Mallorca Olive Press - Issue 161

OP LIVE RESS The

EXCLUSIVE

By Jon Clarke

around her neck.

Speaking from prison in Catalunya, Keith Byrne, 30, revealed his girlfriend had ‘serious mental health problems’ and had tried to kill herself on ‘various’ occasions.

The former Irish Guard - who protected the royals at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace for four years - insisted: “I try to protect lives, not take lives.”

The salesman, from County Meath, had actually administered CPR in the doorway and not, as alleged, in the corridor of their hotel room in Salou.

He, along with another hotel guest, a British tourist, tried to bring the mother-of-one back to life.

The ex-soldier insists he had been at a beach bar all day, as verified by CCTV, and came back to find she had strangled herself with an electrical cord.

He had returned to the room at the Hotel Magnolia to get his passport and suitcase, after they had argued and decided to split up.

But when he got there the door ‘wouldn’t open’, as she was rigid and lying prone blocking the door from inside.

“It was awful. Her eyes were grey and her lips were cold and blue,” he revealed by phone from the low security unit, near Barcelona.

“I will never get this image out of

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my mind.

“She had been dead for some time and was so cold. I never felt cold like that before. I just can’t get it out of my head,” he added.

“I took the cord off and screamed for help and some British tourists next door rushed over and one took over and started giving her CPR as well.”

Clearly upset, he continued: “Now I am being accused of killing her, but I have never been arrested in all my life.

“I am stuck here away from my three children and it could take months to prove my innocence. Nobody knows for how long and there are no criminal charges yet,” he continued.

His family meanwhile told the Olive Press that Kirsty, 36, had been suffering serious mental health issues for some years and was ‘on medication’.

His sister Tara, 33, said Kirsty had a ‘borderline personality disorder’ and had ‘tried to kill herself a number of times’.

“She had been an inpatient at a mental health facility in Dublin and was visiting as an outpatient every three weeks,” she revealed.

“Things got so bad in Spain that Keith actually called me on the second day of the holiday saying he

wanted to come home.

“He said he couldn’t ‘do this anymore’ and was going to get an early flight. He said her drug addiction was too tough and she was drinking too much. He said she was ‘too high’ and he just couldn’t ‘calm her down’.”

The pair met in November, via a dating site, and moved in together ‘within weeks’.

They fell ‘madly in love’ and at first didn’t stop ‘laughing and joking’ and even went on a skiing holiday with friends.

But, after a couple of months, Kirsty started to get ‘needy’ and

‘possessive’.

The holiday in Salou started badly when they rowed on the second night about staying out or going home and she allegedly went off with another mystery man.

“Keith woke up on Sunday morning and she’d been out all night,” claimed Tara. “She admitted she had been with someone and they agreed it was over.”

While Keith wanted

them to split up on ‘good terms’ and go home together, Kirsty had ‘other ideas’ and stormed off.

Keith spent the afternoon with a German expat called ‘Lars’ and eventually went back to the hotel at 9.17pm to get his passport and bag. “Fortunately video cameras can prove all the timings, but he entered the hotel at 9.17pm and went up to the ninth floor, where the alarm was raised at 9.22pm,” insisted Tara.

“The police and paramedics were on the scene very quickly, but she was already dead.”

She continued: “There was literally no time for Keith to have killed her. Evidence revealed to us in court on July 5 shows the window of opportunity was only two minutes tops.”

A Spanish judge decided however, to refuse Byrne bail as he doesn’t have a Spanish residence.

At a secret court hearing in Tarragona he was remanded in custody, while police undertake more enquiries.

A funeral was held for Kirsty at a packed St John the Evangelist Church in County Dublin last week. The mother of son, Euan, was described as an ‘adored daughter’ and ‘much-loved friend’.

FROM LOVE: to tragedy - Kirsty with Keith on flight to Spain

Scales of justice

FISH in south Mallorca feeling threatened by the influx of tourists have taken the law into their own fins and meted outrough justice by biting 15 people in one day.

Illegal taxi

A PIRATE taxi driver who mainly picked up German tourists with a stolen car has been arrested in Palma.

Hands off

A PERVERT accused of struggling with a woman to take her 2-year-old girl from a beach in Ibiza has been arrested.

Royal visit

SPAIN’S King Felipe VI met Baleares new President Marga Prohens after arriving in Palma on Tuesday to kick off his summer holidays at the Marivent Palace.

NO PLACE TO HIDE

LIQUIDATORS attempting to recover €40 million missing in a giant crypto fraud are zeroing in on the expat wife of one of the chief suspects.

Gibraltar courts are trying to pin down Alicante resident Alla Babenko, 35, who is married to Globix executive Pavel Sidorov. The Russian is now the subject of a disclosure order and will face public examination over her role in moving the unaccounted millions.

Babenko claims she was kidnapped outside her El Campello villa by a gang of investors who her husband had allegedly ripped off via

EXCLUSIVE Liquidators in Ponzi scheme target Russian fraudster’s expat wife in Alicante

By Walter Finch

a giant Ponzi scheme.

Four individuals posing as police - including one female Russian acting as translator - allegedly attempted to seize Globix crypto accounts which had been put in Babenko’s name.

SEX CRIME

SIX men have been arrested after an 18-yearold German woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by the group in a hotel in Playa de Palma.

The young men recorded the incident on a mobile phone.

Police officers told Spanish news media that they had seized the phones of the men - all Germans aged between 21 and 23 - and had located the recording in question.

“With the help of staff from the hotel, the six youngsters who had allegedly taken part in the sexual assault were located and arrested,” the National Police stated.

with all four arrested. Judge Yeats granted the disclosure order against Babenko during a hearing in the Gibrlatar Supreme Court in which Globix bosses Damian Carreras and Sidorov finally made an appearance by video link.

Carreras, 39, allegedly funnelled tens of millions in investors’ cash to his business partner’s wife. According to prosecutor Daniel Feetham KC, the shady manoeuvre has made Babenko ‘a key player’ in efforts to trace the missing millions. She has been given seven days to respond to the order or be held in contempt of court.

If she fails to comply, lawyers in Madrid will open proceedings in Spain, while liquidators are also working with a legal firm in Moscow, should they try to flee to Russia.

Gibraltarian Carreras is hiding out in Barcelona ‘afraid for his life’ after reportedly being ‘dangled by his ankles’ over a ledge in order to return the money. It was the kidnap attempt

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WANTED: Alla Babenko in the aftermath of her kidnapping

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TWO bouncers have been arrested on charges of attempted murder for brutally assaulting three French tourists outside a Magaluf nightclub. The incident unfolded in the early hours when a heated argument erupted between one of the staff members and a customer inside the club. The bouncer forcibly ejected the customer onto the street and proceeded to punch him and knock the Frenchman unconscious.

Shockingly, the doorman then kicked the prone man repeatedly in the head. The victim’s friend tried to intervene but he too was knocked out with a crushing blow to the head.

A third friend was also attacked and forcefully removed from the premises by the other bouncer.

All three victims required medical attention, and the most seriously injured was rushed to Son Espases.

Bouncer charges Bum rap

A TOURIST has been fined for being naked in Playa de Palma, Mallorca. The man was approached by police, who told him that he was in breach of the Palma city hall regulations on the use of public space.

The fine for this crime ranges from €100 to €750.

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HE might be 78, but Rod Stewart shows no signs of slowing down.

The rocker has just completed three dates in Spain - in Madrid, Marbella and Chiclana de la Frontera. These dates were a prelude toa gru-

HAPPY FAMILIES

elling world tour taking in Canada, the USA and South America. But while in Spain Rod decided to have some quality family time and posted a picture of some of his extended family relaxing in the country.

The rare photo shows son Alastair, 17, and his girlfriend, next to Liam Stewart, 28,

holding Rod’s latest grandson Louis with fiancé Nicole Artukovich on his arm, followed by Renee, 31, who posed next to her dad. On the other side of Rod stands youngest son Aiden Patrick, 12, who is just in front of his mum Penny Lancaster, 52. Next to Aiden is Rod’s daughter Ruby holding her son Otis. Also pictured are his son and daughter Sean, 42, and Kimberly, 43.

THAT’S RICH

Former King Juan Carlos tries to have €126m ‘damages’ case thrown out

A LONDON High Court judge has been asked to throw out a €126 million damages claim against Emeritus King Juan Carlos by his former lover Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.

Her long-standing legal battle - which began in 2020 - has seen her sue Juan Carlos for personal injury that caused her mental anguish by spying on her and harassing her after their relationship ended in 2009.

The former monarch has denied any wrongdoing and has challenged the claims made against him. She claims that Juan Carlos tried to resume their relationship and, when she rejected him, the for-

By Alex Trelinski

mer sovereign undertook a ‘pattern of behaviour equivalent to harassment’.

For Juan Carlos, Adam Wolanski KC said zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn - also known as Corinna Larsen - wanted ‘damages in excess of £126 million’.

Realistic

He told the judge that her case had ‘no realistic’ prospect of success and that evidence was ‘not viable’ to proceed with the hearing.

“Many of the matters the claimant relies on are subject to state immunity,” Mr Wolanski told the judge.

“The pleaded case of ha-

ADVERSARIES:

rassment is a diffuse collection of complaints, some trivial, mostly historic.” he added. Different legal teams hired by Juan Carlos have been trying for two years to prevent the merits of the matter from being judged. They argued that as head of state and member of the

Passing of the million milestone

A FOOTBALL legend who became Britain’s first £1 million player has passed away at his home on the Costa del Sol.

Former England star Trevor Francis suffered a heart attack at his Marbella villa, where he spent half the year.

He was just 69 and had been ‘enjoying life’ when he was struck with his second attack.

During an illustrious playing career, he played for Birmingham City, Manchester

City and Nottingham Forest, where he won back-to-back European Cup winning medals.

The football legend maintained his fitness with daily power walks and an annual health check.

According to his spokesman, Francis had been ‘enjoying life very much having eventually got over the death of his wife.’ Helen had passed away six years ago after a battle with cancer.

Royal House he could not be tried in England. Judges at the Court of Appeal agreed , but decided his immunity did not cover the time since he abdicated in June 2014.

Zu Sayn-WittgensteinSayn's legal team led by Jonathan Kaplan KC said the application to throw out her claim should be refused.

“The defendant continues to make every effort to prevent the court from determining this claim,” said Caplan.

“The suggestion made on behalf of the defendant that the claim is somehow abusive in that it is by itself designed to harass a vulnerable elderly statesman is both unfounded and bold,” he stated.

AS temperatures hit sizzling highs around Spain, A Place in The Sun star Laura Hamilton has found a way to cool off. Following the shooting of the latest series in Spain, Laura decided to have some ‘me time’.

The 41-year-old slipped into a swimsuit, grabbed a cocktail and headed for the pool, before posting this snap on Instagram, hashtagging it ‘I love my job’. And she advised fellow visitors to use plenty of high factor suncream as temperatures reached 39C.

SIZZLING HOT

Hot date

COLOMBIAN warbler Shakira, who has reportedly been on a date with F1 legend Lewis Hamilton, could face a date of a different kind.

The 46-year-old mother of two has had a second investigation into her tax affairs opened, which could lead to another court appearance. A court in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, has started the case following a complaint from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

She is accused of defrauding the Tax Agency in personal income tax and wealth tax for 2018. But no details of the sums involved have been given.

She was at the time living permanently in Barcelona with her ex, footballer Gerard Pique, 36, who is father to her children. Shakira is already set for a trial for allegedly failing to pay €14.5 million in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014.

She has denied those charges stating that she did not live in Spain during those years.

Prosecutors say she spent more than half of that period in the country and should have paid taxes to Spanish authorities, even though her official residence was in the Bahamas. The singer and the youngsters permanently left Barcelona earlier this year for a new life in Florida.

Corinna and Juan Carlos

Schoolboy hero

A FIVE-year-old boy from Wales has been hailed a hero for saving his sister’s life after she nearly drowned in their hotel swimming pool.

The Taylor family were on holiday in Mallorca when his older sister, Elliemay, eight, got into difficulties while playing in a rubber ring.

However, her younger brother had received training from an RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) expert who had recently visited his school.

"The children were all playing in the pool in rubber rings,” said mum Zoe.

“They decided to go to another area of the pool, Elliemay got out of her depth, she fell through the ring and started to panic.

“She was in real trouble and in serious danger of drowning. Harvey knew exactly what to do as the RNLI had taught him not to panic and to put his hands up and call for help.

“I honestly think without the lesson he’d had he wouldn’t have even realised what was happening.

“He was shouting loudly and raising the alarm, which managed to attract attention and Elliemay was rescued.”

Zoe contacted the school to express her heartfelt appreciation for the RNLI’s role in enabling Harvey to save his sister's life.

When the family returned to their home in Conwy, Harvey was presented with a certificate for his heroic actions.

A RIGHT KICKING

Sour grapes as Vox leader slams media for ‘demonising’ his party which lost 19 seats in election

THE leader of Vox went on the attack after his far-right party took a hammering in the general election. Santiago Abascal was furious after losing 19 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies after Sunday’s poll.

The horse-riding politician blamed the ‘disengagement’ of right wing voters turned off by Popular Party (PP) leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo.

By Simon Hunter

He also railed at the media, which he said had ‘demonised’ his party and ‘manipulated’ the vote that saw Vox drop from 52 senators to 33.

Despite most exit polls predicting Vox and the PP would have enough seats (over 176) for an absolute majority, in the end the two groups fell well short.

BAH HUMBUG!

ANOTHER general election could be called for December.

While the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took considerable criticism for the late July poll, he may now hold one at Christmas.

Either way, the clock is now ticking in terms of the parliamentary schedules. Once a speaker of the house has been elected a first likely investiture debate will be held to choose a prime minister in the first week of September.

Any potential leader will have to either win an absolute majority of 176 votes in the 350-seat chamber, or a simple

The pair only gained 169 seats between them meaning they cannot automatically attempt to form a gov -

majority in a second round 48 hours later.

Should the situation be one of deadlock, parliament would be dissolved in November, with a 47-day period until fresh elections – taking the date to Christmas. PP candidate Alberto Nuñez is unlikely to be able to get a majority as most parties in Congress refuse to back a Vox/ PP administration.

The PSOE meanwhile will need the support of left alliance Sumar as well as the pro-Catalan independence party, Junts pel Si (Together For Yes) to stay in power.

Decadelong farewell

DECOMMISSIONING of Spain's oldest nuclear reactor is set to begin 'very soon'.

Production halted at Garoña in 2012 after owners Nuclenor objected to a new tax. After failing to get a new licence in 2017, the government confirmed it would shut the plant, which opened in 1971.

ernment. While Vox suffered a near 20% crash in the polls, its biggest drop came in Castilla y Leon where the party lost five of its six deputies. It came as the ruling PSOE party under Pedro Sanchez actually gained two seats taking its total to 122. The new left wing Sumar group - expected to side with the PSOE to form a government - got 31 seats. Neither of the two main parties however, can form a government alone and both will need support of their natural partners, plus some of the regional parties. Indeed the various regional parties, who have gained the remaining seats, now have the balance of power. Most have already stated they will not consider working in a coalition with Vox.

A ministerial order has now authorised specialist firm Enresa to undertake the job, which will take a decade and be done over two phases. Around 350 people will be employed for the complex work, which has a budget of €475 million.

Dirty sheets

HOTEL guests in the Balearics are facing the prospect of sleeping in soiled sheets after laundry workers voted to go on strike.

The UGT and CCOO unions voted for an indefinite walkout from the first day of the month. They will refuse to wash the islands’ bed sheets until their demands for better pay and improved working conditions are met.

Employers have proposed a meagre €20 a month wage increase, taking the monthly pay of workers up to €1,100.

BUSY AIRPORTS

SPAIN'S airports had over 129 million travellers in the first six months of 2023 - an increase of 23.4% compared to 2022 and 1.2% up on the previous record year of 2019. June's national figures sounded a more cautionary note with 26.5 million passengers - 9% more than a year earlier but 2.8% less than in 2019. The reason for the June fall is that airlines reduced their flight schedules but July’s schedule is similar to the 2019 programme.

Palma airport recorded 3.8 million passengers last month - up 2.5% on last year, while Ibiza welcomed nearly 1.2 million travellers (+3.8%).

Bodies

found

TWO men have been found dead in a field just outside Manacor.

Police say the bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and the most likely cause of death was a drugs overdose, although they are awaiting post mortem tests results to confirm this.

One of the menhad been reported missing 13 days before the discovery of the bodies. Police believe they had been dead for around a week.

Investigators are trying to determine if the two men were together when they died, and if their deaths could be linked to a contaminated batch of drugs.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS in Soller are complaining about the large number of boats anchored in the port, which they claim are causing water pollution.

The General Ports Plan envisages a limit on boats but has not yet been executed in time for the summer peak season. Green groups including GOB and the Amics de la Terra are concerned about the impact on the posidonia grass in the port due to the sheer number of vessels, which number over 100 on some days.

Watch our grass!

HEAD-SCRATCHER

A MYSTERY skull found by a dog walker near Granada two years ago belonged to a young man missing from Catalunya. Police have revealed the head unearthed by an expat, near Orgiva, was that of a 21-yearold man from Barcelona.

They told the Olive Press they solved the mystery after running various DNA tests on the skull and later body that turned up two months later nearby.

It also helped that the man’s credit card was found next to the body.

The man had been reported missing in early 2021, having vanished in unusual circumstances.

While they ruled out foul play the body and head were found some distance apart, yet both were right next to a popular car park where dozens of hippies live in vans.

“After running a DNA test, we confirmed the skull belongs to a young man who went missing in Barcelona earlier that

Decapitated

By Alberto Lejarraga

year,” Juan Carlos Lopez, a Guardia Civil spokesman told the Olive Press.

“He was a Spanish national who was 21 at the time he disappeared.

“His body was found further down a nearby cliff in January 2022 and next to it, there was a credit card that allowed us to know his identity.”

Despite the victim's head being separated from the body, Lopez says the autopsy did not reveal any signs of violence.

“We closed the investigation because the autopsy revealed he died of natural causes, with a hypothesis being an accident.”

The claims fly in the face of the

Romanian expat whose dog Dragon found the head on November 18, 2021. She revealed she had been taking a walk around the alternative community of Beneficio, near Orgiva, when the animal dug up the skull by the main car park. She first linked the discovery to the Spanish Civil War, but soon dismissed the idea as the smell was very strong.

HOW WE TOLD IT: In November 2021

Olive Press.

At the time the discovery led to considerable speculation that it might have belonged to a Dutch expat woman who had lived in the community years before.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to me before and I knew straight away I needed to call the police,” she told the

The Guardia Civil is unable to reveal the identity of the deceased, as the family has not given them permission to do so.

A three-year-old child and his father have died after being pulled from a swimming pool in Calvia on Monday. Their unmoving bodies were spotted floating on the water by a neighbour who contacted emergency services.

A number of residents pulled them from the water and performed CPR following phone instructions from emergency services.

Two ambulances arrived at the scene shortly after and medical staff managed to resurrect both of them.

They were rushed into Son Espases Hospital but the father died during the ambulance journey. His son passed away in intensive care the next day.

DOUBLE TRAGEDY Red alert

MALLORCA is on red alert for forest fires after the Met Office issued a warning for high temperatures.

The southern tip of the island, close to Palmanova, Santa Ponsa, and Magaluf, has been put on ‘extreme alert’. Last year, Mallorca saw record high temperatures of 44.5C.

Despite the record-breaking heat, 2022 saw relatively few fires. The worst year in the past decade was 2013 when more than 2,000 hectares were destroyed in blazes.

skull found in the Alpujarras belonged to missing young man who ‘died of natural causes’

Voted top expat paper in Spain

OPINION

Read behind the headlines

‘DON’T believe everything you read in the papers’, was the old adage.

And today it’s the perfect advice for half the things that pop up on Twitter, Facebook and TikTok

Above all, don’t be satisfied with the obvious story and always look behind the headlines.

The experienced hands at the Olive Press have decades of national newspaper experience behind them and we know dogged determination is needed to get to the root of the matter.

It’s sometimes called good old fashioned journalism, at other times digging.

But above all, it’s always worth going the extra mile to get to the truth.

Two stories in this issue exemplify this.

On our front page we tell the heart-rending story of a former soldier behind bars accused of strangling his girlfriend on holiday.

While investigations into Kirsty Ward’s death continue, Keith Byrne languishesin jail thousands of kilometres from his three young children.

To make matters worse, sensationalist reporting in the international media has all but dubbed him a murderer, as well as claiming he’s (wrongly) a member of the Kinahan crime gang.

Only the Olive Press has actu-

CRACKING UP

AS Spain suffers under record sweltering temperatures the drought affecting most of the country continues to worsen.

ally sought out his side of the story and it throws the suspicious death into a whole new light.

We appreciate that such a serious alleged crime needs to be investigated fully. But with a solid alibi maybe the humane course would be to allow Byrne bail.

Now turn to page 5 for another example of proper reporting by following something up.

When we broke the story in 2021 of a dog called Dragon finding a human skull, the Spanish media followed us. It made headlines across the country but then the media went quiet. It was a short-lived sensation.

But what the papers forgot was that basic tenet of journalism - always follow it up. We did what no one else remembered to do, and never lost track of the story.

Now two years later we can finally reveal the skull belonged to a young man who went missing in Barcelona.

We felt it important to follow up for a simple reason.

We had in the past been contacted by worried relatives of missing people wondering if the victim- was their relative.

At least now they know he is not and will no longer have to continue fretting.

With the power of the press comes responsibilities, and we take them seriously.

Reservoir levels are dwindling, particularly in Catalunya, Andalucia and Alicante –and with the falling reserves, restrictions on water usage are starting to be rolled out.

On the Costa del Sol town halls are reducing the number of beach showers, using non-potable water for street cleaning and watering plants, among other measures.

But there is still some way to go before the restrictions are as Draconian as seen in the tinder dry drought experienced across Spain in 1995.

When I moved to Spain in 1994, I thought it was normal: No rain and scorching weather were just facts of life on the sun ny Costa del Sol.

What I didn’t know was it was actually not nor mal at all.

Since 1993 the country, and An dalucia in partic ular, had been in the grips of a drought that was killing crops and livestock.

But if you weren’t a farmer it was hard to notice. The taps flowed on the costas, with little apparent effort made to save water.

Each winter since 1992 water authori ties had watched reservoir levels drop as they prayed for rain that simply failed to fall.

Their hopes that God-sent inundations would refill reservoirs and top up groundwater proved unfounded.

Their historical inaction when it came to fixing leaking pipes, arranging water transfers from wetter regions of the country - or building desalination plants - was founded on complacency. Well, the chickens were about to come home to roost. In a big, big way.

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

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Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

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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

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It all reached its nadir in the summer of 1995, when drastic measures had to be taken as the taps – quite literally – began to run dry.

Large swathes of Malaga’s population were warned not to drink the tap water. The underground aquifers were so low that they became brackish.

In Mijas Costa, where I ran the Curry House restaurant at El Chaparral (I’d left a job at the Mirror in London to help my ailing father keep things ticking over), we didn’t even get the undrinkable water for most of the day.

Water supplies were cut, except for two hours a day in the morning and two in the

early evening. This presented a challenge just for simply living. I didn’t finish work until 3am.

So that meant getting up just a few hours later for a shower before collapsing back into bed. Then when I reached work, it was a question of waiting for the water to come back on before washing the floors, and filling drums of water for toilet flushes before the supply was cut off again.

And remember – this was not drinkable water. For that we had to wait for a water lorry sent round by the town hall once a day. People queued with bottles and plastic containers to get their fill.

Fortunately, I did not have to hang around waiting for hours for the tanker to show up.

We found a different solution: My father lived on the road to Mijas pueblo and so he had Mijas spring water. Fresh, refreshing and unlimited!

So each day I would load up my car with six 25-litre drums and fill them with water at his house, before carting them back to the restaurant, where I would use this drinkable water for cooking and washing the dishes.

Things were worse elsewhere: Sevil-

CURRENT RESERVOIR LEVELS

la was so badly affected that various (seemingly crackpot) schemes were floated as the city and surrounding region gasped for water.

Serious consideration was actually given to evacuating the entire city as water supplies slowed to a trickle.

Last ditch proposals to sail tankers of water up the Guadalquivir and even float an iceberg to the region were made. In the event turning off the water in Sevilla for 14 hours a day proved just about enough to tide the city through until the drought broke. And boy did it break! I clearly remember when it did as I was on my honeymoon in Extremadura.

After 12 days of touring, we were in Badajoz when the skies finally opened.

The heaviest rain I had seen literally fell – and fell – and fell.

After 24 hours sheltering in the hotel, my wife and I decided to cut the honeymoon a week short and head home – in the nick of time.

Just three hours later the entire city of Badajoz was cut off by the rising flood waters.

The reservoirs actually overflowed as it pelted down for the next three months. God had finally answered the water authorities’ prayers.

Since then, a new reservoir has been built for Sevilla (with EU money - with the condition the authorities had to reduce the amount of water lost to leaks by half).

The Costa del Sol also got a desalination plant - although politics of course reared its ugly head.

Corrupt Marbella mayor Jesus Gil, who eventually went to prison for fraud, kept getting reelected despite his criminal activities because ‘he got things done’.

In this instance he really did. In 1996 he used Marbella money (around €40 million) to build the plant with a pledge the water produced was for the entire costa.

It was actually completed in 1997. But the Junta refused to take on the running costs, preferring to sit back and watch as it remained unopened while, inevitably, reservoirs started to run dry again within a few years.

It took another drought before agreement was finally reached, and the plant was finally opened in 2005.

It says a lot that a convicted crook and embezzler was willing to do more for the residents of the Costa del Sol than the Junta was.

Complacency rules down here.

As water restrictions start to kick in, Dilip Kuner takes a look back at the last serious drought of 1995

DRYING UP: Roman bridge emerges from lake while (left) fish are dying

See page 14

NEW GOLD RUSH

AMERICANS are coming to Spain for longer both as digital nomads and to retire.

The number living in Spain grew by 13% from 2019 to 2021, while home sales to US buyers jumped by 88% from 2019 to 2022.

Americans also splash the cash more than any other buyers, apart from the Danes, cough-

By Alex Trelinski

ing up an average of €2,837 per square metre.

And their purchasing power grew the most in the same period, according to the General Council of Notaries report.

American buyers tend to focus on urban areas like Madrid, while

SurgeinbuyersfromUSwithsalesup88%

Valencia and Andalucia are key locations.

“As with any big city, people are attracted to its job opportunities and amenities,” said Alex Ingrim from financial services firm Chase Buchanan.

“There is a strong word of mouth about Valencia, with a large ex-

pat community and among them many Americans,” he added.

Spain launched its digital nomad visa earlier this year, making it easier for foreigners to move and work in the country.

The visa is tailored for ‘international teleworkers’ and applicants must comply with a set of require-

ments, such as accreditation or professional experience of at least three years.

“Prior to having this visa, it was difficult to work in Spain because the tax rates were so high and there wasn’t a clear-cut immigration regime, other than the ′golden visa’ that allowed you to move to Spain and work,” added Ingrim.

REAL ‘SPANISH STYLE’

CULTURAL ICONS: Are these Spain’s 10 best buildings? Look inside

Sales slide

HOME sales registered in May showed a fall of 6.4% compared to the same month last year according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

Some 56,137 deals were completed but May’s percentage fall was lower than April’s 8.1%. It was the seventh successive month of negative figures, according to the INE report published this month.

The sale of older homes fell by 8.6% in the fifth month of the year accounting for 45,479 of the overall total.

In a month-on-month comparison, home purchases went up by 29.6% compared to April - the biggest May increase since 2017.

In the first five months of the year, home sales have fallen by 4.1%, with new properties down by 2.4% and used homes down by 4.5%.

Andalucia had the most transactions in May with 11,736 sales, followed by the Valencian Community (9,453) and Catalunya (9,000).

In terms of sales per 100,000 people, the largest total was in the Valencian Community (232), Cantabria (183) and Andalucia (173).

*Slowingdown,seebelow

Million euro home club

THE exclusive enclave of Benahavis (pictured) is once again dominating the national rankings for the most expensive municipality in Spain. Based on listings published by real estate portal Idealista, the average price of properties in Benahavis, home to exclusive urbanisation La Zagaleta, is an eye-watering €1.9 million. But there are a few other exclusive resorts where the average price is over a million.

The select million euro home club includes Calvia, in Mallorca, with an average price of €1.58 million, while Marbella, has an average asking price of €1.37 million.

Closer and closer to joining the club is Sotogrande, in Cadiz, where the year started with an average price of €995,000.

Close behind is Sant Cugat, in Catalunya, in fifth place with an average of €810,240. Madrid has the priciest homes for a city, with the average price sitting at €428,100.

Silver screen battle

MORE than 11,000 people have signed a petition opposing the conversion of Murcia’s last historic cinema.

They are furious that Cinema Rex is to be turned into a multipurpose space, including a gym.

The cinema opened its doors as the Teatro Ortiz in 1914 but switched to screening movies in 1926.

It was renovated in 1946 but screened its last film in August 2019, having outlasted all of the city’s other major theatres.

The building owners submitted their conversion plans in April and now Murcia City Council is going through a public consultation phase, which prompted the petition.

Safest city

MALAGA has been ranked as the second safest city in Spain, one of the safest cities in Europe and 58th worldwide, according to Numbeo’s 2023 crime index rank.

San Sebastian tops the list for Spain and Europe and comes seventh in the world ranking.

A group collected signatures outside the Rex last week and called for it to reopen ‘since it is an irreplaceable piece of people’s memories’.

“This is the last historic cinema located at the intersection of four districts which contributes to a way of city living that refuses to die,” insisted a spokesman.

The Rex was even mentioned by Murcia filmmaker Elias Leon Siminiani during his acceptance speech in February’s Goya Awards in Sevilla after winning the best short film category.

The Madrid-based AISGE Foundation that manages copyright and intellectual rights for 17,000 Spanish actors has also backed the Rex in a letter to Murcia’s mayor.

CROWD APPEAL

NORMALLY the collection plate is passed around when church repairs are needed. But with just 27 residents, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in the tiny hamlet of Masa had to move with the times to hit its necessary €55,000 target. An online crowdfunding ap-

Ancient church turns to modern methods

By Alex Trelinski

peal has been set up for the Burgos province church, which needs urgent renovations.

BAD DISGUISE?

EUROPE’s largest vertical mural has been completed. Covering over 6,000 square metres, Les Rivages de Almunecar, by artist Jose Rios, is painted on three 12-storey buildings.

The mural, on Granada’s Costa Tropical, depicts a figure of a dog walking on the beach, the silhouette of a woman and waves and sand.

Its conception was to convey a sense of transparency and disguise the ugly tower blocks on which it is painted.

As of mid-July, €26,000 had been banked with contributions from all round the world to fund a new clock and altar.

Standing since the 13th century it is the cornerstone of the village, which has only eight permanent residents, the rest coming at weekends or holidays.

“We are the

HELP NEEDED: The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

classic example of depopulated Spain,” said Josechu de Miguel, who is leading the fundraising drive. The key innovation has been joining forces with heritage charity Hispania Nostra to launch the crowdfunding drive with donations starting

Slowing down Mark Stucklin

Spanish home sales in May 2023 show cooldown continues

THE Spanish property market continues to cool down after a post-pandemic boom in 2022 but there is no sign yet of a crash in sales, as shown by the latest housing market figures from the Spanish notaries’ association. There were 58,880 home sales witnessed by Spanish notaries - actually more than recorded by the National In-

www.spanishpropertyinsight.com

stitute of Statistics - in May, down 8% on last year, and the seventh consecutive month of sales dropping. However, if you compare sales (see graph) to previous years looking just at the month of May there is no sign of a crash, just a return to normal business after a boom that followed in the wake of the Covid-19 disaster. Sales

this May were lower than 2021 and 2022, but higher than the normal

years of 2018 and 2019. Looking at the 12-month rolling sales total, which smooths out the ups and downs of each month and gives a better picture of the underlying trend, you can clearly see the end of the boom and downward trend that looks like it will be with us for a while. All regions of interest to for-

at just €10. Contributions have so far arrived from as far away as Canada.

Each donor, depending on the amount, will receive a gift that can range from a thank you card to key chains, coasters or even a guided tour of

the village. Other options include sponsoring pews, the choir, or the weather vane from €150. Work will begin once €40,000 is reached, as it is now backed up by a promised €10,000 grant from the Burgos Provincial Council.

eign investors have been following a similar downward curve with modest variations, Sales fell the most in the Balearcis (-19%) followed by Madrid (-17%), Catalunya, Andalucia and the Canaries (-12%), and the Valencian region (-10%). Sales in Murcia bucked the trend with a 1% increase.

The national average house price increased by 1% in May, according to the notaries, suggesting the boom in prices has also come to an end . By region, prices increase the most in the Balearics (+17%), followed by Murcia (+9%), Andalucia (+7%), Valencia (+5%), Catalunya (+4%), and Madrid (+2%).

There is no sign of a crash, just a return to normal business

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Cultural icons

IT is known as the Nobel prize of the architecture world. And this year the Pritzker prize, as the Olive Press reported in the last issue, was awarded to British architect David Chipperfield, who has a firm affinity to Spain. Aside from having a holiday home in Galicia, he has designed many masterpieces in the country - as have a host of other Pritzker prize winners. The gong is awarded each year to architects who have used their craft to

The ten key buildings in Spain designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects

By Regina Roberts

‘contribute to humanity and the built environment’ and the work of the winners can be found around many of the country’s favourite cities.

Many of them have become major cultural attractions with their unique designs that pay homage to Spanish culture. Here, the Olive Press picks 10 key buildings designed by winners of the illustrious prize which showcase how important Spain has become as a centre for the latest ideas in architecture.

PHILIP JOHNSON, GATE OF EUROPE TOWERS OR TORRES KIO, MADRID, 1996

American architect Philip Johnson was the first recipient of the Pritzker Prize in 1979.

Ten years after receiving it, he collaborated with John Burgee to design

this remarkable twin office building on Plaza de Castilla, in Madrid. The world’s first inclined skyscrapers, slanted at a 15 degree angle, they are the second tallest towers in Spain

standing at 115 metres in height. The tower’s iconic design has made them a well-known part of the Madrid skyline and they have been featured in various movies.

JEAN NOUVEL, TORRE AGBAR/TORRE GLORIES, BARCELONA, 2005

French architect Jean Nouvel, winner of the 2008 prize, also partnered with Fermin Vazquez to design the Torre Glories, the third tallest building in Barcelona. The bullet-shaped building has become a tourist attraction and one of its enticing features is its night lighting.

Its futuristic construction, configured by aluminium, concrete, and glass, makes it stand out alongside Barcelona’s historic architecture.

RAFAEL MONEO, TOWN HALL, MURCIA 1998

Spaniard Moneo, who won the Prize in 1996, was commissioned to design this modern institutional building for Murcia’s town hall.

Set in historic Cardenal Belluga Plaza, between the 16th century cathedral and the Episocal Palace, it needed to be sensitive, but also impactful. The building’s design shows a contrasting modernity that has made it a subject of controversy… but it certainly stands out.

ZAHA HADID, LOPEZ DE HEREDIA WINE PAVILION, HARO, RIOJA, 2006

Visionary Hadid was commissioned for this winery by Lopez de Heredia for its 125th anniversary. Chosen for her innovation and daring designs, the pavilion combines the architect’s modern style with the winery’s traditional feel.

Hadid described the design as a ‘bridge between the past, present, and future evolution’ of the bodega.

In 2004, she became the first woman to be awarded the prize.

DAVID CHIPPERFIELD, AMERICA’S CUP BUILDING ‘VELES E VENTS,’ VALENCIA, 2006

Winner of the 2023 prize, Chipperfield designed the America’s Cup Building ‘Veles e Vents,’ which was inaugurated in 2006. The building was constructed to be the social centre for the America Cup, the world’s premier offshore racing competition. It was designed specifically with the sport in

mind, with its overlapping panels that provide shaded views of the sea and outdoor space that takes up more than half of the building. The four-story building offers two bars, restaurants, a wellness centre, and VIP lounge, making it the hub of activity during competition season.

TOYO ITO, FIRA TOWERS TORRE REALIA BCN AND HOTEL PORTA FIRA, BARCELONA, 2009

The winner of the 2013 Prize, Ito collaborated with Fermin Vazquez to design these two red towers, which are 112m in hei ght.

RICHARD MEIER, BARCELONA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, BARCELONA 1995

Located close to Barcelona’s gothic centre, this enticing museum was designed by 1984 winner, Meier. Showcasing many modern influences, it was conceived as a collection of several prisms and its centre is made up of a cylinder that extends to all floors of the buildings. Even with its separate wings, the building is tied together by its pockets of natural light and geometrical elements.

The Torre Rea lia’s surrounding windows give it its clean-cut translu cent appearance with a red diverging line in the middle to add a touch of co lour.

In contrast, the Hotel Porta Fira is entirely red and in the sha pe of a distorted cylinder. In 2010, it won the Emporis award for the best skyscraper globally.

SPANIARD Aranda (and partner Carme Pigem) created this wonderful building for Michelin star chef Fina Puigdevall in the countryside, near Olot. A private home, it challenges traditional assumptions about homes and farms.

It came about when Fina was chatting with former classmate Carme about revamping her restaurant Les Cols plus building a new home.

RAFAEL ARANDA, METAL HOUSE, GIRONA 2017

Neither of them could have imagined that ten years on the former would become a celebrated Michelin-starred chef, and the latter a Pritzker-prize winner in 2017.

The building sits 1.5m below the top level of the field, creating a differentiation between the two lifestyles.

The house seems disjointed on the surface but the hidden long corridor that acts as the ‘backbone’ for the building, connects the main areas with large glass windows framed by steel. Even though this is a private home, its architectural design makes it a one-of-a-kind villa.

NORMAN FOSTER, CONGRESS CENTRE, VALENCIA, 1998

Global British legend Foster completed this building a year before winning the prize in 1999. And the Congress Centre, in Valencia, certainly helped it along, being both bold and eye-catching. Designed for the hot Mediterranean climate the large pavilion provides shade and surrounding windows that allow for natural light.

The conference venue was designed to host large crowds and has multiple auditoriums.

“It is truly a Valencian building –rooted in tradition, but forward looking,” explained Foster.

JEAN NOUVEL ET AL., HOTEL PUERTA AMERICA, MADRID, 2005

No less than five Pritzker prize winners took part in designing this hotel, making it a major collaborative work in Madrid. Jean Nouvel was in charge of the attic, 12th floor, and façade, which was decorated with lines from the poem, Liberté, by Paul Eluard.

Zaha Hadid oversaw the first floor, designing it with curves and white lighting.

Norman Foster worked on the second floor highlighting elements of luxury and elegance. Recent winner, David Chipperfield developed the third floor using geometric elements and unique materials, such as terracotta.

Finally, Arata Isozaki, the 2019 prize winner, designed the tenth floor, using Japanese influences and wood panelling to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Other famous architects and designers including Ron Arad and Marc Newson worked on different aspects of the building, making it a showcase of internationally renowned work.

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‘SPANISH STYLE’ PROPERTY

AN unsuspecting Twitter user waded into a storm of controversy after tweeting pictures of what she described as ‘Spanish style homes’ in the US. Savannah Vicario’s tweet racked up more than 11 million views and thousands of replies in just three days. They ranged from the serious to the comic, such as this reply from a user named Salma: “Spanish style is not a thing.

American’s

By Simon Hunter

This is Mudejar architecture, inspired by Al-Andalus, combining Islamic aesthetics with Iberian structures.” And as

for the comic, users all around Spain sent her their own versions

of ‘Spanish style homes’.

These included ugly housing blocks surrounded by riot police, pictures of the ugly ‘gotele’ dimpled wall paint used to hide often uneven walls in apartments, and a sitting room typical of a grandparent’s home.

The jibes appeared to have been taken well by the original poster, who took advantage of the huge traffic from her tweet and invited people to follow her on Instagram

tweet about a ‘Spanishstyle’ home led to a deluge of replies and much debate

HISPANIC FLAVOUR: Or is US home more Mudejar or Al Andalus in style?

REALITY: Some of the true design ‘abominations’ in Spain

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Reported to be Putin’s La Zagaleta

AUKRAINIAN newspaper has tracked down a string of properties in Spain supposedly belonging to sanctioned Russians, who support their country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda spent a week tracking down the luxury homes in Spain and then, armed with a drone, took photos they then published to the world.

Putin’s ex-wife Lyudmila Costa Blanca

NOT SO HIDDEN

Torrevieja, Alicante, Marbella, San Roque, Catalunya - The luxury villas in Spain owned by Russian supporters of Putin

By Walter Finch

The roll call of leading Russians all continue to enjoy their wealth and privileges in the West while endorsing and supporting the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Among them is a prominent Russian film director known for his role in denigrating the West, including Spain, and spreading Kremlin propaganda.

Nikita Mikhalkov has been identified as the owner of a villa in San Roque, between Gibraltar and Marbella, according to records from the Spanish property registry.

We are not publishing its exact location, but it sits nestled among a number of similarly lavish villas facing out over a picturesque golf course.

It is co-owned by Mikhalkov’s wife, Tetiana, and their children, but holds significance as Mikhalkov fell under Western sanctions in December.

Mikhalkov has also allegedly invested in property by the prestigious five-star SHA hotel and wellness clinic on the

Costa Blanca. His daughter has three apartments in Alicante.

President Putin’s ex-wife Lyudmila is also reportedly the owner of a cliff-top mansion on the Costa Blanca.

The property is truly luxurious, looking out over the Mediterranean, boasting curvaceous architecture and a dol-

phin-shaped pool. It also has the tell-tale name ‘Casa de Papa’ - Daddy’s House.

Further north, the parents of Russian Foreign Minister Sergiy Lavrov’s son-in-law own two apartments in the outskirts of Girona, on the Costa Brava. Lavrov’s daughter, Ekaterina, has been spotted there.

His son-in-law Alexander Vinokurov meanwhile, faces sanctions for attending a mee-

ting of oligarchs with Putin on the first day of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Yet his parents and wife still retain access to their Spanish apartments without any restrictions.

Let’s also not forget the incredible €40m mansion that President Putin is understood to own in the hills above Marbella.

The Olive Press has long reported on the luxury villa lo-

Nikita Mikhalkov San Roque

Alexander Bryskin Torrevieja

Artem Sheikin La Zagaleta

ASSETS

cated in the super-exclusive enclave of La Zagaleta, in Benahavis. Indeed, we broke the story a decade ago.

The property that sits in its own street - King Lion Road - boasts three underground basements and has its own vineyard, bowling alley, and, perhaps predictably, a ‘shooting range’.

Bought through a string of shell companies, officially it is now owned by Artem Sheikin, a senator for Amur Oblast in Russia’s Far East, although typically, it is registered in a company owned by his ex-wi-

Lavrov’s son-in-law Girona

fe, Anna Kviria. The Olive Press understands it is actually owned by five Russian oligarchs with Putin being the majority owner. Another Russian senator, meanwhile, Alexander Bryskin owns a more modest seafront apartment in Torrevieja. Despite officially criticising Spain on television, it seems he still enjoys the

Living it large

luxury of owning a property here

“Some muppets say that visiting Spain is a privilege! What the hell?” he shouted during an interview. “Visiting Russia is a privilege!”

The revelation of these Spanish properties linked to influential Russian figures has caused ripples of concern amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The discovery sheds light on the potential financial ties and interests of these individuals, raising questions about whether authorities in Madrid and Brussels should be doing more to prosecute corrupt Russians complicit in Putin’s war on Ukraine.

By Walter Finch

MAYBE it’s because of the laidback lifestyle, the cafe culture, the beaches and good weather or perhaps it’s just the good food. But Spain has smashed expectations in the latest Expat Insider survey of the best place in the world to live for expats. Coming in as the second most sought-after destination in the poll of nearly 12,000 expats around the globe, it marks a remarkable ascent from its previous fifth position in 2022. Earning its expat-friendly reputation, Spain has consistently ranked within the top 10 for quality of life since the inception of the survey. Spain claimed the title of global winner in the leisure options category for 2023, with a sta-

Spain grabs second best place for expat life in global survey

ggering 91% of expats expressing their contentment with the wide range of recreational sports available in the country.

The country's vibrant culture and nightlife have also garnered significant appreciation, with 88% of expats expressing satisfaction with the diverse offerings. ,

Enhancing the allure of expat life in Spain, the nation ranks third worldwide for its agreeable climate.

First place was snatched by Mexico, but third place was taken, surprisingly, by Panama.

EVERY PARENT’S NIGHTMARE

He was a quiet expat kid whose mother moved him to Spain to avoid his abusive father and violent bullying at school… but when he became withdrawn and locked himself in his room, she had no idea he would become a globally infamous hacker. Walter Finch unravels the tragic, complicated story

SANDRA O’Connor, 58, had watched her son, Joseph grow more and more withdrawn and isolated in his bedroom with his computer.

But the English criminal lawyer at least thought he was ‘safe in his room’, away from the normal dangers that teenagers face on the Costa del Sol. So when an army of riot police kicked down their front door in Estepona, she could have had no idea that he was one of the world’s most wanted cyber hackers.

Sought by the US authorities for a string of serious cyber crimes committed when just 19 years old - including hacking into the private Twitter accounts of President Biden and Elon Musk - he was also a serious fraudster who stole $794,000 from a Manhattan cryptocurrency firm. And perhaps most disappointingly for his mother, he also stole naked photos of young women and then tried to extort them.

Now, Joseph, 24, also known as PlugWalkJoe, has just been handed a five year stretch in one of New York’s toughest prisons.

But it could have been a lot worse… and if it wasn’t for a series of moving pleas from his mother and wider family he could have faced 70 years in jail, the Olive Press can reveal.

In a series of remarkably emotional letters addressed to Judge Rakoff at the famous Southern District of New York, they helped to explain how a kind-hearted expat who struggled to understand

normal social interactions became the world’s online public enemy number one.

Unearthed via requests to the US court service, they paint a tragic picture of violence, neglect and isolation that saw the bright youngster failing to receive the guidance and support he was obviously in need of.

Born to a violent and absent father, it emerges Joseph was raised by a single mother who was also traumatised by the same man.

His teenage years in Liverpool were fraught, as he suffered from bullying by other kids that he could not understand.

Sandra confessed that she had not been ‘emotionally available and nurturing’ to her youngest child (with his other two brothers born to different fathers). She described herself as ‘effectively broken’ by the violence she had suffered at the

hands of Joseph’s father, who had not wanted the child and at one time inflicted such a severe beating on her she required 17 stitches to her head.

“I just went to work on autopilot,” she recalled.

“But it's the children who suffer the most as those crucial early years of loving nurturing are absent and damage results.”

Unwelcome efforts by Joseph’s father to come back into his life in secondary school reopened unhealed wounds.

“Joseph was always saying how sad it was that his father had ruined my life, and that it would have been better if he had not been born,” Sandra told the judge in one heartbreaking missive.

“I reassured him that he was worth it, and I would not change the situation if it meant he was not born.

“He told me I was rubbish at choosing men,” she continued, “and that he hoped one day I met someone who was kind and would treat me well.”

Sandra’s father, who had been an excellent father figure for Joseph’s two older brothers, died unexpectedly while she was pregnant with him.

“Not a day goes by that I do not think about him and miss him and feel saddened that Joseph never got to receive the love and care his grandfather provided to his siblings.”

Sandra would constantly tell Joseph of his grandfather, and

in turn Joseph would speak about him as if he had known him himself.

“He would tell me lovely things about his deceased grandfather,” his grandmother Agnes reminisced in another letter.

“When you're bereaved, it is very comforting. It was as if he knew I almost needed this to help me cope.

“He would tell stories with so much love and add funny anecdotes about what his grandfather would say if he were here.

“He was such a sweet, funny boy and so kind to others,” she added.

As his mother explained: “When younger, he would try to encourage me to meet someone who could be his dad, which is so sad.

“He saw his young friends with their loving families and he effectively only had me.”

Having moved Joseph back to Estepona at the age of 17, Sandra watched him retreat from the perplexing world that had treated him so cruelly into an online one.

One where his anxieties and peculiarities vanished and he made friends and found respect.

But so obsessed did he become with his gaming and his computers that in turn he became oblivious to the real world around him.

Conversations and constant nagging had little effect as he withdrew almost entirely to his room, even refusing to eat meals with his mother and instead ‘eating himself fat’ and snacking on processed foods.

SNARED: Estepona police picked up Joseph while mum Sandy (inset) was at home downstairs

path that would finally find him languishing in a New York jail, struggling to understand how his life had gone so wrong.

In another sad knock-on effect, the enormous costs of the proceedings have depleted Sandra’s financial resources and imperilled her retirement.

“There will be no inheritance for Joseph and his brothers,” she wrote, adding her own inheritance from her father is gone, and Agnes only has enough to pay for her own funeral.

Joseph has so far been spared this tragic full understanding of the long-term impact his deeds will have on his family.

His cousin, Niamh, 23, told of an anecdote during one visit to Joseph in prison that summed up the difficulty he has dealing with life.

“He told Sandra his mum, she looked pretty,” she wrote. “She thanked him. Then he said, ‘well you are, even with your wrinkles and you being old, you should try and get Botox before you start looking as wrinkly as nan.’” They all burst out laughing.

“He was just being how we all know him to be, honest without realising that it can be too much to hear sometimes,” Niamh went on.

The people he was chatting with were not gamers but, in fact, hackers

When she flew to Liverpool for work trips, the lawyer would have to leave pre-prepared foods and snacks that just needed heating in the microwave. And upon her return, she would be faced with a chaotic pigsty of dirty dishes and cups piling up, which he noticed not one iota.

When Covid struck, Sandra found herself stuck in England and unable to get back to look after Joseph. Instead she hired a housekeeper. It was during this period Joseph finally managed to find friendship, albeit with a community online. Sandra would get back to hear him laughing loudly with his online friends - ‘something he rarely did.’

“For me, this was comforting and a good sign,” she wrote.

It was preferable he was laughing in his bedroom rather than exposed to ‘a world on the outside where he was ill-equipped to navigate.’

“I believed he was safe from this world, where he was not in touch with any dangers [such as] alcohol, drugs, bullying and the worst aspects of society,” Sandra told the judge. But she had no idea the people he was chatting with were not gamers but, in fact, hackers. And it would be they who led Joseph down the

“He had no idea why we were laughing and there is little point in explaining it to him.”

For his mother’s birthday in June, Joseph arranged through a friend to send her a personalised card with a huge beautiful bouquet of flowers, a gift-wrapped perfume, and a box of gold decorated cupcakes with messages on the cakes.

Attached was a personalised card.

Inside, it read: "Happy birthday to the one who has loved, cared, helped, worried and been there for me through it all.

“Thank you for always being there for me, you're a great mother and I love you a lot.

“You are the smartest woman I know and will ever know and very kind and beautiful.

“Everyone who meets you, or their families, always say you are their favourite person and extremely rare and for that I am very proud of you and not have a bad word to say about you.”

Having spent two and a half years in jail waiting to be sentenced, Joseph is already half way through his five year sentence.

Awaiting him when he gets out is a job offer: A UK-based energy firm is willing to take him on as a Web Developer Apprentice.

For his part, Joseph told the judge: “I want to lead a productive life. I now look back at what an empty life I led. A solitary life alone with gaming and online friends in an unreal, unhealthy world, the only life that mattered. “I neglected my family, my future, I was without plans or any aims in life.”

HACKER: Joseph was badly abused and bullied at school

PAYING HOMAGE

IT’S a food pilgrimage that thousands of Americans, Japanese and Europeans make every year…but, as far as the French go, it’s nothing to get excited about.

Gallic food bible Michelin almost begrudgingly admits Asador Etxebarri is ‘worth a stop’, but only gives it one solitary star and then adds, with no sense of irony, you’ll need to book ‘a minimum two months ahead’.

Sacre Bleu! Is it any wonder the Spanish leapfrogged the French in the global cookery standings over a decade ago.

This rural retreat in the heart of the Basque Region has been in the world’s Top Ten best restaurants for a decade for its incredibly original and simple way of cooking.

Now firmly cemented in Spanish foodie folklore, chef Victor Arguinzoniz hasn’t fallen out of the prestigious World’s 50 Best list since entering in 2011 and, well, quite frankly he probably couldn’t care less.

This chef’s chef launched his style of ‘fire cooking’ three decades ago in the small village of Axpe, where he grew up without electricity and gas and where his mother and grandmother would cook on an open hearth.

He also cooks entirely on an open grill - everything, including pudding - and the world’s top chefs rave about him and plan their annual holidays around a meal here.

It’s a romantic tale and this village, sitting on the GR-229 walking trail by the

beautiful Urkiola natural park, is almost impossible to beat.

So I certainly wasn’t expecting to land a table when I found myself driving through the area on a weekday earlier this month.

But logging onto its website a couple of days before out of interest, I miraculously discovered a 1.30pm slot for two people on the very Tuesday we were passing.

After my heart missed a beat and I slammed the button to ‘book’, I heard nothing, except an email saying we would get another email asking for our credit card details.

It wasn’t looking optimistic, but as the restaurant was shut on the Monday, I figured we’d just rock up and hope for the best. I also sent a personal email to Victor, congratulating him on, once again, making the Top Five, last month. With these things, you simply never know.

Of course, we arrived to find the booking was not confirmed… but, despite a disdainful look, Maitre D Mohamed, from Algeria, did understand the mix up and sat us down on an outside table and brought us a couple of cold beers.

He did insist there was ‘no space’, but he promised to see what he could do. After a 30-minute wait, enjoying the peaceful surroundings, with views across the church spire towards faraway peaks and braying Monchina and Bet-

Once again in the world’s Top Five, Jon Clarke moved heaven and hell to grab lunch at mythical Basque restaurant Asador Etxebarri

izu cows, a delicious cold broth suddenly arrived. ‘Just to try,’ exclaimed a waitress, making sure we didn’t get our hopes up… and then suddenly a tablecloth came out and our table was dressed.

“We can’t do the full 15 courses, but we can offer you a lobster, a steak and a few starters,” ventured ‘Moha’, as he is known to his fellow staff.

Are you kidding? We bit his hand off and sat down to, arguably, the most authentic meal of our lives.

First things first, it might seem amiss to be reviewing a restaurant when you’re not sampling the full tasting menu. But the Asador does have an a la carte option and, in any case, it turned out Moha was under-selling. The first thing that arrived was a plate of thinly-sliced chorizo, which I knew was a signature dish and made on the premises. And boy was it good, so unbelievably moist and melt in the mouth, despite being hung for just two months. Next up were anchovies on toast with olive oil and tomato. They come from nearby Ondarroa, where Victor is a long-time buyer and he salts them for six months in a special drying room. Again, the tenderness and flavour was the ticket.

I was really starting to relax, enjoying the leafy terrace with its oxidised iron feed-

ers full of rhododendrons, bees and blue tits.

Sure, there was a sense of missing out by not eating

in the buzzing main dining room, with its beams and double height ceiling, but we weren’t the only diners on the terrace and, by now, Moha was really starting to warm to us, explaining each dish and particularly wines (he’s the sommelier too, it turns out).

We really loved his choice of flinty dry albarino, called ‘O Equilibrio’ by the bodega Fulcro, which was the perfect choice for what I can only describe as the best seafood dish I’ve ever eaten. Quite simply, you will never try anything like it. And yes, I’ve dined on the amazing turbot up the road in Getaria, the bluefin tuna in Zahara and giant red shrimps in Sanlucar de Barrameda, but the lobster served at Etxebarri is simply remarkable.

Garnished with exactly nothing - it is simply cooked to a tender tee on Victor’s wood grill, its juices taking the plaudits. It may seem hard to believe, but once you’ve mopped up the juice from its brains and ink with the local bread, the extraordinary richness will stay on your palate for weeks. Indeed it’s still helping me sleep.

But that wasn’t all. Next came out a veal chop, so beautifully cooked that, even though we were full, you wouldn’t dream of leaving a sliver.

And then came the climax: a bowl of smoky ice cream that was also smoked over the grill and then served with a beetroot coulis, so sweet I thought it was cherry.

Even better, all the ingredients come from the village, as does as much as Victor can get, including plenty of the vegetables that he grows in this garden. All in all, an exceptional meal, one that - thanks to its unfussy staff and plain simplicity - actually deserves four stars. Now hop off, Pierre.

www.asadoretxebarri.com

“

“

Garnished with exactly nothing - it is simply cooked to a tender tee on Victor’s wood grill, its juices taking the plaudits

SIMPLICITY: Asador Etxebarri’s simple food, including smoked ice cream and lobster, complement the mountain location

CHEF’S CHEF: Victor Arguinzoniz and (top) his anchovies and a steak

Chipping in

VARIOUS regions are jockeying for pole position in a nationwide business beauty contest to win a $1 billion (€889.92 million) investment in Spain by a US semi-

conductor maker.

The CEO of Broadcom, a prominent US-based designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products, announced his plans to open a state-of-the-art semiconductor facility within the country.

Charlie Kawwas, wrote on Twitter: “I am thrilled to unveil our decision to invest

in Spain’s semiconductor ecosystem, in line with the semiconductor support program #PERTE_Chip and EU Chips Act principles.”

This move comes as part of Spain’s extensive efforts to bolster its semiconductor and microchip sector, with a planned investment of over €11.5 billion by 2027.

BAD APPLE

By Alex Trelinski

SPAIN'S competition watchdog, the CNMC, has fined Amazon and Apple a total of €194 million for collusion in the sale of products.

The two firms had limited the sale of Apple products on Amazon’s Spanish websites ‘which restricted competition’, a CNMC spokesman said. It launched a probe in July 2021 for ‘possible anti-competition practices in the sectors of internet sales of electronic products and the provision of marketing services to third-party retailers

Colluding giants fined €194mn for restricting competition

through online platforms’.

The CNMC said at the time that it had access to ‘certain information’ from which it had found ‘rational indications’ that Amazon and Apple were in breach of laws related to the defence of competition and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Both firms agreed in 2018 to

sign two contracts in which they updated Amazon’s role as an authorised distributor of Apple products.

The CNMC discovered that

Battery boost

SEAT has announced that it will build a vehicle battery cell assembly plant in Martorell, Catalunya.

The car maker - owned by Volkswagen - says the €300 million project will create more than 400 direct jobs.

The new factory will cover an area of 64,000 square meters and will also be used to assemble PowerCo cells that will be made at a new gigafactory in Sagunto, Valencia province, where construction started in March.

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We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

only a series of distributors approved by Apple could sell its wares via Amazon’s Spanish portals. “This meant that 90% of resellers on Amazon in Spain who had been selling Apple products were excluded from the country’s main online market,” the watchdog commented. There was also a price rise in Apple products on Amazon, according to the CNMC. Amazon says it ‘disagrees’ with the ruling and plans to appeal it.

Take care of the family

Dear Jennifer: A Life Policy can be as flexible as you need and doesn’t cost the earth

THIS is so important – are you prepared to protect your family?

We can assist you with our bespoke life and mortgage protection policies to protect those that are most important to you, should the worst happen.

The first question would be – have you taken out Life Insurance?

You may have a Mortgage Protection policy, which means on your death the mortgage will be paid. But of course, this does not provide your family with some financial security when they really need it.

Mortgage Protection is a good policy to have as it will pay off any mortgage you have on your house, keeping your family secure in their home. This is death only cover, however there are some additional options you can add on if you require them.

For example for Mortgage Payment protection, for €100,000 of cover for a 50 year old can be as little as €305 per year. Whereas life insurance provides a payment to your family. You can tailor the life policy to your own requirements and create a bespoke life insurance – whether to cover the initial costs incurred on your death or give your family 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.

Our bespoke life policies can give you the cover most suited to you needs with standard death only cover and additional covers to include:-

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Across

7 Disorder (7)

8 Small assemblage (5)

9 Domesticates (5)

10 See verbose characters out of position (7)

11 Country bumpkin (5)

13 Environmental study (7) 15 Series of early space probes (7)

17 Doze (5)

19 Somerset castle (7)

21 Not listed above (5)

22 Relating to the third power (5)

23 Dancer’s garment (7)

Down

1 Hearty and lusty (6)

2 Knockout punch (8)

3 Frozen treats (4)

4 Past (6)

5 Entrance (4)

6 Fast (6)

8 Not solid or liquid (7)

12

All solutions are on page 23

LA CULTURA

Gym ofHalama Lecrin

GETTING ARTY

By Jo Chipchase

GRANADA has a long history of art and self-expression, with the most famous luminary being Frederico Garcia Lorca. Since then, many creatives have been drawn to this beautiful area -

The Spanish region that is becoming a magnet for modern female artists

including poets, painters and, later, digital nomads. Living amongst the mountains surrounding the Sierra Nevada are many talented female artists, who document their personal experiences using media ranging from paintbrushes to pixels.

Jo Chipchase speaks to five local artists about the inspiration behind their work.

A resident of Chite, Lecrin, Gym, combines wit, irony, angst, and a ‘touch of anarchy’ for her life drawings and large paintings on canvas. She has recently completed a portrait of music producer, Youth – famous owner of the Space Mountain recording studio in Lecrin. She likes to observe the ‘human condition’ and ‘individual fragility’. She says: “My Godmother's faultless ink and watercolour sketches for fashion catalogues during the 50s and 60s influenced my desire to make art. Norman Rockwell’s lyrical caricatures and then the Pre Raphaelites stole my attention as a teenager. Life drawing became addictive to me.”

Mix Amylo of Granada

Mix Amylo is an English artist, musician, writer, and composer. She hails from London but is usually found in Órgiva, or a cave house in Granada. Having always drawn and created as a child, she returned to it later, studying in London, Accademia d'Arte in Florence, Cyprus School of Art, and Metàfora in Barcelona.

Described as ‘beautiful chaos’, her artwork weaves ‘the strength and

Andalu -

cia has attracted Gym since 1970. She says: “I moved into Chite in the early 90s. Over a 10-year period, I fixed my eye on an abandoned flour mill, created my space to live, paint, and show my work downstairs at The Sandpit Gallery.”

“In 2021, I rented a warehouse near Lanjarón for three months as a challenge to myself, with absolutely no idea of what I would paint. Ten weeks later, 12 large canvases were hung for a 'one night only' exhibition called ‘TERMINAL’.”

● TERMINAL is on show at the Instituto de America in Santa Fe, Granada, from 21-22 September.

Armelle Boussidan of La Alpujarra Meg Robinson of the Contraviesa

Meg Robinson moved to Alcázar in the Sierra de Contraviesa because she was drawn by “the wisdom of the country people, the richness of the ancient culture, the blue sky, and summer starry nights”. She creates art from personal experiences and describes her work as ‘autobiographical’, but she also has some themes. One prominent theme was based on tracing her Jewish roots from Sephardic Spain to Lithuania, with five years travelling to explore countries including Alaska. In 2018, having found her

Jewish roots and grandparents’ village of ori- gin, a strong theme in her art was the inherited trauma passed down from generations of Baltic Jewish individuals and communities. She says: “Discovering the identity of my Jewish father after 50 years searching was traumatic. It unleashed a tsunami of grief I couldn’t explain. So, I drew it.” Meg is now creating art around a new theme, with a new palette of colours celebrating the three cultures she lost thought adoption - Irish, Dutch, and Lithuanian.

www.megrobinsonart.com

Armelle Boussidan, a resident of Lanjarón, is a French born painter and multidisciplinary artist working with acrylics, posca, ink, watercolour, pigments, and sand. She has roots in Morocco and, for the last 12 years, she has exhibited her work in various places throughout Europe.

Armelle explores ‘invisible energetic states channelled into an intimate, intuitive and sensitive language’, sometimes used for art therapy. Her work can take different directions, according to personal experiences.

Armelle is inspired by: “Me, you, all of us, the seen and unseen, nature and natural patterns, everything we feel, dream and can't describe, the visible and invisible, portals of high energy, beauty in details and mud, pain, pleasure, grief and joy, the healing path, the vibration of a colour under a ray of light, a crystal glistening in the riverbed, all of it…” She first arrived in Andalucia in 2016. A year later, she strolled around the spa town of Lanjarón with her ex-partner and ended up staying there. Since then, she has been in and out of La Alpujarra, which keeps “calling me back like a magnet”. After spending time in Egypt and France, she returned to seek a home and studio for the winter.

www.armelleboussidan.com/art/

fem inine

ing a highly detailed black and white surrealism’. She creates personal dreamscapes, tries to capture the subconscious, and find quirky ways to reveal the ‘dark beauty hidden in the ordinary world’. Her artistic language uses recurring themes, such as circles, doorways, chessboards, female figures, eyes, mountains, and ladders.

The resulting works have been shown in different countries.

Since living in rural Spain, Mix joined the art group, Artists Network Alpujarra (ANA), and has participated in many exhibitions. She organised an Open House exhibition in Órgiva, where other artists could exhibit their work alongside hers.

www.mixamylo.com

Lunita Loca of La Alpujarra

Lunita Loca is a digital illustrator living on an olive farm. She has a passion for creating healing art full of colour, symbolism, and magic.

After 30 years away from art, she started drawing again during lockdown. She was trying to make sense of what was happening around the world through creativity. She could share her work instantly over social media and connect with others.

She explains: “The concept of ‘art is for everyone’ really appeals to me. Before moving to Spain, I lived in Bristol, where street art transformed the city into a walking gallery. From the rich to poor areas, the art spoke for itself and was inspirational, lifting your spirits and making you think or laugh out loud.”

“When my family moved to Spain, the landscape changed drastically. Now it was a time for reflection and healing. The mountains held me as I became a mother for the second time and found my way in the community.”

“During the summer of 2022, I was

stung by a scorpion. What followed was a dark night of the soul. After 24 hours of pain, I awoke to find myself charged with a new spark of energy and confidence.”

Instagram: @_lunitaloca_

EAT YOUR GREENS

ADULTS should eat at least 400 grammes of fruit and vegetables per day, according to the latest WHO report.

The institution has updated recommendations on healthy eating after ongoing scientific research. The study claims that adults should also consume 25 grammes of natural fibre per day.

Spain and the UK are two of the top 10 countries in Europe for eating fruit and veg.

According to a Eurostat study, 78.3% of Brits and over 75% of Spaniards have at least one piece a day.

However, only a small percentage of Europeans (12%) eat at least five pieces a day.

NUTRITION NIGHTMARE

Shocking new stats show quarter of patients in hospitals at risk of malnutrition and complications

AN alarming one in four patients in Spanish hospitals are at risk of malnutrition andshockingly - this percentage jumps to 37% for patients over the age of 70.

The most vulnerable groups at risk include those with cancer-related diseases (35%), cardiovascular issues (29%), and respiratory conditions (28%).

The cause for this has been put down to the fact that Spain remains the only country in the European Union that does not include dietitians and nu-

Cafe hope

By Walter Finch

tritionists as part of its public healthcare system.

This omission is particularly concerning given the crucial role these professionals play in preventing and identifying malnutrition and hindering its harmful knock-on effects.

The lack of prevention means patients are treated with drugs and pharmacology, which often expose patients to complications and adverse effects.

A SHOT of espresso a day could more than just wake you up - it may also keep Alzheimer’s at bay.

A study from the University of Verona in Italy has found that the caffeine in coffee, when consumed in moderation, could yelp against the condition.

In 2020, the Spanish Coffee Federation found that around 170,000 tonnes of coffee were drunk - which is around two cups per person daily.

Worrying stats

THE number of suicides among teenagers in Spain has increased by more than 30% since 2019, according to a study carried out by Madrid’s Complutense University.

The worrying figures show that the number of people aged between 12 and 17 who took their own life went up by 32.35% between 2019 and 2021, when 45 people in this age group committed suicide.

And the latest research conducted by the Spanish Statistical Office (INE) reveals the situation did not improve in 2022. A total of 72 teenagers aged between 15 and 19 committed suicide last year, over 20% more than in 2021, which recorded 53 deaths.

Last year, 345 people under 30 took their own lives, an increase compared to 2021, when the number was 338.

Out of these, 128 deaths account for the 20 to 24 age group while another 133 were among people aged between 25 and 29. Suicide is the main cause of death for those aged between 12 and 29 in Spain,

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Take a walk

A SHORT brisk walk after a meal can help diabetics reduce blood sugar levels by 17% according to research from the Complutense University of Madrid.

Around 5.1 million people in Spain have type 2 diabetes and the numbers are rising, not helped by poor diets.

As an example, cancer is now the second leading cause of death in Spain, with half of cancer patients experiencing malnutrition during hospitalisation.

Malnutrition alters drug properties and their effects, often requiring higher doses, leading to increased toxicity and extended treatment cycles or even treatment abandonment due to inefficacy. Conducting nutritional screening upon hospital admission would reduce costs, shorten hospital stays, decrease the likelihood of readmissions, and, most importantly, improve treatment efficacy for patients. Nutritional screening upon admission would enable doctors and medics to catch malnutrition early and undertake a more effective treatment approach.

In fact, its inclusion in healthcare could result in a remarkable cost reduction, with potential savings of up to €99 for every euro invested in dietary treatment. It would also align Spain with the standards proposed by the World Health Organization and the European Union.

The university's Professor Carmen Sanz said: “After eating nutrients including glucose pass into the bloodstream from the intestine and body sugar levels rise.

“When walking, contracting muscles absorb glucose to provide energy to blood cells and decreases the need for insulin,” she added.

and the increasing figures have been described by Complutense’s study as ‘alarming.’

In Spain, a total of 4,097 people committed suicide in 2022, almost 100 more than in 2021, when the number was 4,003.

People can also call Samaritans in Spain between 10am and 10pm on FREEPHONE 900 525 100 for a confidential service in English or email pat@ samaritansinspain.com

Spain’s national suicide helpline 024 also offers a service in English.

Across: 7 Anarchy, 8 Group, 9 Tames, 10 Observe, 11 Yokel, 13 Ecology, 15 Mariner, 17 Sleep, 19 Dunster, 21 Other, 22 Cubic, 23 Leotard.

Down: 1 Earthy, 2 Haymaker, 3 Ices, 4 Bygone, 5 Door, 6 Speedy, 8 Gaseous, 12 Lunatic, 14 Overheat, 15 Medico, 16 Rarely, 18 Parade, 20 Nibs, 21 Oxon.

REuse REduce

Wedding gift

LOS ALCAZARES will give €500 to the first three couples who get married on local beaches after the council approved wedding ceremonies to be held at three locations.

Horse power

TWO horses were spotted running amok on the A-7 in Marbella after escaping their nearby paddock, with police closing the motorway before catching them.

High temper

FLOWER sellers are fuming over Barcelona cannabis shops bypassing zoning rules by registering as florists, with 118 of them in one district alone.

O P LIVE RESS The

Turned off

VICTIMS of noisy neighbours will be giving a (quiet) three cheers after a man was jailed for blasting out electronic music at full blast for five years. And to top it off he has been banned from any profession linked to electronic music. The Catalan has been given a 15-month prison term and ordered to pay €18,000 compensation to his neigh -

Noisy neighbour jailed for pumping out electronic dance music for five years

By Alex Trelinski

bours for playing the music with a thumping beat at full volume day and night between 2012 and 2017.

Flip flop voter

His neighbours certainly did not feel like dancing as the selfish music lover ignored a series of com plaints.

Escaping the Rat Race

DOZENS of doped up rats on a city break have been spotted approaching locals on the Costa Blanca.

Instead of scurrying away to hide, the rodents are nonchalantly strolling the streets of Alicante, with local authorities claiming they have been ‘stunned’ by poison rather than killed.

And what’s more, a representative of the local pest control company is claiming they are ‘country’ rats causing the problem, rather than their local city-dwelling kin.

VOTERS and election operators were treated to a comedic sight on a most serious day in Spanish electoral politics: a man coming in to vote wearing flippers, snorkel and clutching a cool box. Sunday’s snap general election, held in high summer on the day of rest, provoked the ire of one lottery salesman irked that he had been dragged away from the beach to vote.

Jorge, known for his quirky sense of humour, made his splashy entrance at the Manuel Fernandez school polling station in Malaga.

In desperation, long-suffering residents called police reached 56 decibels at night26 above what was permitted. A Mataro court also fined the man - named as Jordi F - €2,160 as well as imposing the professional ban. One of his neighbours in El Masnou - north of Barcelona - suffered from insomnia resulting from the noise, which required specialised medication. Another person had their Alzheimer’s disease condition worsened due to anxiety caused by the high volume of electronic music pumping out from his home.

out several times over the fiveyear period - but he still refused to turn down the volume. Measurements showed the music blasted out at 57 decibels in daytime22 decibels above the limit - and

Shady business

UMBRELLA summer beach war comes to Malaga, with several beaches in the province taking action to those beachgoers who keep hogging the sand including in Algarrobo, Torrox and Velez Malaga. Leaving an umbrella in place is considered a minor offence, punishable by a fine of up to €300 euros, but higher fines of up to an eye-watering €3000 can be slapped out.