Olive Press Gibraltar - Issue 155

OLIVE PRESS

The FREE

FINAL ROUND - To the bloody feud that killed 18 people?

See page 6

GIBRALTAR

Vol. 5 Issue 155

www.theolivepress.es

The Rock’s ONLY free local paper

August 25th - September 7th 2021

DON’T WAVE THIS AWAY!

Prize catch

CHASE: The drugs boat

By Katherine Brook

MORE than £13 million pounds worth of cannabis was seized in a dramatic high speed sea chase off Gibraltar The snatch came after a suspicious semi-inflatable (RHIB) was spotted by the RGP near Emerson’s Place.

The police soon had two vessels following it out to sea, where officers soon spotted dozens of bales of marijuana being tossed overboard.

Customs vessel HMC Searcher eventually intercepted the RHIB in a high speed pursuit, and rammed into the side of the boat, causing significant damage.

Control

DISASTER: Malaga could be struck by a giant wave should an earthquake strike in the Alboran Sea

Giant 6m tsunami could hit Gibraltar in just 30 minutes, warn scientists DENSELY populated parts of the Mediterranean coast could be devastated by a massive six-metre tsunami.

According to a recent study thousands of homes could be destroyed and countless lives put at risk with little to no warning should a major quake hit the Averroes fault in the Alboran Sea, which lies beneath the Med between Spain and Morocco.

The dan-

ger has long been known, but the new report by the Institut de Ciencies del Mar (ICM-CSIC) insists the devastation caused could be even worse than previously thought.

Detection

Researchers using a mathematical model warned the giant wave could be 19.68 feet in size (6m) and THE SKY take between DOCTOR 21 and 35 minutes to reach ALL AREAS COVERED the southern shores of 4G UNLIMITED Spain.

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Eventually, officers managed to board the boat and took control.

They arrested four occupants and found stacks of cannabis resin on board.

In total, 65 bales were seized (2.6 tonnes), which is thought to have a street value of around £13 million.

The Spanish men have all been remanded in custody.

“The magnificent work of the RGP and HM Customs has dealt a huge blow to the drug traffickers,” said Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

“Gibraltar stands against every aspect of this nefarious trade and our brilliant law enforcement agencies are doing great work in stopping these criminals.

“The good people of Gibraltar deplore this illicit activity.”

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DEVASTATION: Official map shows danger areas

clear low-lying areas in time.

Ferran Estrada, a geologist from the team said: “These giant waves can pose a threat to coastal populations and damage landbased infrastructure.

“They can cause a huge economic and environmental crisis.

“It is essential to improve warning measures to mitigate the impact of a possible tsunami.”

He said the Averroes fault has, at its northwest end, a vertical drop of up to 5.4 metres that could generate a magnitude 7 earthquake.

"We have studied the activity

of the fault going back 124,000 years and, according to historical records, the last major earthquake caused by this fracture may have been in 365 AD.”

Miraculous

The last major tsunami to hit Spain was in the aftermath of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake which left the Portuguese capital devastated.

A tsunami flooded the Andalucian cities of Huelva and Cadiz, which were described as ‘miraculously surviving’ despite several deaths.

2

CRIME

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF What lies inside A GIBRALTAR van was seized after a narco-boat and a fuel pump were found inside it in the Catalan Bay car park following a tip-off about a vehicle driving recklessly.

Afghan refuge TWO US military bases in Moron de la Frontera and Rota in southern Spain will receive Afghan refugees who worked for the American government after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez agreed to president Joe Biden’s request.

Triple trouble A 31-year-old man charged with property damage, theft and reckless driving was arrested on Harbour Views Road while tampering with a car.

Dopey teen AN 18-year-old British man was arrested driving the wrong way towards Town Range under the influence of drugs, resisting arrest.

BEACHGOERS had a peaceful afternoon rudely interrupted when they found themselves in the middle of a dramatic boat chase.

As police came close to arresting a pair of traffickers out at sea off the Granada municipality of Sorvilan they took the decision to run their speed boat into shore, knocking one bather to the sand.

But the suspects hadn’t counted on resistance from the general public, many of whom rushed towards the two men and tried to slow them down.

August 25th - September 7th 2021

Bandit caught

Beach games Video footage showed one suspect being tackled by a man in his swimming trunks, and as he tried to get to his feet a woman in a bikini gave him a shove.

The crowd converged on him to keep him in the sand until officers arrived.

Two suspects, aged 43 and 32, were detained by officers and a search of the boat revealed a 800 kg stash of hashish.

CHASE: Beachgoers caught crooks

No fuelling crime RECKLESS criminals who store or transport large quantities of fuel could face life imprisonment.

A new proposed bill will increase fines to £100,000 and/or 10 years in jail for

Life in jail on the cards for people handling large quantities of illegal petrol those found in possession of large quantities of petrol.

In addition, if serious inju-

Fight back starts now THE fight back against drug smugglers has started by stopping them from moving.

It comes after the RGP seized dozens of plastic containers filled with £525 worth of fuel.

The petrol was almost certainly set to be used to fill up launches that regularly bring drugs across the Straits.

The seizure came after a passer-by noticed a strong smell of petrol coming from the old Motorcycle Club on Sir Herbert Miles Road.

Following the tip-off, uniformed officers found 21 full containers, filled with 525 litres of fuel, and 40 empty fuel containers.

“Storing fuel containers like this is highly dangerous and a risk to the public.

“We ask members of the public who see a large quantity of these containers to contact us anonymously.

“Not only is this helping us to tackle organised crime and the drug trafficking trade, but it’s helping to keep Gibraltar safe.”

IT’S COOLER IN THE MOUNTAINS!

IT’S QUIETER IN THE MOUNTAINS!

IT’S BEAUTIFUL IN THE MOUNTAINS

ry or death is caused by the storage or possession of illicit fuel a life sentence could be imposed.

It is only a few months since the government made it a criminal offence for a person to be in possession of large quantities of fuel.

Since then there has been a marked increase of incidents in which either large quantities of fuel or dozens of empty containers are found.

This fuel is thought to be used to top up the tanks of ‘narco launches’ which cross the Strait of Gibraltar loaded with drugs.

The government has now proposed an increase in the penalties given to those found with ‘highly volatile automotive fuel’.

The bill of August 18 states that fines should be substantially increased and all offences must be made indictable and therefore tried

in court.

Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “I have been very concerned about the increased detection of crimes involving possession of large amounts of fuel. The indiscriminate trade in these fuels and the careless transportation is creating a reckless and massive danger to many innocent people.

Explode

“If a vehicle carrying 20 fuel canisters were to explode, the loss of life, personal injuries and physical damage in Gibraltar would be enormous.

“Strangely, since we made the practice illegal, the number of instances has increased. As a result, these huge penalty increases are going to do the right thing and provide the tools our judiciary needs when dealing with these offences.”

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Aggressive drunk A DRUNK who brandished a wooden pole and a knife while shouting aggressively at passers by has been sentenced to 130 hours of unpaid work.

Damian Gonzalez, 42, of Laguna Estate, pleaded guilty to the possession of weapons and disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

The incident happened on April 19 when police were contacted by several citizens that a man was waving the weapons around and shouting aggressively near Forbes House.

On arrival, officers found Gonzalez heavily intoxicated and after arresting him, found the pole and knife nearby.

TIME TO RETURN

A SERIAL British fraudster has agreed to be extradited to Spain when he is released early from a UK prison later this month.

Mark Acklom has served less than half of his six year sentence for conning a UK divorcee out of her €850,000 savings.

The 48-year-old, who the Olive Press linked to Murcia and Marbella, will now return to Spain to serve an 18-month sentence.

He is expected to return to Murcia prison, in Cartage-

na, where he was half way through a three year sentence for defrauding two brothers.

He absconded while on temporary release and fled to Switzerland, changing his name by deed poll to Marc Long.

Promise

But he was eventually tracked down on a Europol arrest warrant and returned to the UK to firstly face charges for defrauding

Tearaway taught a lesson Escape to Molino del Santo, just outside Ronda, soon to enjoy the peace, the scenery, the friendly staff and the great food.

A BRIT has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for burgling a bar in the North District.

Riyen Lea, 34, forced entry into the bar before breaking into a slot machine and taking £400.

The RGP were alerted to the scene by a member of the public, and found Lea inside.

He was charged with theft and the possession of cannabis, which he had on him at the time of arrest.

A TEENAGE tearaway has landed himself 10 weeks in Gibraltar prison after pleading guilty to a number of traffic offences.

The 17-year-old was caged for a series of incidents including reckless driving, stealing cars and fleeing the police. He was also caught in the possession of cannabis.

He was arrested on July 13 after a woman was hit by a vehicle with Gibraltar plates on Flat Bastion Road.

The RGP was told that the vehicle was driving at over 100km/h without lights on and swerving from side to side along Winston Churchill Avenue.

When police chased the teenager he eventually lost control on Devils Tower Road roundabout by the Holiday Inn Express.

He admitted he had stolen the car, after police found 39.9 grams of cannabis in the car.

The teenager also claimed to have taken pills, but refused to provide a blood sample to prove he was under the influence of drugs.

CON: Acklom and Yolanda

Carolyn Woods out of her life savings.

With the promise of marriage he had convinced her that he was an MI6 agent and Swiss banker and that the money was to invest in a home for the pair once they wed.

In fact, he was already married and lived just a few miles away with his wife and two young children.

After convincing Woods to part with her savings in 2013, he vanished.

He fled to Spain with his Spanish wife Yolanda, where he used a new alias to continue his conning ways.

An Olive Press investigation revealed he also had long term links to both the Murcia and Marbella areas.

He was jailed for three years in Spain for cons that included defrauding two brothers by selling them non-existent properties he claimed to own in London.

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

August 25th - September 7th 2021

Wild wild Wes

ANIMAL MAGIC SPECIAL

ZOOS and wildlife parks worked hard to keep their animals cool as temperatures soared above 40ºC across Spain this month.

That meant frozen treats, cold showers and splashing about in pools with frozen lollies being served to lower their body temperatures as well as ice pops made from fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Pandas turned out to be particularly partial to watermelon, while others, such as otters in Madrid, were treated to frozen fish.

In Valencia, the great apes entertained themselves by catching frozen fruit and iced muesli bars dangling from trees in their enclosure, while hyenas, lions and leopards used their powerful sense

LOLLY GOOD

of smell to hunt down frozen blocks containing large chunks of raw meat.

The giraffe’s seemed delighted at multi-coloured popsicles specially crafted by their keepers to include frozen lay-

ers of crushed strawberries, celery, orange, chard and red cabbage.

Elephants proved deft at combining both activities of slurping giant sorbets while simultaneously taking a dip.

REFRESHING: Giraffes get an icy treat

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU KID Rare baby orangutan born in Spain...and it’s a girl

VISITORS to a Spanish zoo got to witness the birth of a baby orangutan.

Orangutans usually give

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birth at night, but Suli, surprised the team at Bioparc, in Fuengirola, and gave birth in broad daylight.

She and her female baby are said to be in perfect condition and are already enjoying playing games together in the ‘rainforest’ river.

The zoo will continue to monitor the newborn 24-hours a day, though they will not intervene unless there are signs of illness and distress.

By Katherine Brook

youngest can fend for itself.

The Bornean orangutan is one of the most iconic primate species in the tropical rainforests of Asia, and has recently been listed in se-

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A STARRY cast of A-listers are set to shoot the new highly anticipated Wes Anderson movie in Spain.

Margot Robbie (pictured right) is tipped to star alongside Tom Hanks, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray in the new flick, being shot in September.

Wes, 52, behind hit movies The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr Fox hasn’t made a movie Stateside since Moonrise Kingdom in 2012.

He has refused however to give any details so far about the new film.

All that is known about the movie has come from longtime British collaborator and muse Tilda Swinton, who revealed that despite the film location, it is ‘not about Spain’.

Sets resembling a desert landscape have been going up in Chinchon, south of Madrid, over the last two months.

It is not known why producers didn’t just de-camp three hours south to the actual deserts of Almeria, where many films, including hit Spaghetti Westerns, were filmed.

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The new baby, who has yet to be named, is the only one to be born in the European breeding scheme in the past 12 months.

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Milk of kindness ONE of the world’s rarest animals is being hand-reared by staff at Valencia’s BioParc after its mother died.

The Mhorr gazelle’s mum died during a ‘difficult delivery’ with staff having to intervene to save the newborn.

CRITICS have slammed the decision to honour beleaguered actor Johnny Depp at San Sebastian’s film festival.

A number of leading female filmmakers argued that the award to be handed to the American actor next month ‘transmits a terrible message to the public’.

Last year, the US actor lost his libel case against the Sun over an article that labelled him a ‘wife beater’.

The judge found Depp, 58, had assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard, 35, on a dozen occasions and put her in ‘fear for her life’ three times.

Director of the festival Jose Luis Rebordinos said their responsibility is not to ‘judge the conduct of members of the film industry’.

Alive

The BioParc is closely involved in an international breeding program to keep the species alive, after it was considered extinct in the wild and on the Red List of animal species.

Zoo authorities said he is doing well and will soon join his new adoptive family - a herd of two males, two females and another calf.

SLAMMED: Depp

4

NEWS

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A YOUNG British woman died hours after being dismissed by doctors and told to go home after waiting 14 hours at a Spanish hospital for treatment.

Rachael Firth, who worked as a live-in carer on the Costa Blanca, sought help at Torrevieja’s A&E on August 14, after suffering days of pain.

She was seen by her GP for pain in her legs earlier that week, and was advised to go to the emergency department if the condition worsened.

In regular messages to her mum, she said hospital staff justified making her wait all day because emergencies took priority.

After seven hours of waiting in agony with her leg swollen to twice its size, the 33-year-old eventually saw a female doctor.

However, she felt her condition was not taken seriously, and insisted the doctor dismissed her after seeing medical notes that mentioned previous treatments for mental illness.

In a message to her mother, Jane, a nurse herself, seen by the Olive Press, she said: “The

DISGRACE! British expat mum, 33, sent home to die in agony after being refused treatment in 14 hour wait at A&E on Spain’s Costa Blanca EXCLUSIVE

By Simon Wade

doctor was really nasty, said she’s read my notes and I’m mental in the head.”

She said the doctor had told nurses that once she had her X-ray to ‘get her to a taxi and get her home’.

In a later message she wrote: “The other two nurses were well shocked.”

Referring to the doctor, she added: “She hates me.”

The part-time charity volunteer stayed on the ward though, in the desperate hope that someone would eventually attend to her leg.

Exhausted, she was eventually

sent home at 3am, after 14 agonising hours in the hospital.

Later that morning, her mother - who has 35 years nursing experience - realised something was gravely wrong and rushed to the nearest pharmacy for medication and advice.

But by the time she returned, Rachael had slipped into unconsciousness and was completely unresponsive.

Jane performed CPR while neighbours called for an ambulance but Rachael died on the floor of her own lounge with paramedics also unable to revive her.

A Spanish neighbour confirmed to Jane that the ambulance staff told him that ‘an embolism was

Getting out the heat

SURPRISE: Catherine and Michael

IT was the perfect place to escape the August heat.

And where better for Hollywood legend Michael Douglas to cool off than in his namesake St Michael’s Cave, in Gibraltar.

On a whistlestop tour of the Rock he took his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones to see a few of the star attractions including the Barbary macaques.

The actress later shared a video of her day on Instagram thanking ‘the Rock’ for a ‘great day’.

The pair are more often spotted in Mallorca in summer, where they have a 10-bedroom mansion complete with a cinema, gym, swimming pool, and even vineyard!

History, adventure and romance.

That’s just the setting.

TRAGIC: Rachel Firth certainly to blame’, after assessing her symptoms.

Rachael’s son, Reece, 13, had thankfully been staying with friends that night so did not witness his mother’s death.

The family is now looking for answers as to why medics failed to take Rachael’s illness seriously and to provide treatment that could have saved her life.

Jane has sought legal advice, with a view to preventing such a tragedy happening again. “The way my daughter was treated in her final hours is nothing short of disgusting - you wouldn’t treat an animal that way,” she sobbed.

“I just want justice for Rachael and I want answers to the questions we have about her awful treatment - this shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

Opinion Page 6

August 25th - September 7th 2021

Bordering on pride THE chief of the EU’s border agency has said it would ‘be an honour’ to handle control at Gibraltar’s frontiers under the post-Brexit agreement currently being thrashed out.

The boss of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, has been closely involved in helping to broker an agreement between the three countries. “If Spain, the UK, Gibraltar and the European Commission ask Frontex to take on this work, it would be an honour for us,” he said.

The work would involve controlling the entry and exit of citizens through the port and airport in Gibraltar, carrying out tasks such as checking identity documents or visas where necessary.

“We know that Spain and also the UK have expressed a desire for Frontex to be able to assist at Gibraltar's external border entry,” he said.

The Frenchman said that ‘everyone is working’ to enable Gibraltar to form part of the Schengen zone despite Brexit.

Both the UK government and Gibraltar had rejected the latest plan from the EU in post-Brexit treaty negotiations over the future of Gibraltar.

They insisted that the bloc ‘think again’ after it seemed to hand responsibility for border control to Spain.

This ‘crossed red lines’ and went against the framework agreement of December, when it was agreed that Frontex would carry out this role.

Relations between Spain and the UK have since relaxed over the issue after a bilateral meeting on July 21 in London.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, both showed willingness to reach an agreement that would generate prosperity between the Rock and the Gibraltar area.

The Hilt of luxury

THE Rock’s emblematic Caleta Palace Hotel is set to be converted into a Hilton.

The four-star joint in Catalan Bay, will be demolished and rebuilt with double room capacity The project is awaiting planning permission with nego-

tiations being finalised. The construction of the new hotel is expected to take three years, with the hotel set to close from January 1, 2022.

The 60-room establishment currently employs 70 people, who are already aware of the situation.

Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.

With a UNESCO world heritage site offering 120,000 years of human history and only short drive from the Costa del Sol, enjoy the warmth of the British Gibraltarians and splash out VAT-free in Sterling.

Gibraltar. Sun, sea and history served with a very British twist.

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5

SEARCH GOES ON

New Olive Press’ book on Maddie case takes a ‘deep dive’ into the current prime suspect and much more

EXPLOSIVE: Book cover and Brueckner (below)

OLIVE Press editor Jon Clarke is publishing an explosive new book on the Madeleine McCann case.

His investigation is the most comprehensive look at the current prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who he believes could be behind many other unsolved crimes around Europe.

As well as exploring Brueckner’s childhood in Germany and coming face to face with his mother, Clarke gave the lead prosecutor a three-hour grilling on why the investigation is taking so long.

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expat

Family feud over Armada archives See Page 10

OLIVE PRESS WORLD EXCLUSIVE

MADDIE SUSPECT’S GRANADA LAIR A DANGEROUS paedophile believed snatched English tot Maddie McCannto have visited southern Spain on many occasions.

German pervert Christian Brueckner hid out in the Alpujarras region of Granada often dealing drugs, the Olive Press can sensationally reveal.

According to his best friend, an lived in the area for many years, Austrian who ed just two or three weeks after he even visitMaddie went missing.

Michael Tatshl, who spent eight months in prison with Brueckner, now believes he is guilty of the murder of Madeleine.

Having spent 14 hours being grilled over the crime, he spoke to the Olive by police Press for the first time to explain why.

“He was a real pervert and talked about selling children to Morocco, I am pretty sure he did it,” he said this week.

Micha, 46, who lived in Orgiva for over a decade, revealed that Brueckner had visited the town on many occasions in his jaguar and various vans.

E n d s

See page 15 E n d s

Your voice in Spain

Vol. 13 Issue 346 www.theolivepres s.es June 24th - July 7th 2020

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

See full story on page 6 21/6/19 13:30

Christian Brueckner’s Spanish hideaway

FAMILIAR SIGHT: Brueckner’s ‘Winnebago’

Piecing together the sex offender’s exact movements in the months leading up to the snatch on the Algarve, in 2007, he also traces Brueckner’s frequent trips around Europe.

Described by Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt as ‘tirelessly researched’, the 130,000-word book also takes a close look at many other characters linked to the case.

Fellow TV investigator Donal MacIntyre praised Clarke’s ‘investigative skills’ and added it was ‘a deep dive into a murky underworld, both alarming and compelling’.

As well as analysing any family involvement, the book shines a light on the shambolic police investigation, the world of trolling and the worrying levels of child sex abuse in southern Europe.

Published by Amazon next week, My Search for Madeleine comes after Clarke, 52, took over a dozen trips to Portugal to research the case.

He also traced Brueckner’s many journeys to Andalucia, and Granada in particular, where he made business trips.

He also often travelled through Valencia.

As well as working with the British media over the last 14 years, Clarke was closely involved in the benchmark Netflix doc on the case in 2019.

The father-of-two was the first journalist to arrive in Praia da Luz on the morning after Maddie was snatched on May 3, 2007.

But most recently, he took a few months off to chase a series of intriguing leads around the Iberian Peninsula and Germany.

“It has been an absolutely amazing experience to immerse myself in this harrowing case,” he explained.

“I’ve tracked down and probed so many colourful and bizarre characters.”

He continued: “I looked into the family right from the start and was convinced that they were not involved.

“It is, of course, impossible to know for sure that Brueck-

GRILLING: Clarke with German prosecutor Wolters ner was involved, but he was pedigree as a long term sex ofin the exact right place at the fender. right time and certainly had “What I particularly noted was the alarming lack of seriousness the Portuguese police took of sex crimes and the large number of mistakes they made. It also made me particularly aware of how many paedophiles live among the expat communities of southern Spain and Portugal.”

SECRET: Idyllic spot in Granada where suspect stayed in his Winnebago (inset)

My Search for Madeleine is published by Olive Press Books on Amazon next week. It can also be ordered via bookorders@ theolivepress.es

6

www.theolivepress.es

O LIVE P RESS

The

GIBRALTAR

Voted top expat paper in Spain

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

OPINION PREVENTABLE DEATH THE death of a young British mother in Torrevieja last week after she was kept waiting for hours in A&E before being turned away by doctors is a tragedy that should never be repeated.

Unfortunately it probably will.

It is unforgivable that a woman who was so obviously in desperate need of medical treatment was sent home to die, leaving a young child motherless and a grief-stricken family seeking answers.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted just how overwhelmed health workers are and how underfunded the health service is in Spain.

Senseless

We all went out to our balconies to applaud the valuable work of healthcare workers through lockdown and we haven’t forgotten the debt society owes them.

We don’t know whether such issues as staffing or overwork contributed to the death of Rachael Firth or whether it was a straightforward case of malpractice by one particular doctor.

Could it have been a communication problem between a foreign patient seeking help from those who couldn’t understand her?

But what we do know is that in the aftermath of such a senseless tragedy there needs to be full transparency.

A proper investigation must be carried out and answers sought.

It may not be much consolation to a family who has lost a loved one in the prime of their life but it may go some way to preventing the same thing happening to someone else.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Fiona Govan fiona@theolivepress.es

Kirsty McKenzie kirsty@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Isha Sesay isha@theolivepress.es

Katherine Brook katherine@theolivepress.es

Simon Wade simon@theolivepress.es

Glenn Wickman glenn@theolivepress.es

Graham Keeley graham@theolivepress.es

Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es

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NEWS FEATURE

Final round?

Does the arrest of key Irish crime boss mark an end of the bloody costas feud that has claimed 18 lives, including three innocents, asks Dilip Kuner

I

T was a bloody feud between two Irish gangs that started on the streets of the Costa del Sol, moved to Dublin and back, and resulted in the deaths of 18 people.

It brought daylight gunshots to the gilded streets of Marbella, featured fake cops in a LIFTED: the ‘Monk’ arrested notorious boxing match assasination and led in Fuengirola to the deaths of three innocent people in cases of tragic mistaken identity.

But now the ‘war’ that saw Ireland’s powerful Kinahan clan take on the ruthless Hutch gang, also from the Emerald Isle, appears to be finally over with the arrest of one of the chief protagonists, Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, in Fuengirola, this month.

And the leader of the Kinahans - Daniel Kinahan - has long since left his Marbella bolthole to base himself in Dubai. As has his dad Christy.

The war had pretty much petered out already with a number of trials taking place over the last few years… but perhaps the bloodshed had got too much even for two gangs that ed ever since.

Gerry Hutch have never been slow to resort to violence.

He is rumoured to have The Monk has lost his elder brother, three ‘retired’ with a fortune of AGED 58 nephews and several close friends in the €40 million having been shockingly violent feud. While the Kinahans the mastermind behind a ERRY ‘the Monk’ suspected of running Spain’s biggest cocaine series of some of Ireland’s Hutch started life gang - have lost several close members, eibiggest heists including as a small-time ther to the bullet or to lengthy jail terms. the €3.5 million armed gangster in Dublin, The cycle of death started in 2014 when The robbery of a Brinks Allied clocking up several minor Monk’s nephew Gary Hutch had started to Security Depot and the convictions in the sevenrise through the ranks of the Kinahan mob. €1.98 million robbery of ties and early eighties.

But things turned sour when Daniel Kinahan, an armoured van, both in But he then hit the big son of then boss Christy, refused to return Ireland. time with a gang specialis€100,000 Gary had ‘invested’ in a drugs deal.

He lived for over a decade ing in bank robberies and In classic gangster fashion, a Hutch hitman in the Canary Islands, has avoided being convictwas dispatched to the Costa del Sol to kill mostly in Lanzarote where Daniel. But he blundered badly and in a he is thought to own variagreement between the case of mistaken identity he shot and seous properties, particulartwo enemies, both Hutch verely wounded innocent former boxer Jamie ly around the ‘Irish Marbeland Kinahan were reportMoore, in Estepona. la’ of Puerto del Carmen. edly ‘furious’ with fellow It was a high profile shooting, covered in the He was nicknamed The gangster John Gilligan for Olive Press, as the victim had been training Monk (the Spanish Gooallegedly ordering the hit.

British/Irish boxer Matthew Macklin, in prepagle translated this to ‘the Gilligan now lives in Torreration for the middleweight’s next fight.

Friar’) for his ‘clean livvieja (Alicante), where poMacklin was the face of MGM Marbella - a ing’ by murdered Irish inlice initially believed they boxing stable and gym which was financed by vestigative journalist Vehad found the gun that Kinahan, in Puerto Banus. ronica Guerin, played by had killed Guerin.

According to reports the Hutch gang subseCate Blanchett, in the film He was found not guilty of quently agreed to pay €200,000 ‘compensanamed after her. murdering Guerin in 1996, tion’ to the Kinahans, although it is not known She was killed after runbut was charged with drug if the sum was ever handed over. ning a series of exposes on smuggling by Spanish poEither way, Gary Hutch obviously decided the Dublin gangster scene. lice last year and is out on the situation was safe enough for him to EXECUTED: Gary Hutch In a rare, unprecedented bail awaiting trial. live openly in Spain and after a few months returned to live in the Angeles de Miraflores urbanisation in Mijas. It would prove to be a him full of bullets. It is thought he had stolen ued. money from the Kinahans. Never a good idea. In the coming months and years a total of 18 fatal decision.

In September 2015 he was assassinated in James Quinn - Gary Hutch’s later killer - was people were to be killed. Sadly three of them the gardens of the urbanisation by a shadowy convicted of being a getaway driver, but he had nothing to do with the feud and were simcould not be pegged for the murder. ply in the wrong place at the wrong time. figure in a balaclava.

An eye witness later told a court how Gary was In the Regency raid the Hutch gang stormed In April, 2016, Martin O’Rourke was killed in chased through the gardens by hitman James the event, with two wearing Garda police Dublin by Kinahan’s men. They thought he Quinn. His last words were ‘No, no, no!’, but uniforms and wielding AK-47 assault rifles. was someone else. Just 11 days later Michael Another two were in army fa- Barr was shot dead at the Sunset House pub Quinn showed no mercy. tigues, while a fifth, believed on Summerhill Parade in Dublin. He was a disAnd ended up with a 22 year stretch in a Spanish jail.

Broad daylight to be Patrick Hutch, was dis- sident republican who the Kinahans wrongly guised in drag and seen taking identified as one of the gunmen in the RegenIt was this broad daylight slaycy Hotel shooting. ing that was to lead to the slaying brought off his wig as he later fled.

Their target was Daniel Kinah- And a dream holiday turned to horror in Audeaths of 17 more people and a new meaning an, who was actually promot- gust, 2016, when Irishman Trevor O’Neill was brought a whole new meaning the fight, in his then fledg- killed in front of his family while on a break ing to the term, the Costa del to Costa del ling new career. As shots rang in Mallorca in yet another case of m ­ istaken Crime.

Crime out around the hotel foyer, he identity.

The most notorious event in somehow made his escape Over the following two years frequent assasthe bloodthirsty feud made through a window. By the time sinations and attempted killings took place headlines around the world.

It took place at the Regency Hotel in Dublin the gunsmoke had cleared, Kinahan associ- from both sides of the feud. during the weigh-in for a WBO European light- ate David Byrne lay dead, and a second man The arrest of The Monk, and the departure to weight title fight between Jamie Kavanagh was injured. (It is for this attack that Gerry Dubai of Christy and Daniel Kinahan - who has Hutch was this month detained in Fuengirola been trying to break into the boxing promotion and Antonio Joao Bento. business - may finally have brought peace to Jamie coincidentally is the son of Gerard ‘The on a European arrest warrant.)

Hatchet’ Kavanagh who was a Kinahan ‘en- Three days after the Regency assault, taxi driv- the streets of the Costa del Sol - at least as far forcer’ also murdered in Spain, in 2014 (see er Eddie Hutch, 58, the Monk’s elder brother, as the Kinahan-Hutch conflict is concerned. was gunned down at his Dublin home.

Whether they will continue to jostle over the trolley picture, far right).

In the shocking attack, two assassins dressed The same day Noel ‘Kingsize’ Duggan and lucrative multi-billion euro cocaine trade comin black had approached him outside Har- Noel Kirwan, close friends of The Monk were ing out of Africa to Spain’s southern shores, mon’s bar in Elviria (Marbella) and pumped also shot - and the cycle of bloodshed contin- only time will tell.

TALE OF THE TAPE The bank robber ‘retired’ with €40m fortune Vs the ruthless king of the cocaine trade

G

August 25th - September 7th 2021

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7

TRIPLE BONUS

M MOURNING: David Byrne’s funeral in Ireland

Daniel Kinahan AGED 44

T

HE boss of the Kinahan clan took over the reins from his father Christy over a decade ago.

At the time of the feud the

SMOOTH: Dad Christy senior

Kinahan family was based between Marbella and Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol. The family - including Daniel’s younger brother Christy Junior has now moved to Dubai but are reputed to still control the Costa del Sol cocaine trade.

They also own plenty of properties, including pubs and bars, while Daniel previously ran a sports magazine, called Score, based out of the Cristamar centre, in Marbella, which later launched in the UK with a claimed print run of 250,000.

Since taking over leadership, Daniel has attempted to legitimise the family through the world of boxing. He did this firstly through the MGM gym in Puerto Banus - which is no longer associated with the Kinahans - and then through promoting fights.

Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury actually thanked Daniel for setting up a series of multi-million euro fights with Anthony Joshua in 2020. This caused a storm in Ireland, with questions being asked in the Irish parliament and Fury has since distanced himself from the Kinahans.

Timeline of death

● AUGUST 3, 2014: Former boxer and TV pundit Jamie Moore shot in Estepona in a case of mistaken identity by a Hutch hitman who was targeting Daniel Kinahan. ● SEPTEMBER 24, 2015: Gary Hutc h shot dead in Mijas by a Kinahan assassin. ● FEBRUARY 5, 2016: Five Hutch gunmen attack the Regency Hotel in Dublin. David Byrn e is shot dead and Sean McGovern is shot in the leg. ● FEBRUARY 8, 2016: Eddie Hutch, broth is killed at his home. He is said to haveer of the Monk, no connection with violent crime. ● APRIL 14, 2016: In a case of mista ken O’Rourke is killed by Kinahan’s men identity, Martin ● APRIL 25, 2016: Michael Barr is . wrongly one of the Regency Hotel gunmen and identified as is shot dead by the Kinahan clan. ● MAY 24, 2016: Gareth Hutch, a cousin of Gary and nephew of Eddie is shot dead. ● JULY 1, 2016: David Douglas is shot ● AUGUST 17, 2016: Innocent Trevo dead. r O’Neill is killed in front of his family while on holiday in Mallorca in a case of ­mistaken identity. ● DECEMBER 22, 2016: Noel Kirw an, a friend of Gerry Hutch is shot dead outside his hom e. ● MAY 10, 2017: Hutch associate James ‘Mago’ Gately is shot five times. ● MAY 31, 2017: Michael Keogh is shot dead by the Hutch gang. ● DECEMBER 2, 2017: Caine ­ Kirwan, son of Noel Kirwan, is killed by the Kinahans. ● JANUARY 20, 2018: Derek Coa kley-Hutch, a nephew of The Monk, is shot dead. ● JANUARY 30, 2018: Jason Moly neux is two-man hit team having just returned shot dead by a home from the wake for Coakley-Hutch. ● DECEMBER 22, 2018: Eric Fowl er, who had ties to the ­Kinahan mob, is shot in the head by two gunmen in his own driveway in Dublin. ● AUGUST 12, 2021: Gerry Hutch is arrested by Spanish police accompanied by Irish Garda in Fuengirola.

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PROSECUTORS are investigating new incidents of dead fish washing onto beaches of the Mar Menor lagoon in Murcia.

Beaches at Los Nietos, Los Urrutias, Cala del Pino, and Mar de Cristal were among those affected as thousands of dead fish as well as octopus and shrimps washed up.

Green group SOS Mar Menor claims the new incidents were caused by high temperatures and a lack of wind cutting oxygen levels in the lagoon water.

Deaths

However prosecutors are also looking to see if a general deterioration of the lagoon was behind the deaths or whether it was a specific case of pollution.

It comes after another big probe into pollution in the Mar Menor, gathered steam.

A court probe has already ordered dozens of firms to answer why tens of thousands of oxygen-starved fish washed up on shores in October 2019.

Prosecutors are certain the deaths came from the unau-

As desertification threatens 75% of Spain and sea level rises spell doom Shannon Chaffers takes a look at how for tourism, the country is handling climate change

RECENT heatwave that above pre-industrial levels… swept across Canada and the Mediterranean has al- climate scientist Francisco Blanand the United States ready seen an average rise of co Velazquez. set record tempera1.5ºC since the end of the 19th He told the Olive Press that protures, while flooding in central longed periods of extreme heat Century.

Europe claimed at least 100 officially described as heatwaves Extreme heat lives. Both due to global warm- will only become leads to the deing. more frequent as terioration of soil And while Spain swelters in the region warms. to the extent that For every yet another scorching hot July, “The frequency of it can no longer it won’t come as a surprise to degree of heat waves has sustain former learn that the Mediterranean increased signifiplant life. It bewarming there cantly region is particularly vulnerable over the comes less and as global temperatures rise. last ten years and will be a 4% less productive.

A 2018 report identified that it will not change.

The problem is 75% of Spain’s land mass is drop in rainfall Spain knows that often worsened now at risk of desertification, we need to adapt by over-cultivamaking it one of the most atto this threat betion, deforestarisk nations in the world. cause it is a risk for tion, and urbanization, all conDesertification means more tributing factors placing Spain human health,” added Velazquez than just the expansion of deswho works at Evenor-Tech, a even more in the danger zone. erts, although that is one very “Spain is one of the countries company that researches the imreal result, particularly if temclassified as high-risk for cli- pact climate change has on soil. peratures rise to more than 2ºC mate change impacts,” insists Unfortunately, adverse impacts don’t stop there. With rising tem-

Small sea, GIANT PROBLEM

By Alex Trelinski

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Solar solution ONE of Spain’s biggest regions could be generating all its power from domestic solar panels, according to a renewable energy firm.

EDP Solar says that the Valencian community has 2,800 hours of sunshine per year, which puts it into pole position to see home panel installations rise over the next few years.

The company claims that 82% of homes have already got the space to install solar panels which could have the potential to account for 99% of the region's demand for electricity.

“Spain is the country with the most solar radiation in Europe and within it, the Valencian Community has the most sunshine hours and the greatest solar potential,” said Gabriel Nebreda, director of EDP. His claims would avoid the annual emission of almost 9.2 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

how it went

DISASTER: Tens of thousands of dead fish, our report last issue (above) Jo Scott

on page 6

DOOME CLOSE D TO Costa Blanca for the return hotels are left praying of UK Germans and Frenchtourists - with staying home

Pollution probe

Katherine Brook katherine@theolivepress.es

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Female expat makes moving tribute to her famous bullrunning dad

2021

tourism industry, which currently drives 12 to 15% of Spain’s economy and much more in key regions like the Balearics, Valencia and Andalucia.

Flood risk is also predicted to increase throughout

OVER 40,000 signed a petition people have cinated British to allow vacthe UK without Expats to visit quarantining.

It comes after dozens pats expressed of outrage atexrule that made them a and needing exempt their return to quarantine on friends back to see family or The digital home. petition, claimed which up to six the rule prejudiced million Britons ing abroad, livcaused a response rapid ernment, from the UK govdefending matic approach’. its ‘pragA spokesman RECENTLY-reopened said: “Public health has Blanca hotels Costa already number onealways been our close will have put many again priority to off making will not risk throwingand we do not pick if UK bookings a plunge families our hard-won summer away The regionalup next month. holidays for their achievements.”

By Alex Trelinski For the petition this in Spain hoteliers ciation, Hosbec asso- But year.

EU COVID to be consid- is ered in Parliament there very difficult insists that it Mayor. bring in certificate would reach 100,000 sands who are tens of thouit needs to British market.

Mayor regards are still France andEU tourists as signatures. to itable without thestay prof- to travel From masses of Germany normal break for theirplanning most the last the UK as al- not recommending British tourists. are cinated’July 19, ‘fully-vacannual the The British in the Letters special summer hope in saving ish travel, which Span- England tourists “If British sun. government’s season with confusing on page already tourists 10 arrive in an us with the Britishjust leaves ber-listed going to an from do not visitors gloomy outlook ly-changing and frequentmarket,” country like amover said Mayor. doomed August, hotels are messages will no longer to closure,” Germany.from France and Many hotels Spain have ed Hosbec president,insist- “Rising have to into self-quarantine in late June only reopened go bike rentAL • return.

Toni reduced COVID cases on their or early have month in e-scooters this However the hope that the laxed UK anticipation of reall British BIKE TOURS • minus children tourists, are heavilytravel rules as they repairS dependent under age on the two of four, will still the negative need They have COVID tests. fore you to be booked beand can get on your flight cost up (€117) each. to £100 Holidaymakers have to get will also gen test priora negative antito flying home.

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Graham Keeley graham@theolivepress.es

- July 28th

See page 14

thorised use and dumping of desalinated water in the lagoon by farmers in the I Campo de Cartagena area.

Meanwhile the Murcia government says that it will file a complaint with prosecutors against Spain's Ecological Transition Minister, Teresa Ribera.

The PP-led regional administration, which has been in power since 1995, says that the PSOE minister has done nothing to stop fresh water and nutrients being poured into the Mar Menor.

They also claim Ribera broke promises made over removing sludge.

The regional PP government itself has also been heavily criticised for not doing enough during their tenure to protect the Mar Menor.

The lagoon has been branded by campaigners as one of Europe's major environmental disasters.

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ticularly at risk for erosion and flooding.

This poses not just a threat to those who live in coastal and floodplain areas but will have a massive impact on Spain’s

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peratures come reduced rainfall and drought.

The MedECC group (Mediterrranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change) estimates that with each degree of warming there will be a 4% decrease in rainfall. And this will bring an increasingly arid climate with more droughts and fires, phenomena that Spain is already seeing.

There is also the threat of rising sea levels, as increasing temperatures have caused faster melting of glaciers and ice caps, resulting in the sea level rising globally at a rate of about 3mm per year over the last two decades.

While it is uncertain exactly how much the Med will be affected, experts have made clear that Spain’s coastal regions are par-

The

QUESTIONS NEED ANSWERING

the country, as extreme rainfall events become more common pected rise of invasive species also poses a threat. in a warmer world.

But increased rainfall doesn’t This food scarcity issue could be mean an end to water shortag- compounded by the effects of es, quite the opposite: Torrential rising temperatures on Spain’s rain and subsequent flooding marine ecosystem. threatens water stores, destroys Already, overfishing is a major drainage and water supply sys- problem in Spain. With warmer tems and compounds the risk of ocean and freshwater temperatures, combined with ocean aciddrought.

These same factors also threat- ification due to higher levels of en Spain’s food supply. Heat CO2, once abundant species of waves, droughts, and heavy fish will become more scarce. rainfall all have a detrimental But amid this doom and gloom, effect on crops, while the ex- Velazquez believes Spain has the right tools to adapt to climate change.

“I think that the strategy to adapt to climate change is [on the right path]. Several initiatives are on the table and they will be adapted if it is required,” he explains.

Indeed, Spain recently passed its first law aimed at combating climate change, putting the country on track to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 in line with EU goals.

Velazquez believes this plan sets Spain on the right track.

“The current carbon neutral plan is ambitious but if it is correctly implemented, and other countries do it too, the final results will set us on the right path,” he said.

But for some Spanish environmental activists, the plan falls far short of what is needed.

The Spanish government was recently hit with a Supreme Court petition by activists insisting it lacked ambition and had no chance of preventing global temperatures from rising 1.5ºC by 2030.

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A GOLF course is judge investigating among a blacklist into the Mar the dumping of polluters given to a of improperly-treated Judge Angel Menor.

Garrote has water nesses to ordered 42 testify, as agriculture-based well as the bosses busiContinues

T’S an area that was long known for its beauty with its breathtaking geography and varied flora and fauna.

But today the Mar Menor, in Murcia, makes headlines for the horrific pollution that has ravaged the lagoon killing tens of thousands of fish as people in power stood by peared to do little or nothing about it. and apTake a trip to the southern shore, an area once teeming with tourists drawn to the en sands and clear blue water of Punta goldBrava beach, in Los Urrutias.

Today the coastal stretch is awash with dirty mush, covered in algae and emitting a putrid ‘rotten-egg’ stench. The water is distinctly murky and, not surprisingly, there’s barely a bather in sight.

Cleaning teams from Cartagena City Council come and go, but are faced with a thankless task as any work is quickly undone fresh wave of algae sweeping in. Los with a Urrutias is one of the worst pollution blackspots because of its close proximity to a creek ing gallons of nitrate-laden irrigation dumpwater into the lagoon.

So bad was the situation that in 2016 plankton, also known as microalgae, phytounder attack, due to the high levels of came nitrate in the water.

The surface ended up turning dark green stopping sunlight reaching lagoon vegetation and leading to the loss of 80% of its seagrass, according to the Institute of Oceanography.

Within a year, all of the Mar Menor’s beaches were stripped of their ‘Blue Flag’ status.

Just when it didn’t seem things could get worse, in September 2019, exceptional flooding saw excess water pumped in the lagoon, which in turn led to tens of thousands of oxygen-starved fish washing up dead beaches such as Villanantitos at San onto Pedro del Pinatar.

The images flashed around the world as over three tons of fish and crustaceans were collected from the beaches. Tests confirmed they had died of anoxia (lack of oxygen) worse, there were countless thousands and, more dead on the bottom of the lagoon.

It caused a national outrage and, as in the Olive Press, some 55,000 covered marched on the regional parliamentpeople (see right) in Cartagena to call for urgent action.

“The floods were the last straw,” recalls Manga resident, Graham Bradley. “There La anger that nothing had been done for was about preserving such a beautiful area.years It is incomprehensible how this has been allowed to happen,” he added.

on Page

4

Spain’s Mar Menor is Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon, and now the site of one of the continent’s greatest ecological disasters, writes Alex Trelinski would end up in the water and would annihilate the flora and fauna,” recalls one campaigner Isabel Rubio.

There were other issues too. Like much of coastal Spain, the 1970s saw tourists flood in from abroad leading to a construction boom with buildings constructed all along the shore, particularly in the mid-1980s.

Then followed dredging work to allow access for bigger boats that further damaged the delicate ecosystem.

But the biggest environmental threat came from the large number of unlicensed desalination were introduced by farmers for irrigation plants that around the

DISASTER: The OP’s feature

J

Campo de Cartagena.

A law change in 1979 meant irrigated zones increased by over ten times, while an alarming quarter of the region became ‘watered’ illegally without licences.

It was good news, of course, for northern internationally-exported crops saw their Europe, as reliance on rain reduced.

Fruit and vegetables ended up on UK shelves with customers oblivious to the supermarket environmental price paid to get them there.

It was a similar situation in the Campo de Dalias in Almeria, where the aquifers were drained intensive agriculture, mostly under plastic,so fast by that the spread of desertification rapidly sped up.

However, while these green gold crops brought a Continues on page 9

HE Olive Press has been batting for Spain live on Sky twice over the last week.

Editor Jon Clarke pleaded with the UK government not to put the country ber-plus list despite rising COVID-19 on the amHe told Sky News breakfast show figures. sharp rise in infections, the key that, despite a statistic was far lower hospital numbers.

Alongside the Greek Tourist Minister, he also pointed out how well Spain had done to get 55% of the country vaccinated - overtaking France and even the UK. It means that it is largely youngsters catching COVID in Spain now and they mostly ‘swat it away easily’.

The Olive Press team are regularly UK news channels, also including appearing on the BBC and ITV, giving their detailed local analysis on key issues around Spain.

We have also helped on a trio of investigative documentaries, including one for Swedish national TV and another for Australia’s CBS, over the last month.

We are the most trusted English Spain, which is reflected in rising media outlet in online numbers of well over 20,000 visitors a day.

Thousands of regulars have now signed up to our paywall, which provides over 20 stories a day about the country.

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

luggage rules over flight switches are 1- Ryanair ruled unfair by the Supreme Court in Spain knitters create beautiful crochet screen 2- Local to keep sun off the streets in town inland from

Zero

These include cutting our driving by 4%, our flying by 6% and by dropping our consumption of meat and dairy by 20%.

KIM CLARK “It is not the case that net zero requires total transformation in all aspects of our lives,” said a spokesman for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Bison

Germany fied the last week classi‘high risk’whole of Spain as there is for COVID-19, but right bar currently no outcoming toon German visitors Spain if they an EU COVID certificate.have The same tourists, applies to French who are ond-highest the seceign visitorsnumber of fortraditionally after the However UK. Minister a French Junior Spain andsuggested that both Portugal ‘safe destinations’, were not tion denied a

by Spain’ssuggesism Minister, TourReyes Maroto.

And it certainly is not a recent problem. Environmental campaigners have spent the last four decades slamming the huge number of farms in the area that allowed their wastewater to enter the inland lagoon.

Warnings were first sounded when the dangers of intensive farming, urban development and mining were seen to serious threat to the area’s ecosystem.pose a “I remember a scientist saying in 1980 farming developed close to the lagoon,that if then remnants of fertilisers and other nutrients

A SERIES of small, key behavioural 7 changes will be enough to prevent global warning, a key environmental Live on think tank has claimed.

TheT British body has laid out six important steps that will help Europe reach its goal of cutting emissions to net zero by 2050.

July 28th - August 10th 2021

A New probe as thousands more dead fish wash up on the shores of Europe’s largest salt water lagoon IT seems like every day there is a new headline reminding us of the very real effect of climate change on our environment.

Just this week we have seen record temperatures in Aragon, fires raging in Catalunya and drought warnings in Andalucia.

Another week and there might be flash floods, coastal erosion, warnings of overfishing.

We are very aware that Spain is particularly vulnerable to the dangers of climate change but are we really doing enough to tackle it?

Volunteers may give up a day here pick up litter on a local beach or and there to wildlife spot.

And we all do the best we can to recycle don’t we?

COVID may have curtailed our air travel and therefore reduced our carbon footprints over the last year, but let’s face it, we still rely too much on gas-guzzling cars, on air conditioning in summer and central heating in winter.

We still want our favourite vegetables available on supermarket shelves even when they are not in season.

We still eat too much meat.

Even environmentalists aren’t united forward as our recent reports on on the way against mass solar parks illustrate. the protests But it’s time we woke up to the disaster ahead and pushed our governments to take riously. Why has no-one been held it more sefor an ecological disaster as huge accountable as the one we have witnessed in the Mar Menor (see right)?

Are the energy companies going to be allowed to continue to make big profits, and ers to get off scot free while the rest big pollutthrough our plastics and carry home of us sort our shopping in hemp bags in the belief that we are doing our bit?

August 25th - September 7th 2021

The fight against climate change extends beyond action at a national level, however, and Spaniards are walking up to the need to become more environmentally friendly at home.

Aside from recycling far more, in Andalucia, farmers are being handed subsidies to switch to more sustainable methods of farming in a bid to fend off de-

sertification.

Elsewhere, both Malaga and Madrid have released plans to create a green belt around their cities (see green page 9), while other initiatives include the reintroduction of bison, long extinct within Spain, for the effective way they graze on undergrowth and help to prevent forest fires.

The jury is still out whether these efforts will be enough to mitigate the impending consequences of climate change, but Velazquez believes that with continued action on the issue, we have a chance.

“Climate change impacts are inevitable,” he concludes. “The increase of droughts, heat waves, and wildfires will affect us, but we can reduce their impacts if we work on it now. If we delay any longer, maybe it will be too late.”

Spain’s Costa del Sol

known towns worth a visit on 3- Five lesser Spain’s Costa del Sol this summer expat returns to Spain to find 4- Irish living in her home and demandingsquatter money to move out

Spain’s Balearic Islands will cover cost 5are-triate Covid-19 positive tourists whose to repaholidays prolonged with mandatory 10-day quarantine

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“There is a relatively small number of key behavioural changes that will deliver most of the necessary emissions reductions.

“Some have argued mass transition to vegetarianism, an end to international flights or mass transition from cars.

They are not necessarily required to meet net zero.”

Other key changes involve car fleets becoming 60% electric by 2035 and all new cars being electric by then.

In addition, 40% of homes need low carbon heating or air conditioning using heat pumps. Heating systems need to be low carbon.

We will also need to reduce waste per person by 37% via recycling, composting and lower consumption.

Martin Tye explains how Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

UST how serious are our elected governments taking climate change?

You be the judge. Readers of this column know my thoughts and plenty of you regularly get in touch.

Two centuries ago Great Britain led the global industrial revolution. Today, Boris Johnson’s government claims to be leading the charge towards net zero by 2050 with its much publicised new Green Revolution.

In November of last year Boris and Alok Sharma, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy published a 10-point plan of action.

Matters

DO SOMETHING!

It went like this: 1. Advancing Offshore Wind 2. Driving the Growth of Low Carbon Hydrogen 3. Delivering new and advanced Nuclear Power 4. Accelerating the shift to Zero Emission Vehicles 5. Green public transport 6. Jet zero and green ships 7. Greener buildings 8. Investing in Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage 9. Protecting our Natural Environment 10. Green finance and innovation

ACTION: Alok Sharma gave 10 point plan

I fully agree with all of this. However the problem is seeing these words turned into action.

The government’s own advisory Climate Change Committee states that 1% of GDP needs to be spent every year to ensure that net zero targets are met.

But the WWF reports that in the March 2021 budget green policies add up to 0.01% of GDP. Talk is cheap, actions are weak, and some government proposals fly in the face of going green.

How can a new coal mine even be considered in Cumbria??

How can a new oil field be on the cards off Shetland??

Every day we see the effects of global warming. Governments need to step up now and make difficult and costly decisions.

Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction.

Many thanks to all of you for the emails you send.

Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638145664 Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es

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A llabout Summer 2021

EASY LIVING O LA NEWSAGEN T & GI FT SHOP

Exclusive seclusion and spectacular beauty give Sotogrande a carefree air of privilege

E

TCHED carefully into the crown of Spain’s southern coast, Sotogrande is a gem that shows no sign of losing its glimmer.

The country’s largest privately-owned residential ‘super-state’

has long been the first port of call for the cream of European high society.

The radiance of this millionaire’s playground lies in its low-density living, stunning beaches and mountain backdrops, plus its amazing marina and golf courses.

Its privileged views of the Rock of Gibraltar and the Rif mountains of Africa have been enjoyed by the likes of ex-UK PM Tony Blair, the British royal family and countless EuroSOIREE: A high society day at the polo and entrance to the port

pean celebrities, who don’t want to be spotted, unlike those who venture to nearby Marbella.

But keep your eyes peeled and you might spot Irish motor racing guru Eddie Jordan or former Genesis keyboard player Mike Rutherford who have homes in the resort.

Internationally renowned for its polo, golf and sailing, as well as a burgeoning gastronomic scene, this ‘mini Monaco’ of high net worth residents has all the hallmarks of what is often considered the top private resort in Europe.

Different from other ‘celebrity’ resorts where talk of wealth and fame is de rigueur, in Sotogrande Continues over

We have a range of gifts for any occasion Toys, Fragrances, Flowers, Helium balloons, Cards and Wrapping paper

We have National and International press and magazines National or International parcel service

Various postal services including Royal Mail and DHL

OPEN: Monday to Sunday 9am to 2pm Galeria Paniagua, 11310 Sotogrande, Cádiz info@olasoto.shop tel: 956 796 021 www.olasoto.shop

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Tastes of the world Flavours abound at Foodisiac

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RESHLY baked loaves of bread, buttery croissants, coffee percolating on the counter, these are the smells that will greet you if you choose to take a visit to one of Sotogrande’s most popular restaurants, Foodisiac.

Owned by Laurence Forcione and his wife, pastry chef Adina, the restaurant first became famous as an allday-dining hot spot, serving homemade quality delicacies from dawn until dusk.

Born and raised in France, Laurence has brought a piece of home with him to Sotogrande and wins guests over with his brilliant French-style breakfast.

Homemade “Everything is homemade; croissants, bread, jam,” said Laurence.

“We make everything from scratch, as well as classics like eggs benedict and croque monsieur.”

Having trained at famous Paris cooking school, Cordon Bleu, Forcione and Adina have an eye for the finest ingredients, and this goes beyond just brunch.

The evening dining experience has become increasingly popular, with the ta-

lented staff transferring the restaurant’s stellar daytime reputation for homemade delights to their evening menu.

Well-travelled, the menu fuses all of the couple’s favourite things, taking influence from Asian, Mexican, Spanish, and Lebanese cuisines.

Foodisiac brings a little of the FRESH CUISINE je ne sais quoi spirit of the famous Parisian brasseries to a OPEN EVERY DAY 9AM TO MIDNIGHT fabulous waterside BREAKFAST – LUNCH –location.

DINNER New head chef, Alberto Sarmiento, who’s experience extends into Michelin star restaurants, works with a team of up to 15 other chefs to create the ambitious menu, paying the utmost attention to detail, flavour and presentation.

Situated in the marina, the restaurant boasts idyllic views, trendy interiors and a thriving atmosphere - despite the depletion of tourists this summer season, Forcione says he’s always got a full restaurant. Regulars come from all across the Costa del Sol, usually on Sundays after browsing in Sotogrande’s Sunday market.

From front page

they like to keep such talk, appropriately, ‘sotto voce.’

Mention the palpable sense of community, however, and you’ll discover how that is the privileged enclave’s true treasure.

“Sotogrande is a very friendly place. You get all the different nationalities here and they all just blend in,” estate agent Brian Nelson tells us at his office in the port of Sotogrande.

“It’s so cosmopolitan and with a low crime rate - if any at all.”

The profusion of yachts and kayaks spotted as we walk the immaculately tree lined streets down to the marina reminds us again of Sotogrande’s huge sporting offer, not to forget the golf. Valderrama is possibly the most famous but there is plenty of choice in the tranquil surroundings, with seven courses available.

Elsewhere, those who take life more at a gallop have Santa Maria Polo Club, one of the most important clubs of its kind in Europe, where the equestrian sport can be enjoyed most of the year.

It is also the only polo club in the world to hold two ranking events on the international circuit every year: the Silver Cup and the Gold Cup. Every July and August top polo players from around the world descend on Santa Maria for the International Tournament, now in its 50th year. During the off-season, many football teams rent the polo pitches to train.

FOODISIAC RESTAURANT – RIBERA DEL MARLIN 25, LA MARINA DEL PUERTO DE SOTORANDE, 11310 SAN ROQUE www.foodisiac.es – Instagram: foodisiac_life – Facebook: foodisiac – reservations@foodisiac.es +34 856 399 163

Much of Sotogrande’s fame stems from its sporting firsts. Valderrama golf course was the first to host The Ryder Cup on the continent of Europe in 1997. And it’s still a fairway to golfing heaven, according to golfer and former professional footballer Andy Gemmell, who has played some 40 courses in the area.

If year-round residents have a complaint, it’s that the winter months can be very quiet, so they welcome the recent new investment in the area.

There has been a serious amount of spending in the extended port area, Ribera del Marlin, as well as in the hills up towards La Reserva golf.

There is a very real sense that the place has upped a gear in the past decade and all of Sotogrande’s 2,500 hectares are being carefully planned and used.

Millions

OLIVE PRESS­ BMSOTOGRANDE_Layout 1 20/08/2021 5:36 PM Page 1

Visit www.foodisiac.es for more information

SOTTO VOCE

ON HAND: Ex-king awards cup

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Sotogrande’s story goes back to the 1960s, when in 1962 an American Filipino family invested millions into Sotogrande to make it what it is today.

ELITE: Tournament at Santa Maria Polo Club Stanford University graduate Joseph McMicking and his family were looking to find a suitable place on the Mediterranean, when his cousin found Sotogrande.

Joseph McMicking purchased the company Financiera Sotogrande del Guadiaro and submitted a plan to buy the 1,800 hectare estate, which was later approved by the Spanish authorities. From there he commissioned Robert Trent Jones, a famous golf architect, to design the Royal Golf Club of Sotogrande.

Building on the success, in 1978 the International School of Sotogrande was founded to accommodate the growing international population.

In 1985, the polo fields of Rio Sotogrande I and II were built as well as adding new fields in 1992, 1995, 2003 and 2008.

In 1997, just before the Ryder Cup, the Guadiaro to Algeciras coastal highway dual-carriageway upgrade was completed and in 2002 the construction of AP-7 motorway helped visitors reduce their drive time to the resort.

McMicking continued to live out his later years in Sotogrande until his death in 1990.

Sotogrande has undoubtedly become the benchmark resort for residential luxury living and quality sport tourism.

It is easy to agree with resident Lucrecia Aldao when she said ‘I don’t think Sotogrande will ever lose its sparkle.’

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FOODISIAC RESTAURANT – RIBERA DEL MARLIN 25, LA MARINA DEL PUERTO DE SOTORANDE, 11310 SAN ROQUE www.foodisiac.es – Instagram: foodisiac_life – Facebook: foodisiac – reservations@foodisiac.es +34 856 399 163

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LOOK NO FURTHER

ANDE_Layout 1 20/08/2021 5:36 PM Page 1

T

UP SOTO CREEK WITH A PADDLE

HOSE seeking guidance when buying a home in the prestigious enclave of Sotogrande need look no further than BM Sotogrande.

The luxury real estate specialists have some of the most desirable properties that can be found in the leafy urbanisation and pleasure harbour on their books.

As the ‘original top-of-the-market property developers’ in the area, founder Bradley Falconer and team are also the font of all knowledge on design and construction.

Clients can tap into Bradley’s long experience as a hiROW YOUR BOAT: Life afloat Jon Clarke taking a trip down ghly trained architect who is au fait with the very latest the Rio Guadiaro, while bottom, the rest of the team trends. This enables his team to source the per-LUXURY VILLA - SOTOGRANDE ALTO Y VILLA - design SOTOGRANDE COSTA requirements in terms m 2 , P l o t s i z efect : 3 5 0home 0 m 2 , to B emeet d ro o their m s : 8clients’ , B a t h ro oms: 11 B u i l t aof re a : 1 . 1 0 0 m 2 , P l o t s i z e : 5 . 6 7 5 m 2 , B e d ro o m s : 6 , B a t h ro o m s : 8 quality and design.

T would not be unfair to call Sotogrande

I

Arriving in Sotogrande style, Jon Clarke takes a trip down the Rio Guadiaro

I

T is by far the most exciting way to arrive in Sotogrande.

But you are likely to get wet so don’t bring your gladrags.

One of the best family adventures on the Costa del Sol, you can rent a kayak and paddle the whole way down the Guadiaro river from El Secadero, which is actually in

Golf glorious golf

the home of Spanish golf.

After all, it has some of the oldest courses in the country and has even hosted There are, of course, half a dozen more They have access to some of the very best resale prothe Ryder Cup. courses on the Sotogrande circuit. perties in Sotogrande, as well as to a high-quality selecIndeed, anyone with half an interest in Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande, a.k.a. the tion of the most sought-after new developments. sport will remember the fantastic last few ‘Old Course’, was the first to be built in the Bradley and his team also excel when it comes to those holes of the 1997 Ryder Cup, when Colin area and said to be a dream to play after whose dream is to have their own home built to the Montgomery played the best round of his tricky sister course, Valderrama. It was most stringent standards from first plan to finished prolife. here that so-called Bermuda grass was perty.

That was at Valderrama, now viewed as first introduced into Spain. one of the must-play golf courses in Eu- Almenara Golf, designed by Ryder Cup Using their know-how and experience they can fulfill rope, beautifully maintained, pricey and, champion turned respected course archithe dreams of the most discerning clients and they offer some say, a touch too challenging. tect David Thomas, is up in the hills whian efficient and painless home-building experience.

Golfers up for a change should try Alcaide- le La Canada, La Reserva and San Roque And if you would rather rent than buy, BM Sotogransa, claimed to be the only Links golf course complete the ‘famous five’. de also has a selection of high-quality apartments and in southern Europe.

“There are few places with such a high villas in the best locations of Sotogrande and surrounSeaside courses require a different style of concentration of great golf courses,” says ding areas. - SOTOGRANDE ENT VALGRANDE COUNTRY - SOTOGRANDE play fromESTATE your standard 18 and if the ball Ian Bateman, former boss of Holmes estam 2 , P l o t s i z e : 5 8 4 m 2 , B e d ro o m s : 4 , B a t h ro o m s : 4 B u i l t a re a : 9 2 6 mlands 2 , P l oint the s i z e water, : 1 6 8 . 9forget 7 8 m 2 , it!B e d ro o m s : 8 , B a t hte ro o ms: 7 agents.

As an added touch, Alcaidesa may be the “When you add the fabulous tennis faciFor all your property needs, please give BM most scenic of all the Sotogrande courses, lities and polo club, with its 11 full size MEDITERRANEAN - WWW.BMSOTOGRANDE.COM +34 956 785 views 092 to / +34 626 courses, 010 584the facilities in Sotogrande are SotograndePROPERTIES a call on 956 785 092, 626 010 584 with breathtaking coastal Gibraltar and North Africa. second to none.” or visit www.bmsotogrande.com

Best

Casares, to the mouth of the river at Sotogrande port.

Taking a couple of hours, you will see a huge range of birds and feel like you are in total wilderness for much of it.

There are even a few rapids to get the heart racing.

Organised by Andalucia Activities, kayaks come in three sizes and can comfortably take three people in the larger ones.

I joined a group descent, with around 100 people in dozens of canoes, arriving early and getting kitted out properly, with a full safety drill before heading off. But you can also get a special day out for groups or individuals organised by Andalucia Activities.

And as well as kayaking, the company also offers walking expeditions as well as paddle board lessons and wakeboarding.

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Spicy offering

AS part of the airline’s COVID recovery program, Ryanair has added dozens more flights to its weekly roster to and from Spain.

Throughout September and October, Ryanair will have six different routes from Spain to Morocco, with more weekly flights to Tangier and Tetouan.

These include new routings to the largely undiscovered city of Oujda, while there will be two new weekly flights from Alicante to Tetouan.

August 25th - September 7th 2021

13

Get off my land City slickers ordered to stay away from rural northern town if they don’t like farmyard smells and other country annoyances

Bordeaux

For winter, Ryanair will be adding an additional 21 routes and more than 2000 weekly flights, from popular Spanish airports to locations across Europe such as Bordeaux, Arlanda, Stockholm and Frankfurt.

Jason McGuinness, director of commercial Ryanair, said: “We are delighted to continue to fuel recovery and growth in Spain despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our new 2021 winter Spanish routes are perfect for customers looking to enjoy a winter break.”

VISIT: Morocco

TOWNIES have been ordered to avoid holidays in rural idylls around northern Spain.

One town in Asturias has even recommended city dwellers stay away if they don’t like the ways of the country.

By Fiona Govan

The council in Ribadesella (population 5,600) pinned up warning posters around the picturesque coastal re-

SNAPPY SNACKS

IT will come as no surprise - but paella has been named as the most Instagrammable dish in Spain.

The Valencian invention, which has numerous meat, seafood and vegetarian variations has received over 3.3 million hashtags to date.

The Galician favourite of empanadas - pastries traditionally filled with tuna - come in second with 2.8 million to date.

Despite a long-term debate over soup being considered a meal, gazpacho has been tagged over 380,000 times to date, just ahead of Spain’s legendary tortilla de patatas (331,658).

Fideua has 164,250 hashtags, while suckling lamb (lechazo) has 22,850.

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1 Cry this if you want to be ignored (4) 4 Soapbox words (7) 9 It's at one edge of a rainbow (3) 10 Care to explain that?

(3,2) 11 Implicate (7) 12 "The boy," to Homer (4) 13 Deflect (4,4) 15 Canopy over a bed (6) 16 Free from danger (6) 20 Top-of-the-line American car (8) 22 Kind of seaweed (4) 24 Vast (7) 25 Tupelo's favourite son (5) 26 Calls the shots on the pitch (3) 27 Rap variety (7) 28 Ripped (4)

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Down 2 Ahead, Dr. No saw confusion (7) 3 "--- Here to Eternity" (4) 4 Abhorrent (6) 5 Moves forward (8) 6 Relative by marriage (23) 7 Destitute (5) 8 Enthusiasts have it between the teeth (3,3) 14 Marshy areas (8) 17 Butcher's utensil (7) 18 Uncover (6) 19 Proceed in this for privacy (6) 20 Adhere closely (5) 21 Fiend (5) 23 Adroit (4)

All solutions are on page 15

sort, where green pastures roll down to the sea.

It warns visitors to ‘assume all risks’ including braying donkeys, cow dung and cocks crowing - or simply visit somewhere else.

Top 10 pictured dishes

1. Paella (3,325,532) 2. Empanadas (2,756,145) 3. Gazpacho (380,257) 4. Tortilla de patata (331,658) 5. Bocadillos (306,422) 6. Fideuà (164,250) 7. Cocido (130,235) 8. Lechazo (22,850) 9. Pollo al ajillo (6,800) 10. Arroz con huevo (6,319)

“Here we have church bells that peal regularly, roosters that crow early in the morning and livestock that live nearby and even carry cowbells that also make noise,” it reads.

“We have tractors owned by farmers that toil to feed you and we have lanes not motorways (so drive carefully).

“If you can’t handle all this, then you may not be in the right place,” it adds.

The tongue-in-cheek posters come in response to a flurry of complaints made in phone calls to the town hall from recent city slicker visitors.

“It’s a wake-up call to defend our way of life,” explained Luis Sanchez, Ribadesella’s deputy mayor.

“We’re responding to those surprised to hear a rooster crowing at dawn and call to

WARNING: Stay out of Ribadesella (left) to avoid donkeys complain that their sleep is being disturbed,” he added.

He confirmed the council had received calls about braying donkeys and even dung dropped in the middle of the road by a herd of meandering cattle.

“These things are a normal part of daily life in villages,” Sanchez said.

The poster at least ends on a positive note, welcoming those who genuinely seek the bucolic lifestyle.

“If you can bear all this, you’ll enjoy the wonderful surroundings and the excellent products made by our fantastic farmers and artisans,” it adds.

Afghan tragedy

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Dear Jennifer:

Time to take control of your future during these difficult events

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL FOOD,DRINK

H

OW different our world is from two years ago. I was personally concerned at the speed that many people were living at, the pollution, climate change and very few people seemed to be content with their lives.

I am a firm believer in Mother Nature turning round on us, trying to give us warnings but of course, everybody was too busy in the world, trying to make money, with no time to look over their shoulders to discover what was happening.

Then a huge bomb exploded in the name of COVID. Unfortunately it took a while for the various governments to react, and it started to take over, with many becoming ill and sadly death was always round the corner.

The consequences of COVID will probably always be us, with new variants, and life will never feel the same.

On a positive side, I have heard many times that people have discovered the beauty around them and there are many fighting against climate change, especially among the young.

The reaction to COVID has been very demanding on the authorities and, very sadly, the everyday illnesses and conditions have had to take a back seat which of course, must be very frightening for those who have a health problem.

At the same time, BREXIT was sort of forgotten but more and more issues are beginning to come to light, usually to the detriment of the UK. For example, empty shelves, and horrors – chickens seem to be disappearing from certain restaurants.

However, we have another tragedy - Afghanistan. When I look at the soldiers who have been badly injured and think of the ones who died, I along with many, especially the military, are horrified at the speed at which everything is happening there. So much was given by the forces to try and keep the Taliban out but our politicians had other thoughts and we are already seeing the consequences.

Once again, the risk of terrorism could be on the rise. Nothing is easy but maybe now is the time to make sure that you and your family are protected from whatever is around the corner.

If in doubt, ensure all your documents and paperwork are correct and that they are the best you can do for your family.

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP, JUST CALL US ON 966 461 690, EMAIL INFO@JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET OR VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET

August 25th September 7th 2021

COOLING

ISOLATED: The Sierra de Albarracin and Spain’s coolest town Griegos (circled)

Take a trip to the province of Teruel to find Spain’s coolest place in summer… and make sure to stop off at stunning Albarracin on the way, writes Fiona Govan

D

ESPITE the heatwave of mid-August finally subsiding after forcing the mercury above 40ºC, many people in Spain are still

dreaming of cooler climes.

While Spain’s northwestern corner has escaped the brunt of the high temperatures, there are more options than a trip to

Galicia or Asturias to find a respite from the scorching sun.

The place in Spain that has officially been declared the town with the lowest temperatures during summer is actually located in ru-

Warm welcome for cold sea sailors GIBRALTAR’S naval base team gave a warm welcome to the Royal Navy's HMS Protector.

The striking ship is deployed for 330 days a year and has recently undergone a major refurbishment ahead of

its first visit to Antarctica since 2019.

HMS Protector, affectionately dubbed the navy’s ‘Swiss Army Knife’, will pass through Ascension and Saint Helena islands, sending updates on the British overseas territories.

ral Teruel province in east-central Spain, roughly halfway between Madrid and Valencia as the crow flies.

Griegos, in the Sierra de Albarracin, is the second highest town in Spain sitting at an altitude of 1,604 metres and only beaten by Valdelinares, a town about two hours drive east within the same province.

In Griegos, the thermometer can often drop to 0ºC even in August, and a duvet is most definitely required.

To those in the scorched plains of central Spain SLEEPY: Griegos square

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL & TRAVEL

August 25th September 7th 2021

OFF

15

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or the humid south or east, that probably sounds blissful. But don’t all rush there at once.

Griegos has little tourist accommodation within the village itself, except a private home offered for rental on Booking. com although on the outskirts of the town surrounded by pine trees, you will find an albergue with basic hostel-style accommodation.

And there’s isn’t an awful lot to do in the town, except visit the Butterfly House or the 16th cen-

tury church of San Pedro. But if you want to enjoy the cooler temperatures and beautiful walks through nature there are countless hiking paths through the unspoilt woods of the surrounding hills.

Visitors can be sure of dining well at the town’s only restaurant, El Paladar de Aragon, which has a great value restaurant.

Close by you must also visit the capital of the local mountain range Albarracin itself. This gem of a town has been voted one of the most beautiful villages of Spain and it is not hard to see why.

Almost totally unspoilt, it counts on a stunning hillside location (above) in a green, leafy valley and with a wonderful collection of stone houses, palaces and churches.

It has a better collection of places to stay, including the excellent Hospederia de Batan (www.elbatan.es), which sits in its own valley with breathtaking local scenery and a Miche-

WILD: The Rio Guadalaviar flows through Albarracin

OP Puzzle solutions Across: 1 Wolf, 4 Oration, 9 Red, 10 How so?, 11 Involve, 12 Bart, 13 Turn away, 15 Tester, 16 Rescue, 20 Cadillac, 22 Kelp, 24 Immense, 25 Elvis, 26 Ref, 27 Gangsta, 28 Tore Down: 2 Onwards, 3 From, 4 Odious, 5 Advances, 6 In-law, 7 Needy, 8 The bit, 14 Wetlands, 17 Cleaver, 18 Expose, 19 Camera, 20 Cling, 21 Demon, 23 Deft

SUDOKU

Quick Crossword

lin-star restaurant to boot (the only one in Teruel province).

In the heart of town a great choice of restaurant is Senorio de Albarracin (www.senoriodealbarracin.com) which has a surprisingly interesting and creative menu, with plenty of good wines as well.

Back in Griegos, the town has recently launched an appeal to attract young families, as its numbers have dwindled to just 130 residents over recent years.

The town, like countless others within Teruel province of Aragon, suffers from a falling population after decades of abandoning rural life for opportunities in the cities.

The town council is currently offering young families a free house and a job to encourage them to relocate in a bid to stop the town dying out and the local school closing.

For those suffering in the heat elsewhere in Spain this month, that sounds like a tempting offer.

Photos by Jon Clarke

TIMELESS: Albarracin is also sleepy and empty in August

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2/8/18 17:01

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Egg-static EIGHT baby loggerhead sea turtles have hatched on a beach in Mojacar (Almeria) after their nest was put under 24-hour surveillance to make sure they were not harmed.

FINAL WORDS

Poor show FOOTBALL fans in Madrid are among the least satisfied when it comes to stadiums with Real Madrid’s Bernabeu and Atletico Madrid’s Wanda stadium branded the eighth and ninth worst stadiums in Europe by Livefootballtickets.com.

Still going

Public enemy number twos

GIBRALTAR

Vol. 5 Issue 155

www.theolivepress.es

The Rock’s ONLY free local paper

August 25th - September 7th 2021

NEARLY 500 dog owners have been fined in a clampdown of illegal dogs in Malaga this year.

Fines of up to €700 have been levied for unregistered dogs and for fouling the streets Of 171 samples of excrement some 25 were matched to the city’s DNA database. The campaign has seen 2,227 checks, which is actually a huge drop on the 14,000-plus checks in 2018.

No small matter

Dwarf bullfighters wade into battle to protect their livelihoods, now under threat DRESSED in gaudy clothes and heavily made-up, they dart about the ring leaping skillfully out of the path of charging bulls.

But unlike the hushed reverence to a matador in his twinkling suit of lights, these pint-size toreros perform to a bellow of collective laughter.

Welcome to dwarf bullfighting, a peculiar practice under threat from Spain’s Social Rights Ministry.

SHOEMAKER Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia from Leon, aged 112, is officially the world’s oldest man following the death of Puerto Rican farmer Emilio Flores Marquez just four days after he turned 113.

Po Fig o hte rs!

By Fiona Govan

However, plans to outlaw what it describes as ‘degrading’ entertainment and ridiculing people with disabilities, have been met with far more anger from the dwarves themselves.

Dwarf troupe Diversiones en el Ruedo is suing Baza town hall, in Granada, after a show was cancelled this month on orders from the Junta to ‘safeguard

Death of Feminism A MAYOR has banned bullfighting after two bulls killed in a recent corrida were named ‘Feminism’ and ‘Nigerian’.

Gijon leader Ana Gonzalez cancelled the annual Begoña fiesta before its last fight, after outrage from opponents of the blood sport.

Supporters of the festival insisted Gonzalez had lost her sense of humour.

BANNED: Pint-sized toreros are up in arms the dignity of people with disabilities’.

The group is furious and argues that their right to work is enshrined in the Spanish constitution.

“It shows a complete lack of respect and freedom,” manager Daniel Calderon, told the Olive Press.

“We are skilled professionals who work hard and entertain like other performers,” he said.

“All those who enter the ring are registered as bullfighters at

the Ministry of Culture, whatever size they are, and we enter of our own free will.

“Surely it’s discrimination to stop us from doing so?”

A CATALAN town has created a unique crime fighter to tackle the scourge of dog poo.

Super Anti-Caques visits schools to spread the vital message to clean up after pets.

The creation in Campdevanol comes as the town registered all its 300 pets and took DNA samples to ensure it can detect and fine those owners behind any errant excrement.

Meanwhile Barcelona and Madrid fared well in a poll of European cities that tackled the problem well.

They placed third and eighth in the table overall, ahead of Berlin and Vienna, in particular for dealing with offenders and providing good facilities for pets.

One of the factors singled out by tails.com is the severity of the fines, which is a whopping €1,500 in both Spanish cities.

Naples, in Italy, came bottom in the ranking.

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