Olive Press Gibraltar Issue 197

RIGHT TO THE TOP!

A LEADING politician and a number of lawyers are among the high-profile investors of a collapsed crypto scam that has shaken the Rock.

According to a report in the Financial Times various investors ‘occupied positions of influence in legal and political circles’ in Gibraltar.

“At least one investor was a sitting member of the Gibraltar Parliament,” revealed a source to the respected British newspaper.

“How could experienced investors, familiar with financial services, have invested in an unlicensed investment vehicle?” the source added.

The Globix scandal - which the Olive Press broke in March - has now been followed up in dozens of specialist financial sites, as well as Gibraltar TV station GBC.

We understand that a number of other ‘colourful’ figures also invested in the defunct exchange, run by a Russian and former Gibraltarian Damian Carreras.

“There is a lot more that has still to come out,” a leading Gibraltar lawyer revealed this week. “It will be quite shocking.”

It comes as the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission issued a consumer alert regarding the platform, as well as ‘Globix Cash’, both operat-

P LIVE RESS The O

Diving into rubbish

A DIVING company helped out a local marine protection charity to clean up one of the Rock’s last undeveloped bits of coastline to celebrate Earth Day.

Diving with Nic teamed up with The Nautilus Project to clear away rubbish from Rosia Bay, a historic location where Admiral Nelson’s remains were reclaimed from a barrel of rum.

“One of the most pressing issues facing our environment is the amount of pollution in our oceans,” Diving with Nic told the Olive Press.

“Rosia Bay is a beautiful location steeped in history, having played a significant role in several military campaigns, including the Battle of Trafalgar.”

But he said the ‘picturesque spot’ is potentially now under threat.

“In recent years, there have been proposals to fill in the bay and create new land for development, which has raised concerns among local residents and environmental groups,” Nic added.

Discover

COMMANDO ATTACK

A SQUADRON of Royal Marines gave police trying to arrest them ‘cuts, bruises and scrapes’ after causing chaos in Ocean Village.

The elite commandos refused to go down easily, injuring half a dozen Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) officers and one member of the public who were trying to subdue them.

The incident unfolded around 4am on Friday when the seven battle-hardened squaddies of 43 Commando got into a brawl.

An emergency caller to the police control room said that a group of men were having a brawl outside Ocean Village gym.

Police officers rushed to the scene but soon found it tough to arrest the trained killers.

The soldiers belong to an elite 550-person unit of the Royal Marines responsible for guarding the UK’s nuclear weapons.

“Response Team officers were required to use captor spray, baton tactics and unarmed defence tactics,” the RGP explained in a statement.

The fight to subdue the commandos was so intense they had to call the Gibraltar Defence Police for backup.

Videos showed various officers tussling with the soldiers, most of whom appeared drunk.

In the videos, the commandos are seen clutching their heads in pain

By John Culatto

as the police sprayed their eyes with pepper spray, which was credited with being a determining factor in the final arrest. Finally, police detained seven of the Marines and charged them all with violent disorder and resisting arrest.

Crimes

Meanwhile, they also charged two 36-year-old soldiers with other crimes. They accused Anthony Houghton of being disorderly while intoxicated and of assault on police. Sandy Dove also picked up an additional Assault on Police charge. At an initial hearing yesterday (Tuesday), the commandos entered no pleas before the court. The magistrates released the men on bail and adjourned their trial until June 13, a police spokesman

said.

The Ministry of Defence in Gibraltar confirmed the arrest of the men to the Olive Press.

“We can confirm that seven service personnel from 43 Commando were arrested but as it is the subject

Out of control marines brawl in Ocean Village injuring seven police officers

of an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further,” he said.

Police identified the other sus -

pects as Kyle Connell, 20, Graham Tait, 42, Cameron Bull, 23, Connor Holborn, 24, and Samuel Bates, 26.

Is it Agnese?

Body found in a suitcase in Benahavis could be body of missing Latvian expat, abducted by British pair

See Mystery solved?

on page 2

Police have asked members of the public who saw or took videos of the incident to come forward.

“We are aware that a number of people witnessed this incident and some recorded video footage using their mobile phones,” the RGP spokesman said.

“We would like to speak to any witnesses as this information will help with our investigation.”

PIC CREDIT: Defence Imagery

Bullseye bonanza

LOCALS Craig Galliano, Sean Negrette and Justin Hewitt will represent Gibraltar in the UK Professional Darts Corporation development tour this year.

Riders reward

PUPILS and staff at St Joseph’s Lower Primary School raised £800 for the Alameda Wildlife and Conservation Park during a bikeathon.

Port wrought

MINISTER for the Port Vijay Daryanani thanked local man Willie Crisp for his ‘loyalty and service’ at the Gibraltar Port Authority for the last 40 years.

Arts plan

THE area around the Moorish Castle on the Upper Rock could be converted into art studios, the Gibraltar Government’s Ministry of Culture and Heritage said.

Mystery solved?

THE discovery on a steep area of scrubland and cork oaks near one of the Costa del Sol’s most prestigious golf courses was disturbing in the extreme.

On the borders of La Quinta golf and Los Halcones urbanisations, in Benahavis, the local gardener, Bartolo Gallego, initially thought it was a toy ball. But when he looked closer, he realised it was a skull, that of a woman, with a number of teeth still intact.

“It was a real shock and I soon discovered two or three more bones, plus a bag of clothes and a big suitcase nearby,” he told local TV station Area.

Having taken photos he sent them to the boss, who immediately called in the police, who were soon on the scene.

All the remains were taken to the garage of the home, where they were loaded up for analysis, with the official DNA results expected back this week.

DNA results may prove remains in suitcase could belong to missing expat Agnese, who was abducted by Brits 10 years ago

According to the gardener, who had been heading to his vegetable garden, forensic experts said the remains are those of a woman between 25 and 35 years old, who had died around 10 to 15 years ago. What Gallego didn’t realise was that he might have stumbled across the body of decade-long missing Latvian expat, Agnese Klavina.

The 30-year-old had vanished after being abducted from the disco Aqwa Mist in Marbella in 2014 and never been seen again.

However, as the Olive Press revealed at the time, she had been forced into a car by British pals, Wesley Capper and Craig Por-

Peeler attack

A MAN has pleaded guilty to carrying an offensive weapon that turned out to be a potato peeler.

Prosecutors also charged Callum Gilfillan, 20, with affray and possession of a Class A drug after he allegedly got into a fight with a fellow Gibraltarian.

Prosecutors charged the other man in the fight, Kian Dobinson, 19, with affray, which he denies.

The alleged fight occurred in Engineer Lane.

On arrival at the scene, police reported they found cocaine in Gilfillan’s possession.

By Walter Finch & Alberto Lejarraga

ter, who had driven her up the hill to Benahavis. We acquired photos of the pair posing in the nightclub, while later, chilling CCTV caught the exact moment Agnese was ‘forced’ into their Mercedes outside the disco at 5am. Capper, a well-known local gangster, owned up to four multi-million euro villas in the area, at least two for sale. One, had a walk-in fridge/ freezer, which he allegedly told potential buyers was ‘where we keep the bodies’. However, when he was finally charged over her abduction he insisted she had asked to get out of the car on the ‘Ronda road’ in Benahavis and he had not seen her again. He refused to confirm what had been in a heavy suitcase carried onto a yacht in Duquesa Port the following day. Capper, who died of Covid in 2021, and Porter had claimed that they were driving Agnese to another party but she changed her mind and asked them to drop her off near her house. Porter told the court he fell

asleep in the back of the Mercedes before Agnese got out. Since a body was never found, the pair were ultimately convicted in 2019 of the lesser crime of ‘coercion’ after a judge ruled that they had not unlawfully detained her. Capper had been facing up to 16 years behind bars as CCTV showed him ushering Agnese into the car.

Sentenced

Porter, who was seen holding the door open, was also cleared of illegal detention. Instead, Capper was sentenced to two years in prison and Porter got six months. The verdict caused anguish for the friends and family of Agnese, who felt that the accused had gotten away with

her murder.

“All lines of investigation are open and it is a possibility that the bones found belong to her,” a high-ranking Guardia Civil told the Olive Press yesterday. “But it is not possible to identify who the victim is until we have the results from the DNA test,” He added: “I can only confirm that the suitcase with the bones was found at the Urbanizacion Halcones in Benahavis.”

The DNA of the ‘lovely, bubbly’ waitress is among a database of dozens of missing women around Spain and it is hoped there will be a match.

It is believed that the body had initially been cut up and buried in a red suitcase, but animals, probably wild boar, somehow pulled it out and strewed it around the garden. 'blood money'.

GRISLY: Skeletal remains found by gardener Gallego

Daddy Cool to the YMCA

PREPARE to don a black afro and/or a handlebar moustache and relive your 70s disco heyday as legendary groovers Boney M and the Village People come to town.

The pair will be headlining the grand opening of Malaga’s new Sabatic Fest, which runs from June 2 to September 23.

Legend’s award

MERYL Streep has scooped one of Spain’s top awards.

The Hollywood legend has won the prestigious 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts.

The 73-year-old star already has three Oscars, as well as three Emmys, two Baftas and a best actress victory at the Cannes Film Festival.

A 19-member Asturias jury announced Streep as this year's winner, after considering 44 candidates from 20 countries.

Previous winners include composers Ennio Morricone, John Williams and Martin Scorsese.

The Kramer vs. Kramer star is the first of eight winners to be announced for the international Princess Asturias Foundation. Other categories to be handed out will be in the sectors of humanities, science, and public affairs.

A presentation ceremony takes place in Oviedo's Teatro Campoamor every October attended by the Royal Family. The awards were established in 1980.

Let him entertain you

HE is the biggest British star to descend on the Costa del Sol for years.

Robbie Williams will play a guaranteed sold out show at Fuengirola’s Mare Nostrum Auditori um on June 15.

The iconic artist, behind Angels and Let me En tertain You, will sing to 2,300 fans in the biggest concert since the pandemic.

Tickets priced from €89 are available at www.marenostrumfuengirola.com

Ex-King’s daddy secret

Former monarch

SPAIN’S former King fathered a love child four decades ago, it has been claimed.

A new book on the Emeritus King Juan Carlos (pictured) claims he had a daughter during an extra-marital relationship in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

The explosive revelation comes from journalists Jose Maria Olmo and David Fernandez in 'King Corp' which investigates the former monarch's life.

They allege he had a relationship with an older aristocrat who bore him a girl called ‘Alejandra’.

Now married with her own family, she has never claimed any succession rights from her father.

An official Royal palace spokesman refused to comment on

love child

By Alex Trelinski

the story and suggested questions should be directed to Juan Carlos himself.

The Royal Household has long been aware of Alejandra, according to the new book.

It even claims Juan Carlos was ‘concerned’ that new King Felipe might accidentally meet her and fall in love with her.

Passionate

'She's tall, slim and pretty. She has lent her image to several clothes and jewellery brands,” claims the book.

'She is passionate about music, culture and travel and has formed her own family. Making public more information would

P-p-pickup a penguin

A PENGUIN has made an epic detour and ended up in southern Spain, miles from home. The disorientated penguin, which usually inhabits rocky islets and sea cliffs in the northern Atlantic, was found on the beach of Mazagon

Local police took the creature into custody and handed it over to vets at the Fauna clinic, who found it to be exhausted and starving. It is now being nursed

put her discretion in danger.”

When Alejandra was told who her father was, a period of contact between father and daughter took place in various meetings.

The authors claim he also tried to compensate for her lack of official recognition with 'affection and other signs of generosity'.

The book has ‘confirmed the story’ through three different sources, including a former boyfriend of Alejandra and a close friend of Juan Carlos for 60 years.

The matter became an 'open secret' but the book says that a 'pact of silence' was maintained to preserve the image of a perfect marriage between the king and Queen Sofia. Sources even claimed the king 'pulled strings' to ensure Alejandra's mother was never short of work and had a strong media presence as she frequently appeared in gossip magazines. She later dated a famous fashion designer and became his muse.

Not hamming it up!

SHE has famously got her kit off on screen on countless occasions.

But Penelope Cruz has admitted that she dreaded her first-ever movie nude scene.

The Spanish beauty, 49, was just 18 when she had to strip down for several racy moments with co-star and future husband, Javier Bardem in 1982’s Jamon Jamon While she revealed to Esquire she was thrilled to be cast in the 'very sexy' film, she was ‘anxious’ about the nude scenes. "I had a feeling the movie was going to be special, I knew the script was good… Of course, I was not looking forward to those scenes, but I did it," she said. However, she added that the crew helped to make her feel comfortable. "Everyone was really respectful, aware of the fact that I was 18."

Cruz's performance in the film saw her acting career take off and her next film, Belle Epoque, won an Oscar for best foreign film.

She later reconnected with Bardem years later while on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2007. Their romance quickly blossomed and in 2010 the couple secretly got married in a small ceremony in the Bahamas. They have two kids, Luna, 9, and Leo, 12.

had a

with a celebrity, who ‘frequently appeared’ in gossip magazines

Globix cash link Death case cops

ed by Miracle World Ventures Limited.

According to the FSC website, Miracle World Ventures Limited is a company registered in the British Virgin Islands and is not authorised by the GFSC to ‘offer any regulated activities in Gibraltar’.

Meanwhile, a court order was granted last month freezing Globix’s crypto assets and forcing various rival exchanges to hand over customer information.

Injunctions were also obtained against CEO Carreras and CTO Pavel Sidirov, from Moscow, as liquidators hunt for €40 million that has gone missing from the company.

Supreme Court turns down request to review inquest verdict

THE Supreme Court has rejected a petition by two policemen to review the inquest that found them guilty of the unlawful killing of a pair of suspected smugglers in 2020.

Ceuta men Mohamed Abdeslam Ahmed, 40, and Mustafa Dris Mohamed, 49, died when a local police boat collided with their launch outside Gibraltar waters.

The incident happened in the early hours of March 8, 2020 after the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) tried to

Crowning moment

PARADES, parties and school visits in Gibraltar will lead up to the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Governor Sir David Steel will attend the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in the British capital.

Gibraltar residents will be able to watch the whole ceremony live on a big screen at Casemates Square.

Before the event, Gibraltar authorities have planned a number of events to mark the coronation around the Rock.

The Ministry of Defence has organised its

By John Culatto

help the Guardia Civil chase the suspected smugglers. Despite the inquest verdict, the RGP decided not to prosecute the pair of policemen. The Supreme Court’s rejection of the two policemen’s application for a judicial review of the inquest’s verdict disappointed the local police federation. It said that this latest ruling does not do justice to the officers and the reality of fighting crime at sea.

own coronation parade at Convent Place for today (Wednesday, May 3) at 6pm. Armed forces and essential services personnel will take part in the parade down Main Street. Tomorrow (Thursday, May 4), the governor and Chief Minister will visit every school in Gibraltar.

School heads have organised garden parties, assemblies, concerts and street parties on that Thursday.

After the parties the Chief Minister and Governor will fly to London for the official coronation.

The Police Federation said it would support the officers if they try to appeal the judgement.

During the original inquest in November 2021, a jury found that the RGP

Common issues

SPEAKERS and Members of Parliament from across the Commonwealth focussed their attention on Gibraltar recently.

breached a duty of care to the crew of the RHIB it was chasing.

It also found that the two deaths were a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the boat’s actions. The jury decided that the coxswain of the police launch was grossly negligent and his actions amounted to the crime of manslaughter.

Killing

The inquest heard that RGP launch Sir John Chapple hit the smugglers’ boat from behind, killing Mohamed and fatally injuring Mustafa. Police Commissioner at the time of the incident, Ian McGrail was held responsible for the incident, one of the reasons given for the loss of confidence in his position.

The Rock’s Parliament was hosting the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee for their mid-year meeting. The two days of meetings welcomed the representatives of Commonwealth nations, both in-person and via video link. Delegates discussed key governance issues and planning for the year ahead including the CPA’s legal status, financial reporting and future activities.

Property problems

AN estate agent has been fined for not putting the right checks in place to prevent the use of black money, despite no evidence being found of money laundering.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) fined J. Boyd Estate Agency Limited £750 but because it did not pay in time it was ‘forced’ to name and shame the business.

During 24 visits to property agents in the past year, the OFT fined eight agents a total £11,500.

The clampdown on money laundering follows international pressure on the Government.

Talks stall SHIP SHAPE

THE UK failed to thrash out a deal in the 13th round of talks on Gibraltar’s relationship with the EU in London.

Governor of Gibraltar Sir David Steel told GBC one of the main issues on the table was to what degree Spain would be able to oversee Frontex at air and sea port entry points.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo took part in the talks by video link with the Deputy Chief Minister joining the Attorney General for the second day.

Work

“The government remains fully committed to work hard to conclude an agreement which is safe, secure and beneficial for Gibraltar,” it said in a statement. The talks are part of Gibraltar’s attempt to avoid a hard EU frontier on its northern border with the bloc.

GIBRALTAR’s leaders have come to the defence of the UK’s ambassador to Spain after the Daily Telegraph claimed he said that Spanish officers could be allowed to police airport arrivals to the Rock.

The newspaper named ambassador Hugh Elliot (pictured), saying that he ‘breached the UK mandate’ in discussions with Spain over post-Brexit talks before the New Year’s Eve agreement.

Former UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who resigned

‘WORKERS are at the heart of everything we do’, Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said in his May Day message. The Rock’s leader reached out to the working class, who he called ‘the backbone of our society’ detailing all the achievements the GSLP/Liberals had brought in this year. He highlighted the mandatory recognition of trade unions by the private sector as his first point, a significant step that even the UK has not taken.

CONTRACTORS have now removed all the cargo of steel bars stored in the shipwrecked bulk carrier off Gibraltar’s coast.

Dutch company Koole brought out 33,632 tonnes of steel from inside the cargo hold of the OS 35 that broke in two pieces during recent storms.

The Captain of the Port John Ghio has confirmed this was ‘a significant milestone for the operation’.

Despite delays created by the storm, the wreck removal ‘continues to progress according to schedule’, said Ghio.

The next stage is the removal of the hull itself.

“Detailed planning and preparations are now underway for the final removal of the wreck,” a government spokesman said.

Huge cranes will soon start to pick up the two broken pieces of the hull and take them away on barges.

This process could bring the next risk of a new oil spill.

The deadline for the full removal of the hull is May 30 this year, giving the contractors a month to complete the task.

RAAB ROW

Picardo defends UK Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliot from newspaper claims

By John Culatto

over a bullying report, first revealed that an unnamed Brit had suggested ‘Spanish

Worker tribute

Picardo said his government had also raised the minimum wage by 10%.

“This day is a tribute to the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices that the working class has made throughout history to improve terms and conditions and employment and in that way improve the lives of working people and create a fairer society for all,” he said.

boots on the ground in Gibraltar’ after he quit as Deputy Prime Minister.

The Telegraph said this official was the current UK ambassador to Spain in a follow-up report.

It led to Raab, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, dropping Elliot from the negotiating team.

But Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo rubbished the claim, calling Elliot ‘a friend of Gibraltar’.

“We have not seen any statement or conduct by Mr Elliott which has been anything other than supportive of our positions and in pursuit or the outcomes that the Govern-

Athletics supremo

TINY Gibraltar is now represented at the highest level in sports after one of its own got elected onto the European Athletics Council.

952 147 834

ments of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom are jointly pursuing,”

Picardo told GBC Gibraltar and the UK laid down the red line that no Spanish police officer should be allowed to police entry to the British territory during a possible future EU treaty. Instead, Gibraltar wants Frontex to regulate entry to the Rock as talks continue. The British ambassador in Madrid, European Commission and the Spanish foreign minister declined to comment on the row.

Frank Carreras, who retired in recent years as income tax chief on the Rock, said his new role will help ‘deliver bigger and better benefits for local athletes’.

The Gibraltar man took his place at the council table after eight years as President of the Athletics Association of the Small States of Europe.

“My real and hard work starts now,” Carreras told the Olive Press after he got the position.

“My success proves that however small a sporting nation is, we can always challenge the much bigger sporting countries and make European and World governing bodies listen to our voice,” he said.

*Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services.

CREDIT: European Athletics Council

Voted top expat paper in Spain

OPINION

Commando cause for concern

THE seven Royal Marine commandos suspected of injuring seven police officers and a civilian have made a mockery of the very military values they represent. Although the case has not yet been tried at court, videos surfaced online proving how out of order they had become.

Gibraltar police officers had to face the combined force of their anger and well-trained fighting abilities.

It harkened the Rock back to the days when British sailors would come ashore after a long tour abroad. They would drink themselves silly and then head home with a big hangover to be with their families.

Gibraltar was essentially a buffer zone between the high intensity of military service and the soldiers’ real life back in the UK.

But these commandos, some in their 40s, should have known better.

Here is an excerpt from the Royal Marines website to point out what principles they stand for.

“Courage. Determination. Unselfishness. Cheerfulness in the face of adversity. Combined, these are the ethos of the Royal Marines, and what sets them apart from anything else,” the website says.

That fateful night in late April they allegedly attacked police officers and let down their whole ethos and reputation, one which stretches back centuries.

While getting drunk is considered almost an implicit part of being in service, it is the responsibility of senior officers to identify if those soldiers have a problem. Otherwise, soldiers will lose control in the way they allegedly did in Gibraltar.

Even the forces of the law were shocked by the ferocity of their alleged attack.

“Our officers are not punch bags and should be respected for upholding the law,” the Royal Gibraltar Police tweeted. Now their trial will take place on June 13 at the Supreme Court.

Gibraltar expects justice to be carried out and not that they are let off with just a slap on the wrist.

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

WATER’S THE WORD

Nearly 30% of Spanish territory is currently in an ‘emergency’ or ‘alert’ status due to lack of rain, prompting Spain to beg the EU for emergency funds for farmers

WITH 27% of Spain currently either in a drought ‘emergency’ or ‘alert’, record temperatures being registered for the month of April, and an ongoing row between Andalucia and Madrid over the Doñana wetlands, there is one topic on politicians’ and Spaniards lips as we enter May: water.

Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas wrote to the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, to request emergency funds to support Spain’s 890,000 struggling farm workers.

“The situation caused by this drought is on such a scale that we cannot deal with its consequences just with national funds,” said Planas.

The farming sector is being hit hard by the lack of rain and the high temperatures, and the problem is particularly acute in Andalucia.

The Guadalquivir river basin is at 25% capacity, and water allowances for irrigation have been cut by up to 90% for some farmers in Andalucia.

For now, the hot weather shows no sign of letting up. Over the last month over 90 temperature records were broken, including a high of 38.8ºC at Cordoba Airport, while average temperatures were forecast as being 10ºC to 15º above usual levels for this time of year.

Experts at Spain’s Aemet state meteoro-

By Simon Hunter

logical service confirmed that April was the hottest since current records began in 1961.

Meanwhile, last week also saw the row over the Doñana National Park deepen. Firstly, the European Commission once again warned the Junta its plans to grant new watering rights to farmers in the area around the protected wetlands could cause even more environmental damage.

Earlier this month the PP and far-right Vox voted through legislation that could pave the way for some 800 hectares of irrigable farmland located near Doñana to be legalised. But scientists have warned that this will put even more pressure on the park, depleting the levels of its aquifer and threatening flora and fauna.

In the run up to regional and local elections on May 28, the issue has become a point of conflict between the PP and the governing Socialist Party. “They are still messing around with something that could cost Spaniards a lot of money in exchange for nothing,” said Environmental Transition Minister Teresa Ribera, in reference to the fines being threatened by the EC over the plans for Doñana.

APRESIDENT of the Amigos de los Patios association once said, ‘the Festival of the Patios is to Cordoba what San Fermin is to Pamplona’.

Cordoba’s annual festival sees property owners and groups of neighbours open their flower-filled patios to the public for 12 days at the start of May – this year, that’s May 2-14.

It’s a tradition that started a century ago, and which rightly has UNESCO Cultural Heritage status.

As far as Spain’s heritage goes, for most tourists, flowers beat bulls.

The historic white-walled houses with the blue pots of red geraniums have to be the most photographed

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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. AWARDS

IF you found yourself among the commotion on the A-334 north of Almeria on April 24, you are probably wondering what the frenzy was about. Not to worry.

It was a drill, a simulation of a dangerous chemical spill involving a tanker truck carrying sulfuric acid, a resulting fire, and the urgent call for emergency medical attention.

The drill, involving 50 rapid responders, included the evacuation of 500 people from the nearby area, assessing the risk of explosion, the rescue of the trapped driver, cutting off the road and rerouting traffic, cordoning off a 600 metre radius safety zone, the treatment of a injured rescue worker, the extinction of the subsequent fire and the logistical problem of preventing its spread to a nearby heavily wooded area replete with steep ravines. The coordination of real-time events such as these is a monumen -

GREAT FOR G.R.E.A

Emergency Services on the Costa del Sol just got better, writes Jack Gaioni

tal task.

Enter the Andalucian Emergency Group (acronym GREA) - an organisation dedicated to taking the leading role in emergency events such as: earthquakes, floods, forest fires, explosions, traffic accidents, mass evacuations, crowd control (both hostile and peaceful), terrorism and civil unrest etc.

The organization, born in 2005, had two headquarters--- a western command post in Sevilla and an eastern facility in Jaen.

Until last week when a third headquarters became operational in Benahavis, near Marbella, to better serve the busy Cadiz to Malaga corridor.

To be sure, the importance of emergency ‘first responders’, those among the first to arrive on the disaster scene, is paramount. Whether it be a fire-

fighter, medical technician, law enforcement or military/security personnel, their job is to provide immediate on-site support service. Their training is specialized and specific in nature. It is the mission statement of the GREA to protect communities by coordination and integrating those disparate talents.

GREA’s role is bringing those different elements into an efficient ‘big-picture, site specific’ harmony and coordinators stress the importance of preparation, available resources, and training to make sure that services are ready should an actual crisis arise.

Additionally, an organisation like GREA can more efficiently direct the ever-chang-

Want to visit Cordoba’s Festival of Patios, but don’t know how to get there, or where to find those famous courtyards? Let Sorrel Downer help

THE SECRETS OF MIJAS

THEY turn up in their droves. On tour buses, or in cars, and stretch their legs for about 400 metres. Out come the cameras and the ticklists and, wait… there is the donkey statue (left), perfect for a family snap, the vista to the sea, ideal for a selfie, and the chocolate factory to while away an hour. And then there’s the other side of Mijas pueblo for those who do their utmost best to avoid the above tourists like a plague!

What is striking about Mijas is its ability to satisfy both types of tourists and yes, there is so much more to this wonderful white village than at first meets the eye. Want a quick and easy morning or evening visit with the family while on your hols?

Well the village ticks plenty of boxes: It’s a simple 15 minute uphill drive from the coast, it’s pedestrian-friendly and there’s a giant multi-storey car park right in the heart of the village, costing just €1 a day.

Even easier, you walk out into a charming, leafy square with a big playground for the kids and the donkey taxis (or horse-drawn carts) waiting to ferry you away on a whistle-stop tour of the pueblo. On your return a host of pavement cafes offer a splendid place for a bite.

For the more discerning tourists looking for authenticity, history and charm, however, you just need to know where to look.

Continues on next page

PRETTY AS A PICTURE: The pueblo in springtime and (inset) kids ride the donkey statue

Ditch the donkey and get on Shanks’s pony, insists Jon Clarke, if you really want to enjoy Mijas

Ref: V2504tam

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Culture vulture’s dream

My advice, just keep walking, Shanks’s pony, and aim to get to the far extremities of the village that spreads out like a ribbon along the southern slopes of the soaring Sierra de Mijas. It is in these much quieter parts of the white village where you will start to appreciate its history and finally find some peace. And for anyone looking to really stretch their legs you can continue out of the village and eventually up into the pine-

clad nearby hills. At each end of the village there is a proper hike, with the main ones - to the Puerto del Pino or the Ruta de los Duendes - taking about two to three hours. Alternatively you can go for the taster option of a half hour stroll uphill to the now defunct quarry, Cantera El Puerto, which promises a lovely view and a good spot for a picnic. Whatever you choose, particularly in Spring, you will find an abundance of wild flowers and the fresh smell of lavender and pine. Look up and you will most likely spot an eagle, European Short-toed or Booted, and highly likely a phalanx of Bee-eaters or a local Griffon vulture.

In contrast, the culture vultures among you mustn’t miss the municipal museum, a superb tour of local and regional history with some fabulous photos, to boot.

Whatever type of tourist you are, the town hall and tourist

Mijas Properties was established in 1984 by Susanne Terés

office make things incredibly easy. Maps and walking-tours are carefully planned and signposted, with excellent translations in English, which is almost unique for Andalucia. Each walk is colour coded, with the yellow tour snaking through the town, and guaranteeing the main sites. The first port of call is the shrine of the Virgin of the Rock, a cross-between a cave and a chapel carved out of the mountainside. This is the patron saint of Mijas and from its viewpoint, you can take in the phenomenal panoramic views all along the Costa del Sol. It’s a nice shady spot to linger, particularly as there’s a cafe providing cold beers, coffees or waters, but perhaps you’ll wait for the central hub, Constitution Square.

It’s always a hive of activity and from here streets radiate out, lined with craft shops - packed with ceramics and textiles,

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many of a very high quality. Next you head up towards the ancient bullring, which is unusual due to its oval shape, as well as boasting charming gardens.

Built in 1900 it has seen some glory days, with death in the afternoon provided by the great and the good of bullfighting, from Paquirri to Paco Oje-

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HISTORY TOUR: Virgin of the Rock, while (left) two street scenes and (right) an artisan shop

da and even the colourful faenas of British bullfighter Frank Evans, aka El Ingles, who famously fought in the ring at 71 years old.

Bullfights are pretty unheard of these days, but you might catch a horse-show if you’re lucky.

Alternatively head off at a tangent into the backstreets as getting lost in the maze of alleyways is one of the best things about the pueblo.

You’ll be amazed by what you might find, from sleepy chapels to a hidden fountain and from random caves to one amazing vaulted ceiling spitand-sawdust joint, with a bank of ancient radios on the wall.

One of them could have been the ancient transistor that

the former mayor, the famous Mole of Mijas, listened to when he hid for five years during and after the Spanish Civil War (see page 10).

You can learn more about him at the municipal museum, as well as about the area’s traditional form of making money selling esparto products (a kind of wild mountain grass).

Traditionally collected from the nearby hills, it was weaved into a huge array of items including shoes, hats and bags, many sold to tourists over the years. There is a statue to an espartero worker in the main square and the museum explains well how it became an invaluable source of income during the tough times after the civil war and during the Franco dictatorship.

Beside an evocative photo of a grandmother stitching it to-

gether in the street, is a touching elegy to the trade. “One has to be born to the work in the mountains. Collecting esparto sounds easy, but it isn’t. The mountain changes every year. It is full of cracks and holes that are covered with weeds, one must know how to walk there.

“I have travelled as far as Granada and Cordoba to collect it. On these trips, you had to sleep under trees, even at Christmas when it was far too cold. In the end we managed to save around 300 to 400 pesetas. We were used to living with so little in those times.”

Life for Mijas folk was anything but easy in the previous few centuries, particularly for women, who often worked the land, while their husbands went off to find esparto or went off to work abroad, particularly during the Franco dictatorship from 1940 to 1975. People were so poor they had only one outfit for work and one for holidays. “It was a life of miseries a thousand times worse than I can explain,” explains one old timer.

The town today has ultimately struck an impressive balance between encouraging its thriving tourist industry and maintaining its authenticity.

The streets have been carefully looked after and the level of tatty souvenirs are kept to a minimum. But, without a doubt, Mijas is at its best after 6pm, when the sun starts to set and the tourist coaches

have gone. It is then that you will feel the ambience of the place and really sense its past. As you wander around, doors start to open and the locals come out with a chair and sit and watch the world go by, while children play in the street. Looking at photos past and present, it is easy to feel yourself drift back half a century,

harking to a quieter life, when there were no emails, nor the internet and, best of all, no mobile phones. This is the time to hop in a bar, grab a cold Victoria beer, sit on a shady terrace and take it all in. I promise you’ll come back.

INDUSTRY: But the esparto grass made only 400 pesetas a month

CURVES: From the vaulted ceiling bar (left) to the unusual bullring and (inset) ‘El Ingles’ Frank Evens last flight

Life was anything but easy in the previous few centuries

Mijas

I PULLED MY OWN TEETH OUT

IT is one of the most remarkable stories to emerge from the Franco era.

Now best known as ‘The Mole of Mijas’, Manuel Cortes Quero was the last Republican mayor of the pueblo, from March to November of 1936. However, when the town fell to dictator Franco’s nationalist troops during the Spanish Civil War he was forced to abandon his wife and newborn daughter and flee the town under the cover of darkness.

However he returned in 1939, willing to sacrifice his freedom in exchange for living under the same roof as his family, making himself a prisoner in his own home.

For 30 years - YES you read that correctly, THIRTY years - the Mole stayed hidden, tucked in a cramped space under the stairs behind a false wall.

“I pulled out my own teeth, as soon as I got an ache,” Cortes

said later. “I would work at the tooth until it was loose and then I would yank it out with my fingers, without any pliers or tongs. I pulled out nine or ten teeth this way.”

In 1960, after 21 years of hiding, Cortes’ daughter Maria got married. “I had to make do with watching her come out of church through a little hole above,” he said.

“The wedding procession left the house and after the ceremony Maria scurried away to come to my room and kiss me, just as we had planned.”

Listening to the radio on March 28, 1969, with his ear pressed to the wall, Cortes heard the news that he had been waiting 30 years to hear.

The government had granted amnesty to those people who had committed crimes from July 18 1936 to April 1 1939.

“I got a lump in my throat because of the emotion of

the moment,” said Cortes. “I couldn’t think straight.”

The then mayor of Mijas, Miguel Gonzalez, accompanied Cortes to the headquarters of the Guardia Civil in Malaga, where the world’s press waited to hear the confirmation that he was finally free.

“Was it worth it?” asked Cortes. “I never lost faith in democracy. The tyranny of the dictatorship could not last forever.”

Today, his amazing story has been given an added tribute, with the addition of an excel-

lent new attraction in Mijas. The Escape Room, available in English or Spanish, takes between an hour and 90 minutes and costs just €66 for six people.

Unlike other Escape Rooms around Spain it has a fantastic twist.

“Instead of escaping you must remain in the game and each find a hiding place before the Guardia Civil come knocking on your door,” explained a spokesman. “Oh and don’t leave anything around that could raise suspicion.”

To book or for more information telephone +34 647 679 345 or visit the website at www.secretplacemijas.com

ENTHRALLED FROM THE START!

Olive Press’ new member of staff, Matt Jones, has been in love with Mijas for well over a decade

MY first visit to beautiful Mijas Pueblo was 13 years ago. A number unlucky for some, but as I’m still a regular visitor all those years later, it’s the very opposite.

The impact was immediate and I was totally enthralled with the atmosphere of the place, its nearby mountains, its closeness to nature and, of course, the amazing views down to the twinkling Mediterranean below.

I’ll admit I’m a little bit biassed with my family owning an apartment in the village, but how could anyone tire of visiting this little white gem of a village nestling securely onto the hillside with unrestricted vistas? There is a great range of restaurants and bars served by friendly staff who speak English to help those visitors who are not that confident with Spanish.

There is also a range of lovely shops to while away a few hours of retail therapy. These include many excellent artisan goods, such as hand made jewellery, traditional espadrille footwear, woven baskets, painted tiles and beautiful paintings and textiles to enhance anyone's home.

Mijas Pueblo also has a bus service to be proud of. They are cheap, clean and reliable so a car is really not necessary. Just hop onto a bus - or take a taxi if a quarter of an hour really matters - and after just a short drive you’ll hit the coast with all its beaches and a charming town of La Cala. This lovely spot boasts a wealth of places to eat whether one's preference is for tra-

ditional tapas, a more formal dining experience or everything in between. All of this with the added benefit of a beautiful coastal backdrop.

The recently completed boardwalk is a great addition for either taking a stroll or for a more energetic walk, and, of course, there are plenty of beach bars along the way!

HIDEOUT: The Mole’s room in the heart of Mijas

KEEPING AN EAR TO THE UNDERGROUND: Manuel Cortes

The remarkable story of the Mole of Mijas who hid underground during the Franco dictatorship has now been turned into an ‘escape room’ experience… with a twist!

The tyranny of the dictatorship could not last forever

Pots of gold

properties in Andalucia.

You’ll have seen them on postcards and – if you haven’t visited Cordoba – you may think you know what to expect, but prepare for a wallop of sensory overload as well as slowly ambling crowds, and getting lost.

The patio heartland lies between the Alcazar and San Basilio, although some of the highlights lie around the Santa Marina district, as well as the church of San Lorenzo.

Once you are in the labyrinth of patios,

feel free to nose about and photograph each one, but as they are privately-owned spaces and the result of years of care and imagination, do make an effort to tip.

A patio route map from the Tourist Office is a help, but there are also several companies that offer tours.

De Patios, run by young locals, has a route that takes in a manageable five patios – all of which, they promise, are among the most emblematic and awarded in town.

The pots per patio rate is certainly very high.

After buying a ticket at the first property (Calle San Basilio, 14: 16th century, perfectly preserved, 600 pots), visitors are given a map and are able to wander at their own pace.

The owners at each of the patios on the route provide a mini-tour and point visitors in the right direction for the next. Their route includes a property on Calle Duartas, famed for the variety of its flowers and aromatic plants.

There’s more here than geraniums. Actually, aside from the floral displays, the architecture itself is part of the attraction, and both are taken into consideration when the two prizes for best of the best patio is awarded. Make sure to include the 14th century Viana Palace in the Santa Marina barrio, which is beautiful inside and out. It has 12 spectacular patios, full of tumbling plumbago and wisteria, as well as a huge garden full of the scent of orange blossom, flowers and herbs.

The palace belonged to a succession of aristocrats, but it was the Marquess of Viana who got the idea to create a palace-museum in the early 20th century, and his daughterin-law, Sophia of Lancaster, who is credited

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with making it shipshape. A trek through the numerous rooms provides a little shade and the chance to gawp in awe at the collections they amassed of baroque paintings, tapestries, firearms and dinner sets.

Visit the Cordoba Tourism website for companies offering tours, and general information, including (pertinently) parking. If you can, let the train take the strain – It takes 50 minutes to get to Cordoba from Malaga; 40 minutes from Sevilla; and only one hour and 40 minutes from Madrid.

POTTED POINTERS

● Many of the patios re- main open all year – and the Viana Palace is open to visitors year round.

● The ‘Battle of the Flow- ers’ opens the fun on April 30, when dozens of women in flamenco dresses shower the crowds in petals as they pass by in wagons.

● The Trueque Cuatro Visitors’ Centre for the Courtyards Festival (if open) is a good source of information on the lifestyle centred round a domestic courtyard and an interesting building in itself.

so far for €20,000 to €22,000,” John told him. “I’ll be honest I really didn’t think print worked any more, but now I stand corrected.” And he’s not the only one.

Martin Tye at solar panel company Mariposa Energia, revealed: “I’ve had so many bookings via the Olive Press, I don’t bother with other publications anymore.”

Meanwhile, when we ran a couple of articles on a stunning rural hotel, near Estepona, called DDG Retreat, the place found its phone run off the hook. “We actually got more bookings from the Olive Press than an article in The Times, so well done,” marketing boss Daria told us.

But, best of all, were two recent mail out campaigns for a pair of leading restaurants on the Costa del Sol.

The first, Nomad, which just opened, received no less than 83 bookings across two carefully targeted emails to our online subscribers.

The second, Bono Beach, combined two print ads with one subscriber mailout and has had 75 bookings so far. It’s fair to say, they’re happy with the result.

Alongside stories and reviews, both in print and online at www.theolivepress.es, we offer Instagram posts, YouTube videos, Facebook stories and even TikTok videos. It’s called 360-degree marketing and it means we can offer something for everybody.

Don’t let your business lose out.

Get in touch at sales@theolivepress.es

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

1- Barack Obama jets into Barcelona for Bruce Springsteen concert

2- Royal Marine Commandos go AWOL in Gibraltar’s Ocean Village after brawl as police struggle to arrest them

3-

4-

Decade-long impasse over closed seaside footpath could end soon in Costa Blanca

‘OUR HEARTS ARE BROKEN’: Towie star Elliott Wright shuts Mijas restaurant after death of doorman in customer fight

5- May 1 and May 2 public holidays in Spain explained

COURTED: by patios at Palacio Viana (also below)

subscriber mailouts net 83 and 75 bookings for two leading restaurants

Backup plans

GIBRALTAR’S Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia said he is looking at ‘alternative’ plans in case EU treaty talks fail.

Garcia was speaking after he met the UK Minister for Europe

Leo Docherty as he attended the 13th round of EU treaty talks in London.

Garcia, ‘reviewed the ongoing negotiations for a treaty on the future relationship of Gibraltar’ with the UK minister, a government spokesman said.

He ‘examined contingencies’ with Docherty, he added.

Gibraltar and the UK have bargained hard for an EU treaty that would span the next four years.

But despite recent optimism, both sides have still not reached agreement that would remove the frontier and allow free movement.

Garcia explained that while negotiations continue, ‘it is important at the same time to prepare for the alternative as much as we can’.

REAL TERM SUFFERING

Spain amongst worst hit in cost of living crisis

SPANISH workers suffered the most of any large Eurozone country as their real wages got hit by high inflation in 2022.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, Taxing Wages, worked out the effect of inflation on purchasing power and calculated that wages in real terms fell by 5.3% in Spain last year.

Although gross salaries grew

By Alex Trelinski

by 2.9% (almost €800) to €28,360 gross on average per year, skyrocketing inflation (which closed the year at 8.6%) reduced the purchasing power of people in Spain far higher than their European neighbours.

On average, the gross salary of the 38 countries that make up the OECD suffered a loss

FRENCH CONNECTION

SPAIN is investigating 35 electricity companies over allegedly selling cheap power at hiked prices to French buyers.

The probe has been launched by Spain’s competition watchdog, the CNMC.

The body is looking into potential breaches of rules protecting the integrity and transparency of European wholesale energy

Live online

PEOPLE who live in Gibraltar and want to use its essential housing services will no longer have to endure long queues at awkward times.

That’s because the government of the British territory just launched its new Housing eServices via its Gov.gi portal.

Services like applications for government homes, adding people to addresses, or exchanging flats will all now be available to do online.

It is the latest addition to e-services the Gibraltar government expanded during the pandemic.

This latest stage of the much called-for services update will see the online forms integrated with databases that will make it easier for civil servants to check records.

markets, known as REMIT.

The El Pais newspaper says that the retailers are suspected of taking advantage of subsidised natural gas for power plants to resell electricity to France at higher prices. They are said to have taken advantage of the ‘Iberian Exemption’ where Spain and Portugal got ‘capped’ electricity prices.

CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE?

THE terms residency and domicile are often interchanged despite having two completely different legal meanings. Your domicile can be your residence however your residence is not necessarily your domicile.

You may move abroad without changing your domicile.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Spanish succession tax is based on your tax residency whereas UK inheritance tax is based on your UK domicile of origin. This is acquired at birth and is usually the same as the domicile of your father at the date of your birth, unless your parents were unmarried, in which case you take your domicile from your mother.

Whilst you can claim and acquire a domicile of choice by settling say in Spain with the intention of living there permanently, making it stick to avoid being liable to UK inheritance tax is notoriously difficult. The burden of proof falls on you (or more likely your heirs) to prove that you had successfully acquired a new domicile of choice.

You may avoid UK IHT after five years of non-UK residency. However, it’s not straightforward. HMRC will consider your ties including business interests, social connections, family, property ownership and your intentions to eventually return to your country of birth, to determine whether you are UK domiciled or not.

When it comes to UK IHT it is always advisable to plan for the worst so that a negative posthumous determination by HMRC does not reduce the inheritance of your children.

To complicate matters, Spain has forced heirship rules where the inheritance is divided with two thirds going to the surviving spouse and children, and the final third being distributed freely.

The EU Succession Directive enables expats to distribute assets based on their nationality rather than the country they live.

This means a British expat in Spain can avoid forced heirship rules and distribute assets as they wish.

The differences don’t end there. Whereas in the UK inheritance tax is paid by the estate in Spain the beneficiaries must settle any succession taxes before inheriting any assets.

The double taxation treaty between the UK and Spain does not extend to IHT, which means that potentially you could be exposed to inheritance tax in both jurisdictions.

The good news is there are tax planning opportunities to restructure your financial affairs to avoid forced heirship rules and mitigate both Spanish succession and UK IHT.

You need a safe pair of hands to ensure your legacy is protected.

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

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of 3.4%, two points less than in Spain. Moreover, the purchasing power of Spaniards fell 10 times more than in France (-0.5%), three times more than in Italy (-2.2%) and 1.4 points more than in Germany (-3.9%) - a country that had an inflation rate similar to Spain’s in 2022 but where a significant rise in wages cushioned the blow. The only European countries whose real wages fell more than in Spain were the Netherlands, Greece, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania, mainly due to their double-digit inflation rates at the end of last year. People in Spain paid an aver-

age of 39.5% of their income in taxes and social security contributions in 2022. This is five points above the average for the 38 countries that make up the OECD.

Pay

People in Spain pay almost 10 points less in income taxes than neighbouring countries such as Belgium, Germany or France, and even less than Italy or Portugal. However, Social Security contributions paid by employers in Spain account for 23% of the salary- well above the average of the 38 countries that make up the OECD which stands at 13.4%.

Shorter hours

CAR rental company Wiber rent a car has introduced a 32-hour working week.

The company has offices in Spain’s main tourist spots, including Mallorca, Valencia, Alicante, Ibiza and Costa del Sol.

The decrease in the number of hours will not lead to a wage reduction, as workers will maintain their previous salaries.

Spain currently has a 40-hour working week, but this may be subject to change.

Spanish Minister of Labour Yolanda Diaz has spoken earlier about the benefits of shorter working weeks earlier this year.

“People should work to live and not live to work,” she said.

Launch

Minister for Digital Services

Albert Isola said he was ‘delighted’ to launch the new services.

“These fully integrated services will allow the Housing Department to work efficiently and accurately with live data which is another important step in the right direction,” Isola said.

It will mean citizens will not need to present so many documents even for more complex applications.

For his part, Minister for Housing Steven Linares said it was ‘a great step forward to digitising systems’.

“Despite this, there will still be a service available for those who are not able to access the Gov.gi portal,” Linares reassured the less tech friendly.

“I would like to publicly thank my staff at the Housing Department for their hard work in delivering this with the team at the Ministry of Digital Services for having been able to put this system in place.”

Bigswitch-off

NETFLIX has lost a whopping one million users in Spain since it decided to put an end to account sharing last February. The figures come from the first quarter of 2023.

The streaming platform asked all its subscribers to confirm their permanent address, ending access to those entering the account from a different location.

Two thirds of the lost users were using a shared password, according to a study carried out by the company. Customers wanting to keep sharing their accounts need to pay an extra €5.49 a month per ‘guest’.

The new strategy has come after Netflix acknowledged that there were over 100 million households in the world sharing an account.

History fun

HISTORY buffs can take their kids on a fun and free day out at Gibraltar’s national museum as part of International Museum Day.

Children and young people will be able to enjoy face painting, workshops, arts and crafts, a treasure hunt and fancy dress competition. Museum staff will be able to answer any questions on a broad range of subjects the museum covers from Gibraltar’s prehistoric past to the more recent British occupation.

This year’s theme for the global celebration is ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well-Being’. It will be Gibraltar’s 20th in person celebration of International Museum Day after it held two virtual events due to the pandemic.

The museum, located at Bomb House Lane off Main Street, will be open from 10am to 6pm on May 20.

DWARFED OUT

‘HUMILIATING’ comedy bullfights and erotic shows at hen and stag dos featuring dwarves could soon be banned in Spain

Legislation has just been approved by the Senate based on a European Union directive that prohibits entertainment shows that involve the humiliation of people with a disability.

The new law has been promoted by the Social Rights Ministry, and will still have to be sent back to the lower house of parliament, the

By Simon Hunter

Congress of Deputies, for final approval.

“These kinds of shows provoke laughter and the mockery of people with dwarfism, and they teach children how to laugh at us,” Marta Castillo, the president of the CERMI committee for disabled persons in Andalucia, told El Pais “We are not clowns,” she added. “Clowns put on and take off their costumes, but we are

MANY VISITS

HUMANS have been visiting the Nerja Caves in Andalucia for 41,000 years, a new study by the University of Cordoba has revealed.

The team used ‘smoke archaeology’ which dates charcoal and remains of fossilised soot on stalagmites in the cave. Its results pushed the earliest known use of the caverns by humans back by 10,000 years and documented 73 different phases of visits/occupation over 35,000 years.

HALLS OF HISTORY:

Gib museum

I

BAN: Such spectacles may soon be outlawed

who we are 24 hours a day.”

In September 2022, an event featuring bullfighting clowns with dwarfism that was due

Talent rewarded

VIOLINIST María Dueñas

(above) has won the 2023 Princess of Girona Arts and Letters Award.

to take place the following month in Madrid’s Las Ventas ring was cancelled due to low ticket sales. Back in 2021, however, when the Social Rights Ministry’s plans first came to light, there was an angry reaction from the bullfighters themselves.

Respect

“It shows a complete lack of respect and freedom,” Daniel Calderon, a bullfighter and the manager of the Diversiones en el Ruedo troupe said at the time.

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

The talented musician from Granada was presented with the prize from the Princess of Girona Foundation at a ceremony in Cordoba attended by Queen Letizia.

Winner

She received €20,000 as well as a copy of a work by Juan Zamora, winner of the 2017 award.

The award was established in 2009 and is open to young Spanish nationals between the ages of 16 and 35 working in artistic disciplines. Born in Granada, 20-yearold Dueñas has been studying with professor Boris Kuschnir at the Music and Arts University of Vienna since 2016.

Shows featuring Little People have been slammed as making a ‘mockery of people with dwarfism’

Boosters away

HEALTH services offered the last shots of the spring COVID-19 vaccine booster programme at the end of April.

Gibraltar Health Authority Director of Public Health Dr Helen Carter said the booster was designed for citizens over the age of 75 who were especially vulnerable. She said the jabs were ‘due to expire’ in April so this was a last chance saloon for anyone who felt they needed to get a new shot of the vaccine before spring.

Pain in Spain

Over a quarter of Spain suffers from chronic pain

OVER nine million people in Spain - some 26% of the adult population - suffer from some form of chronic pain.

The biggest issue is lower back pain (58%) according to a survey carried out by Cadiz University and the Grunenthal Foundation.

Some 7,058 people between 18 and 85 were interviewed for the study, which clarified some of the unwelcome consequences of pain.

Some 42% of sufferers have used health services in the last month with 87% going

By Alex Trelinski

to their medical centre. Those suffering such chronic pain are defined as having it for more than four days a week and persisting for longer than three months. Chronic pain presents a financial cost with 28.6% of patients needing to take time off work over the last year from it. Alarmingly, 22% of chronic pain sufferers said they got depression as a result of their condition and an additional 27.6% people said they were prone to anxiety. People aged between 55 and 77 had the highest incidents of pain with women (59%) more prevalent than men.

At 28, happiest in Spain!

THE happiest people in Spain are statistically men under 29 with money to burn. However two-thirds (67.3%) of Spaniards aged 16 or over are happy ‘always or almost always’. Men were slightly happier than women at 68.4% versus 66.2%.

No surprise, 70.7% of high earners felt happy, while only 61.3% of low earners did.

Your Mental Health is Just As Important as Your Physical Health

WE BELIEVE IN CARE, COMMUNITIES AND COUNSELLING

Life sometimes seems to be a series of ‘ups and downs’ and all of us are somehow expected to cope. At times like this when there are financial pressures, worries about the future and the spiralling cost of living crisis, there are additional stresses on us all that affect us directly, or through our families.

We sometimes reach a point where we need to speak to someone for professional help and assistance to get through life’s hurdles. For many, having someone to talk things through with, to share what may be troubling you or having someone to engage with in counselling, helps to overcome fears, apprehensions, worries and self-doubt.

This is especially so in Spain where English speaking qualified and trusted therapists are hard to come by.

Sadly, many people suffer from anxiety, stress, fears and a lack of confidence. For others, bereavement, family or work pressures can lead to problems. Change through relocation abroad can also add to mental health pressures and these life changes are never easy.

Counselling and therapy has changed the lives of many. Getting in touch is the first step.

Recognising that there is an issue is the first step on the road to recovery. Help is available through our confidential counselling service.

+34 664 666 252 info@counselling4anxiety.eu

www.counselling4anxiety.eu

AUTISM REALISM

A SPECIAL needs group has urged the government to provide better ‘pathways, strategies, and support’ at the end of Autism Acceptance Week.

Special Needs Action Group (SNAG) said the government must provide more medical solutions for autism, ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions.

“There are still too many families with children and far too many adults who continue to wait far too long to receive a diagnosis,” SNAG said in a statement. “When will this systemic failure of the shortage of therapy provision be addressed?”

“The study has given us a better awareness of what is going on and what pain represents at a social, economic, and health level,” said Cadiz University’s Inmaculuda Failde. She added there needed to be more pain units added to the existing 417 at public hospitals.

“There also has to be more cooperation between all health departments as relieving chronic pain should be a national priority,” she concluded.

Work towards change

Our childhood experiences shape our unconscious and conscious feelings and thoughts

MUCH of what we feel, how we react and the impulses that we have, have been laid down in our childhood and very early adolescent years.

This is not to say that we cannot shift and change these, but the older we get, the more difficult it becomes to do so.

However, change is always possible, though this needs consistent work through counselling, care and the empathy of a trained counsellor who can develop a strong therapeutic relationship with their client. The client and therapist working relationship therefore sets the foundation stone for trust and healing in the future.

For many, the chance to reflect, think about and work towards change comes about when there is a major life change that takes place. Divorce, deaths and house moves usually come high up in the stressors that bring out early learnt behaviour patterns, be they disregarding others, consistently blaming loved ones, or not allowing partners to be part of life changing decision making processes.

These are just some examples, and others include more drastic learnt behaviours such as emotionally ‘shutting down’, thrill seeking behaviour or drug and alcohol abuse. The latter are behaviours that seek to provide some form of emotional self-regulation for the affected individual by numbing out emotional traumas and scars that may have developed during childhood or adolescence.

So, our early experiences of the world through our parents and carers, will have long lasting

But the government said that ‘a strategy for autism has been in place for years’. And it promised that ‘a new, more comprehensive, multi-agency autism pathway is currently being finalised’.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo reminded SNAG that the government had invested heavily in Learning Support Assistants and a Special Needs and Disability Office. “We will continue to put our focus on the needs of individuals and families but will not fall into the trap of quick-fixes at the expense of doing the right thing in the long term,” Picardo added.

COUNSELLING THE GURU’

REFLECT: Childhood trauma can have a lifelong effect

impacts on the future of our lives.

Only by reflecting, acknowledging and working through past experiences, behavioural activities and traumas, can individuals learn to let go of harmful or damaging patterns that they have developed over time.

It is also important to acknowledge that to work through this process also means that individuals need to develop a strong sense of self-compassion and self-care in a world that leaves us with little time for this as we are expected to do more and more in shorter periods of time.

This is why making time for yourself is important. Whether that means walking for 30 minutes a day where you can free your mind, or meditating or working with a therapist, such activities are an investment in ensuring your mental well-being in the future.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Feast for the eyes

A PAIR of Andalucian restaurants have been included in a list of the best meals with views in Spain.

La Garganta, in El Chorro, and Mirador San Diego, in Algodonales, both have spectacular dining terraces to feast your eyes while eating.

They have been included in the six best restaurants with views in the list by Repsol’s popular travel guide.

La Garganta, which overlooks the famous Caminito del Rey walkway and deep Gaitanes gorge and lake below, is known for its traditional cuisine.

Mirador San Diego sits in the small hamlet of La Muela, in the Sierra de Lijar, and is known for its dishes cooked on a big open grill.

Other little-known restaurants the Repsol guide has recently singled out in inland Andalucia are Bodega del Bandolero, in Juzcar, and Nomada del Genal, in Farajan.

Both sit in the stunning Valle de Genal, in the Serrania de Ronda and are known for their dishes with chestnuts.

Midnight munchies for mega trio of Springsteen, Spielberg and Obama

DINERS at a restaurant in Barcelona did a double take when a rock star, a film star and an ex-President walked in together for dinner.

Even the staff at Amar, at the Palace Hotel, were stunned when Bruce Springsteen, Steven Spielberg and Barack Obama rocked up at midnight. The three global megastars arrived with their respective spouses having made a reservation in a false name, via a friend, earlier that day.

Rocking up for the first night of a European tour for Springsteen, they were apparently famished and ‘tried everything’.

By Walter Finch

The Andalucian chef, Rafa Zafra, had received a call about an ‘important reservation for friends’ from famous Spanish chef Jose Andres. Andres, who is a close friend of the Obamas and cooked at the White House, asked him to be discreet.

“Jose told me it was a very important table, but we should please not say anything and, of course, I began to investigate and saw that Obama was coming and Bruce had a concert,” he revealed.

TRAVEL FREE

FREE four-month season tickets for travelling between May 1 and August 31 have been made available.

The passes are for a specific route only and users will be able travel between two chosen stations up to four times a day.

Deposits of €10 and €20 will be asked to purchase Cercanias and mid-distance train tickets.

These will be refunded to passengers that take a minimum of 16 trips during the four months.

He added: “Just before leaving Obama entered the kitchen and told us it had been one of their best meals and if they could take a photo with the team.”

Amar, which specialises in fish and seafood, served up plenty of classics for them including oysters, although prepared in ‘eight different ways’j and shellfish.

The ‘very normal table’ also tried brioche toast with butter and caviar, Rosas prawns, and wagyu meat. For dessert? The chef’s macerated fruit cheesecake.

Described as ‘a dinner with true friends’, they drank ‘a little’ and went to bed shortly after 2am. Barack and Michelle Obama were in town to see Springsteen’s new European tour kick off at the Olympic stadium on Friday. The political pair were spotted visiting various Barcelona sites, including the Moco Museum and the Sagrada Familia.

A CONSUMER group has called for inspections on all restaurants of an Italian chain, after a fire left two dead.

Facua insisted all Burro Canaglia’s should be urgently checked around Malaga, Cuenca, Huelva, Santander, Alicante and Sevilla, where it has branches.

It comes after a blaze broke out in its Madrid venue killing a 25-year-old waiter and a 43-year-old customer and injuring 12.

Artificial plants held in place by a wire mesh caught alight and fell onto the tables and floor, blocking the entrance. It has emerged that a waiterthe man who died - accidently set fire to the decorations as he tried to flambee a dessert with a catering blowtorch.

FLAMBEE TERROR Grim future

THE company responsible for controversial plans to build the world’s first octopus farm has launched a staunch defence after a public outcry. Ignacio Gonzalez, the CEO of Nueva Pescanova, which is proposing to set the farm up in the Canary Islands, claimed that the method is the ‘future of the oceans.’ Documents suggest the proposals would employ intensive farming of octopuses, a species that has never been farmed on such a large scale before.

In the dock

A NISSAN has met a watery end after its owner forgot to put on the handbrake at Cartagena's Navantia docks, from where it slid into the sea.

Cancer cheat

SPANISH sports journalist Guillermo Valades has gone into hiding at his mother’s house after pocketing hundreds of thousands of euros from colleagues by falsely claiming he had cancer.

Up in smoke

SPAIN is looking for companies to incinerate seized illegal drugs with the Interior Ministry offering to pay €990 a ton to companies that can pass security tests.

P LIVE RESS The O

Bear Hunt

Parasite statue ridicules out of touch ex-king’s plans of returning to Spain

A STATUE of former King Juan Carlos I holding a hunting rifle has been erected without permission in Madrid.

The 170-cm sculpture had the monarch pointing his gun at an emblematic bear monument, in Puerta del Sol, which is the symbol of

Don’t toy with me!

By Alberto Lejarraga

Madrid.

The statue by Chilean artist Nicolas Miranda was aimed at pouring scorn on the exKing’s plans to move back to Spain from his current home in Abu Dhabi.

BEAR TODAY: But King’s statue was soon removed

Naked truth

CLIMATE activists stripped naked and dived into a fountain at Madrid’s Royal Palace.

The pair from Futuro Vegetal swam in the fountain and climbed on two stone lions covered in red paint. The group claims the monarchy has ‘actively taken part in the plundering of the resources of the Iberian Peninsula’ for centuries.

Called Parasitic Strategies to Survive in a Cruel World it is a parody of the Emeritus king’s disastrous faux pas when he posed with a dead elephant he had killed in Africa. The incident is a painful reminder of Juan Carlos’s 2012 hunting trip to Botswana, where he fractured his hip. It was to lead to his downfall, firstly with the

media exposing a long term affair and then a controversial hidden fortune. The sculpture was eventually transferred to a cultural centre, where it is being displayed in an exhibition.

Display

The display was timed to coincide with the former king returning to Spain for the second time since fleeing to Abu Dhabi. He has been in Galicia where he planned to attend a sailing regatta and where he is reportedly looking to buy a home.

AN election candidate for this year’s local elections has caused controversy when he swapped the classic baby-kissing photo with one of him holding a vibrator. PP hopeful for Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Carlos Tarife, posed in local sex shop Besos Prohibidos with the owners. While they held up his campaign leaflets, he opted to brandish one of the shop’s rather large sex toys. Unsurprisingly, the candidate for the normally conservative right wing party spent the rest of the week fending off criticism. He received further anger, when he described critics of the photo as being ‘backward’.

Easiest arrest

POLICE have arrested a serial burglar who dropped his ID card while robbing a property in the Javea area. The man had left the card in one of two properties he had broken into that night.