, tuna tataki with wasabi mayonnaise and shelves of vintage sherries. Further additions like L’impronta, Tutemaki and Restaurant 1870, where you can enjoy spider crab gazpacho in a scenic garden setting, have made San Pedro a key dining reference. And there’s more. San Pedro has its own leafy satellite suburb in the shape of Guadalmina (Baja and Alta), just west of the town centre. This exclusive neighbourhood – a kind of western golden mile boasts multi-million euro mansions galore. Guadalmina Baja is home to ex-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who is often seen jogging along the tree-lined avenues, flanked by four burly bodyguards. Guadalmina Alta, on the opposite side of the A7, has an 18-hole course and the coast’s only cable ski lake which thrillseekers can circuit on water skis or a wakeboard. “I adore it here, you feel like you are in the real Spain,” raves 39-year-old Guadalmina newcomer and artist Debbie Lush. “You are so close to Marbella and Estepona but without the madness and business of Puerto Banus, it’s perfect. “You can walk to the beach, cycle to Marbella and there are so many good places to eat, you have everything on your doorstep,” she adds. Like most locals, these days, she’s proud to tell anyone who asks that, no, she’s not Marbelli - she’s ‘Sanpedrano, actually’.

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‘San Pedro is a key boom area’

Casa Marbella boss Wolfgang Schlesier has known San Pedro well since launching an agency there 35 years ago San Pedro is better than ever, on fire… just look at the boulevard, it’s so busy these days,” explains Wolfgang Schlesier. “It is one of the main boom areas on the coast.” And he should know, having worked in real estate in the area for 35 years. His company Casa Marbella, which has an office just off the brand new Boulevard, has seen some enormous changes over that time. “The main one of course was the tunnel,” he explains. “It might have taken 12 years to finish, but it is really paying off now.” In the heart of the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ of Estepona, Benahavis and Marbella, San Pedro is an enviable place to buy a home or start a business. It is well connected and has good infrastructure, now that the decade-long urban rejuvenation project has been finished. “I live next door in Guadalmina, which is a real paradise, so I have the best of both worlds,” says Wolfgang, who first visited Andalucia on holiday in 1973, while dictator Franco was still alive. Then just 23, he quickly fell in love with the vibe of the coast, that was then one of the hippest places to live in Europe. “I got Marbellitis,” he explains. “Just fell in love with the place and after a three year trip to Caracas, where I learnt Spanish, I happily moved here.” Over the next few decades he mixed with the movers and shakers on the coast, first starting to work in real estate in 1981 in a company called Investasol (empowering individuals towards global change), alongside an EngA LARGE boar-like pig heads San Pedro’s list of famous resilish partner Graham Tullah. dents and is rapidly becoming the town’s mascot. He later launched his current Mythical creature or not, locals report regularly spotting the agency Casa Marbella in 1992, porker roaming the streets. which at its peak had four offices Rumour has it the animal has lived in the town since he was a spread between San Pedro and piglet, and often enjoys a stroll around the old quarter at the Elviria. The staunch Buddhist weekends. a regional organizer for SGI - is Friendly to all-comers, the sociable cerdo is especially fond of a spiritual man, who exudes a warm persona. “It has changed greeting the dogs that share his ‘patch’ and reportedly has a my life and helped me find my special affinity for his canine friends. sense of spirit and place,” exTry not to squeal if you cross his path- He’s a VIP pig and deplains the father-of-four. serves your respect. www.casemarbella.es

Preloved

October 11th - October 24th 2017

Boutique

DESIGNER: Top gear

Loving it

PRE-LOVED boutique is celebrating a year in business in San Pedro. Since arriving from Puerto Banus, the second-hand designer store has made a name for itself as one of the best of its kind on the coast. And Lana, who began the business almost two years ago, has just launched its brand new website. “It’s been a great year here and we love the location,” she told the Olive Press, “There’s something here for everyone and it’s a really unique shop with competitive prices.” Visit www.prelovedboutiquemarbella.com for more info.

Monday-Friday – 10am-2pm & 5pm-8pm Saturday –10am-2pm Calle Cordoba 29670 San Pedro de Alcántara

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CC La colonia

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San Pedro’s evolving commercial centre La Colonia was built by an expat, writes Laurence Dollimore

T is probably best known as the home of McDonald's and Dia, squatting beside the A7 on the outskirts of San Pedro. But La Colonia shopping centre has so much more to offer, with a fantastic range of shops, services and restaurants, all in one easy location with ample free parking. One of the true nerve centres of San Pedro, anybody who has lived on the coast for a while will have used Passion Cafe or Cafe Verona for social and business meetings … perhaps before popping into the Twist boutique next door, or the interior shops La Casa Bonita and King of Cotton. With a golf shop, an opticians, a butcher, a card shop, florist and even

Mon-Fri 10am-6pm Sat 11am-3pm

a pet emporium all sitting cheek by jowl it’s a great one-stop shop for most things you need. It is even the home of radio station Talk Radio Europe. And now there is an even better reason to visit the centre, with a fabulous new boutique wine shop opened here. Called Terroirs, this is the brainchild of Juan Carlos Mackintosh, a long time wine lover, who has worked in the business for over a decade. A wonderful selection of bottles from around Spain, as well as from around the world, this is one of the coast’s most exciting places to stock up. In particular look out for his interesting local wines from the Axarquia,

WELCOME: At Cafe Verona

Jerez and Ronda, as well as his picks from the north of Spain. While at La Colonia, make sure to pop upstairs and say hello to Liana Varini, who is fast becoming one of the coast’s top interior designers. She and her reliable sidekick Cesar, from San Sebastian, are extremely knowledgeable on everything from wallpaper to materials and both have an exquisite eye. Liana, a former Emirates air hostess,

acquired her qualifications in her home country of Italy - all while serving high-flying travellers. She has opened her shop to capitalise on the international set that frequents the centre. “I want to tap more into the European and Russian markets as well as hold on to my Middle Eastern ones and this spot is great for that,” she says. “It’s very central on the costa, right next to Marbella and Estepona, and

C.C. La Colonia, 21, 29670 San Pedro de Alcántara next door to Passion Cafe, opposite Casa Bonita and McDonald’s

2121

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

October 11th - October 24th 2016

Boutique wine shop

What’s in a name

TALENTS: Include Liana and Cesar and (inset left) Juan at Terroirs the roads make it very accessible so I can travel back and forth very easily.” La Colonia’s clientele has expanded a lot over recent years with the key changes in San Pedro. “There is a lot more footfall now,” explains Jane Clark, who has been running the Twist Boutique for a decade. “The shops bring a wide group of people which means more business... you can literally get everything you need from one centre.” In terms of the mix of clientele, Irishman Malcolm Spendlove, who owns Passion Cafe, explains: “We see all types of eaters from businessmen having meetings, families grabbing lunch as well as loads of the locals.”

Before rocking up at La Colonia, how about a little history lesson: the name heralds from San Pedro’s farming days and refers to a colony launched by one of the coast’s earliest expat families. The story began when Scottish miner John Charles Mackintosh left the chilly Highlands to found his own coal mine just inland from the coast in the early 19th century. He amassed a vast fortune over the next few decades, in particular by exporting his coal from a port depot near what is now Funny Beach, just east of Marbella centre. Much of it was sold to the British navy. However the family’s luck was not to last and, when the Spanish civil war broke out in the 1930s, things became tough for the founder’s son. John Mackintosh junior (yes, the owner of Terroirs wine shop - pictured left - is related) was forced to flee Marbella for Gibraltar, finding much of his property confiscated. He lived out the rest of his days on

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951 77 48 85

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ARCHITECTURE

the Rock, and left £20 million to the government when he passed away in 1940 - much of it helping to fund university fees for Gibraltarians. He is remembered there from the name of the social centre, the John Mackintosh Hall. However, it was back in Spain that he had the most impact, buying up large swathes of land around San Pedro for his ‘unofficial family’, the result of a liaison with a Catholic woman from Sevilla. The Protestant Mackintosh felt so bad about neglecting his ‘illegitimate’ lover, whom he could not marry due to their families’ opposing religions, that he bequeathed all the land to her family on his death. Cue La Colonia, built by the third generation of the Mackintosh family and still owned today by the fifth generation, with a number of the family actually working here. Even the square is named after John Mackintosh’s mother, Maria Luisa.

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S an Pedro

THERE has been a food revolution going on in San Pedro for the last few years. The knives have been drawn in a turf war between literally dozens of new restaurants that have opened in that time. Everything from Italian to Argentine, and Japanese to French, all nationalities are represented in this pavement tussle, that is great for the punters. And it is no surprise, with the town offering a wonderful central space off which thousands of people gather to graze at both lunchtime and dinner right through the year. There is a definite focus on quality and style and to sur-

modern

Those in the know are swapping Marbella for San Pedro when it comes to dining, writes Jon Clarke vive you have to be good. “San Pedro has completely changed over the last few years,” explains Ross Duggan, manager at the popular Irish eaterie and pub the Hogan Stand on the Boulevard.

“It has a completely different atmosphere and all the scruffy builders and fraudsters we once had have well and truly moved on. “Now we can concentrate on quality.” The leading purveyors of this drive for haute cuisine

include L’Impronta, Macaao and Tutamaki recently opened on the boulevard, while the town’s most famous restaurant Albert & Simon continues to impress, despite the death of its celebrated chef Albert Benisty a year ago. Across the road, Francisco Vacas at elegant L’Impronta continues to do a great job an upmarket joint, that is constantly upping its game. Highly seasonal in his use of ingredients the Cordoba chef left school and began cooking at the age of 13, and always insists on fresh pasta and the best linecaught fresh fish. If you are looking for something a bit more traditional, then step uphill from the boulevard towards Calle An-

More Spanish you could not find, with stuffed bull’s heads hanging from the walls

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dalucia, where you will find San Pedro’s most famous - and well established - restaurants and bars. Most famous of these is Restaurante Alfredo, which has been open for well over three decades and been hardly shut for more than three days in that time. Indeed, this stalwart of a joint stays open for a nearrecord 364 days a year, only shutting on New Year’s Day. More Spanish you could not find, with stuffed bull’s heads (and plenty more) hanging from the walls, wooden chandeliers and empty sherry bottles. A superb shady terrace outside is perfect for business lunches, while inside for winter is rarely anything but packed. A true family affair, only its chef Ivan is an outsider and he’s been knocking around for over 20 years. Father Alfredo and his sons offer a great mix of meat and fish and plenty of seasonal fare to boot. Next door you should also try out La Bodega de Can-

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

FOO FOCUS

After an exotic upbringing it is little surprise that former teenage soldier Abdel Djeebet has become something of a trooper in the kitchen

Eastern promise

IT is fair to say that Abdel Djeebet was destined for life as a restaurateur. With an uncle who teaches at Spain’s top cookery school, a cousin with a Michelin star and a mother with one of the coast’s longest established cafes, he grew up in a melting pot of flavours and spices. Yet, at the age of 16 the new owner of exciting Japanese restaurant Tutemaki in San Pedro de Alcantara decided to join the army. Having grown up in Sotogrande he could have easily gone

into his family’s various restaurants in Torreguadiaro. “But I was always looking to do my own thing, make money and see the world,” he explains over lunch on the terrace of Tutemaki, which is approaching its first birthday. “So when my stepfather suggested the army I jumped at the idea.” He has soon enrolled in the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, which quickly fast tracked him to do his A-levels at the Army Foundation College in Yorkshire. But that didn’t mean he was in for the easy life. There were plenty of tough weeks in the Brecon Beacons and wilds of Scotland… ten days of continual rain ‘with no roof over our heads’, forced marches, frostbite, hyperthermia. “It was tough, but I was mentally strong, as well as being fast and versatile, so did pretty well.” However, at the end of the two year stint he ducked out of enlisting long-term and enrolled on a tourism and management course at Weymouth College in Dorset. This led full circle to jobs in a string of leading hotels in Brussels, Liverpool and finally at Andalucia’s most stylish retreat Finca Cortesin in Casares. And now, Abdel, 26, is finally back full circle where he was always meant to be, running a restaurant on the Costa del Sol. Joint owner of Tutemaki with Dutch entrepreneur Nawfel, a former mechanic whose Andalucian wife wanted a move back to Spain, he has worked hard to bring in a series of important touches. These include a brand new menu, bamboo fence, Japanese music and an all round new ‘zen feel’. “We invested in a Teppanyaki grill and are also working on making the food more gourmet in style and sourcing the freshest ingredients the region has to offer,” he explains.

tinero, run by friendly superhost Alberto, who has been working in restaurants since he was 14. This is THE spot for lovers of sherry and he has hundreds of them and many going into the hundreds of euros, including a 1946 Pedro Ximenez and a 40-year-old Amontillado from Azuleta. But aside from the wine list the food is excellent and varied and there are always plenty of specials, including one of the best ajo blancos I have tried on the coast. Best of all though - in fact maybe the winning dish in San Pedro - was the amazing tartaki of bluefin tuna, with a wakame salad, egg roe ‘tobiko’ and mayonnaise wasabi. In a word; perfect. It is no surprise that last year the restaurant won a national ‘gold award’ from

This is THE spot for lovers of sherry and there are hundreds to choose from Radio Turismo and he continues to go from strength to strength. Another man helping to change the face of San Pedro is Malcolm Spendlove, who has been at the helm of the ever popular Passion Cafe for the last 15 years and now heads up one of the coast’s best hamburger joints, Mr Gourmet Burger on the boulevard.

MEATS GALORE: Ribs ready to cook at Alfredo’s

It counts on 100% beef burgers, halal too, while kids are encouraged to make their own ‘Junior G’ burgers in ‘four easy steps’. Next door and rarely quiet look out for popular Irish pub and restaurant Hogan Stand, an Irish pub named after the famous Gaelic football stand at Croke Park. As well as having its typical bar snacks it also has a good mix of qual-

ity dishes, including rack of lamb and fish, and you dine on a nice terrace at the front. And then there is the new Gym Junkie Cafe, Spain’s first protein eatery, serving up vitamin-stacked meals - ideal before or after a workout. The cafe’s mouthwatering menu includes grass-fed beef, protein pancakes and an omelette bar - complete with seaweed, broccoli and tuna omelettes.

35 year Hotspot

This means a lot more than just sushi, with loads of ‘temaki’ handrolls, six in total, which are amazing, as well as the most amazing spicy tuna tartare. “We are buying our own almadraba-caught bluefin tuna from Cadiz, which is sustainable and organic, so we will never run out,” he explains. “This is the tuna that the top restaurants in Japan buy.” The wagyu beef burger is spectacular and there are some fantastic fresh juices, which are great for the palate and healthy to boot. The taiyaki desserts, which are fish shaped waffles filled with nutella, kinder or white chocolate, are popular with kids. “My uncle, who teaches at Les Roches cookery school in Marbella has been very helpful and I have learnt loads from my mother Laila.” He grew up with food in his veins, as his mum has always run restaurants as did his other uncles, back in Weymouth, while his cousin Taher Jibet trained with Marco Pierre White at the Michelin-starred Mirabelle, in London, before running his own place in Dorset.

PUB CHARLES has been the coolest secret haunt for Sanpedreños since 1982. At its helm throughout has been charismatic owner Jesus Leal, who insists on talking to everyone who walks through the door. The 64-year-old hasn’t had much time off since he opened the bar 35 years ago, even completing a brand new refurb last year. “People come here for the attentive service and the ambience,” he explains. “Everyone is welcome here.” He’s not wrong. Any given night sees Brits, Spaniards Germans, Russians and more sipping on their fishbowl G&T’s or beautifully decorated cocktails, soaking up the typically friendly San Pedro ambience. So when you’re next strolling around San Peds, you know where to stop off for a drink.

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

This beautiful home is a rare find, completely renovated with modern fixtures in an English country house style completely private, with a beautifully landscaped subtropical garden leading to an inviting swimming pool and gazebo for al fresco dinning. A highly recommended property for those looking for space, privacy & tranquility walking distance to town and amenities.

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Apartment with sea view in front line beach complex in San Pedro

This very well presented corner apartment, in excellent condition, enjoys beautiful views over the community gardens and towards La Concha mountain and the Mediterranean sea.

October 11th - October 24th 2016

REF: CM9204

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Beautiful Contemporary Villa in Estepona 6 Beds 4 Baths 440m2 Build 1756 m2 Plot 100m2 Terrace Price € 790.000

REF: CM9447

Situated in the Golden Bay, 5 minutes drive from the port of Estepona. Built on three floors, with sea views overlooking the African coast line, Sierra Bermeja and Estepona town. Enjoy the gated garden and swimming pool or take advantage of the impressive upper summer conservatory room to admire the spectacular views.

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Beachside ground florr apartment in San Pedro 2 Beds 2 Baths 105m2 Built 32m2

South West facing ground floor property, has been modified for reduced mobility and has a spacious lounge leading to a large terrace with easy access to the communal pool. Five minutes from the beach and San Pedro Boulevard.

Terrace Price € 275.000

2 Bedrooms 2 Baths 140m2 Built 30m2 Terrace € 599.000

REF: CM9070

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Stunning Townhouse in El Paraiso, Benahavis 3 Beds 2 Baths 220m2 Built

Situated within an exclusive gated community, this well kept home is a true gem! Relax on its fantastic upper solarium with panoramic views and admire its beautiful landscaped sub tropical gardens.

34 m2 Terrace Price € 299.000

REF: CM9327

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Breathtaking views in Mijas Valtocado 3 Beds 3 Baths 1 Toilet 584m2 Built 2.328 m2 Plot 284m2 Terrace

This beautiful villa was designed by a Spanish architect to reflect traditional Andalusian style. Only 30 km away from Málaga and close to Marbella. All terraces and rooms offer a spectacular panoramic view of the landscape and Mediterranean Sea.

Price € 695.000

Avenida de Salamanca, 1 29670 Nueva Alcántara, Marbella

www.casamarbella.es info@casamarbella.es T: +34 952 799 643

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Spending soars

Download our app now and begin enjoying thesector best Spanish THE Spanish property is on target to smash last year’s news on the go. overall sales of €9.5 billion. In the first three quarters of 2016 almost €8.7 billion of investments were made, according to consultancy firm JLL. Residential investment stood at €1.18 billion at the end of the third quarter, way above the overall figure for 2016, which The Olive Press was €802 million. Investment in retail property has seen the biggest TOP for spend, newswith in Spain! €3.26 billion ploughed into the sector. Large sales in the retail market include Madrid’s San Miguel Market (€70 million) and Gran Via 18 (€44 million). EXCLUSIVE There were €1.7 billion worth By Jed Neill of office sales completed in the first three quarters across the A SET of ultra-modern country with hotel investment homes which run entirely accounting for a further €1.9 on solar power are under billion. construction in Estepona.

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NEW mortgages rose by a whopping 32.9% in July across Spain, a new report shows. The year-on-year rise in mortgages granted by banks means 24,863 mortgages were granted during July. The average price of each mortgage granted was €119,613, according to Spain’s Institute for National Statistics (INE).

Local bargains Boots are made for walking

STUNNING: Solar homes will turn with the sun

TWO southern Spanish towns are among the cheapest areas to rent in Spain. The average rent per square metre in Andalucia’s Jaen and Extremadura’s Badajoz will only set you back €4.27 and €4.47 respectively. Elsewhere, new data shows rental prices have reached dizzying heights. According to property experts Gesvalt, Barcelona is now at €21.48 per square metre, the highest in the country, followed by the Balearics at €14.51. Madrid is the third most expensive area, costing an average of €14.47 per square metre, with the nationwide average cost leaping 15% from the third quarter of 2016. “The increase in prices is due to the optimism of investors,” said Gesvalt’s spokesman. “This is symptomatic of the increased health in the sector and the recovery of trust in it.” The cheapest areas in Spain to rent are Avila (€4.19), Caceres (€4.23)

October 11th - October 24th 2017

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

BRITISH fashion designer Patrick Cox has snapped up a luxury Spanish pad. The haute couture icon has packed up 400 pairs of shoes and relocated to Ibiza from London’s swish Little Venice. Cox, whose shoes are among the trendiest on the market, has made extensive renovations on his London villa and plans to do the same on the White Isle. “I will really miss Little Venice, but I am looking forward to taking on another Grand Designsstyle project in Ibiza,” said Cox.

generated. Property developer SH Revolving House commissioned the innovative homes to be built on the Bel Air urbanisation. The designers claim homeowners could save 70% in energy costs and reduce their overall carbon footprint by 68%. Co-founder Bertrand Coue, 48, said: “There are lots of beautiful houses in Spain but very few actually cater for sustainability in the long term. “If you can give a building mobility you can enjoy so much more because it is constantly changing.” Each home will cost about €750,000 to build and will comfortably house a family of five.

Incentive

Coue said the laws need to change so there is a financial incentive to go green, adding: “It is very difficult to build with all this pressure.” The first house should be completed by April, with its day-to-day functioning controlled from an app on a phone. The app controls the heating, lightning and electricity but also the rotation disc itself which is taken from a wind turbine. For instance, if you want the sun to be concentrated in a particular room then you rotate the house to the desired position. Sunhouses also react and learn to work with the specific sun in that area. Coue has a broad vision for the company’s future, saying: “I see our markets more in the north of Europe. I think the French and German markets are receptive and in the UK.”

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

FEWER than one in 10

Download our apptemporary now and workers in are ever offered perbegin enjoying theSpain best Spanish manent contracts. news on the go.

The shocking figure makes Spain the worst out of 28 EU countries analysed in a study by Eurostat. The UK sees 55.3% of its temporary workers find full-time work, the second highest conversion rate after Latvia on 56.8%.

Contract woes

Last year it dropped to 50.6, growing slightly in the first eight months of this year to 51.1 days. Salaries for temporary employees also continue to be far lower than those of permanent workers. In 2015, the average yearly salary of a permanent employee was €24,562, compared to the average temporary worker’s €16,442. This equates to a 33.1% difference, making temporary contracts far more attractive to employers.

THE rate of new businesses in Spain’s service sector grew at the fastest rate for two years in September. According to Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), the boom was thanks to confidence among employers.The Olive Press “The strength of client deTrap TOP forin news in Spain! mand shone through They are followed by Rothe latest Spain services mania and Austria on PMI, with new business increasing to the great- 51.9% and 47.6% respecest extent in more than tively. two years,” said Andrew The figures also reveal that Harker, senior economist more than 25% of Spain’s workers are on temporary at Markit. Rising workloads en- contracts. couraged companies to And getting out of the trap increase staffing levels of temporary work is beagain, while stronger cli- coming increasingly difent demand enabled an- ficult. other rise in output prices, A year before the crisis with the rate of inflation began, in 2006, the averamong the fastest in the age duration of temporary contracts was 79.1 days. past decade, he added.

SPANISH unemployment shot up by almost 30,000 people in September, the worst monthly rise since September 2012. However, overall unemployment in Spain has dropped by over 300,000 in the last year, with 292,792 people moving off the dole in 2017 alone. In the Balearic Islands, the 42,415 people registered as unemployed last month was a 12% drop on last September’s figure. Altogether, 3,410,182 Spaniards are registered as out of work.

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Misadventure

What impact will Catalunya have on private business contracts?

HE Catalonian separatists’ indepen- ation uncertain, to say the least, don’t have a dence adventure has ended in economic remedy under Spanish law…or perhaps they failure. do. Two Catalan banks no longer have their The principle clausula rebus sic stantibus HQ in the region, following Sabadell and La (Latin for ‘things thus standing’) is the legal Caixa’s hasty departure to pastures new, and doctrine allowing contractual undertakings to they’re not alone. become inapplicable because of a fundamenFearing massive loss of clients and being left tal and extraordinary change of circumstances out of the protective umbrella of the EU, hun- not envisaged by the parties. dreds of companies are folIt is essentially an ‘escape lowing suit in what could be, clause’ that makes an exceppotentially, an unprecedented tion to the general rule of pacta As for buyers financial debacle for any Eurosunt servanda (‘promises must of Catalunya pean country or region. be kept’) and favor contractus But rather than macroeconom(‘conservation of contracts’). property, we ics, what interests me is the For instance, the hotel chain suggest a waitpotentially hundreds of foreign Accor persuaded the Supreme investors with private contracts and-see approach Court that the 2008 crisis imexchanged for property in Catapacted tourism so dramatically lunya that have been caught in that a 29% reduction in the rent the middle of this nightmare. for a hotel was acceptable. What are their options? Should they proceed, Similarly, a couple who had specifically intendor wait? Can they rescind and recover their ed to finance the final payment on an off-plan down payment, or must they complete or lose property and were left ‘high and dry’ by banks their deposits? following the onset of the worldwide financial We can confirm, almost without the margin of crisis, were granted remedy. error, that no contract signed for any property in Still, the Spanish Supreme Court remains cauthe Catalonian region would include a ‘political tious when applying the clause and recomunrest’ get out clause. You can probably say the mends a case by case analysis of each consame for any EU country. Unfortunately, political tractual scenario. unrest is exactly what is happening in the region, As for the buyers of Catalunya-based property, as confirmed by the Foreign and Commonwealth we suggest a wait-and-see approach as the Office in a recent warning to travelers. next days, if not weeks, will hopefully relax the So, without contractual stipulation to the con- political turmoil and allow for safe decisiontrary, it appears that those who deem the situ- making.

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

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business

October 11th - October 24th 2017 October 11th - October 24th 2017

Catalan woes SPAIN’S borrowing costs have spiked in the wake of the Catalan independence vote violence. Nervous investors pushed Spanish bond prices up to 1.69% following clashes which left 900 people injured. “The sell-off makes sense... given the headlines over the weekend and therefore perceptions of increased domestic political risk and uncertainty,” said Standard Chartered strategist John Davies. Analysts believe continued uncertainty could harm Spain’s economic recovery. “It is clear that risks to government stability are increasing,” said Eurasia Group analyst Federico Santi. Catalan independence was now ‘highly likely’ said the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). “This is bad news for the Spanish and European economies,” said CEBR deputy chairman Douglas McWilliams. “Spanish officials point to a potential fall in Catalan GDP of as much as 10%. Investment in the region is clearly likely to be affected until the position clarifies.”

Why Spain?

The number of foreign visitors coming for leisure, recreation and vacations increased by 11.4%. The number of travelers arriving for professional reasons remained stable. Those who visited for other reasons increased by 1%

Accommodation

Tourism by numbers MORE than 57 million tourists have visited Spain so far this year. The figure is a 9.9% increase on the same period last year. According to the National Institute of Statistics, 10.4 million foreign tourists came to the country in August alone, up 4% on 2016. And Brexit hasn’t put off the Brits, with 13.2 million visiting between January and August, a rise of 7.8% on the same period last year. The UK was followed by

Pea ce of

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Spain is going to smash all tourism records...again

France, with about 8.4 million international tourists, an increase of 1.8%, and Germany, which grew by 7.2%, to 8.2 million visitors. Catalunya was the most visited region in August, receiving 2.6 million visitors and accounting for 24.6% of all foreign tourists. It was followed by the Balearics, which received 2.4 million for-

eign tourists - a 2.6% increase and Andalucia, which attracted more than 1.4 million. Andalucia saw the biggest increase in international tourists with 5% more coming than last year. The figures mean Spain is on track to smash last year’s tourism record, which saw the country rake in more than €77 billion from the industry.

Total accommodation increased by 9.7%, with 45.3 million tourists. Hotel accommodation grew by 6.3%, while rental housing soared by 24.7% in the first eight months of the year

Packages

The amount of tourists shunning the package holiday increased by 12.8%, to more than 40.7 million. Those who opted for a packages increased by 3.3% to around 16.5 million compared to the first seven months of 2016.

Holiday length

The amount of tourists staying for two to three nights increased by 21.7% Those staying four to seven nights shot up by 9.4%. While overnight stays rose by 18.6%.

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

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Less iPad time!

NE of the world’s leading opticians, Specsavers, has noticed a worrying trend in increasing eye problems, particularly myopia (short-sightedness), in children. They are advising parents to limit screen time, make sure that kids get plenty of time outside and that they have regular eye tests from the age of three. Saher Shrief, Store Director from Specsavers Opticas Torrevieja said: “We are now seeing more and more children coming into our store with visual problems, as they are watching more TV, and using more digital devices than they have in the past.” According to the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) excessive use of mobile devices can cause problems like myopia and amblyopia in young children. Maria Liu from UC Berkeley’s School of Optometry, has also seen a sharp increase in young children with short-sightedness. Overuse of computers and handheld electronic devices can cause digital eye strain and expose children to too much harmful blue light. In 2012, researchers from the universities of Bristol and Cardiff reported that children who spend more time outdoors playing when they are aged between eight and nine are approximately half as likely to become short-

sighted by the time they are 15. Saher Shrief from Specsavers said: “Good eye sight is crucial for children, as during the first 12 years of our lives, as much as 80% of learning is accomplished through our vision, yet one out of every four children has an undetected vision problem that may inhibit their progress. Parents need to take an active role in protecting their children’s eye health by ensuring they have regular eye tests and following experts’ advice. We would advise parents to look out for the following symptoms: • • • • •

complaining of headaches sensitivity to light straining their eyes constantly sitting too close to the TV saying their eyes are hurting”

Specsavers suggests that a child should have their first eye examination at around three years old, as the earlier things are detected, the easier they are to rectify without delaying the child’s development. This September they are advising all parents to incorporate a thorough eye test into their back to school routine. Visit www.specsavers.es to find your nearest store.

health Hard on drugs GUARDIA Civil in Spain have busted more than FOUR AND A HALF MILLION counterfeit pills including viagra, slimming aids and muscle enhancers. The huge operation against drug trafficking was coordinated by Interpol and has seen 62 people arrested while another 22 are still under investigation. Some 1,442 inspections in herbal stores, gyms, sex shops and pharmacies across Spain unearthed 56,185 fake viagra pills, 4,205,491 muscle enhancers, 55,428 psychostimulants, 86,970 slimming tablets and more. Meanwhile, the distribution of counterfeit and illegal drugs on the Internet has also seen a crackdown, with inspections being intensified at unauthorised distribution points. The Guardia Civil has developed this operation with the Customs Administration, the Ministry of Health, the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Sanitary Products (AEMPS), the Spanish Agency for Protection of Health in Sport (AEPSAD) and Departments of Health and Pharmacy Inspections throughout the country.

Food for the soul

THE huge Mind, Body & Spirit Festival is coming to the Costa del Sol again. The event is described as ‘pampering and food for the soul’ and involves a wide range of talks and demonstrations on mediumship, healing and tarot reading. The event is at the H10 Plaza hotel on October 21 and 22. For just €10 guests will have talks and demonstrations every half hour. They can also taste the new Ionised Alkaline Kangen Water and learn about its benefits for free, and there will be delicious healthy food and fabulous cakes with gluten free options. There will also be opportunities to have a tarot, palmistry, mediumship, healing and other readings from a variety of highly experienced readers and healers, with beautiful unique jewellery, crystals and Ukon Health food supplements also on sale.

Visit www.mindbodyspiritmarbella.com for more info.

October 11th - October 24th 2017

Problem s Teen receives miracle Marbella cure for debilitating skin condition

A TEEN dubbed the ‘human snake’ who constantly shed her skin has been cured in Marbella. Shalini Yadav, 16, from India shed her skin every six weeks and had to constantly cover her body with moisturiser and bathe every hour to stop her skin from hardening. Her family were too poor to afford specialist treatment, leaving her unable to walk without a stick. Her affliction was so severe she could not even walk unassisted. After doctors in Spain heard her story, they agreed to treat Shalini for free with the help of fundraisers from London.

Scales

Using specialist medicine which slows down the growth of her cells, her skin has stopped shedding scales in just 10 days. The teen, from Nowgong in Madhya Pradesh, has returned to India, but will be supported by the medics for life. Speaking from Spain, she said: “I can’t wait to go back home and show my new face to the people there. Now, I want all those people to come and stare at me.

VICTORY: ‘Human snake’ cured of h “Now, I am confident enough to stare back at those who stared at me and made hurtful comments. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. It feels great. I haven’t got a new skin, I have just got a new life. “In India, nobody would come near me as they thought I was suffering from some contagious disease, even doctors would not come near me. They would examine me from a distance.” Shalini was diagnosed with an inflammatory skin disease where her

education

Worst in class NEW research shows that Spain’s education system is trailing behind Europe and other world leaders. Figures have revealed that 35% of young Spaniards lack a high-school education, double the OECD average, putting Spain on a par with Argentina and Colombia. Spain is also among the leaders when it comes to pupils repeating courses,

with a rate of 32%. The average in the OECD, which includes countries outside Europe, is 12.4%. In a crushing report by the European Commission, Spain was also listed as the EU country with the biggest number of school dropouts. Meanwhile, Spain doesn’t figure in the respected Shanghai Ranking’s 100 best universities in the world, despite the fact it is the 12th most powerful global economy. Switzerland, with just six million inhabitants, has five uniTHE Ministry of Education has announced it will versities ranked on the begin construction work for the new Teatinos Inlist. stitute in Malaga. These new findings unIt comes after residents have been fighting for the derscore revelations last new 600-pupil school for 16 years. month that Spain is at The President of the institute announced the centhe tail-end of Europe in ter would open its doors in September 2018. terms of investment in It has a €4.7 million budget and an expected exeducation, sitting at the ecution period of 18 months. same level as Bulgaria Malaga education minister Patricia Alba said: “This and only just ahead of award manifests once again the ongoing commitRomania, Ireland and ment of Andalucia in improving the school infraItaly (out of a total of 28 structure in our province, and in particular Malaga. countries). “This new institute represents a very important Spain earmarks barely investment that will respond to the needs of 8% of public spending schooling." on education, compared The new build will create 20 classrooms, two muto the EU average of 10% sic classrooms, two visual education classrooms, and the OECD of almost two workshop classrooms and two laboratories. 12%. As a percentage of The institute will have ten departments, a library GDP that’s 4.1%, one of and special education classroom with adapted the lowest levels in the toilet. These spaces will be complemented by EU. four other multipurpose classrooms and a gym equipped with locker rooms.

Back to school

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shed

health

October 11th - October 24th 2017 October 11th - October 24th 2017

Confident smile

31 31

Leading dentist Nina King advises on all things teeth

Three things you should know about dental implants

ental implants are artificial posts which are inserted into the bone and anchor replacement teeth. For many patients, this description alone can be daunting, however, if you are considering dental implants as an option to replace your missing teeth, here are three important facts I believe all patients should know.

1 . High success rate Many large scale, long-term implant studies

Right on Lyme

her condition in Marbella hospital skin grows too fast. She had shed her skin every 45 days since she was born. A team of 19 specialist doctors from the International Medical Academy in Malaga welcomed her to Hospital Banus in Marbella where they gave her €50,000 worth of treatment for free. Dermatologist Enrique Herrera said: “As you can see, we had a very positive response in just ten days of medication. “I expect in the next two months she will be completely normal.”

SPAIN’S first Lyme disease clinic has opened on the Costa del Sol. The Marbella-Poly Clinic held its opening ceremony on October 5, with the mayor of Estepona on hand to cut the ribbon. Lyme disease is a growing problem in Spain, Europe and the rest of the world. The plight is caused by a spirochete - a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted to humans by deer ticks. After the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria has entered into the bloodstream, it can infect and inflame many different types of tissues, resulting in a very diverse set of symptoms. Many patients go untreated for many years due to a lack of understanding and knowledge of the disease. Leaving the disease untreated can even result in death. Visit info.

www.marbellapolyclinic.com

Individuality celebrated Excellent results and teaching staff Modern well equipped school Comprehensive enrichment programme Combined Cadet Force Forces discounts available for boarding www.thewellingtonacademy.org.uk wellington college Sponsor of w e l l i n g to n c o l l e g e ac a d e m y t ru s t

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exist today which frequently report outcome rates exceeding 95%. In 2001 a study was published describing cumulative survival rates of 92% for 13,049 implants over a period of 15 years. The success rate of the procedures can vary depending on several things such as the patient’s overall medical health and the dentist’s expertise. Research shows dental implants can last for many years provided patients practice proper oral home care and receive regular professional check-ups and cleanings.

2 . A minor procedure Some patients still feel they will not be able to cope with undergoing implant surgery. While not many people look forward to surgery, what patients often don’t realize is

that getting a tooth extracted is often much harder for the patient than getting a dental implant! There is significantly less force, pressure, and trauma to the patient during an implant procedure. Standard dental implant procedures are completed in the dental office (NOT in a hospital) under local anesthesia in a couple of hours. Patients are anesthetized and numb the entire time, and healing may take a couple days at most, with adequate pain management using over -the- counter pain killers. If you are still anxious however, treatment under sedation should also be considered.

3 . Natural feel and look Dental implants are the standard

for tooth replacement as they are the closest thing to looking and feeling like having your own teeth again. Many patients tell me it’s such a relief to ‘feel like myself again!’ In addition, if you have ever been in that unfortunate position of having your dentures move whilst eating or laughing then you know how embarrassing it can be. Dental implants will firmly fix your teeth in your mouth. Smile, laugh, and eat all you want! Have confidence in your smile!

Contact the Oasis Dental Clinic on 952 83 74 42

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s e l a m e no showgirls or sihn the ss e r p e oliv

17 YEARS

OF PORTRAYING MARBELLA’S BEST

® essential marbella magazine W W W. E S S E N T I A L M A G A Z I N E . C O M

The Olive Press does NOT and has NEVER accepted sex ads as a genuine family-friendly newspaper

Food, drink & travel

www.theolivepress.es

October 11th - October 24th 2017

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Location, location

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Open: Tuesday to Saturday 12.00 til 22.30 Kitchen closed 15.30 til 19.00 Sunday 12.00 til 16.00 Closed on Monday Reservations: elgarden2016@gmail.com

CATALAN chef Ferran Adria could not avoid discussing the independence vote during a food talk in Valencia. The maestro said he feels ‘very sad’ and demanded that the EU get involved and act as a mediator. He made the comments at the Central Marking of Valencia, where he participated in a cooking event with Mayor Joan Ribo at the city’s Food and Health Week. “I am Europe, I struggled to be Europe and Europe has to be a mediator,” he said, “If not, why are we even in Europe? “I feel European, I bet on Europe and I see that it is failing me,” he added.

Bringing to the region of Andalucía a way of eating which is authentic, natural and sociable. The Lebanese kitchen is one which is inspired by family culture as well as vitality and health. Our cuisine is largely vegetarian-friendly and a perfect opportunity to socialise as well as nourish yourself with a fresh Mediterranean plant-based feast. Fairuz first opened in London in 1998, named after the legendary Lebanese singer who has been captivating the whole of the Middle East for seventy years. We place an emphasis on pairing our cuisine with the art of Lebanese wine, whose industry - little known to the rest of the world of wine - has been thriving for over 5000 years. Our wines are from the rich Bekka Valley in the East of the Lebanon and have been selected from the finest and most established wineries of the region. PS Marítimo Rey de España, 93, 29640 Fuengirola, Malaga, Spain Tel: +34 952 663 293 info@fairuzrestaurant.net

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Andalucia is almost €3,000 cheaper per year when it comes to supermarket shopping GRANADA is the cheapest region in Spain for grocery shopping. A new consumer report has revealed the yearly grocery costs in the inland hotspot are on average €4,051.

It’s a massive difference from Madrid, the most expensive in the country, where groceries will set you back on average €7,329 per year. The Organisation for Consumers and Users analysed more than 164,000 prices at 1,137 establishments for 233 different products. The study included 52 fresh foods (meat, fish, fruit and FRESH produce is soaring in price across Spain. vegetables); 98 packaged A recent report shows fresh products have been foods and drug and hygiene hit by the largest price hikes in almost all superproducts by leading brands. market chains. Meanwhile, the report also The price of fresh fruit and veg has increased by showed that the average 5.3% at Lidl, 5.2% at Alimerka, and 4.3% at Consavings a consumer can get sum, as well as 18 other chains. from switching from an exPrices have only gone down in Dia Plaza, Urban pensive supermarket to a BM, Simply Market, Supersol, Eroski, and Lupa. cheaper one is a huge €909. The report also revealed that shoppers spend the most on fresh produce in Barcelona, Teruel, and Switching Palma de Mallorca and the least in Almeria and Puertollano. Regionally, La Rioja and Galicia are This figure is 2.5% lower the cheapest and Catalunya and the Balearic Isthan last year, however, relands the most expensive. flecting a reduction in the gap between grocery store prices. The cheapest national chains are Alcampo, Mercadona, Carrefour and Simply THERE are few countries that “But some of Market, in that order. enjoy pork more than Spain, those cuts are The OCU said: “Mercadona but Michael Gove has made a hugely popular is the cheapest option in right pig’s ear over Iberia’s fa- elsewhere: for half of the cities that were vourite meat. The Environment example pigs’ ears are a deli- studied, but if there is an AlSecretary claimed the UK has cacy in China.” He added: “One campo in the city, Alcampo been hamstrung by EU diktats of the reasons we’ve not been is usually the most economion exporting pigs ears to China. as successful as we might have cal choice.” Gove told the Conservative Par- been in selling pigs ears into Lidl has increased its prices ty conference Brexit would free China is that EU rules dictate the most, by 4.3%. the UK to set its own prices on pigs like all livestock have ear Maxi Dia increased them by the porky delicacy. tags.” But farmers dismissed 1.8% and Alimerka by 1.6%. “Most people will be aware Gove’s claims, saying he had The chains that have gotten that there are some cuts of the misunderstood EU rules, with less expensive are BM Urban animal that are hugely popular pigs going for slaughter not beat 3.2%, Lupa at 2.9%, and with the British consumer, oth- ing- ear tagged. Más y Más at 2.3%. ers a little less,” he said.

Fresh premium

PIG’S EAR

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October 11th - October 24th 2017

36 36

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Food, drink & travel

October 11th - October 24th 2017

The best modern twists to Andaluciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most famous tipple

L The Tuxedo

AST issue we reported how a sherry revival among the hipsters of London has led sales to almost double in just one year in the UK. The seasoned tipple, picked and harvested in Jerez, now has bars dedicated to it across the capital. And millennials are finding new ways to reinvent the classic, which many thought was on its way out. Here we have rounded up three tasty concoctions, some more complex than others, for you to try out.

2 oz of Dry gin 1 oz of fino sherry 1 dash of orange bitters In a cocktail shaker with ice, stir the ingredients until chilled. Strain into a martini glass.

Lankershim Fizz

1 1/2 oz of Gin 1/2 oz of Pedro Ximenez sherry (or dark sherry) 1/2 oz of simple syrup 3/4 oz of Lemon Juice 2 oz of club soda (or clear soda) Egg white Lemon twist In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, sherry, simple syrup, lemon juice, and egg white. Shake without ice for about 10 seconds. Add ice and shake for an additional 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice, top with club soda, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Something here

The Adonis

1 1/2 oz of dry sherry wine 3/4 oz of sweet vermouth Orange bitters Stir ingredients with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Merry Sherry Up to date

1 1/4 oz of rye whiskey 1 oz of amontillado sherry (or dark sherry) 1/4 oz of Grand Marnier (or orange liqueur) 2 dash of Angostura bitters In a cocktail shaker with ice, stir the ingredients until chilled. Strain into a martini glass.

microwa ham and so. Then ve centre o place the mozza for a minute or f re th lla ball in e Salmo Serrano rejo the the freshham sprinkled o with the crispy v e b r a th s il e leaves. top with some Pic S immedia ual olive oil over alt and Drizzle tely. it all and 37 serve October 11th - October 24th 2017

it in the f the before serving. Serve lthy Salmorejo with a hea serving of tartar in the centre.

er and while ng the nd salt genous much Finally ed egg o ham

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WHY DON’T YOU ESCAPE

October 11th - October 24th 2017

TO THE MOUNTAINS

F L O W -FLOWER POWER

by Stevenby Steven Saunders Saunders of the Little Geranium

The Addams family

EARS ago (in the 1980s) at my original In a timely return to his food Geranium restaurant, near Cambridge, column, chef Steven Saunders I started up a cookery school. Yes, I became a professor and we had - who’s cooked for the As Halloween approaches, a particular family comes to enquiries from all over the UK including one from Jamie Oliver’s family, who lived nearby Beckhams, Naomi Campbell Steven Saunders’ mind and often ate at The Pink Geranium. and the Queen - recalls As my wife Michele I settle on that the Costa E have someand regular clients The staff were in giggles. The head waitdel Sol - are withthe two Geranium restaurants now, setting alightlamb a fish-smoking spitting image of the Ad- er displayed the cooked leg on the one in Marbella and another in La Calacarving - I dams family! board and went to get his knife to fridge during an infamous thought it might belarge a good idea much to re-kindle The man is and bald, carve it. When he returned the lamb was some of my old the Masterclass magic. master class like Fester, while lady is very glamour- gone and Fester had it in his mouth bone It was dig out my original school agenda ous withfun hertolong and all! and Istraight certainlyhair found dark justa few like chestnuts. “Bring me another!” he deMortici. manded. Back in 1988, for example, I taught my pupils And there fish. is a little girl Every year we celebrate Halhow then to smoke

Now in BACK BY Marbella POPULAR too! WITH SOMEONE SPECIAL FOR A NIGHT OR TWO?

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who wears pony tails and eye loween with a special menu makeup in the spitting image and this year we have two of Wednesday. They somemenus one for each restautimes bring is full of wood chiprant; The Little Geranium in We did thisabyfriend fillingwho a tray very dapper and a bowhot and smoky beLa Cala & Marbella. pings which wewears got very tie, much like Gomez, we of an old disused Dishes like eat your heart fore shoving it at theand bottom call themthat the IAddams family. had standing outout (heart shaped beef fillet) fridge conveniently So crispy bats (goats cheese side.imagine our surprise when booked a table in pastry) and rice baked It wasthey a bit Steptoe and for Son, but we used the Halloween a couple in witches’ blood (sea bass racks in the fridge of to years smoke ago! I nearly said ‘well at with negro risotto). the salmon sides and it alyou’ll a many more - the least you won’t need to hire It’s a great fun some night ofwith course them ended up Just outside Ronda, in the sleepy village of Benaoján, culinary tricksfind - and ways worked perfectly… excostumes!’ some fantastic creative food cooking professionally, with one a really why not get in touch for one of my sp small hotel with a great restaurant that has a reputation far bigger cept arrived for onelooking time, when They pretty I and yes, famous I’m doingchef. the milk cial one-day Master Classes. opened the door to discover much the same as usual but fed lamb Iagain Fester! the grapevine that thanheits size. Just one hour from San Pedro a visit Molino hearfor through You’lltohave a lotdel of fun, eat well and the heavier tray and halfmake the fridge with black up. Our Halloween Night will take place on Sathas mastered the art of smoking fish promise you won’t burn a thing! Santo makes a great break from the coast. was on fire. On the menu I had a baby leg of milk fed urday 26th October at both our and meat at the table. I am not sure I Whilecarved naturally horrified, lamb, at the table offI the bone. restaurants. can take any credit for that! The Steven Saunders Maste turnedtook to the trying Fester onestudents glance and said: “I’ll have little more sophisticated classes start on October 6 a to look as cool as a cucumthe lamb.” To see our dedicatedThings menu, are visitawww. these at Saunders enterprises and The said“It’s the always lamb is acooked pink thelittlegeranium.com or days www.thelitberwaitress and said: the new Marbella restauran we cure then use a smoking gun. and is milk he replied: “I could eat the tlegeraniummarbella.com forfirst, our Margood ideafed, to get the smoke Tickets are 155€ and includ You can actually get the same effect whole bella details. reallybeast!” going at first before tuition, a recipe pack, apro

xxx

Anniversary? Birthday? Romantic Night or two? Or just a change of scenery?

toning it down.” I don’t think anyone believed me, but looking back at the students on that particular

by igniting the dried branches ofCheck used the reviews on Trip Advisor or ask around - the hotel has three-course lunch and wine vines of which there are plenty over been there for over 30 years and has lots of For devoted morefans. information visit www here! thelittlegeraniummarbella.com Anyway, if you are looking to learn such CAPTION.

BUT (the bad news):

Steven Saunders FMCGB - www.thelittlegeranium.com - steven@thelittlegeranium.com +34 952 49 36 02 You need to get your skates on... Molino del Santo closes on the 30th October 2017 and re-opens on the 16th March 2018 NEE YOU DT QUICO BE K

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Columnists

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By Natalie

Sometimes better to just log off, writes Natalie Rose Kern

Log off!

only write this column once a month... But a lot can happen in a month. As I pen this, civil unrest is growing in Catalonia, and the scenes of police brutality emerging from Barcelona have shocked the world. The voting results were a landslide, the election is a sham, the King is in denial and the Spanish people are both angry and scared. Thousands have taken to the streets to protest the excessive use of violence and reports suggesting that Spain is on the verge of a financial crisis have compounded the panic. As I wake up to harrowing footage of peaceful protestors being struck with batons, I am reminded of Orwell's haunting prediction: “If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever." I sip my coffee and for a moment the dread overwhelms me... Has Orwell's totalitarian, police state finally arrived? I scroll on, click away, scroll on... elsewhere ‘a madman’ has

HIDEOUT: Natalie in new writing space opened fire (or so we are led to believe) on a crowd of festival-goers, killing 58 in the deadliest shooting in US history, whilst Trump and Kim Jong-un are calling each other names and threat of impending nuclear war hovers nearer. I finish my coffee and so begins another day on Planet Earth. Mark Twain said that ‘If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.’ And as mainstream media and ‘fake news’ become one and the same, it has become increasingly hard to be informed and remain sane. I stopped watching the news last year, but without deactivating from social media it's hard to discon-

nect completely, and despite my very best intentions, I find myself getting pulled back into the hype, headlines and hysteria and getting sucked right into the vortex of sensationalism and spin of news articles online. Once I'm in, I'm a goner, because morbid curiosity then prevails, as I break the unspoken rule, ‘NEVER read the comments’ and scroll down. The comments section is where the disgruntled, downtrodden, bored, angry, frustrated and opinionated meet to air their grievances, woes and ‘insights’, as well as to correct each other's grammar "´*YOU´RE!!", to hurl scathing insults at strangers "You're obviously a f**king moron..." and to spew hatred, racism, xenophobia, homophobia and sexism with impunity. Within no time I am offended, outraged and infuriated, and at once compelled by both the urge to correct spelling and grammar and the desire to tell Tom, Dick or Harry that he's a f**king racist bigot! It's time to close the laptop and back away slowly. My friend, Samm, and I have begun a writing routine, whereby we take notebooks, pens, drinks and snacks to an old wooden fishing

boat on the beach in San Pedro and, once a week, we sit inside and write solidly without interference of computers or phones and with only the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the quiet activity of the fishermen nearby. I discovered this boat a few years ago whilst waiting for The Monkey to finish school, and on windy days I would sink into the hull and read a book in the sunshine, completely sheltered from the wind. It is a beautiful October afternoon: 25 degrees and brilliant sunshine, a man is walking a dog along the surf, the fishermen are idling in the shade and a couple are embracing a little further down on the sand. Here, in this perfect corner of the world where lazy Andalucian life goes on unperturbed, I can forget about the calamity of the world for a while and write freely... Birds chirp, the wind blows, the sun dances across the waves and that peacefulness that eluded me this morning now washes over me. They may well be right about that whole ‘No news is good news’ thing! So here is my first handwritten column from the boat... About not reading the news... For a newspaper. The irony is not lost on me – believe me!

Barcelona Blues

T’S a common complaint. British expats in Spain, especially on the Costa del Sol, live in their own little bubble, cut off from what is really happening in Spain and more concerned with who got voted off Strictly Come Dancing than what is happening in their adopted country. You really would have had to have been living under the proverbial stone for the past month, however, for the recent goings on in Catalonia to have escaped your notice. The violent scenes were broadcast worldwide and social media was ablaze with images of the Guardia Civil wading into protesters with their batons drawn. I did wince when I saw the scenes in Barcelona. I was a teenager in the 80s over here, when the Guardia Civil were ‘old school’ mainly due to the fact that many of them seemed to have been hired personally by Franco. The motto that I learnt then, and that serves me well today, was ‘Don’t muck with the Guardia Civil’. As a cheeky 17-year-old on a motorbike I soon learnt that these guys were not averse to the occasional slap if I answered back, and I once received a couple of cracks across the legs and full on interrogation when I was caught out, ahem, ‘courting’ in the back of my

Where else in Spain could claim independence?

battered 2CV. As a journalist who has worked in the newsrooms of one of the UK’s biggest national newspapers, as well as done a bit of television reporting though, I am guessing that a shout from the news editor’s office of ‘It’s all kicking off in Barcelona! Who fancies going out to cover it?’ must have been met with a kindergarten style chorus of ‘Me sir! Ask me sir. Pleaaaaseeee!’ I was actually shocked that Sky News didn’t deploy the Weapon of Mass Disruption that is Kay Burley. But perhaps they thought that the Guardia Civil might have just batoned her anyway, trouble brewing or not. I can imagine she can provoke that kind of reaction wherever she goes.In my own glittering journalistic career I have been sent to the Catalan capital on two occasions. Once was to cover the launch of the Bentley GTC – where they let me loose on the streets of Barcelona with a 700 bhp Bentley convertible and with strict instructions ‘not to bend it’ (I succeeded. Just) And the second was to report on a VIP Experience Company that flew me and a bunch of

City executives over on a 24-hour prawn sandwich and champagne fuelled smash and grab raid, which included a corporate box watching El Classico at the Nou Camp. Barcelona won 3-0, we went clubbing afterwards, and things got a little hazy… I’m not going to wade into the should Catalonia be an independent state argument here – my only interest being that if they did, then perhaps Scotland could declare independence and I could avoid the Brexit fallout by gaining a Scottish passport. But it did start me wondering what other areas might clamour for self-determination. The Basques would be in for a fair shout, having a strong cultural identity and language that appears to be made up almost entirely of the letters U, K and Z. This is as a result of being the only Pictish language still in existence in Europe. The Basques were never conquered by the Romans, a historical Asterix if you like, and I’ve met a few rugby players from there who bear more than a passing resemblance to Obelix. The mystical Celts of Galicia might also want to be their own nation, though you could argue that it is so wet and misty up there for most of the year that they are left alone by the rest of Spain. Plus they are rumoured to be pretty handy with a spell book and they play the bagpipes. If that doesn’t warn you to leave Galicia well alone then nothing will. Or perhaps our own Andalucia might decide to go it alone. After all, it already has great links with the rest of Europe and North Africa due to the high numbers of foreign residents here, as well as being independently wealthy due to the huge amount of money that went missing as a result of the ERE scandal, as must be hidden under a king size mattress somewhere. In Sevilla’s own son Felipe Gonzalez we have a president who already has international experience, and we can make Antonio Banderas both Foreign and Culture Ministers. And the Junta de Andalucia has been operating like a banana republic for years now, so the transition will be seamless. I’ll be happy with a small position in the Andalus Office of Expat Affairs, by the way. And perhaps the title of Marquis de Istan…

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sport

October 11th - October 24th 2017

If you 11th have- October a sports24th story, October 2017 contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call 0034 951 273 575

Friday 17th - St. Patricks Day 2.00pm 3.00pm 3.00pm 4.00 pm 7.00pm 9.00pm 10.00pm

Cheltenham Races All Ireland GAA Club Finals 4€ Biddy Mulligan´s Golf Society Party Live Music with John Maddocks Ireland U20´s vs England U20´s Ireland Women vs England Women Live Music with Alan Shiels

RAFAEL Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios of Austra6-2, 6-1 in the China Open final to win his St. PATRICKS DAY menu lia sixth ATP title of the year. served all day Top-ranked Nadal, who was tied with Roger Guinness, Kilkenny, Magners €4 Federer and Alexander Zverev at five titles St Patricks Day Shots €2 this season, picked up his 75th career singles trophy with the win in Beijing. FACE PAINTING The 31-year-old six trophies this year include saturday 18th - 6 Nations Final Day

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Scotland vs Italy France vs Wales Ireland vs England Live Music with Layla

GB’s Junior Padel tennis GARETH Bale is on the team going for cards Check for a out transfer next our Facebook page for ourat Virtual Tour, gold world summer. Special Offers, Whats Coming Up It comes after Real Madrid championships boss Florentino Perez said ‘everyone is transferable’ on Costa del Sol

Replaceable

Sunday 19th - Premier League 1.00pm 3.15pm 5.30pm 9.30pm

Middlesbrough vs Man Utd Spurs vs Southampton Man City vs Liverpool Live Music with Sean Murray

Biddy Mulligans

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after being quizzed about Bale’s future at the Bernabeu. And according to Mundo Deportivo, the club is ‘determined to sacrifice’ Bale and expects there to be plenty of Premier League interest. It comes after a downturn in form over the summer. Perez said: “As for Bale, he is one of the best players we have and we are very pleased with him. "Every player is transferable right now and we'll see what happens in a year, although I don't know what'll happen next year, just as nobody does."

Brave new world

reaching new heights

t r a d i t i o n a l

Tel: 952 494 877

GREAT Britain’s Junior Padel team have arrived for the world championships in Malaga. The XI World Junior Padel Championships began with an opening ceremony on Sunday at the El Candado Club in the east of the city. Running until Sunday, the world’s top boys and girls from each nation will compete against each other, with this year’s entries totalling a record of 450 pairs. Team GB will be competing in the Open Championships and Team Championships, against countries including Spain, Mexico, Argentina

a record 10th title at the French Open and a third at the U.S. Open. The last time the Spaniard won at least six titles in a year was in 2013 when he captured 10 trophies for the season. Kyrgios first-serve percentage mostly languished under the 50% mark. In contrast, Nadal always looked in charge.

Go team!

and Paraguay. The junior team will be looking to keep their spot on the podium after finish-

ing third behind Spain and Argentina at the previous world championships in Mexico two years ago.

39 39

Boys coach Mauricio Payne told the Olive Press: “If we can repeat our result from Mexico that would be great. “These guys have been training really hard and anything is achievable for us.” Padel tennis is a growing phenomenon in Spain and for expats on the Costa del Sol. This year’s championship has attracted big name sponsors, including Babolat, Adidas, PadelShack, La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Sotogrande International School, Bristow Property Group, Abbeygate Insurance, U-design, Tailormade Healthcare Solutions, and eZeCars.

LEADING Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has announced he will be speaking at the 2017 Gibunco Gibraltar International Literary Festival. He will be using the opportunity to promote his biography on Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. Argentine Pochettino has been manager of Spurs since 2014 and he previously managed Southampton. He was capped twenty times by Argentina during his playing career. The biography on Pochettino is titled Brave New World and will document an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the life of a Premier League manager. Balague is a regular pundit on Sky Sports’ show Revista de la Liga and has also written for The Times and The Observer.

Quality not quantity, and at least half a million readers a month www.theolivepress.es

October 11th - October 24th 2017

Voted BEST

expat paper in Spain FREE

FINAL WORDS

TAXONOMY A PLASTIC bag tax across the whole of Andalucia has been raised to 10 cents but delayed for a year until 2019 in order to wait for more biodegradable bags to be in circulation.

TIMES SQUARED THE Ministry of Tourism has launched a new campaign to promote the beauty of Andalucia in New York. The campaign will be showcased in a sequence of images on a giant screen in Times Square.

Vol. 11 Issue 276 www.theolivepress.es October 11th - October 24th 2017

British girl who spent hundreds to meet Spanish holiday lover told it was ‘all a joke’ after arriving at airport A DUTCHMAN has denied tricking a British woman he met in Spain into flying to Amsterdam for a ‘pull a pig’ joke. Sophie Stevenson claims she was left ‘humiliated’ after being stood up at Amsterdam airport by Jesse Mateman, who sent her the message: “You were pigged, it was all a joke.” The ‘Pull A Pig’ game involves a group of men going out and trying to pull the most unattractive girl. The ‘winner’ is the man who attracts the ‘ugliest’ woman.

you pig!

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Atrium bar with spectacular views

Small free play area

ENTRY PRICES: 10.95€ for 4 to 12 year olds 5.95€ for 1 to 3 year olds Includes unlimited play on the soft play frames, wet play and trampolines!! Free entry for adults!

SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN PARTY Tuesday 31st October from 5pm Face painting Tunnel of Terror Ghoulish games Fancy dress competitions Fang-tastic food specials and more!

JOIN US IF YOU DARE! See website and Facebook page for details. Mundo Manía, Urb Taraje, 53-75 Camino de Brijan s/n 29680 Estepona, Málaga.

A WORLD OF FUN FOR EVERYONE Urb Taraje, 53-75 Camino de Brijan s/n 29680 Estepona, Málaga. Exit CANCELADA on the A7. T: (+34) 952 938 173 | info@mundo-mania.com | www.mundo-mania.com

A WORLD OF FUN FOR EVERYONE

T: (+34) 952 938 173 | info@mundo-mania.com | www.mundo-mania.com

After denying any previous relationship with her, Jesse has now admitted the pair did have sex while they were in Barcelona. The pair got close after being caught up in August’s terrorist attack and they had a brief one night stand. His lawyer said: "If Mateman used the word pig in a text message to Stevenson - which he cannot remember - it could only have been sent during his stay in Spain and can only relate to the way in which they had sex." Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Sophie questioned what she would gain from making the story up. She said: "It's embarrassing, it's humiliating. The only reason I've spoken out about this is because I don't want this to happen to other girls." Sophie claims they had been texting since Barcelona and had discussed a long term relationship before the cruel prank.

Your team’s s*** CESC FABREGAS has revealed how he berated Harry Redknapp during a hilarious heated exchange while the legendary coach was in charge of Portsmouth. During a 0-0 draw with Redknapp’s Portsmouth side in 2007, the Spanish midfielder stormed off the pitch and spotted Redknapp in the tunnel. “I was young and stupid and I wanted to win,” Fabregas said, “I saw him in the tunnel and I just said ‘your team plays like s***, you just defend, you play horrible football like this’. But obviously, with the players they had, that’s all they could do. “He just turned around and said, ‘You are a horrible man’. “I just ran away. After that, we’ve been best friends. Every time we see each other we hug, we talk.”