Mallorca Olive Press - Issue 62 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

IT’S OFFICIAL: consolidates its reign as the number one English news site in Spain…. see page 7. For more exclusive content visit www.theolivepress.es

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CASES of ‘werewolf syndrome’ have grown after 16 children were given contaminated medication on the Costa del Sol. Infants developed hypertrichosis - excessive body hair growth - after taking omeprazole which had been contaminated by minoxidil – the active ingredient for alopecia medication. Some 13 babies had initially been diagnosed with the condition before three more cases linked to the tainted drugs were discovered earlier this month. Officials believe the contamination could have affected up to 30 Andalucian pharmacies and more than 50 batches of the drug.

Hair

Malaga-based pharmaceutical company Farma-Quimica Sur SL has been found to be the source of the batch. The affected batch is from lot 11072/10/42 and most have been recalled while any missing packets are being tracked down. Parents have been advised to seek medical help if their child has been given the formula and check with their pharmacy if they have purchased an affected lot. Hypertrichosis, known as ‘werewolf syndrome’, is a rare condition characterised by excessive hair growth anywhere on a person’s body. Those with the condition have historically been subject to great interest and in somes cases forced to perform in travelling circuses and freak shows. Spanish authorities have said this incident is isolated to children’s formula and that adults taking omeprazole capsules should not worry about developing symptoms. When the children stopped taking the prescription their hair growth subsided.

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Vol. 3 Issue 62 www.theolivepress.es August 30th - September 12th 2019

The British expats who are proBrexit and proud SEE PAGE 7

Kick in the stomach

A RISING football star is one of at least 51 customers believed to have been poisoned at a Japanese restaurant in Mallorca. Real Mallorca B footballer Victor de Baunbag is among the dozens to have fallen ill this week after eating at Dragon Sushi on Calle Blanqerna in Palma. The Cameroonian forward, born in Madrid, is one of many who have already tested positive for Salmonella - the bacteria found in uncooked meats and seafood.

Health authorities are reportedly preparing heavy sanctions for failures in the handling of food and ‘structural deficiencies’. A top scorer in his club and standing at 6ft 2, Baunbag was last year tipped to be signed by English Premier League club Liverpool. In November, agents from the Reds said the 19-year-old’s qualities ‘could fit well’ in England and made it known that they were tracking him. The rising star will now be firmly off the pitch while he recovers from sickness. The alarm of the Salmonella outbreak was first

raised when 19-year-old Carlos Mora entered the emergency room the morning after eating at the restaurant. However it wasn’t until two days later that Dragon Sushi was closed by food safety inspectors, who ordered tests to be performed. While the current number of victims stands at 51, authorities believe that figure could climb much higher. The restaurant will remain closed until the case is complete.

Victory!

Rental websites which scammed British holidaymakers out of thousands FINALLY shut down following Olive Press exposes

CRIME

May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Dream Killas

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Vox

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take The Olive Press helps victims action following skyrocketing reports of holiday rental scam

Your reporters, here to help on the Costa Blanca Introducing News Editor Laurence Dollimore and Reporter Joshua Parfitt Contact them with any stories or news on 951 273 575 or email newsdesk@theolivepress.es (Personal contacts on page 6)

mother to lung cancer a few THE Olive Press is helping years ago. victims take legal action “My nephews and nieces were against a holiday rental com- really looking forward to it as pany that scammed holiday- they have never been abroad,” makers thousands for rental Deleslie told the Olive Press. villas on the Costa Blanca. “I spent two years saving up It comes as the paper was for this trip, and we just can’t contacted by new victims of afford to pay for new villa. Dream Villas Spain, following The kids are devastated.” last issue’s report on the plight We helped the family make of the Bolton family, who lost a police denuncia, after De€2,000 on a Moraira rental. leslie said she will lose ‘more Petra Deleslie, 42, has now than €12,000’ as flights were contacted us after losing already booked and her bank €6,000 booking a villa in Mo- were unable to claim their exraira later this year for her money back. tended family of 18. She showed the Olive Press We agreed to help after she emails asking Dream Vitold us she was ‘desperate’ llas Spain for a refund, after her losing after for a break

SEL-FISH JAVEA Town Hall has begun legal proceedings against the owner of a property who cut off public access to a heritage fishing ground in Balcon al Mar. The unknown owner, who has a luxurious four-storey villa overlooking Cala Ambolo, built a ‘stone staircase’ with ‘metal railings’ that cut access to the Llavadora del Pinet fishery. Councillor Isabel Bolufer said

NEWS

VOX’S top candidate for Benidorm mayor has been replaced

revelations he received a Socialist win

after A BRITISH for expat is being handed two-year prison sentence tigious British gong by the Queen a presfor her domestic violence in February services to tourists in Alicante. Candida Wright will receive an MBE 2018. for two years ago from the British banher charitable AmbassaPerez Brigido was work as an interpreter Davidparty THE socialist (PSOE) largest hospital in the Marina Alta, in dor to Spain. election,thedespite the ned will hold on on Though she is a professional to from the Valencian May 16. interpreter, government sentences sometimes two-year Candida often represents victims of in the upcoming The if58-year-old, sexual known as ‘Candy’, the regional elections, in Spain according being waived volunteered with HELP of Denia & has violence in Spanish courts for free, as well to a market research company. Mari- as offering financial support has no previous na Altaconthrough her since it launched in 1984. Sigma Dos accused revealed PSOE will charity. During that time she has helped victions. take between expats 29-30 seats, whito have through cancer, bereavement, bureaucra- “One of the hardest things is when someowas found Brigido Perez le the Popular ne comes to the desk saying ‘my husband Party (PP) will cy and court battles. ex-wife, his see its representation ‘repeatedly died and I don’t know what to do’,” fall abused’ from As the president expof the charity, she runs her threw 31 seats to 22-23. after he ‘shoved and the helphair desk at the Marina Salud hospital lained Candy, who lives in Ondara with But with the her her Spanish husband. Her two children, totalground, seats inpulled to the in Denia. Valencia’s Generalitat at 99, face’. “The punched her in the most exciting thing was the pink in- 35 and 25, live in Madrid and Valencia andneed PSOE will again respectively. While she to form dis- I was posted with the card vitation alsoa found The judge the words tal procedures, burials helps with hospicoalition to reach the absolute conned Brits abroad BP (Buckingham and repatriation, had Palace),” Candida told she’s often majority of 50 SCAM: Dream Villas Spain site graced seats. far-right politician called upon to just be a ‘helping theand Olive‘dePress. The poll suggests returns from 2014 to 2017. hand’ to someone in need. frequently the PSOE‘insulted’ will “I thought it meant British Petroleum at “You’re which ‘general manager’ Ro- There is no availablemake phone was who a pact meaned’ with Valencianist the woman, sometimes dealing with people first.” she joked. sella Alba Gutierrez has shut Compromis webthe stress who (17-18 on are one seats) cancer (the and patients, or need amputanumber The expat, who has lived in Spain left with post-traumatic left-wing populist Spain’s Companies House site has been disconnected) Podemos years, received a ‘Points of Light’ for 45 tions, and it just gives you a wonderful fe(6-7Alba award eling to think ‘I really helped seats). disorder. and reveals that Dream Villas and the name Rosella them today’.” MEETING QUEEN: The regional elections will fall Candida Spain, which is registered as Gutierrez appears nowhere on Mayin 26 the same day as the Digital Dream SL, was incor- the list of employees. European elections. porated in 2014 for ‘data pro- Another victim told the OliSee our election cessing and web hosting’. had on ve Press this week she guide page 6 Based in Carrer de la Fe, in as Palma, Mallorca, it filed tax

the Town Hall began proceedings after learning that the owner had intentionally reformed the stairs, closing access to the ancient site from Calle Samuel Adler. “These works represent a very serious attack on a heritage that corresponds to us all,” said a spokesperson for Jávea Oceanographic Research Institute (IROX).

CATCH THESE CONMEN

Swallow the bait

Wheely fast!

40, co-owner of Xabia’s Bikes, told the Olive Press. “I’m not sure they knew what they were doing as they knocked over a bike worth €12,000 and didn’t take it—which is great for us.”

April 25th - May 8th 2019

Gong for Candy!

booked a villa in Marbella a surprise getaway for four friends and five 18-year-old artists have scammed a daughters as a post-A Levels CON pensioner out of €300 British present. pretending to help him reSarah Adam, based in Lon- after money left at a cashpoint don, told us she is convinced cover last Saturday. Javea THE owners of ainbike she has also been scammed. are 77, was approaStokes, Brianshop not res-for witnesses The company has appealing a British families scammed out of ‘20-something’ two byof- in theft of €40,000 for ched of stock ponded to email requests the Sa- from thousands just one minute! Spanish men outside comment. EXCLUSIVE la Nau The theft at Xabia’s Cabo deholiday bank Bikes badell in onfake Coombes By Joshua Parfitt Meanwhile, DarrenMoraira saw ninePla bikes stolen he had left €20 in claiming Dream at 4am last Wednesday mor- A from Alicante-based thenwho thieves BRITISH family the cashpoint. The booked villa, in Moraira, before transning. Press Villa Spain told the Olive a week’swithdraw holiday on the Costa ferring the deposit. they couldn’t One of the in cashing bikes, claimed a Trek LR10, the fraudsters are was Blancaand were asked shocked to see She has now confirmed worth €13,000. cash themselves drawing that their villahis on his credibility and advertised card, as avai- her “Two thieves in andtoin re-insert Stokes pro- broke lable on a completely different overfamily have been scammed users from his legitimate just a minute and a half they the holiday due for June. which stole stole. website. nine bikes,” Martin “We were this close to leaving perty business website. Stadlhofer, Susan Bolton, 61, soon realised she had lost the ₤1,300 deposit when Dream Villas Spain, based in Mallorca, shut off all contact. The mother-of-two from the West Midlands had spent weeks finding the perfect holiday

Animal horror

A BRITISH expat called in police after finding a group of dogs chained in an abandoned house without food. Roger Ballantine contacted the Guardia the dogs while out walking near Orba. Civil after finding Ballantine had decided to investigate ‘pungent smell’ coming from the ruin. when he noticed a Inside he found scenes worthy of kept on short chains surrounded a horror film with dogs by trash and their own excrement. “It was despicable,” Ballantine told clear that farmers have chained thesethe Olive Press. “It is four dogs.”

Mystery suicide MYSTERY surrounds the apparent suicide of an elderly British resident on the Costa Blanca. The 84-year-old expat threw herself from a bridge in Javea after being seen ‘pacing frantically’ by the railings. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the Olive Press he saw the woman ‘peering over the edge’ after squeezing between a fence and a steel support pillar at one end of the bridge. It was about an hour before police were alerted to a suicide attempt over the dry Gorgos riverbed while children played on a nearby football pitch. “She was holding a white paper bag and kept looking in the bag and then leaning over the edge,” the neighbour told the Olive Press. “I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but I worried she spoke only Spanish and assumed she was feeding stray cats.”

Quickly

Just after 7pm last Tuesday another Spanish eyewitness revealed she had seen the woman jump from the eastern of two bridges on

the Avenida de Augusta. for our holiday that never existed,” Bolton told the Olive SCAM: Brit family caught by “I was walking to Mercadofake villa website Press. na when I saw her take off He told the Olive Press they tations’. “I knew we had been conned had chosen her shoes, climb the railing, when I contacted them regar- different the villa out of 780 The scam comes almost two and no more,” the homes for rent on the years since woman ding an airport pick up and got site. the Olive Press told the Olive Press. “It all exclusively no response. It made me beco- They only realised they had fake holidayexposed a string of happened so quickly.” me suspicious.” websites duping Three police been scammed cars and an She added the company is now port pick-up when an air- tourists coming to Spain. ambulance raced to the scenever arrived, In a series of not responding to any calls or and he investigations ne to retrieve caught a taxi to the the body. emails. property to find the bewilde- we found dozens of tourists Police confirmed the had been scammed millions of cause Meanwhile, celebrity chocola- red German. euros from the various sites, of death as suicide, while a te taster Angus Kennedy lost “What ₤5,000 when his family dis- case is I was different in our which illegally uploaded villa spokesperson for the Town was determined to get photos from Hall said the lady was Briticovered a German man living to the house, legitimate sites. and then contac- Among those sh and had lived in a block at the Mallorcan villa they had ted the scammed were press” booked through Dream Villas Olive Press. Angus told the British Rugby Union star of flats next to the river ‘for Spain. “I think many more have been Dean Schofield, who lost many years’. €50,000 on a fake villa in Ma- Neither police or the town Kennedy, from Kent, revealed duped and the scam could be llorca. that when the family arrived worth millions.” hall would reveal her name, Spain Dream Villas, who ope- suggesting it was this month, the owner, who The website proving he used to book rate as Digital Dreams gave his name as Klaus, was the trip, SL, de- problematic to contact her completely baffled and knew com, claimsdreamvillasspain. clined to comment. next of kin in the UK. its goal is to ‘crea- JWe were unable nothing about the rental or te your to contact None of the residents in the dream holiday expewebsite. rience and exceed your expec- anyone at Dream Villas Spain area by the bridge knew the as we went to press. octogenarian.

A WORLD CLASS INTERNATIONAL

SCHOOL LOCATED ON THE CUMBRE

A FRAUDULENT villa rental website that tricked British holiday952 147 834 makers out of thousands has finally shut down following an extensive AT LAST: Scammers Dreamvillasspain.com nailed after Olive Olive Press campaign this year. Press campaign (inset left), while (right) victim Angus and family Dreamvillasspain.com was behind countless tales of heartbreak as it It soon dawned on Angus he’d lost fielding calls concerning bogus seduced holidaymakers into pur- his €5,500 and urgently needed a rentals from Tenerife, to Marbella chasing villa rentals that never ex- place to stay with his wife and five and Moraira. One of the most heartisted. young children. breaking was from Petra Deleslie, The first case was reported by the “I think many more have been 42, and the collapse of her €6,000 Olive Press to the Guardia Civil in duped and the scam could be worth month-long villa rental on the Costa April when professional chocolate millions,” Angus told this paper at Blanca, booked for this October. taster Angus Kennedy turned up at the time. The mum-of-two from Kent was all a villa he had paid for in Mallorca. With mounting cases, this paper set to travel with 18 extended family He was met with bewildered Ger- made a collective denuncia at the members for a ‘much-needed break’ man owner, Klaus, had no following the death of her mother to Untitled-1.pdf 1 who 16/06/2017 15:36Guardia Civil in Moraira on behalf knowledge of ever putting his house of UK-based victims. lung cancer. up for rental. Soon after, the Olive Press was “My nephews and nieces were really looking forward to it as they have never been abroad,” Deleslie told the Olive Press. “I spent two years saving up for this trip, and I just can’t afford to pay for a new villa. The kids are devastated.” Deleslie added the cumulative loss of flights would cost her family €12,000 in total. Then there was Sarah Adams, who booked a surprise getaway to Malaga for four friends and their jointfive daughters as a Find out more on page XX post-A Levels present. Both Deleslie and Adams felt their stomDEL SOL IN BENITACHELL

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achs lurch as they read of the scam tactics of dreamvillasspain.com in the Olive Press. The way the scam operated was that prospective renters would receive an email from ‘general manager’ Rosella Alba Gutierrez offering discounts for up-front payments on respective villas. But once paid, Gutierrez would shut off all contact, as it turned out the company’s phone was a fake. For months nothing was heard - until a major UK news network got in touch saying the website had been shut down. The Olive Press can also reveal a second site - named and shamed in a separate article - is also no longer live. Travelvacationtour.com operated with exactly the same layout and houses as dreamvillasspain.com, and scammed Brit Donna Archer out of €5,500 for a Tenerife villa booked as a post GCSE gift to her son and his best mate in May. It is not yet clear if legal action has been taken against the companies, as both are listed as ‘active’ on Spanish Companies House. Guardia Civil could not comment before we went to press. Opinion Page 6

CRIME

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF Traffic calming A PALMA resident has been arrested for a hate crime after attacking a Nigerian worker when he refused to move traffic cones.

Nick of time SOME 1,800 counterfeit watches, valued at €100,000 on the black market have been seized by Guardia Civil in Alcudia before they could be put up for sale.

Bonnie and Clyde

Chaos ensues as ravers fight with police to keep the party going in Ibiza SOME 73 partygoers have been arrested in Ibiza after battling police when they attempted to raid an illegal rave. Around 200 revellers confronted the 40 officers, with 11 agents being injured. According to Guardia Civil and Policia Local, ravers attacked them with iron bars, bottles and rocks when they tried to break up the party on Sunday morning. One officer had to fire his gun in the air to stop himself being attacked at the

A 33-YEAR-OLD Spanish man and his Colombian girlfriend, 29, have been arrested for allegedly prostituting eight women in Alcudia.

Ocean tragedy A BOY, 17, has been found dead after snorkeling with his partner and an instructor in Punta de n'Amer.

Hands of crime

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Evacuate the dancefloor PARTY POOPERS: As police raid illegal woodland rave on party island

woodland site near Cala Comte, in the west of the White Isle.

“When officers arrived to tell them they had to leave and stop the music

Pyro-man-iac

SENIOR prosecutor Bartomeu Barcelo has become the latest victim of the socalled ‘Rolex gangs’ after his pricey watched was snatched off his wrist in the centre of Palma. The thief made off with the €8,000 accessory and jumped onto the back of a moped before being whisked off by his accomplice. The two Italians were later found and arrested by Policia Nacional.

A GERMAN expat has been arrested for allegedly starting three forest fires in Mallorca. The 45-year-old man was cuffed after being found near the flames in Esporles carrying lighters and barbecue firelighter blocks. Three fires were started intentionally near Son Quint in the previous 10 days, with witnesses describing seeing a man acting suspiciously before the flames appeared. He will face a judge.

ARSONIST: Caught

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because it was an illegal party in a protected area, they refused to do so, provoking police and even assaulting them and injuring several,” said Guardia Civil chief Enrique Gomez. Injuries to police were ‘non-serious’ and were treated by paramedics at the scene. Meanwhile a Spanish woman, 27, and Italian man, 30, were both hospitalised with broken bones. Police also seized several ‘dangerous dogs’ at the party and also reported that there were caravans there with foreign plates. At its height, around 1,000 ravers were believed to have been in the area.

High five FIVE British men and women have been arrested after police busted a cannabis ‘delivery service’. The three men and two women, aged 38 to 62, are being held in prison after 100kg of drugs, intended for the UK and other countries, was seized. Policia Nacional officers found a mix of 52kg of hash and weed, along with 51kg of vacuumpacked marijuana buds. Around €23,000 in cash was also recovered by police. The detainees are accused of running a Malaga-based courier service, which also distributed to Denmark, Poland and Sweden. According to police the Brit suspects would frequently change their rented cars and apartments to keep officers off the scent. In May 58kg of drugs were intercepted at a courier office, with another 17kg discovered in August.

Slashed in his sleep A WOMAN has been arrested for the attempted murder of her sleeping boyfriend after leading police to the knife she allegedly stabbed him with. The Spanish suspect, 41, is believed to have plunged a kitchen knife into the chest of the 51-year-old, also Spanish. Police arrived on the scene of the bloody attack in Mijas at around 00:40am after a neighbour reported a man and woman screaming.

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NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

Fairway to behave? Duke of York holed up in exclusive Spanish golf resort as he flees Epstein paedophile scandal

A ‘RELAXED’ Prince Andrew has indulged in a round of golf on Spain’s most expensive course as he dodges the sexual allegations swirling around him and his paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein. The Queen’s son was pictured teeing off at Real Club Valderrama, in Sotogrande, which costs €400 a round, not including a buggy. The Duke of York, 59, drove his black Range Rover to the exclusive golf spot, before stepping out in a light blue polo shirt and slacks to play nine holes, while accompanied by a bodyguard. Surrounded by his nearest and dearest - including ex-wife Sarah Ferguson - Andrew was also known to have been at a friend’s 50th birthday and dined at exclusive restaurants

Cancha Dos and Gigi’s Beach. Fergie is believed to have mostly stayed by the pool at the 350acre €41 million mansion the former couple are believed to be holed up in. It comes as the ‘panicking’ prince has sought to escape accusations over his alleged 17-year-old sex slave Virginia Roberts, who claims the royal slept with her three times. Flight records from the private jet of disgraced financier Epstein, who killed himself in his New York prison cell on August 10, appear to show the pair in the same location three times. But Buckingham Palace has defended Andrew as it said: “Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.” The Prince also defended him-

FLEEING: Andrew golfing self this week with the release of a new statement. It read: “I have said previously that it was a mistake and an error to see him [Epstein] after his release in 2010 and I can only reiterate my regret that I

EXCLUSIVE by Joshua Parfitt in Ibiza

Living like kings

BALMORAL BEATER: Ibiza Villa

THIS is the huge villa the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex stayed in while on a top secret trip to Ibiza, the Olive Press can reveal. Prince Harry and Meghan lived in pure luxury with baby Archie during their six-day excursion in Ibiza from August 6-11 at the €120,000-a-week Sa Calma villa, overlooking Porroig bay in the south of the island. The ultra luxurious property boasts a 50m infinity pool, seven bedrooms, its own gym, jacuzzi and private beach. Sources at the gated Vista Alegre urbanisation where Paul McCartney, David Guetta, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Gonzalo Higuaín have stayed confirmed the location to the Olive Press. Visitors to Sa Calma are provided with a house manager, waitress, live-in caretakers, housekeepers, a Range Rover with driver and night security guard. Yacht charters, beauticians, bartenders, nannies, masseurs, personal trainers and yoga instructors are available upon request.

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Paddy paddle CHRISTINE McGuiness has wowed beachgoers by showing off her incredible curves paddleboarding on holiday in Spain. The 31-year-old tried her hand at the water sport while enjoying a sun-soaked getaway to Mallorca. The mum of three looked every inch the beach babe as she took to the waves in a skimpy orange bandeau bikini. The two-day break comes as the former model celebrated her husband Paddy’s 46th birthday. While last month Christine admitted that her and Paddy were proud parents after their autistic children went on a plane for the first time.

was mistaken to think that what I thought I knew of him was evidently not the real person, given what we now know.” In a partnership with Sky News, the Olive Press is among the world’s media currently tracing Prince Andrew’s movements in Southern Spain.

In pursuit of a Prince

CHILLING: McGuinness on paddleboard

Jon Boat-Jovi THE Olive Press has been helping the national news networks to locate the UK’S Prince Andrew in Spain. Via our many contacts in Sotogrande we were able to help Sky News track his movements, while ‘on holiday’ with his ex wife Sarah Ferguson. OP Editor Jon Clarke was interviewed for the Sky News report while chauffeuring senior reporter Andrew Bowden around the luxury enclave.

JON Bon Jovi has stopped in Palma for a day while performing on the cruise ship the 'Norwegian Pearl'. The American rockstar was greeted by fans as he arrived at the docks. After stopping for pics, Bon Jovi boarded the ship and gave two concerts in the theatre after bad weather saw the concert moved indoors. The 57-year-old played for 2,400 people who boarded the unique Bon Jovi themed cruise, where tickets cost up to €5,000. Fans also had the chance to ask the singer their burning questions during a Q&A session.

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NEWS

Make way for Rafa RAFA Nadal has successfully courted officials at the Yacht Club of Porto Cristo and secured an expansive remodel so the marina can fit his new super-sized yacht. Nadal’s latest €5 million yacht is a 24-metre catamaran that is too large for the moorings at Porto Cristo, the closest place to dock near his tennis academy in Manacor. The agreed alterations will see a new berth built in order to accommodate the unusually wide 80 Power Sunrise catamaran which measures 12 metres across. Officials claim they did not know the remodel was intended to benefit the tennis star, but simply approved an application submitted by the yacht club.

Would you like to represent our award-winning media group? The Olive Press newspaper and website is currently looking to fill the following roles on the island:

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s then please If you have what it take tter to jon@ send CV and covering le s theolivepress.e

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Perilous skies

Military jet plunges into the sea off Spain days after a horrific mid-air collision over Mallorca claims the lives of a young German family A HELICOPTER and an ultralight plane have collided midair in Mallorca, killing seven people in the island’s ‘worst ever’ chopper crash. Passengers August Inselkammer Jr, his wife Christina and their two children Max, 11, and Sophie, nine, died instantly along with their pilot

Cedric Leoni. The crash took place near Inca, in the north of the Balearic island off the coast of mainland Spain. The two other victims, pilot Juan Jose Vidal and his friend Gustavo Serrano, were travelling in the ultralight plane -a small aircraft with a maximum of two seats. Inselkammer, a prominent German beer magnate, was heading to a birthday lunch with his family in Camp de Mar near Andratx when he died. Photos from the local fire service showed wreckage from the aircraft in the town. The tail section of one landed

WRECKAGE: After ‘worst ever’ chopper crash on a road, while another photo showed twisted and blackened metal on fire in a garden. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed ‘solidarity and sympathies’ with the victims. It comes as a Spanish military jet crashed into the sea off the coast of Murcia. The C-101 training aircraft was filmed by onlookers as

it hit the water at high speed near La Manga. The jet is believed to have been part of Spain’s Patrulla Aguila, an aerobatic display squadron similar to the Red Arrows. Commander Francisco Marin Nunez had managed to eject before the stricken plane crashed but the pilot’s body was later recovered from the water.

Sink or swim

THIS is the terrifying moment a woman was filmed abandoning her car on top of a submerged bridge in Mallorca. The clip shows the woman swim from her small car to the wall of the bridge before scaling along as water gushes over the edge. The footage was taken in Santanyi on August 27, when 98 litres of rainfall per square metre fell in just one hour. Dozens of cars were washed away in the flash floods, caused by a weather phenomenon where hot and cool air collides. The woman survived the ordeal.

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FEATURE

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Driving force

HILE recent statistics indicate that Spain’s drivers are among the safest drivers in the EU, this wasn’t always the case. A new survey by the Spanish Royal Automobile Club (RACE) shows that Spain has dropped to eighth for fatalities, bringing its deaths for every million people to 39, A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press while the European average is 51. Ten represents the huge expatriate community in Spain years ago, Spain’s road fatalities per milwith an estimated readership, including the websites, lion people were at 59. of more than 500,000 people a month. So what has lead to this marked improvement? According to the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT), Spain’s higher safety levels can be traced back to 2000, when the Pool peril country joined the European road safety strategy with the objective to reduce road THE news that a six-year-old and her parents had to face deaths by 50% by 2010. a three hour long ordeal after she became trapped in pool Since that date, there has been a reducfilter is terrifying. tion of over 53% in the number of deaths, There are simply hundreds of pools on the Costa del Sol making Spain a benchmark country for and this ‘accident waiting to happen,’ could easily happen the EU regarding drivers’ safety. again. This significant improvement, however, What is needed is proper checks by trained pool engineers did not come without detailed, coordinatwho understand the risks and potential dangers lurking below the water. ed changes enacted over time. In many urbanization, they leave this job to a gardener, Originally outlined in the Road Safety left in charge of the pool with little understanding of how Strategic Plan 2005-2008, the initiatives powerful these pumps can be. centered on enforcing compliance with Zara was lucky, imagine you’ve got long hair, you could be regulations and coordinating with Health, sucked in and that’s it, you’re dead. Education, and Public Works, among Gardeners are not qualified to maintain pools safely and other sectors, to holistically target every they should be trained. aspect affecting road safety. They need to be trained just like lifeguards. The changes were divided into eleven target groups: education and training, raising awareness and communication, STOP: Pulled over Spanish driver Trust lost compliance with regulations, health and road safety, vehicle safety, improved in- Regina Lankenau zooms in on why Spain’s ‘terrible THE poisoning of at least 51 people from just one restaufrastructure, the urban area, the com- drivers’ are no longer Europe’s worst on the roads rant is both shocking and scary. When you eat out in a restaurant, you trust the chefs and pany and professional transport, victims, staff to follow health and safety guidelines. research and knowledge management, Clearly something went horribly wrong at Dragon Sushi, and coordination and participation. DROP: The number of road traffic fawith the number of infected expected to rise. A new document was drawn up to deSushi may be delicious, but there is always a degree of talities in Spain from 2006 to 2017 scribe the areas of intervention and meadanger when eating raw fish. sures to be implemented in the 2011You can easily get sick from parasites, mercury ingestion 2020 period in order to make sure road or in this case food poisoning. safety was constantly progressing. The Remember that next time you flex your chopsticks over a updated goals are based upon five values spicy tempura shrimp or salmon rice roll. (green mobility, safety mobility, competiIt’s hard to imagine the restaurant recovering from such tive mobility, and healthy mobility) which a PR disaster, but let’s hope everyone affected has a full encompass the actions to reduce the recovery and are awarded appropriate compensation. socio-economic impact of road traffic accidents in the upcoming decade. While the road safety strategy spurred Publisher / Editor major progress, the fall in fatalities beJon Clarke tween 2003 and 2009 can also be attribjon@theolivepress.es uted to other contributing factors. Charlie Smith Laurence Dollimore In particular, there was an increased laurence@theolivepress.es charlie@theolivepress.es use in safety systems (the use of helmets increased by 25.9% and the use Timothy McNulty Joshua Parfitt of seatbelts increased by 20.6%) and a tim@theolivepress.es joshua@theolivepress.es decrease in alcoholic drink consumption (the percentage of drivers who died when Gillian Keller gillian@theolivepress.es cantly increase in the period 2010-2015; over the limit fell by 6%). According to surveys conducted by the Eu- the fear of stricter enforcement may lead ropean Road Safety Observatory (ERSO), to more drivers erring on the side of cauOffice manager Admin Distribution Héctor Santaella Beatriz Sanllehí ENQUIRIES tion on the road. Spain’s attitudes toward (+34) 658 750 424 (+34) 951 273 575 (+34) 951 273 575 The country’s formal inrisk-taking are also a facaccounts@ admin@ distribution@ spections of new and extor. Despite the general theolivepress.es theolivepress.es theolivepress.es belief, Spanish drivers are When it comes to isting roads, as well as the more supportive of stricter road safety, our monthly public road safety For all sales and advertising enquiries campaigns and compulspeeding limits and drinkplease contact 951 27 35 75 lower death toll sory driving education in driving legislation relative to drivers in other European shows how far we all Spanish primary schools have also helped raise countries. There is also a have come awareness on the imporNewsdesk higher perceived probability Head office tance of safe driving as a of being checked for speedCarretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio combined effort between ing and drunk-driving. In cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva fact, the number of speeding tickets per the government and its citizens. population and alcohol tests did signifi- Even the country’s infamous driver’s liDeposito Legal PM: 610-2017 cense points system, where points are demerited for different offences until the license is taken away, has been revamped. Pere Navarro, the chief of the traffic authority, announced steeper penalties LTD in the points system as one of his main goals in the summer of 2018. In particular, he wished to target mobile-phone use Removals UK-MALLORCA-UK weekly while driving -- one of the leading causes linked to death on Spanish roads. ‘When it comes to road safety, our indicator is very visible: the death toll. The figures set our path for us,’ he told El Pais, listing all the issues that could use Jason 07831 846528 improvement: ‘We need to do something about secondary roads, we need to do INFO: Driver Safety Strategic Plan from UK Office Jason something about motorcycles, we need to the government 01924 464 857 679 216 527 do something about cities, about distrac- order to reach below the 37 deaths per tions, about pedestrians.’ million inhabitants mark. Nonetheless, move@mallorcaexpress.com www.mallorcaexpress.com Clearly, while the country has seen a Spain’s initiatives continue to serve as significant decrease in driving fatalities, a positive model for other EU countries Based in West Yorshire Based in Palma several issues remain to be addressed in wishing to better their own roads. Voted top expat paper in Spain

OPINION

A EXPRESS REMO C R VA LO L LS A

www.theolivepress.es

FEATURE

August 30th - September 12th 2019

olive press online

Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website

TOP DOGS

LEAVE AND PROUD O UNMOVED: (Left to right) British expats Brent Maher, Rose Moore and Steve Dunne are still firmly in the Leave camp

Group of Brits in Spain say they would vote to leave the EU AGAIN as Brexit date looms ever closer EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

N the day Rose Moore voted to leave the European Union, she never thought it would be the last time she would speak to her son. But more than three years later, the 63-year-old expat, based in Alicante, has yet to hear from him. A graphic designer in London, he could not understand his mother’s point of view and has yet to forgive her for playing a part in the UK’s divorce from the union. While it ‘makes her sad’, the Doncaster mum-of-two does not regret her vote. “I still stand by my decision, no one has the right to tell me how to vote,” she told the Olive Press this week. Moore wants to see the bloc dismantled and said the union is ‘nothing more than a loan shark organisation’. And Brexit has turned her from a lifelong Labour activist to a Conservative supporter, something she said she ‘never thought would happen’. Moore added that ‘with age comes wisdom’ and while she dislikes the majority of the Tories, she has faith in Boris Johnson securing an ‘11th hour deal’. “If we go on no deal, the EU will suffer... it may be spread over the poorer countries , but they will feel it. “The EU talk tough, but EU countries, particularly club med, will have to make deals with us.” Moore said she is proud to be European but sees the EU as a ‘political dictatorship’. Her feelings are shared by Steve Dunne, 67, from Yorkshire, who moved permanently to Alicante some eight years ago. Dunne, who still owns property in the UK, believes the British economy will fair better on WTO terms and wants a nodeal exit despite the catastrophic forecasts made by a

THE Olive Press website has ascended into new heights this week as it entered the top 100,000 IN THE WORLD. It comes after months of repeatedly smashing our 1.5 million monthly hits record as readers from across Europe and the world continue to flock to the best English news site in Spain. From alleged Finnish drug traffickers to in depth cultural features on the history of flamenco, only the Olive Press offers truly original and entertaining content. And the figures show it, as we are now officially in the top 100,000 in the world, according to Alexa. com rankings. This week it places our site above all of our rivals, including thelocal.es and thinkspain.com - the latter of which has been running for almost 20 years. With an average 50,000 visitors a day from Spain, the UK, Gibraltar, Scandinavia, Germany and beyond, we can promise local businesses comprehensive exposure to tens of thousands of potential clients every week. This is a healthy mix of local expats, as well as thousands of wealthy tourists every day. Complemented by our 20,000 loyal Facebook followers and 7,000 Twitter fans, there are few people interested in Spain, who are not being reached. Why is YOUR BUSINESS still spending far too much on Google adwords and other inferior websites, magazines and newspapers, when the Olive Press GUARANTEES results? Send us an email today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 so we can find you a better, more effective way to market your business.

CONTROVERSIAL: Few Brits in Spain are for Brexit and Boris Johnson (bottom left)

host of experts. push towards a unified European armed Dunne, who has owned property in forces is repugnant,” he told this paper. Spain since the 1990s, added that the His fear comes despite the fact that any warnings were made ‘for such move could be vepolitical gain’ and that toed by a member of the he will have no qualms EU, killing it in its infancy, ‘I voted for in ditching the Tories for while the majority of memthe Brexit party if Johnson bers are strongly against the good of fails to deliver. the idea. our country, I The retiree added that Maher also added that he expats who voted Remain is opposed to the idea of am a patriotic mostly did so for ‘selfish an ‘ever closer union’ and Englishman’ reasons’. that the UK will be strong “I voted for the good of without the bloc. our nation… I am patriotic “I am convinced that the English not Spanish, though I do assimi- UK is mature enough to be able to be late as much as possible. a strong nation without having to check “I value the prospect of UK indepen- with Brussels first,” the 52-year-old dence.” said. While he admitted there could be “I would prefer to see a deal but the short-term economic impact, he add- Irish backstop MUST be removed. If ed: “I think that the Euro could be in they refuse to remove Irish backstop, danger and we could see a return then leave without a deal. to the days when Spain was a very “There will inevitably be a short term cheap place to be.” negative impact but I am sure that Brent Maher, meanwhile, who lives in would be counteracted. “Previous Catalunya with his partner Tony, also negative predictions have not come to has no regrets in voting to anything.” leave and would Moore, Dunne and Maher said the idea do it again. of a new referendum was ‘disgusting’ The former RAF and a ‘bad idea’ and that they would all engineer, who is fly back to vote Leave again. now a registered The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on nurse, said he detests October 31. the idea of an EU armed forces. Please send your views to news“As ex-armed forces, the idea and desk@theolivepress.es

LEADING THE WAY: Latest Alexa rankings from the Olive Press (above) and Think Spain (below)

The top three most read stories on www. theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

-‘Maniac’ ties hostage to balcony railing after ‘slitting his throat’ in front of horrified British expats and locals on Spain’s Costa del Sol (57,286)

Brexit will cost Spain tens 2- Noofdeal thousands of jobs, study warns (17,625)

- Marbella waiter so ‘disgusted’ by ‘slavelike’ treatment of workers on Spain’s Costa del Sol he moved to UK to be a lorry driver (13,827)

Visitors: 539,009

Page views: 610,885

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Blonde bombshell

BORIS Johnson has asked the Queen to suspend Parliament from mid-September, reducing time MPs have to block a no-deal Brexit. If the Prime Minister gets his way Parliament will lose a number of sitting days ahead of the UK’s scheduled departure from the EU on October 31. The move will shut down Parliament – known as prorogation – until October 14, when Johnson plans to set out his political agenda in a new Queen’s speech. The Prime Minister has denied the government’s aim was to deny opposition MPs the time to prevent no-deal, calling the allegation ‘completely untrue.’ “There will be ample time on both sides of the crucial EU summit on October 17 for MPs to debate the EU and Brexit,”

Johnson asks Queen to suspend Parliament in bid to force through no-deal Brexit

he said. It comes as senior Tory backbenchers and former cabinet members condemned the controversial constitutional move. Former chancellor Philip Hammond claimed it would be a ‘constitutional outrage if parliament were prevented from holding the government to account at a time of national crisis.’ While Liberal Democrat MP Chuka Umunna, a leading Re-

EXPATS and locals are demanding answers after garbage has been allowed to pile up in severa towns over the summer, causing a stench. Alaro, Buger and Selva have been hit the worst after the company contracted to pick it up has allegedly been skipping days. Binissalem, Campanet, Consell, Mancor and Santa Maria are all also experiencing a lack of garbage pickups. The towns have now come together to demand written statements explaining why the bins are not being collected. “Some villages have had real problems,” said the mayor of Consell Andreu Isern. “We know one truck broke down, but the problem is bigger and we are waiting on infor-

Double trouble BORIS: UK PM gets royal approval for plan to leave EU by Halloween deadline mainer, has accused Johnson of ‘behaving like a tin-pot dictator.’ MPs return to Parliament on September 2 after their summer break giving those opposed to the move around a

Where you bin?

mation,” the mayor continued. Alaró has been having garbage collection issues since June, which became a huge issue during the town’s popular Sant Roc festival. “The company has promised an improvement on collecting rubbish, but we have yet to see the results,” said Alaró mayor Llorens Perelló. Some bins, especially’ the glass recycling igloos, are going four or days between pickups. A meeting is planned with all the mayors and the company responsible, and residents in the affected towns are urged to report any unpicked up rubbish bins.

week to pass legislation blocking a no-deal Brexit. It comes as a leaked internal UK government report detailed how a no-deal could spark chaos for British expats and Gibraltar cross-border workers. The secret Yellowhammer documents suggest that British citizens travelling to the EU in the aftermath will be limited to 90-day stays and subject to tighter passport checks. The Yellowhammer papers also claimed Gibraltar was ‘underprepared’ for Britain leaving without a deal. This includes claims that ‘the imposition of checks at [Gibraltar’s] border with Spain’ will disrupt the supply of goods, including food, medicine and the shipment of waste.

FIRES neary luxury villas and on a superyacht have left holidaymakers in the Balearic Islands shellshocked. The ‘D’Anglaterre’ boat, carrying 15 people, erupted into flames at es Trenc in Mallorca before it was towed and sank five miles south of Cabo Blanco. Dramatic footage captured by shocked holidaymakers showed huge clouds of black smoke billowing from the burning boat. A fuel tank was recovered from the vessel, although authorities confirmed there had not been an oil spill. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but all 15 passengers, tourists and crew onboard were evacuated without injury. Meanwhile three terrified families in Ibiza had to be evacuated from their homes after another huge blaze broke out in a popular tourist area. In Sant Antoni de Portmany huge clouds of black smoke rose as a fire in Cala de Bou torched three acres of land when two gas canisters exploded. The inferno next to Calle Granada then spread to Calle Jaen, with the fire fuelled by other combustible products stored at the site. A total of 26 firefighters responded to the incident, along with four fire engines, two hydroplanes and three helicopters. Terry Lewis, 45, from Manchester, was on holiday with his two sons aged 13 and 11 and said they were ‘massively’ scared by the incident. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire.

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LA CULTURA

How to enjoy Santa Ponsa’s most exciting 10-day festival

WINNER: Rosalia

Catalan queen ROSALIA has become the first Spanish artist to win an MTV Music Award. The 25-year-old Catalan won the Best Latino Video award for her song Con Altura with J Balvin and El Guincho. “I come from Barcelona,” she said in her acceptance speech at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. “Thank you for inviting me to sing on this stage in Spanish.” The Bagdad singer also lit up the stage at the ceremony as she performed Tu x Mi, Yo x Ti with Ozuna, in which she sung a capella. It was the first time the pair has performed the hit song together, while Rosalia wrapped up her night by singing Aute Cuture. Around 20,000 people attended the 36th edition of the MTV Video Music Awards. Other winners included US star Taylor Swift, who bagged Video of the Year for her tune You Need to Calm Down. Artist of the Year went to Ariana Grande, while Billie Eilish was Best New Artist.

SANTA Ponsa celebrates its biggest party of the year with the Rei en Jaume festival from August 29 to September 8. Calvia celebrates the medieval festival to remember the successful landing and conquering of the Moors in Mallorca by King Jaume I in 1229. Dozens of cultural activities, concerts and markets fill the festival with something for everyone. The evening of September 3 will see a spectacular Correfoc – the traditional fire parade with devils, demons and plenty of fleeting flames. The following day the town hosts a viewing of the film Bohemian Rhapsody outdoors on the beach. Starting on Sep-

Do you have a what’s on?

Send your information to newsdesk@theolivepress.es

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Medieval memories

what’s on

PALMA'S outdoor cinema is winding down for the summer with films playing in front of the Cathedral through September 8, including Call Me By Your Name in English on September 3.

PARTY: With Mallorcan giants, fire parade and battle re-enactments tember 5 a Medieval market Sporting events, art shows, can giants fill the days while will fill the promenade on the competitions and parades concerts, DJ’s and dancing seafront by noon every day. featuring the famous Mallor- entertainment fill the evenings. The main event is on SatA TINY village has been left urday, September 7 as the shocked after a 4,000-year-old town re-enacts the victorious ‘Spanish Stonehenge’ seemed to battle on the beaches of Santa rise out of the ground like magic. Ponsa. Dressed in medieval For residents in Peraleda de la clothes and holding wooden Mata, a village of just 1,400 inswords the town battles it out habitants, the ‘miraculous’ event in celebration of King Jaume confirms a local legend about I. buried treasure in the area. The following day the streets In reality, this summer’s baking will fill with colours as paints heat caused the water level of and powders are thrown the Valdecañas swamp in Exabout during the Indian-intremadura to recede more than spired Holi celebrations that usual, thus exposing the historic begin at 6 pm. site of Guadalperal. It was subThe event ends with a vivid merged when General Franco firework show over the beach built a dam in the area in 1963. UNEARTHED: Ancient sun temple emerges on Sunday at 10:30 pm.

‘Spanish Stonehenge’

inema a la Fresca

op view

HOUR-LONG guided tours of the Cathedral terraces have begun, included special visits to the bell tower, walks around the flying buttresses and spectacular views, Monday through Saturday until October 31.

ater war

A WATERFIGHT to end all water-fights is set for September 1 at Palma's Parc de la Mar to remember a decades-long family feud from the 1500's – wear red or yellow and bring a water pistol.

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LETTERS

August 30th - September 12th 2019 Check out our issues online at www.theolivepress.es

FErgie time Readers react to the news that Prince Andrew and Fergie have escaped to the Costa del Sol amid revelations about his disgraced paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein (Online, August 15)

In Andalucia Issue 325 OLIVE PRESS

Still a be-leaver!

The Mijas Costa FREE

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voice in Spain

The British expats who are proBrexit and proud SEE PAGE 7

Vol. 13 Issue 325 www.theolivepress.es August 28th - September 10th 2019

TWIST OF FATE Spain battered by tornadoes and hail in series of weather phenomenons

SUFFERER: Of hypertrichosis

Howler!

CASES of ‘werewolf syndrome’ have grown after 16 children were given contaminated medication on the Costa del Sol. Infants developed hypertrichosis excessive body hair growth - after taking omeprazole which had been contaminated by minoxidil – the active ingredient for alopecia medication.

Some 13 babies had initially been diagnosed with the condition before three more cases linked to the tainted drugs were discovered earlier this month. Officials believe the contamination could have affected up to 30 Andalucian pharmacies and more than 50 batches of the drug. Malaga-based pharmaceutical company Farma-Quimica Sur SL has been found to be the source of the batch. The affected batch is from 11072/10/42 and most have been lot called while any missing packets reare being tracked down. Parents have been advised to seek medical help if their child has been given the formula and check with their pharmacy if they have purchased affected lot. Hypertrichosis, known an as ‘werewolf syndrome’, is a rare condiCHAOTIC: (Top right) tornado tion characterised by excessive hair of goats and (right) lightning in Malaga which killed dozens growth anywhere on a person’s body. while (above left) cars swept strikes across eastern Spain Those with the condition have historiby rapids south east of Madrid and (above right) a huge hailstone cally been subject to great interest which fell in the Castilla La Mancha region in somes cases forced to performand travelling circuses and freak shows. in Spanish authorities have said this in- TORNADOES, rivers of hail and fero- six warehouses cident is isolated to children’s formula destroyed. cious storms and that adults taking omeprazole cap- this week have struck across Spain The weather phenomenon was caused rapids after 40 litres of hail fell per in a series of frightening by colliding square sules should not worry about devel- weather incidents. winds, a process known as Spain’s metre in just 10 minutes. meteorological agency AEMET DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles oping symptoms. When the children Campillos recorded more than 9,300 lightning stopped taking the prescription their tornadoes in Malaga saw several huge Altos). destroy power lines and strikes in six hours. hair growth subsided. root olive trees, causing blackouts up- This is similar to the famous gota fria The hail storm caused and - or cold drop - according to warnings to residents to stay in their local mete- ing in several villages serious floodsouth east of the orologist Jose Luis Escudero. homes. capital, with Arganda, Opinion Page 6 Some 70 goats were killed and at least It came as the streets of Arganda, near Pinto among the worst Valdemoro and hit. Madrid, were turned into ferocious Parts of the M40 and M30 motorways were cut off while lines 5 and 9 of the metro were also affected. According to meteorologist Benito Fuentes, strong storms are common in August. “The rain has been fairly heavy but it is not unusual for this time of the year. At the end of summer, the atmosphere is unstable, which causes air streams to collide. This leads to quite strong rainfall and storms,” he said.

At least 50 vehicles were damaged in Arganda alone while several vineyards were also completely destroyed. Residents, who had been sweltering temperatures close to 38C the day in fore, were forced to shovel hail outbeof their homes and businesses. “The storm started around 6pm only lasted about 10 minutes but and caused a disaster,” one local said. has “I have been living here for 20 years and have never seen anything like it.” One shop owner says his premises looks like it has taken a tonne of and said there are scenes of chaoshail as businesses are totally flooded. Meanwhile, Valencia saw a huge storm light up the skies last night while its whole coast has been placed on orange alert for strong winds and rain. The Balearics too, were struck by August downpours yesterday, causing severe flooding in Mallorca and Ibiza - the latter of which saw sewage pipes burst, sending human waste into the Port of Ibiza.

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RED, WHITE AND PROUD

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August 28th - September 10th 2019 Vol. 4 Issue 104 www.theolivepress.es As Brexit tensions reach boiling point, John Culatto explores why this Gibraltar National Day could be the Rock’s most significant one yet

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ET ready for the biggest party of the year when Gibraltar declares it is red, white and free. There is no better time to see the Rock in all its vibrant character and colour than National Day at Casemates Square. Every year since September 10, 1992 the people of Gibraltar have assembled to show their desire to be British and defy

Spanish aggression. With Brexit tensions running high, this latest National Day is bound to be bigger than ever. Gibraltar has always stood by Britain throughout its 300-year history. National Day is a celebration of what TheContinues overleaf

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Defence of MINISTRY workers could soon receive similar wages to civil servants on the Rock. It comes after Chief Minister Fabian Picardo backed the union pay claim, saying he would bring it up with ministers in London. Picardo pledged his ‘full support’ for all MoD employees against what he called UK ‘austerity’. "It is remarkable that it is now those working as locally employed civilians in the Ministry of Defence, who are being negatively impacted by UK austerity as they have been,” said Picardo. “Historically, Gibraltar has really turned a corner when we see our people having to seek parity of wages with Gibraltar Government salaries, and not the other way around as was the case almost 40 years ago.”

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Fallen

He was referring to the fight for wages parity led by the founder of his party the to ‘get radical’ GSLP, Sir Joe Bossano. (far right) tell Picardo (left) border queues sees Keith Azopardi The Chief Minister gave Report warning of four-hour special mention to Gibral- LEAKED: tar Defence Police officers and the soldiers of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. A Government spokesperson said that the ‘real pay of these individuals has fallen very significantly’. “The impact of this gap in Gibraltar has been even worse considering our outstanding economic growth during the same period,” said the Government. Picardo said: “We will fully By John Culatto support our colleagues in all sectors of MoD employment in Gibraltar in their claims of queuing to get for better remuneration and FOUR hours in and out of Gibraltar could terms and conditions.” criticism in a no-deal Brexgiven how those It followed Opposition The main Gibraltar union, be the norm will create cannot be especially that not enough was being done Unite, is leading the charge it scenario. of the many stark revealed the document was the EU issues would affect frontier to plan for what many fear could underestimated or indeed re- flow.” along with the Gibraltar That’s one predicted in the published on August 1. solved by a new arrangement The Government hopes the bring Gibraltar to a standstill. General Clerical Associa- warnings But Picardo has been quick to leaked Yellowhammer docu- dismiss the claims as ‘plan- that anyone is able to negoti- ‘Memorandums of Under- “It is obvious we should be plantion. Brexit,” prepared by the UK ate. last year ning hard for a no-deal Azoparcase scenarios.’ “I will raise this issue myself ment, Keith in the case of a ning for worstwill not be a bed “We have repeatedly stated standing’ signed ‘a non-legally said GSD Leader with ministers in London," government “I maintain it are working with the could become said Picardo, who regularly no-deal. Chief Minister Fa- of roses,” the Gibraltar Gov- that we Kingdom and Spain binding basis’ for a no-deal di. “The election of Boris Johnson United in a statement. meets with top UK Govern- Although scenario. declared the leak ernment said has brought that prospect much to address a no-deal situation, ment representatives in the bian Picardo “The many problems leaving closer. was ‘out of date’, it was later UK capital. “The Government needs to invest more time and resources on no-deal planning and do so in a much more radical way. “Time will tell whether those preparations have been effecLettings | Sales tive.” highreport The Yellowhammer ALL AREAS Investments UK BASED lights the risk of disruption to COVERED the supply of goods, including Relocations Reliable private hire transfer food, medicine and the ship4G UNLIMITED services for any occasion Commercial ment of waste. • Luxury vehicles and Residential INTERNET Picardo added: “As a respon• Door to door service sible Government, we plan for IDEAL FOR STREAMING TV for Spanish Tel: +350 200 44955 • Airport collections the worst case scenarios, even enquiries@seekerspropertygibraltar.com • Weddings transport ALSO IPTV, residents though we are confident they • Sightseeing day trips SATELLITE TV will not occur.” • Restaurant shuttles With Gibraltar being on the EU’s www.globelink.co.uk most southern frontier, delays 10 Engineer Lane, Find out more at: substantial. be to likely are 1AA GX11 www.simply-shuttles.com Gibraltar The UK is expected to leave tel: 951 279 117 96 626 5000 tel: (0034) 952 763 840 www.seekerspropertygibraltar.com the EU on October 31.

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Opposition urges Gibraltar to ‘get radical’ as leaked report warns of four-hour border queues

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FLOG IT: Mark Stacey in Javea

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RAID your jewellery boxes and plunder the garage because Flog It! is coming to the Costa Blanca! Mark Stacey, renowned British auctioneer, will be in Javea on September 14 to value your trinkets and even give you a juicy offer. The TV personality has appeared on Bargain Hunt, Flog it!, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Antiques Road Trip - but this trip the will be raising funds for charity Guardian Angels.

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VICTORY! Vol. 1 Issue 12 www.theolivepress.es August 29th - September 11th 2019

Rental websites which scammed British holidaymakers out of thousands FINALLY shut down following Olive Press exposes

CRIME

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mother to lung cancer a few years ago. “My nephews and nieces were really looking forward to it as they have never been abroad,” Deleslie told the Olive Press. “I spent two years saving up for this trip, and we just can’t afford to pay for new villa. The kids are devastated.” We helped the family make a police denuncia, after Deleslie said she will lose ‘more than €12,000’ as flights were already booked and her bank were unable to claim their money back. She showed the Olive Press emails asking Dream Villas Spain for a refund, after

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THE Olive Press is helping victims take legal action against a holiday rental company that scammed holidaymakers thousands for rental villas on the Costa Blanca. It comes as the paper was contacted by new victims of Dream Villas Spain, following last issue’s report on the plight of the Bolton family, who lost €2,000 on a Moraira rental. Petra Deleslie, 42, has now contacted us after losing €6,000 booking a villa in Moraira later this year for her extended family of 18. We agreed to help after she told us she was ‘desperate’ for a break after losing her

Introducing News Editor Laurence Dollimore and Reporter Joshua Parfitt

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May 9th - May 22nd 2019

Dream Killas The Olive Press helps victims take action following skyrocketing reports of holiday rental scam

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VOX’S top candidate for Benidorm mayor has been replaced after revelations he received a A BRITISH two-year prison sentence for expat is being handed tigious British gong a presdomestic violence in February services to tourists by the Queen for her in Alicante. 2018. Candida Wright will Davidparty Perez Brigido was ban- work receive an MBE for two years THE socialist her charitable ago (PSOE) will hold on ned the election,thedespite largest hospital inas an interpreter in dor to Spain. from the British Ambassato from the Valencian the Marina Alta, on government May 16. two-year Though she is a professional in the sentences sometimes regional elections, upcoming The if58-year-old, interpreter, Candida waived in Spain the according to a marketbeing volunteered with known as ‘Candy’, has violence often represents victims of sexual research company. HELP of in Spanish has no previous Sigma Dos accused na Altaconsince it launched in Denia & Mari- as offering financialcourts for free, as well revealed PSOE will 1984. victions. support through take between During that time 29-30 seats, whiher she has helped expats charity. le the Popular through Perez Brigido was found to have cancer, bereavement, “One of the hardest Party (PP) will things is when someobureaucra- ne comes see its representation cy and court battles. ‘repeatedly his ex-wife, fall abused’ to the desk from 31 seats to 22-23. As the president died and I don’t knowsaying ‘my husband after he ‘shoved and the threw her of the charity, she But with the total what to do’,” runs helphair desk at the Marina seats inpulled to the ground, her Salud hospital lained Candy, who lives in Ondara expValencia’s Generalitat in Denia. her Spanish husband. with at 99, and punched her in the face’. PSOE will again Her two children, “The most exciting thing 35 and 25, live in to form Madrid and Valencia SCAM: Dream Villas Spain site conned Brits abroad coalition to reach Theneed judge alsoa found the card dis- I was postedwas the pink in- respectively. vitation the absolute While she helps with with the words majority of 50 BP (Buckingham graced had tal procedures, burials hospiseats. far-right politician Palace),” Candida which ‘general manager’ Ro- returns from 2014 to 2017. The poll suggests and theand told she’s often Olive‘dePress. frequently the PSOE‘insulted’ called upon to just repatriation, will sella Alba Gutierrez has shut There is no availablemake phone “I thought it meant a pact meaned’ be a ‘helping hand’ to someone with Valencianist the woman, who was British Petroleum Compromis first.” Spain’s Companies House number (the one on the web- (17-18 at “You’re sometimesin need. she joked. seats) and left with post-traumatic stress dealing with people left-wing populist The expat, and reveals that Dream Villas site has been disconnected) who are cancer patients, who has Podemos (6-7 seats). disorder. years, received a lived in Spain for 45 tions, and or need amputaSpain, which is registered as and the name Rosella ‘Points of Light’ award it just gives The Alba regional elections eling to think ‘I really you a wonderful fewill Digital Dream SL, was incor- Gutierrez appears nowhere helped them today’.” on Mayin 26 the same day as fall MEETING QUEEN: the porated in 2014 for ‘data pro- the list of employees. European elections. Candida cessing and web hosting’. Another victim told the OliSee our election Based in Carrer de la Fe, in ve Press this week she guide had Palma, Mallorca, it filed tax booked a villa in Marbella as on page 6 a surprise getaway for four friends and five 18-year-old daughters as a post-A Levels CON artists have scammed a present. British pensioner out of €300 Sarah Adam, based in Lon- after pretending to help him redon, told us she is convinced cover money left at a cashpoint she has also been scammed. THE owners of ain Javea last Saturday. bike shop are The company has appealing not res-for witnesses Brian Stokes, 77, was approaa British theft of €40,000 families scammed ponded to email requests for ched byof- in two ‘20-something’ of stock just one minute! Spanish out of comment. thousands men outside the Sa- from The theft at Xabia’s Meanwhile, DarrenMoraira Coombes badell Bikes bank Cabo de la Nau in onfake EXCLUSIVE saw nine bikes stolen from Alicante-based Dream By Joshua Parfitt Pla claiming he had leftholiday €20 in at 4am last Wednesday mor- A ning. Press Villa Spain told the Olive the cashpoint. The thieves thenwho BRITISH family booked a week’swithdraw of the in the fraudsters are One cashing they couldn’t bikes, claimed holiday on the Costa villa, in Moraira, before transa Trek LR10, wasdrawing ferring the deposit. Blancaand worth €13,000. wereasked on his credibility and cash themselves shocked “Two thieves broke their villa advertised to see She has now confirmed users from his legitimate pro- Stokes in andtoin re-insert card, as avaithat just a minute lable on ahis completely different her family have been scammed and a half they perty business website. stole stole. nine bikes,” Martinwhich over the holiday website.

Socialist win

Gong for Candy!

April 25th - May 8th

2019

Mystery suicide

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MYSTERY surrounds the apparent suicide of an elderly British resident on the Costa Blanca. The 84-year-old expat threw herself from a bridge in Javea after being seen ‘pacing frantically’ by the railings. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, Olive Press he saw told the man ‘peering over the woafter squeezing the edge’ between a fence and a steel pillar at one end support of the bridge. It was about an hour before police were alerted to a suicide attempt over the dry Gorgos riverbed while children played football pitch. on a nearby “She was holding paper bag and kept a white in the bag and then looking leaning over the edge,” the neighbour told the Olive “I wanted to ask Press. she was doing, her what rried she spoke but I wonish and assumedonly Spafeeding stray cats.” she was

A FRAUDULENT villa rental website that tricked British holidaymakers out of thousands has finally shut down following an extensive Olive Press campaign this year. Dreamvillasspain.com was behind countless tales of heartbreak as 952 147 834 “Six years ago Mark came over it we had over 400 people through and seduced holidaymakers into purdoor,” Sue Nutbrown, president the chasing villa rentals that never ex- AT LAST: Scammers Dreamvillasspain.com nailed after Olive Press campaign (inset left), Guardian Angels, told the Olive Press.of isted. while (right) victim Angus and family “If your items are worth something, The first case was reported by the his €5,500 and urgently Mark will make you an offer and then Olive Press to the Guardia Civil in place to stay with his wifeneeded a the Costa Blanca, booked for this an email from ‘general April when professional chocolate and five October. manager’ livestream you its auctioning back young children. Rosella Alba Gutierrez offering disin taster Angus Kennedy turned up The mum-of-two from the UK.” a villa he had paid for in Mallorca.at “I think many more have been set to travel with 18 Kent was all counts for up-front payments on extended fam- respective villas. He was met with bewildered Ger- duped and the scam could be worth ily members for a ‘much-needed But once paid, Gutierrez millions,” Angus told this paper man owner, Klaus, who had Help at break’ following the death would no the time. of her shut off all contact, as it turned mother to lung The charity afternoon will take place knowledge of ever putting his house With mounting the company’s phone was a fake.out cases, this paper “My nephews cancer. up for rental. at the Palacio de la Paz, 20 Calle de and nieces were real- For made a Salvia, and floggers will be charged la It soon dawned on Angus he’d lost Guardia collective denuncia at the ly looking forward to it as they have untilmonths nothing was heard €5 Civil in Moraira on behalf never a major UK news network for a valuation. been abroad,” Deleslie told got in touch saying the website had of UK-based the Olive Press. Guardian Angels operates from Ganbeen victims. “I spent two years saving up for this The shut down. dia down to Torrevieja guiding famiOlive Press Soon after, the trip, and I just lies, particularly expat Brits, through can’t afford to pay second site - namedcan also reveal a Olive and shamed Press for a new villa. The kids separation and divorce. are devas- separate article - is also no longer in a was fielding tated.” live. “Our work is so important. In the Travelvacationtour.com operated UK calls concern- Deleslie added families tend to have aunts and uncles the cumulative with loss exactly the same layout and ing bogus rent- of flights would around for support, but in a foreign als from Tener- €12,000 in total. cost her family houses as dreamvillasspain.com, country situations can get complicatand scammed Brit ife, to Marbella Then there was ed,” Sue said. Sarah Adams, who out of €5,500 for Donna Archer and Moraira. booked a surprise a Tenerife villa “We try to help in any way we can.” getaway to Malbooked as a post GCSE gift to her One of the aga for four friends Sue said the event six years ago raised and their joint- son and his best mate most in May. heart- five daughters as a post-A €6,000, which went to everything Levels It is not yet clear if legal action breaking was present. has from ‘counselling’ to ‘medical care’ been taken against and from Petra De- Both Deleslie and ‘repatriation’. Pianists Lola SmolokowAdams felt their as both are listed the companies, leslie, 42, and stomachs lurch ski will appear ‘jingling the keys’, while as they read of the Spanish Companies as ‘active’ on The British expats who are pro- the House. collapse scam tactics of animal shelters and children’s charities of her €6,000 com in the Olive dreamvillasspain. Guardia Civil could not comment Brexit and proud SEE PAGE 7 would also be on site. before we went to press. m o n t h - l o n g The way the scamPress. operated was that villa rental on prospective renters would receive Opinion Page 6 SEL-FISH

Contact them with any stories or news on 951 273 575 or email newsdesk@theolivepress.es

(Personal contacts on page 6)

JAVEA Town Hall has begun legal proceedings against the owner of a property who cut off public access to a heritage fishing ground in Balcon al Mar. The unknown owner, who has a luxurious four-storey villa overlooking Cala Ambolo, built a ‘stone staircase’ with ‘metal railings’ that cut access to the Llavadora del Pinet fishery. Councillor Isabel Bolufer said

Stadlhofer, 40, co-owner of Xabia’s Bikes, told the Olive Press. “I’m not sure they they were doing knew what as they knocked over a bike worth €12,000 and didn’t take it—which is great for us.”

Quickly

Just after 7pm last another Spanish Tuesday eyewit-

ness revealed she due “We were this close for June. Susan Bolton, 61, the woman jump had seen from the she had lost the soon realised for our holiday to leaving eastern of two that never bridges on sit when Dream ₤1,300 depo- existed,” Bolton told the Avenida de Augusta. the Olive SCAM: Brit family based in Mallorca,Villas Spain, Press. caught by fake “I was walking to shut off all “I knew villa website He told the Olive contact. we had Press na when I saw herMercadowhen I contactedbeen conned had chosen the villa out they tations’. The mother-of-two take off her shoes, climb West Midlands had from the ding an airport pickthem regar- different homes for rent of 780 The scam comes almost the railing, up and got on the years spent wee- no response. ks finding the perfect since the Olive two and no more,” the woman It made me beco- site. Press told the Olive holiday me suspicious.” They only realised exclusively exposed Press. “It they had fake a been scammed She added the company holiday websitesstring of happened so quickly.” all duping Three police is now port pick-up when an air- tourists coming not responding to cars never arrived, to Spain. any calls or and he In a series of investigations ambulance raced and an emails. caught a property to find taxi to the we found dozens ne to retrieve the to the sceMeanwhile, celebrity the bewilde- had of tourists chocola- red German. te taster Angus Police confirmed body. been scammed millions the cause of of death euros from the ₤5,000 when hisKennedy lost “What was different as suicide, while various a covered a German family dis- case is I was determinedin our which illegally uploaded sites, spokesperson for the Town at the Mallorcan man living to the house, and then to get photos from legitimate villa Hall said the lady was Britibooked through villa they had ted the press” Angus contac- Among those scammedsites. Dream Villas Olive told the British were sh and had lived in a block Spain. Press. Rugby of flats “I think many more Dean Schofield, Union star many next to the river ‘for Kennedy, from Kent, who lost years’. that when the familyrevealed duped and the scamhave been €50,000 on a fake villa could be llorca. in Ma- Neither police or the arrived worth millions.” this month, the town hall would reveal Spain gave his name asowner, who The website he used to book rate asDream Villas, who ope- suggesting it washer name, completely baffled Klaus, was the trip, dreamvillasspain. Digital Dreams SL, proving de- problematic to contact clined nothing about the and knew com, claims its goal her is to ‘crea- JWe to comment. rental or te your next of kin in the website. were unable dream holiday expeUK. rience and exceed anyone at Dream to contact None of the residents in your expec- as Villas Spain area by we went to press. the bridge knew the the

Animal horror

A BRITISH expat dogs chained in ancalled in police after finding a group of Roger Ballantine abandoned house without food. the dogs while outcontacted the Guardia Civil after finding walking near Orba. Ballantine had decided ‘pungent smell’ coming to investigate when he noticed a from the ruin. Inside he found scenes worthy of kept on short chains a horror surrounded by trash film with dogs excrement. and their own “It was despicable,” clear that farmers Ballantine told the Olive Press. have chained these “It is four dogs.”

Round and round in circles

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Fergie must be happy. Epstein paid off her debts so at least she won’t have to pay him back. I would question why he gave her money and why Andrew has his hands around a child’s waist in a photo with Maxwell, who acted as the handler. Lisa Marie Leake, Marbella

No place to hide There is no hiding place if your card is marked. I hope for his mother's sake he's not in the frame, but it’s not looking good. Paul Rush, Torrevieja

Web of lies Epstein didn't commit suicide. He was conveniently murdered because he knew too much. Too many people were involved, beginning with the psycho who lives (but doesn't work) in the White House. Luis Jorge Caminos Malgor, Ibiza

Off with their heads Dodgy Royals...there should only be one king or queen, plus a consort and the next in line. All the others should fester in their own poop and reap what they sow and all that malarkey. John Rose, Milton Keynes

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

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DO-GOODER: Gere meets migrants

I’ve been driving here for 15 years now (Spanish among best drivers, Issue 324, pg 1). I have numerous licences and have taken nine tests including motorcycle and commercial vehicles. This is not due to failure. Some of the things you see here defy logic. Somebody on Facebook the other day said it’s ok to go all the way round a roundabout in the outside lane. Ok, take a two-lane approach and a two-lane exit. There are two vehicles approaching. The right-hand vehicle wants to turn left. The left-hand vehicle wants to go straight ahead. This is a recipe for a T-bone and I’ve seen a few of those. I don’t know what it is about the Spanish and roundabouts. I was a commercial driving instructor and to teach roundabouts we used a model roundabout. A roundabout is nothing more than a road junction. Take the roundabout away and you shouldn’t treat a junction any differently. My rant is over.

octogenarian.

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Such barbarity can never be called culture (Fascist song played at first bullfight in Spain’s Mallorca since 2017 ban, while hundreds protest, online, August 12). It’s cruel and outdated in the modern world, especially in a country that prides itself on being at the heart of Europe.

Questions abound

In Gibraltar Issue 104

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RICHARD Gere has highlighted the plight of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean after the Hollywood star boarded a Spanish rescue ship. The actor met some of the 160 migrants trapped aboard the NGO boat, Proactiva Open Arms. The vessel has been stuck for two weeks off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The 69-year-old, who became a father with his Spanish wife earlier this year, appeared in a video message urging people to support the charity and the people onboard. Gere said he spoke to almost everyone

Heir miles

There is one world, one human race and no borders (Top Gere, Issue 61, pg Shining 3).bright Every time a celebrity does something good the closet racists come out. I don’t care how many rooms he has or how much money. The fact that he is highlighting the problem is enough for me. These are real people with problems and in need of help. End of. ANTONIO Banderas has hit the red carpet at the 2019 Starlight Gala in Madrid with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel. The 56-year-old actor looked dapper in a black tux while his 39-year-old partner donned a sparkling, blush coloured ball gown. The Malagueño co-hosted the charity event which helps raise money to improve the education, health and living conditions of low income families and children in Spain. It comes after the couple stepped out for the premiere of Banderas’ new film Pain & Glory in London.

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have taken their newborn son Archie on his first family holiday to Ibiza - by private jet. The Duchess of Sussex had flown to the White Isle to celebrate turning 38 with a six day trip which saw the royal couple stay at a secluded villa.

NEWBORN: Archie

Despite talking up their eco credentials, Prince Harry and Meghan’s chartered jet would have emitted six times more carbon dioxide per person than a standard flight. “The Duke of Sussex speaks wonderful and stirring words on the environment and then he flies off on holiday to a European destination in a private jet,” said Aaron Kiely of Friend of the Earth. “He could have taken a train and then a boat. “This would have been IN LOVE: Harry and Meghan the perfect opportunity to set emerged of the Duke and an environmental example.” Duchess of Sussex and Archie, Ibiza has been said to hold who stayed at a villa away from a special place in Meghan’s the cameras. They travelled heart, she visited the island in with security personnel and it 2016, with a group of friends is reported that local security before meeting the British forces were not needed.” prince. A source told the Mallorcan press: “No images have Opinion Page 6 www.theolivepress.es

All Wright on the night Gizmo

MICHELLE Keegan has shown her wild side in Spain on a rare date night with husband Mark Wright. The 32-year-old actress, of Coronation Street fame, showed off her tan in a leopard print mini-dress while her partner and former TOWIE star played it safe in black jeans and a shirt. The couple were at STK in Ibiza to spend some quality time together.

DO-GOODER: Gere meets migrants

It didn’t take long for him to jump on the ‘I’m Shining enbright titled’ bandwagon (Heir Miles, Issue 61, pg 3). I your business seen by over amHave very disappointed in 20,000 readers each printed issue and with I’m cost wrong Harry. I online, hope effective advertising solutions but it’sfromalso the the Olive Pressperception that counts! BE SEEN HERE FOR AS LITTLE AS

Under el Sea

August 16th JAVIER Bardem (right) is in- August 29th talks to play King Triton in

Disney’s upcoming live-action Rafa TOPremake GERE of The Little Mermaid.

books News of the Spanish actor’s involvement - famous for No venue Country For Old Men R A Fand A E LSkyfall - comes as One NadalDirection will marry his fistar Harry Styles has week ance this Xisca Perello at Sa turned down an offer F o r t a l to e s a play , Prince Eric. near Pollensa, sources close Halle Bailey, meanwhile, to the pairhas have revealed. been confirmed asAccording Ariel. to The Little Mermaid sources, will be thedicouple rected by Chicago booked directorhave Rob the stunning Marshall and written byfortress, Findwhich was used to ing Neverland defend screenwriter against attacks from the sea David Magee. in some 350 years

on board, saying ‘there are 121 stories.’ “These are extraordinary people, they are so strong, they lived such horrors, they were living in hell… torture, rapes, imprisonment,” he said. The Pretty Woman star said he did not care about politics and that the point was to help people in distress. “I am coming from a place with a very bizarre political situation, with a president who is putting an enormous amount of energy into dehumanizing people.”

Heir miles

Harrytrip andto Meghan FAN: Meghan on previous opt for a Ibiza with pals secret Balearic island escape but get into hot water over use of private jet

ago. In 2008 the property was put on the market for more than €100 million. Around 500 guests are expected to be Despite talking up their at the tennis pro’s eco credentials, Prince wedding, includHarry and Meghan’s ing former King of chartered jet would Spain Don Juan have emitted six times Carlos. ANTONIO Banderas has hit more carbon dioxide The venue was a the red carpet at the 2019 per person than a stanmajor filming loStarlight Gala in Madrid dard flight. cation for the BBC with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel. “The Duke of Sussex hit TV drama The The 56-year-old actor looked speaks wonderful and Night Manager. dapper in a black tux while stirring words on the his 39-year-old partner donenvironment and then ned a sparkling, blush colouhe flies off on holiday to red ball gown. a European destination • The Malagueño co-hosted in a private jet,” said the charity event which helps Aaron Kiely of Friend of raise money to improve the • the Earth. education, health and living “He could have taken a conditions • of low income fatrain and then a boat. milies and children in Spain. “This would have been IN LOVE: Harry and Meghan It comes after the couple the perfect opportunity to set emerged of the Duke and • stepped out for the premiere an environmental example.” Duchess of Sussex and Archie, of Banderas’ new film Pain & Ibiza has been said to hold who stayed at a villa away from Glory in London. • NEWBORN: Archie a special place in Meghan’s the cameras. They travelled STUNNING: Alleged wedding locat PROPERTY MANAGEME heart, she visited the island in with security personnel andA-Z it 2016, with a group of friends is reported that local security • Arranging Photos and Listing before meeting the British forces were not needed.” A source told the MalC/Miguel de los Santos Oliver, 10, prince. localpress: 3 “No images have Check lorcan Opinion Page 6 In/Out Guests • 24/7 Phone 07181 Palma Nova, Calvia JAVIER Bardem isLinen Cleaning Services in • Bed & (right) Bath • talks to play King Triton in MICHELLE Tel: 971 591 118 / 660Keegan 383 060 Disney’s upcoming live-action has shown her wild side remake of The Little Mermaid. www.maricunningham.c in Spain on a rare date om News of the Spanish actor’s night with husband Mark involvement - famous for No Registered with theWright. Law Society of the Islas Baleares Country For Old Men and SkyContact The 32-year-old actress, of at fall - comes as One us Direction and with the Law Society Scotland Coronation Streetoffame, star Harry Styles has this week showed off her tan in a leoturned down an offer to play pard print mini-dress whiPrince Eric. le her partner and former Halle Bailey, meanwhile, has TOWIE star played it safe been confirmed as Ariel. The Little Mermaid will be diin black jeans and a shirt. rected by Chicago director Rob The couple were at STK in Marshall and written by FindIbiza to spend some qualiing Neverland screenwriter ty time together. David Magee. FAN: Meghan on previous trip to Ibiza with pals PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have taken their newborn son Archie on his first family holiday to Ibiza - by private jet. The Duchess of Sussex had flown to the White Isle to celebrate turning 38 with a six day trip which saw the royal couple stay at a secluded villa.

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R A F A E L Nadal will marry his fiance Xisca Perello at Sa Fortalesa, near Pollensa, sources close to the pair have revealed. According to sources, the couple have booked the stunning fortress, which was used to defend against attacks from the sea in some 350 years ago. In 2008 the property was put on the market for more than €100 million. Around 500 guests are expected to be at the tennis pro’s wedding, including former King of Spain Don Juan Carlos. The venue was a major filming location for the BBC hit TV drama The Night Manager.

“I am coming from a place with a very bizarre political situation, with a president who is putting an enormous amount of energy into dehumanizing people.”

Harry and Meghan opt for a secret Balearic island escape but get into hot water over use of private jet

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ibraltar National Day

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Red, white and proud

As Brexit tensions reach boiling point, John Culatto explores why this Gibraltar National Day could be the Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most significant one yet

GET ready for the biggest party of the year when Gibraltar declares it is red, white and free. There is no better time to see the Rock in all its vibrant character and colour than National Day at Casemates Square. Every year since September 10, 1992 the people of Gibraltar have assembled

to show their desire to be British and defy Spanish aggression. With Brexit tensions running high, this latest National Day is bound to be bigger than ever. Gibraltar has always stood by Britain throughout its 300-year history. Continues overleaf

Suit able Wed for ding s

Khubchands wishes Gibraltar a special National Week 2019 55 Main Street, Gibraltar

FIND OUT MORE AT

www.sunborngibraltar.com

ibraltar National Day

NOT A PARTY TO MISS From previous

National Day is a celebration of what Theresa May called being ‘part of the UK family’. This connection leads to a stream of Westminister MPs attending the event from across the political spectrum. A selection of them get to speak at the event along with the chairman of the Self Determination for Gibraltar Group chairman and the Chief Minister. In recent years, even the UK Prime Minister Theresa May has recorded a video message, so expect something from Boris Johnson too. After the politics, the party really starts, with fireworks and confetti being let off to a huge cheer from the crowd all dressed up in red and white. This year there will even be an aerial show by Rich Goodwin Air Shows over Casemates, and two more in the afternoon.

This signals the bands, dancers and DJs to take over the stage, with the music playing until the early hours.

Beginnings

So, you might be wondering how a British Overseas Territory like Gibraltar, that is not even a nation got to have its own National Day. It all started when Joe Bossano, Chief Minister at the time, went to the United Nations to argue the case for Gibraltar’s self-determination in 1992. Under his masterful guidance, the Self Determination for Gibraltar Group (SDGG) was created to spearhead this cause. Denis Matthews, a former member of the Integration With Britain Party (IWBP), was appointed chairman of the SDGG. The SDGG organised the first National Day on September 10, 1992 at John Mackintosh Square.

It was held on the 25th anniversary of Gibraltar’s first referendum in 1967 when the people decided by a massive majority to remain British rather than Spanish. From then on it was moved to Casemates Square and the rest is history with National Day becoming a family favourite ever since. The national anthems of Gibraltar and the UK are sung on National Day, along with evacuation song ‘Llevame Donde Naci’. With the return of Joe Bossano to government, albeit as a minister in the background rather

than as a national leader, the event has returned to its former glory.

Eventful day

A whole host of other activities will be held around Gibraltar on National Day. In the morning there will be live music and dancing with the results of the children’s fancy dress competition announced at 10.30am. Old and young throng in their thousands to hear what will be said before going to the beach or staying around for a drink. For those who stay around

Casemates, a DJ will keep everyone swaying until 3pm. Children will find a number of rides like a trampoline and bouncy castle at John Mackintosh Square from 1.30pm to 7pm. Nearby at King’s Bastion Leisure Centre there will more family fun like ice-skating and a Just for Kidz play area from the same time. Rock on the Rock will put on its own mini-festival at the Governor’s Parade reformed cave from 2pm. Experience the power of rock on this special day in the unique surroundings of this special venue.

Airshow fans will get the chance to watch Rich Goodwin at Eastern Beach and Rosia Bay at 2.30pm and 4pm respectively. It will all be capped up with more live music in the rock concert from 9pm at Casemates Square. Local musicians Gibfloyd will play a set of Pink Floyd covers interrupted briefly by the final fireworks display at 10.30pm from the Detached Mole.

Artistic flare

The younger crowd can flock to the Monkey Rocks festival, this

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13 August 30th - September 12th 2019 Tchaikovsky compositions in the amazing surroundings of this live cave. Art lovers will be able to enjoy the ‘I Love Gib’ exhibition from September 4-30 at the Fine Arts Gallery. The organisers invited the whole community to put forward a drawing, painting, short film, short story, sculpture, installation or digital image that shows their love for Gibraltar. A total of £2,000 in prizes donated by the SDGG will be awarded on the opening night.

Calling out

year being held at Europa Point with David Guetta as the star performer. Supported by the Gibraltar Government, the festival will be even bigger and more familyfriendly than ever, with children under 12 allowed to enter for free. Other than world-renowned Guetta, Anne Marie, Becky G, Alle Farben and DJs from Mars will all perform throughout the day. Tickets for Monkey Rocks at Europa Sports Complex with its amazing views to the Straits of Gibraltar are available at BuyTickets.gi. It will be the culmination of a week of some of the best music on the planet all packed onto one Rock. First off, classical music fans will be able to enjoy the European Symphony Orchestra on September 3 in the unique setting of St Michael’s Cave. Rising Russian star Denis Vlasenko will be conducting some of the most well-known

On the weekend the main course is served with the Gibraltar Calling Festival pulling around 15,000 people to the Europa Point site. Take That, Enrique Iglesias and Liam Gallagher will be headlining the event along with Mel C, Rick Astley and Pete Doherty. Sigala, Goldierocks, Tom Walker and King Calaway will also perform between Saturday 7 and Sunday 8. There will be a Classic Stage too with golden oldies The Lighthouse Family, Nazareth, Steve Harley, Uriah Heep, 10CC, Slade and David Essex. 10 local bands will also perform including ESC4PE, The Views, Jacver, Crimson Clover, Jetstream and Dead City Radio. Then on Monday, one of the best ever opera singers, Andrea Bocelli will be at Europa Point with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The international star’s first performance in Gibraltar was sold out in a few hours but more tickets were released last week. National Day on September 10 crowns the week of culture with a wild procession in red and white.The festivities are very much in the spirit of the phrase Chief Minister Fabian Picardo coined and has been repeated ever since on National Day. ‘Gibraltar: red, white and blue, red, white and proud, red, white and free’.

Sail away

From anchors to electronics and fishing to powerboats, Gibraltar’s newest chandlery has it all GIB Yachts is a new chandlery on the Rock of Gibraltar catering for yachts and all local and visiting vessels. We believe we offer the best service and prices to the boating community. Whether you’re a complete novice or an expert, our range accommodates all your needs and tastes. We can supply marine electronics, plumbing, shackles, anchors, paints and cleaning materials amongst an array of other products. In addition, should we not

Spread the word!

10 facts that make Gibraltar one of the coolest places on the planet

- English is the official language of Gibraltar, but many Gibraltarians also speak Llanito, a mix of Andalucian Spanish, British English, and traces of Genoese, Maltese, and Portuguese. Words like chakaru, for bouncer or a ‘chuckerout’, chinga, for chewing gum, or juva, for vacuum cleaner, pay homage to both Spanish and English origins.

- Gibraltar International Airport has a runway that cuts through one of the territory’s busiest 4-lane highways. If you think the commute you take every day is bad, imagine having to wait for a plane to take off or land for the road to open back up again.

4 3

- The pastel homes, doors with archways, and green shutters of Gibraltar--not particularly Andalucian or Victorian British in nature--might transport you to the north of Italy. For a reason: in 18th century Gibraltar, 34% of its population was from Genoa, and today this lasting influence can be seen in its architecture and the distinctly Italian surnames of its citizens.

- Gibraltar is home to the Barbary macaque, a species of monkeys that have been celebrated for years. From 1915 to 1991, the British army and the Gibraltar Regiment named, fed, and controlled the monkey population. Some of these detailoriented records taken by the so-called Keeper of the Apes were published in the Gibraltar Chronicle. One such announcement reads: “Rock Apes. Births: To Phyllis, wife of Tony, at the Upper Rock, on 30th June 1942— a child. Both doing well.”

- On March 20th, 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono on the Rock of Gibraltar. The iconic couple initially wished to get married in Paris or at sea. However, due to the difference in their nationalities, there would be a delay in having a ceremony in any place but Gibraltar, where Lennon’s British citizenship would allow them to marry immediately.

- There are over 150 caves inside the Rock, the most well known of which is St. Michael’s Cave. A twisting maze of limestone, the cave was created from a steady drip of water that eroded the stone over time. St. Michael’s Cave is the most visited cave of Gibraltar’s Rock.

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have the items you require GIBYACHTS in stock, we would be hap-BE THE HEART py to source them for you. OF THE OCEAN Our core customer base consists of the cruising sailor, the powerboat en- Gibraltar is the setting thusiast, sports fishermen for two of the James and local boating enthusiBond movies, and is the asts. Telephone: +350 200 42629 shocking backdrop for We currently have a growEmail: yachtsupply@molinary.com Bond’s famous burial at sea www.yachtsupply.shop ing fleet of mega yachts scene in You Only Live Twice. Facebook & Twitter: @gibyachts across the region. Gib Yachts – G2 Europa Business Centre, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA We are proud to have become retail part- Gibraltar’s low tax rates ners for Pinmar and government incen- Despite its five tives have made the Rock Supply and dealkilometre length an online gambling paraers for Honda, and one kilometre dise. The industry, constituting Beta Marine, Garwidth, the Rock as much as 25% of the counmin and Navico, boasts 52 kilometres of try’s GDP, has been named one amongst others. bombproof underground of the four We are able to oftunnels. Fearing a German major pillars fer a complete seinvasion during WWII, Gi- of the local lection of marine braltarians built nearly an economy by supplies. entire city below ground, the Gibraltar

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8 9

Chamber of Commerce.

- For nearly 300 years, Gibraltar was the sole home to the Jewish community in the Iberian Peninsula. Once numbering in the thousands across the peninsula, after their expulsion from Spain in the 15th century they took refuge in the British territory, and now make up 2% of the Rock’s census.

ibraltar National Day

Why National Day is so important to the Rock

n the morning of September 10, 1967, over 12.000 Gibraltarians lined up eagerly yet patiently at the polling station in Town Range to cast their vote in a Referendum to decide their future. It was a vote they were actively encouraged to make, a vote that had been desperately fought for and - in the end - one that spoke with overwhelming clarity. Only 44 people voted for Gibraltar’s sovereignty to pass to Spain. The Referendum was a pivotal event in Gibraltar’s narrative, and a key point in the Rock’s history. In many ways it was the making of our common identity; together we had found a way to defend ourselves against Franco’s Spain and have an effective say on what our future would look like. A future that has remained dedicated to keeping the Rock British and us, as British Gibraltarians. Today, five decades later, this spirited sentiment of nationalism and nationhood is still very much alive. The fight for self-determination in the 1960s served to unite and politically mobilise Gibraltar, but it also charged Gibraltarians with a deep sense of pride and patriotism. Yet, even today there still exists a certain self-consciousness about being Gibraltarian, and it involves an acceptance of our turbulent yet progressive history and how this makes us such a unique community. It’s no surprise then that September 10 has become synony-

Reasons to celebrate FINALE: Fireworks are set for 10.30pm

mous with celebrating what it white as thousands of Gibraltameans to be Gibraltarian. rians waving the Gibraltar and The fact that festivities begin Union Jack flags congregate to weeks beforehand (you cer- take part in the political rally. tainly can’t avoid the fervour One in which recent years has on the Rock) is quite telling: Gi- picked up in pace. braltarians enjoy a good show. Despite the political tone, the A selection of art exhibitions, emphasis is very much on feschoir and clastivity as families sical concerts, join in all the enand quirky tertainment. We all share events such With live music, as a theme dance perforstories of the painting and a mances and past; what Gib scale modelling plenty of food competition was like with a and drink, there are all on offer. is an air of a welclosed frontier coming street Most are free to the public party. and allow for Yet it is the exan authentic insight into the change between different Gibraltarian way of life. generations that makes this National Day itself centres party so interesting. Despite on Casemates square. It will the youngest not having expebe the heart of the activity, rienced the historical context blanketed by a sea of red and setting the backdrop, there still

exists a very visceral appreciation of our Gibraltarian identity and how far we have come as a people since the first referendum took place. The year that remains most poignant for many was back in 2007. This National Day saw 30,000 red and white balloons released in the air, a symbolic representation of each inhabitant on the Rock to mark the new enhanced Constitution. As I see it, the most striking aspect of the National day celebrations is the conviviality that permeates throughout the Rock. Doors are flung open for families and friends of friends to visit. We all share food and stories of the past; of what Gibraltar was like when the frontier was closed and how resilient the ‘barricade’ years

Timetable of events

What, where and when?

Your guide to all the events in the run up to National Day ther information please contact mobile: August September 57857000 or Facebook page: Fine Arts Friday 23rd August to Saturday 31st August 8.30pm onwards Annual Gibraltar Fair Rooke site Queensway For further information please contact email: info@culture. gi Wednesday 28th to Friday 6th September 8.30am to 9.30pm ‘Our Gibraltar’ Photographic Exhibition Organised by the Gibraltar Photographic Society Lower Exhibition Room John Mackintosh Hall Entrance Free Friday 30th August 8.30pm In the Arms of an Angel A song and dance production organised by M.O. Productions John Mackintosh Hall Theatre Tickets priced at £10 On sale as from Monday 15th July at www.buytickets.gi All proceeds to the Gibraltar Community Association Friday 30th August 4:00pm Gibraltar Wine Festival Organised by My Wines Gibraltar Ltd Chatham Counterguard For further information call 20069463

Tuesday 3rd September 8pm National Celebrations Classical Concert St Michael’s Cave Organised by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Featuring the European Symphony Orchestra and renowned international performers Tickets priced at £20 on sale from Friday 19th July at Sacarellos Coffee Shop, Irish Town, the Silver Shop at 222 Main Street and online on buytickets.gi Tickets priced at £10 for senior citizens and students are available at the John Mackintosh Hall reception at 308 Main Street. Tickets include a return shuttle from the Public Market and opposite the Cable Car. For further info contact the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society on telephone: 20072134

Gallery Gibraltar Friday 6th September 6.00pm

Boat Procession From Coaling Island to South Mole For further information contact the Rector at the Shrine of our Lady of Europe on email: rector@ourladyofeurope.net Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September Gibraltar Calling Music Festival Europa Point Sports Complex Featuring Take That, Liam Gallagher, Tom Walker, Melanie C, Goldirocks, King Calaway, David Essex, Slade and many more For further information visit: www.gibraltarcalling. com

Wednesday 4th September & Thursday 5th September

Monday 9th September 6:30pm

2nd Gibraltar Backgammon Open Tournament Organised by the Backgammon Association of Gibraltar Latinos’ Restaurant For further information please contact telephone: 20047755 or mobile: 58772000

National Day Thanksgiving Mass Shrine of Our Lady of Europe For further information contact the Rector at the Shrine of our Lady of Europe on email: rector@ ourladyofeurope.net 8pm Andrea Bocelli Concert Europa Point Sports Complex

Thursday 5th September to Friday 27th September 10am to 6pm Gibraltar Theme Painting Exhibition Organised by the Fine Arts Association Fine Arts Gallery Entrance Free For fur-

Tuesday 10th September 2019 See the poster on the right for the full Gibraltar National Day programme.

FAMILY DAY: Kids hold aloft a blow up monkey

have made us. Each different area of the Rock has its unique focus. Take for example the Caleteños, from the Caleta area. I am told many families spend much of their National Day on the beach meeting friends for a breakfast of churros, followed by a day of shared bbqs and drink on this small cove. Here sunshades can go up 48 hours beforehand to secure a good spot as visitors know the locals will look after their belongings.

Wherever the day finds you, the atmosphere is always one of goodwill. Gibraltarians know how to share and how to make guests feel welcome - and any visitors to the Rock that day will be more than looked after. We are 30,000 inhabitants living in three square miles, a fusion of different people, and in many cases cultures, that have learnt to live side by side agreeably. This in itself is enough for a huge celebration.

BUSINESS

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Giving back

CHEATS: Spain profits

Love rats Inc.

COMPANIES have been profiting from high infidelity in Spain with numerous services a v a i l able to help love cheats find their bit on the side. The sector, including dating apps and ‘love hotels,’ has been making inroads in the Spanish market, home to more than 11 million married couples. Cheating site Ashley Madison has 1.56 million online members from Spain, who are aged between 30 and 40. This makes Spain the company’s second-largest market in Europe, behind only the United Kingdom. Ashley Madison made its entrance in Spain in 2011 with a controversial billboard in Madrid featuring a photo of former king Juan Carlos next to Prince Charles and former US president Bill Clinton. The ad came with the slogan: ‘What do they have in common? They should have used Ashley Madison.’

AN ESTIMATED €22 million from the ecotax has been approved to be invested back into tourist areas. A total of 64 projects have been given the go-ahead using eco-tax funds, also known as the 'tourist tax' paid at hotels and hostels in the Balearics. Many of the projects will improve streets and promenades in tourists areas including Playa de Muro and much of Calvia. Also approved are a new city pool for Santa Margalida, a new auditorium will be built in Puigpunyent and hiking and cycling trails made in Santanyí and Porreres.

Pay off

THE amount of overtime paid in the Balearic Islands has doubled over the last five years. Last year alone more than 4.1 million hours was paid in overtime, 3.7% more than a year earlier and double that of just over 2.1 million in 2013. These figures are in line with the rest of Spain , where companies paid out 166.2 million hours worth of overtime in 2018, according to the National Statistics Institute. In total, 84% of the overtime paid in the Balearics lasy year went to workers in the services sector.

Air strike

Irish Ryanair pilots strike ruled out by judge citing short timescales

THE Ryanair strike in Spain has been called off ... for now. Ireland’s High Court granted an injunction preventing its Irish-based pilots from going on strike in the coming weeks. Justice Denis McDonald said that although Ryanair pilots had a valid case, he wanted more time to assess issues from both sides. Also, he was mindful that thousands of people would be disrupted with little notice.

NOT ON: Ryanair strike called off by judge questioning ballot The pilots’ parent union (IALPA) has said it will not comment further until a full

Taking a free ride COSTS for business trips by Spain’s Congress of Deputies have doubled despite less parliamentary activity. Money spent on travel for politicians totalled €504,792.37 between April 1 and June 30, twice what it was during the same quarter last year. The transport expenses included plane, train and bus tickets, as well as private hire vehicles and trip cancellations. The huge spend comes despite the chambers being dissolved by the elections of April 28 and PETROLHEADS: Expenses mystery not being reconvened until May 21.

ruling has been made. They represent the 180 Dublin-based Ryanair pilots who were recently balloted and decided to strike over pay and conditions, despite several pilots and the union’s own president voting against action. The Judge questioned the validity of the August 9 ballot itself and criticised a number of remarks by Ryanair about the IALPA. Nonetheless, he praised both sides for their willingness to return to mediation. After receiving assurances from the airline that it will continue its action against the Union, the Judge ad-

journed the matter until September. Ten days of action were mooted for next month, with flights from 13 Spanish airports being affected. Trade union officials had little hope that any compromise could be reached, given that Ryanair was unwilling to meet with a ‘negotiating attitude’. “Over a year’s worth of meetings at official Spanish institutions at which they routinely displayed a mocking attitude does not give us the slightest hope of reaching any kind of understanding,” said Jairo Gonzalo, an official at Spanish union USO.

Peking interest CHINESE e-retail giant Alibaba has taken a giant step into Spain with the launch of its first walk-in store. The company’s e-commerce service AliExpress opened its first brick-andmortar premises at the Xanadu Shopping Centre in Arroyomolinos, Madrid. Huawei and Xiaomi mobile phones, electric scooters and drones were raffled off to those who gathered to celebrate the inauguration of the new shop. AliExpress is seen as a direct rival to Amazon and already has 3,000 Spanish companies on its database, which collectively offer 1 million products.

Black Friday 2 SPAIN’s stock market has led a Europe-wide plunge amid fears over a ChinaUS trade war and a no-deal Brexit. The Ibex 35 fell below the 9,000 point level for the first time since February, making the first Friday in August the worst day of trading so far this year. Frankfurt, Paris and London also finished the day’s trading down, while the pound experienced the biggest monthly drop since late 2016. Banco Santander, which does a lot of business in the UK, experienced a bad day with losses of 3.71%.

MD let us guide you home

Buying or Selling a property come to visit us in our brand new office, Plaza Portals nous. 3. or visit www.themallorcadeal.com

August 30th - September 12th 2019

PROPERTY

Paved with gold

PRICEY: Benahavis in Marbella

THE most expensive Spanish street to buy a house in has been revealed. It is anywhere in Marbella’s exclusive La Zagaleta neighbourhood, according to a new study. Buying a home in the luxury urbanization will set you back €6,758,961 on average, according to research by property firm Idealista. Among those to have splurged on a home in the community are actor Hugh Grant and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Barcelona’s Avenida del Tibidabo was the second-dearest street, priced on average at €5,858,750 and Paseo de la Marquesa Viuda de Aldama in Madrid was third with €5,700,000. Meanwhile the most expensive house in Spain can also be found in Marbella - a 12-bedroom mansion valued at €55 million.

Keys Isl nd to the

Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament is sure to anger Remainers in Mallorca, writes Amanda Butler IT’S been two months since Boris Johnson took power in Downing Street - and where are we now? His strong victory statement of, ‘We will do a new deal, a better deal that will maximise the opportunities of Brexit while allowing us to develop a new and exciting partnership with the rest of Europe. I have every confidence that in 99 days’ time we will have cracked it’, has been rather diminished with the EU not playing (his) ball. September 9 has emerged as the most important of the 80 days before the Brexit deadline, with the PM trying to ensure there is no up-rising with MPs trying to block a no-deal. Insiders say the EU is waiting to see what happens when Parliament returns from recess before starting formal negotiations. However, news as I write suggests that Johnson has requested the suspension of Parliament from Her Majesty, thus making the opportunity to block a no-deal Brexit more difficult than it was already. Fun and games for all!

By Amanda Butler BJ: The UK Prime Minister shortens time MPs have to block no-deal Brexit

DEMAND FOCUS: On coastline homes

Wind in its sales

Mallorca property is on the up with demand heavily focused on coastline homes

Fun and games

In the meantime, we look on from the sidelines and wonder what our future holds - how it will affect those both inside and outside of the UK. Although many Brits seem to have put their lives on hold, reference any big decisions, there are those brave souls who are deciding to get on with their lives, or perhaps even get out while the going’s good. More are coming out of the woodwork however as we draw nearer to ‘B-Day’- or ‘Fright Night’ of October 31, perhaps depending on which side of the fence you sit. The vast majority of Mallorcabased UK expats were obviously

very happy to remain European. Moving back to the property market - August historically is not a very busy time for me with actual visiting clients, since most highend buyers have their family and holiday time as a focus. So instead I am enjoying taking a bit of time out, taking on a few properties and searching for properties that some September clients are looking for. I can’t believe how quickly the summer period is coming to an end, but I am very much looking forward to cooler temperatures, fewer crowds and life slowly returning back to relative normality, Brexit permitting.

For more information about real estate in Mallorca, or if you require assistance with selling or buying a property, you can contact Amanda on ajb@mjcassociates.net or tel: +34690075169

PROPERTY sales in Mallorca have doubled in the past five years, according to luxury agent Engel & Volkers. And demand is being driven by coastline properties overlooking Palma Bay, made popular by their proximity to the airport, fast connections to Palma and good sports facilities. “Over the past five years, sales

transactions have doubled and last year we saw an increase in sales of 6.5% over 2017,” said Christina Deutsch, managing partner of Engel & Völkers Central and South. “We also witnessed a marked increase in the average price of property which is mainly due to the limited supply of property along the coast and increased demand.”

Sale away

THE purchase of homes has fallen in June in the sharpest monthly decline since 2014. Sales fell 9% compared with May, and the first semester has stagnated with the same number of changing hands as compared to 2018 - around 260,000. This is in contrast with strong growth seen over the last five years as Spain bounced back from therecession. These created uncertainty about how to proceed in mortgage and notarial procedures. The regions showing the biggest slowdown include the Valencian Community, with a -3.81% reduction in house sales - Melilla was the hardest hit, registering a -22% reduction.

The majority of their clients have been German although there has been a spike in interest from the French, Spanish and Dutch - all helping to battle a noticeable dip in British interest due to Brexit uncertainty. Currently, the most requested properties are villas and semidetached houses, according to the report. The most popular areas are along the coast where property will have views across the Bay of Palma towards the city and include Cala Blava, Puig de Ros and Sa Torre. The average price for villas beside the sea is currently €1.9 million euros. Inland, rural fincas with land and distant sea views average approximately €1.4 million. In 2018, according to Engel & Völkers, the second highest sales price achieved on the island was registered in Llucmajor for €15.3 million.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Almond trouble

MALLORCA’S almond industry is expected to produce 20% less crops than last year, new forecasts have revealed. The industry has been warning of the regression of almond fields on the island for years as Mallorca has become one of the lowest producers after being among the top. This year an estimated 1,000 tonnes of almonds will be col-

DUMPED: Food scraps

What a waste!

SPAIN threw away 1.3 billion kilos of food waste in 2018, new data has revealed. The figures, released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAP), mark an 8.9% increase on the previous year. The shocking increase is due to higher temperatures during the spring and summer of last year, when wastage rates shot up by 10.5%. These numbers are a contrast to Spain’s promise to cut food waste by half by 2030, when the country adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. To tackle the problem the Government launched the ‘National Strategy for more food, less waste (2017-2020)’, which puts the onus on consumers.

Brexit beer blues SPANISH breweries have warned that ale exports to Britain are under threat from Brexit. The United Kingdom is currently the third-largest importer of Spanish beer with a thirst for brands like San Miguel and Estrella. Beer consumption has recovered in Spain, where it had dropped 20% following the financial crisis, but the industry now fears the impact of a no-deal Brexit. “The UK is a country with a big beer culture which doubles or triples our consumption and also helps us to export,” said Jacabo Olalla, Managing Director of Cerveceros de Espana. “But we have felt the effects of the economic slowdown and the drop in British tourism,” he added. “Brexit is not good news for anyone.”

lected, down from last year's 1,250. The Department of Agriculture put the declining crop down to a mixture of elements, including the almost constant drought in Mallorca in recent years. The Xylella bacteria, known as the Olive Ebola, has also impacted the island's almond crop, with 189 trees testing positive to date. A lack of investment in the sector has also played a part – there are more than 19,000 hectares of almond fields in Mallorca, but around 6,000 hectares have become unproductive or abandoned.

Robo-diner

Cyborgs at your service at Spain’s first bionic eaterie

SPAIN’S first restaurant with robotic waiters is set to open in Valencia at the end of the month. Chinese-Spanish fusion restaurant Crensa will however still employ human waiters too. The android staff will only serve tables and cannot yet take customers’ orders. The ambitious and futuristic set-up is the brainchild of Chinese businessman Zhijie Yan. The 29-year-old said he was ‘inspired’ by his native country where robot waiters are becoming increasingly common. According to the entrepreneur, the ‘Mulan’ robots, which are also manufactured in China, are designed to ‘save some of the work’ of humans. Meanwhile the kitchen will also contain six robots (smart processors), which will speed up work and assist with cooking. Crensa is located in Benimaclet, a Moorish former village now part of Valencia, where it serves up a range of Asian

What’s on for foodies!

in Fest

THE GIN Oasis Festivals showcases 23 premium brands, including Mallorca’s best gins, with food stands and DJ and dance floor at the OD Port Portals hotel on August 30.

elon time

VILAFRANCA de Bonany celebrates their annual Melon Fair on August 31 and September 1, with night-time art markets, live music, street dancing, fireworks and of course melon contests!

Mallorca Protect your family from funeral costs and complications A pre-paid funeral plan from Avalon is an easy way to arrange and pay for your funeral in advance so your family doesn’t have to deal with unfamiliar procedures and language barriers.

Why choose Avalon?

MAN FREE: Som Dona

Men not allowed SPAIN’S first women-only hotel has opened in the Balearics. The four-star Som Dona hotel in Porto Cristo, Mallorca will only be checking in female travellers aged 14 and over. Several wellness, fitness, health and detox retreats are on offer for guests, as well as cultural excursions across the island.

The pioneering ‘she hotel’ features ‘feminine-inspired’ interior design and employs mostly female staff, especially in roles typically viewed as masculine. Group president Joan Enric Capella said his firm had spotted a ‘growing business trend focused on female audiences’. Prices start at around €100 per night.

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G R A P E stomping, a supper in the streets, a messy grape-throwing battle and plenty of wine tasting are all ahead at Binissalem’s favourite wine festival, Festa des Vermar from September 16 through 29.

BRAVE NEW WORLD: Robots join the team at Crensa restaurant

and European flavours. Dishes like ‘tuna roast’ and ‘curried crab noodles’ at prices of around €25 per dish make up Crensa’s menu, which focuses on high-quality, fresh ingredients. “The mission of our company is to offer a varied, economical and healthy menu,” a company spokesperson said. It comes as another businessman, Marius Robles, said he will open the robot-staffed ‘Impossible Restaurant’ in Madrid in 2020, as part of what he calls the ‘robolution’. Yan added: “We are still many years away from fully autonomous waiters but I have no doubt that day will come.”

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A funeral in Mallorca or the UK

Speak to one of our specialist advisors today. Talk to us on +34 911 142 502 www.avalonfuneralplans.com/mallorca

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FOOD,DRINK

Fool’s gold August 30th - September 12th 2019

Cornish Pasty

After a fake Polish jamon scandal gripped Andalucia, Maya Eashwaran And Regina Lankenau eat their way into the protected produce that might not be what you think EVER spent a dinner party arguing over the difference between champagne and prosecco? Camembert cheese and its imposter from the corner store? The EU’s designation of “Protected Geographical Indication” stemmed from this exact conundrum: a fear of imitation products that do not use traditional procedures to manufacture the food but still use the name. These imitations lure customers into purchasing inauthentic versions of items such as the Cor-

nish pasty, Galician bread, and other regionally protected products. The regulations placed on protected products include a set of quality standards and specifications that ensure that the product stays true to its origins. Not only are these classifications vital in preserving the rich heritage of the places, artisans, and materials used in making these products, but, more importantly, they help buyers avoid getting bamboozled on their next trip to Mercadona.

The Cornish pasty is an English classic with roots stretching back to ancient times. Originally served as a hearty lunch for miners from Cornwall, the Cornish pasty is a baked meat-and-vegetable filled good that has been a household delight since the 13th century. Today, the food is labeled as a protected and specially designated food. According to the BBC, this means that pasties can only be known as “Cornish pasties” if they are made in accordance with traditional recipes and techniques in Cornwall. The food is emblematic of Cornwall itself, and is celebrated in events from festivals to sports competitions. For the English, the Cornish pasty is a true cultural symbol.

Cava Sparkling Wine Although similar in process to its French champagne counterpart, Spanish Cava, mean-

ing ‘cellar’ in Catalan, is a sparkling wine protected by Designation of Origin (DO) status encompassing certain areas of Spain and the metodo tradicional (traditional method) used to make it. ChamHailing from Camembert, Normandy, pagne, on the this world-famous cheese is now also other hand, can designated as a protected European only be called Union food. Traditional Camembert champagne if it cheese is made from raw milk, over comes from the half produced from Normandy cows, French region and is moulded by hand. Recently, new camembert laws have sparked anger from chefs and cheese connoisseurs around the world. According to Food&Wine, starting in 2021, the French government will allow Camembert made without raw milk to be labeled as true, authentic Camembert. In response, a widespread Camembert boycott took place just last year, and over 40 French chefs signed an official letter to French President Emmanuel Macron asking him to kill the new law. They signed the letter, “Liberté, égalité, Camembert!” and called the imitation cheeses “pasteurized plaster,” among other colourful insults. In order to tell the difference between a true wheel of Camembert and its fake counterpart, look for the ‘PDO’ label indicating its authenticity.

French Camembert Cheese

bearing the same name. Interestingly, Cava is one of the only products to enjoy a DO status while allowing its manufacture in several regions, including around 160 municipalities such as Extremadura, Valencia, Aragon, Navarre, and Catalonia. Nonetheless, the wine’s roots can be traced to the famous Barcelona winery Codorniu where Josep Raventos Fatjo created his first bottle in 1872. It’s said that he was inspired by the sparkling winemaking method he observed on a trip to France, where the product undergoes a second fermentation. After a plague devastated his vineyards, he replaced the traditional red grape vines with white grapes native to the area; thus, Cava was born.

& TRAVEL

Queso Manchego

Turrón

Made from a concoction of wafers, sugar, pure bee’s honey, and toasted almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts, turrón has come to be a staple of Christmas celebrations and tourists’ souvenir hauls. Defining and tracing the roots of this treat, however, has stirred up controversy among Spanish regions fighting for a claim to the title of its origin. What is known for certain is that the sweet originated in the Mediterranean; Greek athletes were fans, often eating it before competing in the Olympics for a much-needed spike in energy.

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August 30th - September 12th 2019 Produced in the La Mancha region of Spain, Manchego is a sturdy, yet soft cheese that is known internationally as a Spanish specialty. Queso manchego, in order to qualify for protected status, must be produced from the whole milk of Manchega sheep. It must also be aged for at least 60 days and at most, two years. These strict guidelines have recently been at the frontlines of a case brought to the EU’s top court. Earlier this year the EU Court of Justice ruled that a cheese producer, Industrial Quesera Cuquerella, would not be permitted to use imagery associated with Don Quixote de la Mancha on it’s packaging or branding. The justification behind this momentous decision was that these images (like windmills or Quixote himself) may mislead customers into believing that products from factories that do not meet the EU’s protection guidelines are in fact, authentic representations of queso manchego.

Thought to have been brought to Spain by the Arabs, the turron industry particularly took hold in the regions of Xixona, Alcoi, and Alicante. Xixona has been dedicated to making the treat since 1780, earning the premier Specific Designation in 1940 and sharing the Designation of Origin with Alicante since 1991. Catalonia’s turron, known as Torro d’Agramunt, has also earned its own Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). These protections indicate that all ingredients come exclusively from Alicante, Castellon, and Valencia, making this mythical treat a true gastronomic emblem of Spain—and a worthy souvenir to sink your teeth into.

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A protected food sharing the same status as the English Cornish pasty, Galician bread (or pan gallego) originated in a small village in Galicia called Cea. It is identifiable by its characteristic crunchy exterior and spongy interior, created using white wheat flour mixed with local Galician flour (‘trigo gallego’) in the artisan tradition. The bread has been called a ‘symbol of dedication and tradition,’ as it has long been a staple of Galicia, whose bread artisans historically spent hours of patient kneading and baking to fulfill their role as the main carbohydrate source for thousands of families. The flour mixture used is typically dictated by the town in which it is prepared, giving rise to four main kinds of pan gallego: Neda, Carrai, Cea, and

Pan Gallego Ousa. The Galician government has even put together a 22-page document outlining the characteristics, process, and protection of the product, so you can be sure that any of the four breads are sure to represent only the finest in Galician artisan tradition.

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02.05.19 16:37

August 30th - September 12th 2019

Dispatch from Joshua Parfitt in Benidorm

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL History in the breaking First findings emerge from beneath the demolition of one of the Costa Blanca’s most beloved landmarks

SMASHED APART: Benidorm’s Mirador del Castillo

T was the backdrop of proposals. Tourists from across the globe flocked to Benidorm’s Mirador del Castillo to walk among its chalk-white balustrades and glance over the shimmering Mediterranean. It filled Instagram feeds, family photo albums and tourism brochures - even the official Visit Benidorm site has the landmark as a website banner. But one of the Costa Blanca’s most beloved viewpoints was demolished on June 12 in search of ruins the Town Hall ‘didn’t know’ were even there. During a press visit on August 23, the Lure Arquelogía team in charge of the dig exclusively revealed their findings so far. What were they? Two small tables displaying coins from the ‘1950s’ tossed into a wishing well and a few bits of broken pottery. “The plates are from Manises, in Valencia,” Lourdes López Martínez, director of projects at Lure Arqueología, told the Olive Press. “The 16th century plates have imperfections - meaning the inhabitant was rich enough to buy Manises plates, but not rich enough to avoid purchasing factory seconds.” So, that’s it? Benidorm ripped up a landmark to find a medieval TK Maxx? The enthusiasm of the dig was not so well shared by a site worker brought in to move the heavy machinery. “I kept the beautiful white arches until the very end,” the man, who asked to re-

main nameless, told the Olive Press. “But eventually, our project is to find what lies underneath, and I had to topple them.” Showing this paper a secret video of the falling arches, he cautioned ‘you never spoke to me’ and walked back to work. The six-month project at the Mirador - otherwise known as the Balcon al Mediter-

raneo or Punta Canf a l i received €500,000 of EU funds as part of a Valencian-wide programme to recuperate the Community’s cultural heritage. “This project is vital. The ruins at Punta Canfali are the very origin of Benidorm,”

IN CHARGE: Benidorm Mayor Toni Perez

August 30th - September 12th 2019

HAPPY: Barbara, a worker at Lure Arqueologia, is pleased with the discoveries at the Mirador del Castillo

mayor Toni Pérez told the Olive Press. “Its history will have an incalculable value for us all.” With the Town Hall investing another €500,000 into the €1 million dig, Pérez was adamant the works would improve the Benidorm experience for ‘thousands and thousands of people’. Given current findings, it’s a tall order. TripAdvisor lists the Mirador as numbers one, two and five best-rated ‘Benidorm Landmarks’. (The three separate entries are due to the Mirador’s many names.) One of these entries records 75% of all one-star reviews appearing since demolition began in June, with tourists lamenting the ‘boarded up and demolished’ viewpoint. “This amazing view point in Benidorm where I proposed to my wife has been demolished,” wrote one user from Hamilton, UK. “They should have just left it as the views were stunning.” Another, from Liverpool, wrote: “Benidorm Town Hall has taken a huge gamble. “Plaça Del Castell was without a shadow of a doubt the most famous and beautiful landmark in Benidorm. “It’s beautiful blue and white marble balustrades and immaculate tiling made this square a joy to go to. “Views afforded from here of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea were unsurpassed - but not anymore.” Needless to say, if the Lure Arqueología - contracted by Benidorm Town Hall - are to find something, it better be good. Outstandingly good. The impetus for the works comes from two discoveries in 1993 and 2014, which indicated the presence of walls beneath the Mirador’s stunning patio. History records the foundation of a castle in 1325 by nobleman, admiral and Valencian Kingdom’s spokesman Bernat de Sarrià. After authorising its city charter, he built this fortification on the present-day

Punta Canfali to defend she was excited the outline the region from Barbary pi- of the original building can rates. still be traced upon the Benidorm was pillaged and iconic headland. plundered at least three A perfectly intact alijbe - a times over the centuries, well where rainwater was but the castle stood and collected and stored - was was guarded also a major through the find. ages by the Descending It would be noble Houses into it through of Mendoza inconceivable for a ladder, grafand Fajardo. on the wall Britain to remove fiti At least, unreads ‘DBGJ, til the British Nelson’s Column 1816’ - a 19th obliterated it century ‘[inon a rumour in 1817 while sert name] aiding Spain woz ere’. to kick out NaThe findings poleon’s imperial army. show promise, and Toni Following the two recent Pérez assured reporters discoveries the questions the Mirador would be restill dangled: what’s left of built in November in the this history? and is it worth ‘same style’, but perhaps destroying the Mirador for? with a glass panel here or “We didn’t know if we’d there. I am from Benidorm, find anything here at all,” and this has been the most Barbara, an employee with amazing work of my life,” Lure Arqueología, told the Barbara added. Olive Press. “Everytime we find somePointing out the thick walls, thing, I feel I’m contributing

to my city’s history.” If the Mirador del Castillo will reveal some treasure, it has until November 1 to find it. It would be inconceivable for Britain to remove Nelson’s Column on a rumour some centurion bought a knock-off helmet hundreds of years ago. But Benidorm has taken apart the crown of its own glory. Time will tell if it comes back encrusted with a ruby.

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FIND: Historic ceramic pieces recovered at the site

Contact Amanda J Butler your one stop property advisor in Mallorca email: ajb@mjcassociates.net or tel: (+34) 690 075 169

COLUMNISTS Clean up your act

Mallorca diaries

August 30th - September 12th 2019

ONE unavoidable fact of life here is that if you own a car that’s registered in Spain you need to get an I.T.V. test. I’ve no idea what that stands for but it’s supposed to mean your car is roadworthy. If your car passes you win yourself a colourful window sticker. Between me and my partner we’ve had to endure five of these now. Mine was due at the end of June but despite trying to book it when it was, what I considered pretty early beforehand the first appointment I could get was for last week. I actually hate doing this sort of thing, this is a man’s world and I always feel uncomfortable and vulnerable for some reason, especially here with the language problem. I’m getting better at Spanish but with specialist things like this I’m hopeless and anyway this was in deepest Inca and they only really speak Catalan. My partner’s car failed two months earlier because a small reflector was missing from his rear bumper and my previous car failed last time so I know this is not a formality. My appointment was 8am and there is obviously a huge backlog because even with an

By Lesley Keith

Lesley Keith discovers queuing reaches new heights when getting your ITV and she has some requests for holidaymakers not wanting to send the cleaners cuckoo

appointment the queue for wood Scrubs their eyes are the test spilled out onto the cold and they never crack road. a smile..... Alright I’m getNow, if you’ve ever been to ting carried away here but in one of those huge theme amongst all these polyester parks you will know what I’m clad, macho types there’s saying here, you think the chickens wandering carelessqueue ends when you enter ly about and feral cats eating the doors. half stale bread. Oh no, that euphoria quickly Some poor guy spends the dissipates as you realise whole day in a pit looking at you’re only ‘inthe undersides side’ and the of all the vequeueing con- Amongst all these hicles, it must tinues. be a million polyester clad, In this situation degrees down it’s the same, there, whatever macho types you think he’s paid it isn’t there’s chickens you’re there enough. Anothbut you’ve er one is in a wandering merely pulled tiny cubicle the into the hall, size of a phone which incidenbooth, he tally is an absolutely surreal looked important so I made world. sure I smiled at him. Anyway, Men dressed all in grey, wear- I braked, I twisted my steering ing lanyards and carrying clip- wheel , I flashed my indicators boards surround the queue at for all I was worth and it was every point. all worthwhile, my car passed. Like prison guards watching Big sigh of relief for another new inmates entering Worm- year. This year’s sticker colour

NOT SIMPLE: Life in Spain can be tough, especially getting your ITV test, as Lesley found out

is a lovely yellow. So here comes September, night time temperatures have dropped a bit and the end of the season is in sight. As cleaners of holiday-let villas and apartments, my friends and I have devised a short list of things we would like to pass onto holiday makers ----1. Never strip your beds. - We love to see your stains. 2. Cotton wool to clean off your make up? - There’s good, white, fluffy towels for that. 3. Bin liners? - No need, we love cleaning dirty bins

and spraying the ants and worse that they encourage along. 4. Leave all wet towels on your beds. - The next guest will surely appreciate a damp mattress. 5. Move the furniture around. - Don’t even think of replacing it, moving heavy objects in 35C heat is such fun. 6. Leave your half eaten smelly cheeses in the fridge. - It’s a cleaners favourite thing. 7. Staying two weeks? - Live out of your suitcase, do not unpack, having stuff

all over the floor makes it so much easier for us to clean. 8. Always drop you hair combings all over the floor - It feeds the cockroaches. 9. Finally, and most importantly, do not leave a tip. - We really are paid far too much already. OK a touch of sarcasm there and everyone deserves a nice holiday but trust me, avoiding the above will increase your enjoyment (especially the feel good factor of number 9).

The paper NOT to miss on Mallorca island THE Olive Press is now distributing all over the island in an incredible 500-plus locations. Found at golf courses, tourist offices, museums and petrol stations, it has become the most sought-after English newspaper in MalAlaro Alcanada Alcanada Alcudia ALGAIDA Andratx Andratx BENDINAT BENDINAT BENDINAT Binissalem Cala Estancia

lorca every fortnight. Look out for one of our many stands, as seen here at Santa Catalina market, in Palma, and in Andratx town centre. We print between 7,000 to 8,000 copies every issue and take our distribution very seriously,

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SPORT NEYMAR: To Barcelona?

Bidding war

REAL Madrid and Barcelona have remained locked in a race to secure the signature of Neymar before the end of Spain’s transfer window. The Brazilian’s current club Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly prepared to sell the forward they paid €200 million for back in 2017. Barcelona are expected to make a loan offer to PSG for Neymar with an added option to buy. However, Real have positioned themselves to take advantage if the deal between Barcelona and PSG collapses. Spanish football journalist Dermot Corrigan told Sky News: “Both Real Madrid and Barcelona would love to get Neymar before the Spanish window shuts but neither of them have the money to go for a full transfer outright.”

Comeback kid

ANDY Murray has continued his singles comeback with a first victory since hip surgery at Mallorca’s Rafa Nadal Open. The 32-year-old needed just 43 minutes to outclass teenager Imran Sibille in the first round, winning five of his seven breakpoint chances. This marked the first time Murray had appeared at a second tier Challenger Tour event since 2005. The Scot is due to play two events in China at the end of September, but has hinted that he may add more to his schedule. It comes after Murray pulled out of doubles in New York to concentrate on his singles career as he steps up his recovery from hip surgery. He had lost both of his singles matches prior to Mallorca, falling to France’s Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati and American Tennys Sandgren in WinstonSalem.

August 30th - September 12th 2019

ENGLAND’s EuroHockey semi-final hopes have been ended by Spain after a must win encounter ended in a draw. Sam Ward had given England the lead but Spain went in front with two third-quarter goals, before Ashley Jackson levelled from a penalty corner. England drew 2-2 with Wales in their opening match and lost 2-0 to Belgium which meant Danny Kerry's side had to beat Spain to finish in the top two of Pool A. This result has seen England fall into the relegation pool, where they have been joined by Wales.

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TheOlivePress-256x170-CAR-4.indd 1

‘Better late than never’ Chris Froome gets to wear 2011 Vuelta winner’s jersey eight years after race

BRITISH cyclist Chris Foome has finally got his hands on the red jersey for the 2011 Vuelta a Espana after the original winner was caught doping. At the time of the race, Spanish rider Juan Jose Cobo was declared the winner, having finished 13 seconds ahead of Froome. Cobo has since been stripped of his title by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) after abnormalities in his biological passport were found. The 38-year-old Spaniard who doped between 2009 and 2011, decided not to appeal the UCI’s decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “Better late than never,” quipped the injured rider who learned of his retrospective victory from his hospital bed, making him the only cyclist to become a Grand Tour winner while in intensive care. “This title, this red jersey really does mean a lot to me. That race back in 2011 was incredibly special for me. It was when I first started to believe in myself as a Grand Tour contender. “And it was the race where I had my first professional vic-

Should be a slam dunk... SPAIN has named its squad for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China this weekend. The 12-man side includes NBA champion Marc Gasol, who was part of Spain’s World Cup winning team of 2006. The second highestranked side in the world, Spain will face Iran, Puerto Rico and Tunisia in Group C in the first round. Beijing will host 92 games over 16 days during the tournament, which begins on August 31 with a record 32 teams participating.

Food comes first!

Eurohockey

AT LAST: Froome can wear Vuelta winner’s jersey tory, and I’ve got some really special memories from that race. “It’s a real purist race. August in the middle of Spain. Temperatures over 40 degrees quite often. It’s one of the most gruelling events on our calendar, if not the toughest. So it’s one of my personal favourites.” Froome recently underwent an eight-hour surgery following a horror crash that leaves him out of this year’s Tour de France. The four-time Tour de France champion was travelling at 37mph and hit the deck whilst attempting to blow his nose in high winds outside the town of Roanne. The 34-year-old suffered a fractured right femur, broken hip, fractured elbow, fractured ribs and lost consciousness during June’s Criterium du Dauphine race.

Home insurance with Linea Directa has you covered if your fridge or freezer breaks

ANY insurance companies offer home insurance, but what about the contents of your fridge? A big part of our monthly expenditure goes on shopping for food and a fridge packed full of food is a significant cost. Imagine your fridge or freezer stops working in these hot summer months and all the food is quickly ruined. Will it be covered as part of your contents insurance? Fridge and freezer cover as standard Our home insurance policy covers the contents of your fridge and freezer up to a maximum of €300 per claim for food stored in a domestic refrigerator or freezer that has been spoiled due to the fridge or freezer unit breaking down or a power cut that lasts longer than six consecutive

2/8/18 17:01

hours. Putting in a claim If you need to claim, simply provide a copy of the repair invoice for the fridge or freezer, and in the event of a power cut spoiling your food contents, then a justification from the electricity company confirming the power outage. Tips for power cuts and surges Power cuts and surges are a nuisance and often occur during thunderstorms during the hotter summer months. And it’s not only the contents of your fridge or freezer that can be spoiled, expensive electronics, home alarm systems and other appliances may be affected. We recommend you install surge protectors and remember to unplug your most prized electronics during thunderstorms.

If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 147 834 More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

POLICE have denounced a 50-yearold man who drove at 263 kilometers per hour along the C-33 in Barcelona with only one hand on the wheel.

FINAL WORDS

Testing times A MAN, 26, has been gored repeatedly in his testicles at a bull run in Cuellar, near Valladolid, after he jumped a fence and became tangled.

Yeh Wright TOWIE star Mark Wright has discovered he is related to Andalucian swordsmen on BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?

OLIVE PRESS

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Vol. 3 Issue 62 www.theolivepress.es August 30th - September 12th 2019

TANTRIC tortoise

A RANDY tortoise has gone missing from his Costa Blanca home while his Brit owner is urgently appealing to the public for help. ‘Torte’ the tortoise disappeared from the Camino

Appeal launched for ‘randy’ tortoise after it escapes from British centre Corrales area of Jalon last Tuesday. He is understood to come

Bold moo-ve

Wrong move

A BRAZEN thief has been arrested in Palma for stealing a life-sized cow statue from a local shop. Ale-Hop in Playa de Palma has a life-sized cow outside, and a young man set out to steal the massive animal. Two days before man actually stole the cow, he stopped by the shop to cut some of the ties holding the cow in place, making it easier to steal on the day. The man got out the door with the €3,000 cow and began to flee when employees chased him down and surrounded him, causing him to release the cow and escape.

A SPANISH man is believed to be behind the cancellation of 130 flights in Munich airport after he ‘got lost’ leaving the toilets and sounded a security alarm.

FOOT FETISH: Tortoise gets stuck in

from Greece, and has been in David Priaulx’s care for the last 30 years. “I’ve had so many escapades with him over the years,” David, who lives in Jalon, told the Olive Press. “He escaped once in Broad-

MISSING: Torte

stairs, Kent, and went to stay two nights in a local B&B. “When we picked him up the owner gave me an invoice, saying ‘no one had ever stayed for free and he wasn’t going to be the first’. “Torte’s like my nemesis, but I love him and so does the whole family.” David added that Torte answers to his name. He said, however, that the randy tortoise will ‘pick on anyone’ and is known to make a loud ‘shrilling noise’ when mounting the shoes of his victims. Have you seen a tortoise around Jalon? Contact the Olive Press at newsdesk@theolivepress.es

A WOMAN has been filmed riding naked upon a red Ferrari as its cigar-chomping driver cruises the streets of Ibiza. The woman appears completely oblivious as she dances to reggaeton music blaring from the slow-moving supercar.The incident was filmed at the Marina Ibiza on the Balearic island, and was later widely shared on social media. But the driver is now being pursued for reckless driving. A city council spokesperson said the authorities hope to track down the culprits soon as ‘there are not many cars like this in Ibiza’.

Food fight! A WHOPPING 145 million tomatoes have been thrown in the Valencian region’s most famous ‘tomatina’ food fight. A total of 22,000 people reportedly got splattered in the annual festival, in Buñol, last Wednesday. The overripe fruit came from the province of Castellon before turning the Valencian town red with pulp. The event traces back to 1945 when an argument during a parade ended in a food fight.

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Reset.

Music.

At OD Port Portals we have our own star rating. In fact, we have all the stars of the Mallorca sky and we will enjoy them all together every summer night at OD Sky Bar, on our spacious terrace and at our restaurant On Top. A hotel full of local experiences, music, art, gastronomy, yoga, pre-parties, flea markets, brunches, concerts, Pilates, tardeo, sea, sun and all the stars. A hotel full of life.

Horizon.

Sunset.

Memories.