Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 300 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

THEY say good things come in threes, or in this case 300! In our fitting 300th issue we are packed with exclusives and original content - more than ANY other English paper in Spain. Aside from the news and our ongoing TripAdvisor probe, we have food features on the culinary delights of the Basque region, as well as a missive on how an Andalucian weed helped boost the UK’s literacy rates in Victorian times. Plus our in-depth dispatch from the Valley of the Fallen, where Franco is soon to be exhumed, with exclusive commentary from three of Spain’s leading Hispanists, Paul Preston, Ian Gibson and Giles Tremlett. And in a special supplement to mark our 300th issue, we tell the story of how the Olive Press came to be and where many of our former reporters currently work, with some in Russia and America. Yes, there is a lot inside. So sit back, grab a coffee or reach for your glass of wine and relax with your favourite fortnightly newspaper. We’re here for at least another 300. Hope you’ll still be too.

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Vol. 13 Issue 300 www.theolivepress.es September 12th - September 25th 2018

Give it back

EXPATS may have lost millions over the suspicious collapse of a foreign exchange firm being probed over ‘criminal activity’. Dozens of victims have lost up to €400,000 each after Premier FX Limited was forced into administration by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It comes after the firm - which operated from Mallorca, Portugal and London - suddenly stopped trading on July 27, following the death of director Peter Rexstrew. Since then, hundreds of clients, many of them expats,

Expats demand the return of millions after FX company collapses amid fraud probe have been left completely in the dark and unable to access their funds. The group have now formed an action group with nearly 200 members demanding immediate answers. One British expat, based in Mallorca, told the Olive Press she has no idea what has happened to the €30,000 she was holding with Premier FX. “I had used them for many

EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez

years and there were never any problems,” explained the 69-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous. “I had transferred the money and was waiting for the exchange rate to improve. “The next thing I knew, the money was gone. I feel sick

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about it,” added the pensioner, based in Palma. Another entrepreneur told the Olive Press she is missing a staggering €400,000. The UK-based businesswoman, who previously lived in Portugal for ten years, has made three monthly transactions with Premier FX for 12 years. Despite knowing former director Rexstrew, who also lived in the Algarve, she was given no warning. “I tried to make a transaction but no one would answer the phone. I then emailed and I

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received this automatic reply saying they had ceased trading and there’d be no further transactions. “I immediately smelt a rat,” she added. When she called Action Fraud, an operator explained he knew nothing about it. “I’ve been stuck for two months without that money and have no idea whether I’ll get it back. “It’s not just affecting people buying holiday homes, it is also affecting business owners, who can’t pay staff or clients.” Both victims had been promised by Premier FX that their money was being held in ‘segregated, personal accounts’ with Barclays, but administrators now think this was not the case. The FCA has since discovered that the company, set up in 2006, was operating without full authorisation. It was forced into administraContinues on page 8

EXPAT: Andrew Jones

Unfair cop EXCLUSIVE

A GAY couple have denounced a Guardia Civil officer after he allegedly assaulted them. Expats Andrew Jones, 36, from London, and Mario Dieni, 39, from Argentina, claim they were ‘pushed and grabbed’ for no reason. The couple have called in the British embassy and filed an official denuncia over the incident, which took place near Torrox, at the weekend. Jones, who has bipolar disorder, told the Olive Press he was ‘really shaken up’ by the alleged assault, which came after they were routinely stopped at 1am.

Aggressive

“He was immediately aggressive. We are gay and he saw us together, perhaps it is discrimination. I don’t know,” he said. The British expat, who works in marketing, had been driving home having picked up his partner from work at a hotel in Nerja. “He went absolutely berserk, pushing me so hard that the officer behind had to catch me,” added Jones. “He then grabbed Mario and tossed him to one side.” Eventually the officer was moved away by colleagues, who then gave the couple his badge number, so they could file a complaint. A Guardia Civil spokesperson confirmed the incident was ‘being investigated’.

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Going soft SPAIN’S attorney general has called for softer sentences for online hate crimes including racist, homophobic or anti-Semitic messages posted online. Currently judges hand out a minimum of 30 months’ jail time.

Third degree SPAIN’S health minister Carmen Monton has admitted having grades for her master’s degree changed by Madrid’s King Juan Carlos University - the same uni which famously faked Cristina Cifuentes’ degree.

Under fire A SEVILLA man has been fined €115 for ‘wasting firemen’s time’ after he called bomberos to rescue a cat from the engine of a car.

Twisted TWO teenagers have been arrested in Malaga city after being caught putting out a cigarette on a turtle’s head by an off-duty police officer.

A BRITON has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a young man fell to his death from a balcony in Gibraltar. The unnamed 43-year-old, who is a resident of the Rock, was nicked after Aaron Michael Buckley, 25, fell to his death at around 3am on Sun-

British hoodlum killed by police after he pulled a gun on a Costa street By Laurence Dollimore

A BRITISH gangster slayed in a shootout in Estepona has been identified. Sean Hercules - who goes by the name Shacker - from Leeds, was shot dead by police after he pulled out a gun outside his hotel in Cancelada. The 39-year-old crook, who had convictions for drug trafficking and firearms offences, fired at police as they came to arrest him at the Autosole Aparthotel at 5pm on Monday. The father-of-one, who was convicted for nine years but

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Murder on the Rock

day morning. Police are now appealing for witnesses, after Buckley died upon impact after falling ‘from an upper balcony’ at Eurotowers.

“It is now a murder enquiry, and detectives have arrested a 43-year-old British man resident in Gibraltar on suspicion of murder. “No other persons are being

Executed

SCENE: Sean (inset) being removed served four for a post office Another two guns were reportrobbery, was shot down on the edly found in his bedroom. pavement with another two Police had spent two hours urguns and four cartridges in his gently searching for the crimipockets. nal, after he was seen fleeing a

Drug drone delivery

DRONES have been making drug deliveries to a Malaga prison. At least that’s what several authorities believe after one of the flying devices was spotted over the Alhaurin de la Torre prison before another sight-

sought in connection with this investigation.” It added: “Our witness appeal continues and police are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident.” Anyone with information should call 0035020072500.

ing in the same area. It came after guards found a package containing 289 grams of hashish, an iPhone with charger and headphones, and a knife in the corner of one of the jail’s patios. The phone was wrapped in

sponge, suggesting it had been dropped drone.

by a

traffic accident armed in Puerto Banus earlier in the day. Eventually he was spotted acting suspiciously and followed back to his hotel by a routine patrol. He was declared dead at the scene and his body was not removed until a judge arrived at 7pm. “Officers came under fire when they went to arrest him and were obliged to use their weapons to repel the attack, resulting in death,” said a spokesman for the Policia Nacional. “Two firearms and four cartridges were found next to the British man,” he added. The incident is currently under investigation. Hercules previously faced a charge of attempted murder in the UK after leaving a man with more than 250 gunshot pellets in his body. He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited weapon.

EXPOSED: ‘Trafficker’

Death threats for keyboard warrior DRUG kingpins in Andalucia have issued a death threat to an anonymous Instagram user who shared photos of them partying with prostitutes. It comes after the user, @cotilleolalinea, published photos of La Linea cartel bosses partying with hookers in Ibiza. The Instagram poster, who is believed to be acting out of revenge, titled the set of photos: “Many whores, a lot of drugs, viagra and partying.” He also published other photos of the gang members around the Cadiz and Campo de Gibraltar area. Among the dozens of posts, he labelled the wives and girlfriends as ‘clowns’ and described them as ‘ridiculous, horny and spoiled,’ before labelling them ‘the shame of La Linea.’ Now a reward has been issued for his identity, after the bosses’ girlfriends and wives saw the pictures. “They are furious having seen their boyfriends and husbands living it up with escorts, and they’ve found out through social media,” said a source.

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Bad boy on tour MALUMA has been enjoying the sites of Andalucia in between gigs of his FAME World Tour. The reggaeton superstar from Columbia posted a pic from a restaurant in Sevilla after performing sold out performances in Malaga and the Andalucian capital. It comes after he was forced to deny being a misogynist following several ‘machismo’ lyrics in his new album FAME. “I listen, value, and respect everyone’s points of view,” he said in the interview. “I think it’s very important that other people are going against me so I can keep growing.” Maluma added that he understands older people can’t relate to the lyrics because they don’t experience them. “At clubs, there are always dudes with 10 to 15 women around,” he said.

THEY are three of Spain’s most famous stars. Now Rafa Nadal, Enrique Iglesias and Cristiano Ronaldo are opening a Spanish restaurant in London. The Spanish-Portuguese trio said they chose the UK capital for their cult Ibiza-style restaurant Zela because it has ‘the hottest culinary scene in the world’. The celeb team will open

Zela’s first restaurant outside the White Isle in the ME London Hotel in Aldwych in two weeks — with all three of them making plans to attend the opening. The all-day restaurant, which will serve a fusion of Japanese and Mediterranean food, is owned by MABEL Hospitality, led by Spanish entrepreneurs Manuel Campos Guallar and Abel Matutes.

Spanish Down syndrome girl makes history at New York Fashion Week MODEL: Avila and (below) in New York By Laurence Dollimore

A SPANISH Down syndrome model has made history by catwalking during New York Fashion week. Marian Avila, 21, rocked a red dress, and two others, for Atlanta designer Talisha White, supported by her parents and siblings who were watching from the audience.

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Triple threat

It girl

Country life AFTER his very public split from ex-wife Jessica, most people assumed TV presenter Nick Knowles had left Spain in a hurry and gone back to live in England. However the star of BBC’s DIY SOS has quietly moved to the Andalucia countryside, it has emerged. “I am happy in the countryside,” said Knowles, who has switched his Sotogrande mansion for a home more inland. “I’m Keeping my nose out of the papers and trying to just get on with being a good dad,” he told Lorraine Kelly. Knowles had moved to Sotogrande when his former wife Jessica Rose Moor was pregnant with Eddie, but they had quickly split up.

STARS ALIGN: Iglesias, Ronaldo and Nadal

Like many OP readers I believe that one of the best things about living in southern Spain is to experience its natural beauty and discover its most beautiful villages. Great food, a beautiful small hotel and a challenging hike all go hand in hand. The OP has lent a hand in promoting all three. Guy Hunter Watts Author of numerous walking and travel books

“I felt really happy and I really loved the runway,” explained Avila, from Alicante. “I wanted to show the world that there are no barriers.” The designer - whose outfits focused on ‘prom, pageant and special occasions’ - found Avila on Facebook and wanted to help her make her dreams come true. “She’s been a busy supermodel, meeting with all types of people,” White said of the attention A v i l a has rec e i v e d worldwide. “I’m very glad for her. She’s been meeting with Vogue

(magazine) and with Harper’s Bazaar. “She’s been meeting in different showrooms, different modeling agencies.” White added: “I wanted to show not just one type of girl is beautiful. I like to showcase all types of girls, from pageant girls to models in wheelchairs, models with Down syndrome, models who are four feet and told they can never be a model. They are my ‘it’ girl.” Avila revealed t h a t s h e ‘practices modelling everyday’ and that she also wants to be an actress.

Very arresting! SPAIN’S hottest cop has - once again - sent social media into meltdown after posting a nude picture while taking a shower. Jorge Perez Diez, who first stole hearts when a Guardia Civil snap of him went viral in May (see left), posted the raunchy snap on Instagram. It has so far been liked over 20,000 times. “It’s impossible to sleep after seeing this,” wrote one user. “Thank you for this image,” wrote another, “long live the Guardia Civil!”

Katie coke shame FORMER glamour model Katie Price has shared a video of herself slumping to the floor after rapping the words ‘I love coke’ during a wild party in Spain. In the shocking footage she makes a cringe-worthy attempt at a rap, trilling: “I love the coke, you know, it gets me in the air.”

Random

The controversial mother-of-five was also pictured partying with two random German men she met at a bar in Mallorca. They said that after downing shots and champagne, they went back to their apartment to ‘have a shower, OUT OF IT: Katie get cosy and do drugs’. The Loose Women star, who is fighting bankruptcy, revealed in July that she had counselling after she once snorted coke as she struggled with the collapse of her five-year marriage to love cheat Kieran Hayler.

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Foul play EXCLUSIVE

AN expat bar owner believes dozens of businesses are ‘buying’ fake TripAdvisor reviews in his Costa del Sol resort. It comes after the Olive Press exposed a series of Costa del Sol businesses paying to post dozens of fake five-star reviews on TripAdvisor in a bid to increase their rankings. After going undercover the paper unearthed company, GCI Marketing, offering packages of 50 glowing reviews for just €400. While boss Ben Fisher admitted it was ‘cheating’ he claimed it was not illegal. But our investigation cer-

tainly had an immediate effect on one of his clients, who dropped nearly 80 places in the rankings, in Benalmadena, after TripAdvisor stepped in to investigate. But not enough is being done, according to David Hardwick, who has run the Las Gaviotas bar in the town for 20 years. The British businessman insists there are many ‘dodgy’ restaurants buying fake reviews helping them shoot to the top spot.

Fighting

“I’m so glad this story hit the front page - for the last five years I have been fighting with TripAdvisor about false

Regular stop A BRITISH holidaymaker has filmed a boatload of migrants landing just metres from her deckchair for the second time in two days. Bethany Leith, 20, sent the one-minute clip to the Olive Press, after filming ‘around 20 migrants’ jump off the rubber boat as it landed on Aldea Beach, in Manilva. The accounting assistant told the Olive Press: “I was really shocked to be honest. “Particularly as the exact same boat landed the day before!”

EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

Leith, who has been on holiday in Manilva, saw the group run up to a waiting car that took half of them away. She added it drove away with as many as ‘could be crammed in’. The holidaymaker, from Stoke-on-Trent, loaded the video onto social media, just a week after footage of another boat washing up on a packed Manilva beach went viral. Spain has become the fastest-growing route for migrants seeking to enter Europe from Africa.

SHOOK: Migrants and (inset) Bethany

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Vol. 12 Issue 299 www.theolivepress.es August 29th - September 11th 2018

‘You can’t get prosecuted… it’s just cheating’

FAKING IT

Our link to the Ivy League

All about the Princeton and OP partnership

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An ox-tale What have Hitler, Gandhi and Ferdinand the bull got in common?

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of Malaga-based company GCI Global, which promises ‘genuine reviews’ that will be ‘tailored to your business’. We can reveal that one of its clients, a Malaga restaurateur, managed to get to number one in his town on TripAdvisor after ‘purchasing’ dozens of ‘excellent’ reviews over just two months. In total, 99% of the comments for his restaurant - which we are not naming for legal reasons - are ‘excellent’ 5/5 with only one ‘very good’. “The restaurant was over 100

launches probe, as Olive Press exposes a Costa del Sol business ‘selling’ fake customer reviews on to the global giant’s website EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore and Elisa Menendez

(in the list) but look at it now,” GCI boss Ben Fisher boasted to the Olive Press. “It doesn’t matter if (the reviewers) eat there or not, although if you want to pay a bit more we can actually send someone,” added Fisher, who lives in Alhaurin de la Torre. “In fact if you pay we can send four people to share one pizza. Then we spread the reviews out over a few days. “I have dozens of clients.” The Olive Press probe was launched after we were ap-

Please forgive us!

In an open letter to Spain, the Olive Press apologises for our unruly tourists

WE’RE SORRY Dear Spain, WE ARE SORRY.

E ask that you judge us Brits not by the sinverguenzas who choose to poo over your balconies or perform oral services for a free cocktail, but by the majority of respectful expats who are privileged to call your beautiful country home. Seriously though, how did we get here? Brits used to be famed for their polite manners and punctuality. Now we are better known for our excessive drinking and outrageous party antics compounded by the senseless alcohol-fuelled sport of ‘balconing’. Some 46 patients were treated for injuries after falling or deliberately jumping from balconies between 2010 and 2015 - and 60% were Brits. The last two years have seen this number grow, with almost 10 Brits dying this year alone (CHECK). And that’s only one example from a whole catalogue of outrageous behaviour that has seen holiday high jinks sink to a shocking new low. Just this week we were sent a video from Benidorm which showed a British reveller putting his penis in the mouth of a passed-out compatriot.

And who can forget the brazen British girl who performed oral sex on 24 men for a free drink in 2016, or the man who fell from a balcony in Mallorca last month while trying to defecate over the edge. Closer to home, beach club brawls and stabbings at Costa del Sol haunts dominated the headlines last summer. Two rival gangs’ fight spilled onto the streets of Puerto Banus and ended with one member trying to run over his rivals. Is it any wonder that some of Spain’s biggest resorts are starting to resist tourists? ‘Tourists go home’ and ‘Tourist, you are the terrorist,’ are just some of the messages that have been graffitied across tourism hotspots in the past few years. Just because resorts make a killing from visiting Brits every year, it doesn’t mean they have to put up with such antics. We hope you will bear this in mind the next time you roll your eyes in disgust at yet another story about a British reveller behaving badly, and accept our apology on behalf of the whole damned lot.

proached by an angry reader, who had been targeted by an unsolicited email from GCI last month. The advert read: “We offer tailor made professional review packages giving your business a boost and the edge over your competitors.”

Posing

Posing as potential clients with a holiday rental business in Marbella, our reporters were told by Fisher that the reviews would be ‘from real people’. “The reviews are from real people on the Costa del Sol, it’s not a bunch of fake accounts putting reviews on,” said Fisher, from Hull. “A potential customer doesn’t know if they are real or fake. It

not new. TripAdvisor has been caught out before, including a famous stunt pulled off by VICE website in which an undercover reporter set up a fake restaurant, The Shed at Dulwich, and made it the number one restaurant in London. Just this week a simple Google search unearthed a US-based company, Reviews that Stick, offering packages on the global supersite from $69 per month. “We can provide TripAdvisor reviews that would help your hotel or restaurant to improve its reputation and increase its number of customers,” it offered. Local hoteliers and restaurateurs were quick to support out investigation. “I’m sure it is very common with restaurants here,” said Mark Wardell, manager of the Sunset Beach Club hotel, in Benalmadena. “TripAdvisor is particularly very open to manipulation and fake reviews. “You often see these small places pop up with phenomenal reviews that quickly sink without trace,” he added. Restaurateur Robert Grimmond, of well-established El Jardin restaurant in Frigiliana, added he had been aware of this practice for years. “It’s disappointing that businesses on the coast are still buying reviews in this way,” he added.

Congratulations on reaching the 300th issue of The Olive Press. You’ve done an amazing job over the years - keeping us well informed; encouraging us to get to know and enjoy the many delights of southern Spain; advising us on how to integrate and observe the laws and customs of our adopted homeland. We appreciate your ongoing support for our work, and very much look forward to the next 300 issues! Charmaine Arbouin Consul & Regional Operations Manager – Andalucia, Canary Islands, Ceuta & Melilla

Trust

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“If you really want to know if a restaurant is good or not, ask someone you trust or go yourself!” Last night TripAdvisor thanked the Olive Press and confirmed it was ‘investigating the case’. “We strongly oppose any attempt to manipulate a business’ ranking,” said a spokeswoman, adding that its investigations team was ‘proactive and effective’ at catching anyone who attempts to market paid review services. “We take serious steps to penalize any properties caught using their services,” she added. After revealing ourselves as journalists, Fisher told the Olive Press: “People pay for direct traffic, people purchase the reviews, then a team of four will go into the premises, share food and leave a review on their experience… it’s a service that is genuine and helps everybody… the reason my clients pay is to cover the cost of the food purchased by each customer!”

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reviews. It’s so dodgy,” insisted the father-of-two. “One local restaurant was in the top five two weeks before it had even opened!” he added. “While another has been getting five star reviews every day since opening six weeks ago. The hard-working landlord added: “There are three places that got into the top ten after getting almost instantly 50 to 70 five star reviews.” The ex-soldier believes TripAdvisor must insist reviewers open their account through their Google account and use a real photo, ‘not a palm tree or a pyramid, say’. “Restaurants should start at the bottom and over the course of 18 months should slowly move up,” he continued. “Please keep this story hot, so TripAdvisor might actually do something about it or it will just continue,” he added. 96 626 5000 +44 (0) 1353 699082

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An amazing job 300 not out

Bar owner slams ‘numerous’ local restaurants using fake TripAdvisor reviews following Olive Press investigation

September 12th - September 25th 2018

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Hot water

SOME 14 fire bosses have been arrested for allegedly embezzling €7 million in public funds. The Policia Nacional found that the Consortium of Bomberos Cadiz took out mass early retirement insurance policies. But when their employees retired early, chiefs siphoned off the money from the payouts. Authorities also found discrepancies in the consortium’s training courses. Large sums were paid to a company to provide training courses, but no evidence has been found that these courses took place. Meanwhile, irregularities were also found in grants and subsidies, which cops believe were used to pay for private trips. The irregularities date back to 2008 and cops believe at least €7 million has been stolen by those at the top.

Pipe ban

FRUIT growers in the Axarquia are facing a 60% reduction in water use from the La Vinuela reservoir with no solution in sight. The Junta has decided to limit its use as the reservoir is already at 22.7% capacity and could drop even lower if the dry weather keeps up.

Costa del Sol hotel has three months to fight decision before it is demolished A HOTEL is to be knocked down for not having enough class! Benalmadena’s Hotel Vista de Rey must be demolished within three months, a court has ruled, Andalucia’s Superior Court of Justice ruled that the hotel falls short of its four-star requirement.

NEWS

From Page 1

than permitted. Although the town hall and developer maintain this excess was later corrected, the judge ruled that the rectification would have taken place after the granting of the licence, so does not count. The building has 61 apartments and 46 parking spaces. The original building was granted planning permis-

Probing

It began probing the three star hotel and apartment block in 2011 after it was denounced over planning rules which set aside the plot for a four star hotel only. According to the PGOU town plan an apartment block was not permitted and it also breached rules by being over 700 square meters bigger

December 6th - December 19th 2017

‘He deserves it’ Not enough stars

DOOMED: Costa hotel

sion by then mayor Enrique Bolin in 2001.

SMUGGLERS’ WALL POLICE officers have formed a human wall along a beach in La Linea to ensure that the construction of a beach wall went ahead. The wall, between the church of Nuestra Senora del Carmen and the perimeter wall of the fishing port of La Atunara, hopes to

deter drug smugglers from using the beach as a drop off zone. A combined police presence of Guardia Civil, local and national officers were present as fears grew that drug smugglers would try and disrupt the work.

He even got himself a financial advice slot on a well known radio station, through which he snared unsuspecting victims. However, a comprehensive Olive Press investigation exposed his scams that involved stamps, coins and gold. We also revealed how he and his close pal Barry Nathan wined and dined up to a dozen criminals, anonymously, through the food column. He eventually fled the country following our expose, but we soon tracked him down to the UK, where he had changed his name by deed poll and was selling coins and antiques on eBay from a small Berkshire cottage. He was quickly found guilty under English law of conning people and given a suspended prison sentence only due to health reasons. “And because he promised to never go back to his online cons,” one of the British victim explained. But this is apparently not the case with two victims claiming he is still using eBay to sell ‘dodgy’ coins and stamps from his unpaid flat in Brighton, using the names ‘gqtrading’ and ‘gqtrading2’. “We are pretty sure he has broken his bail conditions and will have to finally go back to prison,” said one victim. “The nerve of this man is unbelievable.” His landlord last night insisted he should have known something was up from the start. “When we met to sign the contracts I thought he was a bit slippery, I went to pay for my coffee only for the barista to tell me he had left without paying his bill.” He continued: “He paid for the first couple of months but then just stopped. He told us his account had been frozen due to a money laundering investigation, which is probably true. “He then told us to stop contacting him and accused us of harrassment. “Now he is claiming he is seriously ill and can’t work to make payments. “We’ll see him in court.” Opinion Page 6

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Venice bound A SERIES of new flights will connect Granada and Sevilla with Venice and Naples. The new Easyjet routes will also connect Granada and Berlin. In total, there will be four flights weekly between Venice and Sevilla, while Granada to Naples operates on Wednesdays and Sundays and to Berlin on Fridays and Mondays.

ARTWORK SETUP TO 25% OF ACTUAL ARTWORK SIZE.SETUP TO 25% OF ACTUAL SIZE.

24/11/2017 11:18 24/11/2017 11:18

FEATURE

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September 12th - September 25th 2018 Voted top expat paper in Spain

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

OPINION Three cheers FROM our very first issue we have been dedicated to protecting, educating and entertaining the expat community with genuinely original content. Very different from our rivals we set out to report, rather than regurgitate. Across a massive 300 issues we have presented the very best of Spain in terms of nature, travel and food… and launched numerous campaigns and probes along the way. But it’s our exclusive front page investigations that stick in the memory. Take Matthew Sammon, a British paedophile wanted by Crimestoppers two years ago. After running an appeal to find him, we got a tip from an eagle-eyed reader, who revealed his whereabouts in Fuengirola. After calling in police we watched as Sammon became the fastest ever arrest in Crimestoppers’ Most Wanted history. Then there was the recent Nolotil appeal that may finally change law and save lives, as well as the series of explosive front pages that sunk one of Andalucia’s most disgraceful developments, Los Merinos. What about the appeal for blood for 11-year-old expat Serena Chappell, which was so successful, the local blood bank filled up from 15% to 100% in just two weeks. And the probes into drink-spiking in Marbella, the suspect now-defunct Childline, the animal cruelty abusers and the recent expose on the fake TripAdvisor reviews. We also still continue in our efforts to get a fair trial for two Brits who have been mysteriously linked to drug trafficking, despite police having no obvious link or motive. And we continue to try and get justice for victims of conmen, like Nigel Goldman and for those taken for a ride by equity release bandits like the Rothschilds. It’s what good local papers do and we will never cease our plight to expose injustice and help our local expat community. It’s in our DNA. The reason we can do this is down to you, our readers and our clients, so we want to say a huge thank you for

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Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

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In a special Olive Press report, Madrid journalist Heather Galloway travels to Franco’s monumental Valley of the Fallen and asks eminent Hispanists Ian Gibson and Sir Paul Preston whether the dictator’s impending exhumation will lay Spain’s demons to rest

QUEUE of traffic a kilometre long snakes up to the gates of the Valley of the Fallen. As we inch forward, frying in the August heat, a large tattooed man draped in the Spanish flag steps out of the car in front and urinates on the road in direct view of my 18-year-old daughter. Despite living in the shadow of Europe’s only remaining monument to a fascist leader – General Francisco Franco - I had not visited this striking but sinister place since 1993 when I was given short shrift for asking awkward questions. I expected the reception to be different 25 years on and you could call it that. The Valle de los Caidos, 50km from Madrid, is Franco’s OTT tribute to ‘the heroes and martyrs of the Crusade’ – a monolithic monument to those who ‘fell for God and for Spain in the Holy War against infidels, Masons, Marxists, homosexuals and feminists’. With its 152-metre granite cross looming over the Sierra de Guadarrama like a fascist spook, the massive basilica and vaulted crypt bored 260 metres into the hillside by the sweat and blood of 22,000 political prisoners has always attracted ultra-right pilgrims as well as curious tourists. But today every pew in the cavernous black marble-floored church is packed more tightly than a box of communion wafers. Spaniards of all ages are wedged in among

September 12th - September 25th 2018

FASCIST: Soon to be exhumed

Digging Franco

the cast-iron candlesticks, crosses, torches stamped by Congress, gives Franco’s family and semi-fascist statues, including a wicked, only a brief period to claim his body and find sword-wielding angel. an alternative resting place. Ostensibly they are here for the traditional The Martínez-Bordiú Franco clan are contest11am Sunday Mass, led by Benedictine ing it as ‘an act of retrospective revenge withmonks who have been entrusted with the ba- out precedent in the civilized world’. silica since 1958. But it is not just Franco’s relatives and supBut there’s no doubt that most who have porters who wonder at the exhumation, 43 flocked to the beautiful Cuelgamuros Valley years after the dictator’s demise. on this glorious summer morning are here Hispanist Sir Paul Preston, author of one of to defend El Caudillo’s right to remain in his the most widely-read Franco biographies, tells state-funded mausoleum. the Olive Press: “For people on the left, it is The service over, the perceived as scandalous that there should be congregation hastens a monument to the dictator. Imagine if there to take selfies beside was one to Hitler in Germany. The big question the dictator’s tomb. If is why now? all goes to government “It’s a lot to do with the fact that the PSOE decree, it will soon be government has very little power. Given that an insignificant slab of it has been losing support in recent years, this black marble, ditto the is a gesture that might go some way to helping adjacent tomb of Falan- rebuild Socialist support.” gist party founder Jose Fellow Hispanist Ian Gibson, author of bestAntonio Primo de Rivera. selling biographies on the poet Lorca and the But Carlos Rubio, an en- artist Salvador Dalí, believes the issue should gineer who has driven have been resolved back in the 1980s after 150 km from Valladolid, an attempted coup and the drawing up of the is angry. “It’s the des- Spanish Constitution. But the consensus was ecration of a tomb”, he that the only way forward was to ignore the past. tells me. “After Tejero [Lieutenant Colonel Antonio “It is an attack on our liberty and we are here to- Tejero who led the failed coup] the PSOE, with day to defend it,” he con- its astronomical majority, could have at least tinues, as his 17-year-old initiated the process but it didn’t,” says the Irishman. son nods in agreement. “Politically, it is an intol- “They were in power for fourteen years. I erable intervention from think it was cowardly. They deny it, saying it the state into the private wasn’t possible; that it was dangerous (with sphere. It is well known the Army). But you have to face up to the bulthat socialism deprives lies when you have the opportunity and they didn’t.” citizens But Boni Sánchez of the Hisof liberty, just look But you have to torical Memory Association contests: “It is happening now at the face up to the because we never broke with U S S R Francoism in Spain. and Venbullies when “The transition and democracy ezuela. were built on a foundation of What we you have the silence and a pact of forgethave in opportunity ting. We’ve arrived at this point Spain is because previous governincreasments, both from the Popular ingly akin to those examples and Party and the Socialists, were committed to this is just another step forgetting and silence, mainly because many politicians had their roots in Francoism.” in that direction.” Spain is a country still Every year on November 20 until it was banned divided between those in 2007, the ultra-right from Spain and beyond nostalgic for the Franco would congregate on the basilica’s theatrical days and those who ab- grand esplanade to mark Franco’s death with horred El Generalisimo. stiff-armed fascist salutes and a hearty rendiNot long after he died in tion of the Falangist anthem Cara al Sol. 1975, an American ac- Since the exhumation was placed firmly on tress from Little House Pedro Sánchez’s agenda in July, the numbers on the Prairie famously visiting his shrine have rocketed by 50%. But according to 92-year-old historian Nicodanced on his tomb. But for those who might lás Sánchez-Albornoz, removing Franco will like to follow suit, the change nothing. window of opportunity One of the 22,000 prisoners forcibly put to is closing fast. The de- work on the project among the pine forests of cree, set to be rubber Cuelgamuros in 1948 until his lucky escape

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

olive press online

Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website

A RECORD summer! It’s official...the Olive Press online is by far the most read and sought-after news website in Spain. Hammering our rivals by many thousands of hits on each story, most of this is due to our fresh, exclusive and incisive reporting. In case you needed a reminder you can join the other 10,000 visitors a day at www.theolivepress.es

TOP READS DATES: August 28 - September 11 The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

IMPOSING: Mausoleum is built at a key battle site

four months later, he says: “It will remain symbolic of the regime. I refuse to call it the Valley of the Fallen. It is not a monument to the ‘fallen’ but a monument to Franco’s victory in the war.” Nevertheless, he believes: “The sooner it is gone, the better. The Francoists have hung on to the site for too long. Despite their professed allegiance to democracy, they have never condemned the dictatorship. There is no coherence in that.” Franco chose the site for his mausoleum with care. It is below one of the Civil War’s first battle fields at Guadarrama Pass in a natural amphitheatre where it would be silhouetted against an infinite number of sunsets. More significantly, it was close to the monastery built by Philip II in San Lorenzo del Escorial, 12 km away. Franco wanted nothing more than to be associated with the Catholic Kings and the glorious imperialism of the past. A year after his National army defeated the Republicans, the dictator led a cavalcade of official vehicles to Cuelgamuros to watch the first blast of dynamite marking his so-called ‘national act of atonement’. But such was the monument’s monolithic scale, the one-year project ran to 18 years and Franco’s so-called ‘national act of atonement’ became a source of continuing division and resentment within Spain. “We are talking about thousands of Republicans who lie in a mass grave,” insists Boni Sanchez. “We’re talking about thousands of Spaniards who worked like slaves to build this vast monument to the dictator. We’re also talking about the role the Spanish Catholic Church played in the dictatorship, along with the army. That angers Francoists but it’s the truth. “And, finally, what about the untold numbers who subsequently died of silicosis, the miner’s disease, from breathing in the granite dust without protection.” A national holiday was declared to mark the monument’s 1959 inauguration, held on the 20th anniversary of the Civil War’s end, and buses were laid on to ferry workers from the capital for the ceremony. Franco, wearing full military regalia, and his wife Carmen decked

- FOUND: British woman missing on Costa del Sol for almost seven weeks after sleeping rough (20,021)

- Sick expat mum caged on Spain’s Costa del Sol after forcing child to marry man in Morocco (9,810)

3 4

- Rain and storms forecast for Malaga and Spain’s Costa del Sol this weekend (9,802)

- EXCLUSIVE: British expats on Costa del Sol lose more than €6 million to alleged expat

investment fraudster (4,448)

- EXCLUSIVE: Costa del Sol business selling fake reviews on TripAdvisor (4,345)

Unique visitors: 166,047 Pageviews: 184,928 SHRINE: Fascists make Nazi salutes on Franco’s birthday out in mantilla and high comb, walked the length of the basilica to take their seats on two thrones, watched by the entire cabinet and officials from across the country. Franco was all but King of Spain and the Valley of the Fallen was his castle. Such was his obsession, it was referred to as his ‘other woman’. With the recent decree, Pedro Sanchéz aims to transform the site ‘so it ceases to be a place of Francoist and national-Catholic memory.’ As he put it in Parliament, it will become ‘a space where the culture of reconciliation and collective democratic memory can flourish, where the victims of the Civil War and the dictatorship are recognised and treated with dignity’. Some, like 21-year-old Victor Sánchez who was among Sunday’s congregation, believe Franco should be left to rest in peace; that wounds will be reopened. Ian Gibson disagrees. “The wounds were never healed. The Spanish nation has got to face up to the horror of the Franco genocide and exhume all its dead.” For Ghosts of Spain author Giles Tremlett, the

biggest question is what happens next. “I would really like to see the whole thing converted into a proper museum that explains the Civil War and what happened afterwards so people can understand it and come to their own well-informed conclusions,” he tells the Olive Press. Gibson, however, believes the site to be “so horrible and forbidding and evil that that, too, would not be a solution. Maybe it could be cordoned off, blown up or simply left to cave in.” And what of Franco’s remains, should the family lose its legal battle to keep them within the basilica? Would a fresh burial site simply become an alternative place of pilgrimage? “My solution would be for him to be buried at sea,” offers Paul Preston. “He always wanted to join the navy. When he became dictator, he dressed as an admiral at every possible opportunity. I doubt if it would happen but, if it were suggested, I think that the family would be hard put to object.”

TOP READS OF THIS YEAR

- FOUND: British woman missing on Costa del Sol for almost seven weeks after sleeping rough (20,021)

- BREAKING: Cars abandoned and aircraft scrambled as forest fire erupts on Spain’s Costa del Sol (16,100)

3 4 5

- Over 60 tourists sent to hospital with gastroenteritis after stay at Costa del Sol hotel (15,946)

- Expats terrified after string of brazen robberies on Spain’s Costa del Sol (14,069)

- Gunshot fired on Costa del Sol sees bullet narrowly miss two policemen’s heads before flying through neighbours living room as they watched TV (11,822)

NEWS

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Suicide plan SPAIN’S health ministry has announced a suicide prevention plan that will focus on early detection and communication in a bid to battle more than 3,500 annual deaths.

Animal shame SOME 20% of labs in Spain which still test on animals have yet to offer visits to inspectors two years after signing a transparency agreement.

Do something! CARBONERAS mayor Felipe Cayuela has called for making the notorious illegally built El Algarrobico hotel into a home for the elderly some 12 years after it was built on protected land.

Life’s a beach THERE has been a 75% reduction in beachgoers reserving the best spots near the shoreline on Torrox beaches since 2015 following last year’s new bylaw forbidding the act.

Mystery as hundreds of fish found floating in Costa del Sol EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

A BRITISH expat has raised the alarm after discovering HUNDREDS of dead fish floating in a river on the Costa del Sol. La Cala de Mijas-based Gary Wootton (far right), 61, spotted the upsetting massacre in Rio de Fuengirola during a walk on Sunday. The numerous silver fish floating on the surface might have been killed as a nearby sewage plant overflowed after heavy rain, he believes. “There were hundreds of them just floating all along

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Fishy business

the river,” he told the Olive Press. “It raises questions as to what could have caused this, especially with a sewage plant nearby.” Wootton, who had been walking into Fuengirola with his family, told the Olive Press that

it is the second time in a decade he has seen it happen. “That time it was confirmed to have been caused after a sewage pipe broke and spilled into the water,” added the pensioner. Fuengirola town hall blamed the compa-

ny Ayron at the time, which was in charge of nearby roadworks, and which had caused a rupture in nearby pipes - sending fecal water into the river. The town hall told the Olive Press this week that it was unaware of the dead fish but that the environment department would ‘look into the matter’.

Chain reaction ENVIRONMENTALISTS have formed a human chain in a bid to stop a proposed ship anchorage that could ‘cause serious damage’ to the Costa del Sol. Verdemar-Ecologists in Action claim the area, off the coast of Sotogrande, could badly affect tourism, with the majority of ships being tankers waiting to load up in Gibraltar, or Algeciras. The so-called ‘bunkering’ anchorage

would stretch for miles from Gibraltar to near Manilva. The group claims that the pollution caused could have a serious impact on tourism in Malaga killing off seagrass meadows and coral reefs. “Algeciras port authority ended tourism in the Bay of Algeciras,” claimed a spokesman. “Now they want to bury the tourism industry in Sotogrande, Cadiz and the Costa del Sol.”

Real bandwidth

300 not out

Helle Hollis Car Rental has been advertising with the Olive Press for the last six years and we have only been happy for the response we have received from our adverts in the paper. Helle Hollis also offers indoor parking besides car hire, and both adverts are working very well in the paper. Congratulations to the Olive Press with the 300th edition! Christine Fleischer Marketing manager at Helle Hollis

Our amazing successes RADICAL CHANGE:

Expat cognitive therapists Martin & Marion Shirran’s highly-esteemed work has been featured in Vogue, Marie Claire, The Times, Telegraph and The Daily Mail

From front

tion after being unable to pay debts and was ‘cash flow insolvent’ following Rexstrew’s sudden death, leaving his two children as joint directors. Victims have so far received very little information from the company’s appointed administrators and Barclays and fear they will never get their money back. “It’s a real mindfield and like banging your head against a brick wall,” added the British retiree. Premier FX and Barclays failed to comment in time for press. An FCA spokesperson told the Olive Press: “We are very concerned that there was criminal activity taking place at Premier FX in relation to missing funds. “We are investigating the business and will take action against any individuals we find to have broken the law in order to return money to customers of the firm.”

ADVERTISING WORKS

Costa del Sol-based cognitive therapists star on UK television special

olly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have talked with Martin and Marion Shirran about their Gastric Mind Band® permanent weight loss treatment on the This Morning TV Show. The Costa del Sol is acknowledged around the world for a number of reasons, but for a few in the know, including a growing number of celebrities, it remains the Go-To destination for those wishing to achieve Permanent Weight Loss. The incredible story around the Gastric Mind Band® treatment goes back to 2012 when it was developed at a small clinic in Fuengirola, by Martin and Marion Shirran. Shortly afterwards Claudia Connell (left) of the Daily Mail, travelled to Spain to meet the developers and experience the treatment for herself. Two weeks later she wrote a two-page feature in the Daily Mail newspaper dePRIME TIME: Marion and Martin with Phillip Schofield and tailing her treatment that literally got the whole Holly Willoughby on This Morning world talking. Martin and Marion were then flown to New York to be featured in a Good Morning ment is evidence based. There’s no smoke and mirrors, no diet America TV special regarding their approach; resulting in them plan, and no exercise regimes to follow. establishing a number of licensed clinics around the world. “Helping people to successfully, and permanently lose weight is Following the TV appearances they signed a multi-title publisha complex task, requiring a careful fusion of empirically proven ing contract with leading Mind Body publishers interventions. The treatment incorporates CogniHay House in New York, and were then invited to tive Behaviour Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programshare details of their work at two leading EuroHelping people ming and the clinic’s own registered, TactileCBT pean psychology conferences at universities in with Mindfulness Techniques, each underlose weight is along Portugal and Poland. pinned as and when required by Hypnotherapy. They were recently invited to appear on the This a complex task The treatment has been further enhanced followMorning show to talk about the treatment and its ing the new and exciting research in the field of development, you can see the full interview on requiring various Neuroplasticity. the clinics web site – www.gmband.com. Various past clients have been interviewed in the techniques The revolutionary treatment which can be commedia and on TV worldwide. One Sara Price, lost pleted over either three or four days delivers what half her body weight following her treatment, Kais surely Utopia for dieters... Permanent Weight tie Drew, went on to lose over 100 pounds. Kaye Loss using a range of proven psychological interventions. Today Lindley, a past client was interviewed by Lorraine Kelly on GMTV the Gastric Mind Band® is regarded by many as the gold stanBreakfast show after losing 105 pounds and reversing her diadard in permanent non-surgical weight loss treatments. betes. The unique approach has been refined during a decade of research and extensive client trials. Every element of the treatRead their stories at www.gmband.com

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10 A no-deal would see ‘major upheaval’ in lives of British expats, experts warn SPANISH mayors and local experts are fearing a British exodus in the case of a nodeal Brexit. It comes as the October deadline for an agreement edges closer while London and Brussels continue to be bogged down in stagnant negotiations. While EU negotiator Michel Barnier insists an agreement can still be made ‘within six to eight weeks’, expats continue to be nervous. “Nobody knows for sure what is going to happen,” said the mayor of Alcaucin, Mario Blanke. “The uncertainty is total and it is obvious that many residents would be forced to return to the UK.”

NEWS

September 12th -

September September 12th - September 25th 2018 25th 2018

Brace for Brexit By Laurence Dollimore

Blanke, whose town has the highest concentration of registered Brits in Malaga province, added that the guarantee of basic needs like health and pensions could be snatched away overnight. It comes after the UK government warned that Brits abroad may lose access to British bank accounts for their pensions or be fined when transferring funds. An agreement that sees Brits currently covered by a health agreement between the NHS and the EU, could come to an end. Immigration lawyer Ricardo

GREAT RESULTS We worked with The Olive Press for six months this year and achieved great results. The response rate was excellent and enabled us to become a recognized brand in the electricity market. We are now planning our future campaigns and will be using Jon and his team as our newspaper partPhil Mitchell Commercial Manager

300 not out

Bocanegra added that a nodeal scenario would be a ‘drastic change’ for British expats. The Marbella lawyer said they would be treated ‘like any other resident from a third-world country,’ he said. “That means your passport is stamped at the airport and you are allowed to stay 90 days per visit, otherwise you are in the country illegally.”

Russian

It means the hundreds of thousands, who are not officially residents in Spain will have to become residents quickly. For residents with property, the only way to enjoy their homes is, inevitably, by applying for a resident permit, in the ‘same way a Russian or Senegalese citizen has to do’. “We are talking about a process that requires a lot of bureaucracy,” added Bocanegra. “You have to prove ownership of a house, show a criminal record certificate and have private insurance.” He added that after becoming residents, they would also be liable for tax on their pensions.

advice

LA CULTURA

Do you have a 12th - September 25th 2018 11 on? what’s September

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Medieval magic

A MEDIEVAL market has hit the streets of Fuengirola this week with dragon hunters and jesters in tow. Sohail Castle has opened its greatly anticipated annual market, with traders donning traditional medieval clothing while entertaining crowds with fire eating performances, magic shows, archery and falconry displays. The five-day event will showcase some 80 stalls offering jewellery, artisan crafts, natural soaps, aromatic herbs and clothes. Visitors will be able to sample traditional gastronomy from the era before taking part in pottery, leather and stonemason workshops, learning methods used by craftsmen in the Middle Ages. The event is free and begins at 7pm every night until Sunday September 16.

Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es

Artistic Moorish gems unearthed at Granada’s Alhambra in €3 million restoration project TEN years of restoration at the famous Alhambra Palace has led to an historic discovery. An artistic ‘jewel’ in Granada’s iconic palace has been unearthed following a €3 million conservation project. The frescoes, found in three 15-metre vaults of the Sala de los Reyes (Hall of Kings), are said to be one-of-a-kind worldwide due to the artistic techniques used. Portraying illustrious fig-

What lies beneath ures from under the Nasrids’ rule - the last Muslim Arab dynasty in Spain - the

works were commissioned by Muhammed V of Granada, using leather, ceramics,

The illusionist

VINTAGE: Old cinema

AN old fairground booth-style cinema has pitched up on the Costa del Sol. Celebrating the work of the father of cinema, the exhibition The Show Begins. George Méliès and The Cinema of 1900, has arrived in Estepona. In conjunction with the 15th edition of Spain’s national Film Festival, the small exhibition promises to transport visitors to the early 19th century. The first of three areas explores the

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

SPAIN - UK - IRELAND

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birth of cinematography in old fairgrounds and its political and social impact during the era. While the second showcases the world of French Illusionist Méliès a visionary producer, set designer, actor, costume designer and script writer who shaped the film industry into what it is now. The third and final area is dedicated to the Parisian’s 1902 Le voyage dans la Luna - his first success and how it was rediscovered in 1926.

glass and plasterwork. Coordinated by the Alhambra Conservation Service and the Andalucian Institute for Historic Heritage, the decade-long restoration project employed a huge team of architects, chemists, art historians, biologists. Since work was last carried out by Rafael Contreras in 1855, the paintings rapidly deteriorated due to water leaks from the roofs which have now been corrected.

Masterpieces

Curiously there are no sources from the Nasrid dynasty era which can explain the scenes illustrated in the masterpieces and do not reflect depictions in Islam, making the art truly unique. The side arches depict cavalry, hunting and courtesans, while the central arch shows a meeting of the first ten kings of the Nasrid dynasty - the fall of Moorish rule marking the end of the famous Al-Andalus dynasty.

what’s on Model behaviour PASARELA Larios Fashion Week 2018 will be in Malaga city centre on September 14 and 15, showcasing a range of designers.

Crushed JEREZ de la Frontera’s annual twoweek long grape harvest festival, including gastronomy, flamenco and sherry offerings, will finish on September 16.

World class CHANQUETE World Music Festival is set to take over Playazo de Nerja Beach from 4pm until 6am, with a string of live performances on September 15.

Marching on LOCALS of Villanueva del Trabuco will be joined by tourists for a carnival parade with costumes, a brass band and prizes at Especial Trabuco festival September 14-16.

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

How an Andalucian weed (not that kind) promoted literacy in Victorian Britain, writes Jack Gaioni

LA CULTURA

September 12th - September 25th 2018

WEED: The esparto plant grows in the hills around Andalucia

“

THE English ceased to be one alised fiction were immensely popuof the most aggressive, brutal, lar. Newspapers were coming of rowdy, outspoken, riotous cruel age. Advertising for the masses was and bloodthirsty nations in the in its infancy. Libraries were being world and became one of the most established along with competing inhibited, polite, orderly, tender- publishing houses. And the Foster’s minded, prudish and hypocritical.” Education Act (1870), a milestone So said British historian Harold Per- in educational development, set the kin in reference to England’s Victo- framework for public schooling for rian Age. More than anything else, all children aged five to 12. Perkin saw the era (1837-1901) as But it was the discovery of an inconone of sexual spicuous Anrestraint, rigid dalucian roadmorality and side weed that a strict code changed the of conduct. Inway Victorian deed! Britain learned. However, there If there was was so much one common more to the denominator era. The Indusin Britain’s rise trial Revolution in literacy, it was at its apex was the need and saw many for paper - but British technopapermaking logical innovain 19th-century tions. It was PRINTERS: Used mostly esparto England was England’s Imperifar from cutting al Century where ‘the sun never set edge. It was primarily made from old on the British Empire’. It was also cloth rags combined with wood pulp the Age of Literacy. but supplies were limited and the Both the desire and the ability to manufacturing process crude, laread and write soared exponen- bour intensive, expensive and dirty. tially as literacy for all became para- Experiments in using other materimount in public consciousness. als - everything from sawdust and This was the time of Dickens, Tenni- bamboo to hay and cabbage stalks son, the Bronte Sisters and Thomas - had produced less-than-perfect Hardy, when penny novels and seri- results, until manufacturers discov-

Weeding betw ered esparto. This unassuming grass indigenous to north Africa and southern Spain -

commonly used today in everything from shopping baskets to espadrilles - was found to be the perfect base for

paper. Its fibres and cellulose properties produced a very durable, soft, clean paper which held ink well and

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

13 13

September 12th - September 25th 2018

ARTISAN: Weaves create many styles

EVOCATIVE: Uses today include the classic blinds so typical of inland Andalucia

ween the lines could be produced at a fraction of the cost. In 1839 the first patent to manufacture paper from esparto was registered in England. Paper prices dropped by as much as 75% as public demand for print soared. Enterprising British entrepreneurs began to lease large Spanish estate farms in Murcia, Almeria and Granada to cultivate esparto. One man in particular, a Scotsman named William McMurray, monopolised Spanish exports to the British market. His company, Esparto Fibre Compania, cultivated, harvested, dried and bundled the raw material on leased ‘espartero estates’. It was then transported using British-built and controlled railways (e.g. The Great Southern Spain Railway), to the coastal ports of Aguilas in Murcia and Cartagena, loaded onto companyowned steamboats and shipped to Great Britain. The quantities of exported esparto to Britain were so vast that the loading docks required special canals to handle the increased barge traffic. One canal at the mouth of the Wandle River and the Thames even became known as McMurray Canal. At its height, the corridor between Granada, northern Almeria and coastal Murcia exported 31,000 tonnes yearly, making esparto Spain’s leading export second only to iron-ore. World War I was the death-knell for the in-

•

dustry as shipping was disrupted and new papermaking technologies became more profitable. But for almost 100 years the symbiotic relationship between Andalucia’s esparto and Great Britain’s thirst for paper was a net positive for both countries. Spain had a valuable cash crop and Victorian England’s demand for paper - the medium that made mass literacy possible - was met. It’s probably a misnomer to dismiss esparto as simply a ‘weed’. Granted, it’s considered a nuisance, especially among olive growers; but it has been a part of Andalucian material culture for millennia. Archeological discoveries have uncovered esparto baskets and mats as far back as the Neolithic Age roughly 7,000 years ago. The Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Moors used it in ropes, shoes, harnesses, blankets and more. Today, although it has given way to new technologies, esparto is making a bit of a commercial comeback. It is still used to produce a higher-quality premium paper for books, diplomas and important documents. In the home fashion world, Amazon features chic esparto designer rugs and wall hangings. And chemists have recently discovered that the lining of the esparto plant, much like flax oil, has a beneficial antioxidant quality. Esparto’s fortunes have varied over time but

DESIGNS: Include cactus and belt

for Victorian Britain this humble grass played no small part in transferring knowledge to the vast majority of literate Britons. American poet

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: ‘What is a weed? It is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.’

Rags and discarded cloth were in such acute demand during the early Victorian4 Era that there were actually ‘rag wars’. England prohibited rags to www.theolivepress.es be taken out of the country and rag smuggling became a lucrative enterprise among black marketeers

NE WS

December 6th - December 19th 2017

Recent archaeological discoveries at Las Cuevas de los Murcie lagos in Cordob , in Granada, confirm that esparto has long been a 4a and Abunolwww.theolivepress.es part of Andalucian materi al culture. Many of the artifacts are on display at The National Archaeological Museum in Madrid

NE WS

December 6th - December 19th 2017

Thanks to esparto SOME 14 fire bosses importhave s, rag and wood pulp newsprint that cost the equiva lentarrested been allegedly of 0.28for cents a pound in 1846 London, plunged to 0.02 cents by 1897 embezzling €7 million in

NE WS

Not ‘He deserves it’ Not enough ‘He deserves it’ Not

Costa del Sol Hot hotel has three water months to Costa del Sol fight decision Hot 4 www.theolivepress.es hotel has three before it is water months to demolished DID fight decision Costa del Sol KNOW? YOU Hot beforehas it is hotel three water demolished months to

public funds. The Policia Nacional found that the Consortium of SOME 14 fire bosses have Bomberos Cadiz out been arrested for took allegedly mass early retirement insurembezzling €7 million in ance policies. public funds. But Policia when their employees The Nacional found retiredthe early,Consortium chiefs siphoned that of SOME 14 fire bosses have

A HOTEL is to be knocked down for not having enough class! Benalmadena’s Hotel Vista de Rey must be demolished

‘He deserves it’ From Page 1

He even got himself a financial advice slot on a well

known radio station, through which snared unsuspectDecember 6th - December 19thhe2017 ing victims. However, a comprehensive Olive Press investigation exFrom Page 1 posed his scams that involved stamps, coins and gold. We also revealed how he and his close palslot Barry He even got himself a financial advice on Nathan a well wined and up through to a dozen criminals, anonymously, known radiodined station, which he snared unsuspectthrough the food column. ing victims. He eventually fled the country following our expose, However, a comprehensive Olive Press investigation exFrom 1 gold. but wehis soon tracked him down to the UK,Page where he had posed scams that involved stamps, coins and changed his namehow by deed pollhis and waspal selling and We also revealed he and close Barrycoins Nathan

GREEN

www.theolivepress.es

What a scorcher! IT’S official, August was Europe’s hottest on record. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which compared data against average temperatures from 1981-2010, it is the third month this year that has broken records. It said the mercury was ‘higher than normal’ last month in Portugal, Germany, western Spain, central France and parts of Poland. Although it was below average in southernmost Italy, Scotland, Norway, Iceland and parts of Ireland. Europe also had record levels of heat in April and May this year.

Raisin to be cheerful

THE Junta has announced an agro-environmental fund for the Moscatel raisin industry. Some 120 farmers will make use of the €2.2 million grant until 2020. Malaga PSOE MP Miguel Angel Heredia said it was important to ‘value the importance of raisins for the area’. It came after he visited the main growing areas in Iznate and Almachar, both in the Axarquia.

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Female bosses ‘less likely to damage environment’ COMPANIES with women at the helm are less likely to break environmental laws. A new study claims that for every additional woman appointed to a corporate board, the company experiences an average 1.5% reduction in ‘litigation risk’ over the breaking of environmental laws.

GREENER: Women

The study’s author Chelsea Liu put this down to the fact men and women tend to have ‘different ethical standards’. She said: “Male directors are stereotypically power-oriented, whereas female directors show greater universalistic concerns for other people. Female voices in the boardroom

could therefore conceivably help companies to keep the welfare of local communities in mind when making environmental decisions.” The study, which was published in the Journal of Corporate Finance, analysed 1,893 environmental lawsuits filed against companies.

Toxic

Spain thirdworst in Europe for ‘cancercausing’ oil refineries - and Andalucia suffers most

Flying high By Deidre Tynan

MORE than a dozen endangered owl chicks are thriving after being introduced to an olive farm in Jaen earlier this year. The barn owl chicks, who were placed in a hayloft by Olivares Vivos, an organisation working to ensure environmental sustainability in Spain’s olive groves, are spending more time out exploring.

By Laurence Dollimore

SPAIN has been revealed to be one of Europe’s main contributors to the ‘toxic’ crude oil refining industry. According to a new study by GlobalData, Spain, Germany and Italy account for more than 35% of the active refineries across the continent. Spain is the third highest user of such refineries, with a capacity of 1,542,000 bpd (barrels per day) from 10 refineries in 2017. Gibraltar-San Roque, operated by Compania Espanola de

Beams

DAMAGING: Black smoke plumes from plant in Cadiz Petroleos SAU, has the highest active capacity of 241,000 bpd. Cartagena and Bilbao refineries

follow with 220,000 bpd each. Years of research have linked living close to refineries with

Wolf war

THE decapitated head of a wolf has been left in a public swimming pool in the latest brutal attack in response to livestock killings. It comes after some 500 farmers and shepherds from the northern Asturias region met to discuss how to deal with the rapidly increasing number of sheep being killed by wolves. The following morning pool workers in the town of Infiesto were shocked to find a wolf’s head and tail floating in the

water. Environmental groups have called on officials to take action against the perpetrators, who they claim are being ‘spoilt’ by the regional government. Conservationists working in the region have recently found poisoned wolves hanging from traffic signs and even supermarkets as a form of hunting trophy. Between 500 and 650 wolves were killed in Spain last year.

higher cancer rates. It is believed toxic pollutants emitted in the refinery process - like benzene - contribute to various types of cancer. In the Cadiz region, the prevalence of cancers and rate of mortality were recently revealed to be among the worst in Spain.

“Soon we will probably stop seeing these owls among the big beams of the hayloft, which will be good news because they will have become completely independent,” the organisationsaid. Spain is home to three subspecies of barn owls which can have a wingspan of up to 95 centimetres. But farming and human activity has though led to a decrease in their numbers in recent years.

Allergic

The allergic asthma rate amongst children is the highest in the country while the overall mortality rate is 20% above the national average. According to a CEPSA report, a string of very heavy polluting incidences related to power shutdowns and subsequent start-ups, has produced voluminous clouds of particulate pollution covering the surrounding area.

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

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Check out our issues online at www.theolivepress.es

Readers react to news that Costa del Sol businesses are buying fake reviews to boost their businesses on sites like TripAdvisor

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2018

Vol. 3 Issue 78 www.gibraltarolivepress .com August 29th - September 11th 2018

Border brawl

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Celebrating

August 29th - September 11th 2018

30 19

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ibraltar National Day

August 29th - September

11th 2018

Vol. 12 Issue 299 www.theolivepress.es August 29th - September 11th 2018

Red, white and wonderful Gibraltar National Day - always a celebration of sovereignty and self-determination takes on an added importance this year

Gibraltar national day special pullout, including full timetable and special features, SEE PAGE 19

PATRIOTIC: A sea of red and white will fill in Casemates Square, while (inset) various characters

IREWORKS and beers at the ready... The Rock is set to rumble as Gibraltar prepares for its National Day celebrations. Just over half a century on from the referendum that gave it such a unique appeal, the Rock is standing taller than ever. An abundance of local pride spills out over various days of celebration - including music of all genres, arts, food,

ORIGINAL: Fancy dress is a popular tradition

Passion truly makes this party... and organisers expect more than 30,000 revellers - not to mention the monkeys (Barbary macaques, if we are being pedantic) - to join the celebrations. “There is always a real buzz around Gibraltar in the build up to national day,” explains British journalist Joe Duggan, who covered the Rock for the Olive Press for a photography, fancy dress and year, while based in La Linea. Overwhelming competitions - and is a perfect “National Day was always one 99% of excuse to bring locals and tourof the highlights of the year ists alike onto the streets. Gibraltarians and is a time when Gibraltar But the big day is September showed off how proud it was of voted to remain 10, a day to show the world its history and successes.” British there really is nowhere quite The festival is a mix of looklike Gibraltar, and there is no ing back at Gibraltar’s proud group of people quite like Gihistory; and looking forward, braltarians. celebrating the business opportunities, innoThis year, it’s a statement as well as a cele- vation and building plans for this very modern bration; because with Brexit it’s a tense time peninsular. politically, and that only fuels the fire of the Organised by the Self Determination for Gilocals. braltar Group in conjunction with Gibraltar For just as the Rock is a symbol of the coun- Cultural Services, the annual celebration try’s strength and unity, the people are a re- commemorates one of the most important flection of its charm and character and stand moments in Gibraltar’s history: the referenup as one of Europe’s most recognisable land- dum of 1967, when citizens had a say on their marks. sovereignty for the very first time.

On that day, an overwhelming 99% of Gibraltarians voted to remain British and, 51 years later, they are just as, if not more, impassioned - largely due to the ever-volatile relationship with their Spanish neighbours. As if to make clear where their allegiance lies, the Moorish Castle is illuminated in red and white to mark the occasion for a period of three weeks before the big day. While the Queen may not have made an appearance since 1954, five years ago Prime Minister David Cameron joined the celebrations in spirit, rallying his loyal troops from a giant screen in Casemates. “For 300 years we have stood together, as one with our shared sovereign. Let me assure you that the British people and my Government stand with you now. Our relationship is solid, sure and enduring,” he proclaimed to roars of approval. These sentiments are increasingly important to Gibraltar in the light of international tensions, being stretched to the limit by current Brexit negotiations and how they will play out for the Rock. National Day is an opportunity to tell Spain Continues overleaf

‘You can’t get prosecuted… it’s

just cheating’

FAKING IT

THIS is the woman who took on Spanish police protestors after an off-duty cop kicked her in the stomach during a protest at the Gibraltar border. Shocking footage of the incident sparked outrage, as Erika Gonzalez, 35, is seen driving a red Mercedes before her car is surrounded by protestors waving their flags at her windows and kicking her tyres. The trained nurse can be seen exiting the car and approaches the group of protestors before a BUSINESSES in Andalucia are paying to post dozens of FAKE scuffle unfolds. It was then that she was brutally five-star reviews on TripAdvikicked in the stomach by an off- sor in a bid to increase their rankings. duty Spanish police officer. It is believed the mother had a An Olive Press investigation has unearthed companies ofchild in the back of the car. She told the Gibraltar Chronicle: fering packages of 50 glowing EXCLUSIVE “I was trembling, I was shaking, reviews for just €400. By Laurence Dollimore Restaurants, hotels and gaand felt like I was cornered.” and Elisa Menendez It comes after Jusapol police rages have utilised the services union protestors marched to the of Malaga-based company GCI Gibraltar border from La Linea, Global, which promises ‘genu- you want to pay a bit more we ine reviews’ that will be ‘tailored can demanding pay increases after actually send someone,” what they described as ‘30 years to your business’. We can reveal that one of its added Fisher, who lives in Alof abandonment’. haurin de la Torre. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo clients, a Malaga restaurateur, “In fact if you pay we can send met with Gonzalez to hear her managed to get to number one four people to share one pizza. side of the story. Picardo said: in his town on TripAdvisor af- Then we spread “I am very grateful that Ms Gon- ter ‘purchasing’ dozens of ‘ex- over a few days. the reviews out a boost and the edge over your “I have dozens zalez was able to come to No6 to cellent’ reviews over just two of clients.” competitors.” months. explain exactly what happened. Posing as potential clients with “I was able to express to her my In total, 99% of the comments a holiday rental business in for Posing his restaurant anger and regret at the way in - which we Marbella, our reporters were which she was attacked and I was are not naming for legal rea- The Olive Press probe was told by also able to pledge the govern- sons - are ‘excellent’ 5/5 with launched after we were ap- would beFisher that the reviews ‘from real people’. ment’s full support in any issues only one ‘very good’. proached by an angry reader, “The reviews which arise from this deplorable “The restaurant was over 100 who had been targeted by an ple on the are from real peoCosta del Sol, it’s (in the list) but look at it now,” unsolicited email and regrettable incident.” from GCI last a bunch of fake accounts not GCI boss Ben Fisher boasted to month. putting reviews the Olive Press. The advert read: “We offer tai- from Hull. on,” said Fisher, “It doesn’t matter if (the review- lor made professional ers) eat there or not, although if packages giving your review “A potential customer doesn’t business know if they are real or fake. It

launches probe, as a Costa del Sol business ‘selling’Olive Press exposes reviews on to the global giant’s fake customer website

Please forgive us!

In an open letter to Spain, the Olive Press apologises for our unruly tourists

WE’RE SORRY Dear Spain, WE ARE SORRY.

Dusculpanos

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Ladies who lunch

QUEEN Sofia was summoned to Mallorca’s ‘most expensive home’ to have lunch with Michelle Obama this week. The former first lady declined to leave the sprawling estate in Esporles, preferring instead to invite Spain’s queen mum for a long lunch. It is third time Michelle has stayed at the home, which her friend, former US ambassador to Spain James Costos, rents out every summer. Michelle invited Queen Sofia and her friends the Fruchauds, from Paris, for lunch at 2pm on Monday. The leading ladies had lunch and enjoyed a sobremesa’ until 5pm, when Sofia returned to Marivent Palace.

Security

Michelle - who is travelling solo - is expected to stay on the island until Monday. She has been pictured just once getting off a yacht. It is the second time she visited Spain this year, having been over with husband Barack and daughters Sacha and Malia last month. Strong security measures have made it virtually impossible to photograph Michelle. The estate, which is said to be one of the island’s most expensive, is owned by Mallorcan millionaire Marieta Salas.

The gag is up

FREE

SEE PAGE 12

August 30th - September 12th 2018 Vol. 2 Issue 36 www.theolivepress.es

just cheating’ ‘You can’t get prosecuted… it’s

FAKING IT exposes launches probe, as Olive Press reviews fake customer a Spanish business ‘selling’ on to the global giant’s website

BUSINESSES in Spain are paying to post dozens of FAKE fivestar reviews on TripAdvisor in a bid to increase their rankings. An Olive Press investigation has unearthed companies ofEXCLUSIVE fering packages of 50 glowing By Laurence Dollimore reviews for just €400. and Elisa Menendez Restaurants, hotels and garages have utilised the services of Malaga-based company GCI the Olive Press this week. Global, which promises ‘genu- “It doesn’t matter if (the reviewine reviews’ that will be ‘tailored ers) eat there or not, although if to your business’. you want to pay a bit more we We can reveal that one of its can actually send someone,” clients, a Malaga restaurateur, added Fisher, who lives in Almanaged to get to number one haurin de la Torre. in his town on TripAdvisor af- “In fact if you pay we can send ter ‘purchasing’ dozens of ‘ex- four people to share one pizza. cellent’ reviews over just two Then we spread the reviews out months. over a few days. “I have dozens In total, 99% of the comments of clients.” for his restaurant - which we The Olive Press probe was are not naming for legal rea- launched after we were apsons - are ‘excellent’ 5/5 with proached by an angry reader, only one ‘very good’. targeted by an unsolicited “The restaurant was over 100 email from GCI last month. (in the list) but look at it now,” The advert read: “We offer GCI boss Ben Fisher boasted to

THERE have been ZERO fake food poisoning claims by Brits on package holidays to Spain this year. It comes after 2013 saw a 500% hike in the bogus claims, which were dubbed by the Spanish hotel industry as the ‘diarrhoea scam.’ Last year was one of the worst on record in the Balearics, with Mallorca’s Hotel Federation announcing false gastroenteritis claims had soared by 700% since 2015 and had cost hotels on the island €50 million in 2016 alone.

tailor made professional review packages giving your business a boost and the edge over your competitors.” Posing as potential clients with a holiday rental business in Marbella, our reporters were told by Fisher that the reviews would be ‘from real people’. “The reviews are from real people on the Costa del Sol, it’s not a bunch of fake accounts putting reviews on,” said Fisher,

Please forgive us! In an open letter to Spain, the Olive Press apologises for our unruly tourists

WE’RE SORRY

oral girl who performed fell the brazen British who And who can forget a free drink in 2016, or the mandefecate sex on 24 men forMallorca last month while trying to in WE ARE SORRY. sinver- from a balcony Costa del us Brits not by the and stabbings at over the edge. E ask that you judgeto poo over your balconies or Closer to home, beach club brawls last summer. Banus guenzas who choose for a free cocktail, but by the Sol haunts dominated the headlines the streets of Puerto perform oral services expats who are privileged to Two rival gangs’ fight spilled onto to run over his rivals. member trying resorts are majority of respectful and ended with one of Spain’s biggest country home. wonder that some call your beautiful how did we get here? punc- Is it anyto resist tourists? are just Seriously though, famed for their polite manners and starting you are the terrorist,’ across tourour excessive drinking ‘Tourists go home’ and ‘Tourist, Brits used to be better known for that have been graffitied tuality. Now we are antics compounded by the senseless some of the messages few years. past Brits every and outrageous partyof ‘balconing’. ism hotspots in the killing from visiting after falling or de- Just because resorts make a to put up with such antics. alcohol-fuelled sport 2015 were treated for injuries they have roll your Some 46 patients from balconies between 2010 and the next time you year, it doesn’t mean bear this in mind about a British reveller liberately jumping We hope you will story grow, with almost eyes in disgust at yet anotherour apology on behalf of the - and 60% were Brits. have seen this number badly, and accept The last two years year alone (CHECK). of outra- behaving 10 Brits dying this example from a whole cataloguesink to a whole damned lot. And that’s only onethat has seen holiday high jinks geous behaviour which shocking new low. were sent a video from Benidorm of a Just this week wereveller putting his penis in the mouth showed a British passed-out compatriot.

Dear Spain,

Dusculpanos

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from Hull. “A potential customer doesn’t know if they are real or fake. It is not illegal. You can’t get prosecuted... it’s just cheating.” Describing himself as a ‘web marketing specialist’, he explained how if our reporters bought 50 reviews, our new business would receive two five-star reviews per day from his network of users consisting of ‘friends and family friends’. He offered to do 20 reviews for €150 or the 50 reviews for €400 - with payments made by cash or PayPal. So confident was he that it would boost our business ranking he offered a 100% satisfaction or a ‘money-back guarantee’. “You’re paying for direct marketing - the higher you go on TripAdvisor the more you pop up as recommended and the more business you get,” he insisted. Sadly, the process is not new. TripAdvisor has been caught out before, including a famous stunt pulled off by VICE website in which an undercover reporter set up a fake restaurant, The Shed at Dulwich, and made it the number one restaurant in London. Just this week a simple Google search unearthed a US-based company, Reviews that Stick, offering packages on the global

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Vol. 12 Issue 299 www.theolivepress.es August 29th - September 11th 2018

‘You can’t get prosecuted… it’s just cheating’

An ox-tale What have Hitler, Gandhi and Ferdinand the bull got in common?

Page 12

FAKING IT

BUSINESSES in Andalucia are paying to post dozens of FAKE five-star reviews on TripAdvisor in a bid to increase their rankings. An Olive Press investigation has unearthed companies offering packages of 50 glowing EXCLUSIVE reviews for just €400. By Laurence Dollimore Restaurants, hotels and gaand Elisa Menendez rages have utilised the services of Malaga-based company GCI Global, which promises ‘genu- (in the list) but look at it now,” ine reviews’ that will be ‘tailored GCI boss Ben Fisher boasted to to your business’. the Olive Press. We can reveal that one of its “It doesn’t matter if (the reviewclients, a Malaga restaurateur, ers) eat there or not, although if managed to get to number one you want to pay a bit more we in his town on TripAdvisor af- can actually send someone,” ter ‘purchasing’ dozens of ‘ex- added Fisher, who lives in Alcellent’ reviews over just two haurin de la Torre. months. “In fact if you pay we can send In total, 99% of the comments four people to share one pizza. for his restaurant - which we Then we spread the reviews out are not naming for legal rea- over a few days. “I have dozens sons - are ‘excellent’ 5/5 with of clients.” only one ‘very good’. The Olive Press probe was “The restaurant was over 100 launched after we were ap-

launches probe, as Olive Press exposes a Costa del Sol business ‘selling’ fake customer reviews on to the global giant’s website

bosses have

Costa del Sol hotel has three months to fight decision before it is demolished

for allegedly embezzling €7 million in public funds. The Policia Nacional found that the Consortium of A HOTEL is to be knocked Bomberos Cadiz took out down for not having enough mass early retirement insurclass! ance policies. Benalmadena’s Hotel Vista But when their employees de Rey must be demolished retired early, chiefs siphoned within three months, a court off the money from the payhas ruled, outs. Andalucia’s Superior Court Authorities also found disof Justice ruled that the hocrepancies in the consortium’s training courses. tel falls short of its four-star Large sums were paid to a requirement. company to provide training courses, but no evidence has Probing been found that these courses It began probing the three took place. irregularities star hotel and apartment Meanwhile, and grants in found were also block in 2011 after it was desubsidies, which cops believe nounced over planning rules were used to pay for private which set aside the plot for a trips. four star hotel only. The irregularities date back According to the PGOU town to 2008 and cops believe at plan an apartment block was least €7 million has been stoand it also permitted not len by those at the top. by being over

NEWS

December 6th - December 19th

2017

‘He deserv Not enough stars

es it’

Anonymous

From Page 1

advice slot on a well He even got himself a financial he snared unsuspectknown radio station, through which ing victims. Press investigation exHowever, a comprehensive Olive coins and gold. posed his scams that involved stamps, close pal Barry Nathan We also revealed how he and hiscriminals, anonymously, wined and dined up to a dozen through the food column. following our expose, He eventually fled the countryto the UK, where he had but we soon tracked him down and was selling coins and changed his name by deed poll cottage. antiques on eBay from a small Berkshire English law of conning He was quickly found guilty under prison people and given a suspended reasons. health to sentence only due never “And because he promised to of the go back to his online cons,” one British victim explained. with But this is apparently not the caseusing two victims claiming he is stillstamps eBay to sell ‘dodgy’ coins and usfrom his unpaid flat in Brighton, ing the names ‘gqtrading’ and ‘gqtrading2’. his “We are pretty sure he has broken finally bail conditions and will have to go back to prison,” said one victim. “The nerve of this man is unbelievable.” he should have known His landlord last night insisted something was up from the start. I thought he was a bit “When we met to sign the contracts only for the barista to slippery, I went to pay for my coffee his bill.” tell me he had left without paying first couple of months but He continued: “He paid for the account had been frozen then just stopped. He told us his which is probdue to a money laundering investigation, contacting him and acably true. “He then told us to stop cused us of harrassment. ill and can’t work to “Now he is claiming he is seriously make payments. “We’ll see him in court.” Opinion Page 6

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the beach deter drug smugglers from using as a drop off zone. Civil, A combined police presence of Guardia present as local and national officers were would try fears grew that drug smugglers and disrupt the work.

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Brace yourselves WELL if that’s the case I hope the UK is ready for the millions of British passport holders returning, needing houses, health care and handouts! (UK expats in Spain could face losing access to pensions and fined for using credit cards in event of no-deal Brexit, issue 299).

our unruly tourists

Dear Spain, WE ARE SORRY.

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IF TripAdvisor provided review codes distributed by the business owners that would solve the problem. If policed properly, the website could be invaluable, and important for business. I’ve had loads of business from TA. The problem is not with them it’s some of the scam artists and badly run businesses using it. Steve Law, Malaga

fight decision SPANISH migrants living in before it is the UK will be given the right remain in the country even demolishediftothere is a no-deal Brexit, it

enough stars

The Policia Nacional found that the Consortium of Bomberos Cadiz took out mass early retirement insur-

Pipe ban

differently, according to a leaked government report. The deal will be offered to all 3.8 million EU citizens residing in Britain who will still be able to use the benefits system and access the NHS. It comes after fears grew over

has been revealed. The UK government is set to to be knocked take the ‘moral high ground’ having enough even if the EU and Spain act

A HOTEL is down for not class! Benalmadena’s Hotel Vista de Rey must be demolished within three months, a court has ruled, Andalucia’s Superior Court THIS is the Gibraltar-based mother of Justice ruled that thewas killed after being mowed downwho hoon the street at the weekend. tel falls short of its four-star Adrienn Baltes, 43, was walking home requirement. from work in La Linea

ance policies. But when their employees retired early, chiefs siphoned off the money from the payouts. Authorities also found discrepancies in the consor-

tium’s training courses. Large sums were paid to a company to provide training courses, but no evidence has been found that these courses took place. Meanwhile, irregularities were also found in grants and subsidies, which cops believe were used to pay for private trips. The irregularities date back to 2008 and cops believe at least €7 million has been stolen by those at the top.

August 29th - September 11th

potential labour shortages in certain sectors once Britain is no longer in the EU. British expats in Europe were warned of losing access to their pensions and hit with taxes when using credit cards if no deal is agreed.

Mum mowed down

Probing

when a car hit her as she crossed the road. The Hungarian mother-of-one, lived on the Rock for at least 20 who has years, is

said to have been killed instantly. It began probing the According three to investigators, the star hotel and apartment artist - whose brother runs populartattoo lour Gib Ink - died on Calle Principeparblock in 2011 after it was dede Asturias at around 1am on Sunday nounced over planninging. mornrules which set aside the plotItfor happened a when a silver Volkswagen four star hotel only. Golf ploughed into her as she crossed at a red light. According to the PGOUTributes town have been pouring in for the explan an apartment block patwas who had been working that evening a cafe in Gibraltar. not permitted and itat also breached rules by being over 700 square meters bigger DOOMED: Costa hotel

I’ve done hundreds of reviews on TripAdvisor in the past, always using my own name and giving as honest an account of my visit/stay as I could. Like any medium it can be manipulated if you want and unfortunately the changes to the system in recent years has resulted in a watered down version wide open to abuse.

“She was a great person always with a smile on her face than permitted. and had a very big heart,” Although one wrote.the town hall and Another said: “I’m developer totally shocked bymaintain this excess was later corrected, the the news. “Adrienn judgewas ruleda that the rectificawonderful car- have taken place tion and would ing lady, my condolences to her family. after the “She will be sadlygranting limissed andofthethe Cyber Cafe won't cence, be so the does same.”not count. InitialThe reports in Spanish building haspress 61 that the apartincident was a hit-and-run appear to ments and 46 parking spachave been unfounded. According es. to friends of Adrienn, the driverThe who hit her stayed with original building was police and paramedics arrived her until and was ‘visiblygranted shaken’. planning permis-

sion by then mayor Enrique Bolin in 2001.

From Page 1

He even got himself a financial advice slot on a well known radio station, through which he snared unsuspect-

Annuities, deposit services, ing victims. lending and insurance are just However, a comprehensive Olive Press investigation exsome of the financial actions posed his scams that involved stamps, coins and gold. where expats could face difficulties We also if therevealed how EU does not takehe and his close pal Barry Nathan action. wined and dined up to a dozen criminals, anonymously, UK citizens in the European through the food column. Economic Area will not be Hetoeventually fled the country following our expose, able access these products without but we intervention soon tracked him down to the UK, where he had from Brussels before the Brexit changed his name by deed poll and was selling coins and deadline. on the eBay from a small Berkshire cottage. Itantiques comes after UK govHe wasreleased quickly ernment itsfound no-dealguilty under English law of conning preparation people and plans given a suspended prison last week, insentence a bid to offer onlyguidance due to in health reasons. the event of a so-called ‘hard “And because he promised to never Brexit’.

go back to his online cons,” one of the British victim explained. Inconvenie nce But this is apparently not

the case with Hugh Savill, director of regutwo atvictims lation claimingof he is still using the Association British eBayInsurers, to sell said ‘dodgy’ leaving coins and stamps the EU without a deal would from his unpaid flat in Brighton, uscause ‘major inconvenience’ to ing the names ‘gqtrading’ and ‘gqtradmillions of pensioners, traveling2’. lers and drivers. He“We added: urge the are“We pretty sure Govhe has broken his ernment to agree a deal aswill a have to finally bail conditions and matter of urgency.” go back to prison,” said one victim. Savill revealed that insurers “The have beennerve of‘contingenthis man is unbelievable.” making cyHis plans’landlord for months butnight last the insisted he should issues are too deep-rooted for something them to fix alone.was up from the start.

week

have known

“When we met to sign the contracts I thought he was a bit slippery, I went to pay for my coffee only for the barista to tell me he had left without paying his bill.” He continued: “He paid for the first couple of months but then just stopped. He told us his account had been frozen due to a money laundering investigation, which is probably true. “He then told us to stop contacting him and accused us of harrassment. “Now he is claiming he is seriously ill and can’t work to make payments. “We’ll see him in court.” Opinion Page 6

Good luck

A range A ran of of W SO if you have to pay Waitrose either 902 123 282 wines way (Ryanair is changing wine TM

its cabin bag policy AGAIN, issue 299). It's cheaper for Available exclusively Eroski and everyone to pay theat €6 Kevin Geraghty, Andalucia keep the bag with them.... So most of the plane would be priority boarding... So what is the point? If all passengers are priority, that is not priorof ARTWORK SETUP ity.TOI25%always keep my bag with OF ACTUAL ARTWORK SIZE. SETUP TO 25% OF ACTUAL SIZE. the me. I pay €6 because I never take a suitcase. I can see this causing an increase of carry on 10kilo cases and creating delays again. We'll see.

Letter

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I JUST wanted to say well done for exposing TripAdvisor for the s**t and manipulation that that website is. As you so accurately reported, it is no reflection on what is good in the restaurant industry, here in Andalucia. This summer I had 58 positive 5* or 4* reviews for Corredera 55 restaurant, near Cadiz, and you'd think we would rise a place or two in the ratings, right?..... No, we actually dropped several instead. No logic or understanding in that at all.

Zara Maria, Spain

Inspiration THIS is such a beautiful book and great piece! (The beef about Ferdinand, issue 299). I wish there were more Ferdinands than humans in this world! Kerstin Inga, Andalucia 12 12

LA CULTURA

www.theolivepress.es

Loved by Ghandi, banned by Franco and Hitler... how a loveable Spanish toro in a children’s book raised hackles all over the world, writes Jack Gaioni

T first blush, The Story of Ferdinand comes across as an innocent and heartwarming tale. After all, it is a children’s book, as well as a 1938 Walt Disney film. Yet Ferdinand’s legacy has taken on an unexpected life of its own, with many layers. The pacifist bull who prefers flowers to fighting has been caught in the crossfire of political ideologies, drawing world leaders, behavioural psychologists and top professional

Ellie Cormie, Owner, Corredera 55, Vejer de la Frontera AUTHOR: Munro Leaf

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

December 6th - December 19th 2017

UK... but expats could lose access to Costa del Sol pensions in hotel has three case of no-deal months to Brexit

SOME 14 fire bosses have been arrested for allegedly embezzling €7 million in public funds.

Manipulation

NEWS

NEWS Ta king the ‘He deserve s it’ high groun d Not

EU migrants

www.theolivepress.es can stay in

Dear Olive Press,

STORAGE

UK DEPOT

Chris Carrington, London

Please forgive us! FRONT PAGE EXPOSE: On TripAvisor last In an open letter to Spain, the Olive issue WE’RE SORRY Press apologises for

96 626 5000 +44 (0) 1353 699082

About time

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Wolfgang, Malaga

supersite from $69 per month. “We can provide TripAdvisor reviews that would help your hotel or restaurant to improve its reputation and increase its number of customers,” it offered. Local hoteliers and restaurateurs were quick to support out investigation. “I’m sure it is very common with restaurants here,” said Mark Wardell, manager of the Sunset Beach Club in Benalmadena, Malaga’s biggest hotel. “TripAdvisor is particularly very open to manipulation and fake reviews. “You often see these small places pop up with phenomenal reviews that quickly sink without trace,” he added. Restaurateur Robert Grimmond, of well-established El Jardin restaurant in Frigiliana, added he had been aware of this practice for years. “It’s disappointing that businesses on the coast are still buying reviews in this way,” he added.

PERHAPS this is partly due to the way that some Spanish authorities seem to be going out of their way to make it almost impossible for owners to provide short-term lets (Fears for tourism sector as Spain receives almost a million less holidaymakers than predicted, online). To bring in more tourists, perhaps their approach ought to be more along the lines of.... ‘you own a property in Spain? So what can we do to help you rent it out?’

BEST

All about the Princeton and OP partnership

SURE, this is common practice and I doubt that TripAdvisor will really be able to prevent fake reviews. Being one of the top reviewers on Amazon in Germany, nearly every day I get requests from Chinese companies offering money by PayPal if I write a 5-star review for their product. For a while I used to forward those requests to Amazon headquarters. Amazon always said they would care about my complaint but were not able to inform me about their actions for data security reasons. After a while I could see that nothing had happened as I got the same requests again and again from the same Chinese companies. Therefore I stopped to inform Amazon about new fake review requests.

In Mallorca POPPING IN: Michelle

Get renting

Voted

Our link to the Ivy League

Hard to stop

its reputation and increase its number of customers,” it offered. Local hoteliers and restaurateurs were quick to support out investigation. “I’m sure it is very common with restaurants here,” said Mark Wardell, manager of the Sunset Beach Club hotel, in Benalmadena. “TripAdvisor is particularly very open to manipulation and fake reviews. “You often see these small places pop up with phenomenal reviews that quickly sink without trace,” he added. Restaurateur Robert Grimmond, of well-established El Jardin restaurant in Frigiliana, added he had been aware of this practice for years. “It’s disappointing that businesses on the coast are still buying reviews in this way,” he added.

is not illegal. You can’t get prosecuted... it’s just cheating.” Describing himself as a ‘web marketing specialist’, he explained how if our reporters bought 50 reviews, our new business would receive two five-star reviews per day from his network of users consisting of ‘friends and family friends’. He offered to do 20 reviews Trust for €150 or the 50 reviews for €400 - with payments made by “If you really want to know if a restaurant is good or not, ask cash or PayPal. So confident was he that it someone you trust or go yourwould boost our business rank- self!” ing he offered a 100% satisfac- Last night TripAdvisor thanked tion or a ‘money-back guaran- the Olive Press and confirmed it tee’. “You’re paying for direct was ‘investigating the case’. marketing - the higher you go “We strongly oppose any aton TripAdvisor the more you tempt to manipulate a business’ pop up as recommended and ranking,” said a spokeswoman, the more business you get,” he adding that its investigations insisted. Sadly, the process is team was ‘proactive and effecnot new. TripAdvisor has been tive’ at catching anyone who caught out before, including a attempts to market paid refamous stunt pulled off by VICE view services. “We take serious website in which an undercover steps to penalize any properties reporter set up a fake restau- caught using their services,” rant, The Shed at Dulwich, and she added. After revealing ourmade it the number one restau- selves as journalists, Fisher told the Olive Press: “People pay for rant in London. Just this week a simple Google direct traffic, people purchase search unearthed a US-based the reviews, then a team of four company, Reviews that Stick, will go into the premises, share offering packages on the global food and leave a review on their experience… it’s a service that is supersite from $69 per month. “We can provide TripAdvisor genuine and helps everybody… reviews that would help your the reason my clients pay is to hotel or restaurant to improve cover the cost of the food purchased by each customer!”

expat paper in Spain

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Trip-ping out

In Gibraltar www.gibraltarolivepress.com

LETTERS

LE T T E R S

www.theolivepress.es

September 12th - September 25th 2018

sports stars into the argument. Seldom has any book, much less onea written for youngsters, become sounding board for so many. Written in 1936 by American author Munro Leaf, it quickly became a bestseller, with many reviewers proclaiming it ‘the greatest juvenile classic since Winnie the Pooh. The tale has been translated into 60 languages and has been in continuous publication for over 80 years. The plot is set in Spain with many illustrations depicting Ronda, rural Andalucia and Madrid. Ferdinand, unlike most bulls, is a passive and peaceful creature with no interest in bullfighting. He prefers to smell the abundant flowers, his true passion. One day, men come to his pasture to choose a fierce bull to fight in Madrid. Ferdinand, as usual, is in the meadow indulging his floral fetish when he is stung by a bee. The pain sends him wild, snorting, charging and causing mayhem. Mistaking him for an aggressive bull, the men rename him ‘Ferdinand the Fierce’ and take him away to the capital to fight. In the ring, Ferdinand is distracted by the many flowers worn by the female spectators and refuses to fight. After his adventure, he returns home to his favourite cork tree to continue smelling the flowers. The fictional tale ends there but the story opened up a

NO BULLY: Pacifist bull Ferdinand was taken from his homeland in a field near Ronda (right and below) on the long journey to fight in Spain’s most famous bullring Las Ventas in Madrid

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AFTER SCHOOL CLUB

August 29th - September 11th

LA CULTURA

ganda’ and ordered all copies to be whole new chapter of controver- burned. sies. Because of the sensitive time After the war, attitudes changed. it was written - three months be- In Germany 30,000 copies were fore the start of the Spanish Civil distributed to the country’s youth War - hyper-political ideologies on in an international mission to proboth sides interpreted its mean- mote peace, while anti-Franco a ing through very different lenses. ideologues saw Ferdinand as Pro-Franco factions perceived it to positive metaphorical alternative be a political tract promoting sub- to the ‘toughest, meanest bull’ versive pacifist propaganda and (i.e. Franco). Other leftists saw Franco banned it, calling it a dan- Ferdinand’s behaviour as an effecgerous message that encouraged tive sit-down strike disloyalty to cherished Spanish against capitalist traditions. It remained on the exploitation. saga blacklist in Spain until after The end Franco’s death in 1975. didn’t In Germany, Franco’s ally there. FerdiAdolf Hitler was equally innand’s meshas flamed by the book’s ‘desage generate democratic propa-

24/11/2017 11:18

www.theolivepress.es

E’VE done it! Thank you to all of our loyal readers and advertisers for helping us to get to 300 issues. We have come a long way from our first issue

ll about our

in 2006 (below left), where we started how we meant to go on - exposing a massive developer cutting off a nationwide footpath in order to concrete over protected land in Andalucia.

300

September 12th - September 25th 2018

We have brought you hundreds of exposes and shone a light on dozens of criminals and crooks looking to take advantage of expats and locals - as well as bringing you more original con140828_olive_press.pdf

28/08/14

CMY

September 12thSeptember 25th 2018

15:02

the

August 7 - August 20 2014

tent than any other English-language paper in Spain, and all for free! We hope to continue being the best English newspaper in Spain, see how inside.

17 17

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Vol. 8 Issue 200 www.theo livepress.es

Get out of my house!

November 13- November 26

2014

IGHT years and 200 ago the very first Oliveissues Press hit the streets. That issue exposed travesty of greedy developersthe cutting off footpaths as they began carving a golf course and the obligatory 1,000-plus houses on Unescoprotected land near Ronda. In each issue that has followed, we have fought and campaig ned to make Andalucia a greener , safer and all round better Born out of a desire toplace. vironmental issues into bring enthe public eye, the Olive Press has evolved into Spain’s number-one Englishlanguage newspaper. It is the only one prepare vestigate scams, expose d to inevil fight for justice – as various and legal threats have shown.

Landlord holds protest against tenant who hasn’t paid for years EXCLUSIVE By Rob Horgan AN expat landlord has held an unprecedented one-man protest against a tenant who hasn’t paid rent for two years. David Lomas (left), 66, took to the streets over €10,000 in unpaid rent at the home in Campilllos. Followed by his four children - aged between six and 12 - Lomas marched from the three-bedroom property to the town hall to ‘demand justice’. Lomas, from Middlesbrough,

Vulnerable

Continues on Page 2

Corruption crackdown MASSIVE anti-corruption raids have swept Andalucia, the Canary Islands and Extremadura, resulting in at least 30 arrests. A number of politicians and other town hall staff were among those arrested. The arrests came on the orders of Judge Mercedes Alaya, who has been investigating the ERE scandal at the

FLASHBACK: Our first issue in November

Continues on Page 4

2006

Those who think they trample over the elderly, the can honest and the vulnerable - expat wise - will continue to or otherfind themselves exposed by the Olive Press. Corruption cases, includin g Los Merinos and the ERE , are finally out in the open scandal as the voice of dissent grows louder. Next year is set to be monumental in Spain’s politica l history, as a new party Podemos threaten s to blow apart the corrupt two-party state. We have been shining a light on the corruption and injustice s here for nearly a decade we are backing any attempt and new life into Spanish to breathe clean up the country. politics and Here’s to the next 200 a better, cleaner, fairerissues, and Spain!

Let HiFX help you reach your destination. www.hifx.co.uk

Page 18

Discover how the Olive Press came to the rescue of the decaying home of celebrated British Hispanist Gerald Brenan.

Page 20 Expat writer Chris Stewart extols the virtues of the Alpujarras in his latest book. Read all about it in our exclusive serialisation and even win a copy of your own!

Page 51

Cellar de Can Roca may have just been crowned the world’s best restaurant. But how did it stand up to the Olive Press taste test?

Page 52 Win a weekend away in beautiful surroundings and a copy of the hottest new Spanish cookbook,

exclusively serialised from this issue.

Princess charged with fraud

PRINCESS Cristina, 49, has been and could now face an unprecedentecharged with tax fraud d court trial. The charges against the sister of King Felipe VI come as part of an investigation into her husband Inaki, 46, who allegedly embezzled millions of euros in public funds.

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developers cutting off the ICONIC: First ever issue exposing Tarifa to Athens GR-7 path

MILESTONE: Our 100th issue, fittingly packed with genuine exclusives

STILL GOT IT: Our 200th issue in 201

4 featured a diet of stories

300

ll about our www.theolivepress.es

Publisher Jon Clarke on the massive range of stories the Olive Press has tackled as it grew from a tiny office in Ronda to covering the length and breadth of Spain

ROM aiding a pensioner And let’s not forget how we to unblock his favourite represented most of you when footpath to warning of we had our only front page in the dangers of global Spanish (see below) - to supwarming, and from investigatport the Remain campaign ing dangerous fraudsters to exin the Brexit referendum two posing cheating on TripAdvisor years ago. in Spain. This is, of course, the job of These are just some of the a good local newspaper. To wide-ranging and varied isrepresent its community and, sues we have tackled, since I above all, its readers, who in launched the Olive Press some our case are mostly expats, be 300 issues ago in 2006. they British, Dutch, Swedish, Campaigns? We have had Russian or Moroccan. We have many, including one to probe stepped in to help them all. bent lawyers, another to expose the dangers of lethal drug Nolotil and another to encourage plastic recycling. Conmen, fraudsters and sex offenders? We have published When I first set up the Olive literally hundreds Press in a bedof exclusive storoom of my HEALY MAC S ries shaming house in Ronda the way they 12 years ago, I cheapen and did it out of des¡Dejad que nos demeanour the peration for a quedemos! country we now genuine newsSPANIARDS call home. paper to support WE M Features, food the huge and NEE D and travel argrowing expat ticles? We have population in Ancovered just dalucia. about every re- ANTHONYS The largest di89€ gion of Spain, aspora in the including its UNIQUE: Spanish front page world and the islands, not to millions of Britmention pieces on neighbourish, Dutch, Scandinavian and ing Morocco and Portugal. Irish expats here were being in-

Urgency Property olive press

British buyers are down but the coast will bounce back, insist leading property experts in second Olive Press Property Observatory - Inside Property magazine, from Page 17

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July 20th - August 2nd 2016

Spain Property

Guides

When money talks July 20th - August

Page iii

Page xi

Page xx

2nd 2016

Issue 9

From €29m to €2,900, we found a Spanish property to suit every budget

Brexit Bounce

BAcK?

An Olive Press of seven expertspanel While Brits make up a has gathered to discuss the large amount of the marimpact of Brexit ket, others Spanish propertyon the dinavians like the Scanmar- als like and new arrivket. the Polish While, they are filling in market hasconfirm the the drop the gap left by in British sales. suffered But from initial the actions, theyknee-jerk re- seen as lull is widely temporary, with remain optimistic, expecting the think market to bounce the once the tank insisting back stabilises,exchange rate once the dust things will rethe political settles on turn to normal. in the uK and landscape Read the europe. full tory, Part II fromObservapage 14 OPTIMISTIC: Panel

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Don’t get caught out when buying in Spain

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GO GIRL: ‘Home-saver’ awarded MBE

Celebrity comings and goings

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Fight to save Mijas’ oldest farmhouse

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THIS stunning property has come near Marbella onto the market for a staggering €29 million... Given, it is out of 99.9% of our readers we thought we’d have a hunt around budgets, mething cheaper, for soin €290,000, €29,000 the price ranges of €2.9m, and even €2,900. It’s actually a pleasant surprise for under €3,000 what these days, includingyou can get plot below...just this lovely don’t expect a prime Costa del Sol location. Turn to Page 32 to find out more

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Pages 3 and 16

80 years on

Expats in the Civil War Page 6

24 hours at San Fermin

Pamplona Bull-run madness Page 14

Tuna trawl Search for tuna on the Costa de la Luz Page 52

If you can’t read this and you still want to stay in Spain it’s time you got some Spanish lessons... But, for now, as we’re so nice, see Page 7 for a translation

The Olive Press pide a los españoles, en nombre de los británicos, que apoyen la petición para poder permanecer en España

ÁS de 15.000 personas han firmado ya una petición que concedería a los expatriados británicos el derecho a la doble nacionalidad en España. Necesitamos vuestro apoyo para garantizar que se nos permita seguir trabajando y viviendo en vuestro país. Hemos elegido vivir aquí y hacer de España nuestro hogar. Muchos de nosotros tenemos negocios, hemos formado una familia aquí. Algunos tenemos parejas de nacionalidad española y, aunque quizá no a la perfección, hablamos vuestro struido enlaces muy fuertes con idioma. España, a través de escritores Creemos que contribuimos como Paul Preston, Gerald Breen gran parte al desarrollo nan y Laurie Lee. de la economía local, es- Y por encima de todo, nos senpecialmente en la costa. timos europeos y estamos comHistóricamente hemos con- pletamente opuestos al Brexit, Est 1984

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que creemos ha sido el resultado de una campaña xenófoba y llena de mentiras llevada a cabo en nuestra país. Nosotros somos los que estamos en la línea de fuego y los que sufriremos las consecuen-

cias más de cerca. Queremos que los españoles entiendan esta grave situación que nos deja en el limbo y que podría impedir que siguiéramos viviendo aquí como llevamos haciéndolo durante años. Esta no es una petición insólita: el Reino Unido permite la posibilidad de obtener la doble nacionalidad tras cinco años de residencia. Curiosamente el Ministro Margallo conoce bien esta posibilidad ya que su hijo, que reside actualmente en el Reino Unido, la ha solicitado recientemente. Así que desde aquí os pedimos, esperamos e incluso suplicamos que os unáis a nosotros en esta causa. Algunos alcaldes y dignatarios ya se han unido a nuestra petición. Pero también necesitamos la ayuda de todos vosotros. Curiosamente los expatriados británicos lanzan este llamamiento exactamente 80 años después del comienzo de la guerra civil española en la que miles de jóvenes voluntarios británicos perdieron la vida. ¿Por qué? Porque creían en España. Y nosotros también. Estamos convencidos de que nuestra aportación a la estructura de vuestro país es muy importante. Queremos quedarnos aquí. No queremos volver. Para firmar la petición visitar change.org y busca ‘Doble nacionalidad para británicos con mas de diez años de residencia en España’

Translated by Mirian Moreno

Avda. Ramon y Cajal 40, Fuengirola, Malaga 29640 (EASY PARKING)

Opinion Page 6

EXCLUSIVE

AN arrest warrant has been issued for notorious Costa del Sol conman Nigel Goldman. Goldman, 58, who changed his name to Howard del Monte, was summoned to Fuengirola court in January over the defrauding of four expats to the tune of €750,000. However, he failed to show and a judge has now ordered police to bring him in.

Fraud

He was found guilty of fraud in the UK last year for the THIRD time and must wear a tag during

his 12-month suspended sentence. Lawyer Antonio Flores, who is representing the victims, said he could face up to a decade in prison, if found guilty. “It has taken us two years to get to this stage and it is still just the beginning,” he added. Dozens of expat victims claim to have lost as much as €3 million to Goldman through a series of ponzitype schemes. He was first exposed through a series of Olive Press investigations.

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Helping our community sulted with nothing more than cheap magazines and papers which (badly) translated local articles. And still do. There were no decent local English journalists investigating and reporting on the issues that mattered to foreigners … and no newspapers giving them a voice. Whether to help local people fight injustice against their town halls, a warning against fraudsters, or a call to arms against barbaric projects ruining the region’s last green spaces, there was nothing. I wanted to change that… and offer some proper community service in the form of good, oldfashioned, grass-roots, gumshoe local campaigning.

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After more than a decade working in national newspapers in

England, travelling the world reporting on injustices, scandals and corruption, I couldn’t believe what I found on my very own doorstep in the mid 2000s. Andalucia was being run by the local mafia and corruption was rife, with money having bought practically every authority and town hall. When I started to investigate the shocking web of illegality surrounding the enormous Los Merinos golf development near Ronda, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. The double golf course, 1000 home, three-hotel project would have seen a Unescoprotected hillside turned into a version of Brookside. More crucially, I discovered, it was being protected from high up in the Junta. Perhaps even by its then leader Manuel Chavez. Along with green groups and university professors we fol-

lowed the money and licences trail, and reported how the developers cut down hundreds of ancient oak trees despite not having permission. First the status quo tried to discredit the paper and told us to SUPPORTER: Famous Hispanist Ian Gibson with Jon Clarke

Keep the good work coming Many congratulations on reaching number 300. A magnificent achievement and I hope that the good work will continue for a long time to come. Ian Gibson World renowned Spanish historian

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PR ON THE PROWL

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AN ecological nightmare, hundreds of ancient oaks apparently stand dead. Pulled up for a huge golf macroproject, they line up in eerie rows like war graves in the Somme. Many centuries old, they have been sacrificed for Europe’s insatiable desire for golf and holiday homes. Part of the unrelenting costafication of Andalucia, they sound the death knell for nature conservation in southern Spain.

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“This is a cynical and botched attempt to create ambience around the golf course and create space,” said tree surgeon Kit Hogg. “I am sure very few of these protected trees will survive. It is disgusting.” Despite ongoing efforts to stop the work, EU investigations and – crucially – no guarantee of water, work at Los Merinos, near Ronda continues unchecked. This is the true price of golf. Exclusive story page 4

**Western Edition**

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Slush fund

Rajoy however fiercely denies the claims, describing them as ‘totally false’ and has said he will publish his tax returns online.

Among the other politicians accused of taking ‘bungs’ are current General Secretary Maria Delores Cospedal, Senate President Pio Garcia Escudero and even former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. The money was allegedly taken from a €22 million slush fund hidden in a Swiss bank account controlled by former party treasurer Luis Barcenas. Barcenas kept secret ledgers of money received between

The Olive Press launches campaign to consign plastic bags to the dustbin

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February 07 - Feb 20,

THAT RAJOY MUST RESIGN OVER

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Who will cut out the cancer destroying Spain? BUNGS SCANDAL...

POINTING THE FINGER: But Rajoy and many of his cabinet are said to have received black money from a Swiss bank account

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FAVOURITES: Three front pages i’m most proud of shut up. Then, we were threatened with legal action and I became shunned by various members of Ronda ‘society’, people my wife and I had initially called friends. But, as any good journalist knows, you are not in this job to make friends… and you can’t make a good omelette without first breaking eggs, as a famous Fleet Street adage goes. So we did the opposite. We didn’t shut up and our stories began to appear not just in the UK national newspapers, but then in the Spanish nationals. Our small environmental story had suddenly become a national hot potato. And we even won a campaigning award from green group Ecologistas en Accion. While often feeling like a lone voice in the wilderness back then, as we reported on scandal after scandal, how things

changed as we entered the recession. Finally the country got wise to the sheer audacity of its politicians and the billions that had been stolen and syphoned away by their friends. The media changed its tack and started to probe corruption, while new political parties, such as Podemos and Ciudadanos, emerged to take on the big two. The tide has finally turned and today our reports on political scandals and the environment go alongside a huge melting pot of other subjects, popular with our readers. Today, the Olive Press goes from strength to strength with impressive growth figures both in print and online.

Positive We have three issues in Andalucia, Mallorca and Gibraltar

and plan to open more soon. As well as printing around 100,000 papers a month, we are getting around 10,000 unique visitors to our sites every day. Our profit and turnover has grown for the last three years. All of this, of course, would not have been possible without you, the readers, our excellent writers and journalists and, in particular, our growing number of quality local clients. Thanks for your support. It means the world to us. We couldn’t have done it without you. As one, Ian Radford, the owner of the La Sala Group in Marbella, wrote this week: “The years between 2007 and 2015 have been anything but the easiest, so it makes your growth even more impressive.” All in all, we look forward to growing in strength and popularity over the next 300 issues, with all of you alongside us. And that, after all, is the point. We are the only true voice of this community.

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Bin the bags

THEY are given out in their billions, used for a few minutes and clog up the back of everyone’s kitchen drawers. That is until they get thrown out to block up a landfill site. But that is only a fraction of the problem. While plastic bags take an incredible 1000 years to degrade, it is when they enter the nature cycle that they are devastating. Look at these photos. The whale dying on the seashore in Marbella (below), the gannet strangled by a plastic bag, or the giant sea turtle (overleaf). Over 100,000 large sea mammals and an estimated ONE MILLION sea birds die every year due to this plastic poison. These animals are dying because they mistake the translucent bags for jellyfish or squid, a key element of their diets. It is a horrific death. The plastic either blocks their digestive tracts, of if they consume enough bags, their stomachs simply become full, and they stop eating and starve. The Olive Press has decided enough is enough. Following the launch of a series of similar campaigns around the globe, we are vowing to help bring this mindless slaughter to a halt by encouraging the banning of plastic bags in Spain.

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page 19-26

Vol. 7 Issue 154

AS A MILLION PEOPLE DEMAND SPANISH Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is battling to save his political career after facing increasing pressure to resign over the PP corruption scandal. Nearly a million people have signed an online petition calling for him to step down, amid widespread protests. Opinion polls show that 77% believe he is now no longer fit to lead the country, while 54% believe there should be a general election. Opposition leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba has called for his head, demanding that Rajoy be grilled in Congress about the allegations. The prime minister stands accused of accepting illegal cash payments made to topranking party officials over a 12-year period.

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‘Ponzi king’

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July 4th - July 17th 2018

PONZI KING

News editor Laurence Dollimore worked on the story of alleged investment fraudster Rhys Williams for almost a year. A group of expats claimed to have lost more than €6 million in phony investments after Williams promised them 2% monthly returns - but the money never came. Williams has since disappeared, most likely back to Wales, but the investigation continues. The story was followed up by the Daily Mail last week.

d 1 23/02/2017 11:31 679702_DFS_SPANISH_BOX_AD_40x40_MIJAS_COSTA.ind

claim €6 million Police probe launched after expats scheme scammed in dodgy investment

THE Olive Press is proud to be the only English paper in Spain which consistently prints GENUINELY exclusive stories. Our team of NCTJ trained journalists work around the clock to expose criminals and crooks while providing heaps of original content. For years we have been the goto for national newspapers in the UK which consistently pick Pension up our stories or commission shocker us to work on their behalf. And this year has proven no exception. From covering the Kinahan murder trial for Ireland’s national network RTE, to frying an egg on a pavement for the London Evening Standard, you won’t find any other Spainbased paper accredited so much back in Blighty. Here we have rounded up our top stories which made the news back home this year.

ACCUSED: Rhys Williams has

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ACCUSED: Rhys Williams has

declared bankrupt and having his stopped coming in,” he said. “I’m care home company investigated er clothes and Rolexes. sure this was some sort of Ponzi "They live the high life out here scheme. Clearly they ran out of in- for fraud. A GROUP of British expats have EXCLUSIVE Despite this, he has been able to with all the apparent credentials to vestors.” called in police after losing more inprove they are successful and mak- For two years, Williams kept help set up several companies, than €6 million to an alleged Costa rency companies. be cluding Impact General Trading, ing money." del Sol fraudster. him in with trips to Not initially convinced, Parsons promising the money would in Panama. company in Dubai, and others The unsuspecting Brits invested up "They hooked for the tennis, Sweden victims, Wilhe was returned, claiming his to €1.64 million each into the al- Wimbledon meals out, which was flew out to Dubai where facilities Impact General Trading, based in According to the have recentfamily shown around various leged ponzi scheme operating out and to fancy embargoed and liams and his nothing compared to what they got that apparently backed up the Dubai, had been ly vacated their exclusive rented of Marbella, Dubai and India. had accounts frozen after 'illegally villa in Marbella. explained son Paul. claims. Welsh expat Rhys Williams, 36, off him," to be stopped." Iran'. all this with de- dealing with since asked for his “We understand they have now, reinforced “He is accused of snaring various local "They need has the coast and lots of Parsons victim, Adrian Parsons, expats, including wealthy parents Another Birmingham, invested tailed bank statements andwe now €500,000 investment back to care rather rapidly left returned to Wales,” added Parat his children's €10,000-a-year 53, from into the Dubai-based official paperwork, which for his sick father, who has been di- sons. €500,000 think was fake,” he continued. cancer. private school in Marbella. terminal with agnosed three company. seemed "Until last month, they had The victims insist the business- recyclingvery convincing," Parsons Initially, the investment the first kids at private school, were still man, who was declared bankrupt "He was Olive Press, "He and his to be genuine and for back the Cancer going to all the top restaurants in the UK, persuaded them to told the were living in a €10,000 six months he was paid promised 2% agreed per month. promised me I would just like nothing had happened. invest huge sums into a paper re- partner villa in Marbella and suddenly "Williams time he has left a cycling and printing business, as per month head to toe in design- “But then the money get my money back, telling me "At the same behind him well as trading platforms in Dubai, were dressed how his mother had also had can- trail of destruction in tatters." 'guaranteeing them a 2% monthly cer and that he wouldn't let us and many livesthe UK's Serious This week, return'. down," added Parsons. confirmed to the OlOne British pensioner, Brian LiBut the money never materi- Fraud Office it is looking into the ive Press that vesey, 84, invested €1.64 million in alised. could not comment late 2014. Another alleged victim, Michael Williams, but The former soldier, who has lived McVicar, claims to have lost any further. to yet has dozen a to Following various denuncias, the up decades, for in Marbella €1.5 million, while in Estepona, is also see any return. other expats have apparently lost Guardia Civil,Williams. "It has destroyed him," his son between €100,000 and €1 mil- investigating to conattempts week. this group numerous the Press After Olive the Collectively told Paul lion each. by phone, he finally "He had a stroke earlier this year claim they are owed €6.28 mil- tact Williams replied by email to insist his infrom the stress of it, we are barely lion. keeping our heads above water The Olive Press has discovered nocence. utterly deny any alpaying off debts." that Williams left Llys Meddyg "I totally and wrote, but did not Livesey, who once ran a successLlangristiolus, in North Wales legations,” he questions. ful UK construction company, was almost a decade ago after being reply to any further introduced to Williams by a direcRhys had Rolex and fancy cars tor at one of Gibraltar's cryptocur- LIFE OF LUXURY:

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The story of Robert Mansfield-Hewitt is a terrifying tale of how easily Brits - or anyone - can be thrown behind bars without any charges in Spain. The businessman was imprisoned in Botafuegos prison in Algeciras, after police found 1.5 tonnes of hashish hidden in the garage of the apartment he was only renting for two days. But he has now been imprisoned for months and is in a serious condition as he suffers from a liver disease. The Sunday People printed the story over a huge double-page spread last weekend before being featured by The Mirror and Metro online.

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WITH RESERVATION

THE EGG TEST Everyone has heard of the claims that it is hot enough in Andalucia to cook an egg on the pavement... we visited Ecija, the ‘Frying pan of Spain’, to test out the theory, CRACKING JOB PAGE 6

EXCLUSIVE By Luke Madeira

BRITISH pensioners in Spain claim to have lost more than a fifth of their spending power over the last two years as a direct result of Brexit. Richard Hill, vice president of Brexpats in Spain, claims plummeting in exchange rates, taxes and a rise the cost of living have caused significant income losses. It comes as the pound sunk to a new low of just 1.10 to the euro last week, as worries of a hard Brexit magnified. The pensioner, who claims he’s the around 22% ‘worse off’ since will referendum, believes expats struggle regardless of whatever deal is reached ahead of Britain’s exit from the EU. The pensioner added: “The significant problem at this stage with Brexit is the fluctuating exchange rate. “Obviously fluctuations are normal, however the steady downward trend is seriously affecting people.”

Seriously ill Briton locked up with terrorists after being fingered for 1.5 TONNES of hashish found at holiday rental home

Plummet

It comes after the Rabobank in London warned that a no-deal Brexit could end in euro-sterling parity, while last week saw the pound plummet to an eight-month low. British expat Karen Watling, from as Sheffield, claims she has lost much as a third of her monthly budget. us “Over two years this has causedthe problems financially,” she told Olive Press. “Prices and commodities have also risen so it has been like a double hit.” The exchange rate was an average an 1.24 in 2014 before climbing to average 1.38 in 2015. However the year of the referendum saw the average fall to 1.22 before falling again to 1.14 in 2017. This year so far has been lower at 1.13 and it currently stands at 1.12. a Brexpats in Spain has called forofgovernment-run internet bank debit fering basic current accounts, out cards and the option to carry international and national transfers online. The group even suggests ordering in RBS - the only bank in the UK which the government has a stake Turn to page 8

TRAPPED IN HELL

A BRITISH businessman - who attended Eton with David Cameron and Boris Johnson - is seriously ill in an Andalucian prison having been accused of drug smuggling. MansfieldAnthony Robert Hewitt, 51, was arrested after police swooped on his rental home during a short business trip to Gibraltar two months ago. The consultant engineer, who insists he is innocent, has yet to be charged over the 1.5 tonnes of hashish police found in the garage of the villa he rented through Airbnb. He insists he has absolutely ‘no connection’ to the drugs that were being stored at the rental in Campamento, in San Roque. The owner of the villa, the Olive Press understands, was charged for importing cocaine into Gibraltar last year. In the case, that has strange parallels to the plight of Scottish student Robbie McMiller, MansfieldHewitt was woken up and ‘dragged out of bed practically naked at gunpoint’ by police officers at 8.30pm

EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez

on June 27. Colleagues and friends told the Olive Press that Mansfield-Hewitt, who has a PhD and no criminal record, is an ‘innocent man’ and has been wrongfully imprisoned. They added that the Chichester-raised engineer is currently in a critical condition and is being held in the medical wing at Botafuegos prison in Algeciras - a dangerous jail, which notoriously terhouses a number of Basque ETA

Mansfield-Hewitt rorists. Notorious prison while (right) The Brit, a consultant at electrical com- CAGED: and (above right) ETA terrorist pany Genco Holdings Ltd in Gibraltar, “The doctor said he hadn’t been who regularly travels to the Rock, suf- daily for his illness.” given his medication and his liver fers from severe liver disease Ascites After spending two days in a cell, he CAPTION: 15%. His at San was functioning at just and walks with a cane. she appeared in front of a judge His PA, Pilar June Ford, 54, said call Roque court before being sent to Bota- heartbeat was almost non-existent and he was delirious.” was ‘horrified’ when she received a fuegos prison. Castro Esfrom her boss screaming at La Linea Ford is concerned he has not been re- His lawyer Jose Maria now being believes he is cudero he after police station. medication, the ceiving the correct administered the correct medicaShe told the Olive Press: “He was at collapsed in shock as his ‘body started tion, but still remains in a critical station shouting ‘please help me, help of to shut down’ on the way to prison.Pun- condition. The nightmare began me, bring me clothes, there’s loads to the He was rushed to ICU at Hospital drugs in the house.’ It was horrible. of ta de Europa where his survival chanc- after police were alerted stash after following a man of Mo“I rushed there with a huge bag ‘touch and go’. as who described were es nationality, take to roccan medication, which he needs pulled up outside the property and attempted to get into the garage. Police found 48 packets of hashish weighing around 33 kilos each, or MINIMARKET almost 1.5 tonnes. Freshly Baked Deli Products If found guilty he could Tel: 602 514 384 be sentenced to up to UK BASED WhatsApp: 602 559 385 six years in a Spanish Opp St Anthony’s College prison. La Cala Hills According to his lawClosed Mondays yer he is ‘fighting every day to free Robert’ and get him bail, meaning for Spanish he would likely have to CASHBACK ON residents report to police once a YOUR HOUSE month while he awaits

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Irish murder trial

www.theolivepress.es NEWS IN BRIEF

Local Hero MARBELLA-born poker player Omar de Pino beat 1050 other players to win the main event at the Pokerstars Festival at Casino Marbella. The 25-year-old pocketed €179,000 as well as a place at a tournament in the Bahamas next year.

Award Winner LA Cala Resort picked up Best Luxury Mountain Hotel at the Spain Luxury Hotel Awards 2018. Held at the Westin Palace de Madrid, the panel of judges praised the hotel’s excellence in client service, design, management and environmental awareness.

Hear us roar ANTI-tourism protesters have chained themselves to Gaudi's iconic dragon in Barcelona while calling for a ban on new hotels to deter holidaymakers.

Dying off

CRIME

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Hot water

Costa del Sol hotel has three months to fight decision before it is demolished

NEWS

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December 6th - December 19th

Narco King snared

By Elisa Menendez from Malaga court

A SPANISH jury has found Dubliner James Quinn guilty for being the getaway driver in the murder of Gary Hutch on the Costa del Sol. After a four-day trial, the nine-strong jury ruled that the 35-year-old was guilty of being involved in the ‘planned’ shooting of 34-year-old Hutch and of possession of illegal weapons. State prosecutor, Jose Barba, had wanted to hand Quinn a life sentence but jurors stated it had not been proven he acted on behalf of a criminal organisation, in particular the Irish Kinahan clan.

High-security

Quinn could face a total of 28 years in prison – 25 for murder and three for possession of illegal weapons. The high-security trial saw six Guardia Civil officers waiting outside the courtroom for ‘the defendant’s safety’, while Poli-

IN THE DOCK: James Quinn at Malaga court (Photo by

GUILTY

verdict. “We completely disagree with the verdict,” he said. Dubliner Hutch, nephew of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, was shot 15 times with two closerange shots to the head on September 24 2015, after an attacker chased him twice round the pool area at the Angel de Miraflores estate in Mijas, where the victim lived. The prosecution shocked the court at the end of the fourth day of evidence, offering the jury an alternative indictment -

that Quinn could be the getaway driver instead of the gunman in a bid to increase chances of prosecution. Although the jury ruled the gunman’s identity was not proven as his face was covered in CCTV footage, they could place Quinn in the BMW X-3 getaway car due to a baseball cap found with his DNA on it, after the car was torched following the attack. They stated that Quinn, after waiting for Hutch with the unidentified gunman for over two hours before the ‘surprise at-

cia Nacional officers testified wearing balaclavas or behind closed doors. Quinn’s lawyer Pedro Apalategui has said he will appeal the

2017

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SMUGGLERS’ WALL

wall POLICE officers have formed a human that the along a beach in La Linea to ensure ahead. construction of a beach wall wentof Nuestra The wall, between the church wall Senora del Carmen and the perimeter hopes to of the fishing port of La Atunara,

advice slot on a well He even got himself a financial he snared unsuspectknown radio station, through which ing victims. Press investigation exHowever, a comprehensive Olive coins and gold. posed his scams that involved stamps, close pal Barry Nathan We also revealed how he and his anonymously, wined and dined up to a dozen criminals, through the food column. following our expose, He eventually fled the country the UK, where he had but we soon tracked him down to was selling coins and changed his name by deed poll and cottage. antiques on eBay from a small Berkshire English law of conning He was quickly found guilty under people and given a suspended prison sentence only due to health reasons. never to promised he “And because of the go back to his online cons,” one British victim explained. with But this is apparently not the caseusing two victims claiming he is still eBay to sell ‘dodgy’ coins and stamps usfrom his unpaid flat in Brighton, ing the names ‘gqtrading’ and ‘gqtrading2’. his “We are pretty sure he has broken bail conditions and will have to finally victim. one go back to prison,” said “The nerve of this man is unbelievable.” he should have known His landlord last night insisted something was up from the start. I thought he was a bit “When we met to sign the contracts only for the barista to slippery, I went to pay for my coffee his bill.” tell me he had left without paying couple of months but He continued: “He paid for the first had been frozen account his us told He then just stopped. which is probdue to a money laundering investigation, contacting him and acably true. “He then told us to stop cused us of harrassment. ill and can’t work to “Now he is claiming he is seriously make payments. “We’ll see him in court.” Opinion Page 6

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tack’, stayed inside the vehicle on the look-out and ensured a subsequent getaway. The jury, of five women and four men, found Quinn guilty of possession of illegal weapons after a Glock semi-automatic pistol with his DNA on it was found in a box on a bedside table in the apartment where he lived in Benahavis. Handcuffed and guarded by five officers, Quinn shook hands with his lawyer after the verdict before being taken to Alhaurin de la Torre prison.

Our bilingual reporter Elisa Menendez was just metres away from suspected hitman James Quinn as she reported live from the murder trial in Malaga. We reported exclusively over five days for RTE TV and Radio, Ireland’s biggest news broadcaster, on how Quinn was accused of carrying out a hit on behalf of the Kinahan cartel. He got life. SPAIN’S population registered a net loss of 31,245 people in 2017 as the number of births dropped 4.5% while the number of deaths rose 3.2%. It’s the first net loss since 1941.

enough160 738 Contact us now on 637 stars info@360imagery.es www.360imagery.es Show your SOME 14 fire bosses have been arrested for allegedly embezzling €7 million in public funds. The Policia Nacional found that the Consortium of A HOTEL is to be knocked Bomberos Cadiz took out down for not having enough mass early retirement insurclass! ance policies. Benalmadena’s Hotel Vista But when their employees de Rey must be demolished retired early, chiefs siphoned within three months, a court off the money from the payhas ruled, outs. Andalucia’s Superior Court Authorities also found discrepancies in the consorof Justice ruled that the hotium’s training courses. tel falls short of its four-star Large sums were paid to a requirement. company to provide training courses, but no evidence has Probing courses been found that these It began probing the three took place. irregularities star hotel and apartment Meanwhile, were also found in grants and block in 2011 after it was desubsidies, which cops believe nounced over planning rules were used to pay for private which set aside the plot for a trips. four star hotel only. The irregularities date back According to the PGOU town at believe cops to 2008 and plan an apartment block was least €7 million has been stonot permitted and it also len by those at the top. being over

June 20th - July 3rd 2018

Irishman ‘was getaway driver’ in assassination of alleged drug kingpin on Costa del Sol

Turn to page 2

Opinion Page 6

300 not out

Wondering where many of the top UK stories on Spain come from? You read it here first, thanks to our team of journalists

POLICE have captured the notorious ‘Narco King’ of southern Spain. Antonio Tejon Carrasco was snared in a raid involving 100 police officers in La Linea. It comes after the leader of the Castanas gang, said to be Spain’s biggest drug trafficker, had escaped capture various times this year, on one occasion over the roof of his home. But he was caught after he returned home to see the mother of his two children, Patricia Parody Cano, where he was greeted by police. The youngest Tejon brother has appeared before a judge and remanded in custody. He had become public enemy number one after returning home from Morocco to live in Spain two years ago. Since his return he managed to group together six gangs and form a successful international smuggling operation, which has played a huge part in the rising ‘narco crisis’ in Cadiz. Last summer alone his gang allegedly imported around 3,000 kilos of hashish, earning the brothers around €30 million. According to police, they are to blame for a sharp rise in violence and brazen aggression against law enforcers.

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

September 12thSeptember 25th 2018

18 eveNiNg staNdard

Voted top expat paper in Spain

35C

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

OPINION

EN you book a couple of nights stay at an Airbnb day home, you don’t think twice that the owner d be a drug trafficker. also beyond belief that a drug stash found at property could be pinned on you, when the only ViLniuS, be temporarily is 29C 35Cthat you just happened toLiThuania ing there. doubly outrageous then that this has happened n apparently innocent British man who is now ting for his life in a dangerous Algeciras prison. anwhile, the owner of the property, who has a minal history relating to drugs, is walking free. nb needs to do more stringent background cks on people that offer their home publicly to tect holidaymakers. d, of course, so do the police. s has all the hallmarks of a serious miscarriage ustice. eveNiNg staNdard Friday 3 august 2018

ause for concern

s deeply concerning that the lethal painkiller otil has been handed out so willingly in Gibraltar

years. e drug has been banned in the UK for years and s is also the case on the Rock. e revelations come despite two years of camgning by this paper to bring to light its potentially al side effects for those of British and northern ropean descent. nsidering how many Brits live and work on the who knows how many may have been impacck, ife — for Italy, Croatia without dt Office is advisingeven realising. o keep out of the midgovernment probe uncovers how as being sensiblethe at hope t’s as set to bask in warm ekend, as Ms Mitchell were able to sell an unlicensed pharmacies ese eratures in the capital y, possibly 33, and 30 orthebetter yet, how doctors were able to oduct, 29 on Sunday, with England. it. escribe MaJOrCa

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

WSDESK vived and been ea following the wsdesk@theolivepress.es services confirmed 665 798 618 : (+34)

HEAD OF SALES Sarah Adams sales@theolivepress.es

urence Dollimore rence@theolivepress.es sa Menendez sa@theolivepress.es adley Stokes adley@theolivepress.es blo Balbontin blo@theolivepress.es

ADMIN Beatriz Sanllehí (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

as initially thought

s were incorrect and

FEATURE

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S Brits are being warned of scorching temperatures this month in holiday destinations around Spain, thank your lucky stars you're not in Écija, or the ‘frying pan of Spain’. | News Nestled in the heart AndAluciA of Andalucia, rumour has it this little, historic town received its name because it gets so hot you can fry an sizzling: egg on the pavement. journalist Laurence maDRiD, drive hour's an Just Dollimore frying 40C SPain on a marble from Sevilla, Écija is bench in Écija famously dubbed by Cooking eggs in the LiLLe, the hotSpaniards as 32C fRance ‘frying pan of Spain’ test part of the counBut another resident, Elisa try – where forecastMaria Cepas, 50, has Menendez different advice for locals ers in the summer struggling in the heat. “It’s Letter from ... a mistake to drink litres predict and litres of water. That frequently anDaLucia makes you vomit. You need a sugary drink,” said temperatures of 48C. BRITISH holidaymakers the nursing home carer. being warned of Friend Paqui Vidal, 50, But how do the locals scorching temperatures explains how her on the Costa del Sol will colleague — an olive cope? thank their lucky stars picker — is forced to leave they are not in Écija — work sick on the first day "Nobody leaves their dubbed the “frying pan of every olive season. of Spain”. “It can be dangerous for between houses A two-hour drive from olive pickers, many go the tourist beaches, the home throwing up with 2pm and 6pm. It's town is known as being severe sun stroke,” added the hottest in the country, Paqui, an administrator at a ghost town, you where you can cook an an agricultural company. egg on the pavement. Meanwhile, across the won't even find a cafe The temperature was main square, 27-year-old today forecast to reach Ana Somoza Torres, mops open," said Enrique 46C, only a shade below her brow while setting up HIGH: FRYING Europe’s record high. tables outside a bar as the Lopradas, 51, a street We “Nobody leaves their temperature Evean42C. byreaches on eggedShe were between 2pm and said: “The only way is lottery vendor and houses 6pm. It’s a ghost town, you air conditioning and more commission Standard won’t even find a café air conditioning.” And self-confessed 'shade ning open,” said Enrique what about the egg-frying Lopradas, 51, a lottery theory? The anaemicchaser'. vendor and self-confessed looking one I cooked with “shade chaser”. “I drink day, my colleague Laurence on every "I drink seven litres of water seven litres of water every a marble bench in the day, wear long sleeves move and square wouldn’t grace a wear long sleeves and constantly constantly move to the Full English — but it was I also shower three 6pm after all. from swigs he to the shade," he adds as orshade. four times a day and ⬤ Elisa Menendez is a don’t start work until reporter for The Olive Press three or four an ice bottle, "I also shower 6.30pm when it’s fresher.” in Malaga until work start times a day and don't 6.30pm when it's fresher."

Vomit

Deposito Legal MA: 835-2017

brow while setting up tables outside of a bar. "The only way is air conditioning and more air conditioning. "We're in Andalucia – obviously we have siestas every day for at least two hours. You just can't leave the house until late." Although the young waitress acknowledges this can be annoying, she points out that this is the only way of life the locals know.

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BAR WORKER: Ana Somoza Torres

e — for Italy, Croatia

initially thought ved and been following the

rvices confirmed were incorrect and

"I would much rather be in this heat than be cold." So there you have it, become a hermit, cover every part of your body and drink at least a gallon of water/Lucozade and you should just about survive a heatwave on holiday. And as for the frying pan egg cooking theory? Let's just say it won't be making its way onto a plate of Full English any time soon. Although, a semi-cooked, anaemic-looking egg isn't bad for a first attempt. It was 6pm after all.

As the sizzling summer reached dizzying heights, we were the first port of call for the London Evening Standard, who wanted an original take on the soaring 40C maDRiD, SPain temperatures in Spain. We headed to Ecija, dubbed the ‘frying pan of Spain’, asLiLLe, 32C fRance it is alleged to be so hot you can fry an egg on the pavement. Although our egg wasn’t quite ready for a full English (it was 6pm after all), we still made it to page three of the UK capital’s favourite paper.

LOCALS: Lottery vendor Enrique and (above) Maria and Paqui

Expats gassed

Office is advising keep out of the mids being sensible at s set to bask in warm kend, as Ms Mitchell atures in the capital , possibly 33, and 30 9 on Sunday, with the ngland.

MaJOrCa

CAPTION:

46C

DISTRIBUTION Graham Warters distribution@theolivepress.es

ESIGNER eith Franks

ViLniuS, LiThuania

With temperatures hotting up to 46C the Olive Press made an egg-cellent trip to the ‘frying pan of Spain’

But Maria Cepas, 50, claims Enrique is making a rookie error. "It's a mistake to drink litres and litres of water, that makes you vomit. You need a sugary drink too," said the nursing home carer, "we have to send out warnings to elderly people to keep drinking things like Aquarius in this heat." Friend, Paqui Vidal, 50, explains how her colleague – an olive picker – is forced to leave work sick on the first day of every olive season. "It can be dangerous for olive pickers, many go home throwing up with severe sun stroke," added Paqui, an administrator at an agricultural company. Meanwhile, across the main square, 27-year-old Ana Somoza Torres, mops her

Our exclusive N E WS story of how expat couple John and Jacqueline Armitage were gassed and robbed in their sleep is a scary - but unfortunately common tale. But typically, after their car was stolen, used for a string of robberies and torched, the couple cannot claim insurance as the original documents were inside the vehicle. The story was picked up by the Sun and Mail Online last week. www.theolivepress.es

| News

August 15th - August 28th 2018

By Elisa Menendez & Laurence Dollimore

et him out

eveNiNg staNdard

Cracking job Cracking job29C eveNiNg staNdard Friday 3 august 2018

www.theolivepress.es

August 29th - September 11th 2018

Catch 22

Expats’ car torched after being gassed in their sleep EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

A BRITISH expat couple have been left in insurance limbo after their vehicle was stolen by a gang before being torched. John and Jacqueline Armit- FED UP: John and Jacqueline Armitage age, 72 and 70, had their car stolen from outside their The couple still don’t know if The car was bought in the UK house, after they were gassed the duplicates will be enough but had been transferred to for a payout from the compa- Spanish plates. at night by brazen thieves. But incredibly their Gibraltar- ny Tradewise. Tradewise Gibraltar told the based insurance firm is ‘re- The retired couple, from Olive Press: “It would be inapfusing to pay out’ without the Portsmouth, had been awoken propriate for us to comment original documents, which by Guardia Civil agents bang- on individual cases, however ing on their doors the morning Ley 50/1980, de 8 octubre, were destroyed in the fire. “It’s a complete catch 22,” after their Toyota was found Contrato de Seguro, the law John told the Olive Press. torched. applicable to insurance con“Spanish law says you must It had been involved in various tracts in Spain allows the inkeep all documents in the car, robberies, police told them. surer 40 days from when the now we are having to spend “We had no idea we had been claim is reported in order to hundreds to try and get them robbed,” added John, “I’m complete their internal invesa light sleeper and our dog tigations, at which point they duplicated.” The former Royal Navy em- barks at the slightest noise so must make payment of the ployee is warning expats to police are 100% sure we were minimum amount of compengassed.” keep the documents at home. sation due. “The system is stupid,” he The couple, who moved to “Where Spanish Law has been added, “In our case only the Mollina, near Antequera 11 applied to the contract we will originals are accepted, so if years ago, have had to fork out endeavour to comply with the your car is stolen or destroyed hundreds to travel to Malaga above practice and settle the like ours then you’re screwed.” to duplicate registration and matter accordingly.” the vehicle’s ITV documents.

Nolotil

AndAluciA

46C sizzling: journalist Laurence Dollimore frying on a marble bench in Écija

Cooking eggs in the ‘frying pan of Spain’ Elisa Menendez Letter from ...

anDaLucia BRITISH holidaymakers being warned of scorching temperatures on the Costa del Sol will thank their lucky stars they are not in Écija — dubbed the “frying pan of Spain”. A two-hour drive from the tourist beaches, the town is known as being the hottest in the country, where you can cook an egg on the pavement. The temperature was today forecast to reach 46C, only a shade below Europe’s record high. “Nobody leaves their houses between 2pm and 6pm. It’s a ghost town, you won’t even find a café open,” said Enrique Lopradas, 51, a lottery vendor and self-confessed “shade chaser”. “I drink seven litres of water every day, wear long sleeves and constantly move to the shade. I also shower three or four times a day and don’t start work until 6.30pm when it’s fresher.”

But another resident, Maria Cepas, 50, has different advice for locals struggling in the heat. “It’s a mistake to drink litres and litres of water. That makes you vomit. You need a sugary drink,” said the nursing home carer. Friend Paqui Vidal, 50, explains how her colleague — an olive picker — is forced to leave work sick on the first day of every olive season. “It can be dangerous for olive pickers, many go home throwing up with severe sun stroke,” added Paqui, an administrator at an agricultural company. Meanwhile, across the main square, 27-year-old Ana Somoza Torres, mops her brow while setting up tables outside a bar as the temperature reaches 42C. She said: “The only way is air conditioning and more air conditioning.” And what about the egg-frying theory? The anaemiclooking one I cooked with my colleague Laurence on a marble bench in the square wouldn’t grace a Full English — but it was 6pm after all. ⬤ Elisa Menendez is a reporter Votedfor The EXCLUSIVE: Olive Press Poems from BEST in Malaga Gibraltar soldier expat

The Sunday Times and the Sun have thanked us for our work on the ongoing Nolotil story. Both papers used our case studies which we collected following a campaign we launched to have the drug regulated last year. We had more than 1,000 expats sign our change.org petition which called on health bosses to look into the drug ANTHONY’S which attacks the white blood cells of people from northern Europe, mainly British and Irish. Several cases, which came to light from the petition, have been used by medical campaigner Cristina Garcia del Campo, who managed to persuade health bosses to look into the drug. A final decision is expected this year. Mijas Costa See page xx 4

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Vol. 12 Issue 289 www.theolivepress.es April 11th - April 24th 2018

NoloTil VicTory

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CAMPAIGNER: Cristina

olive Press medical campaign finally draws blood with Nolotil regulation close EXclUSiVE By Elisa menendez

AN Olive Press health campaign has led to ‘the biggest’ drug probes in Spanish history. Our investigation into the mysterious deaths of expats from the painkiller Nolotil last year, is finally being acted on. In a landmark breakthrough, a national probe is expected to lead to new regulation of the drug, which is banned in the UK and most of Europe. “It has been a long time in coming and by raising so much awareness, I am sure lives have already been saved,” medical and legal translator Cristina Garcia del Campo told the Olive Press. The medical professional found our 1000-strong petition online and took it forward after one of her patients died from the drug. “Spain wants to help,

loomS

TRAGIC: Graeme Ward with wife Mary (left) and Billy Smyth, who both died from Nolotil

that’s for sure. I have had support from every healthcare professional I have spoken to. “If I hadn’t come across your article I wouldn’t have realised what was happening to the English community,” she added. We launched our ‘Kill the Drug’ campaign against the painkiller last August, after learning that dozens of British and Irish expats had died after their immune systems were allegedly destroyed by the commonly prescribed drug. A trio of families told us how their relatives had died unnecessarily in excruciating pain. Yet, authorities refused to take our claims seriously, despite the evidence being backed up by local doctors. Fortunately, Ali-

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Vol. 11 Issue 271

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EXCluSiVE By laurence dollimore

A BRITISH expat couple are fighting to save their Malaga home from demolition over a technicality. Gill and Bob Ward, both 74, have been locked in a battle with their town hall, which claims their house in Almayate is illegal. Just yesterday the retired couple from Cornwall were given

Continues on Page 8

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THE Olive Press is giving away three pairs of tickets for two of the best concerts on the Costa del Sol this summer... And all you have to do is answer two simple questions! Michael Bolton takes to the stage for an emotive end of season night at Marbella’s Puente Romano on August 10, while Estepona is set for its biggest rock concert in years with mammoth

Doctors and dentists join Olive Press appeal for ban on dangerous painkiller Nolotil EXCluSiVE By laurence dollimore

one month to knock down their only property (pictured above). In a court order seen by the Olive Press, the Wards are warned they will be held criminally responsible if they refuse. “I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m at the end of my tether” Gill told the Olive Press, “I’m totally exhausted from the whole ordeal.” The retired pair, who have now spent thousands of euros on legal costs, bought the old farmhouse ‘in ruins’ in 2004, and were given permission from Velez-Malaga town hall to rebuild it. But when the original wall collapsed of its own accord during construction, the Wards’ architect told them it would be fine and that he would let the town hall know. Unfortunately for

tribute bands Think Floyd, Deeper Purple and Whole Lotta Led rocking out the greatest hits of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin at the Plaza del Toros on August 26. For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Bolton, just answer the question; what year was Michael Bolton born in? For the Pink Purple Zep Fest in Estepona, just tell us; Where was Jimmy Page born? Email answers to the newsdesk@theolivepress.es.

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Kill ThE drug

THE Olive Press is calling on Spain to ban a lethal painkiller that is killing countless of unsuspecting expats. British dentists and doctors are supporting the ban after Briton Graham Ward, 75, complained to the Olive Press of how he was prescribed the deadly Nolotil drug by a dentist last week. It’s the very same drug that was blamed for killing his wife in 2006. The Marbella-based expat was furious when he was told to take the painkiller by his Spanish dentist, after suffering from a difficult abscess. His wife Mary, 59, had died after being prescribed the same drug following a double vasectomy at Costa del Sol Hospital. “Within 24 hours she was in intensive care, her white blood cell count plummeted to zero within days,” explains Graham, a former computer HAPPIER TIMES: Graham with wife, and Billy Smyth technician, from London. She never regained conscious- again. Metamizole, Nolotil is banned ness and was on a life support “He said she would be alive if in the US, the UK, Ireland and machine for FOUR months, she hadn’t taken it, but I have most of Europe, but it is prebefore spending three years heard from dozens of Brits scribed widely in Spain. fighting the impact of the and Irish who have been given Irishman William ‘Billy’ drug, which led to organ fail- it,” added Graeme. Smyth was given a five-day It is the third victim of the course of the drug in Februure. “The chief surgeon at the hos- drug the Olive Press has re- ary. pital promised me he would ported on in under a year. But when the 66-year-old renever prescribe that drug Sometimes known also as turned to a different Spanish

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Dr Nina King, of Oasis Dental Care in Marbella, fully supports the campaign, telling the Olive Press the drug is not something she prescribes. “It’s not a drug I use, I stick to safe and standard medication,” she said, “And after seeing what damage it can do, it’s a drug I won’t be using in the future.” Marbella-based private doctor Dra. Victoria María Chacón Almeda also agrees the drug is dangerous. “I don’t prescribe the drug,” she told the Olive Press, “I have lots of British patients and I am aware of what it is capable of doing. “There needs to be a lot more research on its impact.”

doctor to get a renewal in April, tests showed the drug had caused a toxic poisoning in his bone marrow and his white blood cell was dangerously low. Billy, a keen sportsman, developed sepsis and necrotising fasciitis as a result and required ‘radical surgery’ to remove the affected tissue in an attempt to save his life.

The dad-of-two later died from septic shock – believed to be linked to taking the Nolotil. Another British expat Hugh Wilcox was prescribed the same medication for mild shoulder pain on the Costa del Sol. He developed severe head Continues on Page 2

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Nolotil, or Metamizol, is still one of the most popular painkillers in Spain, yet the most feared side effect is agranulocytosis, a severe and rapid drop in white blood cells, which leaves patients unable to fight infections. Garcia del Campo noticed that a large number of other English

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and Irish patients had been suffering with sepsis at hospitals along the Costa Blanca. “I thought, this can’t be normal,” explained the translator, from Madrid. And after looking at patients’ notes, she found that each had one thing in common - they were all taking Nolotil. Although manufacturers list side effects such as agranulocytosis, necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis, they are considered ‘very rare’ affecting one in every 10,000. The figures did not seem to add up to Garcia del Campo so she set about doing her own research. However, no information existed in Spanish media. The only articles she could find on the drug and its lethal side effects was in the Olive Press. “I was in disbelief,” continued the Javea-based translator, who lived in the UK for 18 years. “I thought this was surely wellknown and someone was doing something about it. Except it wasn’t. “I felt I had to inform Spain Continues on Page 2

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

B Going electric How a Costa del Sol e-cigarette shop is taking over Spain

NDALUCIA’S first ever e-cigarette shop is celebrating five years in business and is set to secure its biggest deal yet. iSmokeKing, which already has three shops on the Costa del Sol, will soon be stocking exclusively for El Corte Ingles’ tobacconists across Spain. “It’s a very exciting time for us,” said co-founder Bjorn Jacobsen, “we will be the only e-cigarettes available at the department store’s tobacco shops, which is huge.” Since opening in San Pedro in 2013, iSmokeKing has opened two further locations in Coin and Los Boliches in Fuengirola.

Benefits

And Bjorn thinks it’s about time people realised the benefits of e-cigarettes. “A recent study found them to be 97% less harmful than regular cigarettes,” he explains, “it’s a great way to help give up smoking and can, in the long run, have a positive impact on the strain smoking-related diseases have on the health service.” iSmokeKing has more than 100 flavours of e-cigarettes and uses a top quality manufacturer in the UK for its liquids. It also sells several types of e-cigarettes and devices, including vapes. Visit www.ismokeking.se for more information or search ISmokeKing on Facebook.

EING a reporter at the Olive Press is an enviable position to be in. Its comprehensive weekend paper design means any trained journalist who joins has a broad scope of content to get their teeth sunk into. They will find themselves conducting their own investigations, covering cultural events, writing travel and news features and much, much more - as well as picking up some design and video editing skills along the way! It’s no surprise then, that those who have left us have gone on to do great things around the globe. Below we have rounded up some of our star former employees who are making big waves in the world of journalism.

Launch Pad

The Olive Press is known for being a launch pad for many talented journalists who have passed through over the years

Anatoly Kurmanaev

Annabel Grossman

Anatoly dropped in to tackle a range of tricky subjects including a walk along the Caminito del Rey. Today he is the Russia correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Moscow, having spent time in Venezuela and Chile.

Full of ideas, Annabel exposed the likes of fraudster Toni Muldoon and did a range of good celebrity stories. Today she is Commercial Editor for Mail Online in New York.

Imogen Calderwood

‘Immi’ as everyone knew her was one of our longest-serving and most popular journalists. She was extremely hard-working and ambitious and left the paper to work at Mail Online, before becoming the UK Editor at Global Citizen online, a movement hoping to end extreme poverty.

Joe Duggan

He joined us after retraining as a journalist in his late 30s and went on to undertake and write some of our most memorable history features and did a great job helping us launch in Mallorca two years ago. Today he is a reporter at Ferrari news agency, in London and joins the Express next month

GESTORIA

RECIO & MADRONA Non-Resident Tax Accounting Services - Tax Advisors Vehicle Transfers Spanish Car Registration Assisting at the Notary Telephone: 952 892 097 – info@costamanilva.com

SABINILLAS - MANILVA

WE SPEAK ENGLISH

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

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A fun person to have around and never without an opinion, freelancer Alex has recently had work published in the Sun and Telegraph and regularly works for talkRADIO and the BBC. She is also an expert forensic criminologist and appeared on Channel 5’s When Teens Kill.

Tom Powell

Quick-thinking and with a wicked sense of humour, Tom Powell helped to rid the coast of the likes of fraudster Nigel Goldman and was never short of a great investigation. He moved from the Olive Press to become the deputy night news editor at the London Evening Standard.

Laura Balfour Our first journalist, Laura always fearlessly reported on crime and corruption. It put her in good stead for her current role as a documentary producer on critically-acclaimed films such as Druglords for Netflix, Drugs Inc for National Geographic and for Dispatches on Channel 4, as well as the BBC and ITV.

Iona Napier

A wonderful feature writer and all-round good egg, today Iona is the Producer for ITV News in Washington.

Our courtesy

So much work in it It’s quite a thing publishing a newspaper. You have to fill all of the pages with an attractive mixture of interesting material and good looking adverts, make sure you have covered all the local news and stories that need to be told, keep your layout fresh and your employees bright and focused. The paper, once filled (as the deadline implacably approaches), must be sent to the printer, then picked up and distributed along the coast: quickly and neatly. Meanwhile, there are bills to pay, visits to be made, editing and corrections to be done and monies to be collected. Once the edition is done, it’s time to start again. I did it for years and know how hard Jon and his staff work to bring you the best local English newspaper in Spain. Lenox Napier (editor of The Entertainer 1985 - 1999)

Amie Keeley

Does your insurance company guarantee a courtesy car after a bump? 300 not out

Alex Iszatt

IF your vehicle is involved in an accident and has to go in for repairs, the last thing you need to worry about is organising alternative transport while your car is off the road. Fully comprehensive car insurance with Línea Directa guarantees a free courtesy car after an accident, for an unlimited period of time, until your car is back on the road. To qualify, policyholders need to take out additional Replacement Car Cover and ensure that the vehicle is repaired in one of their approved national network of authorised repairers.

Audi

This includes free pick-up and drop-off of the vehicle and they guarantee original manufacturer replacement parts. With a fleet of nearly 1,000 Audi A1 courtesy cars, Línea Directa is already helping to keep its customers on the move. Following a claim, here is what one customer has said about this new and enhanced service: “I am very impressed with Linea Directa in this instance. “They have since updated their courtesy car, I noticed. The car that was allocated to me in this instance is an Audi A1, with Línea Directa livery displayed on the doors. “The car, I think, had done only 350 kms, so was brand new! “Thank you and the company for your help and understanding in this matter.” If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 282 or visit www.lineadirecta.com.

Amie tackled just about every subject while working as a reporter for the Olive Press. She was always out and about, which is perhaps why today she is Head of news at Travel Weekly.

902 123 282 * Fu l l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e o f f e r v a l i d f o r n e w c u s t o m e r s o n l y. G u a r a n t e e s u b j e c t t o c o v e r, r e p a i r a t a p p r o v e d g a r a g e , a n d c o u r t e s y v e h i c l e a v a i l a b i l i t y. S u b j e c t t o c o n d i t i o n s . O f f e r e n d s 3 0 / 1 1 / 1 8 .

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Inner tourism

THE Junta has allocated €9.5 million to develop tourism in the region’s interior. The funds, available in two tranches of €4.75 million, will provide grants of up to €60,000 to inland municipalities with less than 10,000 residents. The grants aim to increase cultural tourism and reduce the seasonal nature of the sector, said Andalucia’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Francisco Javier Fernandez on 29 August. Grants will be awarded on criteria that include sustainability, equality and job creation potential. The Andalucian interior accounts for some 40% of the region’s tourism revenue, with a third of visitors citing cultural heritage as their reason for travelling.

Andalucian cities crackdown on booze-fuelled stag and hen weekends AUTHORITIES are cracking down on boozy hen and stag weekends amid a surge in complaints from locals. Officials in Malaga, Granada and Cordoba are putting restrictions on the rowdy mini-breaks - following a dramatic increase in recent years. The historic cities are now a hotspot for marital sendoffs, thanks to their highspeed train links, low-cost apartment rentals and cheap drink and entertainment. But the trend has sparked outrage from residents and business owners, with many companies banning megaphones and offensive

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Time’s up presence on the streets in a bid to monitor tourists’ unsociable antics. While in Granada a crossparty meeting has been set up to discuss calling time on a ‘display of outrageous behaviour that the city does not need to put up with’. Holidaymakers on stag and hen dos started flocking to Granada around five years ago and now every weekend sees groups of drunken revellers filing through its historic streets.

STAG DO: Dressed up in Granada

costumes in a bid to maintain the cities’ ‘high-end tourism’.

Francisco de la Torre, Mayor of Malaga, has announced there will be a greater police

Tourist trouble as numbers drop FEARS are growing for the tourism sector in Spain after the country suffered a dramatic drop in visitors this summer. Almost a million fewer holidaymakers came to Spain than predicted this July, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE). There was a 2.2% decrease in

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tourists from January to June and a 3.1% drop in overnight stays. A sharp drop in visitor numbers in the first six months of 2018 has sparked fears of a slowdown, stagnation or decline in tourism for the third quarter of the year, according to a report by national tourism body, Ture-

spana. The organisation predicts a 4.2% decline in the number of British tourists in Spain during this quarter, although they are expected to spend 5.3% more. Some 82 million holidaymakers visited the country in 2017 - 42 million from Britain, France and Germany.

Warning

But Cordoba has taken the firmest stance so far, with hotels and apartment owners already warning hen and stag party bookings will be refused. The city’s tourism councillor, Pedro Garcia, said that officials are working across various sectors to curb this type of tourism. “Cordoba has four world heritage sites and we aspire to high-end tourism that appreciates and enjoys our culture. These send-offs, which disturb people’s peace at night, are not what we want,” added Garcia.

MATHSTONE

Bombs away SPAIN has announced plans to stop selling bombs to Saudi Arabia. It comes as concerns grow over the use of laser-guided bombs in the conflict in Yemen. The Defence Ministry started the process of cancelling a contract signed between Mariano Rajoy’s former government and the Arab state in 2015. The agreement included the sale of 400 laser-precision bombs. A government spokeswoman confirmed the decision but declined to give any further details It comes after Pedro Sanchez’s new socialist government vowed to review the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia in mid-August. He also confirmed that Spain would pay back the €9.2 million it had already paid for arms materials. It is believed the bombs would have been used in Yemen - at the heart of a war which has killed more than 10,000 people. The defence ministry previously claimed it had never sold the arms with the intention of them being used against a civilian population and will review any possible sales that have not been closed and could be involved in attacks on civilians.

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Best in class

September 12th - September 25th 2018

A guide to children’s education planning, by the Woodbrook Group

hildren are our greatest gift, and making sure they have a good education is one of the important gifts a parent can give them. A good education will give your children the best possible start in life, but it can also be very expensive and put a huge strain on the family’s finances. What are the best schools? Where do we want our children to be educated? What type of education do we want them to have? How much will it all cost? A significant number of expatriates choose to send their children to boarding schools or universities abroad. Others, of course, opt for local schools, but many of these are fee paying which means parents will also need a financial plan to cover their children’s education. Education costs can vary hugely, whether you send your children to home-based boarding schools, private international schools or universities abroad. Travel

costs also need to be considered for children studying away from home, as well as visits from parents. From my experience, the most important piece of advice I give to parents when it comes to investing in your children’s education is to plan ahead, and plan well. Education fees are rising sharply, up to 17pc each year. Many parents are not

aware of this. In a lot of cases, families who didn’t plan properly came unstuck and had to sell assets just to educate their kids. Sound financial planning will ensure that financing your children’s education will not become an unbearable burden and protect you from unexpected further expenses down the road. Expat children typically have

access to unique educational opportunities that can reap huge benefits for them at a later stage. Although the cost of educating your children may be higher as an expatriate, by planning ahead you can save to offset these additional costs and minimise the impact this has on your family’s standard of living. Doing your homework when investing in your children’s education is essential. With continuing uncertainty over Brexit, and education fees rising way above inflation, there has never been a more important time to plan for your children’s education.

BUSINESS

September 12th - September 25th 2018

LOCAL ADVISOR: Craig Taylor

Getting the best advice possible is the first key step, and this is where the Woodbrook Group can help. We are unique in that our financial plans are individually tailored to meet our clients’ specific needs, regardless of their circumstances. Our team of financial experts will work with you to find the best education plan on the market to suit your children’s requirements. Again, early planning is vital. Many of our clients have

financial plans for their children’s education in place before they are born, and each individual plan is reviewed every month. Put simply, Woodbrook is best in class when it comes to planning for your children’s education. Planning for your family’s financial future can be daunting, but by doing it correctly you will learn a lifelong lesson that could pay very high dividends for you and your children.

*For more information, contact our team at the Woodbrook Group Office in Marbella: Av. Ricardo Soriano, 72 Edificio Golden Portal B, 1ª Planta 29601 Marbella, Málaga, Spain. Telephone: +34 952768471 • Email: officemarbella@woodbrookgroup.com • Woodbrook Group is regulated by CySEC.

Need for Watch out clarity AGONY ANT

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

Personal data laws are about to get a whole lot more complicated, writes Lawbird’s Antonio Flores

ECENT changes to the Spanish Data Protection Act (Ley de Protección de Datos or “LOPD”) and the ancillary Royal Decree that sets out security measures for personal data, implemented pursuant to EU Regulation 2016/679, has added a new level of complexity to an already intricate law. Data protection legislation has been around for many years and its main aim has been to ensure that personal data is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. Individuals have under these new laws many rights rights of access to data, to have their data deleted, to be forgotten or the right to withdraw consent - just to name a few. Ask anyone with a company and they will confirm one thing, it is an absolute minefield. As a result, companies offering advisory services

on implementation and supervision of procedures have flourished. But let’s leave the niceties of the law for another article and offer a glimpse of the horrors of being fined under it: •

•

€4,000 fine imposed on car rental company Europcar for issuing a contract with incorrect client details €15,000 fine issued to a company for revealing excessive data of employees while negotiating work conditions with unions

•

€20,000 fine issued to an IT company for sending communications to a mailing list revealing the addresses listed (using cc instead of bcc)

•

€60,000 imposed on an advertising company for send-

•

ing commercial offers to customers whose personal details had been received without authorization and consequently, in breach of data protection laws €1,2 million fine given to Facebook for obtaining personal information from their members about creed, gender, ideology as well as browsing data, without clearly informing them of its purpose or use

Larger companies have been getting away with this for years as in practical terms, it does not terribly affect them financially (although reputation may be eroded). It is however the shop owner - and the office above it - that need to spend a good weekend reading about it and seeking professional assistance. Good luck!

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com

UYERS coming to Spain from the UK and other parts of Europe may be surprised to find that there is a surprising lack of information available online. For example, the British HM Land Registry publishes data sets of prices paid for properties since 1995, transaction data since 2011 and a UK house price index going back to the mid 90s. Additionally, there are sites like www.nethouseprices.com that will tell you the last sale price of any property in Church Road, Bristol, for example, in seconds.

A lack of transparent pricing data However, although Spain’s land registry collects the same sets of information, you won’t be able to search for any of it via the internet, either in a government site or via any private sources. This begs some important questions to be asked, such as how does anyone arrive at an accurate property valuation and what criteria do they base their valuations on? Even the Nota Simple won’t tell you. This document may contain the vendor’s details, a description of the property and the existence of any charges, embargoes or liens against it, but it won’t say anything about the price paid for the property at the last sale. And bucking the world trend of rewarding customers with lower prices online - in Spain if you request a nota simple online it will cost you €10 but only €3,65 if you request a paper copy in person from the Spanish Property registry! Why keep the records – because we know the Spanish registry does have them – and yet not make them available to buyers and agents? Part of the problem lies in the fact that historically in Spain there is little similarity between a listed

Why Spain has a sad lack of online property data, writes Adam Neale

price and the price actually paid, as much of it used to be ‘under the table’. Therefore, any historical data probably bears little relation to reality. Although this is hopefully a practice that is occurring less frequently, it does affect the accuracy of records. A tongue-in-cheek thought is that if Spain did put information online, what would the government do with all the ‘funcionarios’ (civil servants) who have jobs for life pushing bits of paper around and ensuring that the wheels of bureaucracy revolve as slowly as possible? Spain needs to improve its transparency However, if other countries can provide easy access to property sales information, why can’t Spain? It would add a new level of transparency to the market and make it more attractive to overseas buyers, because they would have less reason to wonder if the price they are paying is commensurate with market values. Many foreign buyers, particularly those from highly organised regions such as Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, are not aware of these limitations and blame agents for this. In reality, Spain’s property professionals are more frustrated with this situation than anyone, as it makes their work so much more difficult than that of their colleagues in other European countries. It is only once Spain releases accurate information that also includes specific breakdowns of its costas that the country will finally join the league of professional international property markets. Let’s hope that day isn’t too far away.

Terra Meridiana, 77 Calle Caridad, 29680 Estepona Tel: +34 951 318480 • Office Mob: +34 678 452109 • Email: info@terrameridiana.com • Website: www.terrameridiana.com

PROPERTY

www.theolivepress.es

Most spaniards spend more than a third of earnings on rent

MOST people in Spain spend more than a third of their earnings on rent, it has emerged. The average family renting a home lose 37% of their salaries, according to a report by the European Commission and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). Renting costs have increased in almost every community over the last year, making residents’ salaries stretch even less further.

Rent-mare Estepa - Sevilla - TH3869

59.900 €

Large townhouse in beautiful Estepa. The property is bright and freshly painted throughout with Spanish kitchen, family bathroom, dining room and lounge with log burning stove. French doors lead to a private patio with lemon tree, established grapevine, plunge pool and a stairwell leading up to a secret garden and patio. The first floor contains a spacious double bedroom and a master bedroom. A great property with an unusual amount of outside space for this town, well worth viewing!

Worst hit

Business Insider compared the average price per square metre in each region and matched it with the average salary to determine the proportion spent on rental costs. Those living in Madrid, Catalunya and the Balearics are the worst hit, with residents losing 45.79%, 47.93% and 44.83% of their salaries respectively. They are followed by the Canary Islands, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Andalucia, where the percentage is still above 30%. Extremadura is the com-

September 12th - September 25th 2018

tel: +34 952 74 15 25

RISING: Percentage of rent per community (Business Insider)

munity where the least is spent on rent (22.8%). It comes as town halls across the country are beginning to resist holiday rental sites like Airbnb,

which they blame for increasing average rental costs while pushing out the locals. Valencia and Madrid introduced news restrictions

this year while Mallorca has introduced new licensing laws for those who rent out their homes. The average salary in Spain is €23,156 per year.

The Grapevine

Calle de la Villa 14, 29532 Mollina, Malaga info@inlandandalucia.com www.inlandandalucia.com

by Laura Wood

Breakfast club

Desayuno is the most important meal of the day and in Inland Málaga it is no different

et me paint you a picture. In Inland Málaga breakfast orders can vary from the most simple pitufo con

aceite (a toasted roll with olive oil and salt) to a completo (a roll filled with a choice of meat with cheese, lettuce and tomato). If you can find a place where the locals are ordering fresh churros, you know you’ve hit the jackpot! Test the quality of the olive oil sitting on the table and suss out whether to order a tostadas con tomate (toast with tomatoes and olive oil) or a pitufo mixto (a

toasted and melty cheese and ham roll). Are you a cafe solo or a cafe con leche kind of person? That’s the first thing you have to work out. Or, do you dislike coffee and prefer a té de manzanilla? Hot chocolate is not just for children and sometimes there is nothing like a hot Cola Cao to warm your palms on.

Hubbub

If you get really friendly with your favourite breakfast bar you’ll get to the point where you just be able to order lo de siempre (the usual) and feel like a real local! And you’ll ask ¿cuántotedebo? (how much do I owe you?) instead of la cuenta, and feel like a Spanish pro! On market days, breakfast is a hubbub of activity. Ladies scurry in and out with bags of fresh produce and bargains, with their husbands hiding out at the bar. Types of people to spot at breakfast: •

VARYING STRENGTHS: How strong do you like your breakfast?

Groups of ladies huddling around a small table after dropping their children off from school.

BREKKIE: Tostada with ham, cheese and tomato

• •

•

Elder gentleman sat at the bar nursing an anís and chatting to the waiting staff. Groups of well-dressed professionals checking their emails and revising their schedules. A gossiping table of elder ladies dolled up to the nines and wearing their favourite

•

lipsticks. Bonus weekend spot!: bedraggled youngsters still out from the night before grabbing a chocolate con churros before wandering wearily home.

Are you going out for breakfast this morning?

Visit us at Calle El Burgo, 5, Guaro or contact us at tel. 952 457 761 / enquiries@grapevine-properties.com

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

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Fair bnb?

Costa ‘fraudster’ forced back to Scotland after lavish mansion is seized A CROOKED expat has had his luxurious mansion seized to pay off part of his almost €134 million record debt. Gregory King - a former lawyer-turned financier dubbed ‘Scotland’s biggest bankrupt’ - has been forced to return to Glasgow after his courtappointed trustee recovered his palatial pad in La Zagaleta - near Marbella. The lavish mansion sold for more than €5 million and the proceeds were used to settle the 49-year-old’s whopping tax bill, leaving around €2.2 million for other creditors.

King

The house was reportedly owned by a Spanish company along with a Gibraltar parent firm which King owned. Now trustee, Adrian Hyde at insolvency company CVR Global, is seeking to seize

SEIZED: Zagaleta home and Greg King (inset)

Ponzi pad

another nearby Zagaleta property once used by King’s father, Hugh, which is believed to be worth just as much as the other pad. “When we took possession of the house, King appears to have left in a hurry as it was full of paperwork, clothing and other personal effects. It was almost as if they had

simply left on holiday but never returned,” said Hyde. It comes after the lawyer made headlines in 2002, following the murder of King’s business partner, Alex Blue, 41, who was found stabbed and beaten to death on his doorstep. They co-owned the Taxi Centre, a company which sold cars to private hire

firms. The case remains unsolved. Three years later King launched ‘ponzi style scheme’ hedge fund Heather Capital which garnered around €360 million from investors to fund property deals in Scotland. Money was channelled through offshore firms to Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and the Cayman Islands.

British MEP claims Barcelona was wrong to cull 3,000 Airbnb listings

MORE than 3,000 ‘illegal’ tourist rental flats have been removed by Airbnb in Barcelona this summer. Authorities ordered the cull following new regulations which limited the city to 9,600 tourist rental licences. In total 3,281 adverts for holiday lets were removed from the popular holiday site, after an intervention by city council leader Ada Colau. But British MEP Daniel Dalton has criticised the move, saying the sharing economy does not raise rents or squeeze out young locals. Speaking to the Guardian, the Conservative politician said: “The open-

Breath of hope P

•

Any notification to the debtor must have been sent to the courts after investigating all different avenues. It is not enough for the court to simply try, in a protocol way, to send something to the foreign address in Spain which was mentioned on the deeds. It was Spain’s Constitutional Court which confirms this Action taken cannot be based on an illegal clause (floor clause, early expiry clause, debtors’ interests’ clause) so, once repossession has started, this is a clear way to stop it and negotiate with the bank Law has imposed the bank a minimum value (50% of auction value of the property) in the case of repossession by them after an auction with no bidders. If your debt is below that minimum (which it generally is, as the auction value has generally been during the financial boom years, much, much higher than the property value itself), they

source Inside Airbnb website shows there are just over 17,000 listings in Barcelona – a city in which there are more than 800,000 homes. “Second, data from the same website shows that 60% of those listings are posted by people renting out their spare rooms. “They are tenants or homeowners who want to earn a bit of extra cash, not moneygrabbing landlords looking to get rich quick.”

Foreign

According to Dalton, cheap borrowing, foreign investment, changing demographics and housing shortages can also impact upon prices. He added: “Cracking down on platforms such as Airbnb may seem like the right thing to do. “But the only ones celebrating will be the giants of the hotel industry, which is keen to shut out the competition.”

Dealing with your mortgage payments is not all doom and gloom, writes Maria Luisa de Castro, of Costa Luz Lawyers ERHAPS you are struggling with mortgage repayments or maybe you have even missed one. It could be that the bank has begun with the proceedings leading to repossession. If this is the case, you will probably be feeling confused, concerned and with lots of worries in your head. I am sure that even the very thought of involving lawyers raises your anxiety levels a fair bit more. Well, firstly, not all of us lawyers are inhumane sharks. For example, in my case, my passion for defending clients against financial institutions is practically an obsession. The good news is that due to the recent, disastrous, financial crisis, these days judges, the law and courts show a definite heightened sensitivity towards mortgage debtors and crushing their debtors is becoming increasingly difficult for the banks. Allow me to put forward some ideas to give you a clearer picture … and what becomes something of a breath of hope for you:

NOT IMPRESSED: MEP Dalton

Pioneers & experts in Spanish off-plan property claims according to banks liabilities – under ley 57/1968 NO WIN NO FEE Contact us now for a free appraisal of your case

SPAIN Calle Regino Martínez 30, 3Âº, 11201 Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain Tel. +34 956 092 687 | Fax. +34 956 092 697 UNITED KINGDOM Unit 2, Cochran Close, Crownhill Industry, Milton Keynes, MK8 0AJ, United Kingdom Facebook: costaluzlawyers Twitter: costaluzlawyers

web@costaluzlawyers.es www.costaluzlawyers.es

STAYING: Tower

Torre-ffic news

•

cannot enforce the claim of further assets This legal limit often forces the bank to give in and settle before or during the repossession procedure. If you offer a possible buyer to the bank, even for a price well lower the market price, your chances increase significantly Calculation of the outstanding debt must be correct, if is not and you challenge it, the repossession procedure started by the bank might be declared void If the bank sold your mortgage loan contract to a third party, which did not register its rights at the Land Registry; and it is this third party who is claiming against you, you can plead lack of legitimation of the claimant for not being the registered holder of enforcement rights against your property.

So to conclude, banks won’t make it easy because they do not want more properties for their portfolio but, a strong battle with a carefullydesigned legal strategy has big potential to help you escape this nightmare. Finally, many courts in Spain have frozen repossession procedures started by banks as they wait for Brussels to make a decision on the early expiry clause. For this same reason, a settlement is now also an attractive solution for the bank if you know how to wrap it well. For more information contact me at marialuisa@costaluzlawyers.es or phone us on 0034 956 092 687

SPAIN: Calle Regino Martinez 30, 3A, 11201 Algeciras, Cadiz, Spain • Telephone: +34 956 092 687 • Fax: +34 956 092 697 UNITED KINGDOM: Unit 2, Cochran Close, Crownhill Industry, Milton Keynes, MK8 0AJ, United Kingdom FACEBOOK: costaluzlawyers • TWITTER: costaluzlawyers EMAIL: web@costaluzlawyers.es • WEBSITE: www. costaluzlawyers.es

TORREMOLINOS has started its €226,000 conservation project of a historic tower which famously gave the resort its name. The council’s much-anticipated archaeological and structural study of the Torre de los Molinos - dating back to the preChristian Nazari era - is now underway following permission from the environment ministry in Andalucia. In a bid to restore heritage sites across the town, a 70% grant from the national ministry for infrastructure has also been awarded. The study of the 12-metrehigh Torre de los Molinos, also known as Torre Pimentel, will be the first step of the grand project. Dubbed ‘preventative archaeology’ the preliminary phase will use modern techniques to take samples of mortar to determine whether to restore the 14th century structure.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Taste of home 29

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with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

September 12th - September 25th 2018

September 12th September 25th 2018

Expat wins top UK food awards for Andalucian-produced balsamic vinegars A BRITISH expat has scooped up numerous coveted food awards for her Andalucian-inspired products. Creator of Fino Olive Oil, Susie Taylor, has won two prizes at this year’s UK Great Taste Awards - one of the world’s largest and most trusted of its kind for her dark and white balsamic vinegars. The foodie entrepreneur from Oxford uses produce from the heart of Cordoba to create her gold star award-winning balsamics. Both the white and dark vinegars are made from

By Elisa Menendez

the Pedro Ximenez grape and are ‘skilfully produced by masters in their field’ at the historic but modest Bodegas Navarro in Montilla.

Adventure

Secrets of their wine making expertise have been handed down from generation to generation since 1830. The expat started her Spanish adventure in 2003 when she moved to Casa-

EXPAT FOODIE: Susie Taylor with her vinegar

Hero chef SPANISH chef Jose Andres has written a novel detailing how he provided millions of meals to Puerto Ricans following the devastating hurricanes last year. The book recounts how Andrés’s organisation, World Central Kitchen, overcame bureauc r a t i c hurdles by enlisting 20,000 local volunteers to prepare and deliver 3.7 million meals.

MIGHTY FINO: Award-winning vinegars

rabonela in Malaga for a new life soaking up the culture with her partner and three children. After mastering the language, Taylor bought 30 acres of land boasting a large cow barn and olive trees before securing planning permission to transform it into their dream home. And that’s where her love of olives was born. Taylor started olive-picking with locals to create the ‘village olive oil’, which would then be pressed at

Olive tree By Deirdre Tynan

LEGEND: Jose Andres

Andrés, 49, organised five kitchens and six food trucks to deliver up to 10,000 meals a day to places most in need. In one photo, he was seen cooking alongside local volunteers late into the night. We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time, is released this month and will be available on Amazon.

The Olive Press is always a great read, gives another angle on the coast. The bi weekly features covering all the different areas in Andalucia are particularly interesting and informative. And through some tough years on the coast it’s still going strong. Congrats too all at The Olive Press. Ian Radford, Sala Group

300 not out

STILL GOING STRONG

FARMERS in Andalucia have been asked to document rare and wild varieties of olive trees on their estates so they can be added to a global database. Currently the World Collection of Olive Varieties at the Alameda Del Obispo centre in Cordoba contains information about 900 types of olive tree from 28 countries. However the Ministry of Agriculture thinks that Andalucian trees can expand the database even further with some local varieties being so unique that only they are known only to those who farm them.

Investigates

The collection, which began in 1970 with backing from the United Nations, investigates the genetic properties of cultivated and wild olive trees. Andalucia is the world’s largest producer of olive oil and is home to more than 200 million olive trees. In 2017, Spain proposed ‘The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia’ be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

the ‘cooperativa del pueblo’ before being drizzled across villagers’ dinner plates. In 2016 the expat sold the house to move back to Oxfordhsire but has been able to keep strong ties with Casarabonela, selling olive oil produced in the village where she had ‘such happy times’.

Open Tuesday to Sunday. until 22.00 Closed 12.00 until mid February

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Pintxo passion UNI DAYS: Elisa at Victor Montes in Bilbao and (inset) her favourite pintxos while (right) a huge array of goodies

river contrasted with the charm of the old architecture as we drove over the mountains into the city centre.

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And most importantly, trying create miniature versions. my first pintxo - the classic Between the 1940s and1960s, ‘taco de bonito’ - a wedge of the trend spread to Bilbao, cooked tuna with diced onion Vitoria-Gasteiz and Pamplona and pepper, drizzled with bal- and txikiteo was born - the samic vinegar and olive oil. I practice of hopping (tipsy) from was hooked. bar to bar with a kuadrilla, a For those who don’t know the close group of friends. wonders of these mini taste ex- To the pintxo virgin, the first plosions, traditionally they con- time you spot a sea of coloursist of a slice of bread with in- ful and mouthwatering bites gredients piled sky-high on top, laid out in neat rows on the secured with a bar waiting for toothpick. you to swipe, is Hence the name a complete senDiners can find sory overload. pincho (pintxo in Euskera, also learn everything from You’ll Basque) meanto swap Saning ‘to spike’. traditional dishes gria for the gritAs culinary tier Kalimotxo to molecular trends changed, - red wine and the pintxo coke - which gastronomy evolved and sounds vile but now hungry dinis a great pintxo ers can find evpartner on a erything from traditional dishes Saturday night on Calle Somto molecular gastronomy ren- era, in Bilbao old town’s boho ditions and everything in be- gothic street. tween. Anyone visiting Bilbao can’t It’s thought the origin of the leave without a trip to the iconpintxo started in the 1930s, ic Victor Montes in the Casco when the Andalucian tapas Viejo. Recognised as a pioneer trend made its way up to San of the region’s cuisine, this oldSebastian and locals began to style black and white themed

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bar specialises in classic Basque seafood pintxos piled with angulas (eels) or raw salt cod (bacalao), a proud regional product. The proof is in the pudding as famous guests have included

Bono, Prince Albert of Monaco and Jeremy Irons. Cafe Iruna, arguably Bilbao’s oldest eatery set up in 1903, is worth a visit for the decor as much as the food. Don’t miss the mini lamb skew-

Many more clients We have been working with the Olive Press for the last 7 years and are very pleased with the results. As a company that is based on the Costa de la Luz we felt that advertising with the Olive Press would be a good way of bringing clients over to our coastline from inland and the Costa del Sol in the quieter months of the year. The publicity has worked very well and we have widened our client base and visibility considerably since using the newspaper. James Stuart, The Califa Group, Vejer de la Frontera

300 not out

HE world’s best culinary experience has officially been awarded to an old Spanish tradition. Well, Basque that is. Choosing from 500 global food experiences, Lonely Planet’s panel awarded the coveted top spot of the ‘Ultimate Eatlist’ to pintxo hopping in San Sebastian’s old town. And it’s not difficult to see why. San Sebastian is truly unforgettable when it comes to eating out, but I’m Team Bilbao after moving to the rival Basque city at the tender age of 21, where pintxo-hopping quickly became an obsession. It’s not only food, it’s a way of life packed with tradition, culture, history and the best way to socialise setting you back just €3 for a bite and a glass of vino alongside. I’ll never forget being in awe of the futuristic Guggenheim museum’s reflection in the

After Lonely Planet crowned ‘pintxo hopping’ in San Sebastian’s old town the ‘world’s best foodie experience’, Elisa Menendez insists that Bilbao’s culinary offering is just as good

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com www.theolivepress.es

September 12th - September 25th 2018

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

restaurant | lunch and dinner restaurant | lunch and dinner

Animal lovers encouraged to support Triple A fundraising event at La Sala Banus On Wednesday September 26 a fundraising event will take place for the Marbella non-profit animal shelter Triple A – Amigos of Abandoned Animals. The event will commence at 7.30pm in the Live Lounge at La Sala Banus, with live entertainment by local favourite Peet Rothwell and a special guest appearance by British bodybuilder and six times Mr Olympia Dorian Yates, a committed ambassador for the cause. Tickets are priced at just 20€ per person and include a welcome glass of cava, canapes and 20€ worth of vouchers to spend on drinks at La Sala´s sister venue, Oak Garden & Grill. A raffle and auction will take place with prizes including sporting memorabilia, holiday vouchers and gym memberships to name but a few.

Awareness

PERCECTION: Vino and Pintxos in Bilbao’s old town ers, which attract daily queues round the corner. For the cheese lovers out there, you’ll be in dairy heaven at Bar Gaztandegi - Bilbao’s only pintxo bar dedicated solely to the yellow gooey stuff. El Globo, tucked behind Gran Via, is a sure-fire winner serving classics such as Txangurro gratinado - crab in a breaded butter and garlic sauce served in a crab shell. So yes, credit

where it’s due, San Sebastian is fabulous, but don’t bail on Bilbao. Next edition I’ll reveal the ten best pintxo hotspots and why Bilbao is a must-visit for foodies and tourists alike. Now read editor Jon Clarke’s opinion on San Sebastian over the page

The event has been organised by Steve Wiley, who has been volunteering at AAA for six years, walking the dogs almost every Saturday morning. Steve speaks about the importance of creating local awareness: “I think the public should be aware of the problem regarding abandoned pets and do what they can to help. It is a very special place that deserves recognition and support.” Triple A cares for approximately 450 cats and dogs with a monthly running cost of around 30,000€ per month, making fundraising events like this one crucial for their survival. Jan Weima, the Secretary at Triple A commented on news of the event: “We are sure it is going to be a great event and that much needed funds will be raised for the animals at the shelter.” Tickets can be purchased at either the La Sala Banus reception, Triple A shelter or by contacting Steve on +34 673 883 060.

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Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke on the delights of San Sebastian barhopping

HE idea was as intriguing as it was exciting: To compare one of San Sebastian’s famous three Michelin-starred restaurants with its world-famous tapas district. A dedicated gourmet, I had long wanted to experience the delights of what, Lonely Planet has now described as its ‘number one foodie experience’ in the world. That is the experience of barhopping for pintxos - as tapas are called up there - is a right of passage for any serious food writer. Yet I had only fleetingly visited the town in my early 20s... and again hungover after a stag weekend two decades ago, coincidentally spending an evening bar-hopping with TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, a fellow journalist by trade, so food was always going to come a distinct second. So this trip needed a bit of planning and the perfect place to stay, with Hotel Villa Soro, a

300 not out

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Bar none!

September 12th - September 25th 2018

SAN FAN: Publisher Jon Clarke and (right) San Sebastian’s pintxos charming villa near the centre starred restaurants per capita where to find them) for the ticking all the boxes. in Europe — 16 stars in about next day - he led us through From here, we were just a a 15-mile radius. one of the most memorable short walk to the main tapas It is something of a religion degustation menus I have ever area of the Basque seaside here and there are clubs that tried. resort of 185,000 people, the are dedicated entirely to eat- The 10-course masterclass, area known as ‘Casco Viejo’. ing, while its chefs, such as washed down with some fine It is perhaps no surprise that Juan Mari Arzak, Pedro Subi- Rioja, was fresh, original and the city’s tapas - or pintxos, jana and Eneko Atxa have exciting… yet, somehow it as they are known locally - are become household names lacked something. so incredibly good. The resort across Spain. Perhaps, it was the rather counts on the most Michelin- We started out at the historic sterile dining room and lack joint of Akelarre on Friday of views at night, which durnight, where one of the godfa- ing the day stretch for miles thers of Basque cuisine Pedro across the sea from its clifftop 300! Wow, bravo, top Subijana has held down three vantage. Perhaps, it was to do Michelin stars since 2006. with the slightly over-polished effort After 20 minutes chatting with service, which was almost too Guy McCrow, the seasoned legend - in which perfect. Beach House he generously gave us his top It’s hard to say, but we left that ten favourite pintxos (and night wondering what might

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com www.theolivepress.es

September 12th - September 25th 2018

11297

The number of people who’ve eaten at a tiny mountain hotel this season - between the 15th March and the 7th of September that is

Spain

September 12th -Molino September 25tha 2018 del Santo, charming

watermill hotel and restaurant near Ronda, fights well above its weight.

If you’ve been already, we’d be delighted to welcome you back before we close on the 4th November 2018. We offer special room rates for returning guests and warm welcomes in our restaurant. If you don’t know Molino del Santo, maybe it’s time you discovered us. We think we have a great location, excellent food, comfortable rooms, amazing staff and we’d love to share it all with you. Guests tell us we are a great place to celebrate a special occasion - ask around, someone will know us. Shhh! - if you mention The Olive Press, we’ll give you the same special rates that we offer returning guests. But please keep it a secret. Featured by Michelin, Lonely Planet, BBC, ITV, The Guardian, The Times , The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times amongst many others and voted “Best Countryside Hotel in Spain”.

DELICIOUS: Boquerones pintxos and (right) popular San Sebastian eatery come to pass the following ible display of delicacies on day. offer. After a good night’s sleep we Every bar had its own unique set off for our pintxo tour, af- display of goodies and we litter the most meagre breakfast erally dived into anywhere possible. that had space We zoned in on at the bar and Calle Fermin looked of interSan Sebastian Calbeton in the est. heart of the old be fair, literis definitely the To town, where Peally everything dro had given food capital of was of interest us a trio of adand in Calles the world dresses the Pescaderia and night before. 31 de Agosto The first, Sport, there were so had the most many places to amazing foie and crab crepe, try. while the second Borda Berri, On one bar I found the biggest had a superb pig’s ear. mushroom I had ever seen, But we were soon going native while in another the colours and, like a child in a sweet- of the array of pintxos almost shop, marvelling at the incred- blinded me.

As a golden rule we tried to ask the owner, or at least a waiter, what they recommended we try. And I can honestly say, I have NEVER eaten so well. It was so good in fact, we scrapped plans that night to go to the theatre and tried another 10 or so places. All in all, there are around 40 or 50 superb places to eat pintxos in the old town, while another area nearby around Plaza Txofre had another dozen or so. To sum up, San Sebastian is definitively the world’s food capital. Forget Paris, forget London, forget New York: The Basque Capital of Cooking has the most exciting and varied culinary offering imaginable.

TALES OF A HOTEL DOG By Benaojan Eddie

A barking dog never bites

Eddie the Hotel Dog must be on his best behaviour with new rules in Molino del Santo

HAT’S a mayor? I thought it was a female horse but the Great Master has been talking about the mayor for the last week and I’ve not seen an equine creature in these parts for weeks. Apparently the mayor of our village has been put under pressure by some of its citizens because one very vicious Rottweiler has been out and about off its lead recently. The dog managed to lock its jaws on other dogs’ throats and although there were no fatalities, it is not an ideal scenario. So the mayor has decreed, in line with Andalucian guidelines, that no dog over 20kg can be loose on the Via Publica with fines for infringement ranging up to thousands of euros. (Infringement is quite a big word for a dog from a rescue home.) Dangerous breeds must have a muzzle on too but I’m not considered dangerous - more soppy. This newly imposed legislation is a bitter blow for well-behaved

pooches like me who like to sniff and take my time on an excursion, have a tail wag with a mate and then run to catch up with the GM. Given that most of the wonderful walking paths around here are “Via Publica” it seemed that I was going to spend most of my life outside the house on a lead. Fab. One less than responsible owner spoils it for every dog. Fortunately the GM knows the mayor and they have reached a compromise. I have to be on my lead in the populated area of the village but once we are out in the campo I can sniff freely as long as he puts me back on the lead if we meet anyone, which does not happen that often. I think that would be the norm for any well-behaved dog. Told you he was a great master. (If you fancy a visit to our area with your dog, by prior arrangement only, a dog or two is allowed at Molino del Santo but you must arrange that before arrival.)

To get in touch with Eddie, contact his owners Andy and Pauline at the Hotel Molino del Santo. Bda Estacion s/n, 29370 Benaojan, Malaga. 952 167 151 - 952 167 927. info@molinodelsanto.com

Reservations usually essential. Open every day until the 4th November 2018.

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www.theolivepress.es

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Teacher sacked for getting married reinstated after 17 years

Know thy neighbour MOROCCAN Arabic culture is being added to the classroom curriculum in Spanish state schools and as a subject at university level. The two neighbouring countries have agreed to teach their respective children about each others’ history and cultural heritage in a bid to foster stronger relations in the future. Aimed at primary, secondary and university levels, the new bilateral agreement (Strategic Association Agreement on Cultural, Educational, and Sports Development and Cooperation) aims to ‘strengthen the deep historical and cultural ties’ between Spain and Morocco through ‘knowledge and understanding between both peoples and the dissemination of their respective languages and cultural heritage.’

A SPANISH teacher has finally won her job back after being fired for marrying a divorced man. Resurrección Galera, who teaches religious education, did not have her contract renewed by the Catholic Church in 2001. Now, some 17 years later, she has taken up a post in the same diocese at a public school in Llanos de la Canada, Almeria.

HEALTH & EDUCATION

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Back to school

Religious leaders made the move after finding out that Galera had married a German divorcé, Johannes Romes, in a civil ceremony.

Rights

It comes two years after the Supreme Court ruled the educator must be reinstated, saying the sacking ‘violated fundamental rights.’ Judges found that her marriage had no impact on her work as a religious teacher, and that she could not be fired for having failed to follow the precepts of the Roman Catholic Church, which has control over the hiring of religion teachers in

Appealed

JUSTICE: For teacher Resurreccion

state schools. Galera had been teaching Catholic religion for seven

years at the Ferrer Guardia Elementary School when the Diocese of Almería failed to renew her contract.

In its 2016 decision, the Supreme Court ordered the Education Ministry, the Andalucian education department and the Diocese of Almería to reinstate the teacher - who had been earning €1,400 per month - and pay her back wages. The Diocese of Almería had appealed twice before the Constitutional Court in its bid to prevent Galera’s return, but it has now said it respects the courts’ decision.

Med-icine for the skin PSORIASIS can be slowed down if you follow a Mediterranean diet, a new study suggests. Researchers from Paris Est Créteil University believe the anti-inflammatory properties of the olive oil and veggie-rich diet favoured by the Spanish and Italians could reduce the severity of the itchy skin condition. “The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation and have a positive effect on the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular events,” said lead author Céline Phan. The study suggests the diet would have a beneficial effect because psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition. “The MedDiet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and extra virgin olive oil,” said Phan. “These foods have significant amounts of components with anti-inflammatory properties, such as dietary fibers and antioxidants.”

COMMON: Psoriasis

Stepping up

Trees against cancer THE risk of breast cancer is reduced by living closer to parks and gardens, a Spanish study has concluded. The groundbreaking research by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) ‘found a linear correlation between distance from green spaces and breast cancer risk.’ “In other words, the risk of breast cancer in the population declines the closer their residence is to an urban green space,” explained study coordinator Mark Nieuwenhuijsen. “These findings highlight the importance of natural spaces for our health and show why green spaces are an essential component of our urban environment, not just in the form of isolated areas but as a connective network linking the whole urban area and benefitting all its inhabitants.” By contrast, women living closer to agricultural areas had a higher risk. “Our findings suggests that the association between green space and a risk of breast cancer is dependent on the land use.” commented researcher Cristina O’Callaghan-Gordo.

SPAIN will double its contribution to an ‘essential’ Palestinian refugee aid group. It comes after the US announced it was ending its annual €60 million contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Set up in 1949, the agency provides health services, education and resources to desperate Palestinians. But Spain, which blasted the US’s withdrawal, has doubled its contribution to the agency from €1 million to €2 million as a ‘symbolic gesture’. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said: “It is a substantial increase, although it falls a long way short of replacing the funds that the United States have cut.”

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September 12th - September 25th 2018

Almost 1,000 jobs lost and no more medicine contracts - BEFORE Brexit! THE UK will no longer evaluate new medicines for sale to patients across the EU, thanks to Brexit. The bombshell was dropped by the European Medicines Agency which is cutting Britain out of its contracts seven months ahead of the EU divorce. The move has been described as a ‘devastating blow’ to British pharmaceutical companies already reeling from the loss of the EMA’s HQ in London and, with it, 900 jobs. All drugs sold in Europe have to go through a lengthy EMA authorisation process before use by health services, and the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Britain has built up a leading role in this work, with 20-30% of all assessments in the EU.

Devastating

The MHRA won just two contracts this year and the EMA said that that work was now off limits. “We couldn’t even allocate the work now for new drugs because the expert has to be available throughout the evaluation period and sometimes that can take a year,” said a spokeswoman. In a devastating second blow, existing contracts with the

BREXIT BLOW: UK scientists lose out on EU contract

Health shocker

MHRA are also being reallocated to bloc members. Martin McKee, the professor of European health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who has given evidence to select committees about Brexit, said it was a disaster for the MHRA, which had about £14m per year from the EMA. The head of the Association of British Pharmaceutical

Industry said it was akin to watching a ‘British success story’ being broken up. “Clearly we’ve all been incredibly proud of the MHRA’s role over the last few years,” said chief executive Mike Thompson. “They’d established themselves as one of the most respected regulators across all of Europe and industry. It’s been a British success story.”

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An EMA source added: “You might have been working on a cancer drug for decades and built up so much expertise and you are the absolute specialist in your field and now have to transfer all your knowledge to someone else. It must be like handing over your baby.”

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Q: What makes us able to see colours? A: Our ability to see colours depends on the light-sensitive cells in the retina, called rods and cones. The rods are arranged around the edge of the retina and are sensitive to dim light. Next time you’re outside at night, notice how some of the stars disappear when you look directly at them, but reappear when you look slightly to one side. This is because their dim light can only be picked up by the rods in your eye, which aren’t right in the centre of your retina. The cones are sensitive to bright light and, importantly, colour. They are positioned right in the centre of the retina. That’s why when you want to see what colour something is, you look directly at it. It’s much more difficult to tell what colour something is if you can only just see it out of the corner of your eye. There are a lot more rods in the eye than cones - there are about 120 million rods and only about 7 million cones. Q: Why are some people colour blind? A: Some people’s cones don’t work properly, which means that they can’t see colour at all. Fortunately, it’s quite rare. Much more common is a form of colour-blindness where reds and greens get mixed up. About seven men in every 100 and four women in every 10,000 have this kind of colour-blindness, but it doesn’t usually cause them any problems. Q: How can I tell if my child is colour blind? A: We use something called the Ishihara test to identify colour blindness in children. The optician will show them a number of plates which are printed with dots of different colours, brightness, density and sizes, arranged so that the dots of similar colour form a figure (e.g. a number) among a background of differently-coloured dots. This will give you a clear diagnosis. Q: Can colour blindness be corrected? A: Colour blindness is usually the result of a defective gene which affects the colour-sensing cells in the retina and therefore cannot be treated or cured but it does not tend to impact your day to day life. To find your nearest store and book an eye test visit www.specsavers.es

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COLUMNISTS Maghreb Madness in Marbella 38

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Sept 12th - Sept 25th 2018

Bombed cars, inflatable sex toys and high spending - just another summer in Marbella, writes Giles Brown

ongratulations ! You survived another summer season on the coast. While it seemed to be a little less frenzied and frantic than previous summers, there was still plenty of mayhem in Marbella. Much had been made of Mar-

bella mayor Angeles Muñoz’s decision to get tough on topless tourists with a series of measures introduced to combat people wandering around town with their shirts off - both male and female as well as those carrying large blow up dolls, penises and the

knowledge IS POWER Open your eyes to what’s really happening in Mijas, writes Bill Anderson AS a writer, I am happy when someone criticises MIJAS what I write. MATTERS So often, writers are confronted with the opposite By Bill Anderson - a resounding, ear-deafening… nothing. At least when someone criticises what I write I know that someone, at least, has read it. I don’t mind being criticised but I will not argue my case until the end of time. Once I come up against someone who is determined to win, I am happy to let them. At any rate, there has been a discussion about it. So, what has all of this got to do with my monotheme: Mijas? It is very simple really. I write to restore balance in the Mijas universe. You see, when a government is in power, they have access to hundreds of thousands of euros to tell people what they are doing. In the case of the current three parties, they have also employed five journalists on 50K a year to tell the mijeños what a wonderful job they are doing at the paper Mijas Semanal. Am I criticising this? Not really. I would do the same in their position. Maybe not the five journalists though! I think I could put 250K to better use like building stables for the donkeys! There is another little problem. People (okay not everyone) walk around with their eyes closed and providing a dog doesn’t cock its leg on their doorstep, they see nothing. They will complain if they get a short measure of beer, or if their coffee isn’t the right temperature, but not if millions of their money is being wasted by their elected members.

Squandering

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And another one. Mijas is the third largest municipality in Malaga province, both in population and territory with around 148 km2 . Basically, it is enormous. How can someone in Mijas Pueblo possibly know without visiting the problems of the beach in Calahonda? How can someone in Riviera del Sol know whether the streets are clean in Mijas Pueblo? If people only rely on the Mijas Semanal they will see that Mijas is thriving. Unfortunately, it is not and my articles are not just about criticising, they are about painting a picture of the other side. Maldonado’s journalists are hardly likely to write about what is not getting done, whose voices are not being heard, the squandering of taxpayers’ money in privatising services, just because they don’t know how to manage the services. Am I trying to influence people? Of course I am and at no cost to the Mijas taxpayer - via social media. So if I am being criticised, I feel kind of proud. €600,000 a year versus a budget of zero and I am helping to restore the balance. I also hope to assist in opening minds to the possibilities of May 2019, when we the internationals, can make a change in the government of Mijas. So, please don’t wander blindly in your isolated, fluffy, technicolor bubble. Get on the voters’ roll now and let’s make the only sensible decision.

like. Regular readers might remember that I proposed the formation of a specialist, highly trained police squad to combat this problem – the Marbella Oversized Inflatable Sex Toy force – or M.O.I.S.T for short. Alas, M.O.I.S.T never came into being mainly due to a decrease in the number of British tourists ‘of that type’ visiting, perhaps due to the fact that the UK enjoyed a long, hot summer and also the fact that the dreaded The Only Way is Essex TV series decided not to film in ‘Marbs’ this year and so the fans who normally flock to be close to their idols stayed away. That wasn’t to say that Marbella wasn’t eventful, however, as anyone who had the pleasure of driving on the coast in August – and didn’t get stuck in the horrendous traffic caused by Spain’s biggest cycle race, the Vuelta de España, blocking the roads for two days in high season – will testify.

Blasted

If you were blasted aside by a high-powered supercar sporting German or Dutch plates and seemingly trying to set a new world record for the Marbella-Tangiers run - you were not alone. My inside source tells me that a ‘bespoke’ car rental firm set up this year and specialised in clients from the Maghreb. There was a definite increase in high spending, hard partying Moroccans in town this summer, most of them looking like they were extras in a French Montana video. And as befitting ‘les noveaux kids sur le bloc’, there was even a little ‘petit gangsta’ activity, with burned out luxury cars in Banus and an arson attack on a clandestine brothel. In both cases the perpetrators were gone and presumably back in Morocco before you could say ‘what time is the next fast ferry out of Algeciras, mon brave?’ Ahhh Marbella. Where the faces and races may change, but the conversation and crime doesn’t. I love this town…

PARTY’S OVER: Marbella

SPORT

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LEADER: Enrique

Back in action SPAIN are said to be ‘back on form’ after their affirming 2-1 win over England at Wembley last weekend. The country’s top sports daily Marca declared ‘this is the new Spain’ following Luis Enrique’s away victory. Spain had slipped to ninth place in the FIFA rankings after their World Cup defeat to Russia - three below England - but there was no doubting their dominance against the Lions in London.

Rush

Saul Niguez, who cancelled out Marcus Rashford's opener, was the stand-out performer while Rodrigo Moreno's winner brought a rush of Spanish optimism for the future under their new coach. "Luis Enrique has started big, with a victory at Wembley," wrote Madrid daily, Diario AS. "A triumph that opens the Nations League and closes the nightmare of the World Cup."

September 12th - September 25th 2018

Be our boss Rafael Nadal would be ‘great choice’ for Real Madrid presidency, claims current chief

REAL Madrid football club want tennis icon Rafael Nadal to be their president. The world No 1, from Mallorca, is a huge fan of Los Blancos and has previously talked about his desire to take one of the top jobs in the world of football. The 32-year-old has been an honorary member of the team since March 2011. Current president Florentino Perez, 71, went so far as to describe the Spanish global superstar as ‘one of the best

BOSS: Perez

Real Madrid ambassadors in the world’. According to Tennis World USA, Perez is now backing the idea of Nadal becoming the club president. He said: "Nadal would be a great election for Real Madrid presidency." To become president, the candidate must have been a member of the club for 20 years. They also need to have a personal guarantee of more than €75 million from a Spanish bank. The latter is no problem for Nadal, who has a net worth of around €140 million.

Champ

However due to the former requirement, the 11-time French Open champ will not be eligible for the role until 2031, when he will be 45 and long retired from the game. He was forced to withdraw from last week’s US Open semi-final against eventual runner-up Juan Martin del Potro, citing his knees. Perez will remain president of Real Madrid until at least 2021. His position was reconfirmed in June last year when no other rival candidates presented bids to replace him.

On a brake

SAVAGE: Rider pulls on rival’s brake

39 39

September 12th - September 25th 2018

A MOTO2 rider will miss out on two races in Spain after trying to pull the brake of his rival during the San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix at Misano. Romano Fenati has banned from the next two races in Aragon and Thailand for having ‘deliberately attempted to cause danger to another rider’ when he reached for Italian rival Stefano Manzi’s brake lever and pulled it. Manzi lost his balance before regaining control. "Riders must ride in a responsible manner," the event’s stewards said, "which does not cause danger to other competitors or participants, either on the track or in the pit lane."

BIG FAN: Nadal

Canoe champ GREAT Britain's Mallory Franklin warmed up for the Canoe Slalom World Championships with two medals at the final World Cup event of the season. The 24-yearold took silver in Sunday's C1 event in La Seu d'Urgell, Catalunya, to finish second in the overall season standings. On Saturday, she won bronze

in the women's K1 and finished with six medals for the 2018 World Cup season. Franklin will head to Rio de Janeiro for the World Championships, which start on September 25. "I feel really good on the water, extremely powerful," she said. "I am really looking forward to getting out to Rio.”

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FINAL WORDS

Glamour weddings UK top magazine Tatler has picked two Spanish hotels among the most glamorous places to get married in Europe, including Finca Cortesin in Casares and Cap Rocat in Mallorca.

Sporting first OMAIRA Perdomo has made history after being the first transgender volleyball player to play in Spain’s top league with Club Olympico 7 Palmas.

What on earth A FINCA owner in Malaga’s Periana has uncovered a Bronze Age tomb while clearing land to grow avocados.

September 12th - September 25th 2018

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Vol. 13 Issue 300 www.theolivepress.es September 12th - September 25th 2018

Hangry grandmother goes mad after restaurant refuses to serve her at 2am EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

SPITTING fury, this is the moment a ‘hangry’ grandmother was kicked out of a kebab shop after she pulled a knife on restaurant staff who told her it was closed. The unnamed attacker wouldn’t take no for an answer when she requested the fast-food favourite at 1:50am. The women ‘turned aggressive’ after the owner of Didar Doner Kebab in Mijas, told the woman they had stopped serving. “She started going crazy and telling us we could make her a kebab from what was left over,” a waiter told the Olive Press, asking to remain anonymous. When they refused, the woman,

Kebab fury SNAPPED: Kebab lover believed to be Moroccan, ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife and scissors before physically threatening the owner.

“She just lost it, she said she was going to cut off the owner and his wife’s fingers,” the employee added. While local police were quickly on the scene, it didn’t stop the owner having to wrestle her to the ground until she dropped the weapons. The attacker even allegedly grabbed the owner’s wife’s neck but let her go once hearing the cops had been called. In footage seen exclusively by the Olive Press, the suspect can be seen screaming in an employee’s face before shoving her and walking off. She was arrested nearby before being handed over to Guardia Civil.

Lucky stripe A BABY zebra has been saved from drowning after falling into a river just after being born. La Nina, as she was called by staff at Bioparc in Valencia, became fully submerged as she stumbled into the water. Staff jumped to the rescue and managed to pull the foal out before it drowned as her panicked mother looked on.

CUTE: Zebra La Nina

A LOCAL resident has destroyed a set of 15th century religious sculptures after giving the Virgin Mary eyeliner and a bright pink headscarf. The parishioner also went to town on Jesus’s wooden statue giving him a bright green robe and St Peter a deep red ensemble. The botched restoration attempt happened in a chapel in El Ranadoiro in Asturias.

Vengeance

Maria Luisa Menendez, one of 28 residents, was given permission to do the paint job by the local priest. “The figures really needed to be painted,” she explained. “And I painted them as I could, with the colours that looked good to me.” Asturias officials described it as a ‘vengeance rather than a restoration’.

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