The Olive Press - Issue 150 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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ANDALUCIA’S ONLY ENGLISH PAPER WITH ORIGINAL CONTENT 1 the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012 The original and only English-language investigative newspaper in Andalucía

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Vol. 7 Issue 150

Rising from the Ashes

Olive Press campaign launches to help fire victims get back into their homes

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Don’t let the Don’t thein bankslet cash banks cash in www.hifx.co.uk www.hifx.co.uk see page 13 seepage page13 11 see

December 13 - 22, 2012

WHY WAS HE LET IN?

OUTRAGE: Stephen Bill (centre) is angry his father (right) was able to leave the UK so easily

JUSTICE: Phoenix Group want action AN OLIVE PRESS campaign has been launched to help homeless fire victims return to their houses. The Phoenix Campaign Group, made up of victims of the Malaga fires, has

joined our campaigning newspaper to put pressure on Mijas Town Hall and the Junta. Hundreds of victims have been waiting for Turn to Page 8

URGENT questions are being asked why a dangerous sex offender who preyed on young girls was allowed to come to Spain and allegedly re-offend. Spanish police have been searching for Robert Ed-

And here’s your Christmas bonus... THE Olive Press is proud to introduce not one, but two exciting new columnists this issue. First, the irascible Marbella-based journalist Giles Brown (left) – anchor of TRE’s breakfast show - brings us his thoughts on modern Spanish life, while second, scribe Michael O’Reilly (right), muses on the life of a bookshop owner… Turn to page 35

EXCLUSIVE by Frances Leate ward Bill, from Wales, since November 19, when a 12-year-old Spanish girl was bundled into a silver Peugeot in Velez Malaga. Now his son has called for a change in the law to prevent dangerous sex offenders like his father coming abroad in the first place. Stephen Bill, 26, from Preston, told the Olive Press: “I think it is ridiculous that European law allows him the right to build a new life in Spain around people who know nothing about him or his past. “My father is a dangerous

Son of dangerous paedophile sought for attempted abduction demands a change in the law

man and in north Wales everyone knows about his convictions. “But over in Spain, expats had no idea. It just shouldn’t have happened.” The girl, who has told of her terrifying ordeal on Spanish TV, was able to escape from the car seconds before the man sped off with her inside.

Manhunt

The incident mirrored Bill’s previous conviction in 2009, in which he was found guilty of the attempted abduction of a girl of five from a street in Holywell, north Wales. He was also found guilty of indecently assaulting a sev-

en-year-old girl and of possessing 730 pornographic images of children. Police are still involved in a major manhunt for Bill, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness. He moved to Spain on August 9, despite a UK judge describing him as having ‘an unhealthy sexual and predatory interest in young children’. Incredibly, the Olive Press has discovered, he was able to settle in the Axarquia region, with no checks being made on him, after at first signing on with Malaga police. He had soon found work at an estate agency, El Pino Turn to Page 2

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

CRIME NEWS

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Publicist Max Clifford grilled ‘on suspicion of sexual offences’

Marbella PR guru arrested in sex probe VILLA: Clifford owns a mansion in Nueva Andalucia

CELEBRITY publicist Max Clifford has been arrested by detectives investigating sex offences. The PR guru, who spends much of the year in Marbella, was arrested at his Surrey home by the Metropolitan Police as part of Operation Yewtree. The 69-year-old spends at least three months a year at his stunning villa in Nueva Andalucia, and is well-known for the charity golf event he has hosted for the last 12 years at La Cala

Manhunt for Robert Bill

Resort in Mijas. Clifford was also once offered the PR contract for Marbella Town Hall. Operation Yewtree was launched to investigate mass allegations against the late Jimmy Savile in relation to the abuse of young people during his career. The operation has now been broken into three separate strands - allegations against Jimmy Savile, allegations against ‘Savile and others’ and allegations against people unconnected to Savile.

From Page 1

Properties, in Torrox Park and set up a new life on the Costa del Sol without any of his colleagues or new friends knowing a thing about his past. He first moved to the small town of Periana before finding free accommodation in Competa, in return for looking after a friend’s dogs. When Spanish investigators turned up at his local pubs, the El Pino Restaurant and Los Amigos bar in Torrox, where he played at the jam nights each week, people were horrified to learn that the man they had known simply as ‘Bob Bill’ was actually a dangerous convicted paedophile. “No-one really knew much about him, there was something not right about him, he came across as untrustworthy and a lot

of people thought that,” said D a n i e l Paul Ellis, bar manager at El Pino. His boss Andrew Chaisty revealed meanwhile that the discovery has put huge stress on his family, employees and business. He said: “I got his full name from police and through the internet I finally made the shocking discovery. “Within two days, it was all over Torrox, and in the news. “I have helped the police, with all enquiries, telling them of any emails or texts received. It is now only a matter of time before he is caught.” A spokesman for North Wales Police said they were collaborating with investigators in Spain but that there had been no restrictions placed on Bill’s ability to travel once he left custody.

Rumours

WANTED: Robert Bill and (top) El Pino, where he worked

He said: “When he moved from the UK out to Spain we gave information to the Spanish police about his background, which we are not obliged to do, but we did. “His only obligation was to register with the police in the country where he was living within three days, which as far as we know, he did.” Spanish police today told the Olive Press they are still searching for Bill but could not comment any further on the investigation. They refused to be drawn on local rumours that he had fled to Morocco. A spokesman said: “We are desperate to find him. This is all we can say at this time.”

Clifford is the fifth person to be arrested in the investigation, but the accusations against him are unconnected to the Jimmy Savile scandal said a spokesman from Scotland Yard.

Bailed

Comedian Freddie Starr, singer Gary Glitter and DJ Dave Lee Travis have all been arrested and bailed as part of Operation Yewtree under the ‘Savile and others’ category.

Sex offenders check launched in Spain A NEW initiative to prevent UK sex offenders from gaining access to children abroad has been launched in Spain. The international police check has been developed by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP) to stop known sex offenders securing teaching or charity jobs. It comes after CEOP found that some international schools and charities found it hard to get the same level of police checks available to organisations in the UK.

Determined

“It is sometimes enabling sex offenders to gain positions of trust with children,” said a spokesman for CEOP. Giles Paxman, British Ambassador to Spain added: “We are determined to do all we can to help schools and other organisations to protect themselves from the perpetrators, both at home and abroad. “This initiative is part of a much wider programme of cooperation between Spanish and British law enforcement agencies. I sincerely hope it will protect minors as well as deter offenders,” he added.

NEWS

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Bar for Barca

Keeping it Spanish PENELOPE Cruz has been announced as the new face of luxury fashion brand Loewe. And it seems the Oscar-winning actress did not take much convincing to front the Madrid-based company either. “They approached me and I said yes very quickly because it’s a Spanish brand, and everyone involved is from Spain.

Sensual

“Although the designer is British, all the work is done in Spain,” she said. “It’s such an old company. I have grown up looking at their wonderful things,” added the 38-year-old. Loewe’s creative director Stuart Vevers said the actress has a ‘strong, sensual beauty’ that has served as an ‘inspiration’. Cruz is reported to have been keen to work for a Spanish brand again ever since fronting Mango’s campaign in 2009.

No more CSI! Spain loses Channel Five with BBC and ITV likely to follow next year

ISRAELI supermodel Bar Refaeli has waxed lyrical about her favourite Spanish city; Barcelona. Speaking in the latest issue of Glamour the 27-year-old blonde said: “I love it because it reminds me a lot of my home. In Tel Aviv they also have the sea, marvellous people and delightful street life, resFASHION magazine Vogue has taurants and held a star-studded party in Madrid night life. for the launch of its December 2012 “Also, there is issue. a little more arOn the guest list were Real Madrid tistic trend, you striker Cristiano Ronaldo – who, go out and you dressed in jeans and trainers, avoidfind statues, ing the red carpet – and his Russian gardens and supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk. museums, marSpanish guests included photogvellous!” rapher Mario Testino (right, with The model and Shayk), who was guest editor of the occasional acnew issue. tress was reThe 58-year-old, known for his cently voted work with Madonna, Princess Dinumber one in ana and most recently Kate Moss, looked more than comMaxim magafortable as he posed with a string of famous fashionistas. zine’s Hot 100 list.

A smacker from Shayk

LEGACY TO BE PROUD OF SPANISH director Pedro Almodovar (below) will be honoured with a retrospective of his work in London this week. The evening will feature the Oscar-winning filmmaker in conversation with several high-profile figures, including French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, British

Making news HE has reported on everything from the London bombings to the Asian tsunami – but this week Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson has been taking a well-earned break on the Costa del Sol. The news anchor, 54, who was named Presenter of the Year by the Royal Television Society in 2006, was spotted enjoying a beer at El Rincon de la Sala in San Pedro with some friends on Monday.

Picture credit: El Rincón de La Sala

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SPOTTED: Jeremy Thompson (second left), spotted in El Rincón de La Sala

EXCLUSIVE by James Bryce IT’S an important part of the daily routine for many expats in Spain. But catching up on your favourite British TV programmes could soon be much harder after a change in satellite settings deleted Channel Five overnight. BBC One, BBC Two, ITV and Channel Four are also expected to follow suit next year, which would leave many unable to watch popular shows including EastEnders and X Factor. The move has been met with dismay by expats in Andalucia, who were given no warning of the impending switch over. “I have been inundated with calls from people wanting to know what’s happening and what the timescales are, but the honest

answer is that nobody knows for sure,” said Mark Wood, boss of Costa del Sol-based satellite company The Sky Doctor. “There have been a lot of rumours about all the other channels being switched off on December 16 but it could be anytime between now and next August. “I am 99.9% sure they will disappear eventually but all is not lost, all Sky channels are unaffected and Channel Five HD is still available.” Mike Crompton, from Casares-based company Media Streamz is convinced that it will lead to a rapid growth in internet TV next year. “I think we will lose all good UK channels by next summer and the only way you will get them is via internet streaming,” he said.

director Stephen Fears and playwright Peter Morgan. Soundtrack composer Alberto Iglesias will also be discussing the director’s work during the event, to be held at London’s Curzon Soho Cinema on December 13, along with Almodovar’s brother and producer Agustin. Almodovar, 63, who first gained critical acclaim with his 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, is widely regarded as a pioneer of Spain’s cultural change following the death of Franco.

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

NEWS

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Pet lovers warn of lethal virus that left one puppy dead and another in critical condition

Our Christmas heartache EXCLUSIVE by Frances Leate A DOG owner who has spent more than €3,000 in vet bills trying to save two sick puppies has warned people to be wary when buying from pet shops. Elly Meyer has told of her upset after one of the two chihuahua puppies she bought for €800 from Agrojardin, in Estepona, died of a lethal disease. After placing a reserve on the two dogs – Brandy and Tequila - the pair became seriously ill with the highly contagious Canine Parvovirus Infection (CPV). The family from Estepona immediately took the two month-old puppies to a vet but Tequila quickly died, while Brandy is still fighting for her life two weeks later. Ms Meyer, originally from Munich, said: “It has been so heartbreaking for us to get these little things, fall in love with them then have them become so ill before

CRITICAL: Brandy remains on a drip while (inset) Tequila’s grave we even got to take them home. “We buried Tequila at the bottom of our garden; I can’t even tell you how upset my daughter has been. “I know there will be lots of people thinking of buying a dog for Christmas but please make sure you meet the parents of the puppy before you buy one and check where they come from. “The other is still on a drip

The virus can be active for a year Canine Parvovirus Infection (CPV) was first recognised in dogs in 1978. The infection can be carried on human clothing, footwear and objects which may have been contaminated by an infected dog. The virus can be active in a home for up to a year and can be permanently present in kennels where there have been successive outbreaks.

at the vets and is suffering a lot with this terrible infection but we are hopeful she will pull through.” The manager at Agrojardin insisted the centre had done everything it could to stop the virus from spreading and said all their dogs were now healthy. She said: “The disease has gone now, we have disinfected all the cages and there are no more problems.”

Equine tragedy A PROTEST has been held outside the Junta’s offices in Malaga to demand action over the abandonment and abuse of horses. CYD Santa Maria horse rescue centre, in Alhaurin el Grande, led the protest to highlight the plight of horses in southern Spain. The rescue centre currently receives an average of 50 requests a week to take on unwanted horses. There are a further 20 complaints from the public about mistreated or abandoned horses needing urgent help. A number of these came when traffic accidents were caused by horses on the loose. The protest urged the Junta to create a department with specific responsibility for protecting the rights of horses.

www.theolivepress.es EXCLUSIVE by James Bryce MYSTERY surrounds the sudden closure of an Andalucian hotel run by a British couple with links to the UK Conservative Party. Hotel Montejaque, near Ronda, closed at short notice amid suggestions of a dispute between the owner and the tenants Michael Asher and Jonathan FraserHowells over money. Various staff are also said to be in dispute with the pair over pay. “The cook turned up with a white van and loaded up stuff in lieu of wages,” said one local source. “It is pretty acrimonious and nobody is happy.” It comes after the Olive Press was asked to help probe the dealings of Asher and Fraser-Howells. The latter also runs the accounts for the Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives Association (KCFC) in London.

Embezzlement It emerges that Asher is himself a former Conservative councillor, who was intriguingly previously convicted for embezzlement under the name of Michael Vearncombe. Vearncombe was forced to resign as a Westminster

NEWS

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Mystery probe into hotel closure Tory councillor after being jailed for a year in 2007 for stealing €112,000 from a local residents association. Now Fraser-Howells is at the centre of a new Tory Party probe into his role as an agent for KCFC. It was launched after concerns were raised at a meeting of the executive, the Olive Press can reveal. Sources within the association last night confirmed that a letter addressed to the Conservative Party chairman was being drafted, outlining the concerns. The investigation will focus on the conduct of Fraser-Howells in the carrying out of his duties - which include coordinating the association’s campaign team - and his links to Andalucia. So concerned is the association that it even dispatched a senior member to Spain last month to investigate the pair. After approaching the Olive Press for help, he revealed: “We are very concerned about the situation in Lon-

Conservative party pair under investigation as their rural retreat shuts amid dispute

SHUT: Hotel, with Fraser-Howells and Asher (right) don and in relation to current activity in Spain.” The pair only took the reins of the hotel, near Ronda, in June 2011. The phone remained unanswered yesterday, despite there being no reference to the hotel’s closure on its website. The hotel and adjoining bar were shut when visited by the Olive Press last week, although bizarrely the door was answered by expat Carolyn Emmett. “Michael allowed me to

store some of my furniture here but he has advised me that it would be a good idea for me to move it out of the hotel due to issues over the tenancy,” she said.

Acrimonious Another local hotelier, who asked to remain anonymous, said there had been nothing but problems with the running of the hotel in recent years and that it ‘was no surprise it had all ended

acrimoniously’. When the Olive Press attempted to contact FraserHowells through KCFC we were curtly told that ‘Jonathan doesn’t take calls from journalists’. But FraserHowells later responded via email, saying: “The hotel is closed for the winter as are many hotels in the area and indeed as we did last winter. “Emmett removed some items that she had been storing in the hotel since she moved to Montejaque 18 months ago as she had sold them.” He added that Vearncombe had changed his name to Asher after converting to judaism, but refused to comment on the Conservative probe.

News IN BRIEF Spanish speed ALL three Formula 1 pre-season winter tests are to be held in Jerez in 2013.

Cheap Xmas Estepona Town Hall has saved €110,000 on Christmas decorations and lights this year, with costs being paid by a private company instead.

Terror scare A Spanish intelligence officer has told a conference in Barcelona that he believes terrorists may be encouraging attacks against Spain – and specifically Andalucia.

Costa cabs The Junta is working with town halls to stamp out illegal taxi firms working without licences on the Costa del Sol.

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

OPINION Policing paedophiles IT is every parents worst nightmare - the thought of their child being snatched from the street by a stranger. But aside from keeping them permanently house-bound, it is impossible to ensure our children are completely safe 24 hours a day. It is for this reason that we rely on the authorities to play their part by maximising efforts to reduce the risk posed by dangerous paedophiles. But as the Robert Bill case shows, something is clearly not working if a predatory sex offender is allowed to start a new life in Spain just two year’s after being imprisoned for trying to abduct a five-year-old girl in Wales. There is currently no sex offenders register in Spain, despite the NSPCC suggesting that the failure of European countries to share criminal records was putting children at risk. Surely now is the time to take decisive action to ensure a coordinated effort is made to control and monitor the movement of convicted paedophiles throughout Europe.

Moving on Having your home and everything you own destroyed in a natural disaster is probably one of the worst things that could ever happen to you. Watching everything you have worked for go up in flames was the nightmare for hundreds of people living in Malaga during the fires in September. But while the human spirit is resilient and people have struggled on to rebuild their lives, a simple administration issue is stopping them take the first step to rebuilding or repairing their properties. Scores of families have been desperately trying to seek permission from the Junta through their town hall, but the process has ground to a halt. Here at The Olive Press, we believe this simply isn’t good enough. Surviving a horrific fire like the one that ripped through the Costa del Sol is bad enough without the added misery of remaining homeless for months, maybe even years, on end. We are calling for support from the mayors of the town halls and the public. Let’s get these people’s lives back to how they were before the fires.

Christmas cheer Christmas is coming, and here at the Olive Press we are already looking forward to 2013. The events of the last few months are still very much in the minds of many expats – in particular the fires and the heavy rains – with many still struggling to get some kind of normality back. Christmas cheer is getting stronger each day, with belenes already in place and the mulled wine flowing. Now it is time to consign 2012 to the past and look forward to brighter times. Let’s hope this year, Andalucia’s Three Kings – who, according to the Pope himself (and he must know!) came from Andalucia and not the Middle East – bring the best gifts this year. Gifts which will help Andalucia recover from its annus horribilis and keep 2013 free from disaster.

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The original and only English-language investigative newspaper in Andalucía

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Tel: 951166060 (admin) or 952895230 (editorial) A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 186,000 copies distributed monthly (120,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month. Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029 Urb Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350 Malaga Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A. Editor: Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es News editor: James Bryce james@theolivepress.es Reporters: Eloise Horsfield eloise@theolivepress.es Mason Jones mason@theolivepress.es Frances Leate frances@theolivepress.es

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FEATURE

T was an image that raised eyebrows around the world. A well-dressed little girl, no older than six or seven, lifting her right arm in a fascist salute during a celebration to mark the anniversary of the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. The picture was taken during an annual procession to mark Franco’s death in 1975 and that of Falange founder Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, who died on the same date in 1936. But while the youngster is guilty of little more than childlike enthusiasm - the photograph has reopened the debate about the influence of the far right in Spain. Unprecedented austerity measures introduced in response to the eurozone crisis have already led to a rise in the popularity of far right groups among disillusioned voters across Europe. Greece’s Golden Dawn party recently won 18 seats in parliament, while fascist gangs have turned parts of Athens into virtual no-go areas. Elsewhere, France’s antiimmigration National Front party claimed to have enrolled 600 members a day in the final week of November, compared to 150 per day previously. Earlier this year the re-publication of Adolf Hitler’s infamous book Mein Kampf created headlines in Germany. The increased profile of these groups is fuelled by high unemployment figures which far right parties have been quick

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As Spain’s financial crisis continues to bite, James Bryce investigates whether the recession is fuelling a rise in far right extremism in Spain

Raising the issue to link to immigration. Spain, with an unemployment rate above 25%, has become a fertile breeding ground for far right sympathisers. This is highlighted in a 2012 report on the impact of the far right in Europe by the Institute of Race Relations. “In southern Europe, in particular, asylum seekers and migrant workers are the targets of rising nationalism, with the mainstream antiimmigration agenda fuelling attacks,” states the report, entitled Pedlars of hate: the violent impact of the European far Right. But just how active is the far right in Spain, and is there any evidence to support the idea of increased popularity, in the absence of any official government statistics? It is estimated there are around 70 far right groups active in Spain, around 20 of which are political parties. According to the police, membership of these groups to-

tals around 10,000, although campaign groups put the figure closer to 15,000. Around 20% of the members are female. Extreme right-wing content can be found on more than 200 websites, while INFAMOUS: Former dictator Franco there are currently over 60 far right rock bands play- benefits from state subsidies ing at around 20 dedicated despite running campaigns against mosques, which freconcerts a year. According to Movimiento con- quently land it in hot water. tra la Intolerancia (MCI), an The party is currently being NGO working to prevent right- investigated by Barcelona’s wing extremism, right-wing vi- public prosecutor in relation olence is responsible for over to comments made by members on Facebook about the 80 deaths since 1991. It puts the number of attacks religious rights of Muslims. motivated by right wing ex- Messages were posted detremism, racism, homopho- scribing imams as ‘swine, bia and anti-Semitism at sons of whores’ who ‘are in need of another night of the 4,000 a year. In March, a 16-year-old boy long knives’. was left in a coma and sev- Meanwhile, a probe has been eral others were injured after launched into allegations of Nazi skinheads attacked an incitement to racial hatred in anti-fascism concert in Man- relation to election literature distributed in towns near Barresa, near Barcelona. The attack was condemned celona. by the majority of town coun- Leaflets wrongly claimed that cillors in Manresa, but not by free medication and jobs not offered to locals were granted all of them. Councillors from Platform for to immigrants, and that Pakistani businessmen ‘do not Cataluna (PxC) stayed quiet. The extreme-right party, pay taxes’. which has links to Spain’s But far from putting off votVIOLENT: Fascist demonstrators take to the streets in Athens fascist and Falangist past, ers, the party’s campaigns

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FEATURE

2011 general election amounting to just 0.3% of all votes. The inability of the various factions to find sufficient common ground to form a coherent alliance appears to be a major factor in their struggle to gain a foothold in mainstream politics. And while Spain is often criticised for being slow to move on from its fascist past, decisive steps have been taken to reduce its influence. In 2007, the Socialist government of Jose Zapatero passed legislation to remove all Francoist symbols from public buildings, SHOCK: Pictures of Spaniards giving the Nazi salute caused anger around the world while the last monument to Franco was taken appear to have had the de- ers to bomb illegal immi- in Cataluna, there is no evi- down in 2008. dence to suggest a coherent It also set up a commission to sired effect at the polls. grants. In the May 2011 elections for Elsewhere, a PP mayor faced and influencial movement is review the future of the Valthe Catalan parliament and civil action after 16,000 leaf- on the rise. No extreme-right ley of the Fallen, the site near seventeen regional legisla- lets linked immigration to politician has held a position Madrid built to honour those higher than who died fighting for fascism, tures, the PxC won 65,000 crime and detown coun- and Franco’s final resting votes and returned 67 coun- scribed Romacillor since place. cillors, 50 more than in the nian Gypsies previous election. as a ‘menace’ A PP mayor faced civil Spain became A vocal and often violent democracy minority in other European In total, the eight parties that who ‘have action after leaflets afollowing Fran- countries appear to be turncomprise the extreme right in come excluco’s death. Spain won 88 council seats. sively to coming to fascism in increasing were distributed While the over- numbers as they attempt to Even the centre right govern- mit crimes’. ment of Mariano Rajoy’s PP But despite describing Gypsies as all influence escape an economic abyss. of the far right But in Spain it seems, the unparty is not immune to far these instanca ‘menace’ appears to healed wounds of 36 years right sentiment. es seeming be minimal, of fascist rule has left voters In the lead-up to the regional to show a with the total wary of turning to its controelections in Cataluna, the strong vein of party was forced to withdraw far right sentiment running number of votes achieved by versial past for a solution to an online game inviting play- through Spain, most notably extreme-right parties at the current problems.

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Hitler youth

Outrage as youth football teams are filmed giving Nazi salute

CONTROVERSIAL: Derby County footballers give the Nazi salute during their 1934 tour of Germany AN investigation has been launched after a video went online showing two fivea-side football teams at a state-subsidised private school raising their arms in a fascist salute. The clip also shows the Spanish national anthem being played with the words used during the Franco era. IU party deputy leader Esther Lopez Barcelo has called for an ‘immediate investigation’ into the incident, which happened in

Alicante. “Schools, whether they are private or public, cannot tolerate any sort of fascist statement,” said Barcelo. The Education Ministry said it was aware of the incident but that it had no authority over the teaching staff as the school was private and it would be down to the board of directors to take action. A spokesman for the school refused to comment ‘until we have met with the board of directors’.

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

NEWS

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Helping fire victims From Page 1

the go-ahead to make their homes liveable again after being forced to wait three months due to administrative issues to start crucial repair work. They say they are prepared to fight every step of the way and are preparing to take to the streets in protest. Under the slogan ‘Rising from the Ashes’, the campaign aims to speed up the process and make the reconstruction of their homes simpler and easier. We hope to have a meeting with the Mayor of Mijas,

Angel Nozal, before Christmas, and will be petitioning the Junta for action. We are now urging all victims of the fires and the floods to get in touch in the hope of changing a Spanish law that means they cannot rebuild their homes. As reported in the Olive Press last issue, three months on from Malaga’s worst ever fire, which damaged hundreds of homes, many victims are still homeless and struggling to get the green light to start building work. Because of a decree, introduced last year to regulate

OLIVE PRESS POSTER APPEAL THE Olive Press has designed a poster to support the campaign and is appealing to its readers to print out as many as possible and distribute them around their local community. A copy of the full-colour A4 size poster can be sent out to readers on request. Please email us at newsdesk@theolivepress.es for a copy of the poster. Pat Laing, chairman of the campaign, said: “We desperately want to get these posters out to as many places as possible in the hope of contacting English and Spanish people who have been affected by these fires. “There must be hundreds of people that we don’t know about who are going through the same thing and we want to hear from them. “We have strength in numbers.”

properties which had been built on land not originally designated for construction, homeowners must seek a special building permit from the town bosses. Chairman of the group, Pat Laing, said: “What we are trying to achieve is actually very straight-forward, we want to hold Mijas Town Hall to its word. “In a council meeting in September, town leaders told fire victims that they would seek to allow us to repair our homes and make them habitable.” She added: “We just want to get back to where we were before the fire.”

Support

The first meeting of the Phoenix Campaign Group, attended by the Olive Press, took place on December 3. We hope to build a strong support network from both the expat and Spanish community in order to put pressure on town leaders. Supporters can join the Facebook Group, Victimas del Incendio, and those not on the social networking site can email pat.laing@ talk21.com or newsdesk@ theolivepress.es. The next meeting will take place at 11am on December 17 at the Pheonix Lounge, in Camino de Coin.

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the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

NEWS

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THIS picture of a Belen (live nativity scene) was taken by photographer Karl Smallman in his village of Jimera de Libar. The Belen is a common tradition throughout Andalucia during the festive season with locals bringing a taste of Bethlehem to Spain.

ERE shambles AN IU party boss has spoken of his ‘shame’ after a report into the €647 million ERE scandal was spiked by the Junta. Ignacio Garcia’s report, which took five months to compile, had firmly allotted the blame at the door of PSOE bosses Jose Antonio Vieira and Antonio Fernandez... but also partially blamed the PP party. The fraud – the biggest public money scam in Spanish history - saw a regional development fund used to pay early retirement payments to 70 individuals, often for companies they had never even worked for. However both PP and PSOE parties refused to accept the 200-page report, which included information from politicians and business leaders. The PSOE party rejected 30 conclusions in the document and blamed the fiasco entirely on former employment boss, Francisco Javier Guerrero – who was working under Vieira and Fernandez.

Confusion at the top after political parties refuse to agree who is to blame for multi-millioneuro Junta fraud

Meanwhile the PP named the entire socialist administration as the culprits – including Junta boss Jose Antonio Grinan. Garcia described the Junta’s refusal to approve the report as ‘tremendously disappointing’. “We started out in the right direction but in the end we were frustrated by manoeuvring and strategies which led us nowhere” he said. A judicial enquiry is also underway to decide who is criminally responsible for the fraud.

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NEWS

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

NEWS

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Ryanair jobs slash

UP to 4,500 Spanish jobs will be lost after low-cost airline Ryanair announced it was slashing its flights to Spain by 12%. The cuts, the company’s response to ‘unjustified’ tax hikes at Madrid and Barcelona airports, mean a drop of over 200 flights per week.

Outrage as 4,500 jobs cut as airline slims down Spanish operation By Eloise Horsfield Over a third of flights to Madrid will be cancelled completely. “Ryanair objects to the Spanish government’s deci-

We only want our jobs

DESPERATE: Chaquetas Verdes

HOLIDAYMAKERS arriving at Malaga airport this weekend were met with a barrage of horns and cries from protesters angry at continuing cuts. Nearly two dozen employees – known as ‘chaquetas verdes’ (green jackets) – are on strike over threats to cut over 50 jobs at the airport. Up to 80% of the customer service workforce could lose their jobs at at time when airport operator AENA has announced it is spending €4 million on developing commercial areas at the airport.

sion to double airport taxes at both Madrid and Barcelona airports and increase airport charges at many other Spanish airports,” said Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley. “Sadly, this will again lead to severe traffic, tourism and job cuts at both Madrid and Barcelona airports this summer as part of a 12% overall reduction in Ryanair’s Spanish operations.

Unjustified

“These route and traffic cuts can be reversed, but only when the Spanish government and its airport monopoly AENA reverse these unjustified tax increases and reduces its high airport charges, in order to stimulate tourism.” The cancellations will come into place from March 30, 2013.

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NEWS

A dozen happy returns for today! TODAY is no ordinary 12th birthday for Abigail Clamp Savage from Mijas (right). For incredibly, the tennis-loving youngster was born at 12 noon on 12 December 2000. Yes, you worked that out right – Abi will be turning 12 at 12pm on 12.12.2012! “When she was born we took photos of the clock because we thought nobody would believe us,” her mother Nuala Savage, from Ireland, told the Olive

Press. Abigail is certainly an extra special girl having arrived at Malaga’s maternity hospital three months premature and was very ill when she was born. Thankfully she made a full recovery and is now a healthy young girl who loves dogs, tennis and her little brother Zakary, six. Here at the Olive Press we would like to wish Abi a dozen best wishes for her special day.

Golden hoard

SPANISH authorities have unveiled some of the treasures from a ship that sank more than 200 years ago. The Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes galleon sank off the Straits of Gibraltar in 1804, with more than 500,000 silver coins onboard. Spain won a five-year legal dispute to claim ownership for the treasures found by US firm Odyssey. Only a small portion of the treasure, estimated to be worth around €392 million, has been displayed. A block of encrusted silver coins stuck together after centuries under water, two

Spain shows off valuable hoard snatched off salvage company Odyssey

gold tobacco boxes and a bronze pulley were among some of the items shown. After it has been fully catalogued the silver treasure will be put on display in Spain’s museum of underwater archaeology in Cartagena. Obtaining the ship’s haul was the culmination of a long legal fight with the firm Odyssey.

HAUL: Silver coins Culture secretary Elisa Cabo said Spanish authorities are still trying to convince a US judge that the American company that found the wreck, Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration, should also pay Spain’s legal costs.

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

Poison claims over death of lawyer

NEWS

Rat rage EXCLUSIVE by James Bryce

A PREGNANT Spanish lawyer who died from a suspected overdose had told friends her fiance was trying to kill her, an inquest has heard. Ana Hernandez (above), 32, was found dead at the Doncaster home she shared with partner Darren Stott, 42, with a cocktail of drugs in her system. Friends of the Spaniard, who was four months pregnant, said Hernandez told them: “Darren is trying to kill me. He’s trying to kill me with these drugs.” Hernandez’s brother Rafael, 42, also described Stott as a ‘control freak’. Stott, 42, has since moved to the Canary Islands where the couple originally met and was not present at the inquest nor could the coroner contact him.

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AN expat attempting to sue her residents association over an infestation of rats in her home claims she is unable to do so because of a loophole in the law. Eve Field, from Torremo-

Expat owner of property infested by rodents left unable to sue residents association due to legal loophole linos, has suffered for two years with the issue which she says is caused by over-

grown land at the foot of her garden, as reported in the Olive Press last year. But despite paying a monthly fee for the maintenance of the land where the rats live, the residents association has failed to clear the vegetation. “I have had to spend two sweltering summers with the windows shut because the rats are everywhere,” Field told the Olive Press. “I have asked the association to act time and time again but they have ignored my requests.

Complaint

STILL FRUSTRATED: Eve Field

“My lawyer has advised me that if I want to take action against them it will need to be through the civil courts. “But I am unable to do so until the complaint has been officially registered by the association, which is obviously against their best interests.” Rat poison was put down last year after Field found evidence of a nest being built in her house but it failed to stop the problem and no further help has been offered. The sports promoter, who has lived in the property for 26 years, added: “It is utterly ridiculous, the law is failing to protect homeowners.”

Allowing the Jews to come home SEPHARDIC Jews – whose ancestors were thrown out of Spain in 1492 along with the Muslim Moors – are now to be given automatic citizenship. The group can currently only claim citizenship after two years’ residency, and have to provide proof of income. Under the changes, they will only need to present a certificate confirming they are descendants of Sephardic Jews in order to gain Spanish nationality. Sephardic Jews lived in Spain and Portugal until the 15th century but were later expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs, who accused the Jewish population of trying to subvert the Catholic faith. Today there are thought to be 45,000 within Spain.

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Cash in for Cudeca LEADING foreign exchange company, HiFX has pledged to donate €1 to Cudeca for every €1,000 transferred. New clients who make a transfer before January 31 and mention ‘Cudeca’ will save money on their international payments and generate a donation to the cancer hospice at the same time. It comes after the annual Cudeca Telethon, run by Talk Radio Europe, in conjunction with the Olive Press, was cancelled this year at the last minute. It will now take place next year. Cudeca has provided palliative care to patients suffering from advanced cancer, also offering emotional and spiritual support to their families, throughout the province of Malaga since 1992. For further information about HiFX Spain call 951 203 986 or email: spain@hifx.co.uk.

NEWS

Toy dinghy exodus

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Numbers of immigrants crossing the Straits doubles in a year, as Africans use increasing numbers of toy boats to cross dangerous waterway EXCLUSIVE by Frances Leate AFRICANS looking for a better life in Europe are increasingly using cheap inflatable dinghies to cross the Med into Spain. In a bid to avoid paying the extortionate fees of mafia gangs they are opting instead for ‘toy dinghies’ usually with plastic oars. An incredible 160 immigrants had to be rescued by coastguards crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in the first week of this month. In one swoop rescuers intercepted six similar boats, some with children and babies just a few months old on board. They confirmed that the toy boats are being increasingly used to avoid paying the €930-a-head charged by people smugglers.

RISKY: More and more Africans are arriving in Spain in rubber boats A Red Cross worker who has helped in several rescue mission, said: “It breaks your heart to see children being out in such danger.” Spanish coastguards have also spotted the toy dinghies without occupants and it is believed that some immigrants are run down by big ships at night. Bodies often wash up on

Spain’s beaches while tourists sunbathe. It is already a very dangerous crossing with strong currents and, often, big waves. The number of north Africans rescued by the Spanish this year (1,172) has more than doubled from 2011, when 520 people were picked up.

MUST BE RIGHT

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

Axq IN BRIEF Taste of Malaga GRAPES, honey and subtropical fruits are the three Axarquia products to feature in the new ‘Sabor a Malaga’ brand officially launched last week.

AXARQUIA NEWS

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A fishy business FISHERMEN in Caleta de Velez are speaking out after two boats were threatened with fines of up to €60,000 for using nets 2mm smaller than the law allows. A surprise inspection took place after Fisheries Min-

Net size row could lead to 50% fall in fish market stocks over Christmas, warn fishermen istry turned up in a patrol boat to check net sizes, following new rules introduced

by the EU for fishing in the Mediterranean. Two boats were found to be

Help please Torrox Town Hall has asked the Malaga County Council for help in repairing 19 rural roads damaged by the heavy rain in September and November.

using nets that were too big – despite fishing boss Jose Luis Guerrero arguing inspectors had not allowed for natural shrinkage. The new rules for net size have been highly criticised by the fishing community and town hall, who argue they are ‘not appropriate’ and that the sector is being unfairly targeted. They warn it could mean a 50% shortage in supplies of prawns and squid in fish markets over Christmas – as well as price hikes.

Punished

Thai visit Nerja cave has welcomed tour operators from Thailand in a hope to market the attraction to wider audiences.

FEARS: Fishermen worried about new net size restrictions

Meanwhile Velez Malaga mayor Francisco Delgado said fishing was ‘one of the sectors that has been most punished by the economic crisis’, adding that each boat provides around six jobs, and IU spokesman Salvador Marin called for an exception for Malaga’s coastline. “We cannot have patrol boats being sent in to act against the boats in Caleta de Velez and dishing out fines between €3,000 and €60,000,” he said.

BEETLE BLUES AVOCADO crops in the Axarquia are at risk of being devastated by a fungus which could have ‘catastrophic’ effects if not controlled. Fusarium is spread by a type of beetle, Euwallacea fornicatus, which originally came from south-east Asia. The beetles bore through the wood and spreads the Fusarium, which eventually kills the avocado tree. It has already wreaked havoc in Israel, which exports avocadoes to the EU and the US, where the infestation – which only hit in 2009 – has reached plague proportions. Now agricultural association Asaja has now called on the Agriculture Ministry to ban imports from countries where the beetle has been detected. The Axarquia produces up to 60,000kg of avocados each year, with Almunecar also another significant supplier.

Gamble share TWO hundred former gambling addicts have met at a conference in Rincon de la Victoria to share experiences. The gathering, hosted by Malaga’s gambling rehabilitation association (Amalajer), brought together people whose lives have been affected by different types of addiction including slot

HELP: Gamblers have been sharing tips machines, bingo and casinos - but also shopping, video games and online gambling. “In one night I managed to win €60,000 playing roulette but later left the casino without a cent,” said 46-year-old Marcos Gomez from Malaga, who only realised he had a problem when he stopped at a petrol station and had nothing to buy cigarettes with. He later spent two years in rehabilitation. Amalajer president Francisco Abad said more and more people are affected by addiction to video games, while internet gambling has seen a sharp rise recently because of ‘aggressive advertising campaigns’ featuring celebrities such as Rafael Nadal.

SAFE AS HOUSES

INFESTATION: An avocado tree riddled with the fungus

IT is good news for motorists travelling on the A-7 after the Torrox tunnel was deemed safe following a simulated accident. The fake pile-up was created in the Torrox tunnel, with the coastal motorway closed for several hours while response teams reacted.

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Green scheme

GREEN NEWS

Seeing the light Good news for endangered eagle as pylons throughout Donana National Park made completely safe to land on

SAVING: Veg plots HARD-UP pensioners and the jobless are being given free organic allotments to help them grow their own vegetables. Twenty plots have been earmarked next to the Guadiar river in Casares, to be handed out to over 65s and the unemployed as soon as the land has been prepared.

Traditional Recipients will be encouraged to use traditional methods – without chemicals – to grow their produce.

SAFE: Eagles enjoy danger-free perching on pylons THE imperial eagle population is on the up following increased measures to stop them landing on – and colliding with – electric pylons. The majestic bird of prey is

one of the most endangered on the planet but since 1974, 158 individuals have died in Andalucia. Over a hundred of those have died within Donana

PROTECTING THE COAST A NEW decree has been passed to protect the Andalucian coastline by preventing anyone building on the first 500m of land from the sea. Under the coastal protection plan, existing projects will need to pass rigorous environmental tests and no new building projects can be launched. Affecting 52 town halls VIRGIN: El Playazo beach in Nerja along a thousand kilometre stretch of and Nerja has a thousand in store for coastline, the decree targets projects the El Playazo beach area that were planned during the property Speaking about the new decree, boom of the 80s and 90s, but which Junta Environment boss Luis Planas are not compatible with today’s regula- was keen to point out the plan was tions. in keeping with previous legislation. Despite the Junta launching the POTA “Protecting and preserving the coast spatial planning scheme in 2005, does not mean stamping out every which had the same aim, only 10 of new development,” he said. Andalucia’s 62 coastal town halls ever He added the plan aimed to guarancomplied with it. tee the ‘orderly and sustainable’ deThe Axarquia is one of the areas thought velopment of the Andalucian coastto be most affected, where Torrox has line and to preserve ecosystems and 5,000 new houses in the pipeline as well the coast’s ‘natural wealth’. as a golf course planned for Calaceite. While the paperwork will take two Rincon de la Victoria has 2,000 new years to be finalised, the decree could homes planned within 500m of the sea, come into effect within two months.

National Park, with 40% being electrocuted after landing on the evergrowing number of power lines and pylons. “When they began installing the poles they didn’t realise the consequences they could have on some species,” said Miguel Ferrer, a researcher at Donana. Ferrer said that in 1991 the electricity companies began ‘taking notice’ of scientists and that since then, 6,500 pylons and almost 1,500km of electric wires had been made safe for birds who nest within Donana.

Anti-collision Measures included installing anti-collision beacons and making the part the birds are likely to land on safe – with staggering results. “Fixing the poles has led to a 95% reduction in deaths of certain species, with the numbers falling from 6,000 deaths per year to less than 300,” said Ferrer, who recently attended a congress in the United States dealing with wind turbines and the dangers they present to birds. Meanwhile death by colliding with electricity pylons has reduced by over 90%. Deaths of the imperial eagle – who just a few years ago reached dangerously low numbers – have fallen by 62%.

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Remember the sewage plant By Eloise Horsfield GREEN party EQUO has warned it will not be convinced about Nerja’s new water treatment plant until building starts. While a €23 million contract was awarded to constructors Corsan-Corviam-Isolux last month, the plan still has to be approved by the Environment Ministry before construction can begin. “Let’s not get too excited about it yet – there is still a lot of work to be done,” said a spokesman from EQUO. Taking the opportunity to draw attention to ‘the environmental costs of a wastewater treatment plant’ the party reminded of the need ‘to ensure the surrounding areas are not affected’, an aspect which it said will be very much the subject of its continued watch. EQUO said it was proud to have been a key campaigning force behind the project but added it would have no qualms about staging more demos if work has not started by June 30, 2013.

Green news IN BRIEF

Forest aim SPAIN is to preside over UN-REDD, a United Nations programme to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation, for the first half of 2013.

Kyoto success Environment Minister Miguel Arias Canete has confirmed Spain will meet its Kyoto protocol targets for 2012.

Fire walls The Junta has invested €28.5 million on fire wall projects, to prevent forest blazes, since the start of the year.

GIB NEWS

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

Gib IN BRIEF Legionnaire’s scare

A suspected case of Legionnaire’s disease is being investigated after a man displaying symptoms was admitted to St. Bernard’s hospital.

MEP talks

The Governor of Gibraltar has met MEP David Lidington to discuss issues affecting the Rock including the recent incursions by the Spanish navy.

UEFA decision

UEFA President Michel Platini has said that football’s European governing body will have little choice but to accept Gibraltar as a full member.

Big brother

CAMERAS allowing motorists to monitor border queues between Gibraltar and Spain can now be viewed live via www.frontierqueue.gi.

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Pollution crackdown on the Rock POLLUTERS operating in Gibraltar port face stiffer penalties under tough new measures introduced by the government. Shipping companies could be landed with unlimited fines as part of the initiative, aimed at offering better protection to the area around the Rock. The amendments, which apply to the Port Rules

Shipping companies could face unlimited fines under new legislation and the Gibraltar Merchant Shipping Regulations 2009, also include an increase in custodial sentences. “Gibraltar is a great commercial and leisure port, and the government wants

to help ensure that both the port and the waters around Gibraltar are protected as far as possible from environmental damage,” said Tourism Minister Neil Costa. “We believe that one way

TOUGH PENALTIES: Shipping firms could soon face unlimited fines we can help ensure this - close to the Rock, after a is to introduce dissuasive number of spillages were penalties for would-be pol- reported. luters, in Environmentalists have line with described the practice as a other Eu- ‘significant environmenr o p e a n tal and safety risk’ and j u r i s d i c - have called for greater cotions.” operation between the auon the issue of Gibraltar’s sovereignty at the UnitThe move thorities in Gibraltar and ed Nations General Assembly in September. comes af- Spain. “The United Kingdom restates its long-standing ter concommitment to the people of Gibraltar that it will cerns were never enter into arrangements under which the Credentials raised over people of Gibraltar would pass under the soverthe envi- The government is stepeignty of another state against their wishes.” ronmental ping up its efforts to imThe two leaders also talked about the impact a impact of prove its green credentials proposed EU consumption tax will have on Giship re- after hosting the Thinking braltar’s gaming industry. fuelling - Green conference in OctoThe meeting at Number 10 was scheduled as part of a gathering of the Joint Ministerial Council of known as ber, attended by former US the UK Overseas Territories. bunkering Vice-President Al Gore.

Gibraltar chief summoned to Number 10 GIBRALTAR’S chief minister has met British Prime Minister David Cameron after being summoned for talks at Downing Street. Fabian Picardo, the first chief minister in decades to receive such a request, discussed the ongoing dispute with Spain over sovereignty and the waters around the Rock. Cameron is fully aware of the ongoing spat over sovereignty and showed his support for Gibraltar during a speech before the Council of Europe in January, stating: “I have a very clear point of view, and we are in favour of self-determination.” The UK also issued a strongly worded statement

SHOP TIL YOU DROP IN GIB TWO stylish retro-style shops are gearing up for their first Christmas on the Rock. Chique Boutique in Ocean Village and All Wrapped Up in the Irish Town have both opened within the last six months, offering a wide range of quality gifts. Chique Boutique sells

Up. The shop offers gifts for men alongside smellies for women, homeware and stocking fillers for children and teenagers.

clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, jewellery and make up, while those looking for a quirky alternative are well catered for at All Wrapped

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the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

POTTED POINTERS ANDALUCIA RESERVOIR LEVELS This week: 70.34% full Same week last year: 76.86% Same week in 2002: 51.08% AIRPORTS Gibraltar 00350 22073026 Granada-Jaen 958 245 200 Jerez - 956 150 000 Malaga - 952 048 844* *For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000 EMERGENCIES Police 091 Guardia Civil 062 Medical service 061 Fire 080 EURO EXCHANGE RATES 1 euro is worth 1.2961 American Dollars 0.8061 British Pounds 1.2797 Canadian Dollars 7.4598 Danish Kroner 10.045 H Kong Dollars 7.3377 Norwegian Kroner 1.5829 Singapore Dollars

Dear Olive Press In recent times much has been written about housing, inheritance and wills and I am wondering if you can shed some light on laws about will writing in Spain. Recently I read your Agony Ant column which stated: “A property belonging to a British person would be distributed according to the provisions of British Law.” Does this mean that my wife and I do not need a Spanish will on a property we own in Spain? I am getting conflicting information and I hope that you can clear this up for me. Anonymous, via email ED: Antonio Flores at Lawbird offers the following advice: “Technically you don’t need a Spanish will, but it is advisable to have one because it makes the process of inheritance far more straightforward and less costly.”

Happy ending and ‘thanks’ to Clare On 5 November 2012 my wife and I arrived for a

LETTERS

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Taxing question holiday in Benalmadena. Unfortunately, on the first day I seriously injured my knee in a fall and needed an operation. Subsequently, I spent 12 days in the Xanit International Hospital before returning to the UK. The local residents at the site of the accident, the police, paramedics and all of the hospital staff were extremely kind, helpful and competent, which greatly aided my recovery. One of the local people at the accident scene was named Clare, she is originally from Manchester. Through your newspaper I particularly wish to thank her for her invaluable help in translating for me. We plan to return for a holiday next year. Trevor Milner, West Yorkshire

Pumpkin promise I write with regard to the

letter ‘Pumpkin palaver’ (issue 149), in which a reader inquired about where they could buy tinned pumpkin. Quite recently, Jorge Gomez opened Taste of America on Calle Comedias no 11, near Martires Square in Malaga. He sells tins of 425 grams for €2.95 and will send them by post within Spain. His number is 952 608 696. He has a biggish shop full of American specialities. Mette Kyster, via email

Tax apathy Regarding ‘Declare it!’ (issue 149), OK, so we’ve been warned about failing to declare assets over €50,000. I say, so what? How is the Spanish government going to pay for the resources to implement it? If they do, the ultra-rich will pay for avoidance advice while the rest of us will not

yield enough tax revenue to pay for doing it in the first place. Stephen, via website

Fire furore I write with regard to ‘Help us rebuild our lives’ (issue 149). Following the fire, some of the houses were possibly in a repairable state but with all the rain and the passage of time they will be beyond repair. Who is responsible for these additional damages? To my mind, this shows the inability of the administration to respond to a crisis. Please sign up to the Victimas del Incendio Facebook Group to show your support. Pat Laing, via website

We wanna be like you-oo-oo! In reference to the story about your rivals Euro Weekly News copying your stories, I’m guessing someone is going to get in trouble there? If they are copying you surely you can sue them for infringement? Zoeb Manji, Marbella

Tango teasing As marketing manager for Orange Tango, we have noticed a severe shortage of oranges lately which we normally acquire from Sevilla, in your part of Spain. On reading the latest edition of the Olive Press, we noticed a photograph of a Maurice Boland (above) on page 4 (surely should have been page three?) where he has clearly applied a large quantity of oranges on his face. Could this possibly explain the shortage of the fruit which we need for making our fizzy drinks? Would Maurice Boland, who we have now renamed in-house as Mr Borange, be available to get tangoed in our next campaign? Any help you could offer in attracting the Borange for a campaign would allow me to send you a case of Orange Tango to your offices with our compliments. Ant Phrobisher, via email

Letters should be posted to Urb. Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350, Malaga or emailed to letters@theolivepress. es The writer’s name and address should be provided. Published opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

PLE WR ASE ITE

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21 the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012 21

July 26, 2012

Spanish Renaissance painting by El Greco fetches ten times its pre-sale estimate at auction in London

Million-euro portrait A TENSE battle to be the next owner of an El Greco painting has ended in a €982,200 sale. The striking painting of Saint Peter (left), by Domenikos Theotokopoulos – better known as El Greco – sold at A SLUMP in book sales in Spain has seen Spanish-language publishers looking to head to Latin America instead. Countries such as Chile are becoming a new source of revenue for publishers as Spain’s book-making industry reports a 10-15% drop in sales. Javier Cortes Soriano, president of the Spanish Publishing Federation, said:

Literary drain “Revenue for publishing firms in Spain has fallen by 30% since 2009, but the Mexican publishing industry hasn’t been badly affected.” He added: “Spanish publishers are now turning their focus toward Latin

tinguishing authentic works from workshop variants – which basically means nobody is 100% sure it is a real El Greco. “We are delighted with the outcome,” he said. The Renaissance painter, sculpture America. For the last eight or nine and architect was years they have been focusing on Braknown as a master zil, a market where they previously had of Spanish painting, no presence, and now they are seeing whose individual growth in Chile, Peru and Colombia.” dramatic style met At this year’s Guadalajara Internawith hostility from tional Book Fair (FIL) there were just his contemporaries 38 Spanish publishing houses present, but has seen newin comparison with an average of 60 in found appreciation recent years. in the 20th century. Bonhams auction on Friday with a €74,442 starting price. Director of Old Master Paintings Andrew McKenzie said the ‘cautious’ price tag had been attached because of the ‘notorious difficulties’ in dis-

what’s on

uengirola, December 16, 9pm. The Forum Bar. Festive Celtic music session – a night of music and song hosted by fivepiece Celtic fusion band The Stolen Gnomes, plus special guests. Mince pies. Call Mick on 667 540 445

arbella, December 14, 8.30pm. Teatro Ciudad de Marbella. Free Christmas concert with traditional Spanish villancicos (carols).

alaga, December 16. Teatro Cervantes. Fly If You Can, award-winning children’s play about the importance of protecting the environment. Tel 902 360 295

uengirola, December 20-23. Cinderella, presented by Salon Varietes Theatre. Tel 952 474 542. www. salonvarietestheature.com

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

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Pope Benedict XVI reveals that not only were the Three Kings from Andalucia – but there were no donkeys, and no ox either

We Three Kings… of Andalucia THE Pope has caused outcry after claiming in a new book that the Three Wise Men came from Andalucia – and not the Far East as previously thought. In his tome Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, Pope Benedict XVI claims the gift-bearing trio came from Tarsis – or Tartessosa – a kingdom that historians place somewhere between the provinces of Huelva, Cadiz and Sevilla. Using sacred texts by Matthew the Evangelist and the Prophet Isaiah to back up his

Courting custom

CELEBRATION: Cordoba’s patios THE world-famous patios of Cordoba are to be unveiled to the public as part of the city’s Christmas celebrations. Thousands of visitors are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to view the secluded courtyards, which are privately owned and rarely open to the public.

Poinsettias

NATIVITY SHAKE-UP: Did the Three Kings arrive from Huelva or Sevilla? statement, the Pope also said there were no donkeys, no camels used to carry the kings – nor any oxen in the manger when Jesus was born. “In the gospels there is no mention of animals,” he writes, adding that the presence of cattle was probably

invented. Nativity-scene organisers across Spain have been left speechless by the claims, with many wondering what to do with the props – and sometimes live animals – they use to decorate their belen displays every year.

The patios are traditionally decorated with Christmas ornaments, lights and striking red poinsettias, while carols are sung and food samplings take place. Prizes are awarded to the best patios, some of which date back as far as the 10th century. The patios are open from December 19 until January 4.

CHRISTMAS SCHOOL A MUSEUM is hosting Christmasthemed workshops to share knowledge and to give participants a chance to try out some drawing. Held at the Revello de Toro Museum in Malaga, the activities – based on the work of 17th century sculptor Pedro de Mena and artist Revello de Toro – are aimed at families with children aged between five and 12.

Participants will also get a chance to visit the museum’s nativity scene, which includes a number of valuable objects of art which have been borrowed from the Monte Calvario monastery in Malaga. December 26 and 27, and January 2 and 3. €10 Email info@artmuseum. es for more information

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WIN A FABULOUS NEW YEAR’S EVE GALA DINNER FOR TWO AND OVERNIGHT STAY IN OUR...

Mijas Hotel festive comp!

O you want to see in the New Year relaxing in a wonderful setting with panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea? Enter our competition and you could win a night’s accommodation at the majestic TRH Mijas Hotel. Included in the prize is a double room on the night of the 31st, plus a gala dinner, entry to the hotel’s New Year bash and of course a slap-up breakfast on New Year’s Day (worth 250€). To enter, answer this simple question: Which UK town does Olive Press reader Harry Allen, who reached 100 years old this month, come from? See last issue for the answer. Email newsdesk@theolivepress.es by December 24 with your answer.

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

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the olive press - December 13 - 26,24 2012

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Christmas reading IF you are after some Spanish-themed books for a special someone’s Christmas stocking this year, how about one of these three new titles? Spain has just joined the Charming Small Hotel Guides in a new title by Duncan Petersen, Spain and the islands. If you are a cooking fan, My Basque Cuisine by 2011 MasterChef winner Ash Mair is perhaps one for you.

All its dishes have a Spanish or Basque touch, but are aimed at the home cook with no specialised equipment. Finally, for the children, how about Soccer World Spain? This attractive and colourful book takes footie fans on a journey, exploring Spain’s culture through the world’s most popular sport. All titles available on Books4Spain.

Goya art heist in London in the 60s finally resolved THE mystery surrounding the theft of a Goya painting – which became so famous it appeared in a James Bond film – has finally been solved. Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington (left) was taken from London’s National Gallery in 1961. But the case, which became famous after the press was sent anonymous ransom notes, has remained shrouded in mystery for more than 50 years. Now the identity of the thief has finally been revealed following the release of a confidential file. John Bunton, the son of a retired bus driver from Newcastle, swiped the mas-

It only took 50 years!

terpiece (today valued at €2.4 million) after climbing over a wall and entering through the open window of

the men’s toilet. The 20-year-old confessed to the crime in 1969, four years after his father Kemp-

Royal update A BRITISH Hispanist has updated the Spanish edition of a book about King Juan Carlos to include damning events such as the king’s Botswana hunting trip in April. Juan Carlos: A People’s King by Paul Preston, originally published 10 years ago, now also includes the involvement of Inaki Urdangarin, the king’s son-in-law, in a multi-million-euro corruption case.

While Preston admits he is not a monarchist, he says he believes the ‘constitutional monarchy has an essential role to play in Spanish democracy’. The veteran historian, 66, who has also written biography on General Franco, added he still finds Spain interesting – particularly Cataluna and Andalucia.

BOND: Sean Connery spies the lost Goya painting in 1962 film Dr No ton stood trial for the theft. The painting had earlier been recovered from the left luggage office at Birmingham New Street station. Kempton, 61 – who had sent the ransom notes – was cleared of stealing the painting, but served three months in prison for the theft of the picture frame. John Bunton, who has never gone on trial, claimed he

stole it to help his father’s campaign against pensioners having to pay the BBC licence fee. “He intended to use it as a tool in his campaign,” he said. Indeed, the case was so well-known that it featured in the 1962 film Dr No, with James Bond discovering the painting in Dr No’s lair and saying ‘So there it is’.

NOT GUILTY: Kempton Bunton did not steal the painting, it turns out

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UK Child poverty funds euro rise SPAIN has over two million children living below the poverty line, according to new statistics. The figures, released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), show 2,267,000 are vulnerable, representing 27.2% of Spaniards under 16. The number represents an increase of 80,000 compared to last year, leading to calls for a national plan to combat child poverty. “Now more than ever we must pay attention to the most vulnerable, who are unfairly affected by austerity measures taken before analysing their consequences for children,” said Paloma Escudero, executive director of UNICEF Spain.

students

monthly youth and education section the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012 2525

treme

THE amount of taxpayers’ money in the UK being spent on educating students from mainland Europe has risen by more than €61 million in just two years. Data released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills reveals undergraduates from outside Britain took out €109 million of government-backed loans for tuition fees in 2010-11, doubling the total over three years. The figures also showed that some never make repayments after graduating.

Prying parents ONE in three parents unhappy with their child’s choice of boyfriend or girlfriend has deliberately tried to split them up. In a study of 2,000 parents, a third admitted causing arguments, banning them from seeing each other and not passing

on phone messages. Others admitted to listening in on phone conversations or hiding their mobile phones. Of the parents who took part in the study, 15% even admitted to posing as a friend on Facebook or Twitter to see their profile.

A textbook error

THOUSANDS of parents will be forced to pay for their children’s textbooks after the Spanish government slashed its education budget by €1 billion. The cuts mean around 500,000 pupils will no longer be eligible for state aid to buy essential reading material, according to figures released by the education ministry. Official statistics show there are eight million students

Half a million pupils to miss out on state aid due to government cuts

attending classes this year, representing a 1.7% increase on the previous school year. However, this year’s budget of €50.4 billion is €1.1 billion less than last year – and €2.1 billion less than in 2010. The ministry insists 15,000 more students will receive grants this year despite the

budget for such payments being cut by €185 million compared to the 2011-2012 academic year. “The only explanation for this is that the average grant amount will be lower so that they can be spread out to more students,” said Juan Martinez, from the trade union CCOO.

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Xtreme

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the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

Children and teachers are getting that Christmas feeling, writes Sian Kirkham, headmistress at BSM

TREE-MENDOUS: Festive scenes at BSM

IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas at British School of Marbella (BSM). Well, if you can ignore the almost perpetually blue skies, swaying palm trees outside the classroom windows and the general lack of snow, it’s actually quite festive for this part of the world. But the highlight of the school’s social calendar so far this December has been the lighting of our Christmas tree. Children made a ‘tree-mendous’ effort decorating it, with one pupil from each year winning a chocolate prize for the best decoration. Smaller trees have also sprouted up in each classroom alongside controversial advent calendars. Children are currently having a hard time grasping the Scrooge-like concept of only one chocolate per child, per day, for those displaying the best behaviour. And according to official school statistics released this week, good behaviour has rocketed by an incredible 110% in nursery class alone since December 1. A fact, I might add, that has not gone unnoticed by members of staff who know Santa Claus personally. Elsewhere in the school, our head of music Miss Chalmers, has been busier than the judges on The X Factor creating our very first BSM Choir. Without a doubt, the talent shown during our rigorous selection process is of a higher standard than the TV show and with fewer tantrums.

A very British Christmas in Marbella But after weeks of auditions we have whittled the numbers down to an elite group of 25 singers who can be dispatched at a moment’s notice to spread good cheer around Marbella. Just last week they had their first public per-

formance when they sang a sell out concert (well, all the seats were full) to our elderly neighbours at the Vitalia Day Centre. Later in the week the whole school put on an hour-long carol concert for families in the school hall (left) with solo performances on the piano, recorders and xylophones. Rumours of Santa Claus appearing at the Christmas Fair on December 15 are also rife with dads exchanging raised eyebrows as to who will don a suit and beard this year. And in other news a Christmas video has been filmed featuring the pupils and teachers singing Jingle Bells. The video was premiered at the carol concert and is set to be uploaded to our school website pronto.

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This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recipe:

Christmas cupcakes...bringing cheer to children Ingredients: For the cakes 280g self-raising flour 175g golden caster sugar 175g unsalted butter, very soft 150g pot fat-free natural yogurt 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs For the frosting 85g unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract 200g icing sugar, sifted For decoration Natural green food colouring (for Christmas trees), sweets, sprinkles and white chocolate stars. Milk and white chocolate buttons and natural colouring icing pens, Method: Heat oven to 190C/170 fan/gas 5 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cake cases. Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth. Spoon the mix into the cases, bake for 25 mins until golden and risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. For the frosting, beat the butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar until pale and creamy and completely combined. To make snow-

men, reindeer and Christmas puddings, first spread the icing over the top of each cake. Then lay the chocolate buttons on top, slicing some buttons into quarters to make ears and hats. Finally, use icing pens for the details. For the Christmas tree, colour the icing with green food colouring and pipe onto the cakes using a star-shaped nozzle, decorate with sweets, sprinkles and white chocolate stars.

27 the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012 27

Fancy a movie?

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

If you want to head to the cinema this weekend, but your Spanish is not up to scratch, check out the VO/VOSE films (Original Version) available in your area

Xtreme

Running to raise

Skyfall (PG13) Cinesur Mirimar, Fuengirola: 16:00, 18:35 (weekdays) Life of Pi Cinesur Mirimar, Fuengirola: 16:00, 18:30 (weekdays) Gran Cinema Marbella: 16:30, 19:15 (weekends) Plaza Mayor, Malaga: Frankenweenie 14:00 (weekends) Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 (PG13) 14:15, 18:50 (weekends) King Bastion Lesuire Centre, Gibraltar: Hotel Transylvania 15:30 (weekends) Rise of the Guardians 16:00 (weekends)

STAFF, students and parents from Swans International School braved some of the recent poor weather to take part in a fun run to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. The annual event, starting and finishing at the Hard Rock Cafe, wound its way around Puerto Banus in support of the AECC cancer charity.

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Heading for success SWANS International School is proud to present its new Head Boy, Anton Brink and Head Girl, Amelia Walton. These two senior IB Diploma students represent the ethos and values of Swans, in terms of their academic ability and their contributions to the wider school community. Headteacher Catherine Davies said: “We see both Anton and Amelia as excellent role models for our younger students throughout the school. “They have extremely bright futures ahead of them.”

Growing responsibility OVER 200 volunteers including 23 from Swans International School have planted more than 3,000 trees as part of a reforestation programme in Ojen. Organisers of the scheme,

set up to replace vegetation destroyed in the devastating fires earlier this year, are appealing for continued support from local schools for the project, which could take years to complete.

Top Salud

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Fruit fly cancer riddle

FRUIT flies could hold the key to understanding how normal cells become cancerous, according to Spanish researchers. Scientists implanted an abnormal number of chromosomes in cells located in the wings of the tiny insects, a process which usually leads to defence mechanisms being triggered.

Mutate

But the researchers, from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies in Barcelona, blocked the signals, allowing the cells to mutate. The team believe their findings could help determine whether gene instability is a cause of cancer.

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Briton slams ‘catalogue of errors’ which left him disabled

INJURED: Ian Middleton AN expat left disabled following a botched knee operation has said his life will never be the same again after accusing medical staff of a ‘catalogue of errors’. Ian Middleton, 50, originally from London, was seriously injured after being involved in a head-on collision in May 2009. The former musician, who was on his way to a gig in Manilva at the time, was then left to wait 45 minutes in the rain after paramedics told him there was no room in the ambulance. “My right knee smashed into the steering column, I hit my head on the windscreen and I was knocked uncon-

EXPAT KNEE HORROR EXCLUSIVE by Frances Leate

scious,” Middleton told the Olive Press. “I tried to get out and when I took a step forward with my left leg, my right leg just flipped up and kicked me in the face.

“That’s when I realised I had no control in my knee.” Middleton, who lives in Estepona, then had his knee put back together ‘like a jigsaw puzzle’ by Spanish surgeons who cut into his knee tendon to try and remove the fragmented bones. But after months of agonising pain the bone in his knee

Pinocchio effect

SPANISH researchers have found an element of truth in the tale of Pinocchio. While your nose may not get longer when you tell a lie, it does give you away by increasing in temperature. Scientists at the University of Granada used thermographic cameras to measure changes in body temperatures of participants undertaking a series of tasks. The studies showed that when someone told a lie, the temperature around the nose and inner eye increased.

began to poke through the skin, leaving a gaping hole. Middleton was forced to spend more than six months soaking the wound in Manuka honey while waiting for an operation and was advised by a private knee specialist that he needed a tendon graft. Despite doctors at the Costa del Sol hospital telling him they would only operate to smooth down the bone, Middleton was ordered to casualty by a doctor on his return to the UK, after being told ‘I wouldn’t have sent a dog home with a leg like that’. The Costa del Sol Hospital was unavailable for comment.

29 29

EHIC confusion EXPATS continue to be ‘confused’ about the Spanish healthcare system and often use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) instead of registering as residents, the British Consulate has said. Many people wrongly use the EHIC to get medical help, which is leading to a strain on the health service. “There is a fair amount of confusion out there, and because of that, we get an awful lot of complex cases to deal with,” said MartynStanding. “People carry the card around and use it to go to the doctors, but it is not necessarily the right way to get health care here.” The EHIC entitles visitors to ‘medically necessary’ treatment which can include emergency treatment, the monitoring of ongoing conditions and repeat prescriptions. “It does not entitle you to anything that can wait until you get home. “If you live here, this card is not for you,” he said.

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

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Top Salud!

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Blood pressure: how low is too low?

Dr Raymond Prats explains how blood pressure can affect the body

IGH blood pressure (hypertension) is pretty easy to define: Anything above 120/80 is abnormal. But low blood pressure is not so simple as there is no absolute number below which blood pressure is considered abnormally low. To help you understand low blood pressure, it’s useful to think of the arteries and veins as a system of pipes that carry blood around the body. The heart is the pump that keeps the fluid moving. As long as there is enough pressure in the pipes to get the blood to where it is going, the plumbing system is doing its job and there is nothing to worry about. Low blood pressure is only a problem when there isn’t sufficient pressure to get enough blood around the body. The brain often temporarily loses some of its blood supply when we first stand up and gravity pulls everything (including our blood supply) down. That dizzy or lightheaded sensation is your

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brain’s reaction to low blood pressure. Fortunately, these symptoms usually pass in a few seconds as our bodies quickly respond with a faster heart rate and increased blood pressure. But if your blood pressure is too low, it may take more than 10-15 seconds to recover after standing up. More severe low blood pressure can cause dizziness or lightheadedness even when you’re not standing up. And very low blood pressure can sometimes cause complete loss of consciousness because the brain isn’t getting enough blood. If your blood pressure is very low but not causing any symptoms, then there’s nothing to worry about. The treatment for low blood pressure is usually pretty simple - eating more salt and drinking more fluid works for most people. Some patients need to take salt tablets, or occasionally prescription medicine, to raise their blood pressure. If you frequently feel lightheaded and dizzy, you should see your doctor.

For more information visit www.simplecarehealthplan.com

Complementary Salud!

46 www.theolivepress.es

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Data shows twice as many women than men opt for complementary medicine

LADIES LOVE HERBS WOMEN are almost twice as likely to use herbal remedies than their male counterparts, according to new data. Figures presented at the eighth international herbal remedies conference in Oviedo, Asturias, show 27% of women are willing to try complementary medicine compared to only 14% of men. “Women are more aware of the health benefits of medicinal plants,” explained Dr Ignacio

Yoga poses

Bachiller. “They tend to choose them in particular for complaints such as insomnia, weight gain and digestive problems.” Soya is one natural remedy used by many women to treat menopause symptoms, with a recent Spanish study showing that just 75mg of soya administered in two doses can reduce hot flushes by 80%. Jane Jewson, based in Manilva, said herbal remedies completely cured fibroids which had been troubling her for years. After being told she would need surgery to remove them, she went to see a natural medical herbalist near Glastonbury in England. “A gynaecologist had condemned my uterus to the bin and was ready to get • Breathe in, and as you breathe out again open the knife out because it was the chest, rotating shoulder blades down and impossible to live with the round towards each other. Try to keep your fibroids,” said Jewson, 55, tummy button only a few centimetres from originally from Oxford. the floor. Look up. “No other medicine or treat• Try to have your face parallel to the ceilment had worked: I’d tried ing but tummy towards the floor. Take 5-10 everything. rounds of breath, if you feel tired come out of “He gave me a herbal potion the posture and repeat. combining herbs from all • Come out slowly to starting position. Lie face over the world. down and take four or five deep breaths right “After one month, the fiinto your lower back. broids began to shrink and I could lead a normal life again.” If in any doubt, please consult your doctor. She added: “That was 15 years ago now, and I never Any questions you have about yoga please conhad to have the op.” tact Rachael via www.theyogicemporium.com, or

with Rachael Hemming

Cobra (Bhujangasana) Benefits • Builds strength in the muscles of the upper back • Increases flexibility in the lower back • Massages the internal organs, especially the digestive organs • Removes rounded shoulders • Improves concentration How to do it • Lie on the floor face down, arms by your side, palms up and head to one side. Relax. Bring your big toes together, touching if you can, with heels dropping to the outsides, legs and thighs soft. Relax your whole body, particularly from the hips down. • Bring the palm of your hands to the floor, directly underneath your shoulders, your fingertips in line with shoulders. Relax your bottom and legs. • Inhale, and push up with arms and working into your lower back engage the back muscles as you lift up. Keep elbows bent and tucked right into your ribs, and drop your shoulders. If your feet and legs need to spread, do so. Breathe out.

email rachaelhemming@hotmail.com

Affirmation of the issue: I am quiet and serene in every situation.

That’s not so zen

31 31

A COUPLE have been duped into paying €1,200 for a counterfeit magnetic therapy machine from a door-todoor salesman. The pair paid upfront for the false apparatus at their home in Granada, before realising it was fake and calling the police. Police later said the machine was similar to EC-approved machines originating in Italy. The salesman has since been charged with fraud. Magnet therapy is an alternative medicine practice which uses static magnetic fields to treat muscle pain.

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

U J

p the

Picky pollinators

RHODODENDRONS deliberately attract weaver ants to ward off poor pollinators, according to a Spanish study. Most flowers chemically repel the pesky ants because they chase off and kill pollinating insects. But Rhododendrons do the opposite, because the ants play a crucial role in ensuring only carpenter bees can successfully pollinate, according Francisco Gonzalvez at the Arid Experimental Zone (EEZA) in Almeria.

Successful

Gonzalvez studied flowers frequented by large carpenter bees along with the much smaller Nomia bee. While the Nomia avoided plants with weaver ants, the carpenter bees continued to successfully pollinate despite the ants’ presence. Michael Kaspari of the University of Oklahoma believes the results ‘make a strong case’ to prove the rhododendron manipulates the behaviour of ants to attract only the strongest pollinators.

ardin path

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Sue Rodgers looks at Christmas herbs and spices

All things nice H ERBS and spices have been associated with the Christmas holidays for many centuries, as well as forming the basis of many pagan midwinter ceremonies. Although many of these herbs are used year round their traditional use in Christmas food and the legends attached to them, make them especially significant. Frankincense, from the Boswellia tree, is perhaps best known as one of the gifts brought by the Three Kings to baby Jesus.

HE KNOWS HIS ONIONS! by Peter Langdale

Garden glory

S I write this I can not help thinking that most readers will be thinking more about celebrating Christmas than pottering about in the garden. For those of you who still enjoy the great outdoors however, maintenance is probably the order of the day - whether it be pruning, hedge trimming or just cleaning the garden path. Buy your tree now before it is too late. At Garden La Palma we have a range of Christmas trees available which we must sell now. I do not want to be like the fairy who asked Father Christmas what to do with the unsold Christmas tree. His answer is the reason you see the fairy on top of the tree! In the commercial world this is the silly season for fruit, vegetables and herbs. For some unfathomable reason the supermarket buyers think they can sell three times more of everything at Christmas. This puts enormous pressure on suppliers. We know that come hail, rain or shine we will be working flat out to meet orders. To try and anticipate every eventuality, we have just finished building a lighting rig so our gangs can carry on working in the fields af-

However, the aroma of frankincense is said to represent life, with the Judaic, Christian and Islamic faiths all using Frankincense mixed with oils to anoint new born infants. The other herb brought by the Three Kings was myrrh, an aromatic gum from the Commiphora tree often combined with frankincense in many religious and Pagan ceremonies. At one time myrrh was considered so valuable it had equal weight value to gold. Today frankincense and myrrh tend to be used in aromatherapy. Cinnamon was a prized spice given to visiting dignitaries for many centuries. Native to south-east Asia, from the bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree, cinnamon is used as a dried stick or in powder form. An essential ingredient in mulled wine, and spiced apple cider infusing a warming aromatic flavour. Ground cinnamon

ter dark from an 8am start. We will have little holiday as our customers expect deliveries on the morning of December 27 and thereafter. To achieve this we will have lorries leaving on the 25th! Since the deluge of nearly three weeks ago, the land has been drying out nicely and planting and sowing of the whole gambit of veggies and salad items can now continue. If you like early potatoes, take a look at the fields around Velez and you will see the normal practice of covering the potato ridges with black plastic. My main tip for now is for the mango trees. To reduce bacterial infections of leaf and trunk, apply a copper fungicide spray of Bordeaux mixture or similar. One last reminder as you think of your Christmas lunch: We do have parsnips, sprouts, swede, and most other seasonable salads and vegetables. A last word to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a (dare I say it Frau Merkel) prosperous New Year. Contact Garden La Palma on 951 237 013

is perhaps best known when added to apple pies and sticky buns, but is also used in teas, chocolate and savoury dishes. Legend has it that Mary hid the baby Jesus under a sage bush to avoid detection by King Herod’s soldiers. Since then the sage bush has been credited with many healing powers, earning it the name ‘herb of immortality’. Its association with Christmas cooking is of course as sage and onion stuffing for the turkey. Mulled Wine Spice Recipe Combine: 2 tbsp of whole allspice, 1/4 tbsp of whole cloves, 1x10cm stick of cinnamon and 1x10cm strip of orange peel. Place on a square of double muslin and tie securely. Place the muslin bag in a pan with red wine or apple cider and warm through. The spice mix can also be added to infuse a wonderfully aromatic flavour to rice pudding! sue@selfsufficiency4u. com

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the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

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COLUMNS

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here‘s a knack to looking cool when you’re in your 60s. I considered this when two strikingly dressed customers came into the shop. Without doubt, they had the knack. I couldn’t make up my mind if I was impressed or not. Should people even try to be fashionable after they’ve reached a certain age? Perhaps it’s more graceful just to let things run their course and look decrepit. This pair had an aura of having always been on the right side of fashion. He wore a leather jacket with a paisley-pattern scarf (like a fighter pilot from World War Two). His blue denim shirt and trousers were set off by cowboy boots. His grey hair was cropped. Spectacles of the rimless variety perched on the end of his nose, and (hardly needs saying, really) a diamond pin sparkled in his ear. She too wore boots, with a black lace skirt, white blouse,

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

Introducing brand new columnist Michael O’Reilly, a bibliophile and occasional philosopher

Cool customers

A question commonly asked about Michael’s bookshop is, does it really exist?

embroidered waistcoat and short denim jacket. Her black hair was in ringlets. Her expression bore the amiable confidence of a woman who had been beautiful in her youth. They looked dressed up even though they were dressed down. I had a vague idea I had seen her somewhere before. At the New Arrivals section the woman picked up The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell. Why does that not surprise me! I thought, somewhat smugly. I take the view that celebrity gush has no place in a right-

thinking bookshop (but it sells, of course, for which reason the right-thinking bookshop has to trim the sails of its snobbish indignation). She seemed to me just the sort of customer who would consider buying talent-show trivia. “Look,” she remarked to her companion. “There’s Simon!” These people know Simon Cowell! I was quite irrationally impressed. “No getting away from him,” the man remarked disdainfully. Minutes later there was a cheerful yelp from behind one of the stacks. “That’s you!” I heard the woman say.

The sound of sexagenarian giggles floated through the ether. When they came to the counter they brought a handful of books: Gardening in Southern Spain, a history of flamenco, a couple of thrillers. At the bottom of the pile was a hardback with a garish cover and monochrome illustrations. It was a cheaply produced

Tales from a bookshop

piece of fan memorabilia printed to cash in on the Bay City Rollers’ 1976 tour of Britain. (Our stock is nothing if not eclectic – as is the way of the second-hand trade.)

In the first of a regular column, Giles Brown brings the Olive Press his ‘unique’ look on Spain Tragedy in Madrid

building as it wanted to, but decided instead to rent it out THE fallout from the tragic to events; events that it was events at the Thriller Music totally unsuitable to host. Park on Halloween, when five In addition the stage for the young women were crushed event blocked one of the exit to death, highlights the lax routes while platforms for attitude that Spanish have to dancers blocked off another two exits. heath and safety. The investigation commission While Madrid City Hall authoset up by Madrid City Hall to rized the event for 3,680 peoprobe the tragedy uncovered ple, the promoters sold well several shocking facts about in excess of 10,000 tickets, and the security firm hired the Madrid Arena. was unable to The venue, deal with the built on the numbers that old Rockodroattended the mo open air Safety isn’t the event, thought site was hastto be in excess ily built as the highest priority at of 17,000. tennis venue for Madrid’s events, ferias and Meanwhile the SAMUR medifailed Olymfestivals cal service pic bid, and only found later hosted out about the the ATP Tour event on the Masters Tourday it took place, with the renament. In 2010 City Hall technicians sult that there were nowhere came out with a damning near enough medical teams report about the Madrid Are- available. Having worked on a variety of na’s security issues. Amongst these were: ‘It is concerts and events in Spain not easy for the fire crews over the past decade, I’ve to gain access’ and ‘Access seen the standards of safety is only possible in an area and security vary widely, and of approximately one-fifth anyone has seen some of the of the façade. The other rides that seem to be tacked four-fifths are closed and together with bits of gaffer inaccessible because of tape at your local feria during maximum height restric- the summer will agree that tions and floor resistance’. sometimes safety isn’t the Madrid Arena failed to comply highest priority at events, fewith the Technical Building rias and festivals. Code, and as a result, Madrid With one Madrid councillor City Hall could not sell the having already stepped down

Curse of Hello! Have you heard the saying ‘The Curse of Hello!’ by which any couple pictured in said glossy magazine pledging undying love would end up in a messy divorce by the time the issue hit the streets? Well, the coast was treated to a variant this week when glossy Marbella magazine Essentials ran a two-page interview with publicist Max Clifford, leading with the strapline ‘...for once, Max isn’t responsible for the headlines’ and ending with ‘...as the patron of every children’s hospice in Britain, being able to arrange a visit...gives him super hero status with the kids’. “That way everyone’s a winner,” says Max. “The way I like it best.” The first rule of comedy, as they say, is the timing! And in the same week he was charged with sexual offences in the same police dragnet as Jimmy Savile. because of the Madrid Arena tragedy and many pointing the finger of blame at Madrid Mayor Ana Botella, perhaps if any good is to come out of what happened that terrible night will be that the Spanish authorities take a more sensible attitude, before more people pay for a good night out with their lives.

Gordo Guff The run-up to Christmas in Spain means only one thing. Gordo fever. You won’t be able to escape people trying to sell you tickets for the Gordo over the next few weeks or escape the expensive adverts on Spanish TV. For obvious reasons I was

most upset when they decided to ditch ‘El Calvo’, the balding Brit, as the face of El Gordo. One thing is sure, however. When the winners are announced and the cheap cava has been sprayed, they always turn up for work the next day. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the whole POINT of the lottery was that I was life changing, not that you went back to driving a cement truck the next day. Trust me, if I won the lottery, I’d be sending this column to you from my yacht off Monte Carlo, not Montefrio!

Dangling decs

Being the sober type these days that lives alone with a cat, I don’t really get into whole Christmas spirit. The one thing that does annoy me, however, is the decorations. If it’s not Christmas trees (introduced to the UK by that pioneer of private piercings Prince Albert) then it’s the Santas and Three Kings dangling on ladders outside most houses, which make most Calle Reals look like a training course for inept and overweight SAS members. The one I really like, however, is the infant Christ banner that some households display. Maybe it’s just me, but he has one foot in front of the other at an angle that looks like he’s laying on a pretty decent pass to Messi.

I did not speak, though my mouth may have opened involuntarily. I believe ‘agog’ would be the right word to describe my reaction. The woman sensed my surprise (in the way that women do). “It has sentimental value,” she explained. I looked at her and then at her mate. He opened the book near the middle, where there was a double-page spread showing the weirdly-dressed teenyboppers on stage in Birmingham. He pointed to a figure in t-shirt and jeans (mercifully, no tartan) standing in the wings. “That’s me,” he said. “I did some of the publicity for that tour.” I looked more closely. The photo clearly depicted a younger version of the man on the other side of the counter. “Waow!” I said.

The Bay City Rollers?... they’re not exactly the Beatles I’m not proud of this response. It was effusive to a degree that can only be described as unseemly. “That must have been quite something!” He shrugged. And then I remembered where I’d seen the woman before. She used to present a TV programme where you go off for the day and they bring in a team of experts to turn the unkempt wilderness around your house into a horticultural showpiece. “You’re from that gardening show!” I said, as if she might have forgotten this. “For my sins!” she replied modestly. Deirdre came back from the shops soon after the couple had left. “You’ll never guess who was here!” I said. She was underwhelmed when I told her. “The Bay City Rollers!” Her tone was more surprised than derisive. “Not exactly the Beatles! And anyway, you’re always saying how you have no time for the whole silly business of celebrity.” Which is true. But they were cool customers nonetheless. To read more by Michael O’Reilly visit www.myspanishinterlude.com

36 the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012 36

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A bottle of Bulli

Arzak gets ‘dream’ London move

THE wine collection of Spain’s most famous restaurant is to be sold at auction next year. More than 8,800 bottles from elBulli, the world-renowned eatery which closed last year, are expected to sell for €776,000, according to Sotheby’s. Among the collection which includes 2,000 bottles of Spanish wine - are three bottles of Domaine

TALENTED: Elena Arzak with one of her dishes

SOUGHT-AFTER: elBulli’s collection de la Romanee Conti 1990, which alone could fetch €37,000. Other highlights include more than 400 bottles of Chateau de Beaucastel, six vintages of Vega Sicilia ‘Unico’ and full cases and magnums of Chateau Latour 2005. Proceeds from the sale, which takes place in Hong Kong and New York in April, will go towards the elBulliFoundation, which is due to open in 2014. Ferran Adria, the chef who headed the three-Michelin starred restaurant for 27 years described the wines as an ‘exceptional and unique collection’. “We decided this very special and personal collection should be used to make a founding contribution to help ensure the successful launch of the elBulliFoundation,” he said.

A THREE-MICHELIN starred Spanish cook is to open a new restaurant in London. Elena Arzak, named by critics as the world’s best female chef, will unveil Ametsa – meaning ‘dream’ in Basque – at Belgravia’s fivestar Halkin hotel in February. The 43-year-old, who runs Arzak in San Sebastian with her dad, chef Juan Mari, trained in London during her time at restaurant Le Gavroche.

Business booming for agro-foods Food products of Andalucia – and in particular Malaga – guarantee increased jobs and income during difficult times WHILE most industries in Andalucia are feeling the pinch of the economic crisis, agro-food is one area where business is positively booming. Thanks to the production of olive oil, meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, seeds and fish, food factories have been able to increase their production and create much-needed new jobs while other industries have failed to stay afloat.

BOOST: Food production is a growth industry Of the 125 agro-food factories in Andalucia, a third are in Malaga. But while the region has suffered a 10% fall overall in employment since the recession began, more jobs are being created within the rapidly growing food industry thanks to increased exports overseas. Products being shipped overseas from Malaga include olive oil to China, goats cheese to France, and avocados to Sweden. “Ten years ago, when the bankers and businessmen were earning a fortune from the property boom, we wondered whether we’d taken a good bet,” said Francisco Requena from meat factory Faccsa-Prolongo, in Cartama. “But we know now we had,

because we are still being paid at the end of each month.” Faccsa-Prolongo, with 650 employees, has increased its exports from 20% of sales to 50% in the last five years – in particular to China and Russia – which has allowed it to take on new staff.

Success

Another success story is olive oil factory Grupo Hojiblanca in Antequera, whose turnover last year was €389 million which it hopes to increase to €500 million this year. Meanwhile Trops in Velez Malaga – which exports 80% of its lychees, avocados, mangoes and kumquats abroad – is looking to triple its turnover this year.

the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012

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the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

T feels like a direct reaction to the zany, off-thewall ‘cocina creativa’ that has made Spain so famous over recent years. But, that is not to say that dining at El Jardin, in Casares, is in any way less exciting. The stunning restaurant inside sumptuous Finca Cortesin hotel is a celebration of the best of Andalucian food and style. Authentic in the extreme, its terracotta floors are complimented with classic azulejo tiles, vintage porcelain sinks and antique furniture, while settings are simple, with fresh flowers and candles. It feels homely and warm (ultimately, I suppose, what you would hope for in a hotel) and its ethos is very much about good, solid ingredients.

True luxury

Most of this is due to the philosophy of its executive chef Lutz Bosing, 50, an erudite German, who has spent over two decades living in Spain. “Hotels should be about the home and guests should enjoy dining there, not feel like they are stepping out of their safety zone,” he explains. “I love Spain’s fabulous creative chefs and know many of them, but my cooking is different.” This means eschewing butter for the best local olive oil and spending hours each week

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One experienced German chef is proving that you can eschew modern cooking styles and still be exciting, discovers Jon Clarke

Back to basics sourcing the highest quality local ingredients. “I also use lots of different types of lentils and chick peas to give people a genuine Spanish experience and, of course, use plenty of mushrooms and other vegetables when in season,” he continues. It is where the restaurant gets its name (‘jardin’ meaning garden), but one must certainly NOT get the impression that the food here is boring. Lutz began cooking at the age of 13 and was slaughtering, jointing and preparing his own cows by the age of 17, so he certainly knows a trick or two.

He duly arrived with a lovelylooking amuse bouche (pictured), which turned out to be a creamy pork rillete, with foie gras, goats cheese and sesame seeds. Next up we tried the lobster salad, which was as close to

heaven as I have been with a healthy salad starter. True luxury, this came with mushrooms, courgettes, carrots, pumpkin, artichokes and a barrel load of different nuts. And then we had the soup with meatballs of breaded

ERUDITE: Chef Lutz

ham and saffron, a dish handed down to Lutz from his mother-in-law, who heralds from Iznajar, close to his previous job as head chef at Hotel Bobadilla. Increasingly spoilt, we were next proffered a dish of boletus mushrooms, truffle and poached egg tempura, which was as sweet as you like. A monkfish in a classic ‘pinto rojo’ sauce was rustic, but beautifully presented, while a partridge pie, served in a simple white dish, with a salt crust sealing it took the honours. Heralding from Elche, it came served in big chunks of foie gras, with mushrooms, ham and vegetables. A true Spanish classic. Staying with traditional Span-

ish dishes, the bread pudding ‘pan soldado’, or soldiers’ bread, was delicious served with an ice cream made from sweet Malaga wine. On the subject of wine, the list was, as one would expect from a five star hotel, impressive and choices were easily made with advice from the friendly sommelier Agustin Navarro, from Jaen. In particular we liked the good value Blas Munoz chardonnay from Toledo. Ultimately El Jardin is the perfect foil to the more experimental restaurant Schilo next door, and proves to be almost more exciting... and certainly more wholesome. We ate extremely well and while not cheap, with its regularly changing menu and a chef, who really knows his onions, this is one true Dining Secret. By Springtime you will be able to eat outside in the lovely gardens... an experience I can hardly wait to try. El Jardin, Finca Cortesin Casares, Malaga Reservations: 952 93 78 00

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A Lidl tip A SPANISH wine has been declared ‘top of the Christmas reds’ by TV wine expert Ewan Lacey. The connoisseur - who has appeared on Channel Four and BBC Good Food Show - picked out Lidl’s €4.94 Rioja ahead of a €6 bottle of Asda’s Australian shiraz as the best to wash down Christmas dinner. The celebrity wine buff believes you do not need to splash out to enjoy good quality wine this festive season.

Quality

“The €4.94 2011 Rioja from Lidl proves I have found that you don’t have to spend a fortune to obtain excellent quality,” he said. “If you’re new to wine this is a great chance to see what you like without breaking the bank. “If you are already a wine-lover, what a great time to stock up,” he added.

FOOD & DRINK the olive press - December 13- 26, 2012 39 with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Top tipple in Britain Spanish sparkling wine flies off UK shelves A SPANISH drink is proving to be the latest hit with wine lovers in Britain. Txakoli (pronounced chakolee), a light sparkling

wine from the Basque region, has already taken over the wine bars of New York and looks set to do the same in the UK.

Spain tops olive oil list

SPAIN has kept its crown as the world’s leading exporter of olive oil, despite fears that the hottest summer in 60 years could lead to a huge fall in output. Official government figures show exports increased by 5.4% in the year to September, but a predicted 58% drop in output blamed on the higherthan average summer temperatures could force prices to soar. The figures come from new data published by food-industry group Cooperatives AgroAlimentarias.

The low-alcohol drink is high in acidity with hints of lemon, guava and pineapple and is traditionally served in small glasses and poured ceremoniously at shoulder height to release flavour. The drink, which comes from the prestigious wineproducing area of Chacoli de Guetaria, had almost disappeared until a Basque association revived it in the 1980s. Wine makers in Guetaria describe the tipple as ‘the ideal accompaniment for salted anchovies or tuna in oil’. Bottles do not come with a vintage on the label as the wine must be drunk within the first year and it is assumed only this year’s harvest will be available.

AN independent audit of Coin Town Hall’s 2010 accounts has identified ‘multiple irregularities’, according to PP mayor Fernando Fernandez.

Strike off FINAL WORDS

the FREE

the olive press - December 13 - 26, 2012

Taking account

Union leaders have called off a series of one-day strikes by Iberia staff throughout December ‘out of respect for passengers’.

Pet rescue Dozens of animals used for illegal fighting – including Vietnamese pigs and roosters – have been rescued by police in Malaga.

Wasters

Police are looking for people who set fire to 20 waste bins and a vehicle in Malaga on the same night.

Onwards and upwards in 2012 with 186,000 papers www.theolivepress.es (120,000 digital) and around 150,000 visits to the website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

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December

13 - 22, 2012

A well travelled tapestry

A TAPESTRY from the 16th century stolen from Spain has been discovered in an art shop in Houston, Texas. The tapestry, which depicts the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus and Saint Vincent of Zaragoza, was declared a national monument in 1924 by royal decree. But in 1979 it was stolen from a cathedral in Aragon. Happily, now U.S Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have found the piece after the Guardia Civil discovered it had been sold in 2010 at an arts fair in Brussels for €285,000. HSI agent Brian M. Moskowitz said: “Our special agents are at the forefront of the effort to identify and return these items to their lawful owners.”

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Jack Kidd and Genesis star duped by expat conman

TURNED OVER: Jack Kidd lost €39,000

POLO player Jack Kidd, brother of model Jodie, and Genesis star Mike Rutherford have fallen victim to an alleged Sotogrande conman. Simon Welsh, 40, owner of polo team Cancha 2, is accused of leaving the pair with a string of unpaid debts resulting in Kidd’s ponies being impounded. The polo team were undefeated under Kidd’s captaincy, winning at Sotogrande’s Santa María Polo Club last season. Kidd was shocked to discover his team owner and friend had not paid a penny towards stable and groom costs, nor had he paid the team. Kidd, who needs €39,000 to get his ten ponies back, said: “Without

Hanging out A PARAGLIDER has narrowly avoided being electrocuted after spending four hours dangling from a high-voltage power line in Granada. The Spaniard screamed for help as he hung 100m above horrified onlookers while waiting to be rescued. The man, known only as Pedro, thought he was finally safe when a helicopter appeared, only to be told it was too dark for the rescue crew to work safely. The man was eventually brought back to the ground when a mountain rescue crew used a crane and cable later in the evening. The A-395 leading to the Sierra Nevada ski resort was temporarily closed and several parts of Granada suffered power cuts. The extreme sports enthusiast was treated for shock and exhaustion.

my horses, I can’t work. My career is canned.” Rutherford (above), founder of rock band Genesis, who has been playing polo for several years and rented a villa to Welsh, is now alerting other polo clubs about the businessman. He claims Welsh left the property without paying a penny in rent or bills after staying there for eight months. “I got off lightly, but I feel very sorry for Jack, who has had his polo ponies impounded as a result,” said the guitarist. Welsh, originally from Manchester, is reported to have left several other wealthy friends out of pocket.

Beneficiary

British publisher Julian Worth has won several rulings against Welsh after he failed to pay back a loan of €186,000 in Switzerland. “He came to Gstaad, we became friends and our children went to the same school,’ said Worth. “He claimed to be the beneficiary of a £14 million estate, but was having problems with the taxman. “I have not seen a penny of the money I lent him in good faith,” he added. Welsh also has links in Monaco and Dubai. Do you know Welsh? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es

Cheers Cadiz A BRITISH widow has sold a 310-year-old Spanish coin she found in a chest of drawers for over €300,000 at auction. The five guinea coin, which the unnamed woman discovered among her late husband’s clothes, was made in 1702 from gold stolen from a Spanish treasure ship. It was one of only 20, produced to detract attention from the British fleet’s failure to take Cadiz the same

year. “A client of ours asked to bring in some coins that she had found at home,” said Leslie Gillham of Gorringes auctioneers. “I wasn’t really excited at the time because most coins we came across are worth very little. “I sought a second opinion which confirmed it was genuine. Her husband was a professional man and beyond that we have no idea how he came by it. He must have inherited it,” he added.

DUE TO XMAS DEADLINES THE NEXT EDITION WILL BE OUT EARLY ON SAT/SUN 22/23 DECEMBER No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the explicit permission of the publisher. While efforts are made to ensure the authenticity of advertisements and articles appearing in The Olive Press, the publisher does not accept any responsibility for claims made, nor do contributors’ opinions necessarily represent his own. Copyright Luke Stewart Media S.L 2012