Olive Press Gibraltar - Issue 199

P

RESS

GROUND ZERO!

Olive Press editor Jon Clarke was the only journalist to visit the ‘secret camp’ of Madeleine McCann suspect last year, as three-day lake search finds ‘relevant clues’

MAYOR FAREWELL

GIBRALTAR’S mayor Christian Santos has held two farewell evenings with Gibraltar organisations and associations he has supported during his time in the role.

With only weeks left, one of the most inclusive mayors in Gibraltar’s history is saying goodbye after two years in office.

The openly gay public figure, who also runs Gibraltar’s hugely successful Academy of Music and Performing Arts (GAMPA), is taking leave of the groups he supported. His deputy, playwright and actress Carmen Gomez, will take over as mayor on June 6.

Well done

“My time in office has only been possible because of all the work we have been able to do together,” Santos said on social media.

“I am making every possible effort to celebrate with everyone who has made my time in office so special.”

His words echo his vision to make the City Hall a place where everyone was welcome as part of his ‘We Are One’ campaign.

“His Worship has made it his mission to reach out to all who work hard to make a difference in our community,” the Gibraltar Government said in a statement.

Santos thanked everyone present at his receptions for their tireless work in their own areas.

IT was his secret camp that he called his ‘little paradise’.

Hidden in a copse overlooking Arade lake, this was the Portuguese hideout that Christian Brueckner would come to ‘cleanse himself’ alongside lots of beer and marijuana.

As well as a rudimentary table, hewn out of a log, the Madeleine McCann suspect even sculpted a stone bench down by the water’s edge.

But what most intrigued German detectives, who spent 72-hours scouring the area last week, was a perfect stone circle, now dismantled, that was made beside it.

“This was his exact special spot he liked to come to ‘cleanse himself’,” a former friend told the Olive Press on a visit to the reservoir, last year.

“He came here often, but I don’t know exactly what he did as he was always secretive.”

The Olive Press established he spent long periods by a trio of lakes on the Algarve, as well as Granada’s Alpujarras region, where he sold drugs and stolen items.

The convicted rapist and paedophile particularly liked Arade lake.

EXCLUSIVE

“He would drive down to the edge of the lake. He liked to be near the water,” revealed the German mother-of-two, who is a key witness in the case.

“He always camped in the same spot and said he came to ‘cleanse himself’ and he certainly washed himself and his clothes in the lake.

Cambodia

“He drank a lot of beer as when I came down with him to pick up stones for a wall at my house there were loads of empty cans.

“I think he liked the silence and the fact there was usually no-one else around. It now makes me horrified to think what he really might have done down there.”

Talking at her home near Silves, the expat, who has lived on the Algarve for three decades, added: “The most important thing detectives needed to know was exactly when and where he went by the lake. They made me

pick it out on maps and aerial shots, which luckily I could do.

“I really hope they finally catch him for all the horrible things he has done.”

Located just 30 miles from where Madeleine, then 3, was snatched from her bed in Praia da Luz, Arade lake sits close to where Brueckner was staying at the time in the village of Foral.

A former flatmate, Michael Tatschl, told the Olive Press in 2020 that Brueckner ‘loved’ spending time by the lakes with his friend Christian Post, an IT technician, who now lives in Cambodia.

“He loved the isolation at the lakes… and he was definitely a pervert and more than capable of snatching a child, for sexual kicks or money,” said Tatschl, from his home in Austria.

“He was always bragging about making money. He even talked about selling kids maybe to Morocco, and I think he probably sold Maddie to someone – maybe a sex ring.”

When we tracked Post down to Kampot, in Cambodia, last year, he said he believed Brueckner snatched a sleeping Madeleine while on a burglary spree.

“Now I know about his paedophile past. I’m 100% certain it was him.

I think he found [Madeleine] by chance and took her,” said Post. This is a theory that German detectives have been working on since they unearthed a stash of 8000 photos and videos, including child abuse, at a Brueckner property, in 2016. The files came with various other items, it can be revealed, some of which ‘directly implicate’ Brueckner in the abduction.

Clue

Yet remarkably, while he was twice extradited from Portugal for sex crimes against children, Portuguese detectives never considered he could be involved.

He is currently serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of a 72-yearold in Praia da Luz, in 2005. German cops discovered his phone was used near Madeleine’s apartment on the same night she went missing. Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told the Olive Press last year he is ‘certain’ Brueckner abducted Madeleine and killed her.

Detectives have found at least one ‘relevant clue’ from the Arade search and taken dozens of samples back to Germany to be analysed over the coming weeks.

LAKE CAMP: Brueckner had table and chairs

How the ‘Garden of the Costa del Sol’ has become Andalucia’s top resort, find out in our Estepona special inside

HOW GARDENTHE GROWS

RITUAL CLEANSING: What did Brueckner do at Arade lake stone circle?

Photos by Jon Clarke

NEWS IN BRIEF

Storytelling boards

EIGHT new interpretation panels at Camp Bay will provide historical and environmental information for residents and visitors of the area.

Driven

ARTIST Shane Dalmedo won a chance to enter her Sunday Drive sculpture about the pandemic lockdown into the UK’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition.

Arty history

GIBRALTAR artist Ambrose Avellano has launched a new book with archivist Anthony Pitaluga called ‘Dancing under the Shadows’.

Acting mayor

CARMEN Gomez spoke of her ‘pride’ at being appointed new mayor of Gibraltar, as Christian Santos steps down after two years in the post.

DRINKING CRASH

A GIBRALTAR man who drove a vehicle into a wall while nearly four times over the drink driving limit will spend three months in prison.

Repeat offender Brendon Head, 40, of Laguna Estate, was already banned from the road for five years for blowing nearly five times the drink driving limit in a July 2022 roadside test.

At 3am on December 20, 2021, Head was driving through Dudley Ward Tunnel when he collided into a wall, puncturing a wheel and damaging his Suzuki Carry.

A member of the public then reported his driving to the police control room.

Officers found Head at Europa Point Car Park trying to change his flat tyre.

They approached him and quickly figured he might be drunk by his slurred words.

Officers then tested him and he blew 132 ug.

£9 million catch

CUSTOMS officers have seized two tonnes of hashish they found floating in British waters on the eastern side of the Rock. Authorities worked out that the 53 bales of cannabis resin have a combined value of £9 million, although the officers found no trace of the smugglers that were transporting it. Collector of Customs John Payas and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo paid credit to the officers who had reacted quickly to intercept the illegal substance.

Smugglers bringing the hashish from neighbouring Morocco often throw out the drugs when cornered by Spanish police.

Customs officers first caught a glimpse of the packages on May 20 at 11am when on a routine patrol.

Once they had investigated the ‘suspicious packages of different sizes and wrapping’ they called in two more boats for backup, a government statement said.

Together, they then set about recovering the bales and load-

Customs fish two tonnes of cannabis out of the sea

By John Culatto

ing them aboard. They then brought them ashore where they were able to weigh them and continue their investigation.

The Collector of Customs, John Payas, said: “HM Customs remains committed to tackling drug trafficking

CRACK AND POP

A TOTAL of 322 kilos of cocaine hidden in sacks of popcorn have been seized at Algeciras Port (Cadiz).

Police acting on a tip-off searched a container from Brazil that was heading to Oran (Algeria) during its stop-over in the Spanish port. Four bags that differed from the

rest of the shipment were found inside, with the contents being identified as cocaine. Officers continued the search and discovered 12 more sacks of the substance outside the container terminal. The total weight of the 16 bags seized was 322 kilos.

TERROR CASH COURSE

networks both at an international and regional level, and preventing the importation of illegal substances into our jurisdiction.

“This represents a significant seizure of drugs and underscores the effectiveness of HMC’s ability to curtail illicit drugs trafficking through Gibraltar’s waters.”

Payas added that it ‘serves as a stark reminder to organised criminal groups that their activities will not go unchecked’.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo echoed his words in his own congratulations to the law enforcement branch.

“HM Customs Officers work tirelessly to keep drugs off Gibraltar’s streets and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate them on this interception.

“[It] is just one example of the tangible impact of their stellar efforts on our community.”

POLICE and financial crime experts from Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey took part in a threeday course to learn how to spot terrorist bank accounts. The course at the University of Gibraltar looked at ‘case studies, and the most recent typologies and trends employed by international and domestic terrorist organisations’, the government said. UK experts imparted the course material, making sure it was up to date and covered every corner.

The Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU) organised and hosted the Terrorist Financing Course through the Quad Island Forum.

The financial jurisdictions of Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey make up the Quad Island Forum.

It shares knowledge and experience, working together to achieve their aims and objectives.

The course is the fruit of the forum’s contact with the National Terrorist Financing Investigation Unit (NTFIU).

JADE Jagger is in the doghouse after being fined for resisting arrest, but could end up in the jailhouse if a police union lawyer has his way.

The 51-year-old daughter of Mick Jagger and his first (and legally speaking only) wife Bianca appeared at a fast-track hearing in an Ibiza court alongside her 31-year-old lover Anthony Hinkson.

Police were called to La Oliva restaurant in Ibiza’s Old Town when Hinkson was being abusive to staff and customers.

He refused to identify himself to officers and Jagger was reported to have intervened to ‘defend her partner’, and in doing so ‘assaulted’ and insulted a female officer.

After two nights in the cells the pair appeared

Taking the Mick

in front of a judge who ordered Jagger to pay €800 compensation and fined her a total of €1,400 for resisting arrest and ‘causing personal injury’. Hinkson was jailed for four-months - automatically suspended as it is a first offence - for assault.

But now lawyer Eduardo Luna, hired by Spanish police union SUP to fight the case, wants the judgement annulled.

He has called for a retrial with fashion designer Jagger charged with the more serious offence of wounding.

NO GENT

Bridezilla strikes

KING Felipe VI and Queen

Letizia were in Wales for their daughter Leonor’s graduation ceremony from Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan. Seventeen-year-old Leonor, who is the Princess of Asturias and the heir to the Spanish throne, began the two-year course at the sixth form college back in 2021. Her parents reportedly paid the £67,000 tuition fees themselves. Also in attendance at the ceremony was the royal couple’s youngest daughter Sofia, aged 16 and known in Spanish as the infanta Leonor will now be starting military training in the autumn, following in the footsteps of her father.

On-off-on again aristocratic wedding saga claims dress designer casualty

SHE is an aristocrat, half sister to Enrique Iglesias and a TV personality boasting her own Netflix reality series called Lady Tamara And the long-running saga of her on, off and on again wedding is turning into a soap opera all on its own.

Tamara Falco - the sixth Marchioness of Griñón and, through her socialite mother Isabel Preysler, sister to Iglesias - has dumped her wedding dress designer and jetted to New York to be fitted by Wes Gordon. The creative director of Car-

Princess of Wales BEST EVER

By Dilip Kuner

olina Herrera has stepped in at short notice to replace Basque designers Sophie et Voila, with the July 8 wedding date looming.

The story of Falco’s nuptials has kept the social pages of the Spanish press busy from the moment she made the engagement announcement on Instagram last autumn. She declared that she was going to marry businessman Iñigo Onieva (pictured), but within days a video emerged

THE man considered as the world’s greatest-ever marathon runner - Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge - has run off with the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for sport. It is one of eight €50,000 prizes handed out for outstanding work in fields like the arts, communication, scientific research and literature which will be presented at a ceremony in Oviedo every September. Kipchoge, 38, who won Olympic gold in the marathon in 2016 and 2020 and was the world 5,000 metres champion in 2003 ‘is considered a legend in world athletics and the best marathon runner of all time’, said the Princess of Asturias foundation.

of him canoodling with a New York model at a music festival in the US. Despite his initial claims the image was from 2019, before he knew 41-year-old Falco, TV sleuths had identified the festival as being held just a few weeks previously. The TV gossip shows went into meltdown and the saga was barely off the screens, with Falco apparently bringing her relationship with Onieva to an end when she removed the engagement post from Instagram But after Onieva apologised, the couple reunited on a Christmas trip to the Arctic, and now a lavish three-day celebration is planned.

SPANISH singing superstar Rosalia has slammed a fellow artist’s attempts to attract attention after he shared a faked topless photo of her on Instagram Far from apologising for his actions, Reyes instead celebrated becoming a ‘trending topic’ on social media.

Reyes, 26 and from Sevilla, also took the opportunity to plug his next record. “Wait for my upcoming single, it’s called Rosalia ,” he wrote via social media.

Catalan warbler, Rosalia, 30, who shot to international fame thanks to singles such as Saoko and Chicken Teriyaki soon responded to the actions of Reyes.

“Looking for clout by disrespecting and sexualising someone is a kind of violence and is disgusting but doing it to get… plays [of a record] is pitiful,” she said via Twitter Reyes has since deleted all his posts about Rosalia.

Inspirational run

A 65-year-old man with Parkinson’s has been hailed as ‘an inspiration’ by broadcaster Jeremy Paxman for a 970-mile run from London to Barcelona.

Neil Russell, a former advertising executive from Gloucestershire, began his epic run last week and plans to complete it at the end of June.

He aims to finish in time for the opening of the World Parkinson’s Congress in the Catalan city.

Paxman - younger brother of former UK Ambassador to Spain Giles Paxman - was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2021.

He said: “People like Neil are an inspiration and he shows that having Parkinson’s need not be a barrier in life.”

GIBRALTAR’S transport minister joined political leaders from across Europe in Germany to discuss how to promote cycling in cities.

Paul Balban, a keen advocate for pedal-power, attended the Velo-city world cycling summit.

The theme of the conference was ‘Leading the Transition’ and it was hosted by the European Cyclists’ Federation and the city of Leipzig. Over 300 speakers spoke to more than 1,400 people from about 60 countries at the four-day event.

GOING DUTCH

THE oldest university in the Netherlands is partnering with Gibraltar Museum to carry out research at Gorham’s Cave.

Teams from Leiden University, founded in 1575, have been visiting the important Unesco World Heritage site for the last two years.

This new agreement equips the museum with cutting edge technology from the university’s zoo-archaeological department.

Students and researchers will soon be embarking on new research at the prehistoric site.

“THE Rock of Gibraltar is ours and no one else’s,” Gibraltar’s minister for economic development

Sir Joe Bossano told a UN summit.

The former Chief Minister was in a defiant mood, slamming Spain’s approach to the United Nations decolonisation process.

He compared Gibraltar’s identity to other colonies established from slavery and derided the Treaty of Utrecht as ‘anachronistic’.

Bossano, brought up in Francoist Spain behind a closed frontier, also called the Spanish claim ‘flimsy’.

“The position of Spain, which it claims is also the doctrine of the UN and C24 is that Gibraltar can

‘The Rock is ours’

Pedal power Hill will

only be Spanish or British,” he told delegates at the UN Pacific Seminar in Bali.

“There is no other option.

“If it is British then we are a colony, if it becomes Spanish we are being decolonized, even if the level of self-government we enjoyed were to be reduced.”

By John Culatto

The father of Gibraltar’s parliament compared the Rock’s inhabitants to those of Chagos Island. Spain, he said, supported their self-determination because they were ‘the native inhabitants’.

CAT-TASTIC!

THE LYNX population has risen by over 300 cats in just a year. There are now 1,668 of them living across Spain and Portugal.

The figures for 2022 are in stark contrast to over two decades ago when there were less than 100 Iberian lynxes alive, with the species facing extinction.

Some 563 cubs were born last year helped by captive breeding centres. Most of the species (84%) are found in Spain with the rest in southern Portugal.

They have spread around large parts of mountainous Andalucia, while work was recently begun to reintroduce them to rural districts, near Lorca, inland Murcia.

European Union funding, through various Life projects, has played an important part in the running of the programme.

But the government minister said they were in fact descendants of ‘slaves imported by France’ and later ‘contract workers brought in by British traders’. He argued that the 1713 Utrecht treaty ‘reflected the values of the time’ but now ‘deprives our people of their inalienable right to self-determination’ over 300 years later.

Bossano said that ‘Spain’s position is in fundamental conflict’ with chapter 11 of the UN Charter on decolonisation. He said that Gibraltar would only approve an EU treaty that sees Frontex control its airport and sea port controls. Spain’s insistence that it would take over controls after that point meant ‘the treaty would be terminated’, he added. “We will never give up any of it, not one millimetre, not one grain of sand from our beaches, or our isthmus," he concluded.

Opinion Page 6

SCIENTISTS from around the globe took part in a twoday workshop on how to preserve the Windmill Hill Flats. Minister of the Environment John Cortes, who opened the summit at the university, called the military training area a ‘gem of Gibraltar’s environment’.

The workshop launched a 10-month research and conservation project funded by the UK’s Darwin Plus programme.

It is the first time in over 10 years Gibraltar has received UK cash for such a scheme. Windmill Hill is protected as part of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve.

The site, overlooking Europa Point, has plants and habitats that are unique to Gibraltar.

It is the main nesting site for the Barbary Partridge and an area where migrating songbirds usually visit.

Scientists will look at how they can reintroduce species like the Ocellated Lizard to the area.

Stormy days

TORRENTIAL rain, high winds and lightning strikes had locals running for cover as rockfalls caused chaos on the Upper Rock.

Authorities closed the Nature Reserve and the Upper Rock to visitors ‘due to unsafe conditions’ as the Rock even saw hail falls over the last week. Lightning strikes meanwhile, knocked out the power at tourist sites like St Michael’s Cave and the Great Siege Tunnels.

Across town, buildings and streets flooded, and toilets overflowed, as the storm swept in.

Technical Division teams drove up and down the Rock locating rockfalls and assessing their impact.

The Department of the Environment advised residents ‘to exercise caution when travelling home through the Upper Rock. Sirens blared across town as lifts stopped working and major roads came to a standstill when over 20-25mm of rain fell in six hours.

Technicians worked overtime as the showers flooded the ICC shopping centre, damaging shops and their goods.

‘HEART-BREAKING’

By John Culatto

A MARINE protection group has highlighted the ‘heart-breaking’ Gibraltar oil spill that will affect local sea life for ‘at least a decade’.

The Nautilus Project insists the OS 35 spill will be ‘extremely detrimental’ to the Rock.

Co-founder Lewis Stagnetto explained the visible ‘black stuff’ is just the tip of the iceberg as the oil has now mixed with the water stifling fish breeding ‘for a long time’. And with the salvage company now planning to lift and extract the shipwreck, he now fears ‘residual oil and diesel within the pipes which could be released into the sea’.

Stagnetto and his team have helped government agencies

Green groups claim oil spill effects will last a decade

to scoop away the thick oil sludge and tarballs on Gibraltar beaches over the past year.

The experienced marine biologist described the ‘gruelling process’ of cleaning up after two specific spills were caused by

WRECK: Still visiable off the rock and (below)

Nautilus members at work

Easterly storms. “The incident and leaks have been detrimental to our marine environment,” Stagnetto told the Olive Press “The damage is evident right along our coastline with signs of stress visible along the rocky shore,” he added. Nautilus Group volunteers were some of the first on the scene, raising the alarm and then helping to clear away the oil.

“It’s heart-breaking at times especially when you see the damage that these vessels can inflict on our marine ecosystem,” Stagnetto said. And he added that the visible sludge was not the worst of it.

“Whilst it is true that what washes ashore is an issue,

the main concern comes from the vertical mixing of the oil within the water column.

“This creates a disturbance gradient which affects the reproductive cycles of many benthic invertebrates and fish.

“These effects are known to persist in the ecosystem for at least a decade after the initial oil spill meaning that our marine wildlife will be dealing with these effects for a long time yet.”

He now hopes that ships bunkering in Gibraltar will all be double-hulled to avoid this sort of incident in the future.

SWITZERLAND’S ambassador to the UK has visited Gibraltar. Markus Leitner called in at Number Six to get the latest on EU treaty talks as well as discuss ‘a number of issues of common interest’ with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. Switzerland and Gib both have their own finance centres, while Leitner was also visiting a departing friend, longstanding Swiss honorary consul Eleonora Gherardi. He was also introducing her successor Andreas Businger.

Natural boost

A NEW Natural History Museum is set to open this autumn at the Parson’s Lodge building overlooking Camp Bay in the south of Gibraltar.

Gibraltar’s Government announced the project after its National Museum in Bomb House Lane ran out of space for new exhibits. It will leave the current museum site to cater for culture and history while Parson’s Lodge will exhibit all natural history apart from the prehistoric past. The move will free Bomb House Lane to expand its cultural and historical exhibits. The Department of Heritage chose the Parson’s Lodge Battery for its historical and natural significance.

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

Now or never

SUNDAY’S avalanche of Partido Popular (PP) and far right Vox gains across Spain, followed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calling an election in July is an alarming wake-up call for Gibraltar.

With EU treaty talks still stalled on various key points, authorities must now bust a gut to find a deal before July 23.

Let’s not forget that the PP have always found a way to make life difficult for Gibraltarians.

And Vox - which has called for Gibraltar to be ‘suffocated’ - could take an even more severe approach.

So to have both parties running Spain in two months could effectively spell the end of EU treaty talks with the UK.

That is the reality that Chief Minister Fabian Picardo must now be confronting.

The PSOE party also now knows this which could make it less likely to relent on Gibraltar’s demands. Reports suggest that the main sticking points are the degree of Spanish oversight at the airport and seaport.

And even Gibraltar minister Joe Bossano admitted that after the proposed Frontex plan ends after four years, Spanish officers would take over.

That would be tricky in a community that still fears Spanish control over its affairs, especially as it has not renounced its territorial claims.

But not making a deal, at least for four years, could be so much worse.

Indeed, it might see a new, right-wing coalition in Madrid actually closing the frontier, as Vox has often proposed.

Without the European Union as an obstacle, it would mean locals would be confined with difficult access to Spain.

Gibraltar could effectively return to the isolation it had back in General Franco’s times.

As all sides know, this could be the future reality, so let’s make sure there is a definitive last-minute breakthrough and deal before July.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN

Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

MADDIE COPS

ALAWYER who twice oversaw searches at a reservoir looking for Madeleine McCann in 2008, has slammed the Portuguese police and state over the ‘shameful’ way the case was handled.

Marcos Aragao Correia organised two searches around the Barragem de Arade alongside the Spanish detective agency, Metodo 3, who were hired by the McCann family.

As well as insisting their findings - including bones in a bag weighed down by a stone and a child’s sock - were ‘ignored’ by police, he claims the ‘corrupt’ government of the time orchestrated a cover up.

In a damning interview with the Olive Press, he drew parallels with another missing girl, Joana Cipriano, who vanished at the age of 8, just 10 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing in May, 2007.

Talking from his home in Madeira, he slammed the way the mother of the girl, Leonor Cipriano, who he represented as a lawyer, had been tortured by police into signing ‘a false confession’ that she had killed her daughter.

And he described it as particularly ‘shameful’ that the same group of detectives, led by Gonzalo Amaral, was later tasked with investigating the case of missing Maddie, who vanished while on holiday in Praia da Luz.

“It is totally shameful that the Portuguese government, led

EXCLUSIVE

By Jon Clarke, in Silves

by the corrupt socialist Jose Socrates, allowed Amaral, already accused of torturing Leonor, to again be responsible for an investigation into the disappearance of another child, Madeleine.”

The father-of-four continued: “And soon it was found that the same ‘script’ of the police was always to accuse the parents of the children without any evidence.”

He added: “The Portuguese State is in fact a dictatorship disguised as democracy.”

In the shocking case of Joana, she had vanished in 2004 without trace, as she ran an errand to her local grocery shop, in Figueira, for her mother at dusk.

Incredibly, both her mother and uncle were accused of killing her after police claimed she had walked in on them in bed.

Detective Amaral - who was eventually removed from the Madeleine case - built up the accusation and claimed Joana was killed and her body was ‘fed to pigs’.

But it proved to be a total fantasy and Amaral received an 18-month sentence for perjury and covering up his officers’ dirty work, while two of them also received a prison sentence for the attack.

“After months of trial, we were able to prove that Leonor was brutally tortured by the Portuguese Judiciary Police (PJ) forcing her to sign a false confession saying that she had killed her own daughter,” Correia explained. The father-of-four added he was supported by both the Portuguese Bar Association and Amnesty International in the long miscarriage of justice, which only saw the mother exonerated after over a decade in prison.

Lawyer who pinpointed Portugal

This came, despite shocking photos showing Leonor with appalling injuries after two days of interrogations in an Algarve police cell.

He added Amaral had overseen the entire 48 hours of beatings and Leonor later picked him out in an ID parade.

And incredibly, Correia added: “The same Portuguese State that admitted the torture but refused to arrest any of the convicted officers, then accused me of defamation for having said what the Courts had already ruled… that is, that Amaral was involved in the torture of Leonor and covered it up.”

He eventually won the case, forcing Ama ral to apologise and pay his costs. Now based in his native Madeira, he has left the legal profession to support his children and set up a museum for his father, a famous writer and poet.

He insists that ‘protection’ of his children is his main concern, after years of battles with the Portuguese judiciary and police.

“We cannot count on the State, especially the Portuguese State, to help us if something bad happens to our children.

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REMARKABLE SIMILARITIES: Joana (left) vanished just 10 miles from Praia da Luz, some three years before Maddie vanished. Her mum, Leonor, sparked a desperate hunt and appeal, but not one clue was ever found

“After 16 years of institutional ne glect, only a miracle could now find Mad eleine McCann’s remains.” His remarkable insight came after police searched the large reservoir and surrounding area of the Arade lake. It comes after a good new tip off about the main suspect, Christian Brueckner, came in to the chief prosecutor leading the search in Braunschweig, in

First made aware of the plans for ‘an action’ on May 7, the Olive Press chose to stay quiet, after requests from German police.

SHOCKING TORTURE:

Rather than consider the probability of a kidnap by a predatory paedophile, Portuguese police instead beat a confession out of mother, Leonor, as well as her brother and uncle over a horrific 48hour period

lake where cops just searched for Madeleine McCann’s remains, links the case to another missing girl, 8, whose parents’ were ‘also framed’

HOW THE GARDEN GROWS

ESTEPONA is a town undergoing ceaseless transformation. But that’s nothing new.

From the day the seafaring Phoenicians first sailed in and established a colony on the Iberian coast nearly 3,000 years ago, the Costa del Sol resort has been the subject of change.

Be it the Romans, the Vandals or the Moors - or the Catholic reconquest or pirate raids from

The so-called ‘Garden of the Costa del Sol’ has seen constant change for centuries and is now roaring ahead of its near rivals

By Walter Finch

Africa in the 18th century - it has frequently been in a state of flux.

In the last 50 years alone it has gone from being a sleepy fishing

village, known for its pongs, to becoming one of Spain’s premier upmarket resorts.

After a tumultuous history of constant change and evolution, Este-

Continues on next page

From front resorts on the costas.

pona is entering its latest incarnation, driven by wealthy international visitors, now flocking in all year round. And its real success story is having staved off its once likely fate of becoming just another whitewashed mini-Marbella, full of celebrity yachts and designer brands. Nor has it imitated a ‘Little Britain’ takeover seen in other parts of the costas, such as in Benidorm or Magaluf.

Instead, its idyllic outdoor spaces and the colourful flower-filled streets of the old town are perhaps why Estepona has managed to retain its image as one of the last ‘authentically’ Spanish

Estepona Authentically Spanish

And despite this, the pace of transformation continues, under its current mayor Jose Garcia Urbano, a former notary, a man who clearly doesn’t like to stand still.

His greatest recent transformation has been the total redesign of the street system along the beach promenade.

Urbano - who by now will know if he is still mayor after Sunday’s May elections - has chosen to favour pedestrians, pushing cars and buses to the periphery.

And he has spent well over €100 million on public works since he took over power for his PP party in 2011. Much of it for the good, plenty of it though viewed as controversial.

What is certain though is how he has transformed the town into a green paradise as part of his ongoing ‘Estepona, Garden of the Costa del Sol’ project.

Anyone arriving in Estepona can be forgiven for rubbing their eyes at the sheer number of plants and trees that line the streets, its central reservations and its roundabouts.

There are tens of thousands, in fact, prob - ably hundreds of thou-

sands, of flowers bedecking almost every available surface from both extremes of the main town. Meanwhile, thousands of potted plants have gone in on every street in the old town. The profusion is hard to ignore and even the locals less enamoured with Garcia Urbano’s whims and schemes begrudgingly, mostly agree, it is impressive.

The latest additions to the city’s skyline have been a modern and sustain-

able town hall, and a new 45 metre-high mirador near the port. And now, the once traffic-heavy Avenida España along the beachfront has become a sedate and gentle promenade, dotted with restaurants, cafes, shops and, surprise, surprise, elaborate flower installations.

Estepona also

boasts one of the most exquisite city beaches in Spain, its Playa de la Rada (above) stretching for over 2 kilometres in the centre.

Known for its clean, soft sand, crystal-clear waters and excellent facilities - it has good views towards Gibraltar and Africa on clear days… not to mention 12 beach chiringuitos.

One chiringuito owner, Erwin Vanderdonck, 56, who owns Palm Beach is already gearing up for the summer. This is the beach bar where chart-topping girl group, Las Ketchup, recorded their video for catchy one-hit wonder Asereje (or ‘The Ketchup Song’).

Originally from Amsterdam, he made the jump 23 years ago, swapping the ‘mayhem of finance’ in London for the ‘authentic feel’ of this Costa del Sol gem.

“The main centre for nightlife used to be the port,” he says, “but now there is a shift towards the centre. A lot of new bars have opened.”

But Estepona’s bright young things still flock to visit the bars and clubs in the port on weekends, where bartend-

SKYSCRAPER: The new Mirador del Carmen

ers free-pour drinks according to ye old Spanish ‘say when’ system. Louie Louie’s is always guaranteed for a good boogie or if you prefer to watch, El Patio puts on a colourful feast of flamenco.

Just up the promenade a little way back into the centre sits British expat Dave, underneath the awning of his Scottish pub Fergusson’s.

Although he approves in general with Garcia Urbano, he is in two minds about the changes to the traffic system.

“It’s great for the tourists, that’s for sure,” he insists, gesturing to the new

elegant pedestrian boulevard. “But trickier for us residents. Now you’ve got to walk everywhere. And all the cars have to go on a big detour around Avenida Andalucia to get from A to B.”

Almost as baffling as his football team Chelsea, he continues: “I’ve been living here six years and this is the biggest change in my time.

“And all the new apartments they’re building on the outskirts of the town, what with so many people coming here now and growing so much…But it’s still a pretty good life here, in my book” he concludes.

Fellow drinker Barry, 72, arrived here

as a teenager. “I first came here as a 17-year-old chasing a girl,” he explains. “Her dad was renovating a villa. Then, later in the 80s, I decided I wanted to come back and buy a property of my own here.

“But the thing is, I couldn’t remember what it was called. The town. There was no Google Maps in those days. All I could remember was two things: There were lots of flies in September, and the place smelled ever-so-strongly of sulphur.”

Armed with these two clues, Barry set about trying to find the tranquil town he had fallen in love with as a teen-

ager.

The clue of the flies offered little help, but there were not many places that smelled like sulphur.

On a return trip to Spain, Barry drove along the coast asking people where would smell of sulphur. He travelled for miles and several days, receiving mainly shrugs from the locals. And then finally he got an answer.

‘Try the Roman baths’, located along the nearby Manilva river, which were famed for their therapeutic properties - and their stinky pong.

It is believed that Julius Caesar himself bathed in the sulphurous waters,

famed for their healing properties. And the nearby town of Casares is named after him.

Following the directions given to him, Barry drove west and finally found Estepona again.

“It had changed, yes,” Barry agrees. “But not that much.”

Take a short walk from here along the marble pavements of Estepona’s Calle Terraza and you’ll arrive at the charming, aptly named, Plaza de las Flores (Flowers Square).

In this charming hive of activity you Continues on next page

CONTRASTS: The town centre and the port

From previous

will find the tourism office, with maps for all kinds of excursions, including the murals tour and a host of reasonably-priced restaurants and cafes.

Also nestled among the flowers, and spilling out onto Calle Terraza, are a handful of stylish clothes shops, mixing independent and quirky with more famous brands such as Mango. Strolling around, you won’t help but notice that a number of buildings are decorated with incredible street art, bringing the façade - and the surrounding streets - to life.

Murals as high as the buildings - some thought to be among the largest in Europe - paint ed with incredible skill and daring will take you aback.

The largest one, by artist Jose Fernán dez Ríos, depicts a fish on a line covering six separate building façades and measuring almost 100,000 metres squared.

Further into the town, past its historic centre head for the exotic glassdomed orchidarium - the

Orchid paradise

is home to more than 8,000 species of orchids, three waterfalls, streams and a butterfly house.

Staff care lovingly for these delicate and beautiful plants, watching them bloom and flower and then fade away every three months, to start the cycle anew.

Another spot worth seeking out, near the port, is the Plaza de Toros, which isn’t the oldest, biggest or best in Spain but it’s one of a kind – the only asymmetrical bullring in the world.

tors more seating in the shade than under the hot Spanish sun, and it has hosted numerous sport and cultural events

Just a short hop from the bullring you will find the cella lighthouse, which has been blinking away its light to ships and boats up and down the coast in its present incarnation since

ing for nature and green spaces, there are plenty of other beaches up along the coast, not to mention excellent tennis clubs, like Forest Hills, plus great golf courses, including El Paraiso, now 50 years old.

GIANT: The orchidarium is the largest in Europe

COVER UP

Coordinated between a female prosecutor in Portimao and her counterpart in Braunschweig, Hans Christian Wolters, around 10 German BKA detectives worked with over 20 Portuguese police and ‘up to five’ detectives from Operation Grange, in London.

During the course of the 72-hour search at least three sacks of materials were sent back to the BKA’s headquarters in Wiesbaden.

Sources claimed photos of main suspect Brueckner had appeared of him beside the lake, while police were allegedly

specifically looking for fibres of the pink pyjamas Madeleine was wearing on the night she vanished. While sources in Germany told the Olive Press the new tip was ‘entire-

ly credible’ and came from a totally different source, it ties in closely with ‘underworld sources’ who had told Correia about the lake in 2007.

The lawyer had first heard the claims that Madeleine had been killed and dumped in the lake within 48 hours of her kidnap, on Sunday, May 6, just three days after she vanished.

He had first visited the lake with Spanish investigators from Metodo 3, based in Barcelona, in December that year and had finally identified the site where he thought she

was dumped on December 10.

While he immediately told police investigating the case he claimed they ‘did nothing’.

He also claimed (and sued the Portuguese Post Office) that a recorded letter with information on the kidnap which he sent to the McCanns’ home in Rothley, in the UK, had been seized by Portuguese police.

This week, he once again recalled his anguish, revealing: “The clues I received shortly after Madeleine disappeared pointed to her having been kidnapped, raped and murdered and her body thrown into a lake in the Algarve.

“I didn’t know at the time which lake it was, but I soon communicated all this data to the Portuguese Judiciary Police, who completely ignored it, and then to Metodo 3, which did its best to search for Madeleine and discover what had happened to her.

“The work that Metodo 3 was carrying out in the field gathered several clues from different sources that also reinforced that Madeleine had been kidnapped and murdered and she would never have left Portugal.

SHINING A LIGHT: All the hard work and investment by lawyer Marcos Correia into Maddie’s disappearance (which unearthed a bag of bones and a child’s sock, left, in Arade lake), was ‘totally ignored’ by Portu- guese detectives

“After exhaustive research, I therefore hired a private company of divers from the Algarve to carry out searches in the Arade lake, however, as we did not have the support of the Portuguese police (although I had requested this), our means were quite limited and the budget I

NERVE-CENTRE: The Olive Press visited the Arade lake site, last week, where Marcos Correia searched for Maddie twice in 2008

had offered quickly ran out, so a few days later we were forced to abandon the search.

“However, very suspicious material was found, such as bags with small bones tied with heavy stones, which was handed over to Method 3.” The searches, that had cost €1,200 per day, took place in February and March, 2008 and included mostly British divers, who lived in the area. Among items found was a child’s sock (left) and a 17-foot long piece of ‘knotted cord’ that Correia believed could have been used to tie up the toddler.

Metodo 3 later said they believed Madeleine had been switched from one vehicle to another at a parking spot nearby on the main road between Arade and nearby Silves.

A truck driver had later come forward to say he had spotted a woman passing what looked like a small child to someone at the time.

Concluding, the length of time it has taken to return to the lake, Correia insisted the Madeleine case had taken ‘far too long’ to solve and was a ‘abandoned at the highest level by the Portuguese State, and her parents, clearly innocent, were persecuted’.

“Thank you very much for your interest in the work I have done over the years,” he added. “Many people directly donated money to Madeleine’s parents. I donated my work, time and also money. After the searches again at Arade dam, I hope you can disclose everything in the name of public interest and bit by bit more of the truth will come out.”

“

After 16 years of institutional neglect, only a miracle could now find Madeleine McCann’s remains

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Pictures by Jon Clarke

SWEDISH furniture and home decoration multinational, Ikea, is set to invest €60 million in its logistics centre in Antequera over the next 18 months.

The investment will position the centre at the forefront of Ikea’s logistics in Andalucia, where it is expected it will serve the entire regional market with an estimated delivery of 400,000 orders a year direct to the homes of its customers.

The company’s commitment to strengthening logistics in Spain also includes the opening of new centres in Illescas (Toledo) and San Sebastian de los Reyes (Madrid) and the reinforcement of the logistics capacity of its own shops. The total investment of €90 million is expected to lead to the creation of 450 new direct jobs.

DIRTY MONEY

BANKS declared more suspicious activity reports (SARs) in 2022 than in 2021, the Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU) revealed in its annual report.

The unit puts this down to its award-winning outreach program, Project Nexus, which has introduced an e-learning platform with over 500 users.

The latest report, that includes strategic analysis since 2019, is helping authorities learn how criminals and terrorists launder cash.

The new data will allow the GFIU to take the measures it needs to avoid those risks in the future.

GFIU’s director Edgar Lopez said that innovation and technology had helped overcome the challenges of

By John Culatto

2022. Last year the Financial Action Task Force greylisted the Rock for not doing enough to fight money laundering and terrorist financing.

“We have learnt a lot during the FATF post observation period and we acted with agility to meet the recommendations,” Lopez said.

“We took decisive steps to align our structure to meet demand and new challenges, particularly in strategic analysis and data quality analysis.”

The GFIU report also highlighted the success of the private-public partnership to fight financial crime.

The Financial Liaison

CABIN CREW PAY DEAL

SPANISH airline Air Europa has agreed an 11.9% pay rise over the next three years for cabin crew. The company has reached a pre-agreement with the Sitcpla, Aacefsi and CCOO trade unions. Its approval would mean a 5% wage increase this year, backdated to January 1, followed by

rises of 4% and 2.5% in 2024 and 2025.

Although a deal has been reached, the Air Europa conflict with its pilots is still active.

Eight one day strikes have been called, following the four-days stoppage that took place at the start of May.

WHY HAVE DISCRETIONARY FUND MANAGERS (DFM’s) AND MODEL PORTFOLIOS (MPS’s) PRODUCED NEGATIVE RETURNS IN 2022?

IF you have placed your pensions, savings and investments with a financial adviser there is a strong possibility you are invested in a model portfolio service (MPS) whereby you delegate the execution of an agreed investment strategy to an investment house.

The 60/40 model portfolio, which consists of 60% equities and 40% bonds, has been a popular and successful investment strategy for well for over 50 years. A combination of growth and income providing a safe way for investors to grow their investments without taking excessive risk.

However, in recent years, experts have questioned whether these models can continue to deliver risk adjusted positive returns moving forward. The criticism centres around a lack of diversification to mitigate risk.

Taking action against money laundering

Flat pack boost Smart thinking

A SMART traffic light system to stop cars polluting the air while in a queue and greywater recycling systems for new developments could soon help Gibraltar reach carbon neutrality.

and Intelligence Network (FLINT) got a further boost after signing a deal

with the UK’s money laundering taskforce.

The most common criminal activities that continue to be reported are money laundering and fraud.

Lopez said the new three year strategic plan, based on four high-level priorities, has taken into account ‘Moneyval and FATF processes’.

Minister for Justice Samantha Sacramento praised the GFIU’s work and the new plan for the future.

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

correlated delivering a diversification effect. The equity element performed well in good times, with safer assets like bonds appreciating in value and providing a yield during bad times.

Keeping interest rates artificially anchored at zero has destroyed that inverse relationship. In recent years equities and bonds have become more positively correlated resulting in both asset classes moving in the same direction more often, which has made these portfolios more susceptible to market downturns.

Equities and bonds have become more positively correlated

There have only been a handful of occasions in 100 years, generally considered as ‘Blackswan Events,’ (abandonment of the gold standard and World War II) where bond prices haven’t gone up in value when equity prices have fallen.

Interestingly, the current macro-economic environment is frighteningly similar to stagflation in the 1970’s; where the strategy also proved ineffective!

The 60/40 model worked well in the past because shares and bonds were negatively

In conclusion, while the 60/40 model portfolio may have been a reliable investment strategy in the past, its relevance in today’s market is being questioned. As a result, you may need to explore alternative investment strategies to achieve your investment objectives. An actively managed portfolio which invests in a broader range of asset classes may offer potential benefits and may be worth considering for investors seeking better returns and more effective risk management in a debt ridden, slow growth, inflationary environment.

We are in the Costa del Sol fully available for meetings throughout the week from Sotogrande to Nerja and inland Andalucia.

If you feel you would benefit from a second opinion please email enquiries@fwm.gi or call us on tel: +44 207 998 0570

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A Net Zero meeting hosted by Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia floated these latest ideas to help the Rock lower carbon emissions. Ministers for the Environment and Transport, John Cortes and Paul Balban respectively, attended the meetings along with government departments, agencies and authorities.

Environmental agency Ricardo gave a virtual presentation of a Net Zero modelling tool. The tool will allow the government to measure data as part of the climate change strategy from the baseline of 2019 to the present moment.

Across

1 Obstacle (4)

4 If you’re on the Stump here, you’ve got a good view (6)

8 Buffoons (6)

9 Small purple plum (6)

10 Obliterate his model, reconstructed (8)

11 Central part (4)

12 Runs into (5)

13 Foe (5)

17 Vomit (4)

19 Free from evil spirits (8)

20 Dusky? (6)

21 Line on a weather map (6)

22 Of inferior quality (6)

23 Ultimate (4)

Down

2 Aw! Hustles Owen about in Australia (3,5,5)

3 Idle talk (6)

4 Enlightened one, literally (6)

5 Only half knocked out? (4-9)

6 Scent (5)

7 Swindle (6)

14 Lose (6)

15 Well-bred people (6)

16 Kind of climber (6)

18 Rate of expenditure of energy (5)

All solutions are on page 14

TAKING ACTION: GFIU’s director Edgar Lopez

LA CULTURA

HAMLET STORMER

THE Young Shakespeare Company kept over 2,500 students from Gibraltar’s upper primary and secondary school on the edge of their seats last week.

The UK professional theatre company put on two daily performances of Hamlet for pupils at John Mackintosh Hall theatre.

Each show started with an interactive session where the actors introduced children to Shakespeare’s ideas about drama.

Then the actors performed a modern-day take of the Hamlet play.

The experienced cast, who often go on to major theatrical success, used several of the students from the audience to play minor characters in the performances.

NOBEL TASK

Writer’s Prado stay will collide art with the written word

NOBEL Laureate and twotime Booker prize winner JM Coetzee is moving to Madrid to write about the Prado museum’s collections.

The 83-year-old will spend three weeks in the capital as part of a new Prado programme.

In a joint venture with the Loewe Foundation, it is inviting internationally renowned writers to engage literarily with the museum’s collections.

By Simon Hunter

The acclaimed writer will make the Prado his centre of activity and ‘contempla-

ROYAL RARITIES

PAINTINGS, tapestries, sculptures, decorative art pieces, armour and weapons, and royal furniture collected by Spanish monarchs will be put on show at a new museum. It opens at Madrid’s Royal Palace on June 28 and will feature collections dating back as far as the Middle

The inaugural exhibition will feature 650 of the more than 150,000 pieces managed on behalf of the government by Patrimonio Nacional, including works by Velazquez, Goya, Caravaggio, Titian and Tintoretto.

New dinosaur species discovered

FOSSILS found in Castellon may have revealed the existence of a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur.

Scientists said they had unearthed a partial skeleton of a species at Cinctorres that helps provide a deeper understanding of a highly successful group of carnivores that hunted on land and in the water.

The discovery suggests the Iberian peninsula may have been a diverse area for medium to large-bodied spinosaurids and sheds light on their origin and evolution.

Living about 126 to 127 million years ago, the bipedal dinosaur, named Protathlitis cinctorrensis , was about 10 to 11 meters long and weighed about two tons.

tion’. This summer.

He will write a story related to his time at the Prado, the first of a story collection that the Museum will dedicate to exploring the potential for creative expression at

the crossroads of fiction and the visual arts.

JM Coetzee, born in South Africa in 1940, has published nineteen works.

He is regarded as one of the most acclaimed and decorated English language authors.

Much of his work questions apartheid, under which he grew up, and challenges all forms of racism.

He now lives in Australia, where he is a Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide.

He’s also had visiting appointments over a long academic career, at US universities such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.

The newly discovered dinosaur has been identified from a partial skeleton – the right upper jawbone, one tooth, and five vertebrae.

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EYE-CATCHING: South African JM Coetzee

Pandemic freedom

THE Mayor of Gibraltar presented the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) and Elderly Residential Services (ERS) with the Freedom of the City for their work during the pandemic.

Gibraltar’s parliament voted unanimously to confer the honour on the central health service and elderly carers in July 2021 at the request of the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

Mayor Christian Santos, in one of his last official acts before leaving the role, presented the Freedom Scroll to GHA and ERS leaders.

Natasha Cerisola, Antonio Marin, Valerie Flores and David Ballesteros received the award at John Mackintosh Square on May 24.

“The GHA and ERS were conferred the highest honour that Parliament can bestow in recognition of the key role played by their staff during the global COVID-19 pandemic,” the government said in a statement.

A NEW system of treating people with minor injuries in Gibraltar in a separate queue has slashed waiting times at the A&E ward of St Bernard’s Hospital. The new Minor Injuries Unit started its trial in April and has already seen patients discharged in an average time of just over an hour, the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) said.

A total of 440 patients have been given attention at the new dedicated area inside the Accident and Emergency Ward of Gibraltar’s only hospital. It replaces the old triage system where everyone had to wait in a general queue to be seen by a doctor or nurse.

Broken bones, sprains, burns and in-

MINOR MIRACLE

fections will all be treated there, along with coughs, bites and skin problems, cutting waiting times. The unit also allows senior medics to concentrate on life-threatening conditions.

Unit

“The significance of this unit is that minor injuries and illness can now be fast-tracked and seen directly by a Nurse Practitioner,” A&E consultant Raj Nagaraj said. “This has greatly expanded the clinical services that can

be provided as urgent care to patients with non-life-threatening injuries.”

GHA Director General, Patrick Geoghegan, added: “This is about allowing the incredible staff at A&E to work in a modern and smart way.

“With this restructured pathway, patients can be triaged in a way that allows them to be seen in the quickest way that is appropriate for their case, and allow for the best treatment possible.”

The GHA also introduced a new mobile health unit to treat elderly people in their homes.

WATCHING OUT

Gib eye specialist helps Guatemalan children see clearly

AN eye specialist from Gibraltar has said she was humbled by taking part in a non-profit trip with a world-famous London eye hospital she was helping to test the sight of Guatemalan children.

Michelle Brown, Gibraltar Health Authority’s Head Orthoptist, helped test nearly 400 children during her stay in the South American country. She joined up with five eye specialists from the UK’s Moorfields Eye Hospital that prescribed glasses to 102 children from the Guatemalan school

By John Culatto

The hospital is now preparing to send the glasses to the children to help them in their education.

“The team, made up of three orthoptists, two optometrists and one ophthalmologist are all experts in paediatric eye care,” the GHA said in a statement.

“Together they screened 374 children in total, of which 102 were prescribed glasses.” Brown helped check the children’s eyesight as they had never had an eye test

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Sweet Jesus

IN a medical first for Spain, a baby has been born to a woman who received a uterus transplant.

The child, Jesus, was born to Tamara Franco in Barcelona, after the organ was donated to her by her sister in 2020 via a complicated operation that lasted more than 20 hours.

“It was a very tough but at the same time very beautiful process, and despite all of the risks it was worth it,” Franco explained. Franco, who is from Murcia, suffered from a condition called Rokitansky syndrome, which is when a woman is born with ovaries, but lacks a uterus and fallopian tubes. It is a condition that approximately one in every 5,000 women suffer.

Medical staff at the Clinic Hospital in Barcelona chose Franco as their first case for the pioneering surgery. After the procedure was completed, the challenge was for her to become pregnant.

Pregnant

After several attempts to implant embryos and one miscarriage, she finally fell pregnant last September.

before because they were so poor. She said the school staff welcomed the team ‘with open arms’ as they arrived in the school grounds.

“It really was such a rewarding experience to see the look on the children’s faces when we put up lenses to help them see clearer,” Brown said.

“They were so happy with so little, it was humbling and a great reminder of how lucky we are in Gibraltar to have healthcare and support.”

The school authorities hope the visit will give them a chance to break the cycle of poverty they are in. They believe that by giving them a good education they will be able to aspire to bet-

ter paying jobs. “Most of these families would not be able to afford a pair of glasses for their children, and hopefully our work will mean that they are able to excel further with the correct tools,” Brown added.

Exceptional

GHA Director General Patrick Geoghegan complemented his orthopist’s work as ‘truly exceptional’ on the trip.

“She is a great ambassador for the GHA who has shown true professionalism and compassion for her job,” he said.

“I congratulate Michelle on embarking on this great initiative and for helping those who are truly in need of it.”

Sugar, sugar

CHILDREN in Spain scoff more than two times the amount of added sugars recommended by the World Health Organisation. They consume 55.7 grams of added sugars per day, while the WHO suggests they shouldn’t exceed 25 daily grams. These figures have been published as part of a study undertaken by Granada University, in which 1,775 adults who have children aged between seven and 12 took part. Around two thirds of this sugar came from white sugar, sweets, cocoa powder, soft drinks, ice cream, biscuits, industrial cakes, chocolate bars, biscuits and sports drinks.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 1 Snag, 4 Boston, 8 Clowns, 9 Damson, 10 Demolish, 11 Core, 12 Meets, 13 Enemy, 17 Spew, 19 Exorcise, 20 Twilit, 21 Isobar, 22 Trashy, 23 Last.

Down: 2 New South Wales, 3 Gossip, 4 Buddha, 5 Semi-conscious, 6 Odour, 7 Fleece, 14 Mislay, 15 Gentry, 16 Social, 18 Power.

But the pregnancy was not without its complications, and Franco suffered preeclampsia – high blood pressure that could have been caused by the medication she has to take to stop her body from rejecting the organ. At the seven-month point of the pregnancy, the baby was delivered via a caesarian, with no complications.

The child, Jesus, was kept in a neonatal intensive care unit and was discharged once he weighed 3.2 kilograms and his lungs were sufficiently strong.

According to the doctors who oversaw the procedure, it was first carried out in Sweden. So far around 100 uterus transplants have been carried out worldwide,with more than 50 births recorded.

IN FOCUS: Michelle Brown in Guatemala

Safety first

ONCE considered the most dangerous gorge walkway in the world, the revamped Caminito del Rey is about to become one of the safest.

The crumbling path perched high up the El Chorro gorge was officially closed in the 1980s, but intrepid climbers still used it - with fatal results.

Unofficially, some 27 deaths and 74 serious injuries are reported to have occurred until it was finally renovated and reopened in 2015.

Despite its excellent safety record since then, the Malaga provincial council and the Caminito del Rey’s operators have come together to improve safety.

They have commissioned geologists using drones and lasers to find which sections of the suspended walkway are most exposed to danger, and use the information to improve safety.

Calentita returns

Get a taste of the best of Gibraltarian and Spanish food

By John Culatto

FOOD-LOVERS in Gibraltar

and all the way along the Costa del Sol will be wetting their lips at the return of the ever popular Calentita festival.

Named after the Rock’s traditional dish, a greasy but tasty combination of chick-pea flour and olive oil, the food festival will take place on July 8.

Organisers Word of Mouth and Gibmedia will follow the same format as Jubilita last year, which saw three different squares on the Rock feature different food stands.

Apart from this Jubilita festival to celebrate the ill-fated Queen’s platinum jubilee, it

IT will be a gourmet’s delight - seven Michelin starred chefs from Malaga will be putting on a 14 course meal on the waterfront at Puerto Banus.

The June 18 event is designed to showcase Malaga’s cuisine in the third edition of the culinary event Unidos.

Participating will be Benito Gomez from Bardal with two Michelin stars and Mario Cachinero, from Skina with another two. Alongside them will be Jose Carlos Garcia from Jose Carlos Garcia Restaurante, Mau-

will be the first Calentita festival since 2019.

“This year we are hoping to welcome back some of our regular stalls as well as entice new participants,” a Gibraltar Cultural Services spokesperson said.

The festival normally features a combination of food eaten on the Rock, Spanish regional

RICH FOOD

ricio Giovanini from Messina, Diego Gallegos from Sollo, and Fernando Villasclaras from El Lago. Rounding off the chefs is Diego del Rio from Boho Club who earned a star while at El Lago.

Remember to bring your wallets thoughtickets are €300 plus IVA a head if you book a table of 10, or €363 if booked individually.

Full Marxa

Chiringuito holds its tasty inauguration party at SO/Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort

GIANT brochettes of beef, wild turbot and exquisite canapes marked the opening of one of the most exciting new restaurants in Sotogrande for years.

Hundreds of high society guests were treated to a night of entertainment and glamour at the launch of MARXA Chiringuito.

The vibrant party, attended by local dignitaries and artists, perfectly captured the essence of the new restaurant at five star So/Sotogrande hotel.

As the sun set over the upmarket Costa del Sol resort, guests were treated with trays of del-

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favourites and cuisine from all over the world including India, China and Europe.

“I am thrilled that this very popular social and cultural event will be back again this year,” Minister for Culture John Cortes said.

“It’s a unique way of celebrating and enjoying the diverse cultural identities that make up our wonderful community.” Calentita has a long history in Gibraltar, is sold at local shops and is often enjoyed as street food or as part of a meal. Other dishes, such as Rosto (a beef or pork stew) and Torta de Acelga (a Swiss chard tart), also reflect the cultural diversity and culinary heritage of the region.

The organisers will shortly open an application process for those wishing to put on a stall at the local festival.

But for fuller coverage you should look into a life policy. You can tailor a policy to your own requirements and create a bespoke life insurance – whether to cover the initial costs incurred on your death or provide your family with a lump sum to provide for their future.

For example, life cover of €50,000 for a 50-year-old, can be as little as €155 a year.

You do need to be resident in Spain for these policies and there will be a simple health/medical questionnaire that you will need to complete online.

These policies are available with monthly direct debit payments, and our policies will be in English.

I understand that when you go to the bank, they will try to sell you life insurance, both for yourself and your mortgage. Be careful as they tend to be more expensive and you are unable to tailor these policies for your own particular needs. Alongside the life policies, we can provide various Accident Policies to give you protection throughout your life and provide support should you sadly experience a life changing accident.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A QUOTATION, PLEASE CALL ONE OF MY OFFICES, EMAIL INFO@ JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET OR VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET

icacies, including a delicious gazpacho made of grilled tomatoes and a refreshing tapa of melon with ham.

Meanwhile, tasty snacks of aubergine, mushrooms, cauliflower, pepper and tomatoes were the perfect vegetarian option.

Meat lovers were spoilt for choice with a range of grilled chorizo, tender pork and beautifully presented brochettes of beef.

“We have an impressive fivemetre-long-grill, which is excellent,” explained Executive Chef Leandro Caballero.

“We will be focusing on all

By Alberto Lejarraga

would recommend a fantastic wild turbot for two people. And of course, we have meat of the best quality such as Argentinian Angus beef.”

Fruity

The food was accompanied by a brilliant wine selection, including Monteabellon Verdejo, a fruity white from the Rueda, while guests had unlimited glasses of Gran Juve & Camps cava. Homemade sangria and caipirinhas were also well re ceived.

The event was also a chance

SPECTACULAR: setting and, below, giant brochettes

for well-known local artists to show their talGraffiti artist D.Darko, who has had his work displayed in Madrid, Venice and Berlin, spent all night spontaneously painting a three-metre giraffe sculpture.

“He is one of the best graffiti artists,” said Marta Bernad, artist and director of ‘Al Aire Libre’, a company that manages artists and projects around Spain. Make-up artist Cris Bueno was also giving the party her personal, different touch.

“I am the creator of

‘Alouest’, which in French means that you live in your own world and that you behave in a different way. I did not want to do what every other make-up artist does, so I started my own creative project in which I ask people to be themselves and to do what they really want,” Bueno said.

The three artists coloured the event with their energy and

personality, which combined with the ABBA songs played by the two DJs and the gorgeous mountain and sea views.

Those wanting to enjoy a magical night at MARXA Chiringuito will be able to do so very soon.

“Our official opening is on June 1,” assistant manager Catalina Cueto told the Olive Press.

SKILLED CHEFS and lavish cocktails

kinds of things, in particular local fish. I

ALWAYS POPULAR: The Calentita festival

Smoke excuse

A MAN who pocketed €70 to man a voting table in Llaranes (Asturias) wandered off ‘for a cigarette’ and never returned, leaving more civic minded colleagues to count the votes.

Smoking hot

VILLARROYA (La Rioja) has broken its own record by three seconds as the whole village - all seven of them - voted in just 29 seconds in the May 28 elections.

Smokescreen

PSOE candidates in Mojacar (Almeria) called corruption when a PP councillor ‘overspent ‘ €200 on Ferrero Rocher chocolates at his dad’s petrol station using council funds, only to have seven of its members arrested for buying votes.

O

P

In hot water

Viral tweet sparks fierce debate about how much Spaniards shower

A VIRAL tweet has sparked lively debate about how often Spaniards shower compared to other Europeans. The answer? Less than the Italians but more than the French. But before Brits get too smug they come in even lower. The discussion began when a Twitter user named Xavi Ruiz shared a graphic based on data from The Global Index and Wikipedia with percentages of

By Simon Hunter

inhabitants who shower every day.

For Spain, the figure is 75 to 84%, while in Italy the figure was 95% and above. France and the UK, meanwhile, came in at 65% or below, while neighbouring Portugal was at 85 to 94%.

The tweet had racked up more

IF anyone deserves to reach a century it is Doctor Charles Betty.

The big-hearted British expat hits the landmark birthday tomorrow (Thurs).

Having set up the Costa del Sol’s Age Care Association in 2018, Betty went on to become the oldest person to earn a doctorate in the UK.

Betty, who lives in Benalmadena, landed his PhD from Birmingham University for 48,000word thesis on expats in Spain.

He did this alongside his consulate-backed

than 12 million visits within days, with 2,227 retweets and more than 14,600 ‘likes’. The tweet prompted a shower of responses, with some users questioning the validity of the

HAPPY 100

Support in Spain website, which earned him an MBE last year from Prince William. He received messages of support, from former consul Charmaine Arbouin and his ex-lecturer, Dr Kelly Hall, who said he had ‘done so much to support the British community in Spain’. He took early retirement as a UK schools inspector to move to Malaga to care for his ailing wife in 1986.

data and others arguing that a daily dose of water and soap is unnecessary, according to scientific studies. Others pointed to the need in hotter countries for more regular ablutions. “If it’s hotter, you are going to sweat more,” wrote one user. And of course there were plenty of jokes from Spaniards about the high figure for their own country. “Then you catch the bus and you understand” wrote one user.

Another user pointed to their experience at music festivals in the UK. “At the showers in Glastonbury it was just foreigners in the queue,” he wrote. “And the only Europeans were Spaniards!”

A WOMAN had a miraculous escape after a pallet carrying a ton of cement fell from a crane and crushed her car below. The accident happened after a cable snapped, sending the 1,000 kilos of material plummeting toward her Smart car in Granada. Incredibly, the 23-year-old driver was able to exit the car without assistance. She was taken to hospital for minor injuries.

Smash and grabbed

A DRUNK driver who raced off when confronted by a cop was not too hard to find - he crashed his car smack bang into a police station.

The 23-year-old was allegedly driving with an arm in a sling while four times over the legal limit.

An off duty cop identified himself at which point the young driver drove off - but he did not get far. He once more lost control of his car, smashed into the nearby police station in Cerro Amate (Sevilla) and was promptly grabbed by officers.