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Vol. 5, Issue 109 www.theolivepress.es November 6th - November 19th 2019
Triple trouble A BELEAGUERED animal shelter euthanasia chemicals sometimes has slammed a court order which with German Pietsch ‘falsifying contained a slew of allegations as documents’. ‘unjust’. Bizarrely, she and another forIt comes after a judge ormer president allegedly dered committal hearsacrificed black pets ings against six forfirst. mer members of MarThe Olive Press was bella’s Triple A team the first paper to refor a ‘massive and veal in April 2016 unjustified’ sacrifice how a huge police of animals for years. operation saw the arMarbella’s court is rests of two expats probing whether and a vet at the the charity alsanctuary. lowed the slow An incredible 15 and agonising Guardia Civil offideaths of numercers were involved ous animals over in the dramatic at least a sixraid seizing comyear period from puters, documents 2011. and other eviIt claimed that dence. former President Bettina Pietsch Fraud allowed the anPietsch, Dutch Secimals, most retary Jan Weima of which were and a senior vet healthy, to be were arrested for sacrificed with animal cruelty and incorrect levels dog trafficking, of anaesthetic. along with 17 other A disproportionstaff members. ate number were The judge has killed, most ‘without veter- ARRESTS: How the Olive now dismissed the inary control’ Press reported the police charges against 14 of them, but the final and without the raids in 2016 six face charges of right knowledge on the doses animal abuse, needed to prevent pain. documentaThe investigation found that the ry falsificashelter acquired large amounts of tion, misappropriation of funds, social security fraud and more. In particular, many animals were rehomed off the books. In a Facebook statement, the charity claimed the allegations are part of a ‘malicious campaign’ orchestrated ‘years before’, and that it is committed to proving the accused are innocent.
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STRANDED: Environmental campaigner Thunberg needs a lift to Madrid by boat and train
Teen activist needs YOUR help to make it across the Atlantic to Spain for key climate summit SHE’S galvanized children across the world with her impassioned speeches on climate change. Kids in 4,000 cities staged mass walkouts to protest against adults and politicians polluting the planet. But now celebrity activist Greta Thunberg is facing her biggest challenge yet as she bids to cross the Atlantic for a critical climate summit, just announced for Spain. The 16-year-old Swede, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is currently stuck in Texas, as she aims to make it to the Madrid conference over land or sea. Famed for her low carbon footprint, she is looking for help from expats across America and Europe as she refuses to fly or drive, instead preferring greener transport like trains and boats. But her green footprint has left her in trouble after the location for the UN COP25 climate
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summit was switched at the last minute from South America to Spain. Her plans to head to Chile have had to be shelved, with the showdown now moved to Madrid, after a series of massive protests scared off organisers in Santiago. But after Thunberg made her way to New York City by boat in August, en route to South America, she found herself stuck 5,700km from the Spanish capital. “It turns out I’ve traveled halfway around the world, the wrong way,” the teen wrote on her Twitter account, which has three million followers. “Now I need to find a way to cross the Atlantic,” she wrote, this week. “If anyone could help me find transport I would be so
grateful.” The Olive Press has stepped in to offer her a lift in an electric car from any of the ports she can make it to on the Iberian Peninsula, that could include Cadiz, Lisbon or A Coruna. The summit that aims to implement the 2015 Paris agreement, will take place from December 2-13, leaving Greta with a little over three weeks to make it to Madrid. She already has an offer from Spain’s Minister for the Environment, Teresa Ribera, who said: “We would love to help you to cross the Atlantic. “It would be great to have you here in Madrid.”
Crisis
After she had made it all the way to LA, Thunberg is now heading back towards America’s east coast, having made stops in South Dakota and British Columbia. Thunberg will be one of 25,000 people to attend Spain’s first ever climate summit, which will cost around €90 million to hold. It comes as Spain’s government may be locked in political crisis again, as the latest polls suggest that no party will secure an overall majority in the November 10 general election. Can you help Greta Thunberg cross the Atlantic? Get in touch at newsdesk@ theolivepress.es Opinion page 6
2
CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Scummy mummy AN expat mother in Benalmadena has been jailed for six years after making sex videos with her young daughters, aged just 8 and 14.
Cowboy builders UNITE the Union has slammed Gibraltar’s ‘cowboy’ construction industry and what it calls the ‘surge of unscrupulous employers’, adding that its list of members’ complaints is ‘growing’.
November 6th - November 19th 2019
Ferry bad idea
Brit who stole €1.5million at gunpoint cornered after two years on the run
A FUGITIVE who carried out the biggest armed robbery ever carried out in Gibraltar ESCAPE PLAN: The Brit fugitive was caught after disembarking in Gib Port has been arrested while returning from Morocco - but €1 on the run after the 25-minute their faces covered, they as- Behdaoui was imprisoned for MILLION worth of loot is still raid on Southease Ltd at New saulted a security guard and eight years and five months Harbours saw him and two ac- tied up workers. while his partner in crime, missing. www.th eolivep ress.es on the interpol off with €1.5 They then filled three bags with Douaoui, got three years and The local man NEWS complicesOctobermake 23rd - November 5th 2019 9 million. €500,000 in 50 euro notes and two months. database was spotted SpaniHos pitals,by cour ts and mor e Ligh ting However only one of the bags sh Policia Nacional officers ge- The rest of the trio are already fled the scene. in prison for theirup part in the Rachid Behdaoui, 53, and Sa- containing €500,000 has since tting Tragicoff enda ferry from Morocco brutal heist that took place in mir Douaoui, 29, were later been found by investigators. last week. linked to the hold-up by DNA It means €1 million of loot has It brought to an end more June 2017. yet to be recovered. than two years he had spent Armed with BB guns and with evidence.
A BRITISH teenager who plunged seven floors to his death in Andalucia has been named as Max McMullen. The 15-year-old, who is believed to have attended Bath’s Beechen Cliff school, died in Cordoba, where he was an exchange student. His tragic death came just two days into a week-long trip with other students and is still being investigated. The teen, a player at Walcot Rugby Club, was fixing a broken blind in the house of the host family he was staying in, according to reports. Local sources said the exchange trip’s travel insurer is now responsible for repatriating the student’s body. Police said there is no evidence to suggest criminality.
A BRAND new hospital is to be built next year in Malaga. A whopping €208million has been set aside to build the facility in the car park of the existing Hospital Civil. A new metro line is being constructed underneath the new hospital.
A total of €2.6 million has been set aside for initial studies for the hospital. Other Malaga projects to get a boost include Antequera’s dry port, which has received a cash injection of €13million and the new Torremolinos law courts, with €1.9 million reserved.
Malaga will receive the most of any province in Andalucia, followed by Cadiz and Sevilla. Mijas meanwhile will get a total of €6.5 million to spend on two schools, while €500,000 is being set aside to reopen the CIO catering school nearby.
DRUG DEAL DEATH
British father and son had been back and forth to Costa del Sol in year before they vanished, reveals family
catch them! Butterfly help
A CHARITY is gearing up for its annual awareness day for people with Epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic condition, also known as Butterfly Skin. DEBRA Butterfly Children’s Charity hopes to raise more awareness for the condition which causes skin to be extremely fragile - as soon as a baby leaves the womb. The lightest touch causes painful open wounds, covering up to 80% of the body, leading to a life of disability and severe pain.
Home at last
THE friends and family of a missing British tourist have said they are relieved after he was found safe and well. Clifton Kandler, 57, from London had disappeared while hiking with some friends in Malaga. The dad-of-two was found by search and rescue teams, before being visiting the hospital in Malaga for a twisted ankle and general check-up. Clifton had damaged his ankle after trying to walk down a ravine, which became impassable due a series of waterfalls. He spent the night on the hillside before retracing his steps the next morning. He tried following a water pipe down but again went over on his ankle and couldn’t walk anymore. He spent a few hours calling for help before rescue teams found him but it took hours for them to get him off the mountain. “We are all so relieved,” Clifton’s friend and fellow walker Alan, who was the last person to see him, told the Olive Press. He added: “Clifton is extremely grateful for all the support given from the local population and the walking community in the region.” The retired former Head of E-learning at Greenwich University walked the route for 15 years.
A BRITISH father and son who EXCLUSIVE mysteriously vanished from By Laurence Dollimore the Costa del Sol were likely killed during a drug deal gone “I think Liam’s died. I think wrong. That’s what the family of Dan- he’s been killed,” she revealed. “I hope he’s not at the bottom iel Poole, 46, and his son, Liam, 22, fear, having not heard from of the sea . . . I hope. People say he is but I want the chance for them since April. Liam’s grandmother Kathy people to give him back to me,” Catney, 63, believes they were she added. probably shot while on a trip “I think his dad got into some from West Sussex to Estepona, bother and Liam got caught in where they were last seen on the crossfire.” She continued: “We always April 2. suspected [Daniel] was up to
CATCH THESE SICKOS
AN Irish holiday maker has slammed a group of Spanish teenagers who ‘tried to kill a rabbit’ and abused other animals on the Costa del Sol. chickens and ducks like rugby balls’ at the park in Palermo Park in Benalmadena. Hundreds of people have liked and shared a Facebook post by Boyd, a professional dog groomer, that shows one of the teens gripping a rabbit. Phil Boyd, 52, from Ballygowan, was on a week-long break when he witnessed the trio. The dad-of-one told the Olive Press: “The lad grabbed turned his back to wring its neck. “If my wife Sharon and I hadn’t shouted at the boys they would have cut the rabbit open, they are bad kids. Something must be done.”
Doors closed THE new luxury designer outlet on Malaga’s Plaza Mayor did not open as planned after it failed to acquire the necessary permits. The Mcarthurglen Designer Outlet complex, due to open on October 22, has now said it will ‘open soon’, but failed to give a concrete date. Issues have arisen over the fact that small parts of the
complex have not yet been completed. In the agreement with Malaga town hall, it was a strict condition that the project must be 100% finished or its permit to operate would be invalid. Although it had been billed as having 100 stores, there are now just 61, and four restaurants. The largest store will be Ralph Lauren Polo, which will be located in the central plaza of the site.
Shocking old-age problem
AN alarming 23% of Andalucian poverty, a new study has found. pensioners are at risk of It makes the region second only to In a country with huge divides, the Extremadura with 28%. 6.5% in danger, while neighbouringBasque Region only has Navarra has 6.5%. The data collected by the AIS Group Cordoba are the worst affected, with found that those in a risk of poverty rate of 27%, followed by Malaga, Cadiz and Jaen with 23%. Huelva, Almeria and Sevilla, meanwhile, rated at 22%. The national data for the over 65s was 15.5% across the entire country.
MALAGA has started installing its 2019 Christmas decorations, ahead of the big switch on at the end of November. Cordoba lighting company, Illuminations Ximenez, is in charge of the city’s display this year. As ever, Calle Larios will remain the focal point of the seasonal light display, despite the town having recently sold the street’s famous light tunnel to Liverpool.
A GRUESOME image of a decapitated bunny allegedly found in a popular Costa del Sol park has horrified expats Sunny and local campaigners. fright The rabbit - which appears to be the same one seen in an image published in the Olive Press’ last issue - was apparently found with its head and paws cut off. It is one of three rabbits that Mum Canhave you been attacked in ’s Paloma the word dig it? Park, in Benalmadena, along with a number of birds, including chickens, doves and budgies. Local resident Cruz Lopez shared a number of the images CO UG saying UP she had found the onlineH injured or dead animals while
no good but we just didn’t ask questions. “He was going to Spain to do some sort of deal. Whether that was property or drugs, I really didn’t know,” she told the Times. The pair had made three trips to Malaga in the four months before they vanished. A family source told the Olive Press in June they ‘knew the pair were dead’. “We will never see them again, they were obviously doing something illegal and it’s gone south,” he said. “Liam was such a good boy, he was smart and has obviously been influenced and dragged into this mess, it’s so tragic.” The young computer technician had no criminal record,
THE remains of former dictator Francisco Franco are set exhumed from the Valley of the Fallen this week. His body is set to be finally entered and placed in a family mausoleum in Madrid this Thursday. The former dictator’s body
while his father Daniel, a car mechanic with convictions for drug dealing, is related to the notorious London-based Richardson crime family on his mother’s side. Gang leaders Charlie and Eddie Richardson were alleged to have tortured victims with bolt cutters and pliers during the 1960s. The Olive Press can reveal that the family received a ransom demand for over €100,000 the day after Daniel and Liam disappeared. The ransom request was never made public, but police traced the call to a phone in Morocco. The family’s story featured on BBC One’s Inside Out with Glen Campbell, which was shown in the UK last week and featured the Olive Press.
SPAIN has banned two children’s sun creams after they were labelled ‘dangerous’ by a consumer group. It came after the creams, which claimed to be Factor 50, turned out to be SPF 15 and 30, after studies by consumer group OCU. Both creams by Isdin and Babaria have now been withdrawn from sale after Spain’s Agency of Medicines and Medical Products (AEMPS) confirmed the findings.
has been at the controversial site since his death in 1975. But many Spaniards feel that the basilica, with has a 150-metre cross above, glorifies Franco rather than commemorating the deaths of 500,000 people who died during the Spanish civil war.
MARBELLA’S Starlite fees Festival, which this year use are related to the of the venue, the Nafeatured Kool & The gueles auditorium. Gang, John Legend and Organisers had agreed Jessie J, has yet to pay to pay up before June 1, its fee. when activities started. Despite the festival end- “We ing in mid September, this do not understand organisers of the event that delay and we demand the government still owe the town hall team act and demand the €125,000. payment of these funds, Socialist councillor Javi- which are important for er Porcuna claims the Marbella,” he said.
A SELFISH mother left her five-year-old son crying alone on a balcony, while she partied all night with friends. Police were called to the house in the Ciudad Jardin neighbourhood of Cordoba at around after concerned neighbours called the authorities. Officers tried to calm the boy while they waited for firefighters to arrive and rescue him from the balcony. The boy’s mother returned from partying at 7am in the morning and was informed by neighbours that police had taken her son. He is currently being looked after by family members while his mother awaits an appearance at court.
cleaning up the park. The leader of local green group Benalmadena es Verde is now demanding urgent action despite admitting it was not clear how they had died. “It’s so horrific,” she told the Olive Press. “In one week we found two seriously injured rabbits and one beheaded. “It is awful and we are demanding the council take immediate action. We certainly didn’t need a house of terror for Halloween this year - a walk in our local park is horrific enough,” Expats were quick to branded the unknown perpetrators as ‘pure evil’.
It comes after eyewitnesses told the Olive Press a fortnight ago how they had reported seeing a teenager abusing animals in the park. Reader Phil Boyd, a tourist from Ireland, revealed: “I watched this teenager and his two friends kicking the chickens and ducks. He also tried to wring this poor little rabbit’s neck. I grabbed it from him and chased him and his accomplices off. I’m sorry to say I think it’s a regular occurrence. Clearly he came back and finished the job.” Have you seen any animals being attacked? Contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es
Triple trouble
A BELEAGUERED animal shelter has slammed a court order which contained a slew of allegations as ‘unjust’. It comes after a judge ordered committal hearings against six former members of Marbella’s Triple A team for a ‘massive and unjustified’ sacrifice of animals for years. Marbella’s court is probing whether the charity allowed the slow and agonising deaths of numerous animals over at least a six-year period from 2011. It claimed that former President Bettina Pietsch allowed the animals, most of which were healthy, to be sacrificed with incorrect levels of anaesthetic.
Euthanasia
A disproportionate number were killed, most ‘without veterinary control’ and without the right knowledge on the doses needed to prevent pain. The investigation found that the shelter acquired large amounts of euthanasia chemicals sometimes with German Pietsch ‘falsifying documents’. Bizarrely, she and another former president allegedly sacrificed black pets first. The Olive Press was the first paper to reveal in April 2016 how a huge police operation saw the arrests of two expats and a vet at the sanctuary. An incredible 15 Guardia Civil officers were involved in the dramatic raid seizing computers, documents and other evidence.
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Ronaldo back in the red CRISTIANO Ronaldo and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez have stolen the show at the MTV EMA awards in Sevilla. The pair dazzled, stepping out in contrasting colours, with the footballer donning a red suit and white trainers, while his better half sported a blue dress that revealed one leg. Spanish model Rodriguez is adjusting to family life with Ronaldo and his children Cristiano Jr., nine, two-yearold twins Eva and Mateo, and Alana, age 22 months. The former Real Madrid star, who now plays for Juventus, recently said of their relationship: “She has helped me so much.” He added: “I’m in love with her and we’ll be married one day, for sure. It’s my mum’s dream as well.” His 25-year-old girlfriend recently admitted that’s ‘not easy’ being in a relationship with someone as famous as the Portuguese star.
NEWS
A little sprinkle of Hollywood
November 6th - November 19th 2019
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But grumpy Bake Off star threatens to fill in Olive Press’ cake hole for asking a question GREAT British Bake Off host, Paul Hollywood has spent some of his dough on a Halloween visit to Spain. The greying star - who made €10million last year - has been spotted running a rule over a number of local bakeries on the Costa Blanca, where his dad lives. Fresh from finishing another Channel Four series of the baking show, the 53-year old was spotted chewing over baguettes, bloomers and pastries in two cafe/bakeries in Quesada and Benijofar. At one, Redz, he has been a regular for years, coming over a number of times a year to see his dad
himself, never engaging with his TOUGH COOKIE: Hollywood (inset) fans.” wouldn’t smile for the Olive Press, but He is also a regu- he does like Hamilton’s display (above) lar at Benijofar’s John, a former butcher from the celebrated Hamiltons, which is cakes and buns,” he told the Olive Wirral. one of the most popular expat Press this week. “He’s here every day of his holibakeries on the Costa Blanca Cheshire-born Hollywood has day with his dad,” said one of the south. judged on the Great British waiters. Boss Martin Ronald Dean, a forBake Off since 2010, forming an “Our boss Samantha has got mer croupier, who set up the bakeasy-going on-screen relationsome pics, but she can’t share ery and cafe seven years ago, said ship with Mary Berry, that the them as he doesn’t like selfies or the TV star was a very private Guardian newspaper described going on social media,” he addman of little words. as the show’s ‘secret weapon’. ed. “He doesn’t say much, but he did However, off the show life has “He basically has a full English say he really liked our display of been far more complicated. breakfast and keeps himself to Apart from a long and acrimonious divorce from his wife of 19 years Alexandra, he has just broken up from his girlfriend of two years Summer, 24. The split came after he tried to get her to sign a legal agreement The Olive Press has been reporting for 14 years in Spain. not to talk to the press earlier this And in all that time we have met and bumped into hundreds of celebrities from David Beckham to Alexei Sayle and Hugh year. Grant to that lot from TOWIE. It went down like a collapsed pie Yet not one of them behaved in the despicable way Bake Off in the oven and she moved her star Paul Hollywood - worth over €10m - did last week. clothes and various other items Indeed, every time we have stopped to say hello to someone from their shared home in Kent famous, asked them about the weather or their holiday or life last weekend. in Spain, whatever, they smiled and at least declined to comment It was perhaps not surprising politely. then, that when the Olive Press Hooligan Hollywood in contrast acted like a gangster swaggering politely asked him for a quote into his local bar to give us a countdown to leave ‘or else’. for a brand new issue of the paOne might call it comical. Others might say he needs to learn per on the Costa Blanca south, he FULL ENGLISH: At Redz some manners. couldn’t have been blunter. each day It just goes to show all the dough in the world doesn’t buy class. “You’ve got ten seconds to get out of here or else,” he threatened, afHE’S lived in Spain for the past six haven’t got a clue,” he admitted. ter pulling up in a Jagyears, playing in front of thousands of Bale, who earns £93,000 a day, said he uar at a local cafe in his Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu. was mostly just interested in golf. dad’s urbanisation of So perhaps he might be excused for not “I follow the golf, that’s about it. I Montebello, near Beniknowing who the current British Prime can tell you who’s number one in the jofar. Minister is. world.” Despite merely asking In a shocking interview with the Tele- The Cardiff-born striker, who has an him what he liked about graph, the Welsh footie ace said he apartment in Marbella, and is often the area - and what he thought Boris Johnson was still the seen teeing off at nearby Finca Cortethought of the local mayor of London. sin golf course, has been linked with a bread and pastries - he He added he knows almost nothing move from Real Madrid all year. continued: “You lot are about Brexit. It came after he was subject of harsh all the same, get lost. “I look in terms of stuff financially, be- public criticism from Galacticos boss “I told you stop talking cause [Brexit] affects me in a certain Zinedine Zidane, while rumours have just get out and leave,” way for investments or money, because swirled about a rift between him and he added, in the worst things change, but I don’t read most of his Real teammates. The winger was manners ever witnessed the nonsense. I genuinely don’t know close to a move to China in the summer by this newspaper in 99 per cent of Brexit. I don’t even know before Real called the deal off due to fi14 years publishing in who the prime minister is anymore. I nancial concerns. Spain. EXCLUSIVE By Jon Clarke and Simon Wade
OPINION
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JOLLY: Jolie in Spain
Blown away not blown up SMILING Angelina Jolie put on an Oscar-winning show of calmness as she enjoyed a day out shopping in Spain. The 44-year-old was all smiles in the Canary Islands, despite having been evacuated from a film set following a bomb scare. An unexploded device found in sand on the set forced the American star to flee the set in Fuerteventura, where she was filming upcoming Marvel film The Eternals last week. The Maleficent star was accompanied by three of her children as she was spotted breezing through the streets of the island, famous for its winds.
4
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NEWS IN BRIEF Showing off NEW minister for Tourism Vijay Daryanani led a Gibraltar delegation at the high-profile World Travel Market in London in early November.
Pay your way NINE spaces in South Pavilion will now become pay and display parking during weekdays for visitors to Gibraltar.
Brexit decider UK passport-holders who moved to Gibraltar in the last 15 years will be able to vote in the forthcoming British elections on November 12.
Royal visit MONSTER cruise liner Sky Princess, which carries 3,600 passengers and 1,400 crew, recently visited Gibraltar on its maiden voyage.
Right turn A DANGEROUS lurch to the right could see Spain’s anti-immigrant Vox party becoming the kingmakers in Spain’s general election this weekend. The massive surge - off the back of the Catalan crisis and a fear of Islam - could see the party seizing 15% of the seats in Parliament. The expected gain will seriously damage centre-right Ciudadanos, which could lose over half its seats, while the ruling PSOE and left wing Podemos are also expected to suffer. Vox, which has pledged to ‘defend’ Spain from immigrants, is predicted to finish third in the country’s fourth general election in as many years. The latest polling ahead of Sunday’s vote suggests Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, will increase its 24 seats in Spain’s 350-seat parliament to 46.
Failed
Meanwhile Albert Rivera’s Ciudadanos will be reduced from 57 to 14. In the 40dB poll Vox is set to gain 14% of the vote, alongside the PP in second place with 21.2% and 91 seats and the PSOE coming first with 27.3% and 121 votes. The figures, combined with the number of elected PSOE MPs, would still not be enough to form a majority government.
NEWS
November 6th - November 19th 2019
Historic vote Picardo’s government puts controversial abortion question to the public as referendum date set
THE Government of Gibraltar has set a date for a referendum on the legalisation of abortion. Gibraltarian women seeking an abortion are currently forced to cross the border into Spain or face life imprisonment. Having an abortion in the British Overseas Territory is illegal under Section 16 of the 2011 Crime Act. But now the Rock’s newly elected government has tabled
El Bigote
a motion to hold a vote legalising the medical procedure on Thursday March 19, 2020. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, who was recently elected for a third successive term in office, called the move a ‘priority’. “We consider, as we have explained on many occasions, that changes to the current framework for abortion in Gibraltar are, quite simply, essential,” said the GSLP/Liberal leader. It comes after the Picardo administration announced its
pledge to hold a referendum in July this year. The vote itself will be on the commencement of the Crimes (Amendment) Act 2019, the act, which allows abortion under certain circumstances. A motion will be tabled at the first session of the new Parliament, while Picardo will also seek to lower the voting age. He will ask a Select Committee on Parliamentary Reform to consider whether 16-yearolds should be allowed to cast their ballot in the abortion referendum.
Post-Brexit prepping FABIAN Picardo has got straight to work after being re-elected to office on October 17. Since the election he has rearranged the government portfolios and headed off to London for Gibraltar Day. With Brexit still being a major threat to the Gibraltar economy, the leader of the overseas territory has been getting ready for the worst case scenario. “We have been preparing to ensure that we are ready for absolutely any Brexit
eventuality,” said Picardo. “We will also continue to monitor developments in London and Brussels and our engagement with key players. “For now, it appears that the threat of a hard Brexit is increasingly unlikely.” With both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn campaigning for an EU withdrawal deal, a no-deal scenario looks improbable. “In this respect, everyone involved in planning for a hard Brexit in every Euro-
GIBRALTAR will have a good reason to take a break from shaving with the start of Movember. All this month, moustaches will be allowed to roam free to promote men’s physical and mental health. The worldwide campaign is especially focused on prostate cancer as early detection increases the five-year survival rate by nearly three times. It was launched on the Rock by the mayor of Gibraltar who was also recently in Ireland to remember the evacuation. During his visit to Ballymena John Goncalvez unveiled three plaques to the Gibraltarians who died during the evacuation in World War Two.
pean capital will, no doubt, breathe a sigh of relief,” continued the Chief Minister. “Now we must observe what happens in elections in Spain next month and potentially also in the United Kingdom before the end of the year.” He spoke of these views at a Canal Sur television chat show and will now be putting the message across to the finance sector in London around Gibraltar Day. From November 5-7, financial, insurance, DLT and fund managers were hosted at the Nash Room in Pall Mall and Level 40 of The Gherkin.
NEWS
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A NEW vehicle ramp at the port could help Gibraltar cope with stricter land frontier controls. The new landing platform will allow fast ferry landings of lorries and cars from both Tangiers and Algeciras. It has already been tested successfully along with a new post that will inspect food coming from abroad. “It is reassuring to know that the contingency plans put in place in respect of the vehicular ramp have worked with the ferries from Algeciras and Tangier,” the Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia said. “This will improve Gibraltar’s resilience going forward whatever happens.” Garcia was speaking after the EU granted the UK another extension to Article 50 to prevent a no-deal scenario. The Gibraltar government wants to be ready for a nodeal if that occurs still. Four to six-hour delays at the land border with Spain could become the norm in the event of a no deal Brexit.
New Nolotil warning A year since the lethal drug’s ban, activist claims it is still being handed out without prescriptions EXCLUSIVE By Robert Firth
BEST
See page 18 xx
Save our home!
Vol. 11 Issue 271
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EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH expat couple are fighting to save their Malaga home from demolition over a technicality. Gill and Bob Ward, both 74, have been locked in a battle with their town hall, which claims their house in Almayate is illegal. Just yesterday the retired couple from Cornwall were given
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August 2nd - August 15th 2017
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
tribute bands Think Floyd, Deeper Purple Whole Lotta Led rocking out the greatest and hits of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Led at the Plaza del Toros on August 26. Zeppelin For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Bolton, just answer the question; what year was Michael Bolton born in? For the Pink Purple Zep Fest in Estepona, tell us; Where was Jimmy Page born? just Email answers to the newsdesk@theolivepress.es.
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Issue 304
November 7th - November 20th 2018
17
errania de Ronda
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November 7th - November 20th 2018
Andalucia’s city in the mountains is a hot ticket for world leaders and their wives despite Hemingway’s lukewarm words, writes Elisa Menendez
‘
NICE promenades, good wine, excellent food and nothing to do…’ Thus Ernest Hemingway wrote off the town where he spent numerous holidays drinking the local wine and carousing at corridas, no doubt disappointing many of Ronda’s proud residents with his puzzlingly lacklustre review. Most of today’s travellers - including Britain’s last two prime ministers and an American First Lady - would certainly disagree with him. Ronda has been crowned Andalucia’s third most-visited town and it’s not hard to see why. The so-called ‘City of Dreams’ is a true wanderlust gem and somewhat of a celebrity hang-out. This year alone, Theresa May, Anne Hathaway, Ricky Gervais, Jodie Whittaker, Gordon Ramsay, Kristin Scott Thomas and Spain’s ex-premier Mariano Rajoy have all allegedly visited the stunning mountain town... so say locals in the know.
Obama
Michelle Obama also made headlines when she visited in 2010, touring the old town and discovering the Moorish dynasty with her daughter Sasha. Celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli went house hunting in the town after falling in love with it in 2009. With its spectacular high sierra setting, leafy parks, cobbled lanes and atmospheric ventas it’s no wonder Ronda has stolen the hearts of so many travellers. Over the centuries a slew of writers have waxed lyrical about its timeless character, stunning views and charming locals. The German poet Rilke baptised it the ‘City of Dreams’, Orson Welles took a shine to its bullfighting scene and Continues on Page 18
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“IT’S a dirty world that I don’t want to live in anymore.” These were the intended last words of a British teen who had embarked on a suicide pact with her 16-yearold boyfriend in Marbella. The privately-educated expat, 14, added: “I’m Sorry: To anyone who has ever loved/known or supported me, thank you, I love you and I will miss you.”
The dad-of-two later died from septic shock – believed to be linked to taking the Nolotil. Another British expat Hugh Wilcox was prescribed the same medication for mild shoulder pain on the Costa del Sol. He developed severe head
What do a British pilot, Country Life magazine and two English teens have to do with Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War?
Vol. 13 Issue 304 www.theolivepress.es November 7th - November 20th 2018
TOXIC: Oil refinery plumes
black smoke into the Campo
Lethal painkiller BANNED for Brits after hard-fought battle
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Limbless Veterans and a rehoming charity for stray dogs. The tours have been running since 2015, raising over £20,000 for a number of charities. Gibraltar’s tunnels date back to the Great Siege with many more being constructed during World War Two and the Cold War.
1
However, her heartfelt messages had a cruel, bizarre twist, when her British-Brazilian boyfriend Richard Fitzsimons managed to take his off the top of the Corte Ingles life department store, while she miraculously survived. It came as a hero security guard somehow managed to grab the before she was able to plunge to girl her death after her lover. In a tragically sad incident - that has shocked the coast and made headlines around the world - the teenager, who we are not naming for legal A LETHAL painkiller believed to be rereasons, is now requiring serious sponsible for the deaths of dozens of expats is finally being regulated in Spain. Nolotil, which the Olive Press has invesContinues page 2 tigated for nearly two years, has been TM
SEE PAGE 13
ENVIRONMENTAL groups are taking legal action against the Junta ‘failing to tackle toxic air’ in the Campo for de Gibraltar. Ecologistas en Accion has filed a complaint with the Health Ministry, claiming nothing has been done to protect citizens from a rise in air pollutants caused by the expansion of ‘toxic’ industries in the Bay of Algeciras. According to the green group, more than 10,000 tonnes of dangerous lutants were released into the atmosphere pollast year. This includes potentially lethal cancer-causing chemical benzene, as well as other fine particles. The writ comes as Cadiz province was officially declared to have the air quality in Spain. worst And alarmingly, La Linea, which borders Gibraltar, ranks as the 30th polluted place in the world in terms most The shocking stats were revealed of air quality. tion report which lists the world’s in a damning World Health Organisa‘most contaminated’ towns and cities. Adding salt to the wound, Cadiz Continues page 11 also came bottom in
MESSAGES: Left for teen
Holy mole-y! VOLUNTEER guides that have shown nearly 5,000 people around Gibraltar’s famous military tunnels have collected £1,800 for charity. The team of 15 guides are led by retired Sergeant Major Peter Jackson who is known on the Rock as ‘El Topo’ (The Mole). The cash went to the Red Cross Disaster Relief, Law Enforcement Torch Run, Brain Tumour Research Group,
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Dr Nina King, of Oasis Dental Care the campaign, telling the Olive Pressin Marbella, fully supports the drug is not something she prescribes. “It’s not a drug I use, I stick to safe and standard medication,” she said, “And after seeing what damage it can do, it’s a drug I won’t be using in the future.” Marbella-based private doctor Dra. Victoria María Chacón Almeda also agrees the drug is dangerous. “I don’t prescribe the drug,” she told the Olive Press, tients and I am aware of what it is “I have lots of British pacapable of doing. “There needs to be a lot more research on its impact.” doctor to get a renewal in April, tests showed the drug had caused a toxic poisoning in his bone marrow and his white blood cell was dangerously low. Billy, a keen sportsman, developed sepsis and necrotising fasciitis as a result and required ‘radical surgery’ to remove the affected tissue in an attempt to save his life.
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GRAND TOUR-ISTS: Painters tackle the gorge, while (inset) recent visitors Anne Hathaway, Gordon Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker and Ricky Gervais
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vealed she Mosquito Screens was able to buy the painkiller in pharmacies widely on the Costa Blanca. In a shocking study she found the drug available over the counter in Denia, Javea and other towns around Alicante province, without a prescripComplete glasses from
Stars from Anne Hathaway to Jodie Whittaker keep visiting Ronda, find out why in our travel supplement inside
New Andalucia Rough Guide See inside
KILL THE DRUG
THE Olive Press is calling on Spain to ban a lethal painkiller that is killing countless of unsuspecting expats. British dentists and doctors are supporting the ban after Briton Graham Ward, 75, complained to the Olive Press of how he was prescribed the deadly Nolotil drug by a dentist last week. It’s the very one month to knock down their same drug that was blamed only property (pictured above). for killing his wife in 2006. In a court order seen by the The Marbella-based expat Olive Press, the Wards are was furious when he was told warned they will be held crimito take the painkiller by his nally responsible if they refuse. Spanish dentist, after suffer“I don’t know what to do anying from a difficult abscess. more, I’m at the end of my His wife Mary, 59, had died aftether” Gill told the Olive Press, ter being prescribed the same “I’m totally exhausted from the drug following a double vasecwhole ordeal.” tomy at Costa del Sol Hospital. The retired pair, who have now “Within 24 hours she was spent thousands of euros on lein intensive care, her white gal costs, bought the old farmblood cell count plummeted house ‘in ruins’ in 2004, and to zero within days,” explains were given permission from Graham, a former computer Velez-Malaga town hall to reHAPPIER TIMES: Graham with technician, from London. wife, and Billy Smyth build it. She never regained conscious- again. But when the original wall colMetamizole, Nolotil ness and was on a life support “He said she would be alive if in the US, the UK, is banned lapsed of its own accord during machine for FOUR months, she hadn’t taken it, but I have most of Europe, Ireland and construction, the Wards’ archibefore spending three years heard from dozens but it is pretect told them it would be fine fighting the impact of the and Irish who have of Brits scribed widely in Spain. and that he would let the town William drug, which led to organ fail- it,” added Graeme. been given Irishman ‘Billy’ hall know. Unfortunately for Smyth was given a five-day ure. It is the third victim “The chief surgeon at the hos- drug the Olive Press of the course of the drug in FebruContinues on Page 8 has re- ary. pital promised me he would ported on in under But when the 66-year-old renever prescribe that drug Sometimes knowna year. also as turned to a different Spanish
ing out and they’ve been prescribed it.” The study comes after the Spanish Medical Agency (AEMES) ‘You’re killing us!’ banned the medication’s sale without a prescripTragic end tion following a two-year campaign by the Olive NOLOTIL Press, alongside a sepaVICTORY rate one by Cristina. Nolotil, also known as Metamizol, is Spain’s 902 123 282 most sold medical drug t i o n and is marketed as an this summer. alternative to Ibuprofen or “In Denia Paracetamol. they are givHowever, the drug has been *Offer ends 30/11/18. Not valid for renewals. Subject to conditions. ing it left, linked to numerous deaths and right and serious illnesses among British centre now,” she told the Olive expats and tourists, from sepPress. sis and a drop in white blood “They are even giving it to peocell count. ple who tell them specifically ‘I The medication, which is usudon’t want it’. They are comally harmless, is thought to particularly affect Northern Europeans with fair complexions. It is already banned in the UK, Ireland and Sweden. Garcia is now calling on the sale of Nolotil to be banned completely to people whose home country the drug is illegal in. But she says she’s facing an It is said that there are more uphill struggle against many roads inside than outside the Spanish health professionals Rock, with the Great North who refuse to accept the danRoad being the longest road ger the drug poses. in Gibraltar. “The Spanish are convinced Anyone wanting to go on a that Nolotil is a safe meditour should contact Royal Gication,” she said. “They just braltar Regiment Bandmasshrug their shoulders and say ter Jonathan Spencer. if you don’t want it, go away.” WIN, WIN!
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THE Olive Press is giving away three pairs of tickets for two of the best concerts on the Costa del Sol this summer... And all you have to do is answer two simple questions! Michael Bolton takes to the stage for an emotive end of season night at Marbella’s Puente Romano on August 10, while pona is set for its biggest rock concert Estein years with mammoth
Doctors and dentists join Olive Press appeal for ban on dangerous painkiller Nolotil
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A CAMPAIGNER against lethal painkiller Nolotil has said it is still being handed out over the counter, despite health authorities banning its use without a prescription 12 months ago. On the anniversary of the drug’s ban, medical translator Cristina Garcia del Campo re-
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EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH expat couple are fighting to save their Malaga home from demolition over a technicality. Gill and Bob Ward, both 74, have been locked with their town in a battle claims their house hall, which in Almayate is illegal. Just yesterday the ple from Cornwall retired couwere given
Vol. 11 Issue 271
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THE Olive Press pairs of tickets for is giving away three tribute bands certs on the Costa two of the best con- Whole Lotta Think Floyd, Deeper Purple and And all you have to del Sol this summer... of Pink Floyd,Led rocking out the greatest hits do is answer two simDeep ple questions! at the Plaza del TorosPurple and Led Zeppelin Michael Bolton takes For a chance to win on August 26. emotive end of season to the stage for an Bolton, just answer a pair of tickets to see night at Marbella’s Puente Romano on was Michael Bolton the question; what year August 10, while Estepona is set for its biggest For the Pink Purple born in? rock concert in years with mammoth tell us; Where was Zep Fest in Estepona, just Jimmy Page born? answers to the newsdesk@theolivepress.es. Email WIN WIN WIN: Bolton
Doctors and dentists join Olive Press appeal for ban on dangerous painkiller Nolotil
Irish tourists. Expats in Spain will now be administered Nolotil on a short term prescription only. Furthermore it can only prescribed after a detailed analysis be CAMPAIGN: of Previous SALE issue the patient’s medical his59 despite various side effects,Mosquitowhich tory and heritage. Screens It will also have to be can cause a rapid drop in white blood much more closely mon- cells, leaving patients unable to fight infections. Medical translator, Cristina itored. It comes after an Olive Garcia del Campo, who has pulled toPress investigation into gether hundreds of case studies from the mysterious deaths victims for the AEMPS’ probe, said she of expats from was ‘very happy’ the authorities the drug was have finally reacted. FolSee page 43 launched lowing the results of her KILL THE in rigorous investigation she 2016, DRUG along with a has now demanded that 1,000-strong the drug must not be sold petition to have it reguwithout a prescription and a detailed patient analysis. lated a year later. Nolotil, also known as “I am very happy that the problem has Metamizole, is banned in been dealt with,” she told the Olive the UK, the US and most Press. “I will be making sure that the AEMPS recommendations are carof Europe. Despite this, the drug is ried out and if necessary make sure it’s still one of the most pop- banned completely.” The Olive Press ular painkillers in Spain, began investigating after a trio of expat families told us how their relatives had died unnecessarCASHBACK ON ily in excruciating pain, after YOUR HOUSE taking the drug in Andalucia. In April, the paper revealed the first steps towards regulation had been taken, with Marina Salud, a big health network in Alicante, issuing a warning to PAYBACK WHEN stop administering the drug to British, Irish and Scandinavian YOU SELL patients. www.ibexinsure.com
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THE Olive Press is calling on Spain to ban a lethal painkiller that is killing countless of unsuspecting expats. British dentists are supporting and doctors the ban after Briton Graham complained to the Ward, 75, Olive Press of how he was prescribed the deadly Nolotil drug by a dentist last week. one month to knock down their same drug that It’s the very only property (pictured Dr Nina King, of Oasis above). for killing his wifewas blamed In a court order in 2006. the campaign, telling Dental Care in Marbella, fully The Marbella-based Olive Press, the seen by the supports the Olive Press the she prescribes. expat drug is not something was furious when warned they will be Wards are he was told “It’s not a drug I use, held crimito take the painkiller nally responsible if she said, “And after I stick to safe and standard medication,” they refuse. by his Spanish dentist, “I don’t know what I won’t be using in seeing what damage it can do, ing from a difficultafter suffermore, I’m at the to do anyit’s a drug Marbella-based the future.” His wife Mary, 59, abscess. private doctor Dra. tether” Gill told the end of my had died afAlmeda also agrees Olive Press, Victoria María ter being prescribed “I’m totally exhausted the drug,” she told the drug is dangerous. “I don’t Chacón the same from the drug following a whole ordeal.” prescribe the Olive Press, “I tients and I am aware have lots of tomy at Costa deldouble vasecThe retired pair, who Sol Hospital. “There needs to be of what it is capable of doing.British pa“Within 24 hours spent thousands of have now a lot more research on its impact.” in intensive care, she was gal costs, bought euros on leblood cell count her white doctor to get house ‘in ruins’ the old farmplummeted in 2004, and to zero within days,” renewal in April,a were given permission The dad-of-two from Graham, a former explains tests showed the Velez-Malaga town later died from computer hall to retechnician, from drug had caused build it. HAPPIER TIMES: septic shock – London. Graham with She never regained a toxic poisoning But when the original wife, and Billy believed to be Smyth wall colness and was on conscious- again. in his bone marlapsed of its own linked to taking a life support “He said Metamizole, machine for FOUR she would be alive row construction, the accord during the Nolotil. if in the US, theNolotil is banned bloodand his white months, she hadn’t before spending tect told them it Wards’ archiUK, Ireland and Another cell was three years heard fromtaken it, but I have most of Europe, Britfighting the impact dangerously low. and that he wouldwould be fine dozens of Brits ish expat Hugh let the town of the and Irish scribed widely in but it is pre- Billy, drug, which led hall know. Unfortunately Wilcox was preSpain. a keen to organ fail- it,” addedwho have been given Irishman for ure. Graeme. William scribed the same ‘Billy’ sportsman, develIt is the third victim Smyth was given Continues on Page “The chief surgeon medication a five-day oped sepsis and of 8 for pital promised me at the hos- drug the Olive Press has the course of the drug in Febru- necrotising fascimild shoulder re- ary. he would ported on in never prescribe itis as a result and pain on the Costa that drug Sometimes under a year. known also as But when the 66-year-old re- required ‘radical surgery’ del Sol. turned to a different to He developed severe head Spanish remove the affected tissue in an attempt to save his life. Continues
banned for tourists in Spain. In a breakthrough move, The Spanish Medicine Agency (AEMPS) has finally issued a directive to all healthcare bodies to stop giving the drug to British and
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Speaker switch
GIBRALTAR will be welcoming a new Speaker to Parliament when it reopens on November 14. The debate between the Government and Opposition over the appointment will take place at 11am that day. It comes after the GSLP/ Liberals stormed to a third term in the 2019 Gibraltar election. Former civil servant Melvyn Farrell is due to replace Adolfo Canepa, who has been Speaker for the last seven years. The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo commented on ‘the excellent and valuable contribution’ Adolfo Canepa, now 79, has made as Speaker. The occasion marks the end of a sparkling career in politics for Canepa who was first elected into government in 1972 and has been Chief Minister and Mayor since. As a former civil servant and clerk of parliament, Picardo believes Farrell will be helpful in plans to expand parliament. “Farrell’s knowledge of the workings of Parliament will be massively useful not just in his role as Speaker but also in advising the Select Committee on Parliamentary Reform,” added Picardo. In the UK, John Bercow will also be standing down as Speaker after a decade in the hotseat.
FEATURE
www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than one million people a month.
November 6th - November 19th 2019
HE’S OUT
REuse REduce REcycle We use recycled
The Olive Press joined thousands of Spania rds and Brits in last Brexit protest ditch See page 5
Stick to plagiarism and prostitutes Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. It’s a mantra which is extremely apt where one local downmarket rival newspaper is concerned. In 2016, the Olive Press reported carefully on the shocking claims that well-known Marbella animal shelter Triple A was under investigation for cruelty and animal trafficking. While we reported on the court probe and police raid, we dedicated over half the front page story to denials and comments from supporters. It ended with a quote from the charity that it was ‘carrying on as normal’ and it ‘was not at all true’. We even ran a feature supporting the charity a couple of months later. So we were as shocked as anyone when after three years of probing, a judge decided that six members of the shelter, mostly former employees, should face charges of fraud, cruelty, falsification and more. Yet, when we reported this on our website last week the same day as various local Spanish papers - we were hung out to dry by a screaming Facebook mob. Calling us ‘irresponsible’, ‘biased’ and even dubbing our story ‘fake news’, they bleated on for hours. That until they noticed perhaps, that the charity itself had actually confirmed the probe.
Impropriety
So what on earth can explain the behaviour of shoddy local rag, the Euro Weekly News, which decided to use these incorrect comments in a bizarre attack on both this paper and its publisher last week. Over an entire page in its October 31 edition, it ran quotes that we had ‘slaughtered’ Triple A, that we were ‘contradictory’, ‘badly written’ and ‘made no sense’. It even called on readers to boycott our paper and website, which has grown three times bigger than their this year, with no payment for links. Well, we have some advice for the owners of the EWN: Stick to stealing stories, as you admitted to in an email to our reporter Joshua Parfitt, who complained about many of his stories being copied. Stick to your diet of 80% advertising, hundreds of sex ads, and no sense of reporting rules or impropriety. Leave the actual journalism to real newspapers that stick to IPSO rules and employ NCTJ-trained journalists. When it comes to an issue as serious as killing pets, fraud and worse, it takes a proper paper to understand the issues. If members of Triple A end up guilty of these heinous crimes we hope they will be firmly punished. If they are absolved we will be the first to report on it. The jealous Euro Weekly News will no doubt copy it from our website - a day after us - as they normally do!
Publisher / Editor
Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Charlie Smith Joshua Parfitt charlie@theolivepress.es joshua@theolivepress.es Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es
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Robert Firth robert@theolivepress.es
Gillian Keller gillian@theolivepress.es
Admin Beatriz Sanllehí (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es
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AWARDS
2016 - 2019 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.
2012 - 2019 Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.
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SPAIN is rejoicing as one of the been exhumed from the grave world’s cruelest dictators victims. has he shared with his Civil War Finally the relatives conflict have been of those killed in the Franco’s death. offered some solace, 44 country’s bloodiest years after General The facist leader Fallen alongsid had been buried in Madrid’s Valley of year regime. e some of the 500,000 who died under his the 36-
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Millions around Spain rejoiced after the remains of evil dictator Franco were finally removed from his controversial burial spot. The Olive Press sent Heather Galloway to witness the historic day
N the event, it was an ignominious affair with even Franco’s staunchest supporters in short supply. What had been billed as a momentous occasion - something of a seminal turning point in Spain’s traumatic history - turned out to be a distinct anti-climax. With more of a whimper than a bang, the former dictator’s remains were finally unearthed from their burial place under the basilica at the Valley of the Fallen, and taken somewhat unceremoniously by helicopter to their new location, also near Madrid. Without any of the pomp and circum stance of his first send-off almost 44 years ago, Francisco Franco was reintered at Mingorrubio-el Pardo cemetery next to his wife, Carmen Polo. The low-key transfer took place in front of just a handful of supporters and family and with only two members of the Franco clan allowed to see his actual exhumation. The family had fought tooth and nail with Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government for years to keep their grandfather’s embalmed body in the basilica next to his far-right Falangist hero, Jose Antonio Prima de Rivera. But therein lay the problem - their bodies lay in the vicinity of some 30,000 victims of the Spanish Civil War (many actually killed by Franco’s troops), for whom the monument was actually built. So here I was alongside hundreds of journalists and a handful of Franco diehards gathered at the entrance to the monument, built 40 kilometres north of Madrid, as watched the two family members arrive for the exhumation being carried out several kilometres away beneath the towering 150-metre high cross. After being searched for recording devices, they stood within the screened-off area around Franco’s tomb along with Spain’s Minister of Justice Dolores Delgado, a forensic scientist and several other officials to record the historic event. Alongside me, there was some considerable indignation and rage. “The fact they have closed the basilica for two weeks and not allowed the faithful in to pray is an attack on Christianity and religious freedom,” Estefania Aguirre, 34, told me, adding that she was a personal friend of the Valley’s
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Benedictine Prior, Santiago Cantera, who ers and a crane had been on standby since Ocfought along with the family against exhuming tober 11 and trundled into action at 10.30 am Franco’s remains. on the morning of October 24 to lift the 1,500 “I think the whole exhumation has breached kilos of granite that covered the tomb. Church and State relations and we’re going to Once the flagstone was removed, there was see more and more attacks against religious reportedly a layer of lead and cement to get liberty in Spain.” through before the coffin could be lifted out. Her Barcelona-born mother Laura Wachter Inside, Franco’s body was sealed in zinc, which was holding a banner next to her reading sim- would have preserved it perfectly according to ply ‘Estado Dictatorial’, likening the actions to Dr Antonio Piga, one of the forensics who emthat of a dictatorship. balmed the dictator on his death. “This is North Korea,” she said repeatedly. “The tomb will be dry and the body in perfect “It’s very sad that Spaniards are being pitted condition,” he insisted. “Franco will be desicagainst one another when there are many cated like an Egyptian mummy; dry and hardmore important issues to tend ened but with all his organs.” to.” Curiously though, there was In another huddle, the most no Spanish flag draped on the vocal member, Pilar Gutierrez, “Franco will be coffin as it was borne away on who also happens to be a psythe shoulders of the family who desiccated like had by then been waiting over chologist, was entertaining the press with her views. two hours to receive it. an Egyptian “Some 8,000 people were No doubt it was a bitter mokilled for just being Catholic mummy; dry and ment; a year ago, they called during the war and this is what the exhumation ‘an act of retrohardened” this government wants to bring spective revenge without precback,” she railed. edent in the civilized world’. “You can only expect the worst Now, Europe’s last monument from the Socialists.” to a fascist dictator had finally morphed into Taking an equally strong line was a former something else. member of Spain’s army, who came sporting After a 15-minute flight to Mingorrubio, just 50 his green beret. kilometres away, the helicopter landed within “We are here to show our loyalty to our lead- the Royal Guard’s old firing range where 22 er,” Lorenzo Fernandez Navarro, 69, told me. family members were waiting to follow the Cau“When Franco died, I was a lieutenant in the dillo’s body in a cortege towards the cemetery. Sahara. We swore to respect and obey our Security was tight. The gathering had been leaders. And always means always, whether planned by the Franco Foundation ‘to pray for they are alive or dead. We have come here to the soul of Francisco Franco Bahamonde’ and comply with our oath that this government has lay flowers on his tomb but this was banned by insulted.” the Government the day before on the grounds Less vociferous, was his colleague Adolfo Co- it posed a risk to public order. loma, 66, who explained: “More than being Reduced then to include mainly family, the about one side or the other, the monument subsequent funeral was conducted in the cemstood for reconciliation. etery’s Pantheon by Prior Santiago Cantera, “We have managed to overcome the divisions and also intriguingly by Ramón Tejero, the son in Spain. To speak now about who killed more of Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero, who infapeople is bad news.” mously led 200 members of the Civil Guard in Judging by how long it took before Franco’s an attempted coup on February 23, 1981. body was raised heavenward by a military he- Spain’s national newspaper El País described licopter, excavating the Caudillo was no easy the exhumation as Pedro Sanchez’s ‘most feat. symbolic achievement’. Heavy machinery, including a forklift truck, roll- He has certainly managed to belittle the dictator’s legacy and close a chapter of Spain’s painful history, though as the authorities filed out of the valley, the Francoists berated their ‘evil’ actions with cries including: ‘You have not seen the end of this!’ The prophecy would seem to have little foundation given that the majority of Spaniards have shown themselves to be relatively diffident about Sanchez’s project. The statistics show that only 36% of the country agreed with the action, while an even smaller 28% were against. Clearly a full third of Spain would much rather get on with dealing with ‘more important’ matters. Either way, for those with Republican loved ones buried at the Valley of the Fallen - or in the thousands of other mass graves around Spain - it will be a day to savour for the rest of their lives. ‘FRANCO LIVES’: The dictator’s suppporters at his exhumation
November 6th - November 19th 2019
FEATURE
Here we go again
7 that’s the
Olive Press online Spain’s best English news website
Users
585.4K 1.2 M 1.5 M ON TOP: Olive Press website traffic for last four weeks
THE PAPER WITH THE REAL NUMBERS
Spaniards are heading to polling booths for the fourth time in four years as voters hope to bring an end to the country’s political stalemate. But who’s contesting it? What do they want? And what are their chances of success?
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s Britain prepares for a snap general election, Spanish voters are getting ready to go to the ballot box themselves ahead of an election this Sunday. While Spaniards have cast their votes once already this year, no single party got a majority. The largest party, the left-leaning PSOE, called new elections after its coalition talks with left-wing upstart Podemos broke down. While the PSOE led by Pedro Sanchez is expected to emerge as election winners again, it is far from certain whether they will win enough votes to gain a majority. And with the Catalan riots causing waves across Spanish society and polarising opinions, a surprise could still be in store come Monday.
While the socialists are expected to emerge on top again, leader Pedro Sanchez looks unlikely to get the majority he was hoping for when he agreed to go back to the public in September. His backtracking, at least rhetorically, on his support for further Catalan autonomy has been attacked by Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias who has accused him of mimicking PP and Vox. Nonetheless, he remains popular with vast swathes of the electorate for increasing the minimum wage and rolling back some austerity measures.
I Spain’s centre-right party had taken a lurch to the right recently, in an attempt to claw votes back from farright Vox, which has eaten into its traditional base. During the recent Catalan riots against the imprisonment of pro-independence politicians, he called for the immediate suspension of Catalan autonomy on the pretext of restoring order to the region. While Pablo Casado’s party is expected to make some gains, it remains tainted in the minds of many Spaniards for implementing crushing austerity policies and a string of corruption scandals when it was last in government.
The left-wing anti-austerity party sent shockwaves through the Spanish political establishment back in 2016 when the new party stormed to third place. However, it has struggled to capitalise on its gains since. It is the only major party which supports granting a vote on independence to Catalunya and is hoping to distinguish itself from the PSOE with its ambitious social policies, including reducing the working week to 34 hours and imposing rent controls.
Dubbed as Spain’s answer to Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche party in France after it rocketed to third place in April’s elections, the centrists have been beset by a chain of damaging controversies ever since. Its eagerness to enter regional alliances with Vox saw Barcelona Pride ban the party from the city’s Pride parade in June and its tough stance on Catalan independence has seen it shed more left-leaning voters.
T’S not every day you knock a well known regional newspaper, a national newspaper and a popular consumer site into a cocked hat! But this week we find the Olive Press website ranking at 12,636th position in the world, according to Amazon’s Alexa.com. That is out of billions of websites and, in perspective, puts us above both the respected Liverpool Echo (13,156th), Scotland’s prestigious Daily Record (22,815th) and well known Mumsnet at 17,210th position. It also places www.theolivepress.es in the Top 1000 sites in Spain and the UK. By traffic numbers - around 40,000 to 50,000 visits a day - we are in 606th position in Britain and 910th in Spain. Meanwhile we rank at 813th in Ireland and 79th in Gibraltar, while 3% of our visitors come from America and 3% from Holland, Germany and France. Other local newspapers Sur in English and Euro Weekly News came in at a lowly 155,869 and 31,529th. The Mallorca Daily Bulletin ranks at 875,718, while the Costa Blanca News ranks at 2.9m, Costa-news at 1.23m, Alicantetoday at 2.51m and Typically Spanish at 1.5m
MILLIONS OF VISITORS This boils down to visitor numbers and pages viewed and we had 1.5 MILLION pages read over the last four weeks (see Google Analytics graph above), with 1.2 MILLION visits. Using the research of another respected site Similar Web we discovered that the Euro Weekly News is getting under a third of our traffic, while the Sur in English and the Costa Blanca News a fraction of that. Much of this is due to the sheer number of third-party sites linking into us over the last three months. The total is a healthy 1,057 sites, and this includes nine sites in the world’s Top 20, as well # as many from global media groups, including the BBC, the New York Post and the Daily Mail.
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The animal rights party PACMA, which wants to ban the sale of animals had its best showing yet in the April elections, gaining over 300,000 votes. The anti-war party also wants to ban bloodsports, such as bullfighting.
The far-right party’s hardline anti-independence stance on Catalunya has proved popular among the Spanish electorate following the October riots in Barcelona, with a recent poll putting the party in third place. Its leader Santiago Abascal recently described Catalan Independence as a ‘coup d’etat’ against the Spanish state. The party has also threatened to ban pro-independence parties and to take back Gibraltar from Britain if it gets its hands on the reigns of power.
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: - British father and son who vanished from Spain’s Costa del Sol likely ‘killed in botched drug deal’ as ransom call from Morocco revealed (29,598)
2 The Catalan pro-independence party has surged in popularity in Barcelona following the jailing of the organisers of Catalan’s illegal independence referendum. Its jump in support comes on the back of the collapse of Ciudadanos in the region, who are against self-determination.
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Google Analytics is a transparent measuring tool and cannot be fiddled. Make sure that before you undertake any advertising campaign, you always ask for the last few months OFFICIAL visitor figures. Quite simply our 1.2 MILLION visitors a month, coupled with the 250,000 readers of our printed papers can guarantee your business gets the best exposure possible among the expat - as well as - key tourist market coming to Spain. We promise a keen and competitive price and that your business will be seen by millions of potential clients each month.
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- Mystery man found dead in ditch on Costa del Sol ‘had no roots’ in Spain and was killed ‘just a few hours before’ being dumped (27,152)
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- ‘Well-known’ restaurant owner in British tourist hotspot in Spain arrested for treating desperate staff like slaves with €2.80 per hour salaries and 14-hour days (26,369)
- Temperatures to soar on Spain’s Costa del Sol this holiday weekend starting from TOMORROW (23,375) - Number of British expats registering on Spain’s Costa del Sol SURGES as Brexit looms (20,443)
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Powerless ELECTRIC car sales may have gone into overdrive in Spain - the only trouble is finding somewhere to top them up. In a shocking study - released in the run up to the international climate conference in Madrid next month - the country has among the fewest charging points in Europe. There are just 2,900 public points in Spain, compared to 37,000 in the Netherlands, despite Spain being 12 times larger with more than double the population. Worse, some roads are without a single charging point for more than 150km, a study by the National Association of Car and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) found. Vast areas of Spain remain without any charging points at all, as just under half (43%) of them are concentrated around Madrid and Barcelona. Germany has the second highest number of charging stations in Europe (27,000) followed by France (25,000) and the UK (20,000).
Spanish hens banged up in cramped cages suffer the worst conditions in Europe MORE than 80% of Spain’s egg-laying hens are still locked up in cages, new government data has revealed. In total 30 million birds live in the ‘stressful’ and ‘overcrowded’ conditions provided by the ‘furnished cage system’. The hens are in ‘constant stress’ and are forced to lay around 470 eggs in a 100-week period, according to El Pais. Hens’ beaks are also allegedly trimmed, and the birds are kept without sunlight, each living in a space the size of an A4 piece of paper. Spain houses 82% of its hens in these kinds of cages - the highest percentage across the European Union (EU), along with Portugal. The EU average stands at just 52%, while other countries in the 28-member bloc, like Germany and the Netherlands
GREEN NEWS
November 6th - November 19th 2019
Jailbirds
have just 10% of their total eggs coming from furnished cages. Despite the seemingly shocking statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, there is evidence that attitudes in Spain are changing. Welfare-conscious egg production increased from TRAPPED: Spain’s hens make it worst in Europe for animal rights 7% in 2016 to 17.6% in 2018, ment on the ‘battery’ method The animal welfare group said: according to data from the of hen farming. “There is a very limited ability Spanish Egg Producer Society But, according to the RSPCA, for hens to forage and ground(Aseprhu). the cages are still a problem, as scratch – areas provided for Furnished cages were original- hens’ natural behaviour is ‘not foraging are not adequate to ly designed to be an improve- able to be expressed’. meet the birds’ needs.”
Sharing is caring
drid and Soria in the Navacerrada mountains, has been ruled the third least polluted in the world, according to the World Health Organisation. Village mayor, Jose Maria de Pablo, said the scheme would AN ASIAN car giant is letting a Spanish village share help locals, who number just over 70, to visit the one of its newest electric models for free. nearest pharmacy in a neighbouring town. “We have Residents of remote Campisabalos will be able to good air quality, precisely because there is nothing drive the Hyundai KONA Electronico for a year to do around here,” he added. through a mobile app. The village’s inhabitants will be able to make journeys of up to 24 hours and 170km in the vehicle, voted Spain’s ‘car of the year.’ The Korean company chose the Guadalajara province village for the oneyear initiative because it is the least polluted town in Spain. The stunning spot, that sits between Ma-
Really no bull? MARBELLA has started its one million euro revamp of the town’s plaza de toros amid fears that bullfights could return to the town. Angeles Munoz, the city’s PP mayor, said that the eight month renovation is being undertaken so it can be used ‘for cultural events’. However, she has not denied whether bullfights will be revived as part of this edict. The local government announced plans to renovate the bullring in December last year. Fears were raised after the project specification stated that the space will be reserved for ‘the celebration of bullfighting shows and other events, such as concerts’. In January around 300 people staged a protest through the centre of Marbella against the possible return. The six-figure facelift will see the bullring’s roof and barriers repaired and repainted. New electrics, a lighting projection system and a fire protection system will also be installed. Angeles Munoz said: “Our commitment was to recover this space for citizens.”
OP QUICK Crossword Across 7 Ceded (7) 9 Wear away (5) 10 Creatures (7) 11 Scowl (5) 12 Remove dirt with a broom (5) 14 Cosmetic brand (7) 16 Permanently inactive (7) 18 Aegean island known for its sweet wine (5) 20 Gaiety (5) 22 --- Ffestiniog (7) 24 Form of address for a woman (5) 25 Late (7)
Down 1 Road around an obstruction (6) 2 Dregs (8) 3 Notion (4) 4 Acts (8) 5 Game played on horseback (4) 6 Minute (6) 8 Miller’s nickname (5) 13 Wide view of an extensive
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area (8) 15 Fruit drink (8) 16 Bivouac (6) 17 Forbidden (5) 19 Shallow dish (6) 21 Whirlpool (4) 23 Peak (4)
All solutions are on page 22
All about
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Issue 330
alley
www.theolivepress.es
June 26 - July 9 2014
Nov 6 - 19, 2019
Lose yourself in the valley Charlie Smith discovers why so many expats have found their Eldorado in the white towns of the green Guadalhorce Valley
IDYLLIC: The view down the valley towards Coin from Monda
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SPEND 15 minutes gawping at the rugged Alhaurin el Grande mountain range from our balcony before I realise I am late for breakfast. We’re running on empty, but the cloud-covered peak of the Sierra de Mijas looming beyond the palm trees outside the window is more than enough to distract me from hunger pangs. It feels like we’re in the wilds but this is Las Delicias, an urbanisation in Coín 33 km west of Malaga, 30 km north of Marbella. After pulling my travelling partner from his comfortable bed, we amble downstairs where our host has cooked up a mean breakfast.
‘Spanish toast’, complete with a piping cafetiere of the good stuff, lives up to the Las Delicias name. We aren’t the only guests at the hostel which Hazel Rennalls runs with her husband Tony, having made the leap to Spain from Wokingham 18 months ago. There are Americans staying. The Guadalhorce Valley has international appeal. Over a second cuppa, Hazel and fellow British expat Ursula Lewis endorse that, regaling me with tales of their adventures through the valley during their 25-year friendship. “Sundays in Coin are unforgettable,” says Ursula, who has travelled over 600 km from her home in Valencia for another glimpse of the valley - a reminder of the green, green
grass of her ex-home. “Every Sunday there is a flea market in La Trocha,” Hazel continues, referencing the swish commercial centre that has enticed the likes of Carrefour and Dunnes Stores to branch out into the rural hinterland to cater for the growing expat population. “The market is brilliant,” Ursula cuts in. “And very cheap. You can get anything from a pipe for your toilet to a lovely wardrobe.” Just as you can get pretty much anything in Coin, the valley’s cultural centre, a mix of old and new, traditional and Continues overleaf
10 November 6th - November 19th 2019 of Sierra Blanca, five kilometres south, was used to construct the amazing Roman town of Italica, near Sevilla, the birthplace of the mighty Emperor Haexpat. The feel of authentic rural drian in 76AD. Spain with a European ve- Then, like many parts neer explains why so many of Spain, Coin fell to the expats from the UK and fur- Moors in the 900s before ther afield, have chosen to being reconquered by the Christians in the late 15th call it home. One of the tapas we enjo- century. The town buckled yed at the Nueva Alameda under a siege in which, lecafeteria was a fried bacon, gend has it, the great New eggs and mushrooms dish. World explorer Christopher Columbus took part. Does it get more British? Only the name Coin, per- The fascinating 9th cenhaps, when spoken of by tury Mozarabe Monastery newbie Brits. It’s pronoun- will take you back to those ced ‘Co-een’ but they call it swashbuckling times. But the draw of the mounlike the money. Historically, Coin is very tains is too strong and we much on the money with a set off to explore them. This is the the cosmopolitan Sierra de las past stretching Nieves, Spain’s from the RoPinsapo fir newly-declared man Empire trees, Spanish national park. to pop culture. Largely untouEldorado, the ibex and ched by touBBC’s famousrists yet ridithriving otter ly flopped culously close soap, was filpopulations to the coast, med on a purit’s a weekend pose-built set getaway begoutside town. The Romans set the place ging to be booked. Pinsapo up as the market town of fir trees, Spanish ibex and Lacibis, mining the terrain thriving otter populations for minerals and laying the are some of the gems that foundations for the area’s won it National Park proteclatterly burgeoning ‘Green tion. Tolox is the back door to Coin’ ceramics trade. Marble from the quarries this incredible mountain wilderness. From Page 1
Valley life
As someone once described it, ‘If Coin sits at the foot of the Sierra de las Nieves, then Tolox is the toenail’. Once part of the Kingdom of Soleimán, this whitewashed Moorish village also draws visitors to explore the healing properties of its Fuente Amarga Spa. Stress and muscle fatigue are washed away with a variety of therapies ranging from natural gas inhalation
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RAMPARTS: An old fortress near Alhaurin
to mud spray treatments. Former Spanish Prime Minister Miguel Primo de Rivera is among the more famous faces to have indulged. Conveniently close to the spa on the fringes of the Sierra de las Nieves sits one of the Guadalhorce Valley’s finest hotels. Offering eagle-eye views as far as Malaga, the Cerro de Hijar hotel is one of Andalu-
cia’s more remote places to rest your head. If rigorous adventure is more your thing, you should try the winding walk from Marbella, which takes in the towns of Ojen, Monda, Guaro, Coin and - if you have the energy - eventually Alhaurin. Take water for the steep climb and a camera for the awesome scenery and views.
November 6th - November 19th 2019
Every hairpin bend round building that was used as a the steep cliffs offers up a sentry point as you arrive. fresh angle on the valley. And let’s not forget the CaLooking up at the imposing minito del Rey, a huge hit ceiling of white cloud, and with thrill seekers. down to waterfalls trickling Once dubbed ‘the world’s below, it’s easy to forget deadliest walkway, and with that the Costa 1,000 visitors del Sol metroa day, this hipolis is just Boars roam and g h - a d r e n a l i n over the mounhike above the tain. its aquamarine El Chorro gorArriving in Alge, is in high waters end haurin is like demand. deja vu as a It was recently in a magical ‘castle’ looms praised as a waterfall into view. It’s ‘shining examthe famous ple’ of a susbrick water tainable tourist tower that starred in the attraction. opening credits of the El- Emerging at the other end dorado series, built to look of the Caminito in Ardales, old. you’ll be hard-pressed to More striking is how Alhau- get in your car and leave. rin has grown. Where Coin Often called Andalucia’s may have one or two ama- Lake District, with turquoizing tapas places or cake se waters surrounding shops, Alhaurin has seve- tree-lined islands, it’s easy ral. to see why. The route south west out of The scenery is more akin to Alhaurin brings you to the the cantons of Switzerland serene Barranco Blanco than anything found on the (White Ravine). Costa del Sol. A photographer’s favourite, So many white villages, so buried in the countryside much still to discover about where wild boar feel safe the Guadalhorce Valley. In to roam, its aquamarine the towns our catchphrase waters end in a magical wa- of the day became ‘We’re terfall. not lost’ when people saw Everyone mentions the Na- us consulting our tourist zis, who allegedly used the office maps and offered area as training camp du- help. But really that is the ring WW2, due to the allian- only way to experience the ce between Franco and Hit- Guadalhorce Valley. Just ler. You can still see a white lose yourself.
SOUTHERN SPAIN DAMP PROOFING SS DP
GUARANTEED SOLUTIONS Please call or email for any further enquiries: Telephone: 0034 950 436 430 Mob: 0034 652 358 672 Email: ssdamp@gmail.com www.southernspaindampproofingco.com
12 November 6th - November 19th 2019
T
his morning I watched the sun rise over the Sierra de las Nieves. It's been my daily routine since moving to the Guadalhorce Valley four months ago. It's a peaceful way to start the day - but then again, living in The Valley is proving to be a pretty peaceful way of life. What drove us to choose a finca on a hillside just outside Guaro? Years of visiting family had made us fall in love with the area, but as everyone knows visiting and living here are very different. The summer months were
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taken up with hordes of visitors - I don't think we have ever been so popular. And as I am sure you can relate, not all visitors are equal. We got so ambushed with guests wanting to go to the nearby beaches and experience the hustle and bustle of bars along the coast, or simply laze round our pool or play golf, that we haven't had the chance to explore the countryside until now. We have driven into the biggest town Coin, and smiled as others have complained about the rush hour traffic. We still have the memory of the M25 fresh in our minds.
uadalhorce Valley
Karen Livermore shares why living in The Valley is such a joy - even if some visitors can be a pain
There is no comparison. We have eaten Spanish food with a twist at Coconut in Coin, where owner Rafa is fast gaining a reputation as owning the go-to restaurant in town. Heading out, we have discovered great ventas, where we can eaten royally and drink copiously for less than the price of two coffees and a plastic-tasting sandwich back in the UK. We have walked round the shimmering lakes at El Chorro and hiked some of the Caminito del Rey - we will do it all one day and we have made a promise to try kayaking on the lakes. And whilst I can say that the tiny town of Guaro with its winding streets and typically Spanish bars, where you can eat delicious tapa for â‚Ź1, holds a place in my heart, I am ashamed to say we have still not explored the white villages of Alozaina or Tolox or any of the others that nestle among the hillsides. They are on the list. We have, however sat on our terrace and watched hawks hover elegantly above before diving on their prey. We have listened to birdsong in the morning and wished there was a way of identifying these
BLISS: The valley offers so much that there’s no reason to be bored sweet sounds. Surely there must be an app? (Ed: There is now Karen). We did find an app for the constellations and spent many an evening with a glass of vino tinto in hand gazing up at the purplely velvet sky holding phones aloft looking for the Plough,
Orion Jupiter and Saturn and then gasping as a shooting star soared over our heads. It's a very different way of life to the one we had in the UK. More relaxed, but somehow it feels more real. But the question we get most asked is "Aren't you bored yet?"
How can we be when we have not even started to explore our new home, ask us in five ten, 15 years and maybe the answer will be different, but somehow I think there is enough in The Valley to keep us feeling we made the right choice coming here.
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Andalucia’s own ‘bread basket’
THE Guadalhorce Valley is 804km2 in size, and home to around 150,000 permanent residents, while many more own second homes there. It has always been known for its citrus production, with orange and lemon plantations stretching out in every direction from the valley’s towns. Of the eight municipalities, Coin is the biggest. But towns such as Alhaurin El Grande, Alora and Cartama are also immensely popular with expats. While first colonised by the Romans, it was the Moors who have had the largest influence on the area. Everywhere there is evidence of their work, which tamed the tumbling streams into irrigation systems and brought fertility to the whole of the valley. But while the region has been termed one of the bread-baskets of Andalucia since Roman times, the locals have long struggled with fluctuating rainfall, which can still bring devastating floods to the whole of the valley or leave the land parched for months on end.
Top dogs S
tudents from all over Europe come to Andalucia’s poshest pet facility to learn how to groom pets professionally but THEY have also come from as far as Russia and Iceland and Posh Pets Spain has just taken the first enquiry from China to learn how to groom dogs by Rachel Goutorbe. With an international reputation spanning over two decades, it is perhaps little surprise. The thriving business Posh Pets Spain, which Rachel runs with husband Les, literally treats its guests - that is, its pampered pooches and kitties - better than half the hotels in the region. The fortunate pets that end up getting groomed here, or who come to stay, come from as far as Madrid and Gibraltar and end up going home squeaky clean after booking an amazing Spa Package for their pets; With big smiles on their faces showing complete content.. “They absolutely love it in the “Red Wreck” Sensory playground, running around playing together, their tails wagging,” explains Rachel, who has been running her upmarket Pet Facility since 2004. “A lot of the dogs are ex- rescue dogs and you can see how they unwind and relax. Our Sensory Garden/Playground has been created to help build up their confidence as well as to tantalise all their senses, plus it helps them to
interact with their surroundings and provide physical and mental challenges to help enrich their lives.” With a sensory herb garden, a sandpit with treats hidden in it along with a huge play area… could there be a pet hotel in Spain quite as posh? It sits in a half acre grove of mature citrus trees and is a riot of smells and colours. Cleverly thought out, there is a big range of self-medicating plants such as valerian, often selected by anxious dogs for its calming effect, and marigolds, often selected by animals that are experiencing grief or emotional stress. Then there is lavender to encourage scar tissue regeneration, wheat grass for animals that are nervous, as well as peppermint which is good for its cooling properties and often selected by animals with skin irritations. It can also be used as an aid for training. The garden also boasts a water feature, a Wendy House, an illusion mirror and crazy daisies, which spray the dogs with water, keeping them cool in summer. The fantastic adjacent dog hotel has its pet chalets named after Coronation Street characters and each comes with its own pink sun bed. Aside to this there is a spacious boutique cattery away from the Dog Hotel boasting large individual rooms complete with climbing frames, cat trees, toys and music.
Each cat has a 360 degree view. “Our grounds are fully secure with CCTV and we live on site so there is peace of mind, we also ensure we have “specially selected classical pet music” that plays 24hours a day in the Pet Hotel & Grooming Salon” continues Rachel. “We understand owners concerns for the care of their pets and they receive the same love and attention as you would bestow upon them whilst they are in our care,” she says. Regularly photos of the pets on their holiday are posted on the Facebook page POSH PETS SPAIN. And clients that live some distance from Alhaurin can be picked up by a licensed Pet Pick-up service too. On top of this the company runs a fully licensed pet transportation service to and from the UK and Europe. Finally, the Grooming Salon & Groomers training centre is fully equipped and caters for all breeds & crossbreeds as well as cats. Courses to learn how to groom last two or three weeks and can take in first aid, canine massage and how to make your own products.
Visit www.poshpetsspain. com for more info or call 952 597 035
14 November 6th - November 19th 2019
Heard it on the grapevine Grapevine Properties prides itself in mixing human values with a professional service. They have worked hard to get this balance right over the years and are often complimented on the excellent customer service they provide to both vendors and purchasers. This way of working sets Grapevine apart from other local agencies. This starts with their free valuation service and in-house professional photographer, to their personalized feedback after viewings, all the way to their extensive aftersales service. They have been living and working in Guadalhorce Valley for over 17 years, getting to know the ins and outs of the towns, villages and country roads. They are passionate about how living in this region can change and enrich your life and bask in the fact that they get to show off this beautiful area every day from the Grapevine mobiles! Grapevine would be delighted to come and provide you with a property valuation. Tel. 952 457 761
Perfect overseas properties With a range of unbeatable homes stretching from Malaga to Sotogrande, Property Overseas is one of the most trusted real estate compa-
nies operating on the Costa del Sol and surrounding areas. From their offices nestled in the village of Coin, in the
Dream homes
This November marks two years since El Arcon de Charo arrived in the town of Alhaurin el Grande and made its name. In those two years, the owners have continued to surprise both locals and tourists, with novel and original ideas. Products brought back from the family-run firm’s frequent visits to some of Europe’s most recognised design fairs form the backbone of their excellent range. For El Arcon de Charo, the bal-
ance of quality and price is fundamental in giving customers the very best. The store prides itself on its close and friendly service for all those who step foot inside. Staff are always willing to advise anyone who intends to renovate furniture in their home or business. The aim is to help the customer find a piece that more than meets their expectations. Once again, at this important time of the year, with plenty of festivities taking place, El Arcon de Charo intends to surprise the public of all ages with its windows full of lights, snow and Christmas decorations. El Arcon de Charo will remain faithful to the mantra that has defined it from the beginning and that has been so warmly received by its clientele for years: turn your home ... into the home of your dreams.
heart of Andalucia, the company’s property experts hunt down southern Spain’s prime real estate. From eight bedroom villas with swimming pools, to rural fincas with panoramic views of the Andalucian countryside, their native English speaking team have the skills to find a property to meet even the most particular of tastes. The Property Overseas Group covers the breadth of the Costa del Sol and nearby countryside. Whether you’re looking for a glamorous second home among the plush golf courses of Nueva Andalucia or seeking a seaside retreat in the exclusive enclave of Sotogrande, the experts at Property Overseas Group have you covered. Their friendly, bilingual team bring their experience and expertise to every customer’s search in order to find a property that suits you. And with excellent links to the best agents in the south, there’s every reason to believe they’ll find you your dream home in no time.
Hilltop homes galore Offering houses for every budget across the Costa del Sol, Guadalhorce Valley and surrounding areas, Alora Properties’s dedicated team is on-hand to guide you through every step of the property buying process. Established in 1998, the English and Spanish-speaking team’s vast experience and local knowledge can help you find your perfect place in the sun. Based in the bustling market town of Alora, from which the company takes its name, Alora Properties has everything from small village houses for €40,000 to €1.4 million country villas. The real estate experts also offer a mix of traditional townhouses, remote cortijos and hilltop fincas with extensive grounds. Only a 30-minute drive from Malaga Airport, Alora Properties has specialist knowledge of the villages of the Guadalhorce Valley, such as Cartama, Alhaurin El Grande, Coin, Pizarra, Carratraca, Ardales, Valle de Abdaljis, El Chorro and of course Alora itself. The close-knit team have a wealth of experience of dealing with customers from across the world, whether they be from the UK, Germany, Morocco or further afield.
Perfect planning Costa Funeral Services offers the best in helping you plan the funeral of yourself or those close to you. An English-speaking company based on the Costa del Sol, the firm offers a widerange of funeral services, specifically catered towards the expat community. The team understand the difficulty in arranging a funeral in a country where you may not speak the language. Costa Funeral Services has a history in providing the best for its clientele - regardless of any geographical limitations. Taking responsibility for planning your own funeral is the best possible ways to take the burden off loved ones during a time of grievance. Costa Funeral Services deal with all aspects - from registering a death, cancelling passports and even speaking to a judge who needs to sign the crematorium request, all the things that need to be considered when someone passes. These well-respected funeral directors can help you every step of the way - and they are just a phone call away.
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uadalhorce Valley
November 6th - November 19th 2019
The new decree about illegal houses: A lot to do about nothing? For years already homeowners all over Andalusia have been hoping for a solution for this on going problem. Hopes ranging from a -not very realistic- a full amnesty to a more common sense hope for a serious set of guidelines of how to finally be able to regularise your homes I am sorry to say that the very well publicised new decree doesn't even get close to solve the problems of illegal and irregular houses. It does however offer solutions for other problems such as contracting electricity and other services. One of the main consequences is that the authority in most things that treat with urbanism problems is given back to the local councils. This “passing the hot potato” attitude does not really help: the main change from the 2012 decree is that the town councils and also groups of neighbours can propose “special plans” meaning that if you are living in a relatively densely build area, it will be possi-
ble for you and your neighbours to propose to your local council to class your neighbourhood as “Habitat Rural Diseminado”, a recognition of your area as being a kind of “soft” urbanisation, which will give you far more rights than the simple recognition of your individual home. The obvious disadvantage of this figure is that it will take a very long time to process: estimated are about 2 years and that the costs for infrastructure as roads, sewerage, water and electricity will have to be paid by the affected properties. Hardly a workable solution. But we hear through our grapevine that the Junta finally is seriously working on a major change in the LOUA (the main law which deals with all urbanism matters, and indeed caused most of the problems) and for what we have been told, the changes are going to be important and indeed finally might solve the problem once and for all. But, as usual: estimated timeframe: about 2 years. Live and hope..
At this point in time you can still put in -if necessary- for the recognition of your home as “fuera de ordenacion” which means your home exists outside of what is foreseen in the local or regional zoning plans. The decree gives various options which have to be studied almost on a case by case basis in order to define which figure applies to your individual situation. Most of you will at this point of time
find yourselves in the figure of “asimilado a fuera de ordenacion”, a figure which gives you legal protection against fines and demolition, allows you to contract electricity and other services, and gives access to the land registry and “allows” you to pay your rates. At todoserv we advise therefore to apply for the recognition on an individual basis and have a chat with your local council about the “special plans” .
Requirements are (amongst others): a certificate that your house exists for more than 6 years, that it complies with the minimum safety and health requirements for its intended use, that any fining file that might have been opened on your property has to be resolved or archived, you will have to show where and how you are going or are connected to the electricity grid and where you get your water from and the septic tanks have become a very important requirement. As usual, a lot of paperwork, but at todoserv we are already way advanced in talks with various councils about the practical consequences of this new decree. You should take into account a few things however: the councils will have up to 6 months to resolve on your application, and the decree makes it explicitly possible for them to levy new taxes in the process and allows the individual councils to make it obligatory for you to register. As always it is
a far better idea to take the initiative, it goes faster and definitely will cheaper. At any rate, we at todoserv have a quite unique view on these AFO certificates, and we will gladly explain this to you. Since there are indeed just about as many different situations as there are properties, varying on the classification of the land and from one council to the next, each case should be studied individually. We will gladly give you a free information appointment to discuss your personal case and tell you during this meeting what your possibilities are. At the same time we will give you a comprehensive idea of what the procedure might cost. More information? In person at our offices: 952 45 12 69 business hours: Mo./Fri. 8 am-6 pm. e-mail: todoservcoin@ todoserv.com by mail: todoserv coin s.l., calle Pozo Solis 11, 29100 Coin Malaga
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November 6th - November 19th 2019
what’s on Poppy power GET your poppy on November 8 after the laying of wreaths at the Piazza to remember those who died in the world wars.
Happy feet CHECK out some rising talent at the tenth anniversary Dance Celebration Show Case in the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre on November 8.
Millenium of history
EXCITED: Pitaluga
Horrors of war THE end of the first world war, Armistice Day of 1918, will be recalled by community leaders at the Lobby of Parliament on November 11.
Nasty Nazis FIND out what happened to famous art looted by the Nazis on November 20 in a lecture by Shauna Issac at the Gibraltar Garrison Library.
GIBRALTAR’S rich past will come to life in an exhibition of its National Archives. Artifacts dating back 1,300 years will be on show at the Fine Arts Gallery until November 23. The exhibition, made up of 138 panels with 268 images, was opened by Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia at the start of the month. The highlight of the documents present is a two metre wide map of Gibraltar created by the Royal Engineers in 1866. “Time passes, but well cared-for documents change little,” said Archivist Anthony Pitaluga. “These are evergreen collections that belong to all of us.” A series of lectures will be held at the Fine Arts Gallery during the course of the exhibition.
LA CULTURA Republican monument vandalised
A MEMORIAL to dead republican soldiers has been vandalised in Andalucia, a day after ex-dictator Franco was exhumed. The monument stands in the cemetery of San Eufrasio in Jaen, where hundreds of republican soldiers are buried. Caretakers who look after the cemetery found that the names of victims engraved on the monument had been covered with
Bible basher
RELIGION can halt human progress, a speaker at the upcoming Gibraltar Literature festival has claimed. Violet Moller, who will be speaking about her book, The Map of Knowledge, on November 14 at the Rock’s Garrison Library, added that all religions can have a ‘negative’ impact on society. “I think that all religions have on occasion had a negative effect on the development of ideas and science in particular,”
EXCLUSIVE By John Culatto
Moller told the Olive Press this week. “The two have often been uneasy bedfellows, in part because religion relies on tradition and ancient ideas for its authority. “These traditions are naturally threatened by scientific ideas which are new, innovative and by their very nature at the boundaries of knowledge.”
Very appt
A NEW app has been launched that lets people listen to the stories of women locked up under Franco. Created by Madrid artist Toxic Lesbian and the Institute of History, the interactive app lets users listen to the stories of women interned in insane aslyums. Users can even take a selfie
red graffiti reading: ‘We win we will win.’ The local council criticised the vandalism, calling it ‘absolutely reprehensible’. The cemetery is listed as an asset of cultural interest (BIC). Council workers quickly washed the writing off the monument with high pressure waterjets. The memorial, which also bore signs of heavy blows, will be repaired in due course.
Religion blocks progress and the advancement of science, writer claims ahead of Gib visit Moller’s book charts the way scientific discoveries were brought into Europe by Arabic writers. “They are not all exclusively Arabic ideas, but they were developed and transmitted by scholars writing in Arabic,” she said. “These include algebra, the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, toothpaste, psychology and catgut for use in internal stitching. “Most really important ideas are the product of several civilisations and have been gradu-
with the women from the various sites, including Madrid’s ‘House of the Demented’, Santa Isabel. The women’s stories were gathered from the book Letters from the Asylum published last year, which details patients’ experiences from 1852 to 1952. Toxic Lesbian said: “Patients with mental health problems have been marginalized and remain so. Here they are empowering themselves with their own experiences.”
LIT STAR: Violet Moller ally refined and improved over millennia.” Historian Nick Higham will be speaking to Moller on how centres of scientific discovery like those of Toledo, Cordoba and Venice changed Europe. “I learnt that the history of science is the most fascinating, compelling subject that can teach us so many things about the past and the present,” she concluded. Moller is already starting on a new book on a different aspect of the history of science.
Buying or selling your property may be the most important transaction you will ever make... Attention to detail is crucial. That is why when you choose Charles Gomez & Co for your conveyancing, our dedicated team of experts scrutinise everything and keep you informed at every step of the process.
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BUSINESS
20
November 6th - November 19th 2019
No problema SPAIN’s economy chief has played down suggestions that the country is heading towards economic turmoil. Recent reports have indicated that Spain is enduring a torrid period in the markets, with GDP estimates for next year being reduced and the tourism sector undergoing a drop in profit. But the economy minister Nadia Calvin has put paid to that. She said: “I just cameAback from IMF, World Bank and G20 meetings. There is concern around the world about the markets, but no crisis is yet foreseeable, even more so in Spain.” Calvino spoke as Spain is facing another election - its fourth in as many years - on November 10.
Back in business
Newly elected shopkeeperturned minister injects life to Main Street project
A SMALL business board will be created to aid local traders, new business minister Vijay Daryanani has announced. As a former Main Street shopkeeper, Daryanani’s appointment as Minister for Local Business has been applauded by the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses (GFSB). “I have started engaging with the Chamber of Commerce,
Reform thumbs up
NEW BOSS: Daryanani the Federation of Small Businesses and with the BID Group for Main Street,” said Vijay Daryanani. “I’m in the process of setting up a meeting with them so I can discuss things in greater detail to see how we can progress. “We will be launching the small business board very soon so people can tell me what their challenges are.”
He said he wanted a ‘fruitful relationship’ that took in all ideas along with his own experience.
Shelf stacking graduates ONE in three workers in Spain are stuck in a job unsuited to their level of education. A new study by the EU found that 36.3% of workers are working in roles below their level of education. The findings back up research by temping agency organisation, Asempleo, which found that 41% of women across Spain were overqualified for their jobs. The EU study also found that better than average job growth
in the Canary Islands, Murcia and Valencia has led to more people working in jobs they're overqualified for. People in the north of Spain are more likely to be working in jobs mismatched to their level of education than workers in the south. It is thought this is because more skilled workers are attracted to cities in the north, where there is a higher concentration of high-skilled sectors.
The GFSB applauded the surprise addition to the GSLP/ Liberal slate for the election held on October 17. “We would like to thank the Government for their assigning of a Minister of Business who has a wealth of experience and knowledge as a local businessman,” said the GFSB. “The GFSB has been asking to reinstate a Minister of Small Business for some time, and are pleased to see that this has happened directly after the election campaign.” The body headed by Julian Byrne hopes that the Main Street Business Improvement District (BID) will now be matched ‘pound for pound’ by the government.
THE Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the major reform of the Gibraltar public service announced by the newly re-elected GSLP/Liberals. The Chamber said the reform and training programme would benefit ‘individuals, businesses and organisations.’ “Too often in the past, highly talented public officials have taken their well-earned retirement and their posts remained unfilled, sometimes for years,” said the Chamber in a statement. “This programme looks to give those civil servants who wish to advance to senior positions the training and skills needed to fill those roles.” The Chamber believes the training to be carried out by King’s College through the University of Gibraltar, ‘looks to be both innovative and best in class.’
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Spanish restaurants are the flavour of the world according to Trip Advisor, but there is a north-south culinary divide
SPAIN has some of the world’s best restaurants, but not a single one of them is in Andalucia. Three Spanish restaurants made it into the top 15 in Trip Advisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Restaurants Awards 2019. El Celler de Can Roca in Catalunya is the best Spanish restaurant, according to
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November 6th - November 19th 2019
Roca-fellas
Trip Advisor. The restaurant in Girona, which has three Michelin stars, was voted the eighth best in the world by travellers. Restaurante Martin Berasategui near San Sebastian was voted the eleventh best eatery worldwide, making it the second best in Spain. Barcelona’s Disfrutar was voted thirteenth best globally. It means the ultra modern restaurant is the third best eatery in Spain. Voters snubbed Andalucian restaurants, with not a single one of them making it into the top rankings of best Spanish restaurants.
Catalunya has the best chefs in Spain, with four restaurants located in the region making the top 10 list of best restaurants nationwide. And unsurprisingly the Catalan capital is the undisputed culinary capital of the country, with three of these four restaurants being situated in Barcelona. Lounge bar cum restaurant Acces and Con Gracia, which specialises in contemporary updates of Catalan classics, were the Barcelona names joining Disfruta in the top 10. A total of 584 restaurants worldwide gained a place in
the 2019 edition of the culinary rankings. Trip Advisor said the chosen restaurants had ‘consistently received high marks and praise from diners around the world.’
Cereal killer
Stop-Go food
SPANISH dieticians have come out in support of mandatory traffic light ratings on supermarket food. The Catalan College of Dieticians and Nutritionists and the Spanish Society of Dieticians and Nutritionists have joined the campaign ‘Pro-nu-
triscore,’ which is pushing the EU Commission to make the red-and-green ratings obligatory. The campaign for colour-coded health ratings on food received a boost last week when the German health minister, Julia Klockner, said such a system would come into force across her country from 2020. A nutritional traffic light system would allocate health points to foods based on a score calculated by comparing their unhealthy properties (calories, sugar, fat and salt) with their healthy properties (protein, fibre and nutrients). The most nutritional foods would then be colour stamped dark green, and the unhealthiest red.
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
ALMOST two thirds of breakfast cereals sold in Spain contain so much sugar they shouldn’t be consumed by children. A shocking 63% of branded cereals exceed the EU’s recommended limit of 15g of sugar per 100g for children, a study by the European Commission has found. Some cereals had as much as 45g of sugar per 100g. It means that a 30g recommended serving would contain 13.5g of sugar, over half of the 24g of sugar that children should consume each day.
Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.
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22
November 6th - November 19th 2019
COLUMNISTS Financial independence
I try to read several books each month and have just finished Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, which was a great read and advocates the importance of financial literacy, financial independence and building wealth by investing in assets. Why is it that some professionals making £1 million a year can quickly go bankrupt, while someone else on an average come to maintain your current standard income can retire and have no financial of living. Your total assets (what you own) worries? minus your total liabilities (what you owe) The path to achieve financial indepen- give you a number that is your net worth. dence is not a secret. I will share with you I then use a figure of 5% to determine a few simple rules. how much passive income could be genMost people think wealth is a high in- erated. For example; If a portfolio has a come job. Yes, it’s easier to amass as- value of £1,000,000 it would be safe to sets if you have more money coming in assume a passive income of £50,000 each month, but then you find that most per annum could be maintained given spend what they earn – or more in some current yields and annuity rates. cases! To achieve financial indeNo, the true secret to inpendence we need to increasing your net worth is to crease our net worth then Cut expenses, spend less than you make, start to generate growth generate extra and passive income from and use the excess to generate passive income and income, and put it (capital gains, interest, growth on your money. I reincome and dividends withthe money into out requiring any work or peat, income is not wealth. labour). investment So what is wealth? If you have a portfolio of Everyone has a different private businesses, stocks, definition depending on their circum- bonds, mutual funds, real estate and stances, however, I personally believe other cash generators, you could sit by wealth is having a sufficient passive in- the pool all day.
Jonathan Holdaway reveals his secrets to increasing your net wealth and where to put your money
A trip to the hospital has turned Giles Brown into a bookworm with six pack abs and restored his faith in humanity I’m still recovering from last month’s tumble when I managed to jangle most of the nerves in my left ankle. The face-long sprawl down a friend’s steps and the resultant sprain meant that I have been hobbling around Marbella like an extra from Pirates of the Caribbean for the past few months – all crutches, bags and pouches about my person and frequently muffled oaths. As a writer – though famously I was once derided as not being a ‘proper writer’ by an up and coming scribette who had the boho attitude, Frida
Kahlo notebook and tome of Sylvia Plath poetry – I live by the mantra that ‘it’s all material’, and have made the following sage observations about life on one leg. The Flamingo Follies, if you will. Being forced to be flat on my back, one leg in the air is not my favoured position in bed. Stop sniggering at the back. It did, however, enable me to rediscover my love of reading. I know that sounds like a particularly anodyne thing to say, but in a world where we would rather scroll and hit ‘like’, getting lost in a book is
a rare pleasure. I managed to finish three books in four days. And only two of them required crayons. Moving on one leg also means that you live at a slower pace. On my first day on crutches I misjudged a corner and ended up sprawling across the kitchen floor. It was so painful that I invented an entire vocabulary that sounded like a cross between Dark Orcish and summoning the Balrog. From that point I did everything at half speed, and there is a rather satisfying feeling when most of your morning is spent carefully preparing lunch. Even though one leg was out of action, there are health benefits as well. Propelling yourself around on crutches requires employing upper body strength and I even started to get ‘definition’ around my abs. Spraining an ankle is not a training programme that I would recommend, but there is an upside! Finally, people in general are happy to help. I’ve had doors opened, shopping trolleys pushed and even heavy items carried for me, confirming that, despite my dark and twisted worldview, there is a glimmer of good in everyone. Luckily I’m due to watch Joaquin Phoenix in Joker later, so abnormal service will be resumed…
Jonathan now has an office Malaga, which can be found here: Alameda Colón, 9, 1, 7. 29001 Málaga, Spain. Phone: +34 951 579226 Contact me for a no obligation investment product and/or portfolio review and at my expense on +34 654 898 303/+44 77230 27864 or email me at jonathan.holdaway@chasebuchanan.com I’ll even buy the coffee.
OP Puzzle solutions
Quick Crossword
Across: 1 Broth, 4 Helped, 10 Outflow, 11 Stuff, 12 Laid, 13 Reversed, 14 Assassinate, 18 Abnormal, 20 Uses, 22 Lilac, 23 Emotive, 24 Tenant, 25 Satyr. Down: 2 Retains, 3 Tile, 5 Eastern, 6 Paul’s, 7 Dyfed, 8 Pools, 9 Sweepstakes, 15 African, 16 Testify, 17 Islet, 18 Allot, 19 Nylon, 21 Sofa.
SUDOKU
Crutch Control
It’s also very difficult to totally wipe out a your current bank statements and see well-constructed portfolio in the event of where you can make changes -it’s that a financial crisis. simple: Increase revenue, cut costs, or If you had to stop working right now, how both then use the surplus to invest for long could you keep up your purchasing your future. pattern for cars, clothing, music lessons, Use tax breaks - saving your money in education fees, leisure activities etc.? the most tax efficient way is important. The average person isn’t educated in this, Depending on your nationality and counwhich is why the more they earn, they are try of residence there may be several left wondering why financial indepen- options available to you to allow you to dence and security continue to elude reduce or eliminate tax on your wealth them, always seemingly just and/or your income. out of grasp because their expenses increase in line where do you put the Einstein called So with their earnings. money? compound The only way to take advanI have four simple but key tage of investment opportu- interest the ‘8th rules when sourcing investnities is to have the money ments for my private cliwonder of the to invest until you reach a ents (these can vary slightpoint where the returns genly depending on a client’s world’ erated on your assets can exact requirements): change your life; e.g., earn1. Diversify - Don’t put ing a 10% return on £10,000 is going to all your eggs in one basket. Buy a mix net you £1,000 before taxes - not too bad of assets and buy assets according to a but hardly earth shattering, but the same risk level you are comfortable with. Don’t return on a £1,000,000 portfolio is know what to buy? Speak to a specialist. £100,000 despite requiring roughly 2. Buy Quality - Buy the best quality investments you can afford. If you have the same effort and research. Amassing wealth and becoming fi- the choice of three US Large Cap Equinancially independent is a slow pro- ty funds and one has been consistently ranked in the top 10% for returns over cess that takes time. You can do small things every day the last five years. Buy it above the othsuch as cut your expenses, generate ers. If buying property buy the best locaextra income, and put the money into tion you can afford. investment and tax efficient savings 3. Focus on Income - Try to buy assets and investments that produce income. or investments. It can help to lower overall risk and with With time it will build. As each new opportunity appears, regular income flowing into your portyou can react on a larger scale than folio you can choose how and where to re-invest the income to help diversity your previous investments. Over time the interest, dividends, and and, when ready, can start to use the capital gains your money has earned additional passive income to fund your begin to generate their own interest, lifestyle. dividends, and capital gains, and on 4. Take a long term view - The value of all investments will fluctuate over time. and on in a virtuous cycle. Einstein called compound interest Have patience and if you have followed the ‘8th wonder of the world’ and the rules above you should develop it’s how €100,000 now can grow to some nice returns over the long term. €1,083,471 over 25 years at 10% If you follow these basic rules and ideas you should soon see your wealth begin per annum. Starting from £0 now, a saving of to increase. The only decision you need only €100 per month will be worth to make is to start today. The bigger your €133,789 over 25 years at 10% per wealth becomes the more I would encourage you to seek professional investannum. If you have not started yet then the ment and tax advice. only way you can have more money left over at the end of the month to Jonathan works with Cyprus-regulated finanstart investing is to either increase cial advisor CHASE BUCHANAN, which has revenue (your income) or decrease been operating in Cyprus since 2015. expenses. Make a plan, go through
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SPORT
23
On a higher plane
November 6th - November 19th 2019
Knockout show
La Liga rule book ripped up as Barca and Madrid do battle with Andalucia’s best
GRANADA’s unprecedented run may have taken a tumble in their last game but the side is making brilliant progress in La Liga this season. The newly-promoted club sit sixth in the league, high enough for a European spot, and are only two points off the top of the table. The Andalucian team have made serious strides this campaign despite their small stature but now face two
tough fixtures, as they prepare to face Valencia and Atletico Madrid the following game. The hope is that momentum isn’t lost after the southern side suffered a late blow in their last game against Real Sociedad, losing 2-1 at home. In September, Granada turned over current
league-leaders Barcelona 2-0, and the team has gone from strength-to-strength ever since. Diego Martinez Penas, the manager, was appointed in 2018 and helped the side achieve promotion to Spain’s top league. This year, his side made their best ever start to a La Liga
Sinful streamers OVER half of Spaniards have used illegal platforms to stream sports games. Some 56% of Spaniards acknowledged having used an illegal platform to watch sport, according to results found by Smart Protection, a company dedicated to combat online piracy and counterfeiting. Its investigation also revealed that
while 36% have never streamed sports illegally, a large 74% knew someone who had and 32% knew more than one person who had. Interestingly, 60% of respondents agreed they should pay to watch a live match. However the report found that 36% of Spaniards resort to pirate transmissions because they can’t afford the subscription.
Racism shame
SHAMELESS Spanish football officials have demanded an English team apologise over racism allegations they made against an Andalucian club. Queens Park Rangers’ under-18 side were forced to walk off the pitch during a match against Sevilla team AD Nervion in August. It came after opposition players made monkey noises and taunted them, saying ‘n*****.’ The London-based club demanded an apology from the Spanish team. But now, in an extraordinary turn of events,
the Andalucian FA has ordered QPR to apologise to them for ‘undermining the good name’ of the region. QPR Chief Executive Lee Hoos said: “It’s a joke and it’s clear nobody cares.” “Had this incident occurred in England I have no doubts the issue would be dealt with swiftly. “Unfortunately, it seems some countries have a long way to go in this respect.” Hoos had previously asked UEFA to look into the incident, which occurred during a friendly match.
campaign. The end of October even saw the Nazaries sit top of La Liga for a period, and though they have dropped off slightly, fans should be expecting more than just survival this season. In 12 games, Granada have won six, lost four and drawn two games.
ROCK SOLID: Gibraltar’s MMA fiighters SEVEN Gibraltar fighters will against local fighter Jyl Pozo be taking on Spanish opposi- after beating each other once tion at the Rock under Siege each so far,” organiser Ian event. Hancock told the Olive Press. The sixth annual cagefighting The full-action night will be night will for the first time held at the Tercentenary Hall include two local kickboxers in the Victoria Stadium comalong with five MMA fighters. plex. “The clash of the night will Tickets for the November 15 see Spain’s Cristian Castro event are available online and defend the welterweight belt at the door.
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Pick me up
FINAL WORDS
DELIVEROO has announced the launch of a collection service in Spain, where users can order their food and pick it up personally.
Vox pop TEMPERS had to be calmed and security called at a VOX party rally in Barcelona when one attendee said to another: “I am not Spanish? I am more Spanish than you - you have a monkey face.”
Late post A DECORATOR from Essex received a postcard he had sent to his parents 28 years ago while on holiday in Benidorm.
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Vol. 5, Issue 109 www.theolivepress.es November 6th - November 19th 2019
TREE FELLING TREE TRIMMING & REMOVAL Tel: 622 932 049 Tel: 622 304 104 rockscampogardens@gmail.com
OAP: Old age paradise SPAIN is the best country to retire to in Europe, according to a new report. Blacktower Financial Management has revealed the best - and worst - European countries for retirees based on cost of living, crime rates, life expectancy, property prices and population age. The country scored highly
Sunny Spain named best country in Europe to enjoy your golden years in every section with its average paving the way for it land the top spot overall. Spain has beautiful sur-
roundings, towns, cities, and of course lots of sunshine - which makes it a perfect setting for those ap-
cBlunder
A TASTELESS McDonald’s promotion for Halloween ice cream has caused the conglomerate to issue a grovelling apology. The company used the term ‘Sundae Bloody Sunday’ in its advertising campaign during the spooky season, in Portugal. It caused a huge uproar among the public who felt it was insensitive to the atrocities that occurred in Northern Ireland, in 1972, where 14 civilians were shot dead by British police. “Please give some f**king history lessons to your marketing department,” said one angry customer. A McDonald’s spokeswoman said: “It was intended as a celebration of Halloween, not as an insensitive reference to any historical event.”
proaching their final years. Second in the rankings is Finland, somewhat suprisingly. The chilled Scandinavian atmosphere and gorgeous magic of the Northern Lights makes it a great choice for retirees.
Grey
Italy came in third place, a country known for its wines, olive oils and pasta - a winning combination for when you’re past the point of no return and have no problems in packing on some extra pounds. The UK featured in 17th place - despite the perception of grey skies and constant rain, the rolling hills of the north are a joy to see, whatever the weather, and the south-west has with it some gorgeous coastline, and opportunity to grab a board and make for the waves - hitting retirement age gives some people a new lease of life.
Postcode lottery
A BRITISH couple who won big in the national lottery on their first wedding anniversary have decided to move to Spain. Martin Brandist, 54, and wife Debbie, 48, from Warwickshire are planning to move to a Lanzarote home after winning a sizeable £1 million in the jackpot lucky dip. Debbie is said to have danced around the bedroom ‘jigging about all over the place’ after discovering she had the winning numbers.