Gibraltar Olive Press - Issue 81

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Vol. 4 Issue 81 www.gibraltarolivepress.com October 10th - October 23rd 2018

To herald the arrival of some proper weather we offer two new sections:

Can you tackle Gibraltar’s toughest crossword?

Page 6

Staying in?

Need a good read? See our book review section

Page 10

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Has Spain’s political mud-slinging reached a new low?

We unpack ‘Mastergate’ SEE PAGE 6

On the up and up

DON’T MISS

Brain teaser

GLOVES October 10th - October 23rd 2018 ARE OFF

We take a sneak preview of Christian Hook’s new work, as a brand new exhibition of his work launches in London

Deplorable Psychiatrists join public outcry over mental health facilities as suicide rate soars A PUBLIC outcry over the lack of mental health care is gaining momentum following a series of tragic suicides on the Rock in recent months.

The lack of proper psychiatric care has been labelled a ‘shambles’ with some local psychiatrists calling the state of mental health services ‘deplorable’.

A number of social media sites have pointed to the ‘growing problem’, appropriately in the week of World Mental Health Day. Ashleigh Vella, a passion-

By Laurence Dollimore

ate campaigner of mental health care, wrote on Twitter: “We need to sort out this shambles of a mental health system.”

At least two psychiatric nurses have recently suffered ‘nervous breakdowns’ and ‘suicidal thoughts’, according to reports.

This has been blamed on a distinct lack of resources and the strain of the high pressure working environTRAGIC: Azzopardi and Buckley both ended their own lives

ment.

One of the nurses, who preferred to remain anonymous, spoke of his desperate feeling of guilt following the recent suicides, including Kyle Azzopardi and Aaron Buckley.

The pair both threw themselves off buildings last month.

“The situation is appalling amongst psychiatrists...morale is at an all-time low,” one nurse told local publication Panorama.

When approached by the Olive Press this week, one doctor at the Ocean Views Mental Health facility, insisted he had ‘been instructed’ not to give any comment.

Despite Gibraltar being cited as having one of the highest suicide rates in Europe, it appears that mental

health care has recently experienced cuts to some of its community services.

The government backed ‘Outreach Support Team’ which was introduced last year in order to provide a crucial 24-hour/ 7-days a week on - call mental health care service has recently seen its after-hour and weekend services removed due to funding shortages.

The GSD was due to hold a press conference on the mat-

Tel: 902 123 282

ter this Wednesday.

The government failed to comment.

See page 4

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CRIME

Police must twerk harder!

NEWS IN BRIEF

Heating up THIS September was the hottest in Spain for 50 years with an average temperature of 23C.

Respetame SPAIN’S transsexual Miss Universe candidate Angela Ponce has called for ‘respect’ after Miss Colombia said the pageant should be for women ‘born women’.

Crying shame A MADRID court has found a former doctor guilty after he took a newborn baby from its mother during the Franco era and gave it away in the first trial of the ‘stolen babies’ scandal - but he won’t be punished due to statute of limitations.

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

FLAUNTING FREEDOM: Tejon enjoying girls and booze in music video

ONE of Spain’s leading drug bosses has taunted police after appearing in a rap video surrounded by scantily-clad dancers.

Career criminal Francisco Tejon is surrounded by twerking beauties dancing to Reggaeton singer Clase A. Spain’s most wanted has been on the run since 2016 after being identified as one of the leaders of the prolific drug trafficking gang La Castañitas, which operates out of the Campo de Gibraltar.

The X-rated music video is believed to have been shot

Fingered!

Gypsy drug dealer has digits removed after Estepona kidnap A GANGSTER kidnapped from Estepona in a dramatic late night shooting incident ‘had his fingers cut off’ before being murdered and dumped in Algeciras.

According to sources, Brian Martos Carmona, 27, was tortured and suffered a brutal

By Laurence Dollimore

death designed to ‘send a message’ to a rival gang.

Known by police as a drug trafficker, Carmona, a gypsy, was abducted from Mr Noodles in Estepona in a terrifying

incident (see below), which saw 13 shots fired and a chase around the centre.

He was seen violently bundled into a BMW and later found dumped in Algeciras hours later.

It is believed Martos was attacked after stealing drugs from a safe house of one of the Campo de Gibraltar’s biggest gangs.

“His death was a message to anyone thinking of betraying the drug cartels,” a source told the Olive Press, “that includes police too, a lot of who are involved in helping them.”

Martos was thought to be eating with another man when he was kidnapped.

The potential witness, is understood to have fled to Morocco and no arrests have yet been made.

“There is so much fear, there are a lot of people whose lives

BRUTAL: Brian was tortured are at stake right now,” the source added.

It is one of several shootings and ‘settling of scores’ between drug traffickers that have rocked the Costa del Sol this year, the third in Estepona.

My night of terror

I

By Elisa Menendez

T was supposed to be a romantic dinner on a quiet Tuesday evening in Estepona.

My boyfriend and I were celebrating my birthday at Italian El Rincon Toscano, when we heard the sound of a dozen gunshots just metres away.

We looked at each other wide eyed and I said: “It’s probably just fireworks or something…”

And that’s when we saw a stampede of people running for their lives down the busy Calle Real.

I’ve never seen anything like it. You never think you’ll be involved in something so horrific, it’s something you just see on the TV. It all became terrifyingly real when the panicked waiters piled us inside the restaurant, while a woman carrying a small baby sprinted past unsure where to turn.

The waiters bundled her inside too and we all huddled together questioning, was it a terror attack? Was it a drug gang? Could they open fire through the glass-fronted restaurant?

After what felt like a lifetime we were given the all-clear to go outside.

To lighten the mood the waiters gave us a shot of limoncello before we headed to the promenade and saw 13 orange cones next to the bullets on the road and numerous police cars.

Even the waitress from Venezuela said she’d never seen anything like it.

Only on the Costa del Crime.

around La Linea.

Tejon can be seen exiting a Bentley car before he is greeted by nearly a dozen semi-naked women, waiting for him with champagne, on sofas and in a jacuzzi.

The villa boasts a swimming pool, bar and round beds with sadomasochistic sex toys.

Sources say it is being used as a brothel by members of Tejon’s gang.

He has been branded ‘Spain’s most wanted narco' and detectives in Madrid are said to consider him to be the most important cannabis trafficker in Europe.

His older brother Antonio was arrested in June in an operation involving 100 officers.

Tejon’s gang was blamed for a violent raid on a Spanish hospital in February, when gang member Samuel Crespo Dominguez was ‘rescued’ by around 20 masked men.

SCENE: From video

Rat to his hole!

RODRIGO Rato will go to jail for his involvement in the infamous credit cards scandal which saw millions of euros stolen.

The former PP minister and ex-boss of Caja Madrid, is just one of 63 people expecting to receive sentences.

Prison

Aristocrat Rato, along with dozens of others at Caja Madrid - now Bankia - fraudulently spent over €15 million on undeclared company credit cards between 1992 and 2012.

Rato, who also led the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to get four and a half years in prison.

BANGED UP: Rato

NEWS

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Stepping up for Gustavo!

A SERIES of colourful murals will be painted on the walls of Castle Steps.

A collaboration between Ronnie Alecio and local artist Jupp, the street art is inspired by the work of one of Gibraltar’s most renowned artists, Gustavo Bacarisas, who was once a resident on the same street.

A TRIO of British sitcom legends are bringing a classic British working class edge to the Marbella film festival this week.

Ricky Tomlinson (left) from The Royle Family, Will Mellor from Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Paul Barber from Only Fools and Horses are among the celebrity guests set to strut their stuff on the red carpet at the town’s International Film Festival (MIFF).

As Jim Royle would say: ‘My arse. Barb, I’m not leaving the lounge for that shite.’

Glamour my arse

Now in its 13th year, the trio are presenting a variety of projects at the festival.

Other familiar faces include distinguished theatre actor Steven Berkoff, who will be running a workshop on ‘the secrets of acting’.

Also flying the flag for Britain, are TV presenter Denise van Outen - who the Olive Press revealed recently had bought a house in nearby Mijas - as well as comedian Alexei

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Following this project, the government will extend the concept to five other areas on the Rock and are calling on local artists to present their designs.

The creative initiative forms part of the government’s urban regeneration and cultural development programme.

Sayle, who has a home in the Lecrin Valley, near Granada.

Other British actors include legendary heartthrob Terence Stamp, from Superman and Wall Street, as well as Rachael Stirling, from Tipping the Velvet and Doctor Who. For Game of Thrones fans, keep an eye out for Ian Beattie who played Ser Meryn Trant and Murray McArthur otherwise known as the wilding elder Dim Dalba.

Over 100 production companies are attending and from over 1,000 films submitted, there will now be just 25 featured at the festival, including a whole host of special shorts.

The cinematic celebrations last until October 14.

Who’s the daddy?

La Superba RIP: Caballe

passes

SHE was described as ‘one of the last of the true divas’ and had one of the sweetest voices in musical history.

So successful was her debut in New York, in 1965, she received a 25-minute ovation from the crowd.

She was immediately catapulted onto the global stage, ending up recording 80 albums, including one with Queen legend Freddie Mercury.

So it was fitting that both the Queen and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attended Monserrat Caballe’s funeral in Barcelona this week.

The Spanish soprano, who could hold notes for an incredible 20 seconds, died on Saturday aged 85 in the Catalan city.

In an illustrious career spanning six decades the queen of opera, known as ‘La Superba,’ made thousands of performances.

S h e was Born into a working class family in 1933.

ICONIC: Opera star

After bedding 3,000 women Iglesias may be about to see his 41-year-old love child enter his life

JULIO Iglesias could face a paternity trial over claims he has a Valencian love child, following a passionate night with a Portuguese ballerina.

Spain’s most famous lothario - who has a huge estate in Marbella - has allegedly admitted to friends that ‘there may be a paternity trial.’

Javier Sánchez, 41, from Valencia, originally claimed Iglesias, 75, was his dad in 1992, but his claim came to nothing, despite being initially accepted.

He tried again last year, however a 99.99% DNA match was deemed inadmissible, as it had been taken illegally from his son.

While a judge initially ac-

...his father’s son ENRIQUE Iglesias has locked lips with one lucky fan in Kiev - and it isn’t the first time he’s made out with someone from the audience.

It seems, much like his father, Enrique has a lot of love to give – even though he’s been dating Anna Kournikova since 2001 and the couple welcomed twins in December.

Performing in Kiev during his All The Hits Live tour, the Spanish singer engaged in a touchy display with a reveller who had been invited on stage.

The 43-year-old delighted the fan by serenading her before planting a passionate

SMACKER: On kiss on her lips.

Footage of the kiss went viral, but fans of the Spanish star said it is a regular occurrence at his shows.

BAD BOY: Julio

cepted the link taken via Julio Iglesias Jr, it was later annulled after it emerged it had been taken illegally from his bins in Miami.

Now however, his lawyer Fernando Osuna, is asking a different court for a DNA test to prove once and for all that the world-class crooner really is his father.

He has asked the judge at Valencia’s Court Number 13 that Iglesias submit a saliva or blood sample at Instituto de Medicina Legal in Madrid.

According to Osuna, Iglesias, who once claimed he’d slept with 3,000 women, has requested that the hearing be held behind closed doors.

He also insists that the case should ‘not be reopened’ as it has already been closed.

The judge is expected to make his decision this month, with a possible trial expected in January or February.

I didn’t rape fan!

NICOLAS Cage was cool as a cucumber as he denied he raped a woman while attending the Sitges Film Festival this week.

The Hollywood legend, 54, was forced to deny that he attacked Vickie Park while being grilled by a journalist at a press conference.

“I have already made a statement on this subject, but to make it clear, this never happened,” he said.

Park claims Cage raped her last September during the Vienna Film Festival, but Cage and his ex-wife Alice Kim have labelled the allegations ‘absurd’.

Cage was in Spain to promote his new movie Mandy, donning a two-piece grey suit and crisp white shirt.

Set in 1983, the dark film charts the story of a haunted man on the hunt for the unhinged religious sect who butchered the love of his life

Fitness break EMMA Willis has been spotted strolling around Ibiza with her pop star husband Matt.

The Big Brother host, 42, is on the white isle on a workout holiday at the famous Body Camp fitness retreat.

The pair, who have three children together, later headed into town hand-in-hand for lunch.

Former Busted rocker Matt revealed the pair had enjoyed a boxing session, an abs workout and bleep test.

He added they had taken a

cooking lesson, yoga session and meditation class before dinner.

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NEWS

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Huge effort sees 500 people help to pull 20 truckloads of waste from around the Rock

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Avoiding Repetition

By Yvonne Pardo

Fresh air thinking NEW air quality monitoring devices have been strategically placed on the Rock to test the levels of pollution in two specific areas.

The first of the AQMesh solar-panelled pods has been installed at Europort Road, close to Gibraltar’s shipping activity, as well as the new power station.

The second has been placed at the Frontier, which sees tens of thousands of cars cross into Gibraltar every day.

Both devices will provide ‘indicative’ data, which will eventually be made available to the public, and follow consistent calls from environmental groups, such as the ESG, for proper air quality monitoring.

OVER 500 volunteers worked through the weekend in a bid to clean up Gibraltar’s streets, beaches and green areas.

A massive 20 truckloads of waste were accumulated during the Clean Up The World event, which aimed to remove as much litter as possible from the Rock’s favourite beauty spots.

This massive initiative involved 35 sites and included abseiling and diving teams who tackled both the upper

The Big Clean rock and underwater areas - in order to make sure even the remotest parts of the Rock were targeted.

One of the divers who attended Nicoli Unt, from Diving with Nic, helped scour the sea bottom near the Rock.

“It’s shocking how much waste builds up near the shore,” he told the Olive Press.

Coordinated by the Environmental Safety Group (ESG), a total of seven companies, six government agencies and 14 clubs, associations and charities joined the clean up.

The event was planned for several months and also involved many families and

caring individuals.

A spokesperson from the ESG commentated on how, despite the mood being positive, there was ‘general shock’ at how much litter is carelessly thrown around the Rock.

Nevertheless, he also pointed to the communities wide effort revealing ‘a love for our environment and a genuine desire to help clean up Gibraltar’.

Opinion

INCREDIBLE: Rubbish collected by locals

The enormous mountain of waste that was generated following Gibraltar’s clean-up campaign highlights the increasing problem of litter that continues to affect so many areas on the Rock. Whether it be due to the public refusing to discard their litter responsibly, as is the case at Cloisters Ramp, or the government’s failure to keep Gibraltar’s streets clean, the result was there for all to see.

What is painfully clear is that Gibraltar needs to dramatically increase its standard of cleanliness.

Let’s not wait another year to clean up our streets. This should be a daily job for all.

This sad situation must not continue be part of everyday life.

THE first of a series of events have kicked off in La Linea marking the 50th anniversary of the Gibraltar frontier closure next June.

Mayor Juan Franco unveiled a banner outside the Palacio de Congresos, reminding locals and visitors of the 13-year long blockade that lost La Linea almost half of its population.

It happened in 1969, when General Franco ordered metal gates to be placed alongside the frontier, shutting off the British peninsula from its Spanish neighbour and breaking up communities, families and friends.

Remember

“It is not to celebrate but to remember what happened and avoid repeating it, especially in uncertain situations such as what could happen as a result of Brexit today,” stated mayor Franco.

The council have created a website and are inviting members of the public to share their stories by sending in testimonials, photographs and any memorabilia.

Those interested in sharing their experience should contact the La Linea council at www.quenoserepita. com

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Crunch talks GIBRALTAR’S First Minister has flown to London for urgent last minute Brexit talks.

Fabian Picardo is attending various ‘Brexit-related meetings’ to ensure that the Rock doesn’t lose any of its current independent status.

It comes after the European Commission (EC) stepped into the sensitive CAPTION high-level talks between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar’s future.

The EC is insisting that both countries speed up their negotiations with a Brexit deadline deal set for next week (October 18).

Picardo’s last trip to London saw him support Theresa May’s Chequers plan, although he has since admitted Gibraltar ‘continues to plan for no-deal’.

He is set to meet many of the government’s Brexit team, this week, as the sovereignty of the British Overseas Territory once again appears under threat.

Protect

Both Spain and the UK want to protect their citizens’ rights, with many Spaniards working in Gibraltar and many Gibraltarians owning homes and businesses in Spain.

It is hoped the situation won’t change even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on March 29.

Spanish MEP González Pon last week courted controversy when he told the European Parliament that Brexit was a chance to ‘restart bilateral negotiations on the question of the sovereignty’ of Gibraltar.

He added that the territory was a ‘stain on the European integration process.’

The Gibraltar Government labelled his speech ‘absolutely disgraceful’ and said ‘Mr Pons gives the impression of having been educated in the General Franco school of politics.’

A 2002 referendum on the British Overseas Territory confirmed that 99% of Gibraltarians wanted to remain British.

NEWS

Petition demands removal of a dozen bins at Cloister Ramp

By Yvonne Pardo

A STATIONARY shop collected over 500 signatures for a petition demanding the government remove a dozen refuse bins blocking its premises.

The containers, which have blocked the pavement next to Beacon Press for two years, are usually full of rubbish which spills out onto the road.

Shop owners and residents claim this is attracting cockroaches and rats, and causing serious health and safety risks to both visitors

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

5

Blocked

to get into the shop.

Beacon Press owner Gigi Sena has been tirelessly campaigning for these bins to be removed since they were first introduced.

“After two years waiting for something to be done my patience is wearing thin,” she told the Olive Press.

“Cloister ramp has become a rubbish tip. And as one of Gibraltar’s centre-points, we are not giving tourists a very good impression.’

DISGRACE: Bins at Cloister ramp

and local residents to Cloister Ramp.

After a new unloading bay

was introduced next door, the shop’s owner claims clients are frequently unable

No master of trickery THE leader of the opposition will not be investigated over allegations his master’s degree was falsely obtained.

The Supreme Court will not probe PP boss Pablo Casado (right) after he admitted that Madrid’s Rey Juan Carlos university waived 18 out of 22 of his regional law assignments.

While he described it as ‘favourable treatment,’ he insisted it did not amount to criminal activity.

The court agreed.

The PP party has now, in turn, called

for PSOE Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to resign over claims his doctoral thesis had been written by someone else.

Two ministers, Cristina Cifuentes and Health Minister Carmen Montón, have already resigned over degree scandals this year See Magical Masters on page 6

Popular

Cloister ramp is frequently used by both locals and visitors accessing popular areas such as Mainstreet, Casemates and Irish town.

The petition, which has only been running for a few weeks, already contains the signatures of over 500 people who are ‘fed up’ with restricted access and the odorous eyesore.

It calls for all the bins to be taken to a more suitable site on Line Wall Road.

Despite plans being approved previously by the DPC for the bins to be removed, there has still not been any indication of when this will be taking place.

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FEATURE

www.gibraltarolivepress.com The Rock’s only investigative

local newspaper

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Gibraltar Olive Press represents the local and expatriate communities working or living on the Rock with 10,000 copies distributed fortnightly.

Masters of none THERE is no question that the reputation of Madrid’s Rey Juan Carlos University has been damaged by the fake degrees scandal, but have things really changed?

Students were vocal, as they always are, about the negative press affecting their institution, striking in April, when the former Madrid premier Cristina Cifuentes was under fire over her master’s, but since then Spain’s political class seem to remain as lofty as ever.

The PP leader Pablo Casado will not face any further action it seems, despite completing a meagre 20% of his modules and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has brushed off claims that he plagiarised his thesis.

It is this sentiment, that politicians can put in zero effort with maximum reward, which is surely the main gripe of students across the country.

Sanchez and his ruling Socialist party will need to show the young electorate that they are in touch with the issues they care about.

In his four-month tenure as Prime Minister he has already felt the shockwaves of political scalpings, as Health Minister Carmen Montón joined her PSOE colleague Cifuentes in resigning, again over a dodgy master’s degree.

With Andalucia going to the polls early in December Sanchez and his Socialists need to save themselves from being master’s of their own downfall.

A fake university masters scandal is rocking Spain’s top leaders and has led to resignations and claims that two party leaders are involved, writes Lenox Napier

P

OLITICS in Spain has fallen to a new low - and the gloves are off.

Whether it’s fabrication, secret recordings or character assassination, the good old days of politicians simply syphoning off a few million euros have been overtaken by the far-more intriguing use of slander, lies and half-truths.

The goal, at least from the Partido Popular (PP) and Ciudadanos, is to see the end of the ‘Okupa’ (or the ‘Squatter’ as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is frequently referred to after he won a vote of no confidence against Mariano Rajoy’s corrupt government in June).

But this particular new sleazy chapter in Spanish political history started with the tearful resignation of a high-ranking regional president back in April.

That was Cristina Cifuentes, president of Madrid province, who was found to have fudged her Master’s degree.

Despite public outcry, not much happened as a result, since Cifuentes, being a politician, had ‘immunity’, and besides, her party, the PP, didn’t see it as anything of special importance.

Think about it This week commemorates Mental Health Day an event which carries an important message that will resonate greatly within the Gibraltarian community this year.

There has never been a louder call for improved mental health care facilities on the Rock.

Over the last year we have seen a number of tragic suicides, all of them men.

The question of how we are currently dealing with mental health issues has been raised, and the strain the current services in place are under has been revealed.

There is a flaw in the system that needs to be corrected before more vulnerable people are affected.

Publisher/ Editor

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es Elisa Menendez elisa@theolivepress.es Pablo Balbontin pablo@theolivepress.es Charlie Smith charlie@theolivepress.es Admin Beatriz Sanllehí (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

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Desposito legal 834-2017

Clarke Media Ltd. Registration number: 113878 Suite 1A, 12 Tuckey’s Lane, Gibraltar Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.

THE REAL ‘DON’: Pablo Iglesias

m

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

agical asters

CONTROVERSIAL: Madrid university is under intense scrutiny

While the debate raged, with numerous calls for her resignation, she only resigned four months later when a news site published a copy of an unrelated video showing her stealing two tubs of Olay anti-wrinkle cream from Eroski supermarket.

Cifuentes had obtained her Master’s from the University of Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), in Madrid, and it gradually became clear that she was one of a group of politicians (and, one can assume, captains of industry) who had earned themselves their titles without the formality of having properly studied for them.

The first name that came up was the man who took over the PP from Mariano Rajoy following his departure from politics in June.

Finally triumphant from an embittered congress in July, Pablo Casado took over the leadership of the PP, and he publicly made light of his improper Master’s degree from the URJC. He had immunity, as he pointed out, and his

supporters frankly didn’t care what he might have written on his resume.

Meanwhile, as the PP congratulated itself on its handsome, new leader, a man supported

by José María Aznar (and reputedly an Opus Dei member), the ruling PSOE in its minority, with just 85 seats out of 350, were indeed in choppy waters.

They began by approving the PP’s previously presented national budget for 2019 without any changes, but the PP and Ciudadanos announced that they were now fully against them and, with the PP senate majority, refused passage.

Obfuscation? Even the American Republicans would have been impressed.

Sánchez and his Socialist government are having a hard time. His enemies want his head, the media is against him, and his allies have their own agenda... even his strongest ally, the hard-to-please Pablo Iglesias and his Podemos group.

Within a couple of months of the PSOE taking

Olive Press Crossword Welcome to the Olive Press’ first ever crossword, aimed to be accessible to readers of all ages and education levels Across

Down

7 Provided with protective covering (8) 8 Speck (4) 9 Gather (5) 10 Boat race (7) 12 Type of variable electrical control (6) 13 Embarrass (5) 15 Stimulus (3) 16 Expiry (5) 18 Yield post (6) 20 Wool fat (7) 23 Crowbar (5) 25 Hardens (4) 26 Pertaining to a school (8)

1 Quivered (8) 2 Israeli intelligence agency (6) 3 Illustrative craft (3) 4 Verge (4) 5 Largest desert (6) 6 Wood (4) 11 Mischievous (4) 13 Relating to aircraft (4) 14 Sanitary (8) 17 Excite (6) 19 Scandinavian kingdom (6) 21 Second son of Adam and Eve (4) 22 Formerly Mesopotamia (4) 24 Grass (3) Answers on page 22

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FEATURE

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

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olive press online

Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website

Smash hits!

Olive Press website goes into overdrive!

OOPS: Cifuentes holds up her ‘faked’ degree before later resigning and (right) Casado admitted he didn’t complete 80% of his masters

over the running of the country this summer with its record number of female ministers ( 11 out of 17), one of them, the Minister of Health Carmen Montón, was found to have also been a recipient of the URJC’s curious policy regarding titles. And in an honourable breakaway from the example set by the PP, she quickly resigned.

Encouraged by this, the PP leader Pablo Casado attempted to show that Pedro Sánchez also had a dodgy masters (from another, rather more reputable university), and when that proved false, he tried a different tact. To claim that Sanchez had improperly copied some text – ie. plagiarised his dissertation - from another source in a book he had read..

The conservative press (and that is almost all of the daily newspaper, bar El Pais) pumped the story for all it was worth.

Then it came out that the leader of Ciudadanos, he’s called Albert Rivera, was quietly changing his own profile regarding his titles.

“I’m still studying for my Master’s,” he explained.

The only political leader who seemed safe from this witch-hunt was Pablo Iglesias, the leader of Podemos, because his other job is

a university don.

One thing she is heard to say on the recordSo he doesn’t need to acquire a masters! ing is worrying a few senior judges about their The URJC, by now looking a bit tawdry, was behaviour on a trip to Colombia in connection then found by investigative journalists (trea- with some minors they picked up there. sure them, there aren’t many left) to have The recordings – there will be others – come sold titles to 500 Italian engineers for the from an ex-police commissioner and semimodest price of €11,000 a pop. private investigator called José Manuel An internal investigation is currently under- Villarejo, who is now in jail (as an untried way at the university. prisoner where he threatens Did anyone mention the ‘to reveal all’). He puts his (rebridge that collapsed in Italy venge) material on a political this summer. The one in Gesite he is in some way tied to She suggested noa, where 43 people died? moncloa.com. that the freedom called Watch this space.

Pedro Sanchez replied to the The right-wing press is now ataccusations by saying ‘the of the media tempting to smear two other words of a corrupt person will should be PSOE ministers. First, Pedro not decide the political agenDuque, the popular Minister da’. Villarejo promises fresh regulated for Science and Innovation revelations. (he was Spain’s first astroIndeed, the pressure from naut), is accused of holding the media on the PSOE is property in a company name (while not illegal, currently so acute, Carmen Calvo, the Vicearound 20 other deputies do the same). And president (and something of a socialist disecond, Dolores Delgado, the Minister for nosaur) has suggested that the freedom of Justice, over a dinner-conversation from nine expression enjoyed by the media should be years ago which the ex-judge Baltazar Garzón regulated. described as ‘...a despicable campaign with a The PP leader Pablo Casado himself was conversation used out of context’. meanwhile threatened with a probe by the Supreme Court regarding his university distinctions, but last week that was suddenly dropped.

No surprise perhaps, with four of the five judges on the Supreme Court placed there by the last PP government.

Casado, we hear, and to the palpable relief of the conservatives, has no case to answer.

Nevertheless, and despite support from every newspaper from El País sideways, Casado is quickly slipping into a difficult position regarding his reputation among the general public.

The opinion polls – where ordinary people are asked their views – are ‘buoyant’ for the PSOE at 30%, ten points over the second runner, the PP. In all, the question becomes – can Pedro Sánchez with his minority Government continue until 2020 as he hopes... or will there be fresh elections by Christmas?

If there are, as Podemos’ Pablo Iglesias says, things won’t be much easier afterwards as the days of a single-party majority have passed.

And perhaps we should listen to him, as he’s currently the only Spanish leader with a genuine master’s degree.

CONCERNED: Questions remain over plagiarisation of Sanchez’s dissertation

IT really has been an amazing month so far for the Olive Press online.

We are consistently knocking our downmarket rivals into a hat by many times when it comes to the number of hits on our top stories.

And it’s no surprise as we leave them trailing in the wake of a string of exclusive stories, brought to you around the clock by our trained team of professional journalists… including a shooting in Estepona at 11pm, last week, and floods around Spain this week.

An incredible 14,603 people read our storm warning on Monday, while 13,478 of you read about our plea to expats for a wanted murderer and 11,468 of you read about the Estepona kidnapping.

We have an average of over 10,000 unique visitors a day and each visitor is spending over two minutes on the site and reading nearly two stories per visit.

NB...Businesses should take note of our special web/print marketing packages, that include display advertising, on and offline, as well as editorial and social media… the best way to capitalise on the biggest expat and tourist audience in Spain.

Contact sales@theolivepress.es for more information

DATES: September 25 - October 9 The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

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- Warning for storms and rain on Spain’s Costa del Sol from TOMORROW (14,603) - EXCLUSIVE: British mum pleas for expats on Spain’s Costa del Sol to help find son’s suspected murderer (13,478)

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- BREAKING: Reports of gunshots on Spain’s Costa del Sol as expats and locals locked inside restaurants while police chase suspects (11,468)

4 5

- British Agnese Klavina suspect Craig Porter arrested on Spain’s Costa del Sol (8,034) - Brutally murdered body dumped in Algeciras may be victim of last night’s kidnapping on Spain’s Costa del Sol (7,551)

Unique visitors: 195,905 Unique page views: 219,482

Updated daily The Olive Press online www.theolivepress.es

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LA CULTURA

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Glastonbury in the

Former BBC World Service writer Claire Spencer enjoys her trip to visit the Gibraltar music festival

W

HY go to festivals in the UK, get cold, wet and muddy when you can have a great festival experience with top name acts, in warm sunshine pretty much guaranteed?

That was my reaction when the chance came up to write about The Gibraltar Music Festival near the Southern tip of Spain came up.

The weekend couldn’t be more different to the weather back home in Derby, where I live.

It’s a hot sunny Friday afternoon as I’m getting my pass at the Victoria Stadium, where, amazingly a couple of years ago, the local Gibraltarian ARTIST: Suzi Quatro footy team saw off the mighty Celtic.

There’s a mouth watering lineup in National Day and the not to be missed prospect with music for all ages, with New Year’s Eve concert in Casemates big names like Stormzy, Rag and Bone Square. The sound system is superb, Man, Two Door Cinema Club, Rita Ora, and a credit to the well oiled MTV Sister Sledge and The Boomtown Rats team. with the legendary Bob Geldof.

I head to the smaller Classic Stage, The first acts on today are local where Dead City Radio are playing, and Gibraltarian bands, as well as the son get talking to local musician Adrian of the Rock’s most famous son, Albert Pisarello, who is enthusiastically Hammond Jnr, who I am really looking telling me about a Gibraltarian music forward to seeing since he went solo festival funded by Ministry of Culture from his band, The Strokes. that will be held at The Unicorn pub My appetite has been whetted as I In Camden Town in London on read a review of his November 17. recent Glasgow gig The first big band up in the newspaper on are America, who play My appetite has the plane coming over a superb set featuring been whetted as all their best known on the red eye from Gatwick a couple of songs, ending with I read a review days previously. their big hit ‘Horse Gibraltar band Sour With No Name.’ of his recent start the ball rolling Their lead singer, Glasgow gig at 4.15pm prompt Gerry Beckley with a great set on the announces that the Main Stage, and are band have been followed by another together for 48 years popular local band, Jetstream, who playing a staggering 160 shows a are often to be seen gigging around year, a fantastic feat for anyone. the Rock at special events like The best act of the night, however,

ROCKING IT: America band at Gibraltar festival must be Sister Sledge, who are on the Classic Stage at 10.45pm. Their set blew us all away, with all their hits being sung, and it seems that everyone was singing and dancing along.

Chase and Status are the last act of the evening on the Main Stage, and as the Classic Stage is cleared, we all head to see their set with a stunning light show to accompany the drum and bass. This is clearly visible, as well as perfectly audible from The Cepsa petrol station slap bang next door to the stadium. As I’m heading home, it occurs to me that here is a free drive in show for those without tickets.

It’s Saturday, another bright, warm and sunny Gibraltar day, and I’m on a mission today, as the first act on is a band called April who are headed by a very talented Gibraltarian singer by the name of Hollie Buhagiar. I had previously chatted with Hollie and the band at the Lord Nelson jam session in Casemates Square on Thursday, and so I was eager to see them.

Hollie has opted to play the first

GUITAR HERO: Andy Scott of Sweet

spot on the Main Stage as MTV are streaming it live, so despite the sparse numbers early on, she’s pretty much guaranteed a wider audience.

The Nova Twins up next are a total surprise to me, and ooze attitude and originality.

The set that follows is high energy and innovative urban punk with maybe a nod to Tom Morello, along with a dash of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers to good effect.

At 6.30pm sharp it’s glam rock time with Sweet taking to the Classic Stage. The band launch into a set which includes all their hits, and then return for an encore, which very few bands have done this weekend with such a tight schedule, playing two more songs, including their huge 1973 hit ‘Blockbuster.’

Also excellent are Bad Manners, a fun ska band in the same vein as Madness, fronted by the wonderfully named Buster Bloodvessel who has an unbelievably long tongue which he sticks out in true rude boy style.

Their set appropriately finishes with their big hit ‘Can Can.’ Everyone here is loving this, and it’s a big knees up all round.

Next up comes the soulful voice of Rag and Bone Man, before I fight my way through the crowds to get to see Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats. Bob’s wearing his trademark striped shirt and looking pretty retro with some cool flares with metallic buttons down the legs. The band play a set which includes some of their earlier, more punky numbers as well as pretty much all of The Boomtown Rats big hits.

I manage to catch the fabulous Rita Ora on the Main Stage before heading back to catch the Classic Stage’s headline act, Suzi Quatro, with some classic songs including Can The Can, 48 Crash, and Devil Gate Drive.

Last up for the night is Stormzy, who engages with his fans and plays for well over an hour, but before he goes, as a farewell to the faithful, he gets into the security pit and touches hands with those that can reach him. Come Monday, I’m passing by the stadium, and amazingly all trace of the festival has disappeared, with sports taking place as if nothing had ever happened. I look forward to next y e a r ’ s Gibraltar Calling festival.

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Kraut Rock

Christian Hook’s latest collection inspired by the Far East goes on display in London NICE JUGS: At San Roque festival

Decade brewing THE Oktoberfest festival at Bar Allioli, in Jimera de Libar, will kick off this Saturday.

Music is planned from 1pm until 11pm and there are three bands playing at the unique hangout by the train station in the pretty mountain town, near Ronda.

Sticky and the Poorboys who played the first festival are reforming especially for this event.

Meanwhile, getting everyone up dancing will be Mitad Doble from Malaga, playing ska, reggae and rumbas, while the Coven from Algeciras will play an hour of Beatles songs and other rock classics.

Between the bands Jochen Janz will be getting everyone into Oktoberfest mood with typical German beer songs while catering company Dianez will be making sure nobody goes hungry.

Bottled

Bar Allioli, owned by British expat Paul Darwent and wife Synnove, will be running the bar and there will be at least five draught beers.

On top of this there will be more than 30 different bottled beers available.

Bar Allioli specialises in international beers and in the bar is a small museum with a collection of 600 bottled beers.

It always has a big selection available.

On the Sunday there is the Hangover Party, with a sausage BBQ and more music.

The Jake Levinson band are starting their tour of Spain here and closing the afternoon is local band Equis.

The festival attracts people from all over and especially from San Roque and Algeciras as you can arrive on the train and get back easily later.

Manilva town hall also organises a bus excursion.

Further details from Allioli@ usa.net or 606 692 753

AN exhibition showcasing the results of an artist exchange programme between Berlin and Gibraltar is being held this week at the John Mackintosh Hall.

The exhibition sees the work of local artist, Naomi Martinez, following her residency at Berlin’s Lichtenberg studios, alongside creations by Berlin-based artist, Karen Koltermann, who has spent time on the Rock.

The exchange programme was launched by the government two years ago as part of a cultural development initiative.

By Yvonne Pardo

HE has been described by the art world as a ‘visionary’ and after several months traveling around the world, spending much time in the Far East, the results of Christian Hook’s travels can be enjoyed at a brand new exhibition taking place in London this month.

The Ki Collection shows off a series of stunning works, mostly figurative and featuring some beautiful paintings of Japanese geishas.

The highly-anticipated exhibition by Gibraltar’s most successful living artist is taking place at the Clarendon Fine Art Gallery, in Mayfair, until October 27.

Popular

The winner of the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of 2014 is in popular demand these days and his paintings sell for tens of thousands of pounds.

His fans include actors Sir Ian McKellen and Kristin Scott Thomas and his works are a far cry from the sterile boardroom portrait we are all familiar with.

By deconstructing and then reconstructing his subjects in consecutive layers, be it a kite picked up during his travels in India or an A-list celebrity, Christian conveys an intima-

Exposure STUNNING: Works by Gibraltar artist Hook (inset) on show in London

Geisha go! cy and lightness in his work that make his paintings come alive.

Although describing this last year as ‘surreal’, the artist always credits Gibraltar with keeping him grounded.

“He was just in his studio in Gib last week finishing off some of his paintings” a friend attending the opening

BEAUTIFUL: Geisha painting

Mind over matter

Popular spiritual festival back on the coast THE popular Mind Body & Spirit Festival returns to Estepona this month, offering visitors a chance to raise their vibration frequency, explore their spirituality and even contact the ‘other side’.

Jennifer Mackenzie and Lee and Paul Petulengro are among the top international mediums and healers who will be setting out their stalls at the H10 Andalucia Plaza Hotel from October 27 to 28.

Among this year’s novelties, you can get hypnotised, pick up tips on how to talk to your pet from

an animal communicator, have a psychic reading, enjoy a holistic body massage and taste healing kangen water - a cutting-edge Japanese technology that transforms tap water into alkaline, ionised hydrogen-enriched medicine.

Empowering spiritual talks, alternative therapy demonstrations and stands selling everything from crystal jewellery to natural health and beauty prodvucts are other attractions.

The expo is open on both days from 11am to 8pm. Admission €10.

For more info contact Jacinta + (34) 670628468 www.mindbodyspiritmarbella.com • www.kangenrunningwater.com

this week in London, told the Olive Press.

If this exhibition is anything like last years, queues are ex-

pected to line up outside the gallery as art lovers flock from all over the world to witness his new creations.

THE Gibraltar Photographic Society is kicking off an exciting new season of events this month as well as a comprehensive series of meetings and competitions planned for the year ahead.

All events are held at the society’s premises in Wellington Front, which this month include a You Are the Judge exercise, as well as a digital screening competition entitled, Beautiful World.

For more information on this and any of their upcoming events please contact the Gibraltar Photographic Society’s facebook page.

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Launching a brand new book section this issue, Alicia Duggan, reviews a new tome on the world’s most dangerous man… and a great cooking book to help you learn Spanish!

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward Bob Woodward has shared in two Pulitzer prizes for his reporting on the Watergate scandal and his coverage of the 9/11 attacks and has spent over 30 years reporting on the American Presidency with impartiality.

Drawing from hundreds of hours of interviews with first hand participants, official documents, personal diaries and his own interviews, Woodward has put together an impeccably researched, unbiased, unflattering and shocking fly on the wall account of a White House in chaos.

Donald Trump is undoubtedly the most divisive President in the history of the USA. This book follows his campaign trail and election and deals with the major scandals and policy decisions surrounding his first year in office.

What we see is a dishonest and disloyal man of immense privilege with a complete lack of understanding of politics, economics and international relations.

It shows a man who frequently berates his staff and how his impulsive decisions can have a far-reaching impact on domestic and global issues.

It also shows how his team in turn protect him and the country by attempting to manage him with platitudes, hiding executive order documents and memos to prevent serious international and domestic situations from arising.

This is a fascinating and informative read for anyone looking to find out more about Trump or American politics in general. €25.90, From The Bookshop San Pedro - www.thebookshop.es

• Let’s Cook Spanish, A Family Cookbook by Gabriela Llamas PACKED with authentic recipes, Let’s Cook Spanish is a bilingual cookbook for all the family to enjoy together.

The pages on the left are in English and on the right, you have the same recipe in Spanish. Each recipe includes an interesting piece of trivia about the key ingredients or the provenance of the dish and the recipes themselves are easy to follow and super tasty when completed! From tapas to main courses and to desserts this is a great introduction to Spanish cuisine and an easy way to improve your Spanish while having some family fun in the kitchen.

Our favourite recipes are Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Omelet), Pimientos de Piquillo Rellenos (Cheese-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers) and Tarta de Santiago (Santiago Almond Cake). Buen provecho! €18.90, From The Bookshop San Pedro - www.thebookshop.es

PURE GARBAGE: Ocean waste turned into art

Trashy art Mandy Barker’s pictures look like rubbish - and they are!

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BRITISH photographer has brought her thought-provoking photo exhibition on the damage of plastics to Spain.

Mandy Barker’s SOUP looks like a colourful collection of abstract art. In reality, it’s all created from shots of rubbish she picked up from seas and beaches around the world - from Hull in the UK to the Canary Islands and as far as Japan.

“The objective of my work is to

create a visually attractive image that at first captures the viewer’s gaze and then surprises them with the caption and the data of what the work represents,” explains Barker.

“The contradiction between beauty and sobering facts makes people wonder how and why their packaging of food, computer or shoes ended up in the middle of the ocean.”

The exhibition is running until October 21 in La Coruña.

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FERIA FUN: San Pedro’s annual carnival is the last of the season

AN Pedro de Alcantara is dressed for all kinds of success, and I don’t mean flamenco costumes (although look out for them if you’re down that way in mid-October. The San Pedro fair famously closes the feria season on the Costa del Sol).

Like this season’s debutantes, Marbella’s ‘kid sister’ has come out in style, stepping from under her sibling’s shadow into the limelight with glitzy attractions, gourmet eateries and resident celebs all of her own.

In my 16 years of having a home here, I have never seen the place go through so many transformations.

For a couple of years now, where snarled lines of traffic once backed up along the coast road, a striking urban boulevard sprouting trendy pavement cafes like NAO and Ambrosia has reclaimed the once maligned area.

With a new skating rink, a skate park and a hat trick of new children’s play parks, the seaside town is unrecognisable from a few years before.

And it is still in transformation, investing

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

As San Pedro gears up to see Andalucia’s feria season out with a bang, Laurence Dollimore discovers a town that can throw a party to easily match Marbella

more than €2 million in reinventing its town centre, with semi-pedestrianised zones between the boulevard and its commercial heart.

This expat favourite, which continues to offer one of the most authentic Spanishpueblo vibes on the Costa del Sol, is also getting a new museum dedicated to the artist Vicente de Espona.

And perhaps more fortune will come its way after its main political party, Opción Sampedreña (OSP) helped bring back former Marbella Mayor Angeles Munoz in a

SNAKING ABOVE: San Pedro’s stylish boulevard

Continues over

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From previous page

dramatic vote of confidence at the town hall this summer.

There are also rumours that former UK premier Tony Blair has bought a holiday home in the town’s exclusive Guadalmina urbanisation.

And he wouldn’t be the first world leader to set up shop here, with ex-Spanish premier Jose Maria Aznar among them.

Meanwhile, the head-turning footbridge with its serpentine coils, is doing for San Pedro what the Golden Gate did for San Francisco and the Guggenheim for Bilbao - okay, on a slightly smaller scale.

And although very much part of the municipality of Marbella, San Pedro has forged its own shiny new identity that’s quite separate, yet complementary to, its jet-setting neighbour.

Just 10km west of Marbs, it has been reborn over the last decade as a modernised microcosm of Spain.

But some things have never changed in all the years I have been visiting the town, named after 16th century Franciscan friar, St Peter of Alcantara.

The evenings still see veteran San Pedranos gather on shaded benches around St Peter’s statue, outside the parish church; the traditional Saturday market remains a weekly highlight; and the pavement cafes and ice cream parlours are heaving on Sunday nights in summer, when Spanish families enjoy their ritual paseo along the prom.

What has kept San Pedro special has been its ability to hang on to its Spanish persona in the face of massive investment from Marbella Town Hall - nearly €100 million, including the tunnel below.

It must have felt like winning the lottery jackpot but San Pedro has spent the money wisely.

The central boulevard, crowned by its snaking pedestrian bridge, has turned the town from an also-ran suburb into a

QUAINT: San Pedro’s main church and (right) Saint Peter himself

flag, the worldwide standard of excellence, while chic chiringuitos like Macaao and Guayaba are hotspots for the cool and hip.

The once-barren wasteland between the boulevard and the ocean now sports shops, restaurants, residential communities and world class amenities like Nueva Alcantara paddle and tennis club, which hosts regular international tournaments.

The beachfront also reveals clues to the presence of less-recent visitors – a 3rd century Roman baths and a 16th century watchtower looking out over the panorama of sun worshippers and jet skiers.

While, set back from the waterfront action, you’ll also find relics of the 6th century Paleo-Christian burial site, Vega de Mar, excavated in the 1930s.

A new road network has also made San Pedro more accessible to visitors and local chefs have cooked up an exciting dining scene in response.

Just behind the boulevard, Alfredo’s traditional Spanish fare is always in big demand while next door La Bodega del Cantinero offers an exciting foodie fusion featuring foie gras with apple and honey, 19th century farming days. tuna tataki with wasabi mayonnaise and And if anything is a reminder of those shelves of vintage sherries. rustic origins, it’s San Pedro’s resident Further additions like L’impronta, La Buepig! On any given Sunday this sociable na Vida and Restaurant 1870, where you creature and town mascot can be seen can enjoy spider crab gazpacho in a scestrolling around its new neighbourhood, nic garden setting, have made San Pedro uttering contented grunts of approval. a key dining reference.

Army General Don Marquez Manuel Guti- And there’s more. San Pedro has its own errez de la Concha founded the farming leafy satellite suburb in the shape of colony in the 1860’s when he acquired Guadalmina (Baja and Alta), just west of nearly 5,000 acres of agricultural land the town centre. across Marbella, Benahavis and Este- This exclusive neighbourhood – a kind pona. of western golden mile - boasts multiBut with malaria scything through the million euro mansions galore. local populace and poor irrigation, the Guadalmina Baja is home to ex-Spanish Marques introduced a series of innova- Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who is tive reforms, including an agricultural often seen jogging along the tree-lined school for local farm workers, river bridg- avenues, flanked by four burly bodyes, dams and state-of-the-art machinery. guards.

Workers soon flocked from Valencia, Guadalmina Alta, on the opposite side of Murcia, Granada and the A7, has an 18-hole Almeria, and San Pedro course and the coast’s grew into a sizeable muonly cable ski lake which You can walk to thrill-seekers can circuit nicipality.

A statue of Gutierrez now water skis or a wakethe beach, cycle on stands next to the old board. town, keeping paternalisto Marbella and “I adore it here, you feel tic vigil over his creation. like you are in the real there are great Spain,” raves 39-yearAlthough development slowed during the early old Guadalmina newplaces to eat 20th century when Spain comer and artist Debbie was ravaged by civil war, Lush. “You are so close the town bounced back to Marbella and Esteduring the late 1940s and 50s, with pona but without the madness and busistreet lighting and a main road. But San ness of Puerto Banus, it’s perfect.

Pedro has never seen the rampant over- “You can walk to the beach, cycle to Mardevelopment of other costa resorts. bella and there are so many good places Central to its evolution has been its bus- to eat, you have everything on your doortling beach promenade that links seam- step,” she adds. lessly to Banus and Marbella, putting the Like most locals, these days, she’s town on the map for cyclists, joggers and proud to tell anyone who asks that, no, walkers. she’s not Marbelli - she’s ‘Sanpedrano, Its beaches fly the prestigious blue actually’.

SAN PEDRO, ACTUALLY spanking new social hub where whole timed to celebrate St Peter’s feast day on families come to skate on the all-weath- October 18. er artificial ice rink and enjoy the regular Other welcome upgrades have included food truck festivals. the €85 million tunnel diverting dangerOffice workers make a ous high-speed traffic beeline for its congenial below the town centre, cocktail bars on Friday and a much-needed unThe beachfront nights. derground car park. reveals clues of “San Pedro really does The bridge may be more Gehry’s Guggenit all,” says Sean ancient visitors have heim than typical AnWoolley, 47, CEO of dalus but it has forged Cloud Nine Properties, - a 3rd century strong new connections who has run his comRoman baths... with visitors who used pany from town for 15 to think Marbs ended at years.

Puerto Banus.

“The new boulevard and The €6 million boulevard it meanders urban park have become a magnet for over boasts an amphitheatre and is now new restaurants and bars and it has crethe official site of the town’s four-day ated a place that now offers something feria, the last of the year in Andalucia, for everyone,” he says proudly.

“There is this charm and tradition of a typical Spanish town fused with trendy and cosmopolitan additions, from organic cafes to lively wine bars.

When you couple this with its sandy beaches and fabulous promenade, San Pedro is pretty much perfect.”

Beneath the glitzy exterior, San Pedranos are as friendly and unassuming as they were in their

GET YOUR KICKS: Down at the cable ski

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Culinary hive San Pedro has a great mix of restaurants, with new ones opening every month, writes Jon Clarke

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T’S the fastest-growing culinary scene on the Costa del Sol. Blink and you will miss the opening of a new restaurant on or near the celebrated Boulevard.

The knives have been drawn in a turf war between literally dozens of new restaurants that have opened since the celebrated urban project was finished three years ago.

Everything from Swedish to Argentinian and Japanese to French... most nations are represented in this pavement tussle, which is good for the end user.

“It’s been an exciting first year for us,” explains Pablo Castillo, 41, who opened his exciting Savor restaurant last year.

“There is a lot happening in San Pedro and it’s perhaps no surprise being so close to Marbella,” he continues.

His new spot is part of what is fast becoming known as ‘Restaurant Row’ among those-in-theknow in the town.

It was here, in Calle Andalucia, after all, that Alfredo opened his famous same-name restaurant in the heart of San Pedro well over three decades ago.

His neighbour Pub Charles has been around for nearly 40 years too, while, the excellent La Bodega del Cantinero is well over a decade.

The newest arrival is Hustle N Flow, an original and healthy concept, which opened a couple of months ago at the other end.

Restaurante Alfredo is the most remarkable of the places to eat here.

And not just for its excellent food, which is traditional Andalucian, with some amazing tapas, such as mushrooms when in season, but for the fact it stays open for a near-record 364 days a year, only shutting on New Year’s Day. It is also a great place to find a buzz on an ordinary weekday and a more Spanish joint you cannot find, with its stuffed bull's heads (and plenty more) hanging from the walls.

A true family affair, only its chef Ivan is an outsider and he’s been knocking around for over 20 years. Father Alfredo and his sons and daughter offer a great mix of meat and fish and plenty of seasonal fare to boot.

Oh, and there is a great shady terrace outside ideal for business lunches, while inside for winter is rarely anything but packed.

Next door you should also try out La Bodega

DYNAMO: Alberto pours sherry the proper way

SLICK: New pizzeria Snackchats de Cantinero, run by friendly superhost Alberto, who has been working in restaurants since he was 14.

This is THE spot for lovers of sherry and he has hundreds of them and many going into the hundreds of euros, including a 1946 Pedro Ximenez and a 40-year-old Amontillado from Azuleta.

It also has an excellent wine list and the food is also excellent and varied and there are always plenty of specials, including one of the best ajo blancos I have tried on the coast.

Best of all though - in fact maybe the winning dish in San Pedro - was the amazing tartaki of bluefin tuna, with a wakame salad, egg roe ‘tobiko’ and mayonnaise wasabi. In a word; perfect.

It is no surprise that last year the restaurant won a national ‘gold award’ from Radio Turismo and he continues to go from strength to strength.

Newcomer Savor is the most exciting place to try, thanks to its chef Pablo (see side bar), who has not only worked with some of Spain’s best chefs, including Ramon Freixa, but did five years, as executive chef for the Melia hotel group in Cuba.

He mixes a superb range of local Andalucian dishes, with national Spanish as well as a fusion of Latin America, particularly Cuban.

I particularly liked his taco of ‘ropa viejo’ (literally ‘old clothes’), which was shredded beef with guacamole and onion… a total winner, which coincidentally won a prize as best tapa on the Costa del Sol this year.

But he impressed with a number of different dishes, such as his clever handling of bluefin tuna, impressively served with gherkins and a wakame salad, as well as a turbot, which came with a very original ‘three textures of broccoli’.

His creamy croquettes of Jabugo ham literally explode in the mouth!

Elsewhere, stalwart Passion Cafe continues to impress (and stay phenomenally busy) after nearly 20 years in business, while its sister joint, the excellent Mr Gourmet Burger makes, now open for three years, makes impressive strides.

This is THE go-to burger joint in the Marbella area (in fact the Western Costa del Sol) and counts on 100% beef burgers, halal too, while kids are encouraged to make their own 'Junior G' burgers in 'four easy steps'.

And now there is another new eatery, almost next door on the Boulevard, a pizza joint called Snack Chats.

Bright and cheery, it does exactly what it says on the tin with a superb range of pizzas - over two dozen to be exact - and with some excellent starters, the garlic mushrooms a good pick.

There are also set to be plenty of specials through the autumn, as the menu continues to develop.

Just up the road another incredibly busy place is Hogan Stand.

This popular Irish pub and res-

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ICONIC: Alfredos while (right) chef Ivan taurant, named after the famous Gaelic football stand at Croke Park, is always busy..

As well as having its typical bar snacks it also has a good mix of quality dishes, including rack of lamb and fish, and you dine on a nice terrace at the front.

And then there is the Gym Junkie Cafe, one of Spain's first protein eateries, serving up vitamin-stacked meals ideal before or after a workout.

The cafe’s mouthwatering menu includes grass-fed beef,

protein pancakes and an omelette bar - complete with seaweed, broccoli and tuna omelettes.

To sum up San Pedro, manager of Hogan Stand Ross Duggan explains: “San Pedro has completely changed over the last few years. It has a completely different atmosphere and all the scruffy builders and fraudsters we once had have well and truly moved on.

“Now we can concentrate on quality.”

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BUSINESS

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Primera compensation rush

PRIMERA Air has officially ceased trading.

It means hundreds of flights have been cancelled now and in the future – but can you claim compensation?

First of all, don’t waste your time trying to use the contact section of the Primera Air website, that is no longer of use.

As the Danish airline confirmed: “Kindly understand that the usual options for contacts (via email or phone) can not be offered any longer.”

The bust airline will obviously not be in a position to be handing out refunds, so everything depends on how you booked the flight

and whether or not you bought insurance.

If you bought your Primera Air ticket via an airline ticket agent then contact them ASAP as there may have been insurance included.

If you have a UK credit card then get in touch with your provider as they will be jointly liable thanks to Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. You may be protected if you used PayPal due to its Buyer Protection Scheme, contact them for more info.

Travel insurance might also cover you for airline failures, consult your policy.

TAKE DOWN: Airline goes bust

off the rails Electric surge A NEW Ipsos Mori survey reveals 40% of Europeans will opt for an electric car next time round - with the Spanish and Italians in the driving seat.

Of the 4,500 European citizens polled, seven per cent admitted it was ‘very likely’ they would flip the switch to electric, while 33 per cent said it was ‘somewhat likely’ they would go for a plug-in version.

At 48 per cent, the Spanish and Italians are most likely to buy or rent an electric car as their next vehicle, but only 26 per cent of respondents in Great Britain said the same thing.

Models

Motorists from Poland, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France and Hungary were also included in the survey, conducted for the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E).

Greg Archer, T&E’s clean vehicles director, said: “Europeans are open to buying electric cars, but carmakers aren’t doing enough to offer attractive, affordable electric models.

“This is the single biggest obstacle to a faster shift to electric mobility.

“Citizens want carmakers to do more and governments should set ambitious CO2 standards to ensure they do so.”

Cadiz company brings Elon Musk’s Hyperloop dream closer to reality AN Andalucian firm has built the first passenger capsule for the highly-anticipated Hyperloop rapid transport system.

Airtificial, based in Cadiz, reached the global milestone in a project with Californiabased Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, and believes it will create wealth across Spain.

The first full-sized 40-seater pod, designed to propel passengers through large tubes at a speed of 1,200km/hr, was unveiled at the company’s plant in El Puerto de Santa Maria.

Said Airtificial cofounder Rafael Contreras: “They told you about a historic train, but what I want to emphasise is that we are making history.

“We are from the south of Spain. I call Cádiz Kilometer Zero and, from here, we have become global.”

Javier Moreno, responsible for design, is convinced the rapid transport project will generate great wealth in the region.

“When we were shown the drawing, we raised our hands to our heads. We received a wonderful sketch that we had to make reality and we had to think about everything - rivets, raw materials, problems with the assembly ... more than an Airbus,” he said, “ We

Tourist downturn SPAIN’S visitor figures fell by 1.9% in August.

It was the second monthly drop in a row following five years of recordbreaking growth.

It comes as rivals like Turkey and north Africa are enjoying a resurgence in holiday bookings.

First

TUBEWAY BOUND: The new passenger pod have created wealth with this project.”

The next step is to integrate the capsule into an entire Hyperloop technological system.

The company is already developing a second shuttle for a network project in Abu Dhabi.

“It will be ready by 2019,” the company said.

Race

Hyperloop stems from an idea by Elon Musk, the former president of Tesla and founder of PayPal, together with SpaceX and Tesla Motors.

There are several other consortiums in the race to make the idea a reality.

One is Californian company Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which employs more than 800 professionals from 38 different countries within a project whose investment exceeds €100 million.

Another is Virgin Hyperloop

Spain’s the ticket RYANAIR has announced a record 36 new routes between Spain and Europe.

The new connections will be in place for next summer with the majority operating between Spain and the UK. There are 11 new routes to and from Great Britain, including Malaga to London Southend, London Exeter and Luton and Sevilla to Edinburgh and Bristol.

In total, the budget airline will offer more than 600 routes between Spain and Europe, transporting 48.3 million passengers annually and increasing its traffic by 3%.

One, which recently signed an agreement with Adif to build an innovation centre in Bo-

badilla, Antequera, to investigate the possibilities of the Hyperloop.

It is the first time August registered a decline in tourist numbers since 2009, according to official data.

The number of tourists visiting Spain in the first eight months of 2018 fell by 0.1% to a total of 57.3 million.

Our courtesy Does your insurance company guarantee a courtesy car after a bump?

IF your vehicle is involved in an accident and has to go in for repairs, the last thing you need to worry about is organising alternative transport while your car is off the road.

Fully comprehensive car insurance with Línea Directa guarantees a free courtesy car after an accident, for an unlimited period of time, until your car is back on the road.

To qualify, policyholders need to take out additional Replacement Car Cover and ensure that the vehicle is repaired in one of their approved national network of authorised repairers.

Audi This includes free pick-up and drop-off of the vehicle and they guarantee original manufacturer replacement parts.

With a fleet of nearly 1,000 Audi A1 courtesy cars, Línea Directa is already helping to keep its customers on the move. Following a claim, here is what one customer has said about this new and enhanced service: “I am very impressed with Linea Directa in this instance.

“They have since updated their courtesy car, I noticed. The car that was allocated to me in this instance is an Audi A1, with Línea Directa livery displayed on the doors.

“The car, I think, had done only 350 kms, so was brand new!

“Thank you and the company for your help and understanding in this matter.”

If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 282 or visit www.lineadirecta.com.

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AGONY ANT

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

Rental threat Spanish short-term rentals to be scrutinized by Communities of Owners

THE Spanish government wants to give neighbours vetting powers over short-term rental apartments. If the proposed law changes are finally passed, the quorum required in Communities of Owners general meetings to prohibit holiday rental activities will be reduced substantially.

Currently, the required quorum to vet short-term or touristic lets is unanimity; this wants to be changed for a minimum of 3/5 of the voting rights.

The law also wants to define what is a ‘season or holiday let’ as opposed to a ‘shortterm or touristic let’.

Some of the proponents want to establish a minimum of 45 days for a rental contract to be classified as a holiday let, below

which they will be classified as short-term rentals.

Such law change could deeply impact property investment trends by creating clearly segregated short-term rental buildings or areas, separate from those neighbourhoods that choose to stick to exclusive residential use (by banning letting use).

Real estate agencies selecting properties for clients, and lawyers acting for them in the conveyancing process, would have to ensure what the specifications of each neighbourhood are in respect to potential statutory prohibitions to do short-term rentals.

We are eagerly awaiting further news on this proposed law change.

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October 10th - October 23rd 2018

New Costa del Sol projects are attempting to appeal to the super rich MALAGA is getting a huge new marina for megayachts of the super rich.

Bidding has been opened for the space at the Marques de Guadiaro dock in the city’s port With the maximum bid set at €9.5 million, interest investors have three months to make their offers before a winner is announced in February.

The new marina will accommodate a maximum of 40 vessels, from 30 to 100 metres in length, and will cover 41,484sqm of water and 4,830sqm of land.

There will also be a 770-metre pier.

Glamour

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com

The ONE regular in-depth Property Magazine YOU CAN’T afford to MISS

Now three years old and with all the top property players, including Panorama, Holmes, Taylor Wimpey, Winkworth and Engels & Volkers

It comes after it was announced that the famous Four Seasons hotel is coming to Marbella in a bid to bring ‘more glamour’ and battle the area’s seasonality.

The luxury hotel has a budget of €650 million and will be built on the beach front with the first brick having being laid on October 5.

It has been described by sources as a ‘huge project’ which will bring back some ‘glamour’ to the tourism hotspot after a rise in loutish behaviour from boozed

COMING SOON: Megayachts to new Malaga port

Luxury appeal up tourists in the summer months has tarnished once upmarket areas like Puerto Banus.

The land is owned by Villa Padierna Hotels & Resorts and occupies 700 metres of beach.

The laying of the first brick was attended by the who’s who of business and politics in Andalucia.

Junta president Susana Diaz, Four Seasons CEO J. Allen Smith and Marbella mayor Angeles Munoz were all be among the guests.

The luxury hotel is the brainchild of architect Richard Meier and has been de-

Contact admin@theolivepress.es or call 951 273 575 for more information

scribed by those involved in the project as ‘a marvel’.

Much like its Miami and Dubai counterparts, the complex will include private residences as well as hotel rooms.

It is hoped it will kickstart a ‘new era’ in luxury tourism in Marbella.

Ricardo Arranz, President of Villa Padierna, which is a partner of the project, said: “Marbella and Madrid need the glamour that these types of brands give.”

The Four Seasons will be the first in Spain, opening its doors by the beginning of 2019.

Going native

What registering as a resident in Spain means for your taxes

I

SSUES surrounding residency and taxation are important to any overseas buyer purchasing a property in Spain.

Ultimately you want to avoid dreaded Double Taxation (CDI) and maximise the use of the treaties between Spain and other countries to reduce your tax burden.

The first important point to note is that even if you don’t register as a resident in Spain, you will still be considered one for tax purposes if you spend more than 183 days of each year in the country. These don’t have to be consecutive, they simply have to add up to that number in total over a 12-month period.

If you don’t want to be taxed by Spain, you will have to prove tax residency in another country and if you reside in a tax haven, the Spanish tax authorities will want proof of that as well.

You’ll also be considered a tax resident if you have an economic link with the country.

This is defined thus: ‘That the main core or base of his/her activities or economic interests are directly or indirectly located in Spain.’

There is also a presumption that you are tax resident in Spain if you have a spouse and children living in the country, even if you don’t live with them. However, if you are legally separated this rule does not apply.

Double taxation complications There are however, some exceptional situations where two countries may both consider a person to be tax resident. To resolve

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

BUSINESS

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

this, you will need to have a tax lawyer examine the Double Taxation (CDI) treaty between Spain and the other country in question to determine where you stand. Article 4 of these treaties is where the relevant information is usually found.

Consequences of being a Spanish tax resident If you are a Spanish tax resident, this is what you can expect: •

You will pay personal income tax (IRPF) on your worldwide income

•

The Spanish tax authorities have to be informed about any immovable assets you own inside and outside Spain

•

Your tax declaration has to be made by 31st December in Spain and must include all assets and finances worldwide

•

With regard to the first point, the legal wording states, ‘This is without prejudice to what is stated at the CDI signed between Spain and country where the taxpayer obtains the income’.

It is a complex situation that requires expert advice, especially for those with assets, businesses or bank accounts in several countries. When seeking advice, make sure you choose a reputable and experienced tax advisor.

Terra Meridiana, 77 Calle Caridad, 29680 Estepona Tel: +34 951 318480 • Office Mob: +34 678 452109 • Email: info@terrameridiana.com • Website: www.terrameridiana.com

PROPERTY

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Historic victory against timeshare as British CARfirm couple win hundreds of thousands of euros in damages EXCLUSIVE

By Laurence Dollimore

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Historic

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Time’s up

Crane crazy

Who provides you with a courtesy car Sharon Johnson, of MalagaCONCRETE CRISIS: Costa Brava under threat M1 Legal, acting for for up based to 35 days in case of an accident? the Sewell-Rutters, told the ONE of Spain’s last unspoilt Mediterranean coves is under

A BRITISH couple have won one of the biggest ever victories against a timeshare company in Spain thanks to a local law firm.

The Sewell-Rutters, from Southampton, won €365,000 against La Pinta Beach Club in Tenerife after having to remortgage their home in the UK and losing most of their life savings thanks to dodgy contracts.

The historic victory came after the judge ruled that the contracts should be deemed null and void due to perpetuity.

Under Spanish Timeshare Law timeshare weeks sold after January 5 1999 cannot be in perpetuity and not for more than 50 years.

The Sewell-Rutters said:

17

Olive Press: “As far as we are aware, this is the largest timeshare victory ever achieved.

“M1 made this possible due to the continuous dedication and commitment supporting this case.”

M1 Legal provides legal services to support European Consumer Claims (ECC) who have been subject to mis-selling and subsequent breach of statutory duties by the resort in relation to holiday ownership products and services sold transnationally.

These include floating week timeshares; points based timeshare products; holiday clubs and fractional ownerships.

threat from a new building frenzy.

Environmentalists are growing concerned for the Costa Brava after several projects which were halted in 2008 have been resumed.

According to SOS Costa Brava, some 20 projects are underway along the 160 km coastline.

HOME sales in Spain rose by Among them is a 26018% year-on-year in July, new home residential develfigures have revealed. opment at Aiguafreda According to the National Inwhich had been stalled stitute of Statistics, sales were for 15 years due to buup in every province apart reaucratic hold-ups, from Las Palmas in the Canardivisions among invesies. tors and the economic New home sales were up 5% crisis, sparked by the to 7,105 and resales were up implosion of a decade19% to 38,120, both returning long property bubble to a growth trend in evidence “There is a renaissance since the spring of 2017, havin construction,” said ing paused for breath in June.

Pilar Marcos, of GreenAndalucia saw a 21% bump in peace, “We are falling sales, 3% higher than the nainto the same trap.” tional average.

The group has urged The highest growth was in Terthe PSOE government uel, with a 44% increase, while to adopt stricter laws Las Palmas in the Canaries saw against building on the a 3% drop in sales. coast.

Looking good

We do, even when your car breaks down.

TIME TO CELEBRATE: The Sewell-Rutters

“We have had timeshare weeks with La Pinta for over 10 years and every year we went there, we were approached by the resales department, pressuring us to buy additional timeshares which they promised to sell at a profit.

“They put so much pressure

on us each time to make us part with our money, that we felt quite exhausted and gave in.

“As a result we lost most of our savings, having to remortgage our house and take out a bank loan. In the end we had lost a considerable amount of money.”

For any other timeshare enquiries contact Sharon Johnson at sharon@m1legal.com.

Peace of mind Our house, our refuge, our castle ... In short, our home

N

everyone knows that taking out a home policy is 342 25 49OT not mandatory except when the house is mortgaged.

That is the only situation that requires a person to have a policy that protects their home in Spain. However, it is worth saying that, although it is not mandatory, it is advisable and necessary to be prepared for any eventuality. Our home is our most precious asset and if we want to avoid surprises and unforeseen events, it is important to get an insurance that gives us the peace of mind knowing that whatever happens in our home there will be someone who is responsible for solving it.

The first thing you should know is that you do not have to contract your home insurance with the entity that is granting you the mortgage but you can compare prices in the market

and hire the product that provides the coverage that best suits your needs.

Until a couple of years ago, banking entities could condition their mortgage lending with an "obligation" to contract some linked products, such as the Home insurance. But now, with the approval by the European Parliament of the Mortgage Credit Directive, banks are prohibited by law from linking a mortgage to the purchase of insurance.Your insurance company might include a clause in your policy registering your lending bank as mortgage beneficiary, to cope with the request of the bank.

Then, the key question is, what is the best insurance for my house? In this article we give you the keys so that you can make the best decision when taking out your home policy insurance.

Special features

The Expats’ No.1 Choice

Besides worrying about the Building and the Contents, there are other very interesting and useful covers to consider that not all insurance companies offer. Liberty Seguros is offering among others the following great covers:

Visit your agent or go to www.libertyexpatriates.es • Up to 1000€ compensation for the additional water

70 x 256mm

18 July

The value of the Building

There are two criteria to assess a home insurance policy: the building and Contents. The ‘Building’ section of your policy refers to the costs of rebuilding your home, not to the market value or the cadastral value. However, it is of key importance to declare the whole size of the property, according to the cadastral property details.

The value of the Contents

The ‘Contents’ section of your policy refers to economic valuation of all the household goods: furniture, including kitchen furniture,electronic devices, musical instruments, jewelry or other objects of special value. Check that the imputed valued of the content can cover the value of all those things.

Although in many cases the sentimental value is higher than the economic one, the best advice is to add all the important items in the content to secure them.

• • • • • •

consumption costs due to water leakage when you take out their premium home policy.

An unrivalled DIY Service, to avoid the hassle of assembling packed furniture, fitting curtain poles, hanging pictures, etc.

Damage to your garden furniture, even it has been damaged by adverse weather conditions.

Your goods will be insured on a "value as new basis".

Legal defence, claims for damages and IT assistance service.

Home assistance, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with just a simple and FREE telephone call on 900 243 657, in English or German.

A return ticket to your home in Spain if you are abroad in your home country should an unforeseen claim happen.

Apart from all these advantages, Liberty Seguros has an extensive network of over 300 brokers and agents that are dedicated to providing unbiased, friendly and expert advice, because every home is different and such an important decision deserves a face to face chat with a professional insurance advisor, in your own language, to discuss the most suitable cover for your home in the sun.

With insurance, not only for home, but also car, life, pet, business, commercial, leisure, public liability and personal injury, Liberty Seguros is considered by far, the expat’s number one choice in Spain today. To find out more visit www. libertyexpatriates.es or simply call 91 342 25 49.

For more information about Liberty Seguros, please visit www.libertyexpatriates.es or simply call 91 342 25 49.

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18

PROPERTY

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

You don’t dictate!

Franco granddaughter under fire for failure to declare property profits

DICTATOR General Franco’s celebrity granddaughter has been slapped with a €525,063 fine for failing to declare profits from the sale of shares in the family’s property business.

The Tax Agency claimed the Duchess of Franco, Carmen Martínez-Bordiú, 67, sold shares in FR Promociones del Suroeste S.A. on the same date in 2006 as receiving a donation from her mother Carmen Franco - who has since died.

and 2007, I declared all the capital gains obtained from the sale of shares and accepting bonuses.”

Martínez-Bordiú’s brother Francisco Franco, 64, runs the property business and is currently appealing against a 30-month prison sentence he received this year following a Guardia Civil chase where he rammed their car.

IN TROUBLE: Carmen Martinez-Bordiu

Meanwhile...

Dancing

According to the Spanish treasury, socialite MartínezBordiú received a donation of €9 million, but fraudulently claimed she had only received €6.7 million.

The former contestant on Spain’s Strictly Come Dancing hit back at the media and authorities, claiming ‘the statements made by the press are absolutely distorted and insidious.’

She said: “I would like to clarify that in my personal income tax return for 2006

He also hit the headlines for defending his dictator grandfather, saying the exhumation of Franco’s remains from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum near Madrid ‘would simply divide Spaniards even more.’

His sister’s bill from the treasury is a drop in the ocean of the Franco estate’s total value, thought to be worth over €500 million.

FRANCO’S bedroom in the Palacio del Pardo near Madrid has officially been closed to the public, Patrimonio Nacional has confirmed.

Spain’s national heritage agency said there is no likelihood of the fascist dictator’s former chambers at the historic Madrid landmark ever reopening.

His dressing room, office, bathroom and personal theatre are also off limits to tourists, the explanation being that rooms are closed for ‘internal conservation work.’

However property specialists have said there is no conservation work being carried out at the house, used by Franco be-

The Grapevine

tween 1939 and 1975.

The move comes as plans continue for the exhumation of Franco’s remains from his tomb at the Valley of the Fallen near Madrid, where over 33,000 Spanish Civil War victims are also buried.

The rooms were originally closed in 2010 under Spain’s socialist leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, only to be reopened a year later when conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took over.

Among those attractions now hidden from public view are Franco’s toilet, the chapel he prayed in each morning and the table he used to sign his death sentences.

by Laura Wood

Expats of the future Our experience at A Place in the Sun in the UK taught us a lot about Brits moving to Spain

W

e spent last weekend unapologetically gushing about our region at the Place in the Sun Exhibition in Birmingham. Here are our takeaways: We found that approximately 80% of people are coming to the area looking

for a bolt hole in the sun to use as a holiday home with a view to retire and spend more time here in the future. Everyone we met was talking about coming over for a change of lifestyle and that although the property itself was important, the move was more about

integrating into a typical Andalucian lifestyle. Budgets of between 50,000€ - 100,000€ were particularly common.

•

BREXIT, the one word on everyone’s lips. Whereas at the last edition we attended we noticed that people were unsure about the current climate and preferred to wait a while before making the move, at this edition in Birmingham we noticed that people we looking to leave because of Brexit.

•

One of the more surprising things we learnt over the weekend was that some people didn’t think of Málaga as part of Andalucia and hadn’t realized that you could be within an hour of the airport and still be immersed in the typical Spanish lifestyle.

•

LIVE: At Birmingham’s NEC

It was also lovely to meet clients in person that we had been chatting over email with previously. People were planning trips over before Christ-

mas with a view to buy as soon as they find the perfect property!

•

As previously mentioned, townhouses were our most requested type of property however there was still interest in country properties and urbanisations.

•

This isn’t our first venture to an international property exhibition. We also take part in the Second Home Expo in Utrecht twice a year and have featured in the Brussels and Gent editions of the fair. We are so proud to be representing our beautiful valley overseas.

Visit us at Calle El Burgo, 5, Guaro or contact us at tel. 952 457 761 / enquiries@grapevine-properties.com

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.gibraltarolivepress.com

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October 10th October 23rd 2018

Russian sanctions harm Spain

RUSSIAN sanctions on EU imports are decimating Spain’s fruit and vegetable industry.

Data from ICEX (Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade) up to August 2016 shows that Spain accrued an eye-watering €534 million loss due to the export squeeze.

José María Pozancos, general director of the Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable

Capital vino SPANISH chef Jose Pizarro has launched his own brand of Cadiz wine in London to capitalise on Spanish vino’s popularity among the local cognoscenti.

On the menu at his three restaurants in the capital, the range includes a 2017 Chardonnay and a 2016 Syrah blend made in Arcos de la Frontera.

“I’m passionate about promoting Spanish wines, cavas and sherries in my restaurants and hopefully in the near future they will be easily accessible in grocery stores and wine merchants throughout London,” said Pizarro.

Obscure

The wines are made at Bodega Huerta de Albalá which produces a wide range, including obscure tipples like Tintilla de Rota.

The Chardonnay boasts aromas of ‘white flowers, citrus fruits, peach and aromatic herbs’ while the Syrah blend of 20% Tintilla de Rota and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of ‘blackberries, cacao, leather, spices and vanilla’.

UNCORKED: Pizarro wine

Exporter Associations (Fepex) said sanctions have had a ‘very serious’ impact on Spain.

The Fepex chief said: “The consequences are still felt, as Russia is a natural market for Spanish fruit and vegetable products.

“The Russian market absorbed approximately 600,000 tonnes of exports for the Spanish sector, taking both direct and indirect exports into account.”

Spain’s best chefs could soon be printing your fillets and sirloins - and they’ll be meatfree FIRST came 3D-printed guns, then homes and now ...steaks.

Scientist Guiseppe Scionti, 31, has spent three years developing a ‘steak printer’ at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) that could make the traditional fillet and sirloin dead meat - and the world’s top chefs are interested.

Made entirely from plantbased ingredients, the ingenious invention manages to create the texture of meat - although its appearance might need a little work.

Guiseppe hopes his invention can help decrease the impact of animal farming on the environment while providing a solution to malnutrition in poorer countries.

While he plans to present his project to the World Food Organisation, he has already caught the attention of celebrity Spanish chef Ferran Adria and the research centre run by the famous Roca brothers.

“They are interested in something that looks like a steak but tastes like a mushroom,” revealed Scionti.

Plant-based

The machine is made up of syringes which hold several ingredients within a strawcoloured paste.

The syringes are placed in the 3D printer and it manages to combine the contents into a steak.

It takes between 30 and 50 minutes to create a 100g piece of ‘meat’ and costs around €2, a price which will decrease as volume increases.

The ingredients are protein powder (from rice or peas) and seaweed components – food that is normally consumed by vegetarians and vegans as di-

Fake steak

etary supplements.

“The difficulty lies in reorganizing the nanofibers from vegetable proteins to make them seem like animal proteins,” explains Scionti.

“First you have to study the histology of the animal tissue, how the muscle fibers are organised, and then you have to try to replicate that with plant-based ingredients that have not been genetically modified.”

Once the steak comes out of the printer, it is ready for cooking.

It makes a sizzling sound in the pan, just like any regular piece of meat.

“They cook really well,” says Margarita, the cook at the university center where Scionti works. “They don’t burn or stick to the pan.”

Scionti has filed for a patent and in October he is planning to launch a startup, Nova Meat, to market his invention.

If it catches on, the future for the traditional steak looks fried.

Market forces for Arroyo BENALMADENA is getting its own farmers market.

Arroyo de la Miel’s current open shopping centre

The bans, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 over the West’s retaliation to Russian military activity in Ukraine will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Spaniards.

Pozancos said Spain had lost an ‘estimated 10% of the total demand,’ adding there was ‘clearly a negative impact on the fruit and vegetable sector.’

will house the €1 million project, which will include butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg sellers and

charcuterias.

The market will cover 1,000m2 with 30 to 35 stalls.

Councilor for Commerce and CEO of Innoben, Bernardo Jiménez said: “It is a project that was born to boost trade in the area, open to entrepreneurs who have not yet opened a business in the municipality and entrepreneurs who want to have a new business.”

He added that the project has an excellent location, with easy parking and close to the train station.

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Spain is famous for its cornucopia of home-grown produce but you won’t find all its exotic offerings down at your local supermarket. Charlie Smith samples some of the more surprising specialities in its culinary larder Percebes DANGEROUS DELICACY

Found clinging to the cliffs of Galicia, this tiny delicacy - known beyond Spain as the gooseneck barnacle is highly dangerous to harvest. The percebeiros of Galicia risk their lives plucki n g these revered crustaceans from their habitat, making it one of the most expensive forms of seafood around. One kilo can fetch over €200.

Compared to sweet clams and lobster, the edible part is contained in a black sleeve, capped by a spiky shell resembling a dinosaur claw. The soft pink flesh is boiled in seawater and traditionally served with a simple aioli dressing.

Angulas SLIPPERY SPECIALITY Known as ‘glass eels’, these slippery customers can cost more than €1,000 per kilo. They traditionally appear on Spanish menus on Christmas and New Years Eve and the Day of San Sebastian on January 20. In the original recipe from Bilbao (angulas a la bilbaína) the eels are fried in garlic and chilli until crunchy.

Their journey starts when mature 10-year-old eels swim from European rivers to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. The hatchlings then drift towards Europe on the Gulf Stream where fisherman on Spain’s Atlantic Coast wait with nets. Though legal in Europe, angulas are so popular in Asia that illegal trade in them bagged one Spanish gang over €37 million.

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Something special, sir?

Organic caviar - WORLD FIRST

Black truffles BLACK GOLD Spain is one of the world’s largest exporters of truffles, and the expensive subterranean fungus is readily found in the mountainous east of the country. These so-called black diamonds are notoriously difficult to find and fetch up to €600 per kilo on international markets where truffles are prized for their delicate but instantly recognisable flavour. Truffle season is February to March and the provinces of Huesca, Teruel, Soria and Castellón are particularly known for the delicacy. The truffles are sniffed out by trained dogs that can detect their aroma at 50m away, even when buried 50cm deep.

The tiny village of Riofrio in Granada province hit the headlines way back in 1960 for producing the world’s first organic caviar. And celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey is one of many fans. The sturgeon are farmed in crystal clear spring waters from the mountains and have European-cer-

tified organic production. But what is most unique about Riofrio’s black gold is the time it takes to produce.

Patient farmers allow 16 years for the female sturgeon to grow naturally to double the length of other caviar-producing sturgeon on the market

Ethical foie gras - WORLD FIRST Controversially, the production of foie gras uses the inhumane ‘gavage’ system, where geese are force-fed corn through a tube. But Extremadura company Sousa & Labourdette have taken the cruelty out of the process to become world leaders in the production of ethical foie gras. Run by farmer Eduardo Sousa and bird expert Diego Labourdette, the pair allow geese to feast natuseeds and - most waiting a whole year of their worldTheir caviar aptop tables and has Barack Obama by

their European greylag rally on wild grass, crucially - acorns, to produce a batch renowned product. pears on the world’s even been served to chef Dan Barber.

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

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October 10th - October 23rd 2018 Gamoneu cheese - SPAIN’S STINKIEST Gamoneu, named after the Asturian town where it is made, is a fatty cheese made with cow, goat and sheep milk. It can take up to five months to mature in caves where it grows slightly mouldy, gaining a blue tint round the edge. It has a light smokey flavour, a thin rind and will set shoppers with fat wallets back a whopping €35 per kilo. The cheese is DPO-protected and has a reputation for being Spain’s stinkiest, only thought to be the second most pungent worldwide after Italy’s Casu Marzu ‘maggot cheese’.

Saffron - WORLD BEST Saffron de la Mancha has its own Protected Designation of Origin (DPO) - the only spice in Spain with this national quality guarantee. One of the most exclusive spices in the world, saffron was introduced in La Mancha during the Caliphate of Cordoba.

Every saffron flower produces very little of the sought-after golden powder and it is harvested by only experienced pickers.

It takes 25,000 flowers to produce 500 grams and Spanish saffron is renowned for its quality, which explains how one kilo can cost €3,000.

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Orange and cannabis wines RIOJA RIVALS Andalucia’s urban orange trees are not just for decoration and marmalade. The bitter fruit are also in big demand for flavouring vino de naranja - and there are regional differences.

Those from Sevilla should be sipped like a fine whiskey. Producers there use an oloroso sherry base, made from Garrido Fino and Pedro Ximenez grapes, and age the wine for between five and seven years. Huelva and Málaga use the solera system where white wine is flavoured slowly. The orange peel is dried and then macerated in the alcohol. The Málaga version is almost clear while Huelva’s is a richer brown shade. If cannabis is more your thing, Andalusian winery Pisando Fuerte has a weed wine that will have you in high spirits. It is the first red wine steeped with cannabis, which is actually classed as hemp due to its low THC content, at the legal maximum of 0.2 per cent. Rafael Hoyos is the brains behind this this smoking hot vino, which c o m b i n e s Garnacha and Tempranillo grapes with cann a b i s leaves.

The comp a n y has just launched the first 500 bottles of their ganja-grape concoction.

Lampreys - ROYAL CONNECTIONS Lampreys, better known by the bloodthirsty nickname ‘vampire fish’, have lurked in the rivers of Galicia for over 500 million years. They have eel-shaped bodies and gruesome circular rings of teeth adapted for feasting on the blood of larger fish by sucking them dry. Don’t be put off though, as they have a delicious flavour, especially when cooked in red wine. In Arbo, Pontevedra, near the Portuguese border, there is a food festival at the end of April dedicated to these prehistoric monsters. They were the favourite food of King Henry I of England who reportedly died from ‘a surfeit of lampreys’ but it was probably food poisoning.

Málaga mangos EUROPE’S BEST Axarquía is home to more than 4,000 hectares of mango-growing land. Producing between 10,000 and 30, 000 tonnes annually, the area east of Málaga grows more mangos than avocados - another of its staple exports. The exotic fruit originally came from Southeast Asia, but was introduced to Andalucia in the 1980s.

Now Spain leads European commercial mango production, also having sites in the Canary Islands. Sicily is the only other serious European player in the mango game.

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COLUMNISTS

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October 10th - October 23rd 2018

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

All the red tape in Spain has left new expat Paula Leskovitz red faced

B

EFORE we left the UK to reside in Spain I enjoyed nothing more than a good old moan about the country I was born in.

I’d rant to my neighbours for hours about how all the decent high street shops were now empty and abandoned - even though our entire Christmas last year was ordered online from Amazon.

I regaled anyone who cared to listen about the decline of decent job opportunities for the over-40s, conveniently failing to mention that I’d quit my own employment because the obligatory nylon uniform was itchy and unflattering and the hours unsociable.

I bemoaned the fact that not one of my Carol Vorderman-inspired dresses fitted around my middle-aged torso anymore before consoling myself with a customary Grints Sausage roll and can of Cream Soda.

But the topic I loved moaning about most was the British weather.

The UK government should declare August 15 a national public holiday. We could name it ‘I’ve moaned all winter that I’m frozen but now I’m too hot and can’t use a hosepipe’ day.

Over in Spain, where the weather is a blessing we count, it’s an entirely different matter. The Muhammad Ali of anguish and stress for expats hands down is

Autumnal issues

A

ND suddenly it was October.

I’m not sure when September decided to turn into the Usain Bolt of the Gregorian calendar, but it seemed to speed by with indecent haste. As my Welsh Grandmother used to say: “And there he was. Gone!”

There are always a few telltale signs that autumn is on the way. I spent the first weekend of October listening to the sounds of the Marbella Beach Club closing parties. No matter that I live several kilometres inland – the amount of ordinance used in the fireworks at these lavish occasions makes the ‘Shock and Awe’ phase of Operation Desert Storm look like waving a sparkler at a soggy bonfire party in Swansea.

Then there is the great duvet dilemma. In the summer months we sleep with just a sheet on, but this time of year is a nocturnal No Man’s Land- It’s too hot for the full duvet, too cold for

a light sheet (careful how you say it). And when you do, finally, get the temperature just right, the cat decides to sleep on you. In the meantime the hoodies and beanie hats – essential headwear when you are as follically challenged as myself – have been excavated from the back of the chest of drawers The other indication that autumn has arrived on the coast is the fair in San Pedro Alcantara, which marks the end of the feria season. Nowadays it’s about the only thing in San P that hasn’t been knocked down, modernised, pedestrianised, concreted-over or generally ballsed up by the OSP buffoons allegedly in charge. We are still waiting to see what the formerly charming church square looks like after they have finished with it. At the moment my money is on something akin to a multi story car park in Macclesfield…

San Pedro Feria should be a fitting final fling

New wife in the sun

the local bureaucracy!

Let me elaborate. As an employed person with a contract, my husband was in the enviable position of qualifying all of us for state healthcare.

Armed with all the confidence and naivety only newbie expats possess, we both headed over to our nearest clinic, grabbed a ticket from the deli counter-inspired number system and took a seat in line.

The Spanish, knowing full well that we Brits are lazy with languages, had sourced a couple of bilingual volunteers to help with form filling. Once our number was called we plonked ourselves down in front of our two saviours - a pretty young woman and (surely not) Blanche from the Golden Girls.

“Hello, we are new to the area, and we need some healthcare please” I began enthusiastically.

“Where do you live? Do you own or rent?” cut in Blanche.

“Ermm… we don’t actually have a permanent address as yet, we are staying up a mountain in a wooden shack next to a goat farm but we are hoping to move to Fuengirola centre pretty soon…to escape the kitty-eating vampire slayer” I added with good humour.

“Do you have an NIE?” interrupted the interpreter, ignoring my ice breaker.

“My husband has one through his job, I’m going to apply for mine, I promise” I replied nervously.

“Residency? Social Security Number?” I shook my head, sinking further into the chair, my thighs making an unattractive sucking noise as they detached from the plastic seating.

“Then may I suggest you go and get all these items first and when you’ve moved into your permanent accommodation, go to the town hall and register for empadronamiento” smiled the elder assassin through her shiny non-government funded white teeth.

With tails firmly between our legs, we reversed towards the exit, mumbling our thanks as we hit a wall of humid air outside, clutching our dose of reality like a consolation prize.

WRAPPING UP: Giles hard at work “Well, that went well” sighed my husband.

“Shall we go and cheer ourselves up with for the 2018 season, though it will have to a glass of something that doesn’t require a go some to top my local feria in Istan, where prescription?” I nodded, trying not to think the local brass band decided to play a chaabout all the things we had to do to enable us otic version of Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ at to claw our way into the Spanish system while 9am on a Sunday. I live two kilometres outBlanche’s voice followed us down the steps side, and it woke me. “I hope you threw some “And don’t forget all your British documents shapes”, a friend remarked. need to be apostilled!”

“At that time on a Sunday I was throwing Whatever that means ... anything that bloody well came to hand!!!” I “Sod the glass,” I said to my husband. “Better replied make it a bottle”.

To be Continued…

we do integrate!

MIJAS MATTERS

By Bill Anderson

But British expats need to get involved in the political process

I

AM going to do something that is slightly spect from all parties. We are fortunate that out of character; I am going to fly the flag our British norms and traditions are not funfor British immigrants in Spain; myself in- damentally at odds with Spanish culture. cluded in that number.

But, the Brits in Spain pay their taxes, run In a recent article in a rival English language their businesses, raise their families, often Newspaper, a ‘British-Iraqi’ journalist wrote: in Spanish speaking schools; they love to at“In the 27 years that I’ve lived in Spain I’ve tend flamenco events and the ferias, have seen how the English live in closed commu- their ‘pan con tomate’ for breakfast with nities, and the great lack of integration,” she their ‘café con leche’, often take a siesta, said. I was fascinated to read the tirade of and dine out late in the summer evenings. comments, some supporting this point of They love the spectacle of Semana Santa, view, but most suggesting similarities with and the various local celebrations. And, they pots and kettles. turn out in force for the free sardines on the This came a week or so after reading an ar- beach in May. ticle with the Mijas Foreigners’ Department What we have brought is more than just our which gave a clear message: money and I would have to “The Brits do not integrate!” mention animal protection This took me down an interestgroups and charity shops. I ing road which suggested to see people well integrated in What we have me that these writers miss the the correct use of the word. brought is more distinction between integraIt is true that language can tion and assimilation. be a barrier to further intethan just our Let’s start with the easiest gration and we Brits are noconcept which is assimilation. toriously bad (or lazy) when it money According to a paper produced comes to learning foreign lanby Cardiff University, assimilaguages. I think that the Emtion is the process whereby pire has something to do with outsiders, immigrants, or subordinate groups it, and the fact that we are an island without become indistinguishable within the domi- neighbours speaking other languages. nant host society, eventually conforming to Apart from this I would love to see the Brits the existing cultural norms of society. Basi- more involved in the local political process. cally, the old culture and ethnic identity die These are only Spanish elections we can vote off in favour of adopting the host nation’s in and which make the biggest impact on culture. our lives. If you need information about how Integration, on the other hand, is something to register to vote, contact mijasmatters@ quite different and, clearly, misunderstood. gmail.com and we can help you.

It is not about losing cultural identity, and Whom you vote for is your decision, but I am entails being able to celebrate differences voting for change, and to bring back Angel within civic society. According to the Cardiff Nozal and his team to restore Mijas to its study it is a process that requires mutual re- glory days.

Crossword answers Across: 7 Armoured, 8 Atom, 9 Amass, 10 Regatta, 12 Slider, 13 Abash, 15 Cue, 16 Death, 18 Resign, 20 Lanolin, 23 Lever, 25 Sets, 26 Academic.

Down: 1 Trembled, 2 Mossad, 3 Art, 4 Edge, 5 Sahara, 6 Holt, 11 Arch, 13 Aero, 14 Hygienic, 17 Arouse, 19 Sweden, 21 Abel, 22 Iraq, 24 Rat.

SPORT

If you have a sports story, newsdesk@theolivepress.es October or call 0034 951 273 575 10th - October 23rd 2018

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MORE POWER: To refs

Too hot

REFEREES in Spain will be able to suspend a match if the temperature surpasses 35C before 7:30pm.

The Real Federacion Española de Futbol (RFEF) changed the rules after months of debate.

Under the new legislation, the referee can wait until the conditions improve before suspending the match completely.

Currently there is only a few minutes’ break for hydration in case of high temperatures.

The new rule will take effect in May 2019.

Nadal and Laver label each other the best tennis players in history RAFAEL Nadal has said Roger Federer and Rod Laver are the best tennis players in history.

The Spanish ace has won 17 Grand Slam titles while Swiss maestro Federer is on 20, making them the two most successful players in the game.

Laver managed 11 during his illustrious career and, in 1962, became the first man to win all four Grand Slams in the same year.

And Nadal thinks the Australian, along with old foe Federer, is the greatest.

Picture

The Mallorquin said: “For me, (it) is difficult to talk about things in which I don't

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October 10th - October 23rd 2018

You’re the best

have all the information.

“But Rod Laver is in the picture.

“If I have to say something about Rod, if we can compare Roger with him as he is also the best in history, it has to be with Rod Laver because it is true that for sure is one of the players that going to be in the history of our sport forever.”

The affection between the two men, it seems, is mutual.

Earlier this year, Laver claimed that Nadal was ‘possibly the greatest athlete ever in tennis’.

“He proved to be superhuman at Wimbledon - to win Roland Garros and come very close here on grass is truly amazing,” he said.

“Possibly the greatest athlete our sport has ever known.”

RAKING IT IN: Bullfighting

Bulls bring billions

RESPECT: Nadal with hero Laver Laver was referring to was beaten by Novak Nadal’s Wimbledon Djokovic in the semicampaign, where he finals.

MORE people attend bullfighting events than demonstrate against them, a new study has found.

The poll, commissioned by Fundacion Toro de Lidia, shows that Spaniards still love their bullfights, despite opposition from animal rights activists.

Spain’s economy is boosted by €1.6 billion a year from the world famous sport, which sees 1,553 fights held each year out of a total 20,000 bull-related events.

The annual San Fermin feria in Pamplona brought in a whopping €74 million in 2018, while the San Isidro feria in Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring brought a similarly huge €73 million.

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Dengue warning

FINAL WORDS

AT least two people have been infected with Dengue fever in southern Spain, a disease carried by tiger mosquitoes (see right).

Fake it THE IMF falsely upgraded its description of Spain’s 2012 economy from ‘bleak” to ‘very difficult’ to avoid rattling the markets and triggering apocalyptic media headlines.

On the rise UBER has announced it will be expanding further across Andalucia, launching its service uberX in Sevilla this week.

October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Pictures by Jon Clarke

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P sp ictu ec re ia l

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Vol. 4 Issue 81 www.gibraltarolivepress.com October 10th - October 23rd 2018

Lock-in till 10am

LOCK-ins may be common in pubs, but one red-faced reveller took it to a whole new level this weekend.

The lad found himself locked overnight in Malaga’s Theatro Club, after a heavy night

Lad spends night in nightclub after falling asleep in the loo

saw him end up asleep on the toilet.

The unidentified clubber’s ear-

ly hours trip to the little boy’s room had embarrassing consequences, as he finally stumbled

Tiger trouble THERE has been a massive surge in tiger mosquitoes this year.

Environmental groups are warning residents and tourists on the Costa del Sol to be aware of the more aggressive strain.

According to Ecologistas en Accion there have been dozens of complaints of 'unusually strong' reactions to mosquito bites from locals, particularly in the Axarquia area.

The bites seem bigger and are often accompanied by a large red circle, mostly affecting the legs and arms.

Their behaviour is also different from that of the common mosquito, since they do not usually perch on the walls of houses, but fly around, particularly at a lower level, mak-

ing them harder to detect.

They are also faster and more agile in flight, making them more difficult to kill.

If you have been bitten, try and avoid scratching and apply ice to the bite for 10 minutes.This will avoid the toxin that produces the reaction from spreading.

into the light of day at 10am the following morning.

After a night on the razz the young man’s misfortune was revealed, as he was rescued by office worker Javi Gabarrony, who heard him banging on the club door.

Gabarrony said: "We heard someone banging on the metal door and a voice shouting: "Is there anybody there?"

Gabarrony said the man shouted ‘I have fallen asleep in the bar and I just woke up now’ and says that without his mobile phone he had no idea of what time it was.

He and his colleagues managed to contact the Theatro boss, who was swiftly on the scene with keys to the lift the shutter and open the doors, ensuring the man’s escape.

Footage shows the young lad stumble into the busy morning street, as the curtain finally came down on his wild night.

Zoom zoom... and a new broom

Has the village of Arriate got a new road sweeper?

Here a local nun does her civic duty in the run up to a local parade. Meanwhile (top), a lad gets a lift from his gran on a mobility scooter.

Seen anything funny or quirky? Send it to newsdesk@ theolivepress.es