Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 197

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Vol. 8 Issue 197 www.theolivepress.es

October 2- October 15 2014

Taken for a ride

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Police probe alleged expat property fraudster who ‘took deposits for homes she didn’t own’

HUNTED: Rebecca Wells on her horse

VICTIMS are hunting an alleged property fraudster who has vanished from the Costa del Sol owing tens of thousands of euros.

The Guardia Civil confirmed last night it is investigating horse-owning expat Rebecca Wells after receiving four denuncias against her.

Briton Wells, 37, also known as Prior, is accused of duping people into paying de-

It’s the pits!

EXCLUSIVE A LUXURY yacht that burst into flames in Puerto Banus is owned by ex-Formula One racing driver Bertrand Gachot, it can be revealed.

The 51-year-old Frenchman, who raced for Jordan between 1989 and 1995, is the owner of the €2 million yacht Gilliana that blew up on Sunday morning.

Two crew members were rushed to hospital, one with serious burns to his hands and another, a woman, 34, was treated for smoke inhalation.

The 23-metre Princess yacht Gilliana costs €42,000-a-week to rent, via Diamovit Exclusive Rentals.

A source said: “Gachot is very upset.”

The driver was famously thrown out of the Jordan Grand Prix team for spraying CS gas at a taxi driver on the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner, for which he received a two-month prison stint.

His race seat was temporarily filled by Michael Schumacher, making his Formula One debut.

days as a holiday rental, but she showed me around it and convinced me to sign an 11-month contract.

“I want her caught and punished,” he deposits to rent properties that she has no clared. claim to.

Wells, a mother-of-two from WolverOne victim, British expat Raymond Paul, hampton, appears to have repeated the told the Olive Press: “I Iost a €1,000 de- same trick at different properties around posit on renting a home she didn’t own. the region over the last eight years.

“She had actually only rented it for four A Facebook campaign has now been launched by the group, aiming to gather as many victims as possible.

In the case of Paul, 60, from Yorkshire, he put down €500 as a deposit and €500 for the first month’s rent at the property in La Cala de Mijas in August.

But after just three days Wells asked Paul and his wife to clear out ‘so an urgent energy certificate matter could be dealt with’.

“We were left in the dark for two days, and upon returning discovered another couple staying there, with many of our possessions still inside,” he said.

“We still haven’t managed to get some things back, we are absolutely furious and have filed a denuncia.”

When Paul set up an urgent meeting with Wells to discuss what had happened, she failed to show.

However another couple in their early 20s also turned BLAZE: F1 legend Gachot (inset) loses yacht in fire up telling him they had lost a similar amount of money.

“Lots of her victims are in a worse situation than us, and who knows how many more are still to come out of the woodwork,” he added.

Another victim who lost out is Stuart Hall, 44, and his

EXCLUSIVE

By Imogen Calderwood

Continues on Page 5

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‘Animal centre needs rescuing’ AN embattled animal rescue centre owner has admitted the place is ‘out of control’.

Kim Halliwell (above) has now agreed to allow an initial 15 dogs and many cats to leave her Mijas kennels, following an Olive Press investigation.

It comes after police also inspected the site, following various denuncias from former staff.

After we told of the ‘terrible conditions’ at Kim’s Animal Rescue, friends and supporters rallied around with the aim of cutting the number of animals by half.

The Olive Press attended an emergency meeting, spoke with various other centres and has found new volunteers.

We have now launched an appeal to find homes for the animals.

See S.O.S Animal Rescue on Page 6

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CRIME NEWS

the the olive olive press press -- October October 22 October - October15152014 2014

www.theolivepress.es

Justice for ‘rapist’

PREDATOR: Antonio Ortiz

‘Candyman’ paedophile busted SPAIN’S most wanted paedophile has finally been arrested, after he kidnapped and raped several children in Madrid over the summer.

Despite police reports that the ‘public enemy number one’ had grey hair, accused 42-year-old Antonio Ortiz Martinez is in fact dark haired and smartly dressed.

The car salesman, who is obsessed with bodybuilding and martial arts, is accused of kidnapping and raping five girls - all aged between five and 11.

He is also accused of three other attempted abductions, dating back to July 2013.

Operation Candy, codenamed for how he trapped his victims, saw 100 officers dedicated to tracking down the ‘dangerous predator’.

Martinez, who was able to easily sell the cars he used in the attacks, was finally caught at his uncles’ house in Santander, where he was hiding.

Martinez has previously spent seven years in prison for the abuse of a six-year-old in the 1990s.

SWAPPING PLACES?: Mark Dixie and Romano Van der Dussen

British killer

By Imogen Calderwood could be guilty A NOTORIOUS British murderer has been linked to three of a trio of violent rapes in Fuengirola, for which a Dutch man has already served 11 years in prison.

Fuengirola DNA evidence suggests that Mark Dixie could be behind rapes for three rapes in one night in August 2003.

It means that chef Dixie - who was jailed for 34 years in which a 2008 for stabbing 18-year-old model Sally Anne Bowman Dutchman in London in 2005 - could now be extradited to face trial has served 11 for the rapes.

The news puts the conviction of Dutchman Romano Van years so far der Dussen entirely in doubt.

Spotlight on drink-spiking in new stage show A SCOTTISH artist is creating a live show to back the Olive Press’ campaign against drink-spiking.

Actor Lucy McGreal (pictured), 32, who runs her own theatre company in Glasgow, plans to bring her production involving dance, music and film to the Costa del Sol, next year.

McGreal was inspired to create the piece after reading about our campaign in the UK national press last month.

She had her own drink spiked in Glasgow two years ago on a night out.

She was rushed to hospital at serious risk of having a heart attack, and was found to have

SMAS H the spiki ng

up to a dozen ecstasy tablets in her system.

“It was an emotional roller coaster,” she told the Olive Press. “The weeks following were horrific. Nightmares, panic attacks and interviews with the police who told my mum that I probably took it myself.

“I have had meetings with NHS Glasgow and community safety Glasgow, and the NHS confirmed that there is no official after-support system in place for victims of spiking.”

She continued: “I am completely on board with you on what needs to be done and good luck with your brave campaign.”

Van der Dussen was jailed in 2005 for the trio of rapes that took place between 4:30am and 6am. He was given a 15 year sentence despite the fact that his DNA did not match samples and fingerprints collected during the Fuengirola investigation.

His conviction was instead based on testimonies from two of the victims and a witness.

Van der Dussen insisted that he was not in Fuengirola at the time of the rapes, but 12km away in Torremolinos, but could provide no proof of his alibi.

The case has now been reopened with the police investigating Dixie’s movements when he lived and worked on the Costa del Sol between late 2002 and October 2003.

His DNA matched samples taken on the night of the rapes.

MURDERED: Bowman

Australia has also requested DNA samples from Dixie, to be tested against that of the DNA collected in the Claremont serial killer case between 1996 and 1997, as it is believed he was also in the area at the time of the killings.

la sala

Do you remember Dixie and where he worked? contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es

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NEWS

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Blunt celebrations

Doherty’s new Spanish vision

HAPPY COUPLE: James and Sofia arrive at ceremony

HAPPY AT LAST: Doherty

LIBERTINES frontman Pete Doherty claims the show at Benicassim this summer was the happiest he has ever been on stage.

The controversial rocker - famous for his on/off romance with Kate Moss - said the Spanish show had put ‘something back into place’ in his life.

A long-time drug addict, he claimed it was the first time he had not felt any ‘hallucinatory terror’ whilst performing on stage.

“It had nothing to do with drugs, the crowd, or journalists, nothing to do with heroin, Kate Moss, Lily Allen or anyone else, but everything was good,” he said.

IRRITATED Ibiza residents have berated British singer James Blunt on Twitter for closing off a public beach to host his private wedding celebration.

Confused beach-goers were sent packing by the ‘You’re beautiful’ singer’s events team, when he celebrated his nuptials to Sofia Wellesley.

Santa Eulalia Town Hall is now investigating the event, after cars were also diverted from coming near the island’s southeastern S’Estanyol beach for the lavish event.

The town hall has also asked how Blunt’s event organisers allowed the event to go ahead without a proper licence.

Blunt, who has a home on the island, and Wellesley, granddaughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington, held their reception on the island after officially tying the knot in London.

The stretch of sand was covered with chairs and tables before 150 guests arrived to enjoy the luxury buffet on offer.

Hostal horror

By Rob Horgan

THE parents of brain tumour patient Ashya King have revealed how police officers in Spain argued when they were sent to remove the five-yearold from his family.

Brett King has told how police and ambulance officers argued outside their hostal in the Axarquia before finally removing Ashya from his parents custody.

The father-of-seven had joined the discussion outside Hostal Esperanza in Benajarafe, where they were staying while they attempted to sell their Casares holiday home to pay for proton beam treatment for their son in the Czech Republic.

Brett said: “An ambulance arrived to take Ashya to hospital but when my wife tried to get in with him, the police

As Ashya King recovers from proton beam treatment in Prague his parents reveal the moment they were taken away from their son at a Malaga hostal a sick child away from his Kings flee to Spain in August

RECOVERING: Ashya wouldn’t let her.

“Then they started arguing among themselves. One officer said: ‘What sort of world do we live in where you take

BANGED UP: Pantoja

Ode to chokey!

SPANISH singing sensation Isabel Pantoja has been told to report to prison by the end of the week, and pay a hefty fine, after being charged with money-laundering in Marbella.

The Sevilla-born singer and Maite Zaldivar, ex-wife of former Marbella mayor Julian Munoz, must report for their jail sentences voluntarily or face being arrested and taken by force.

Both women were found guilty of laundering money for the crooked mayor, in an offshoot from the multi-million euro Malaya corruption case.

Pantoja, who has released more than 20 albums, was sentenced to two years imprisonment and a €1.1 million fine.

Both have been warned that an extra six months will be added to their sentences if they do not comply.

the olive presspress - October 2- October 15 2014 the olive - October 2 - October 15 2014

Striking a pose IS it a bird, is it a plane… or is it Alec Baldwin’s wife acting daft while on a weekend’s stay in Madrid?

The wife of the Hollywood star Hilaria, 30, struck the bizarre pose with the couple’s baby at the gates of the city’s famous Retiro Park.

Loaded onto Instagram, along with other pictures of the recently-born Carmen, she is actually holding a yoga position.

The pair were also photographed smooching in the city, as well as in Rome while on a month-long European tour.

Baldwin is best known for the film Departed and has just finished filming Andron: The Black Labyrinth, with Danny Glover and Michelle Ryan.

He is also set to star in Mission Impossible V alongside Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise.

mother?’”

Mother Naghmeh King added that Ashya has been ‘left scarred’ by the three days he spent alone in Malaga’s Hospital Materno Infantil and still ‘howls’ every time his parents leave his bedside.

Ashya is currently recovering from two weeks of therapy in Prague and has said his first word ‘mum’.

The Kings meanwhile have been left with a whopping €28,000 bill for flying Ashya from Malaga to Prague in a medically-equipped private jet. They also have a further €32,000 worth of legal bills.

At least an ongoing dispute with the NHS - which saw the UK singing sensations One Direction have announced they will appear on Spain’s hit TV show El Hormiguero when they visit the country in December.

The British boyband who rose to stardom on Simon Cowell’s show X Factor - will follow the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jackie Chan and Rafa Nadal in appearing on the show.

Hosted and produced

by Pablo Motos since its launch in 2006, El Hormiguero has grown into one of the nation’s top comedy shows, attracting the world’s most elite guests.

- looks to have been resolved after the NHS agreed to fund Ashya’s €80,000 treatment.

Brett said: “People thought we were rolling in money but the reality was we didn’t have enough. “Such a weight was lifted when the NHS called to say they were funding everything here. I don’t know if they’ve done this to try to salvage their reputation. They’ve certainly been pulling out the stops.”

The Olive Press also discovered incredibly moving video footage of Ashya with family and friends in southern Spain just months before he fell ill - to view visit www.theolivepress.es

ARNOLD Schwarzenegger has been back… and wants to come back again to Almeria to film the next installment of Conan the Barbarian.

The Hollywood muscleman, 67, returned to the city for the first time in three decades since he starred in the original Conan movie in 1982.

He said he was going to at least use Almeria in a few scenes in the sequel, which could start filming next year.

He was pictured walking around the city, where he was honoured with his own star in its Paseo de las Estrellas.

He later travelled to Madrid to attend Europe’s biggest body building shows, where he flexed his muscles for the cameras.

ARNIE: In Almeria

SPANISH STARS: One Direction are on their way

Royal black sheep stays in Spain DESPITE rumours, King Felipe VI’s nephew will not be going to the UK to continue his studies.

It comes after his mother Princess Elena took a trip to Sussex to look for a suitable boarding school.

Felipe Froilán (pictured), 16, was kicked out of his last school Santa María del Pilar college for twice failing his retakes.

The royal, often described as the ‘black sheep’ of the family, will attend Sagrada Familia de Sigüenza (SFS) college instead.

I’LL BE BACK!

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the olive press - October 2 - October 15 2014

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NEWS

Estepona residents fired up over ‘unfair’ infrastructure charges DISGRUNTLED Estepona residents are taking a dispute with the town hall to the European Court of Justice after being charged up to €45,000 each for ‘unfair’ road improvements.

Members of the Valle Romano urbanisation are unhappy at being asked to pay so much for the ‘enormous’ infrastructure charges.

After a petition was ignored by the town hall, the Estepona Expats Residents Association contacted the EU courts to step in.

EXCLUSIVE

By Rob Horgan The chairman of the association, Tony Dodd, said: "These people are being totally ripped off. You cannot treat one group of people one way and then treat another group totally differently.”

Residents are said to be so worried about making the payments that they are ‘getting ill’.

Xavier Lazaro, 64, said: “We cannot afford this. We are

middle-class people who don’t have lots of money. I receive €340 disability allowance a month and I’m being asked to pay €14,000.

It’s crazy.

"People are asking if they are going to be chucked out into the streets. They are so worried they are getting ill, some people are even going on medication to deal with the stress."

Another British resident said: “We have fought this on our own until now and we are simply being ignored.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

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Cancer watch EIGHT in 10 women in Spain with ovarian cancer are diagnosed too late, according to reports by three oncology institutes. Around 4,100 women are diagnosed every year.

Flocking Fins THE number of Finnish nationals with permanent residence in Spain has nearly doubled from 7,500 to 16,000 over the past decade.

Minister aborts SPAIN’S Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, has resigned from his post after his bill for abortion reforms was abandoned by central government.

CAMPAIGN: Tony Dodd

Welcome to Sex City!

Election delay SPAIN’S deputy prime minister is investigating whether next year’s general elections could be delayed to February 2016, in the hope that unemployment will be lower.

Catalan outbreak AN eighth person has died from the lung infection Legionnaire’s disease in Catalunya, where two separate outbreaks have struck this month.

Marbella residents furious after being plagued by sex cards being attached to their cars RESIDENTS and holidaymakers are demanding action after being ‘plagued’ with a deluge of prostitute calling cards and brothel flyers in Puerto Banus and Nueva Andalucia.

Olive Press readers insist something

By Jacqueline Fanchini

Paula Silver told the Olive Press: “I only went to the hairdressers by the H10 hotel, in Nueva Andalucia, but when I came out my car had been targeted.

“My kids collected the cards off my side window and dozens on the floor.”

H10 Hotel assistant manager Ricardo Acevedo, confirmed: “It is a problem and our security guards sometimes ask people putting flyers on windshields to stop doing it and remove them.”

An employee at nearby Hairworx, added: “I’ve found flyers on my car but there’s nothing you can really do about it, they’re not going to stop.”

Expat Michael Watson who also had cards put on his car while parked by El Corte Ingles in Puerto Banus - said: “It’s easy for the police to look into this as the names of the clubs are on the cards.”

In 2008 Malaga province introduced a law against leafA DOCTOR has accused a leting on car windshields for Guardia Civil officer of as- which fines can reach up to phyxiating a former rugby €750. league player who died on However, a Marbella Town holiday in Ibiza.

Hall spokesperson said: “We Doctor Santiago Akoskin said have not been made aware the officer refused to remove of this issue. If anyone had his baton from the throat of done we would have acted.”

Luke Rhoden (above), despite She added: “Police will fine being asked by him three anyone they spot doing it.” times.

However another resident Officers were called to Ibiza Tom Tomas insists police Rocks Hotel in San Antonio actually appear to turn a after the 25-year-old fell from blind eye to the problem. a first-floor balcony following “I have seen people distriba suspected drink and drugs uting the flyers in front of binge. the police around the port,” Rhoden had to be restrained he said. “It needs to be as he ranted at other hotel stopped.” guests, according to Guardia

must be done after cars were continually ‘littered’ with the provocative advertisements.

Many are concerned about their children being exposed to blatant sexual imagery.

Bullet train takes a hit Officer SPAIN is building the second most extensive bullet train system in the world, despite spending cuts to the AVE. An extra 1,000 km of track planned for 2015 will see Spain’s high speed network stretch across 4,000 km, with only China operating a more extensive system.

Work will be focused on lines into Leon, Gijon, Burgos, Murcia and Zamora.

Find rental fraudster!

Continues from front page

wife Emma, from Coin, are furious that Wells agreed to buy the couple’s Coin home, while posing as an ‘independent’ estate agent.

A price was agreed and the couple moved out to a new rental property.

In a goodwill gesture, they then gave her a key to the garden so she and her two young children could come in and ‘use the pool’ while she was going through the buying process.

But after more than four cancelled payment dates it became clear that Wells had no intention of paying.

Shockingly, a neighbour later told him she had seen Wells ‘showing prospective clients around the garden’.

One of those she showed around the house was expat Helle Munksgaard - a friend

of Wells’ of 14 years - who has also now filed a denuncia against her, the Olive Press understands.

Hall meanwhile is more than €13,000 out of pocket – for rent, deposit, estate agent fees and moving costs.

“All I want is for this woman to be stopped. We have been through months of hell because of her messing us around,” he said.

Samanta Fuster, a local Spaniard who posted a warning about the scams on Facebook, said she had received an ‘incredible amount of feedback’ from people who had also been tricked.

Last night, the Olive Press was unable to contact Wells.

Both of her mobile phones have been switched off, as well as that of her Spanish boyfriend.

Do you know Wells? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es

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the 15 15 2014 theolive olivepress press- October - October2-2October - October 2014

OPINION Stop the sleaze!

IT has been more than six years since a law was passed in Malaga hitting out at people and companies leaving flyers on cars, yet the problem still persists.

The Olive Press has been contacted by furious expats whose young children picked sex-club flyers off their cars in Marbella, yet the authorities deny all knowledge and police apparently turn a blind eye.

While fining those responsible must be lower on the list than, say catching rapists and muggers, it still tarnishes the good name of Marbella.

Perhaps those in power should spend less time on parking tickets and speeding fines … and more on trying to clean up the town’s sleazy side.

Innocent in jail?

THE idea of languishing in a jail cell for more than a decade for a crime you didn’t commit is the stuff of nightmares.

Yet incredibly that is what happened to Dutchman Romano van der Dussen, who was jailed for 15 years for a string of rapes.

In what is emerging as a gross miscarriage of justice, he was found guilty despite the fact that DNA evidence at the scene of the crime did not match his, while he claimed he was 12km away at the time.

It is incredible that an innocent man can be jailed on nothing more than witness statements, flying in the face of all other evidence that points to the contrary.

That is 11 years of his life that van der Dussen will never get back.

Kick in the teeth WHAT do San Marino, Bhutan and the Cook Islands have that Gibraltar doesn’t?... FIFA membership!

In the latest leg on his journey to ruin world football, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced that Gibraltar would not be able to join FIFA - and therefore play at the World Cup - despite being recognised by European footballing body UEFA. With 209 member countries already registered with the world footballing body, Blatter’s reason that ‘FIFA does not recognise Gibraltar as an independent country’ seems like bureaucratic nonsense - especially in light of FIFA’s recent laissez faire attitude.

Maybe a loosening of the purse strings and a brown envelope in the right direction would help Gibraltar’s cause.

Olive Press Blacklist

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- Jaipur Purple, Estepona - Reservatauro, Ronda - Webuycarsinspain.es -David Nixon

The details are being published in support of other companies that may be unaware of the problems that might be faced by providing credit facilities to the businesses and their present individual owners.

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or admin@theolivepress.es or sales@theolivepress.es A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 200,000 copies distributed monthly (130,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

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FEATURE

Animal rescue S.O.S.

www.theolivepress.es

OLIVE PRESS APPEAL: Forget angry calls for the closure of ‘out of control’ Kim’s Animal Rescue Centre, revealed on our front page last issue. What the rundown, cash-strapped centre really needs is volunteers, adopters and a proper financial structure

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HE future is looking a little bit brighter for Kim’s Rescue Centre in Mijas, following the Olive Press’ exposure of the crisis that has engulfed it.

While complaints have continued to come in on Kim Halliwell’s 17-year-old centre, a groundswell of her own supporters has rallied around, promising to help clear up the mess.

Since our exclusive story last month, concerned animallovers have begun to enquire about volunteering while other rescue centres have agreed to take in some of her animals.

After our last edition, we visited the centre to meet Kim and her supporters, and discussed the best ways to improve the overcrowded condition, find homes for the animals and encourage more volunteers.

However even the staunch supporters who attended the meeting later informed the Olive Press they no longer felt able to support a planned fundraising effort scheduled for this month.

Kim herself admitted to us the centre is ‘out of control’.

Both she and her supporters all agree that the fundamental needs for the centre are to cut the number of animals by half and NOT donate money but time, services and food.

After offers flooded in from other rescue centres around the region Kim finally agreed to release an initial 15 of her dogs, and many cats.

In what has become an almost indecipherable mess, one thing remains as clear as ever.

This is not a case of taking sides and blindly supporting or opposing Kim and her life’s work. This is last chance saloon for her and the animals must come first.

Whether or not she is operating unethically, or even illegally, will be dealt with by the police now that the issue has been raised.

Last week, acting on a denuncia, the local police turned up at Kim’s to inspect the centre

TEAMWORK: Olive Press reporter Tom Powell meets Kim, daughter Kelly, volunteers and some canine friends and (above) Kim embraces a dog

The Olive Press appeal aims to: • Re-home 50% of the animals • Find at least 12 regular volunteers • Improve the cleanliness and facilities at the centre • Improve accounts

Call: +34 603 138 715 and check up on paperwork.

They ordered the removal of a truck and wooden structures from the grounds, as they are a fire hazard.

Skips have now been booked and the removal work is set to be carried out this week. Further plans to clear the whole place up are also underway.

But while it is easy to criticise, it is much more difficult to decide how to resolve the crisis for the animals’ sake. We are determined to make a positive change.

Last issue we revealed the war of words being waged between the defenders and detractors of the centre. Since then, the Olive Press has been inundated with online comments, letters and phone calls from both passionate supporters of the centre and its critics (see our Letters Page Special, page 16).

The story was also picked up by Swedish website ‘Spain today’, which sent reporters to Kim’s.

However the problem for Kim continues, with an increasing number of Spanish people unable to look after their pets.

Indeed, several days after our meeting, a Spanish lady arrived at the gate to dump a dog which she had just found by the roadside.

“I’m on a pension,” she explained, before disappearing.

It happens every time an animal turns up at its gates, Kim Halliwell and her daughter Kelly take one look and welcome it in with open arms.

And when they do, the strain on the centre increases that little bit more.

It’s easy to see how a wellmeaning rescue centre can get swamped and eat up its minimal resources. In such circumstances, even the most dedicated of animal lovers like Kim and her daughter can lose sight of the real priority: what is best for the animals.

The Olive Press discussed with

Purr-lease love me

THERE are over 100 cats at Kim’s Rescue Centre - from kittens to juniors to mature and responsible adults - all looking for loving homes.

As any cat fan will tell you, they’re fun companions and fur less demanding! They do their own grooming, take themselves for walks and have an inbuilt instinct to use a litter

tray from when they’re just tiny scraps of fur. And when you come home from a bad day at the office they’re waiting to relieve your stress at a stroke!

If you think you could provide a safe, loving home for one of these cats, the centre would love to hear from you. Just call them up to plan a visit in person, Tel: +34 603 138 715

Kim the various problems and the best plan of action, specifically the overcrowded cages, uncleanliness, severe lack of funding and resources and the total absence of volunteers.

“Things are at tipping point now, we have no water or electricity here at the moment and it’s out of control,” admitted Kim. “When people just dump puppies at my gate there is nothing I can do. If I complain, they tell me it’s my job to take them.”

“I want to halve the number of animals to make it manageable, so that I can have a more normal life and we can begin to work on the centre.”

There are currently some 80 dogs at the centre. Kim has admitted that the number needs to be halved to 40 or below to be manageable.

Meanwhile the cats – a staggering 120 of them – are a particular financial burden and Kim is desperately seeking new homes for them.

Simply throwing money at the problem will not work until a proper treasurer is in place to oversee finances. This is currently being looked into and anyone who thinks they could help should contact Kim (see pullout).

The centre’s requirements are twofold: crucially, regular volunteers to help at the centre and people willing to adopt and provide homes for the animals; and materials and equipment to improve the facilities, in particular a diesel generator, a water pump, tiles, cement and sand. Perhaps you have some left over from an old building project you would like to donate?

The vision is clear: create a centre with a smaller, manageable level of animals and a network of committed volunteers to keep it a clean, safe and happy – but hopefully shortterm – refuge for abandoned animals desperate to find the loving home of their dreams.

Let the work begin!

FEATURE

www.theolivepress.es

So appealing!

Give a dog a second chance and you’ll never walk alone

Donna Donna, but no primadonna, this mixedbreed mastiff was rescued from an industrial estate along with her sister Diva.

She is 18 months old and weighs 22kg.

Romeo This wonderful little bodeguero is looking for his human Juliet.

He was taken from the local pound two years ago. Now aged four, he is very affectionate.

Tia This strong, energetic boxer-mix female was adopted from the centre two years ago, but has recently been brought back after her family’s circumstances changed. She is three years old and as happy and playful as ever.

A CANINE companion can be the very best caring, sharing partner for enjoying the Costa del Sol lifestyle. And especially so if you are far from family and loved ones.

The open landscape and climate make it a dogwalking paradise and there are even speciallydesignated beaches and parks where you can take Rover for a runabout.

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And as any dog owner will tell you, for chatting up the opposite sex they’re second to none!

Saved

Among the more than 80 dogs at Kim’s, some have been found wandering the streets or countryside alone, others have been dumped at the centre’s gate while others have been rescued from death row at the local dog pound.

But all of them have one thing in common.

Kim’s Rescue Centre has saved each of them and given them a second chance at life.

Each and every animal has a touching story, a unique personality and the potential to brighten up a life by becoming a firm friend.

They’ve lead a dog’s life up until now. Could you turn things around for one of these deserving pooches?

the olive press - October 2 - October 15 2014

7

Celia This Pointer mix is roughly one year old and loves running and playing. She is very friendly and needs an active family to take her for long walks

Nika This female pointer was brought in by two Spanish girls about a year ago. She would be ideal for a family as she is very friendly and loves to go for walks. She weighs 20kg.

Omah This two-year-old male pitbull loves to play with a ball and in the water. He was found roaming alone in the countryside.

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AN unprecedented crackdown on organised crime has seen more than 1,000 arrests around Europe, over a quarter of them in Spain.

The raids, involving a record 20,000 police officers, targeted gangs involved in people trafficking, cybercrime, narcotics and illegal gun trafficking.

Around 300 were arrested in Spain under Operation Archimedes, officially the largest ever coordinated assault on organised crime in Europe.

“The scale of the operation is unprecedented,”

By Imogen Calderwood

said Europol boss Rob Wainwright. “We designed an operation specifically to hit criminal infrastructure.

“Multiple criminal enterprises, some of them the most serious, have been disrupted right across Europe.”

All 28 European Union countries were involved, as well as Australia, Colombia, Norway, the United States, Serbia and Switzerland.

Some 250 operations were carried out in 300 cities, ports and border crossings across Europe.

In one raid, 30 Romanian children were saved from child-traffickers planning to ONE of the UK’s most wanted men has been arrested in Ali- sell them as sex slaves.

Police seized around 600 kicante playing poker.

Suspected drug smuggler Robert Knight was finally busted by los of cocaine, 1.3 tonnes of armed police at Saffy’s sports bar in Calpe, after more than six cannabis and 200 kilos of heroin. years on the run.

They also dismantled a laboThe 53-year-old, from Walsall in the ratory used for making fake UK, was named last year as one of 13 medicines, confiscated 13 luxof Britain’s most-wanted who were ury cars and seized 1.5 million thought to be hiding out in Spain. contraband cigarettes, as well Knight is believed to be a member of as €1 million in cash. an organised crime group, primar“More arrests are expected to ily involved with drug trafficking, acfollow,” added Wainwright, cording to Hank Cole, of the National as the operation has uncovCrime Agency (NCA). ered leads to be followed up “He had been on the run for a number in the ‘months and years’ to of years but we were able to track him come. down,” added Cole.

“Spain is not a safe haven. The NCA and its partners will con- “The operation sends a very clear message,” he said. “It tinue to pursue fugitives relentlessly.”

He is the 62nd fugitive to be caught out of 72 publicised clearly tells the criminal comthrough Operation Captura. He will attend the Spanish Na- munity there will be no safe place for them to carry out tional Court in Madrid for an extradition hearing next week. their activities.”

Texas hold’em

News

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the olive press - October 2 - October 15 2014

9

CATALAN LEADER HID €581 MILLION OFFSHORE

IN DENIAL: Jordi Pujol

POLICE have revealed that the children of ex-Catalan president Jordi Pujol hid a staggering €581 million fortune in various overseas accounts.

Jordi, Josep and Oleguer Pujol, Barcelona’s leading political dynasty, stored the huge sums of undeclared in-

come in tax havens including Switzerland, Andorra and Luxembourg, according to information from financial institutions.

The sum was allegedly amassed by their father during 34 years in office, mostly from illegal payments for the awarding of contracts and licences.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

However, Pujol denied all allegations of corruption before the Catalan parliament this week.

He claimed the fortune came from his late father Florenci Pujol, who deposited 140 million pesetas (€850,000) in international accounts in foreign currency, which

increased in value (over 7,000%) over the years.

He claimed the growth was due to several de-valuations of the peseta.

“Having money abroad can be criticised, highly criticised, but it does not mean that its origin is illegal,” said Pujol, 84.

Banker reveals Spain’s Socialist party siphoned off nearly €100 million of public funds, in blow-byblow ERE scandal courtroom testimony A BANKER has exposed the shameless defrauding of public money by Spain’s Socialist party in the socalled ERE slush fund scandal.

Former boss of Sevilla company Vitalia, Eduardo Pascual Arxe has revealed that nearly €100 million was siphoned off by both the Catalan and Andalucian branches of the PSOE party.

The €98.5 million from the so-called ‘reptile fund’ was ‘allocated’ by the Junta to the PSOE-controlled Cata-

By Jacqueline Fanchini

lan company Fortia Vida.

Of this, he claimed, at least €18 million was then diverted to the Dominican Republic to buy hotels and other businesses.

The money was meant to be going to stimulate businesses in Andalucia, and subsidise the layoffs of workers in the recession.

He told judge Alaya: “This shows clear collusion between the socialist party of Catalunya (PSC) and An-

No padron, no vote!

EXPATS must be signed up to the padron in their towns by the end of December in order to vote.

But being on the padron alone does not give you the right to vote in the elections next May, a separate application form must also be filled out.

Registry on the padron lasts for two years for non-residents and five years for residents, but always check just in case you have been excluded.

Many towns are offering a discount on local rates and services - up to 50% - for signing up.

dalucia (PSOE-A) to steal public funds.”

Insisting that this was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, the banker, whose company worked with Forte Vida, delivered a damning blowby-blow account of exactly how the Junta carried it out.

He went on to denounce businessman Jesus Barderas Martin - a close friend of former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez - as the mediator between the PSOE and the Dominican Republic.

Barderas has denied all allegations saying that he had ‘three decades of an unblemished career’ in the Dominican Republic and that his relationship with Felipe Gonzalez was merely one of friendship.

The PSOE categorically denied the existence of any collusion with the PSC and plans to sue Pascual for false testimony.

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News IN BRIEF

Top PP MAYOR of Nerja, Jose Alberto Armijo, has been re-elected as president of the Partido Popular (PP) in Nerja for the fifth consecutive time, taking 97% of the vote.

Trashed THREE illegal settlements under the Nerja aqueduct have been dismantled and 200kg of rubbish removed from the site.

Sand savers TORROX council has asked the government to protect the town's beaches, two of which were badly damaged in the summer.

Thief caught THE main suspect in a string of summer thefts on Nerja's beaches has been arrested.

It is thought the 23-year-old man hid in the rocky terrain waiting for opportune moments to strike.

AXARQUIA

Could it be Maddie?

Ex-soldier claims he saw missing girl by a Nerja pool, in the latest alleged Axarquia sighting EXCLUSIVE

By Tom Powell and Joe Chivers POLICE are investigating another reported sighting of Madeleine McCann in the Nerja area.

Former prison worker and military man David Fullman (pseudonym) spotted a blonde girl speaking Spanish in an English accent at the communal pool at the Tropicana apartment complex in La Herradura and was immediately reminded of Maddie.

After checking the online photo fit, he immediately contacted police in the UK. “A Spanish couple were by the pool with a very Spanish daughter and a blonde, whiteskinned girl who looked English and spoke with an English accent.

“I tried to take a photo but the parents were keeping an eye on me, it was obvious I was watching them so I didn’t

SPOTTED: The pool in question, and (left) a digital photo-fit

want to make a scene or appear to be a pervert.

“She looked similar to the digital construction, but more like her mother.”

Fullman, added: “I felt like I had to report this, even if it leads to nothing.”

Maddie disappeared from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.

The Olive Press has reported on previous alleged sightings of Maddie in the Axarquia.

No bull in Malaga THE man who tried to paint 300 Axarquia houses pink is offering Malaga residents a chance to ban bullfights.

Mayoral candidate Javier Checa – representing the Andalucian Party of Malaga – will hold a referendum on January 11 on Calle Pedro Gomez Chaix.

AMBITIOUS: Checa

September 18 - October 1 201411 11 the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

Checa has pledged to halt the bloody tradition if he is voted into government next year and the vote comes out against bullfighting.

Checa remarked: “For the first time one political party takes the pulse of Andalucian society to hear their opinion about the national festival and find out if the majority wants to end centuries of animal torture.”

Checa has a reputation for ambitious projects after attempting to paint 300 houses pink, rename roads in honour of gay icons and create a park designated for outdoor sex and 'cruising' in Moclinejo.

Bullfighting has been banned in Barcelona since January 2012.

COLOURFUL: Exhibition

Colouring Competa NEW gallery Luz de la Vida in Competa is to host an exhibition of works by German artist Maren Wellendorf.

Wellendorf, who has lived in Spain since 2008, is well known in Germany for her socio-critical paintings.

Wellendorf uses colour to ‘produce sensation and emotion, distilling objects into perfect studies of shapes and colour’.

The exhibition – also featuring sculptures by Dutch artist Lieuwke Loth – opens on October 3, with music provided by guitarist Rafael Nunez.

Visitors can meet Maren on October 11, and every Friday evening.

For more information, see www.luzdelavida.es

British expat Rose Johnson, 70, believes she saw the missing girl playing on nearby Penoncillo beach – between Torrox and Nerja – in the summer of 2011.

Another Olive Press reader, Yvonne Tunnicliffe, claimed to be ‘100% sure’ that she had spotted Maddie at a Mercadona store in Alhaurin el Grande in 2010.

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October 2nd

The Expats’ No.1 Choice

COME ON YOUR MAJESTY! GIBRALTAR residents have launched a petition demanding an official visit from Queen Elizabeth II. Volunteers canvassing the streets and the Piazza have gathered more than 5,000 signatures and delivered them to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

Minister Picardo and deputy, Dr Joseph Garcia, have given their full support to the campaign, reaffirming their National Day message for the Queen to be welcomed again to her Gibraltar homeland.

Petition mastermind Trevor Bickerstaff said: “We, the people of Gibraltar, are very loyal

British citizens and I think it’s about time that we were visited.”

But Picardo is not the only big name backing the cause, with some of Gibraltar’s bestknown giving their full support.

The Rock’s biggest fan Bill Cerisola has been out petitioning with his now infamous placards along with estate agent Solomon Levy.

“We want to invite the Queen to come down and have some tea and scones with us,” said Cerisola.

The Queen has not been to the Rock since 1954, but the UK foreign affairs committee raised the possibility of a visit in March.

We’ve been robbed!

Gibraltar FA set to take FIFA to court after a terrible week for the fledgling football team FIFA has rejected the Gibraltar FA’s request to join the world’s footballing body after failing to recognise the British enclave as an independent territory.

Gibraltar were officially welcomed into UEFA - the European football governing body - last year and competed in their first competitive fixture in September against Poland in a Euro 2016 qualification game.

However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the ‘FA of Gibraltar cannot be accepted as a member of FIFA’ because it contravened the world gov-

13

Gibraltar NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

the olive press - August 20 - September 3 2014

October 4, 12pm

Royal Gibraltar Regiment 75th anniversary parade.

Casemates Square. Veterans who wish to take part can register at the RGRA Club, 22/2 Irish Town.

October 6, 8pm

An illustrated talk by Victor Hermida, with the Gibraltar Photographic Society. Wellington Front. Free entry.

October 7, 7.30pm

déjà vu

Murder mystery in aid of Rotary International (Polio Plus) campaign, at Jumper’s Wheel. Visit www. rotaryclubgibraltar.com or call 00350 58191000

October 20-25

The 3rd Gibraltar International Jazz Festival, featuring 16 shows, street parades and workshops.

For more information, visit www.gibraltarjazz.gi, email mschy.info@gibraltar. gov.gi, or call 00350 20066819

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FOUL PLAY: Gib FA have been rejected by FIFA erning body's statutes regarding independent territories.

A spokesman for the Gibraltar FA said they ‘were not surprised’ by the decision and will now be taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Eligible

He said: "We are an UEFA member nation now and we will take it to the next stage - if you look at the history of our UEFA membership that's the way it went as well."

The news that they would not be eligible to qualify for

déjà vu

ON the Rock

13

Exhibition of Gibraltarthemed paintings and prints by Gail Francis-Tiron.

At Cafe Solo in Casemates Square. Free entry.

Plaza de la Constitucion, Jimena de la Frontera 11330 Telephone /Telefono – 636 730 542 Opposite Bar Vecina & next to Taxi Rank Frente al Bar Vecina

the World Cup capped off an already bad week for the nation’s football association.

‘Tax issues’ in Portugal have ended their time in Faro, and again left the footballing minnows looking for a new home, with London tipped as a likely destination.

To make matters worse, the Gibraltar FA were left redfaced after attempting to coax Oldham Manager Lee Johnson out of retirement to play for the national side.

His swift dismissal to join the cause simply rubbed salt into the already gaping wounds of the Rock’s footballing body.

NEWS IN BRIEF Speedy seaman A BRITISH seaman hoping to break the long-standing world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat will start his 24,000 nautical mile attempt in Gibraltar in November.

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Silenced BOTH the Gibraltar Police Authority and the Royal Gibraltar Police are remaining tightlipped over allegations of bullying within the Rock’s police force.

Monkey business MISS Gibraltar and her princesses have been up the Rock to get to know the macaques. Shyanne, Kristy and Claire were guided by Brian Gomila of campaign group Monkey Talk.

Call into one of our local offices or call us on:

HANDSHAKE: Picardo (left) with Cameron

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CHIEF Minister Fabian Picardo has been told to ‘keep up the good work’ by Prime Minister David Cameron himself at the annual Conservative conference.

Picardo also held a half-hour private meeting with the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond at the conference in Birmingham, discussing matters of ‘mutual interest’.

When addressing the conference, Picardo warned that diplomatic action in Gibraltar’s waters may become necessary in coming weeks.

“I enjoyed seeing Philip Hammond again, having worked well with him when he was defence secretary, he is clearly going to be very much a ‘pro-Gibraltar’ foreign secretary,” added Picardo.

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GREEN NEWS

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Bye bye biofuel Bio fuel project crushed as tax fraud family is in the dock

AN experimental bio fuel plant that turns seaweed into oil will be shut down.

The Carboneras Ecofield project, owned by Bio Fuel Systems (BFS), has been abandoned following the trial of the company’s president and his family in Alicante.

Investors have abandoned the project following the trial of Bernard Stroiazzo Mougin, his wife Belinda Anne Halsall and their three children for tax fraud and evasion.

Dormant

Three years after Ecofield’s highprofile launch, major backers such as Italian investment group Enalg – who gave €14 million to BFS – and Chupa Chups moguls the Bernat family have pulled out of the project.

Employees have allegedly not been paid since last year and suppliers

By Imogen Calderwood are waiting for invoices spanning more than two years to be cleared.

Stroiazzo signed an agreement with Carboneras Town Hall in September 2011 to build the bio fuel plant, creating jobs in the community. However, the plant has been dormant for more than a year.

The production process sees carbon dioxide emissions fed into a photobioreactor, where they are eaten by microalgae which when aided by solar energy generate biomass that creates oil.

The family are also being investigated by Portuguese authorities, after a plant on the island of Porto Santo in the Madeira Archipelago – for which Stroiazzo received a €9 million advance – was abandoned in construction.

FAMILY FRIEND: Mougin and (above) seaweed turned into oil

Algarrobico bites back Whales not shale!

REPSOL: Given the go-ahead for drilling

THE Spanish government is under pressure to abandon oil-drilling plans in the Canary Islands and create a sanctuary for whales and dolphins.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) launched its campaign after Repsol was given the go-ahead for exploration off the shores of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

These waters are home to nearly a third of the world’s whale and dolphin species.

Spain’s WWF secretary general, Juan Carlos del Olmo, said: “We’re talking about an area that’s Europe’s richest when it comes to whales and one of the top in the world.”

Del Olmo said whales and dolphins would be at threat of oil spills, contamination and loud noises.

Spain’s environment ministry began examining the creation of a sanctuary off the islands in 2011 after the death of several whales in the region.

Drilling – which could start as early as October – is also causing concern in the tourism industry.

Repsol spokesperson Marcos Fraga said the company ‘respected’ the protests, but that opposition was premature.

He said the drilling is first to determine whether the oil reserves exist and how much it would cost to access them.

“From there, we can open a quiet, calm debate regarding the pros and cons, to take a decision as a company, as a society and as a country,” he said.

“But the discovery of hydrocarbons would be good news for the country.”

With unemployment at 33% on the islands, industry and tourism minister Jose Manuel Soria has insisted that Spain ‘cannot afford the luxury’ of not knowing whether the gas and oil reserves exist or not.

GREENHOUSE GLEE THE Spanish government has announced a 15% decrease in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Spain’s claim came as the World Meteorological Organisation said ‘unprecedented’ CO2 levels are leading the planet down an ‘irreversible path’.

Isabel García, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, explained that the Boost Plan for Environment (PIMA Aire) renovated 35,000 cars and 2,800 motorcycles as part of Spain’s ‘international commitments on reducing emissions’.

Spain is now in compliance with the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol – the international campaign to improve air quality.

THE incendiary Algarrobico Hotel saga has taken another twist, after a legal judgement ruled work could begin again on the half-built structure in Almeria.

The news comes as a blow to Junta leader Susana Diaz, who previously pledged she would do ‘everything possible to impede’ the construction.

Daubed ‘Hotel Ilegal’ by Greenpeace protesters in 2006, work on the 400-room complex was halted when the Junta claimed land rights were sold under an ‘illegal’ contract and the site – in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar – was protected land.

Developer Azata del Sol is set to complete the 20-storey hotel as the legal battle comes to an end.

BLACK SPOT: Algarrobico hotel

16

LETTERS

the 2- October 15 2014 the olive olive press press -- October August 20 - September 3 2014

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When and how DEAR Olive Press, This coastal path from Nerja to Manilva is a good idea but miles (kilometres in this case) from the truth.

Why do these people constantly come out with such rubbish? We are having the same problem in Fuengirola at the moment with phase four of the Paseo Maritimo.

The mayor has had photo calls and press releases saying work will start in September and then November of this year, yet the town hall can’t tell the local business owners and residents anything.

All we want to know is what, when and how things will be happening.

Kim’s animal rescue crisis Big heart?

Animals first

I HAVE worked at Kim’s Rescue Centre (‘Dog Fight’ Issue 196). I was paid €100 per week and given a place to stay – in appalling, filthy conditions, with no electricity, working from 7am-2pm and 4pm-8pm.

I appreciate some dogs are abandoned at the gates but there are also people who fundraise on the side.

The issue is perhaps that Kim’s heart is bigger than the facilities and the volunteer help she relies on.

She simply doesn’t understand that the conditions are not healthy for either the animals or the workers and sadly some sick animals don’t get the treatment needed.

WE need to force Kim into accepting help, rather than calling for the centre’s closure. It’s the dogs and cats that matter and there are too many there.

I urge anyone who wishes to slate Kim to get up there and help her clean the kennels, then see for yourself how back-breaking her life is.

She doesn’t even have her own clothes because she gives everything to the animals!

I WAS recently on holiday in Burriana Beach, Nerja, and loved it. There is a beautiful parrot further down the beach front but unfortunately he is caged.

I walked down there one night and he was still there, trying to sleep. It’s a small cage for a bird of that size and it’s cruel that he’s there all day.

He is unable to fly around or to get to sleep at night without passers-by prodding him or children shouting at him.

I read your wonderful newspaper while on holiday and actually took it home with me to give it to a friend who is thinking of moving to Spain.

I see that you are very good

Laura Elen, Mijas Costa

Time to help

I’VE been up there many times offering help. I’ve brought litres of water when they’ve had shortages.

The dogs are locked in a dark room in cages no bigger than a square metre. The way she drags them out of their cages is unbelievable.

That’s why we all need to pitch in. They’re careless with the animals – it’s disgusting and needs sorting.

MY daughter and a friend go there periodically to help out and to take food and water for the animals. Kim works 17 hours every day in blistering heat with little help.

People – especially expats leaving Spain – dump their animals at her gate. What is she to do? She can’t turn them away. She does her best for the animals on very little money. She needs a sponsor.

What will happen to the animals if her rescue is closed down?

Instead of denouncing her perhaps people could come up with a solution that is helpful and permanent.

Lucia Baker, Fuengirola

Sue Griffiths, Benalmadena

Mark Smith, Fuengirola

Poor Polly

www.theolivepress.es

Vikki Alexander, England

Sort it

for helping people/animals in need. Has anyone else seen this poor parrot?

everything that wasn’t nailed down and treated everybody that didn’t give in to her as dirt.

She did less than nothing for female emancipation and promoted monetarily, which was - and is - a fiscal disaster.

Apart from that I didn’t like her. Could you tell?

Mags Mahony, Kerry, Ireland

Spin on it

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MANY thanks to George Birnie for informing readers of the new fishing rule at lake Iznajar in his letter (Issue 194).

My colleagues and I were recently informed of the no spinning for bass rule (no normal angling with rod and reel).

We have been fishing at Iznajar lake for years and to bring in this rule is absurd. It deters anglers and their families from visiting Cordoba and will decrease trade at local cafes and bars.

I sincerely hope the town hall will take a second look at this extraordinary rule and that common sense will prevail.

Michael Manning, Arroyo de La Miel

Big blue mystery MY wife and I had 13 original watercolours stored at the Big Blue Box furniture shop in Estepona before the fire there last year.

We know they loaned them out so I don’t know whether they were back in at the time of the fire or where they are now. We didn’t get anything back, we’ve been down there and there is nothing left of the building.

We assume that no one else got anything back and we have never been informed about how to get compensation. Are there people out there in the same position?

Leslie Holland, Estepona ED: Contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es with information

Kitty Kirt, Liverpool

No camino I RECENTLY went to take a look at the Caminito del Rey (picture above) with a couple of equally adventurous friends. We made our way to the entrance easily, with only a knee-height fence blocking the route. But the caminito itself, scary and enticing, was fenced off. We decided to have a lunch break before jumping the fence but as I was half-way through my cheese puffs a man in a high vis jacket began blowing a whistle in the distance and waving. It turned out the security guards were sheltering from the sun in a cave.

We were disappointed not to even get on the walkway, but if I hadn’t stopped for cheese puffs first I’d have a hefty fine right now. Anyway, see you in January Caminito!

Simon Cox, Alora

Hateful woman SHE claimed there is no such thing as society so how could society be intent on vandalising her legacy? (Madrid’s Margaret Thatcher square vandalised, OP online).

She will be remembered by many as a hateful, destructive woman who sold off

British saviour IN open minds Margaret Thatcher will be remembered as one of Britain’s saviours, on many fronts.

If only all the British leaders showed the same devotion to duty and determination, no matter how demanding.

She is a beacon for women’s equality.

The proverb, ‘a prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house’, rings true with Maggie.

John Simpson, Madrid

Letters should be emailed to letters@theolivepress.es. The writer’s name and address should be provided. Opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

CROSSMOT 41 Across 7 Inventors (3, 10) * 8 Fijado (8) * 9 Envidia (4) * 10 Aprendido (7) * 12 Metro (5) * 14 Oferta (5) * 16 Cubos (7) * 19 To Pray (4) * 20 Annoyed (8) * 22 Coating (13).

Down 1 Jewel (4) * 2 Amargo (6) * 3 Advances (7) * 4 Joined (5) * 5 Rocket (6) * 6 Más Pesado (8) * 11 Cumplir (8) * 13 Suppresses (7) * 15 Ha ganado (6) * 17 Gatito (6) * 18 Nacimiento (5) * 21 Fecha (4).

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17 the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

Royal delay Portrait of the king and his family is nearly complete - after more than two decades!

A PORTRAIT of the Spanish royal family that has been 20 years in the making is finally just days from completion.

Although it already appears finished to the amateur eye, artist Antonio Lopez insists he needs another 20 days before the painting is completely finished.

Even now, Lopez is only happy with the painting ‘at times’, saying he was greatly hindered by having to paint from a photograph, rather than from life.

Originally commissioned in 1994, Lopez has said that the two decade delay is because

painting the royal family is ‘like writing War and Peace’.

The portrait is based on a photo from 1992, and features the then-King Juan Carlos I, his wife Sofia and their three children Elena, Cristina and the new King Felipe VI. On completion, it is to be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Royal Palace, called ‘Portraiture in the royal collections’.

Impressions of Spanish royals dating back to Queen Isabella also feature in the exhibition, by masters such as Francisco de Goya, Juan de Flanders and Diego Velazquez.

SCREEN STARS SHINE ON MARBELLA INTERNATIONAL stars are set to descend on the Costa del Sol for the ninth annual Marbella Film Festival.

The festival, running for five days from October 1, will showcase everything from independent shorts right through to classics such as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Santje Kramer, director of Tikotin: A Life Dedicated to Japanese Art, told the Olive Press she was ‘overjoyed’ to be nominated for an award.

"I am honoured my documentary has been selected.

It's my first time in Marbella and I am rather jealous of the people living in such a beautiful area,” she said, adding.

Ready to rock

Solo sculptures CELEBRATED British artist Marc Quinn has launched his first ever Spanish solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) in Malaga.

Most famous for sculpting a solid gold life-size Kate Moss - weighing 50 kilos -

and for filling a sculpture of his head with four-and-ahalf litres of his own blood, Quinn is one of the most controversial artists working today.

His exhibition, ‘Violence and Serenity’, is on show until November 30.

Oscar aspirations CLASSIC: The Shining “I love the nature, culture, food and warm people. It’s great to find it all in one spot.”

SPAIN has announced its long-awaited Oscar contender. And the winner is … Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed.

The film - a true story about a Spanish teacher of English’s trip to meet John Lennon when he was filming in Almeria – swept the boards at this year’s Goya Awards, known as the Spanish Oscars. The movie picked up six Goyas in total for Madrid director David Trueba and his cast.

Named after a line in The Beatles hit, Strawberry Fields Forever, written by Lennon, the film will now be entered in the Best Foreign-language Film category at the 87th Academy Awards, to be held in Febraury 2015.

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stepona. October 3, 8.30pmLecture

and launch of the book, Malaga in the origin of European prehistoric art, by Pedro Cantalejo at the Centro de Corominas, at the Parque San Isidro Labrador.

Free admission.

CHAMPIONS: Battle of the bands

SLOW PROGRESS: Antonio Lopez and his almostfinished masterpiece

what’s on

THE best up-and-coming bands from across Andalucia and Gibraltar will fight it out in the third Battle of the Bands in Estepona port this Saturday night.

Nine bands will perform three songs each – including one original and one cover – at Louie Louie’s Rock’n’Roll Bar on October 4, kicking off at 8pm.

Everything from folk to death metal will be on display, including performances from previous winners Orange Peel, Reggae Roots and Ubuntu.

Tickets for the event, organised by El Intercambio, cost €3 in advance and €5 on the night.

They are available from Louie Louie’s or by contacting info@elintercambio.org Visit www.elintercambio. org, and www.battleofthebands.rocks

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ijas. October 4, 12pmDanish

friendship day, with stalls and performances from Danish folk groups in the Virgen de la Pena square. CAC Mijas is also hosting an exhibition of Danish artist Lars Physant.

Visit www.mijas.es

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rriate. October 12, 13 and

14 Don’t miss this open-air weekend of concerts, stall, and candle-lit parades.

For more information, visit www.arriate.es

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enalmadena.

October 17, 9pmCharity jazz

concert at Tivoli World amusement park, for Cudeca Hospice and Una luz para Ezequiel.

Tickets for €14, on sale in El Corte Ingles and at www.elcorteingles. es/entradas

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QUALITY: There are now lots of alternatives to the satellite

Six months since the Big Switch Off It has been half a year since the shutdown of a satellite spelt the end of good quality British television in southern Spain.

Mike Crompton of Mediastreamz reports on the situation today

The drama I T has been half a year since British television disappeared from our screens in a flash.

Andalucia’s most popular form of expat entertainment literally vanished overnight, leaving tens of thousands pulling their hair out over how to watch that night’s episode of Coronation Street or Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

It was a crisis for many, to say the least.

Although it was not as if we didn’t already know about it. The Olive Press had first reported on

the demise of the 2D satellite well over a year before, in fact when Channel 5 disappeared in December 2012.

So when the new Astra 2E satellite was finally brought in - not providing for us down south none of you should have been surprised.

Even so, it was a mad scramble as thousands of expats looked around to find the best solution.

Plenty of reputable companies set up alternative services to take up the slack, including Flash TV, Your Expat Network and Triotech.

Already well established companies like Danelca, TV-One and Europa also offered their own unique solutions, allowing expats to happily watch British terrestrial television again...and a lot, lot more.

Initially the vast bulk of expats used the free FilmOn service that allowed us to watch British television over the internet without having to pay a monthly subscription, albeit at a far lower level of quality than was previously available via the Sky platform.

Many people expected more, while for some even this very basic set up wasn’t possible because of the very poor internet service provided in many parts of Andalucia. Thankfully, most of the existing internet television (IPTV) services and boxes are of excellent quality and work with most people’s internet coverage.

For those who have a decent broadband service – or perhaps one of the latest 4g routers - then the range of IPTV companies offering all of the UK television channels has been a godsend.

Delivering a reliable IPTV service in Spain, where parts of the country are using copper cables laid down over 40 years ago, is no easy job.

But now there is another option, a satellite that broadcasts UK television that will meet the requirements of many expatriate households.

The channel line up doesn’t include all of the commercial UK channels available, however it does offer all of the BBC channels plus ITV 1 and Channel 4 and best of all, the service doesn’t require an internet connection.

So what is the risk, or downside, of using this satellite?

Technically it is illegal to watch the channels from this satellite as the broadcasts have been encrypted.

It is similar to buying a DVD from the beach vendor or continuing Continue over

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continues the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

to watch the vast array of TV channels available from Sky using your Sky card and box.

Even using IPTV is a distinct legal grey area, and many people will have heard about FilmOn’s running battle with the UK broadcasters over the last year.

Yet we all still want to watch UK television, and small sac-

rifices may be necessary to achieve that.

While many thousands of people have been able to carry on watching the UK broadcasts via their Internet connection.

Unfortunately there are many thousands who have not.

So it is good to know that

there is a solution for UK expatriates who haven’t got a quality broadband service and who are probably not going to get one in the near future and that now, wherever you live in Spain, you can watch UK television once again, albeit illegally.

www.mediastreamz.com

Danelca: A two-man trip to a TV dream!

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NE of the most reliable providers of British TV via IPTV on the Costa del Sol is Danelca.

Based in Benalmadena, the decade old company has a range of excellent TV solutions, including its Box TV or World Net TV packages.

With hundreds of channels, including BBC, ITV and Sky, the viewers are served up a veritable TV treat.

The company began as a twoman show, back in 2005, installing satellite systems from their garage in Torre del Mar for the local Scandinavian community.

“Life was hard,” co-founder and British comedy aficionado Christian Andersen explained to the Olive Press.

“Our first summer in Spain we were only working two day weeks and spending the other five leaflet dropping. But by winter we were getting busy and it was time for a second van and full-time work.”

The pair have weathered many changes in Spanish expat TV and – with nearly two dozen staff - grown into one of the leading providers of television, internet and audio equipment in Andalucia and beyond.

New British partner Darren Harris explained: “We’ve got a really buzzing, energetic team that goes well out of its way to help its punters.”

Danelca had first identified that IPTV was the future of home entertainment in 2010 with the loss of Scandinavian TV in Spain.

So when British TV disappeared earlier this year the team were more than ready to provide solutions, having taken on British staff and built up a network of television engineers and IT professionals in each area.

Co-founder Nicolai Aarestrup, explains: “BoxTV has evolved from a basic system with 20 channels to a fully featured TV service with over 400 television and radio stations, a programme guide, reminders and catch-up television being broadcast from four servers around Spain and Europe.

“We’re proud of what we have achieved and we now offer four different television solutions providing British free-to-air and premium channels over either the internet or via a satellite dish.

“Recently, we’ve added Irish, Italian, French, German and American channel ranges.”

Danelca's showroom is in Avenida del Cosmos s/n, in CC Santangelo, Planta 1, in Arroyo de la Miel Visit www.danelca.com or phone 952 850 503 for more information

NIGHTMARE: New British satellite misses Spain, causing trouble in January

Sister Sledge

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the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

DIRECT FROM NEW YORK

PASSION: Artist captures the men behind racing pigeons

S U N DAY - 1 2 t h O C T O B E R P U E N T E RO M A N O H OT E L

HiTS iNClUDE: We are family - He´s the greatest dancer

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HE quirky Spanish tradition of painted pigeonracing has been captured by an Alicante artist.

Lost in music - Frankie - All American girls

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Ricardo Cases’ collection of photographs, Paloma al Aire, looks at the people behind the polychrome pigeons,

Disco diva fever

CONCERT + 4-COURSE DiNNER fROm 1 75 € Reservations

Pigeons by numbers

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Charity Auction and contribution in aid of Rhys Daniels Trust Complimentary transport to after party at Joy's Puerto Banús .com

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OUL and disco legends Sister Sledge are set to take to the stage for a one-off show in Marbella, on October 12.

With more than 100 high-profile awards and a string of hits, including We are Family and He’s the Greatest Dancer, the siblings became global superstars at the height of the 70s disco era.

Hosted by Rock Lounge at Hotel Puente Romano, there is the option to start with a cocktail reception, followed by a five-star dinner.

Cocktails are at 7pm and dinner at 8pm. The performance starts at 10pm, with entry from 9.30pm.

Tickets are from €75 for the concert, or €175 for the reception, dinner and concert package, with donations to be made to the Rhys Danies Trust.

For more information, visit www.rocklounge.com or 653 820 820.

New book pays homage to one of Spain’s oldest and oddest sporting traditions

closely examining racing pigeon culture in Valencia and Murcia.

Cases has a reputation for his gritty photographic studies of human life.

The collection features one man precariously climbing a wall in search of his lost bird, and another crouching as a flock of luminous pigeons fly towards him.

Interspersed throughout the action shots, Cases places static shots of men cradling their prize possessions.

In a tribute to one of Spain’s more obscure sports, Cases captures a true picture of Spanish life.

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Three for the price of one

A cable car, a fairytale castle and the Western world’s largest Buddhist temple are among the surprises of Benalmadena, a town with a tripolar personality, as Imogen Calderwood reports

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IKE a waterfall cascading down the steep sides of Mount Calamorro, Benalmadena tumbles from its origins as a white mountain pueblo down to the sea.

Sandwiched between Torremolinos and Fuengirola, the three distinct neighbourhoods that make up Benalmadena - the pueblo, Arroyo de la Miel and the costa - can keep even the most picky holidaymaker coming back for more.

A veritable town of entertainment there is definitely more within its boundaries for the tourist than practically any other resort in Spain.

From beaches to mountain walks, theme parks to history, there’s no doubt that Benal-

madena has a multiple personality, and it’s certainly not a disorder.

Any trip to the resort must begin 280 metres above sea level with the pueblo, a charming Andalucian village with narrow streets, whitewashed houses, geranium-filled window boxes, pretty squares and - unlike its bigger, brasher lookalike neighbour, Mijas - not a tour bus or donkey in sight.

From here the municipality winds steeply down to Arroyo de la Miel, the commercial and residential heart, finishing its journey in Benalmadena Costa, the coastal strip where most of the tourists stay.

My weekend in the town started with a ramble around the

RESTAURANTE

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tory which fascinated him. trees sparked my curiosity.

The Castillo de Colomares is This explains why a replica of one of the highlights of Bena- one of Christopher Columbus’ lmadena. Its spun-sugar Walt ships, the bow of the Pinta, juts Disney turrets, trills and towers surreally from the walls.

An incredible are so delimix of architeccately-carved tural influences they seem to Strolling through ranging from Robe an archithe pueblo you mantic to Gothic tectural impossibility. feel like the only to Mudejar, the castle took seven But one of person on earth years and many the most surmillions of peseprising facts tas to build. about the castle is that it was only com- Inaugurated in 1992 by the pleted 22 years ago, by Doctor last descendant of Columbus, a mass was held in the castle’s Esteban Martin.

A talented amateur architect, chapel – listed in the Guinthe doctor built the castle as ness Book of Records as the a monument to the great New smallest in the world – by a Turn to page 22 World explorers, a period of his-

MELTING POT: Benalmadena BilBil castle, Castillo de Colomares (inset left) and stupa (inset right) and cable car (above) pueblo, which centres on tran- pueblo. From my crow’s nest viewpoint in the gardens, the quil Plaza de Espana.

This ‘social hub’ is often so qui- hint of a fairy turret through the et you can hear the proverbial pin drop but first impressions DISCOUNT can be deceptive.

Behind the shabby-chic front doors and white walls, into which the more enterprising shopkeepers have embedded coloured stones and shells, ® artisan craft shops are hives of tourist activity.

Strolling through the floral twists and turns of the nearby Jardines del Muro that teeter on the very edge of the hilltop town, you feel like the only person left on earth; although the perfectly-manicured flowerbeds hint at the presence of green fingered ‘others’.

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A town of peace priest from Palos de la Frontera in Cadiz province, the port from which Columbus set sail and where you can also see replicas of his ships today.

But my hunger pangs told me I had been captivated for way too long by this bizarre monument.

I hiked back to the pueblo on foot, refusing to give in to the temptation of the ‘urban lift’ that has been installed for hefting you to the upper part of the town.

The pueblo is full of tapas bars and decent restaurants, including a superb German-run steak joint Longhorn and the delicious Italian

TRANQUIL: The pueblo (above), the Iglesia de Sta Domingo de Guzman (right) and Plaza de Espana (far right)

La Pala d’oro.

I was also lured in to try the family-run Bar Meson Pepe – tempted in by their ‘four tapas and a drink for €5’ deal.

Across from the Iglesia de Sto Domingo de Guzman, taking pride of place in a pigeon-filled square next to the Jardines del Muro, it’s a spot-on setting for sampling homemade croquetas and albondigas.

Fresh homemade pasta.

Genuine products imported from Italy.

Wide variety of Italian wines.

Open from 1pm to 4pm and 7pm to 11.30pm Closed Tuesday Reservations: 952 448 907 Email: info@lapaladoro.com www.lapaladoro.com Avenida del Chorillo 29639 Benalmádena, Spain

Replete after my feast, I set off to admire yet another of the town’s surprises: a giant Buddhist monument that seems very much at odds with the rest of the landscape.

The Benalmadena Stupa (or shrine) appears out of nowhere on the drive up to the pueblo and, at 33 metres tall, it has earned the title of the largest stupa in the

Western world.

Representing peace, prosperity and harmony, it was the final project of Buddhist master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche and was inaugurated in October 2003.

He built many in both the East and West but the Benalmadena Stupa is regarded as the crown jewel of his career.

With it, Benalmadena is linked to

all countries where Buddhist philosophy has flourished including India, Asia and China, Indonesia and Cambodia, all of which are home to these highly-symbolic monuments.

It could have just been a trick of the mind - or perhaps the atmospheric music and incense - but the gardens surrounding the stupa do feel incredibly calm. And

Benalmadena’s Best Italian

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PANORAMIC: The views across Benalmadena costa

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despite being slightly sceptical, I was even persuaded to test the theory that if you walk

clockwise around the stupa, your wish will come true. No result on that so far.

To continue the peaceful ‘at one with nature’ feeling, head over the road to the Mariposario butterfly park, where the humidity, exotic flora and copious species of bright-winged butterflies might convince you – if the resident wallaby doesn’t – that you’re down under in Australia!

The park is a butterfly’s flutter from Arroyo de la Miel and Benalmadena Costa, where you’ll find many other reasons why day-trippers and tourists flock to this three-in-one town.

More in the marina Arroyo is home to Tivoli World amusement park and nearby make sure to visit the superb

Sealife Aquarium, one of the best in Spain, with its amazing underwater tunnel, while Torrequebrada’s famous casino is also nearby.

And it’s not just families who are thoroughly catered for.

Downtown Benalmadena boogies to the beat of a hip beach club vibe by day and a thriving after-dark clubbing scene.

But there are few better ways to admire all that Benalmadena has to offer – the pueblo, the costa and everything in between – than the Teleferico cable car which ferries hundreds of people per day from its base in Arroyo de la Miel to the peak of Mount Calamorro.

En route, a voice recording points out Malaga and the Sierra Nevada mountain range

Or look up to spot golden eagles as they soar high above, scouring the rocks below for for dinner to the east, across to Gibraltar in the west and, on a clear day, the coast of Morocco.

Below – if you can fend off the vertigo – look out for the foxes and wild boar that have made their homes in the scrubland; or look up to spot golden eagles as they soar high above, scouring the rocks below for for dinner. Snub-nosed vipers and chameleons are their favourite fare.

If you time your ascent at around 4pm, you can enjoy the shows at the summit. At 4.30pm you can see Andalucian horses galloping and prancing to music against a stunning backdrop of coastal views.

And if you didn’t spot wild eagles from the cable car, at 5.30pm there is a falconry display starring griffon vultures, eagle owls and a particularly beady-eyed hawk.

For my grand finale, I made the

short hike to the very peak, to admire views I will never tire of. From here you can pick out

ENALMADENA Marina may be known as a base for some of the most luxurious vessels in the Mediterranean, but there are plenty of reasons to visit even for those who do not own a luxury yacht (yet).

Opened in 1979, the Marina – officially called the Puerto Deportivo de Benalmadena - has space for over 1,000 boats, making it the biggest in Andalucia.

But it is also a social hub where people can go to eat, drink, dance and see live music, while at night the area becomes transformed by a breathtaking display of lights.

Fishing trips leave from the Marina during the day, as well as boats for dolphin and wildlife spotting.

There are regular food fairs, and the harbour has recently played host to events ranging from fashion shows to a meet-up for Ferrari enthusiasts. the boundaries that divide this quirky tripolar town into each of its three personas.

One place, three visitor experiences, and you have to try them all.

Tom Parker Bowles Gourmet writer

Kitchen Open: Monday - Saturday 6:30pm to 11pm and Sunday 1pm to 10pm without a break!

“Have just feasted Galician beef. F… me sergeant major. Epic, splendidandsublime” His reaction eating our Bone-in Rib-eye in London

+ BBQ “as often as you like” for just 16,50€ each Sunday from 1p.m. to 10p.m. and on Mondays 6:30p.m. to 11p.m + Best meat from Galicia and Argentina + Salmon Tartare and Steak Tartare + Tapas Menu and Spare-Ribs + Homemade desserts and more

Longhorn del Sol, c/San Miguel 29639 Benalmadena Pueblo 36°35’37.8”N 4°34’24.2”W

Tel: 952 569 995

info@longhorn-del-sol.com www.longhorn-del-sol.com www.facebook.com/LonghornPueblo

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Torremolinos

Spanglish and sun-drenched, Rob Horgan explores the spiritual home of the Costa del Sol package holiday and finds a few of its old vestiges

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OUR middle-aged men sporting bright orange wristbands and ‘budgie smugglers’ swagger down the promenade, beer cans in hand.

They stop every now and then to shake hands with a local bar owner or share a joke with other similarly-clad males, before returning in single file through the gates of their ‘resort complex’.

Once inside their ‘all-inclusive holiday paradise’, they return to strike a pose on a sun lounger next to their wives who are languidly draped around the perimeter of the swimming pool, indulging in the ritual pursuit of sun worshipping.

But behind the brash image, lies a much more wholesome town and one of the coast’s most authentic, honest places to live.

Indeed, celebrated journalist Mark Jones includes Torremolinos in his list of the ‘50 Most Authentic Places in the World’ for the British Airways’ High Life Magazine.

He particularly singled out its ability to combine fishing village with modern hotel complexes whilst remaining

‘comfortable within its own skin’ dismissing the ‘Carling and chips image as only faketan deep’.

Sheltering in the foothills of the Mijas mountain range, Torremolinos is a mass of cultures meshed together in a unique way that’s not quite Spanish, not quite English; Spanglish, maybe.

Its transformation from fishing village into holiday resort superstar began in the 1950s when the first jumbo charter flights began disgorging thousands of pasty Brits onto the runway at Malaga airport.

With its big, modern hotels and cheap family prices, it was the top choice for Brits off to sunny Spain. Y viva España!

By the 1960s the fishermen were being outnumbered by hotels and the future of the Costa del Sol was sealed.

Una paloma blanca! Where Torremolinos led, other resorts couldn’t wait to follow.

An Irish bar, next to a tapas restaurant, next to a souvenir shop, squeezed between two high-rise hotels with sea views became the blueprint from which the rest of the

TREND-SETTING: Hotels line Torremolinos beaches and

TRADITION: Bullring in the old town

Costa del Sol borrowed.

The rebirth of Torremolinos has arguably impacted modern-day Spain as deeply as

the Civil War or the death of Franco.

Today, the attraction of a home-away-from-home

Town where anything went TORREMOLINOS is the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll heart of Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Michener’s seminal novel The Drifters.

The outstanding novel shot to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list after its release in 1971, putting Torremolinos on the map for millions of readers across the world.

Suddenly the town found itself swamped by itinerant adventure-seekers, bitten by the travel bug, and seeking the same thrills experienced by Michener’s characters.

Set in the 1960s, the novel

follows a group of six young people from across the world – led by 20-year-old student Joe – who meet by chance in a Torremolinos bar called the Alamo.

Back then the Costa del Sol was little more than a cluster of fishermen’s cottages, but before the end of the decade Torremolinos mean dope, LSD, topless Scandinavian girls and a society where pretty much anything went.

Read the full feature about the real life drifters of Torremolinos, which offers a snapshot of life on the coast in the decade of free love and flower power, at www.theolivepress.es

In the summer tourists came from all corners of the world in the summer to soak in this Mediterranean paradise by the sea while staying at Torremolinos’ first hotel, the Santa Clara

Also known as the ‘The Englishman’s hotel’, it had the right place, people, and weather to turn the fishing village into an exclusive resort where English nobility rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous

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(inset) carriage decorated for feria

brings thousands of Brits to the area, not just for a twoweek holiday but to live and enjoy the lifestyle permanently. In many parts of town you can hear more English spoken than Spanish, and even French, Dutch and Scandinavian in this cosmopolitan Tower of Babel.

Behind the seafront tourist strip, British home comforts are all on offer: fish and chip shops, a Rose and Crown pub…; there’s even a carvery (called The Carvery) where you can enjoy traditional British Sunday roast with a choice of five meats and all the trimmings on Wednesdays-to-Saturdays too!

However, Torremolinos has not let go of its Spanish roots and gradually, a more upmarket tourism is sweeping away the tacky image parodied by Monty Python in the Watneys Red Barrel sketch.

For every Irish pub, there are two chiringuitos; for every fish and chip shop, three or four tapas bars.

The mix of people is reflected in the mix of restaurants. The blend supplies a best-of-bothworlds compromise which captures the atmosphere of the area.

A walk down bustling Calle San Miguel typifies this blend. Local shops and tapas bars sit comfortably between

Community squares in the old town feel authentically Spanish British themed pubs and designer stores.

The route also bears witness to another facet of Torremolinos’ character. Rainbow flags flutter outside many of the bars and houses, emphasising the importance of the ‘pink peseta’ as the LGBT community was once referred to.

As well as being the birth-

place of the British packageholiday, Torremolinos is the gay capital of the coast. The flags have become a symbol of the area’s past and present - a marker as significant as the high-rise beach hotels.

Toni’s bar, still open today, was established in 1962 and became Spain’s first ever gay bar, christening the resort’s gay status. Today there are even designated gay beaches, the most popular being the one in front of the popular El Gato Lounge - identified by its large rainbow flag and groin-to-groin line-up of gay sunbathers, mainly men.

Behind its 20th century facelift, if you step back, it is not hard to find the vestiges of the fishing village that once was.

Make your way uphill to the outskirts of town and you’ll catch whispers of former days.

Around the Plaza de Toros (bullring) I watched children play among a fleet of rotting old fishing boats, not quite forgotten but pushed to one side. The town has embraced it’s transformation rather than dwelling on its past.

Community squares such as the Plaza de Espana and the Plaza Federico Garcia Lorca in the old town feel authentically Spanish, and Spaniards still predominate in the cafe bars here.

The town’s numerous ferias spread throughout the year are another reminder that the Spanish population still has a huge say in what goes on in Torremolinos.

At this time of year, the Feria de San Miguel begins.

And despite the thousands of tourists who flock to the area, the feria has preserved an unmistakably Andalucian charactver.

And if you remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of the coast, there are flavours of former times to be found.

The Parque de la Bateria, to

Vintage wheels CLASSIC: Luxury cars on parade in Torremolinos

MORE accustomed to seeing mobility scooters monopolising the promenade, Torremolinos residents welcomed some real veterans as its famous annual car rally rolled into town.

Vintage car enthusiasts were treated to the Amigos de los Clasicos (Friends of the Classics) motoring showcase in Torremolinos on September 20.

The parade kicks off the Feria de San Miguel - the region’s annual celebration in honour

of its patron saint, which also marks the end of summer.

More than 50 iconic cars took part in the event, with some 30% belonging to Torremolinos residents.

Cars dating as far back as the 1950s paraded from Plaza de Blas Infante, along the Paseo Maritimo, to the Chapel of San Miguel where a floral wreath was laid in honour of the patron saint, prior to a celebratory banquet and the start of the fiesta.

2 bed apartment in the famous Jupiter building. Almost fully renovated and for sale at below the market value. A great investment property. 95,000€

PROUD: Highly made up

the west of town, provides spectacular views from a series of miradors, while the botanical gardens to the north offer an escape through nature.

On the face of it, Torremolinos is still a place where guys can feel free to wear budgie smugglers… An antidote to the male midlife crisis with the promise of a life lived like Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast.

But when you look a little deeper, there’s so much more. The balance between native and settler demonstrates a harmonious cohabitation which has rarely been so successfully replicated elsewhere.

With its eternal ability to accept new customs and adapt, trend-setting Torremolinos will no doubt continue to attract Spaniards, Brits and half the world and his wife for many years to come.

A corner reformed 2 bed 2 bath apartment presented to a very high standard. Good views and good rental potential.Great central location.

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HE had moved to Benalmadena as a child in the 1970s from Madrid when her father got a job as the director of Torrequebrada casino.

Now after a career in law, Paloma Garcia Galvez has come full circle to serve her town.

Following a vote of no confidence two years ago, she became the town’s PP mayor and immediately rolled up her sleeves to get to work.

“I really wanted to improve the quality of the town, starting in the centre where we have worked very hard to get people up here,” she tells the Olive Press.

“Before few people knew our charming village centre, even the local Spanish, now slowly it is being put on the map.”

Undoubtedly the case, the socalled ‘pueblo’ feels decidedly different than it did half a decade ago.

There is a new swagger to the place and a different sort of tourist is looking around, enjoy-

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Our gamble on Benalmadena is paying off!

Oct 2- Oct 15 2014

RINGING THE CHANGES: Benalmadena mayor Galvez is putting the pueblo on the map

Mayor Paloma Garcia Galvez moved from Madrid when her dad got a job at the casino. Now her own punt to improving the town is starting to look good, she tells Jon Clarke ing the atmosphere and many good restaurants.

When not playing golf (she plays off a handicap of 24),

Paloma likes nothing more than to go off on a weekend around the nearby hills ‘inspecting the footpaths and making sure the

           

                                                                  

 

 

     



     

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          

        

   

      

signs are all in the right place’.

“We are really trying to encourage this type of tourism, walkers and cyclists,” she explains.

There are currently four specific routes with the one to Mijas being her favourite, although she hopes to try the one to Alhaurin soon.

She is also keen to improve and enhance the so-called green corridor that goes inland from the coast into the Sierra de Mijas and is a keen supporter of organic produce.

The town hall has recently started an organic market once a month near the train station and is supporting local ecological producers.

Above all, she values the town’s large British community, that numbers up to 10,000 by official figures.

As well as speaking good English herself, she has sent both her children to private bilingual schools and spent time in the UK studying herself.

“Having another language opens the mind and gives opportunities,” she explains. “It has certainly helped me.”

She now hopes that the big expat community supports her in her many planned changes for the town.

She also wants to stress the importance of being on the ‘padron’ (or official town register) which is important for local services (see poster, left).

“If you are not on the padron

by December you will not be able to vote in next year’s local elections,” she says, adding: “And it is worth signing up as you will get a 55% discount on your local IBI (rates) and water and rubbish collection.”

Two centuries of care

Undertaker Francisco Camero covers the entire Costa del Sol with care and dignity in difficult times

B

ETWEEN them they have well over 100 years of undertaking experience.

But the five brothers and sisters of Benalmadena´s Camero family are also the fourth generation of undertakers working for a firm that was set up in the 1800s.

Based out of an office in Benalmadena pueblo, they have dealt with a good many dead bodies over the decades, many of them British.

“My first job 39 years ago was dealing with two dead Britons,” explains Paco Camero. “I was just 15 and we found one of them at the bottom of a swimming pool and one of them lying next to it.

“They had both died of alcohol poisoning. One we buried here, the other we sent

back to the UK.” He and his brother Salvador now run the operation that has four other offices in Fuengirolas, Mijas, Torremolinos and Malaga.

It also has a crematorium, chapel and cemetery in Benalmadena.

“But we have agents and people working for us all the way from Nerja to Sotogrande so we can cover the whole Costa del Sol,” explains Salvador.

Since the 1970s the company has been dealing with many foreign residents and Camero´s reputation has gone beyond the borders of Spain to the many international funeral arrangements in each and every continent.

The company offers funeral plans and the well known

FORMAL: Salvador (left) with a client ‘dignity charter’ promise.

Special arrangements can be included should you return to live in England.

“We can offer peace of mind and all funds are secure and at a fixed price,” adds Salvador.

Francisco Camero SL is a member of the Málaga Funeral Directors Association For more information call Francisco Camero on 902 200 625 or email at camero@camero.es

www.theolivepress.es

the olive press - October 2 - October 15 2014

MON 22 TUE 23 WED 24 THU 25 FRI 26 SAT 27 SUN 28 GBP 1,2550 1,2600 1,2600 1,2625 1,2625 1,2625 1,2625 USD 0,7675 0,7700 0,7700 0,7750 0,7750 0,7750 0,7750 CAD 0,6800 0,6700 0,6700 0,6700 0,6700 0,6700 0,6700 CHF 0,8140 0,8136 0,8134 0,8132 0,8138 0,8138 0,8138 SEK 0,1070 0,1070 0,1070 0,1070 0,1069 0,1069 0,1069 NOK 0,1188 0,1189 0,1188 0,1186 0,1188 0,1188 0,1188 DKK 0,1313 0,1313 0,1313 0,1313 0,1313 0,1313 0,1313

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the olive press - October 2 - October 15 2014

T A B The generous expat Brit who changed the face of Torremolinos 28

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orremolinos

The grandfather of Costa del Sol tourism, George Langworthy, died penniless and heartbroken - but much adored - writes Jacqueline Fanchini

H

E was one of the first expats to settle on the Costa del Sol. But, while George Langworthy’s life in Torremolinos was marked with trouble and heartbreak, he left behind a legacy that lasts to this day.

Both the Mancunian and his Indian-born wife Anne Margaret Roe have been honoured in the town, with his wife recently having a plaque unveiled in the centre.

The pair arrived on the coast in the mid 1890s with the plan for George to recuperate from a severe injury sustained in the Boer War. Having immediately fallen in love with the little fishing village they decided to stay permanently, and bought the Castillo

Santa Clara, close to the sea.

The loved-up couple, who married in Egypt in 1909, renovated the enormous gardens and built picturesque lookouts over the sea.

But tragedy was INDUSTRIOUS: George (left) worked soon to strike tirelessly to promote the Santa Clara when Anne died of pneumonia at the age afford to pay his staff, living of 40, leaving George utterly solely off his estate and army devastated and heartbroken. pension.

But it turned out to be just the So he made them a deal they start of the story. For behind couldn’t refuse and handed the eccentric millionaire was over the lease of his property a deeply religious man, and to four of his workers, in agreefollowing his wife’s death he ment that they would convert began handing out money in it into a hotel. One condition; Torremolinos to those in need. maintain him until his death.

Known as El Ingles de la pe- They agreed, of course. seta - the Englishman of the And so it was that the Costa del peseta - he gave a peseta to Sol’s very first hotel opened its anyone who read a Bible pas- doors in 1930, with the Hotel sage aloud to him.

Santa Clara becoming a great Some of the coast’s well-off success with clients said to Catholics eyed his selfless gen- have included Salvador Dali erosity with suspicion, fearing it and his muse Gala as well as to be part of a religious conver- Pablo Picasso. sion agenda.

After 15 years of seeing his forBut a peseta could feed a mer home serve as Torremoliwhole family back then and nos’ first true tourism dynamo, ‘the father of the poor’ man- he died at the age of 79. aged to give away 12 million of He was buried in Malaga’s Engthem. lish Cemetery next to his beAfter the First World War his loved wife and remains to this generosity shone through once day Torremolinos’ adopted and more, as he opened his home favourite son. to wounded army officers, con- It is a telling sign of how loved verting it into a hostel for them. he was, and how many lives However, by the end of the he influenced, that almost the 1920s he had parted with his whole of Torremolinos came to fortune and could no longer his funeral in 1945.

EXOTIC: Getting cozy with the cr

A

S visitor attractions go Benalmad na takes some beating.

There is a huge range of things do with all the family… probably the be range in all Andalucia.

One of the main places to visit is Seal in the marina, which has a superb ran of fishes to see, including sharks.

The first walk-through underwater pa on the Costa del Sol, you are taken on amazing stroll along the seabed, passi aquatic species from the Atlantic, Pac and Indian Oceans and the Red Sea. It is a fascinating voyage of discove watching the starfish, stingrays a sharks, plus many other exotic species With over 30 tanks in nine differe rooms, you see creatures living in a produced natural habitat, from abo below and alongside.

The journey is unforgettable, especia the turtles, sharks and moray eels, well as colourful tropical fish and se horses. There are also crabs, jellyfi and octopuses, and much, much more Sick and injured sea creatures a nursed back to health here and a n exhibition features marine lifeform dangerous to humans in their unders habitats.

There are also feeding demonstration special presentations and other them attractions, as well as a terrace bar w excellent views of the port.

Based inside a huge hothouse, Ben madena’s Butterfly Park – the biggest Europe – offers visitors the chance t

Live with the angels!

I

N the heart of Benalmadena, near the pueblo with wonderful views to the coast lies a fantastic place to live… particularly if you are getting older.

The purpose-built development, next to the town’s two main hospitals, has all the benefits of living in a town, plus plenty more to boot.

This well-appointed ‘resort’ counts on its own restaurant, gym, tennis courts and swimming pool, plus around-the-clock care when needed.

Best of all, dozens of the apartments are now being administered and managed by British-run Angels Nursing Group.

Set up nearly a decade ago in Almeria, the group, run by a Nicki, a nurse, and her business-minded husband Lee Wakeman, now covers much of the Costa del Sol, as well.

The company is offering some fantasic deals to look after you, not just in terms of health, but even in running errands and cleaning all overseen by your guardian Angel.

“No request is too much and there are nurses and doctors on hand throughout the week, so there is great peace of mind at all times.”

Lee Wakeman, continues: “We understand that as people grow older life events happen that impact on our quality of life and a little more help

and support is needed.”

For the last few years this has meant repatriation to their home countries since there have been few good alternative choices.

“But now we are offering an alternative to remain in Spain enjoying all the benefits that this brings with our Angels Independent Living programme.

“It lets you remain in control of your own life and more importantly continue to enjoy the lifestyle you have worked so hard to attain.”

The group has many years of experience working in the health and social care sectors in Spain and has gained extensive knowledge.

In a nutshell, Angels offers the following: •You can remain living independently and securely in your own home with as much or as little help and support you need, just like your family, we are there when you need us remaining quietly in the back ground when you don’t!

•You will have your very own guardian angel watching over you 24hrs a day •Medical Help – should you ever need it is readily to hand with your Angels ‘family’ knowing all about you, your needs and wishes.

Visit www.angelsnursinggroup.com/independantliving or call 902 02 64 68.

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the olive press - October 2 - October 15 2014

the olive press - October 2- October 15152014 Oct 2- Oct 2014

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see an incredible 1,500 exotic butterflies from all around the world in what it describes as, ‘a tropical paradise of waterfalls and flowers’.

With a group of chameleons and iguanas to boot, it is an educational experience and visitors of any age can learn how butterflies are born and how they reproduce.

With over 200 crocodiles, including the largest in Europe – Big Daddy who weighs a terrifying 600kg – the park provides the chance to get up close OLIVE PRESS OFFER and even hold one of Don’t miss the fantastic chance the world’s to get a special four euro most fascinating creadiscount for Benalmadena’s tures. wonderful Sealife centre. See Another opfront page of supplement tion is Selwo

Marina, which is home to dolphins, sea lions, penguins, turtles, piranhas and tortoises as well as reptiles, parrots and tarantulas.

Visitors can swim with a sea lion, make friends with dolphins, explore a forest of squirrel monkeys, or if that sounds like too much - just sit back and watch a display of exotic birds from around the world.

Thrill-seekers will want to make their way to the Disneyland of the Costa del Sol, Tivoli World which has 40 rides for various ages, including a roller coaster, a 60-metre sudden drop, a giant ferris wheel, go-karting, a ‘passage of terror’ and pony rides.

Finally, The Parque de La Paloma – a public park - covers 200,000 square metres and - back with the animal theme - is home to ostriches, turtles, peacocks and goats, as well as a cactus garden.

nalt in to

• Litigation and tax specialist (resident and non-resident) • Property conveyancing • Spanish investment and inheritance tax International Lawyers & Investment Professionals Tel: (0034) 951 29 52 60 Fax: (0034) 951 29 51 68 Legal Property Solutions SL Avenida de Cibeles Nº1, Urbanización Arenal Golf, Fase 2, Bloque 2, Portal 3, Bajo B, 29639 Benalmádena, Málaga We speak English / Parle français / Wir sprechen Deutsch

info@legalpropertysolutions.com www.legalpropertysolutions.com

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ll about

Not just the biggest hotel on the Costa del Sol, Sunset Beach Club has something for everyone, writes Jon Clarke

I

T is easily one of the Costa del Sol’s most successful businesses.

Catering for 1,900 guests in peak season – and rarely under 1,000 at any time of the year – Sunset Beach Club is one of the coast’s busiest hotels.

And then come the weddings, with around two dozen in September alone.

“We get over 80 a year and at €3,500 an event we think that is terrific value,” explains General Manager, Mark Wardell.

It doesn’t seem much. But, of course, by the time you have factored in the guests rooms, their meals and bar spend (the majority are Irish, after all), it becomes a profitable business for the hotel.

Sitting on a fantastic headland next to two lovely beaches, it is perhaps no surprise that Sunset has continued to grow every year for the last six, despite the recession.

An incredibly well-run ship, the hotel - said to be the biggest on the Costa del Sol - consistently delivers to holidaymakers from all around the world…. over 50 different nationalities this year so far!

And it definitely does not scrimp and save on food, entertainment – or indeed on its fantastic rooms – having spent a whopping €22m upgrading its facilities over the last decade.

Without a doubt the price/quality level is one of the best in Southern Spain and the food in all three restaurants is excellent.

There is free live enter tainment every night, all year round in the Oasis Restaurant, which locals rave about. During the Summer, their beach restaurant ‘Luna Beach Club’, is the perfect place to chill out and enjoy some great food right on the beach. As you would expect, the resort also has a fantastic pool and playground area for kids, and a convenient poolside snack bar. In the summer there are organised activities day and night including shows and tribute bands in the Moonlight Show Rooms - which is arguably the best entertainment venue on the coast. Make sure to check out their online Events Calendar at www.sunsetbeachclub.com for details of all live events, many of which have free entrance.

But there is so much more, when you factor in the supermarket, a hairdresser, fitness facility, shops and on-site Leisure Desk where you can book

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enalmadena and

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orremolinos

Happy holidays

the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

HOOKED: Manager Mark (right) has struck just the right balance to keep everyone happy golf, excursions, and tickets with all the stresses and pains have enjoyed five of the best to local attractions, as well as of recession we have played years in the hotel’s existence pick up a wealth of useful local a very small part in bringing and now look forward to even information. some happiness to many thou- better times as the coast To use the words of one of the sands of people from all parts moves towards more ‘good Olive Press sales team, based of the globe… as a result we times’.” in the Axarquia: “This is one of the best places to take the kids for a weekend as you will literally not get bothered at all.

There is so much for them to do.”

There is even a Padi dive school by the pool, where you can learn how to dive in a great value day’s beginners course, which ends up looking at fish and octopus around the nearby rocky headland.

Yes, there is a lot going on at Sunset Beach hotel and the statistics speak for themselves.

The 554 rooms and communal areas are looked after by a team of up to 69 cleaners, who process a staggering 450,000 kilos of laundry every year!

The Food and Beverage team meanwhile counts 71 staff who work tirelessly in the various outlets from a la carte dining, poolside snacks, lobby/ cocktail bar, beach bar, beach club, show rooms and banqueting. Then there are up to 12 ‘animation’ girls and guys whose sole purpose is to make young and old guests alike have a fun-packed visit.

“My ideal guest never leaves the premises and is never in need of anything,” explains Dubliner, Mark Wardell. “Security and safety would always be our number one priority but on a day to day basis from the moment the cleaning team moves in at 5am to the last bar closing at 4am our real job is to make people happy.”

He continues “Over the past five years while the world around us struggled to cope

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WITH three distinct neighbourhoods, the property market in Benalmadena has something for everyone.

But one thing is for certain, says Helio de los Rios (above), boss of Legal Property Solutions, living in Benalmadena is unlike living anywhere else on the Costa del Sol. “People really need to visit the area themselves so they can see what great property is on offer, and all the advantages there are of living there,” says Helio.

“But everything is nearby, and almost all the homes there can guarantee a sea view because of how the town is sited on the side of Mount Calamorro.”

As well as having easy access to most amenities locally, such as shops, supermarkets and the beach, Benalmadena itself is very well-located.

Sandwiched between Torremolinos and Fuengirola, it is the eye of the storm right in the middle of the busy hubs of the coast while retaining its own tranquility.

Cristihomes Real Estate for a professional, efficient and reliable service in your own language.

Make choosing your dream home a pleasant experience with us.

Torrequebrada Golf – Price 160,000€ Beautifully kept 2 bed apartment, 2 Bathrooms, garaje space and storage área, fitted kitchen, spacious terrace of 40m2, fully furnished. 123m2 constructed área. Great views.

Arroyo de la Miel Centre – Price 120,000€ Situated in the heart of the town centre, this apartment constructed in 2006 consists of 2 bedrooms, bathroom, salon and modern kitchen. Constructed área 74m2.

Arroyo de la Miel – Price 158,000€ Residencial flat, consisting of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, high quality fitted kitchen, utility área and large terrace Garage space and storage área. North westerly facing with views of mountains and sea. Excellent value for money in sought after área close to all amenities .

Town House in Benaima Area – Price 245,000€ Situated on the outskirts of Arroyo de la Miel, this property is comprised of 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 cloakroom, 2 kitchens, garage and patio área leading onto the community garden área. Small urbanisation of only 17 townhouses. Close to all amenities.

We are looking for properties in the following areas of Benalmadena, Torrequebrada and Arroyo de la Miel for existing clients.

Please call Denise or Daniel-Luis on 951 213 855 or 653 928 323 cristihomes@outlook.es www.cristihomes.com

C/ Zodiaco, 1 - Jardines del Gamonal Bl. 4, Local 2 - 29631, Arroyo de la Miel - Málaga

enalmadena and

T

orremolinos

Nowhere better to buy Often overlooked, Benalmadena is unlike anywhere else on the Costa del Sol when it comes to property Just 12km west of Malaga and very well-located for the N-340 highway as well as with a direct rail link - you can reach Andalucia’s capital in just 15 minutes, making it an ideal commuter town.

Buyers along the coast are starting to sit up and take notice of one of Andalucia’s most overlooked residential areas.

“Property has been selling well here, and prices are fi-

EYE OF THE STORM: Tranquil Benalmadena

Property sales on the rise ONE Benalmadena estate agent has seen its best year in five.

Cristihomes, in Arroyo de la Miel, is having a better 2014 than any year since 2009, according to its director Christine Free.

“The general trend is for economical properties catering for the holiday market,” she explains.

“Budget studios and one-bed apartments have been snapped up by the British, Spanish and Finnish market all looking for the perfect spot for a much needed holiday.”

The company offers a personal multilingual service to both buyers and sellers alike.

“After 15 years experience in the property market our professional team offers a personal service managing the process of purchase and sale in your own language,” she continues.

For more information visit www.cristihomes.com or email cristihomes@outlook.es

nally starting to rise,” adds Helio.

“It is a gradual change, and it’s not going to be as dramatic a jump as that of 2005 and 2006, but there is a definite upward trend.

“I think we are definitely going to get a better market before too long, and the prices are really good right now.”

With its three neighbourhoods of the pueblo, Arroyo de la Miel and the costa, Benalmadena’s property market is a true blend.

The pueblo is still a very traditional Spanish town, with a very Andalucian style of living. The centre is full of white-washed streets and little squares filled with tapas bars and fountains.

Moving down towards the coast, Arroyo is the most residential of the three areas. It is less traditional than the pueblo, but if you are into activites, shopping and dining out, Helio insists you would be hard pushed to find a better location.

And then there is the costa, for the people who like to be right on the beach and near the sea.

But all the areas are highly international, which is one of Helio’s favourite things about the area.

“I used to also be based in Fuengirola, as well as Benalmadena, but I shifted my focus to this area particularly because I like the international market here,” he says.

“While there are still a lot of Spanish nationals living in the pueblo, as you move through Arroyo de la Miel it gets significantly more international.

“The area is especially popular with the British and the Irish, and there are a lot of British and Irish businesses here too.”

But the Brits are not the only ones taking advantage of Benalmadena’s considerable assets, with a large number of Scandinavians also beginning to realise all that the town has to offer.

“The area itself is similar to Marbella, in that it has a blended, international feel but still retains its highly Spanish flavour.

“And without the sky-high prices of course.”

EXCELLENT REPUTATION The Benalmadena International College is situated in Nueva Torrequebrada and caters for pupils from the age of three up to the age of 18.

First founded in 1997 the College has an excellent reputation for examination passes in both IGCSE and A-levels.

The British National Curriculum is taught throughout both the Primary and Senior sections of the college alongside a Dual System for Spanish national children.

The College has a happy and friendly environment and consequently children flourish within its atmosphere. Our team of fully qualified

staff ensure that children are nurtured from the beginning as part of a family.

Sport is high on the list of activities offered during the school day and there are regular competitions with other colleges along the coast.

Educational visits and trips also feature regularly throughout the year, taking advantage of the many excellent opportunities afforded

by Malaga and its local area.

Why don’t you come and see for yourself?

Visit www.bic-benal.com for more information

33 the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

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ll about

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T has taken a few years but the ‘pueblo’ of Benalmadena is becoming something of a Mecca for food tourists.

Working hard to promote the concept of quality, it is great to see a handful of genuinely top restaurants opening up here.

One of the true gems is the fabulous Italian Pala d’Oro, which recently moved up after six years on the coast.

Set around a patio and with cool, stylish interior; expect a delicious mix of dishes care of your host Sandro and chef Mateo Manzzato, from Venice.

I particularly liked the gnocchi stuffed with courgette and with a natural goats cheese Asiago, specially imported from Italy, while the speck ham with rocket and walnuts and a balsamic vinegar had just the right balance.

A homemade panna cotta comes with a choice of sauces, the caramel a complete winner.

Best of all, there are over two dozen wines by the glass, a superb trawl around the best of Italy, with over 100 references in total.

Also recently opened is the fabulous Sollo, which at first glance looks like it might be someone’s house.

Now home to culinary genius Diego Gallegos, 30, who trained in two of the best restaurants in the world in South America, before landing in Granada, where he is also now the resident chef and public

B

enalmadena and

mtime properties, we changed the name

The old part of the Benalmadena is blossoming with a fine Italian, a great German steakhouse and a fabulous gourmet joint Sollo, writes Jon Clarke

ROMANTIC: The wonderful setting at Blankko face of Riofrio caviar, an organic product raved about by chefs including Gordon Ramsay.

This is one of the real draws of his restaurant with a number of

in may 2014. Based in Playamar by the beach area Torremolinos, we cover all of Torremolinos and surrounding areas.

We have new website at www.playamarproperties.com We also have rentals for holiday and long term lets, we offer property management where we can organise a reform of your property with complete confidence it wil be done to a very high level. We do wills and offer free Energy Certificates should you sell your property with us.

Calle Ninive Local 3, Omega 1, Playamar, Torremolinos, Malaga.

Tel:952 384 046 info@playamarproperties.com

Rob Horgan meets restaurateur, real estate agent, charity volunteer, showbiz promoter and all round working whirlwind Katrina Bradley "MY name’s Katrina and, like the hurricane, I'm unstoppable," says the amazing Katrina Bradley, a 53-year-old human dynamo who’s living proof that the words ‘expat’ and ‘success’ do mix.

Today, Katrina is the proud owner of The Peacock - a luxurious but affordable grill bar in Benalmadena.

That’s on top of running a property business, promoting UK musicians along the Costa del Sol and organising a volunteer translation service for the local hospital.

It’s fair to say that Katrina has been there, done it all and now she’s got the T-bone!

"I've been quite successful in my time here,” she says with understatement,. “I've done a load of different things but now I am really focused on the restaurant. I have a real passion for food and I think that is what has made it a success.”

Katrina was a green Glaswegian teenager when she relocated to Benalmadena in 1980. In more than three decades she has never looked back.

Now living in Arroyo del Miel, she has watched her adopted town transform out of all recognition.

"When I first came to Benalmadena 34 years ago it was very quiet. Even the beaches were empty," she told the Olive Press.

"Seeing it go from nothing to how it is today has been incredible, like watching a child grow.

“In a weird way I feel proud of

orremolinos

La Bella Donna

Hurricane Katrina Estate agent since 2002 formerly Drea-

T

dishes in the fantastic degusta- Set up by a pair of capable Iration menu featuring caviar, one nian businessmen, you sit overof the very best products of An- looking the sea, with stylish dalucia. white tables and an interestFront of house is friendly girl- ing changing menu; including friend Suzanna, also 30, and dishes like duck mousse with you will enjoy the stylish ambi- red fruits and spicy langoustine ence and accompanying cool croquettes. jazz.

There are regularl sushi nights Also in the village look out for and the wine list is interesting the highlyto boot. rated steakAnother excelhouse Longlent new addition There is an horn, run by to the coast’s excellent mix the capable dining scene is of fish and sea Claus, and Embarcadero, with an exfood, as well as which sits on a cellent and with amazing paellas headland varied menu one of the best (see oppoviews up the site). coast.

Down on the coast there are a Professionally-run, there is an number of other good places excellent mix of fish and sea to eat. food, as well as amazing paThe most romantic, by far, must ellas, including the fabulous be Blankko, sitting by one of ‘Marisco’. the old defensive forts in Tor- I liked the range of soup startremuelle. ers, including ajoblanco with

DYNAMO: Katrina the area. And as the area has grown, I have grown along with it."

In the early days Katrina worked at the iconic Sunset Beach hotel. She was there from its opening day for the next 20 years.

In that time she married a Spaniard, brought up her three daughters, volunteered for Age Concern and slowly developed her many other enterprises.

It wasn’t always easy. "Benalmadena is a hard place to survive. It is only due to sheer grit and determination that I am still here. A lot of businesses have died out over the past few years. I refuse to die,” says this hurricane of a woman.

"I will always be here, everybody knows me for a workaholic. I have to give everything my best so, at the end of the day, my feet hurt from running around so much!"

It looks like Hurricane Katrina’s success story in Benalmadena is set to run and run...

TALENTED TEAM: Diego and Suzanna at Sollo

35 the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

No mis-steak at Longhorn

SUPERB: Italian Pala d’Oro and (inset) its wine cellar miel de cana and a starter of ‘raf’ tomatoes from Almeria was a bonus.

The lemon-marinated grilled octopus also came highly rec- antidote to every expat's roast ommended. dinner withdrawal craving.

Another place right down in the With a choice of five meats, centre of town locally-sourced is the Sunset vegetables Beach Club It is the perfect and mountainhotel, which ous Yorkshire antidote to has its extremepuddings, The every expat’s ly popular resCarvery has roast dinner taurant Luna offered Brits a Beach club sittaste of home withdrawal ting right on the since opening sand. in 2001.

Up in Arroyo de la Miel there Run by husband and wife Mark is a great range of British res- and Karen Cornwell, The Carvtaurants to try out, but you can ery's crispy potatoes and rich do a lot worse than trying out gravy sees punters regularly The Peacock, run for well over queuing out the door for their a decade by dynamo Katrina, roast fix. one of the longest-running ex- Get there early as punters are pats in Benalmadena (see pull- often turned away. out box, left).

Mark, originally a fruit and vegOver in Torremolinos, make etable seller from Meopham, sure to look out The Carvery, Kent said: "Brits love a roast which has been running for an dinner, and as there are so incredible 13 years. many expats living here, we deJust five minutes from Bena- cided to set a carvery up. I eat lmadena marina in the Mon- a roast every single day. I absotemar area it is the perfect lutely love it."

A

FTER a booming summer season, Longhorn restaurant in Benalmadena pueblo is celebrating autumn with a whole range of new offers and activities.

A ‘steak tasting’ will be launched this month, with meats from Spain, Argentina and the USA grilled in front of the clients.

Sundays meanwhile, will continue to be a big day at the restaurant, with a special BBQ deal on offer from 1pm to 10pm, costing just €16.50 for the best high-quality beef with salad and a baked potato. Home-made hamburgers and spicy sausages from the Basque Country are also on offer and, best of all, you can reorder as often as you want. Offer also available on Monday from 6.30pm.

Another exciting offer is available for private parties, for groups of 20 people or more who want to rent the restaurant on weekdays, from 1-5pm.

This is ideal for Christmas dinners for smaller offices. For a quote, use the key phrase ‘rent our restaurant’.

Longhorn will also be participating in Spain’s national campaign, ‘Restaurants against hunger’ until November 15, where for every dinner menu meal sold, €2.50 will be donated to the campaign.

Opening times are Monday to Saturday, 6.30-11pm, and Sunday 1-10pm. For more information visit www.longhorn-del-sol. com or www.facebook.com/LonghornPueblo

ROAST DINNER FIX: The Carvery and (right) paella at Embarcadero

Property

37

www.theolivepress.es

the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

A sensible first step!

VILLA FOR SALE VILLA TIL SALGS VILLA A VENDRE

Plans to regulate thousands of illegal Andalucian homes, praised by UK consul EXPATS are cautiously hopeful as the Junta has announced plans to regulate ‘thousands and thousands’ of illegal Andalucian properties.

President of the Junta Susana Diaz has proposed changes to the law on urban planning in Andalucia (LOUA), to help ‘thousands of families that cannot be ignored’.

“My government is going to propose to parliament a change to Article 185 of the planning law, which will make it possible to regularise thousands and thousands of houses in Andalucia,” said Diaz.

Homeowners’ associations,

SOHA and AUAN – which campaign for the legalisation of these properties – are delighted that a solution other than demolishing the homes finally seems possible.

“At last the politicians are listening to us,” said Philip Smalley, President of SOHA. Maura Hillen, AUAN President, agrees: “We only hope that the proposed change is appropriate and that it becomes law as soon as possible.”

She added: “It is not acceptable to ignore these houses or pretend that they do not exist.

There are thousands of houses that are having a negative

impact on the environment, that are currently not recognised or regulated.”

The plans have caused party tensions with the IU coordinator, DETERMINED: Susana Diaz Antonio Maillo, urging Diaz to dispel ment to illegal urbanism doubts and clarify conditions and guarantees impunity for of the proposal. builders and owners of illegal Meanwhile Ecologists in Ac- houses.” tion – a confederation of There are at least 300,000 more than 300 ecologist illegal homes on non-urban groups across Spain – has land which stand in a ‘limbo criticised the announcement of legal uncertainty’. for encouraging illegal con- A regularisation decree was struction on rural land. passed in 2012 but the probA spokesperson from the lem remained unsolved as group said: “It is a commit- many of the affected houses were on illegal land divisions.

Regularising properties does not mean the houses will be legal, merely that owners can apply for a licence to occupy Kate Everett-Allen, head of international and maintain the property residential research for Knight Frank, said but not to alter or reconstruct that Ireland, Turkey and the UK have split it should it be significantly from the group in Europe, seeing a rise up damaged.

The British Embassy dethe table in the last quarter. scribed the plans as a ‘sensiCyprus, Greece and Slovenia, however, are ble first step’ and encouraged firmly-lodged at the bottom of the index. the government to support The global index now stands at 14.3% high- further changes that might er than its financial crisis low in the 2nd aid those already in court or quarter of 2009. facing demolition orders.

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HOUSE prices have risen in more countries worldwide than at any point since the financial crisis, with Ireland leading in Europe.

Global property prices increased by an average of 5.2% in the 12 months leading up to June 2014, according to the Knight Frank global house price index.

Ireland has jumped from 54th to 3rd position in the rankings in less than two years.

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38

Property

Squat thrust

MILITANT squatters are setting their sights on Spanish properties owned by the world’s largest private equity firm to ‘further legitimise their fight’ against lenders' roles in Spain's housing bust.

Squatters have been occupying foreclosed properties and bank branches in protest against the country’s flawed lending structure.

Squatter Claudio Cattaneo said that 40,000 mortgage

PROTEST: Squatters claim homes belong to the people

Squatters take on Spain’s lenders and US equity giant loans acquired by the New York-based Blackstone Group present a ‘great opportunity’ for protesters.

Blackstone paid €3.6 billion to buy €6.4 billion of Catalunya’s home loans in a government-run auction.

The firm also bought 1,869 government-subsidised rent-

al apartments from the city of Madrid for €126 million last year.

A group known as PAH is claiming Spain's squatters have the right to target Blackstone-owned homes since the bank that issued the loans was nationalised.

Maka Suarez, a PAH spokes-

person said these homes ‘belong to the people, not Blackstone.’

The Blackstone deal is one example of the hurdles US firms face as they seek out real-estate opportunities and distressed debt in southern Europe.

Spanish house prices rose 0.8% in the second quarter on last year’s figures, the first year-on-year increase since 2008.

Making a splash

LUXURY: the Aloha Hill Club

DANISH golfer Soren Hansen was on hand to celebrate the launch of two brand new pools at the Aloha Hill Club in Marbella.

Family, friends and neighbours were invited to a poolside party for the grand opening of the new lagoon-style pool - complete with loungers - and the heated 25-metre swimming pool.

Free-flowing drinks and tapas were also on hand to help partygoers christen the pools, which now join the club’s already-existing relaxation

pool and the original pool which also features a waterside bar and restaurant.

For more information, visit www.alohahillclubmarbella. com, email info@alohahillclubmarbella.com or call 952 906 005.

PARTY: Soren Hansen

Growing empire Top spots ALARM: Trouble assets

Toxic growth SPANISH banks’ toxic property portfolios – born of reckless credit and ill investment – continue to grow at an alarming rate.

In the first six months of this year, the 13 largest financial institutions in Spain held €90.2 billion worth of property assets, an increase of €6.1 billion since last year.

A toxic asset’s value has become so low that there is no longer a functioning market for it, so it cannot be sold on for a price satisfactory to the seller.

Land is currently the most toxic real estate asset.

Spanish banks had land assets of €35 billion pre-2014 and have added a further €1.5 billion over the last six months.

The amount from private properties surrendered by those who cannot afford their mortgages has risen to €1.4 billion this year.

La Caixa bank has the largest volume of properties in its portfolio, followed by Banco Popular, BBVA and Banco Sabadell.

A NEW multi-million euro property group is expanding across Spain.

Hispania – created by property manager Azora – has made its second investment in domestic hotels since its March listing.

After acquiring a complex in Malaga, the group has purchased the Melia Jardines del Teide hotel in Tenerife for €37 million.

Hispania has so far concentrated on adding residential and office properties in Madrid and Barcelona to its portfolio as well as snapping up four- and five-star hotels across Spain.

Since launching its company at €10 per share in March, Hispania is up by 3%.

FIGURES released for second quarter sales growth in Spain show that Valencia is in third place, second only to Madrid and Barcelona.

Sevilla and Zaragoza also made the top five, followed by Torrevieja and Marbella.

amino E C ................ .................

38

n Buen

39

Driving me ‘Ronda bend’ Gran Turismo 6 update features Andalucian circuit

GAMERS around the world can now transport themselves to the picturesque city of Ronda and the surrounding Serrania without leaving their armchairs.

Gran Turismo 6 is launching an update which will include the 27km Andalucian circuit and the chance to race through the streets of Ronda.

Set around the Zahara de la Sierra water reservoir – in the northern end of the Sierra de Grazalema natural park – the circuit takes in some of Spain’s most iconic and beautiful scenery.

Passing over the Puente Nuevo bridge, past the Plaza de Toros and up to the Plaza de Espana, video gamers can race Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other supercars through the region’s white towns, mountain peaks and olive fields.

The update also includes a tribute to Brazilian F1 legend Ayrton Senna.

GAME ON: Ever dreamt of driving a Ferrari through Ronda?

A fine summer for road users NEW average speed cameras on the AP-46 motorway north of Malaga have caught

500 vehicles each day over the summer, angering regular users.

Speed demons

A SCANDAL has been exposed as Spanish authorities were caught sneakily reducing margins on speed cameras.

Camera margins were reduced without warning to help traffic authorities reach their target of €384 million in fines by the end of 2014.

Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic hid the fact that speed cameras are now fining motorists travelling eight kph over the speed limit. Previously the margin for a fine was 1215kph over the limit.

The DGT’s ploy was exposed by national daily ABC after the state announced making €183 million in road fines in the first half of the year.

In July 15,000 cars were snapped breaching the 80kph speed limit on the Las Pedrizas road.

Angry road users set up a Facebook page to protest, claiming that the speed limit is set low simply to raise funds.

A new speed camera on Marbella’s golden mile has also captured a staggering number of speeders between July and August – more than 100 each day.

Malaga council’s traffic minister Trinidad Hernandez insisted the cameras are there only to prevent accidents.

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GOLF In the swing of it

40

the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

Sergio soars at Gleneagles SPAIN’S Sergio Garcia triumphed on the final day of the Ryder Cup as Team Europe romped to a 16½ - 11½ win over their American counterparts at Gleneagles in Scotland.

On Sunday’s final day, Garcia

Twitface Open tension builds THE coast’s golfing community is gearing up for November’s XCM Twitface Open, sponsored by the Olive Press.

There are only limited spaces left for the event which takes place on November 10-11 at the Finca Cortesin in Casares.

Some of the truly fantastic prizes include a three-day golf break to Portugal including tickets to the Portuguese Masters and VIP hospitality for the US Masters, plus many more!

Players or sponsors should book as soon as possible via www.twitfaceopen.com

Europe triumphs over America in dramatic final came from behind to defeat Jim Furyk in their singles tie, bringing back memories of his critical comeback win over the same man at Medinah two years ago.

Earlier in the tournament, European captain Paul McGinley showed faith in the

Spaniard when he paired him with world number one Rory McIlroy for the anchor leg of the opening morning’s fourballs.

This was Garcia’s seventh appearance at golf’s most prestigious tournament, of which Europe has won five.

WINNER: Sergio Garcia

From tee to green Fair day on the fairway Bob Gaston and friends give it their all for charity match ESTEPONA Golf Club’s annual Bobby Moore bowel cancer charity tournament saw the course in perfect condition and the postmatch food as delicious as ever.

Estepona Golf Club is the perfect place for charity functions, with great prices and staff who are always eager to deliver the best possible service.

Four-ball Texas Scramble was the order of the day and my cohorts Barry Wilkins, Mick Lavelle, Ivan Rance joined me for an excellent game, with seven birdies and the rest pars.

I must admit I was mostly a passenger in the team... My excuse? I’m midway through changing my swing!

CHAMPS: And all for charity Treated with some derision from my partners at the time – and due to handicap restrictions – we came up just short of the winners.

However, we won a couple of ‘Nearest the Pins’ prizes and when the raffle was drawn we came into our own.

It was a brilliant day of golf, making almost €2,000 for the charity.

A very worthy effort!

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42

Top Dollar

BUSINESS IN BRIEF Going up SPAIN has raised its growth outlook for 2014 and 2015. Predictions are now at 1.3% growth this year and 2.0% next, up from the April forecast of 1.2% this year and 1.8% next.

Good signal VODAFONE has announced €243 million worth of investment in Andalucia. The company has promised to make the region a ‘beacon’ for ICT innovation in southern Europe.

New iPhone THE much-anticipated iPhone 6 is now available in Spain. Apple has expanded sales of the phone - and its larger sibling the iPhone 6 Plus - to more than 20 additional countries.

UK boost SPAIN’S tourist board has announced a new marketing plan for the UK. The plan will push the ideals of relaxation, discovery, learning and meetings, as well as food, golf and culture.

the olive press - October 2- October 15 2014

O-no!

VODAFONE has launched an investigation into its recently-acquired Spanish company ONO, following accusations of ‘massive fraud’ from the tax authorities.

An ongoing investigation into ONO – Spain’s largest cable operator – discovered that €60 million of IVA was not declared by one of the company’s purchase and sales departments.

ONO was allegedly informed of the proceedings

by Hacienda while negotiating the sale with Vodafone but failed to notify them.

It is also alleged that ONO inflated its operating profits to boost the firm’s valuation, making it more attractive to shareholders.

The alleged fraud is based on the international sale of call traffic through a web of companies outside the company's balance sheet.

Vodafone – which paid €7.2 billion for ONO in March – has now hired teams from Deloitte and DLA Piper to conduct an independent investigation.

Bonus payments of €68 million to be paid to ONO chairman Jose Maria Castellano, CEO Rosalia Portela and financial director Carlos Sagasta have been blocked until the findings are revealed.

Out on a Lim

Expat playoff

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Portugal aims to zero-in on Spain’s expat market

By Jacqueline Fanchini

Spain could suffer as Portugal woos expats with sweet tax deal SPAIN’S dominance of the European expat markets could be under threat from its nearest neighbour.

Portugal looks to be zeroing-in on the expat market, with a new tax scheme.

The tax exemption scheme applies to non-residents in Portugal and eliminates double taxation of foreign sources of income, including pensions.

For working residents with high professional value – such as architects, artists, doctors, professors, engineers and technicians – a special 20% tax rate applies.

People who have not lived or paid tax in Portugal for the past five years are eligible and would not have to pay taxes on their pension for the first 10 years of residency.

Meanwhile, the tax regime would only apply to citizens for a period of 10 consecutive years.

Spain’s equivalent scheme lasts only five years, while the rate for professionals is an unattractive 24%.

To get these benefits, people must not have had tax residency in Spain for the previous 10 years, compared to just five in Portugal.

The Portuguese scheme was introduced in 2009 but is now being taken up in earnest, particularly by French and Swedish expats.

Estate agencies in Portugal are recording increased demand from the UK with the Germans expected to follow.

LA Liga is braced for a new financial superpower as a Singaporean billionaire lines up a takeover bid of Valencia CF. Sports fanatic and former stockbroker Peter Lim is reportedly on the cusp of completing an ownership deal after tabling an offer for the club in May. Negotiations stalled after complications between Lim’s company Meriton Holdings and Bankia, Valencia’s main creditor.

However Valencia President Amadeo Salvo has said that the ‘snags’ have now been resolved and he expects the deal to complete imminently.

Lim has also acquired a 50% stake in Salford City F.C. with former Manchester United players Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville owning the other half.

TAKEOVER: Lim

Eastern promises THE government is stepping up its efforts to attract chinese investors, as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy signed a reported 14 business deals worth a total of €3 billion on his state visit to China.

Rajoy’s three day visit to Beijing was arranged to drum up support for the country's economy and further strengthen business relations with the Asian superpower.

Since China’s richest man Wang Jianlin bought the landmark Santander office tower in Madrid, the Spanish government has made several moves to encourage more Chinese investment.

It scrapped a law that allowed Spain’s national court to indict Chinese political leaders on charges of human rights violation in Tibet.

Private Chinese investors can now benefit from a new scheme which allows property owners to apply for residency.

This year Chinese citizens received 282 of the 1,880 ‘golden visas’ granted by Madrid – a

PARTNERS: Rajoy with Chinese PM Li Keqiang visa given to any foreigner who buys property worth at least €160,000.

As well as securing current business deals, Rajoy held ‘successful’ meetings with Chinese officials and businessmen about the possibility of future investment opportunities.

Positivity and passion

Tel. +34 95 288 22 73 C.C. Guadalmina IV Locales 97-98 29670 San Pedro de Alcántara info@opdebeeck-worth.com www.opdebeeck-worth.com N° Registro DGS: J2503, tiene suscrita póliza RC profesional y capacidad financiera según legislación vigente.

THE launch of a new women’s monthly networking group in Manilva was a success.

Mayor of Manilva Antonia Munoz Vazquez and the Councillor for women, Paqui Lopez Rodriguez were amoung 30 women at the business networking event masterminded by marketing expert Georgina Shaw.

The next event will be held on October 15 at the Villa Matilde, Sabinillas.

44

Top Dollar

Market mumbles

It’s all going on

the olive press - September 18 - October 1 2014

Summertime boom!

By Mark Rickard

It has been a busy week for Britain, but nothing can ruffle the pound

Great news for the economy as Spain welcomes record numbers of foreign tourists MORE than nine million foreign tourists flocked to Spain in August, the highest ever figure for a single month.

Brits led the influx as the number rose 8.8% from last year to a massive 9.07 million, according to the country’s tourism ministry.

This comes as great news to Spain’s slowly recovering economy, which relies on

tourism for around 11% of its GDP. The most popular destination continues to be Catalunya, which received nearly 2.5 million tourists in August (7.5% increase on 2013), followed closely by the Balearic Islands with 2.19 million tourists (6.2% increase) and Andalucia with 1.18 million (5.6% more).

ELECTION: Even politics can’t unsettle the pound

PACKED: Tourism boosts Spain’s economy

British tourists were the most common visitors in August with 2.14 million, largely thanks to the country’s economic recovery.

Spain in web search spotlight SPAIN was Europe’s most-searched-for travel destination online this month, despite not having the cheapest deals.

The holiday hotspot recorded 50% more searches than Italy for three-star hotels, and 60% more searches than Italy for four-star hotels, according to online travel company www.kayak.es.

The island of Cyprus has the cheapest hotel deals in Europe, with an average price of €48 per night for a three-star hotel, followed by Malta with €51 per night, and by Portugal with €57 per night.

The average price of a three-star room in Spain is €70 per night.

While 1.98 million French visitors and 1.29 million Germans also descended on Spain for their holiday.

Meanwhile, tourists from the United States soared by 35.4% to 147,404.

The ministry also revealed over €34 billion was spent between January and July across Spain, 7% more than in 2013 and the highest such figure on record.

Interestingly, more tourists travel independently and book their own trips (75.5%) as opposed to the traditional package holidays, which have dropped by 6.6%.

AS we begin the gradual lead up to the general election - scheduled for May next year - party politics, jostling, sniping and even defecting MP’s cannot unsettle sterling.

Lower mortgage approvals were reported this Monday, which perhaps signals a housing market that is cooling off.

However, since 2008 we have only seen the pound reach above the dizzying heights of €1.28 twice and it has been settled above that bar for a few days now.

With the geo-political distractions in Iraq and Syria, we are now often seeing

quite tame markets, especially with the outcomes being so difficult to gauge.

There is also a littleknown code of conduct on the city trading floors (shocking, I know) by which many traders will not seek a commercial gain from such events as air strikes or natural disasters.

Most do have scruples you know, although it is a well-kept secret!

The market is not expecting any great change this month. Again it will be about any stimulus programmes announced to get the European consumers spending.

Contact HiFX for help with your international transactions Centro Plaza, 951 203 986 or olivepress@hifx.co.uk

the olive p

45

Top Dollar

Race to the finish

Bad bank close to announcing winner among the final five favourites for lucrative contracts

THE competition is hotting up between five firms, all hoping to win lucrative contracts to manage €50 million of Spain’s ‘bad banks’ troubled property assets.

The final five favourites include Solvia the real estate platform of Spanish lender Sabadell - as well as four US private equity groups: Centerbridge partners, Apollo Global Management, TPG and Cerberus Capital Management, according to industry sources.

Seven groups put in final bids, after an auction which drew plenty more interested parties. Sareb - the ‘bad bank’ launched last year to clean up the financial sector - will receive money upfront from the winning firms, but will have to pay fees to them for several years.

It is thought that outsourcing the contracts will raise around €1 billion for Sareb, which paid around €200 million in fees last year to nine bailed-out banks.

The banks transferred their troubled assets to sareb, including real estate loans and housing debt, but have retained the contracts to manage them.

After making a loss in its first year, the ‘bad bank’ has another 14 left to turn things around.

Galicia-based bank Abanca - previously NCG Banco, which was bailed out in the crisis was among final bidders in the auction, and it is reported it could still manage some of the assets.

Road to Riches,

by Richard Alexander

Referendum: what next?

AGONY ANT YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED

Time for a divorce?

Antonio Flores, of Lawbird, tackles the tricky questions about ending a marriage IN the UK, according to the website www. gov.uk, if you want to end your marriage you need to provide good reasons. Some of these good reasons include: adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion, having lived apart for more than two years where both spouses agree, or five where not.

In the US, several states still apply faultbased grounds of divorce and tangible proof of extramarital affairs can make all the difference in divorce proceedings, leading to a more favourable settlement.

In Spain, following the reform operated by Law 15/2005, divorce does not require a previous judicial separation nor the concurrence of causes legally determined.

This means that it is possible to petition to get a divorce without an invocation of a cause, a solution that has eradicated the conceptual distinction of fault and no-fault divorce.

Alas, it was never like this before.

The 1932 Divorce Act established, as grounds for divorce, both familiar reasons i.e. adultery, bigamy, abandonment of family and desertion, as well as others less known: inducing your wife and/or daughters to prostitution or having contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) during marriage or before, if it was concealed from the spouse.

Franco’s powerfully religious-influenced regime abolished divorce altogether.

Since 2005, private investigators are not required any longer as cheating pertains to the world of gossip and has no influence within

divorce proceedings. Articles 86 and 81 of the Spanish Civil Code establish the following: Article 86: Divorce shall be decreed by the court, whatever the form of performance of the marriage, at the request of one of the spouses, of both or of one with the consent of the other, when the requirements and circumstances of article 81 are met.

Article 81: Whatever the form of performance of the marriage, judicial separation shall be decreed: .At the request of both spouses or of one 1lapse with the consent of the other, after the of three months from the performance

of the marriage. The claimant must necessarily attach the proposal of settlement agreement, in accordance with article 90 of this code.

.At the request of one of the spouses, after 2 the lapse of three months from the performance of the marriage. The lapse of this period shall not be required to file the claim when there is evidence of the existence of risk to the life, physical integrity, freedom, moral integrity or sexual liberty and integrity of the spouse filing the claim or the children in common or any member of the marriage. The claim shall attach a reasoned proposal of the measures which are to regulate the effects of the separation.

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.es

With the vote cast, the future’s looking good for the UK economy, writes Richard Alexander THE phrase I have heard most since the results of the Scottish referendum is ‘Thank goodness it’s over!’

Conversely, perhaps it has only just begun.

I am not a politically motivated person, and, like most people, I reserve a fairly cautious view as to what the politicians have to say because inevitably, there is self-interest and political nuance at work.

I think it is the influence on financial markets and the potential to impact on future plans that we need to think about.

The immediate effect was to see a strengthening of sterling though equity markets hardly reacted. You may say that is because the expectation was for a ‘No’ vote, which had already been factored in.

Had there been a ‘Yes’ vote, would markets really have reacted adversely? We will never know.

The focus will now shift to devolution of powers with all the political manoeuvring in preparation for the General Election in May next year.

With that in mind, what can we expect from the Autumn Statement and March Budget? As always, there will likely be a softening of key issues relating to tax, designed to woo the wavering voter. I wonder if people really are as fickle as the politicians seem to think they are?

More important perhaps, will be the influence of UKIP and the debates about the poten-

THANK GOODNESS IT’S OVER: Referendum tial recovery of some key controls from Brussels. From an economic perspective, however, the UK is in good shape and increased activity in equity markets is predicted, with some big flotations in the pipeline. Unemployment figures are down again and as confidence grows, people will be more inclined to spend – moving us forward.

Interest rates are likely to remain low for a considerable time yet. When they do start to increase, progress is likely to be very slow. This is frustrating news for investors, but the concern – as always – is the overall level of borrowing and the hit debtors would take if interest rates were to increase too rapidly.

The UK property market is slowly cooling partly due to

restrictive mortgage lending – in itself better news – and overall, it should be an improving picture with some bumps along the way, of course.

My view is that if you have been holding back on some spending plans, or being cautious with your investments, now is the time to relax a little.

I am not advocating throwing caution to the wind with a spend, spend, spend strategy, but to sit on your hands is not the best way either.

Continuing restraint now may not only help to hold back economic recovery, but more importantly, it might mean you miss the best buying opportunities – some of which undoubtedly exist today.

Richard Alexander Financial Planning Limited is an appointed representative of L J Financial Planning Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. Contact him at Richard@ra-fp.com

Tel. +34 95 288 22 73 C.C. Guadalmina IV Locales 97-98 29670 San Pedro de Alcántara info@opdebeeck-worth.com www.opdebeeck-worth.com N° Registro DGS: J2503, tiene suscrita póliza RC profesional y capacidad financiera según legislación vigente.

46

Columnists

Footballs from Heaven

It happens every evening, weekend and even on public holidays too. Clang! A football crashes against our metal garage door and sails over the patio wall. Thwack!

It lands on our prize bird of paradise plant, decapitating another bloom, and – screech! yowl! – sends the cats into orbit.

Silence. Then little Spanish voices: “Daveed – can we have our ball back?”

“What do you say?”, I ask when I fetch the ball. “Gracias senora,” they chorus.

And when Dave fetches the ball: “Gracias Daveed.” They like him better.

There are six or seven little boys in the gang. Each have a ball – which keeps us busy, the cats petrified and the bird of paradise de-flowered – and assorted parents we’ve never officially met. But every time Dave sees them out and about as a family, their kids rush up to him yelling, “Hola Daveed!” The parents

The Mistress of Sizzle, aka Belinda Beckett, reflects on life in her barrio, Los Barrios

smile… seeing nothing sin- those kids…) and every other ister in their offspring being business is a dentists (all on first-name terms with a those sweets…). strange middle-aged guiri… Our dentist occupies a It’s part of the disarming branch of Unicaja, which charm of Los Barrios, a cash- went bust (and was another poor village dentist before that would be ours, which asset-rich if A cash-poor village also went only kids conbust), which that would be tributed to the tells a story in asset rich if only GDP. itself.

No wonder kids contributed to Where cash the GDP the next-door boxes were sweet shop once filled and (or, rather, loans taken the garage that doubles as out, teeth are now filled a sweet shop) does a roar- and taken out. The dentist ing trade. You can also buy works in the old cashier’s a freshly-baked barra for 50 office – a glass box you can cents. We’ve been given no see through on three sides, logical explanation for why so we can no longer yell and the sign outside the door carry-on during a tooth exsays: “Oferta! 2 barras €1”. traction. The women wear Every other shop in the vil- trousers when sat in the denlage sells baby clothes (all tist’s chair, or people would

see up their skirts.

We’re still only on ‘buenas’ing terms with the locals. As a travel writer specialising in the Campo de Gibraltar, I ought to know my local mayor by now and I could kick myself that I don’t, though I have ‘liked’ his Facebook page.

I might have been included in the exhibition dedicated to the Foreigners of the Campo de Gibraltar that opened in the old granary at the end of our street. There are tributes to writers and photographers and workers of every trade and ethnicity, but we Brits are dismissed with a token photograph of our ‘favourite’ products – Heinz Tomato Ketchup and HP Sauce – which I suppose they think sums us up.

Then a few days ago, out of the blue, I got an email saying I’d qualified for a small government subsidy! My gestoria explained why. It’s not

OFERTA: Belinda can’t figure out the math and (above) Los Barrios FC juniors

for writing about the Campo de Gibraltar, or even for being a foreigner. It’s for being a self-employed female of 55+ starting a business in an economically-depressed area and they think I need

help (or my head examining).

I’m not complaining. It’s pennies from heaven. It’s still raining footballs too, but no problema – we can afford a new bird of paradise plant now!

The unusually dry winter has revealed some strange secrets lurking beside Giles’ reservoir

I'm superstitious by nature (when you have my lifestyle you need all the lucky charms you can get, believe me) and, though not on the scale of an Egyptian Pharaoh's deadly curse, on the way back my kayak got stuck on a mud bank.

I decided to wade home across the reservoir, dragging the kayak behind me in true rugged explorer style. All was well until I unknowingly stepped off a submerged terrace and shot beneath the water, leaving my bush hat floating on the surface.

At least I didn't have to worry about showering that day...

What lies beneath As mentioned in my last column, the water level of the reservoir that my house overlooks has been dropping rapidly thanks to the unusually dry winter and the usual summer influx of tourists draining the water supply.

Since you are asking, no, I haven't been able to source running water to the house yet. Thank God for wet wipes is all I'm saying... I hope this has at least provided you with a fascinating glimpse of rural life.

The reservoir that I live on is the result of a dam project on the rivers that flooded the Rio Verde valley in 1971.

As is often the case, several farmhouses disappeared into the depths but the recent drought has meant they have begun to reappear.

Normally the farmhouses are little more that a few exterior walls, however, a really impressive two-storey house re-emerged on the far side of the lake. So, in best ‘Indiana Jones’ fashion I dragged a kayak down to the water's edge and paddled over to investigate.

La Vega de Rio Verde, as I later found out the house was called, was in pretty good condition considering it had been underwater for more than 40 years. Walking inside the house there were still roof beams intact, a fireplace, oven and even an old bedstead. I could almost imagine the estate agent’s sales pitch: “Charming farmhouse.

In need of a little TLC, with minor damp problem. Would suit scuba enthusiast.”

Outside there was a stone fountain, a threshing circle

Hoop dreams

ATLANTIS?: Hidden farmhouse revealed under dry lake

and even an abandoned wheelbarrow. It certainly felt a little spooky and when I discovered signs that wild boar had been there recently (I've had a few run ins with them over the years) I decided to turn tail.

La Vega de Rio Verde belonged to the family of the mayor of Istan, who revealed that his grandmother had died in the house and he could remember her body being taken to the village by donkey for burial.

A MISERABLE summer of sport continued for Spain as the national basketball team crashed out of the World Cup in a shock defeat to the French.

I've never really understood basketball – it seems that all you do is run up the court, put the ball in the hoop and then the opposing team does the same, ad infinitum. Also, when you are my size (I struggle to make six feet in heels) the game was never an option.

This is why I have never expected the same of a Spanish (let alone Andalucian) basketball team as I have of their football teams...

As a region of small stocky types, you'd have to concede that the Andalucians are at something of a disadvantage on the basketball court.

But... if there was a competition for little old men sitting on benches in the town square, Andalucia would be world champions!

the olive press

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Need something more substantial?...how about a tender entrecote steak with all the trimmings...€10.50 *The delicious Fish & Chips (with Grumpy Landlords special crispy beer batter!) are on every Friday to eat in or take away at the great price of €8.50* A comfortable, fun, friendly atmosphere Pub & with the variety of great musicians appearing each week the Sunday Afternoons are firmly putting The Hut on the map as the place to be to while away your weekend. Craig & Nicola are a great team & everyone is made to feel welcome with a friendly smile & fun banter.

The Hut darts team will soon be sharpening their arrows & positioning their flights for the winter league....new players are very welcome, just give us a ring or why not call in to see us when you´re passing?

Don´t miss the El Chaparral golf slip road, just after the bend past El Faro/Playa Marina – Open every day from 12:00pm - Tel: 952493409

952 449 591 www.localpest.es

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Funerals

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FOOD & DRINK with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

FOOD & DRINK with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com ANDALUCIA has kept its finger on the pulse of tourism trends for more than half a century, learning to adapt to the changing needs of incoming tourists.

In the Sixties it was package holidays, with Torremolinos in the vanguard; in the Nineties and Noughties, rural and residential tourism took over, with tourists snapping up holiday homes along the coast or heading for the hills to stay in a casa rural.

Now the region is poised to reinvent itself anew by pouncing on the latest vacation trend: halal tourism, a label that reflects the specific travelling habits and expectations of Muslim tourists.

Halal tourism is set to boom over the next decade, with the industry currently valued at a staggering €108 billion, and expected to grow to €149 billion by 2020.

Tradition

The concept of ‘halal’ – meaning ‘permissible’ in Arabic – has traditionally been applied to the specialised ritual of slaughtering livestock.

Today it also applies to other goods and services where Muslims have particular requirements, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals and financial services.

The Granada Tourism Board has now teamed up with Spain's National Tourism Board and Turkish Airlines to hold the first ever international halal tourism conference in Spain.

Taking place last week, the event brought together ho-

Halal of a time!

Andalucia is leading the field in halal tourism as Granada hosts the world’s first conference on travel’s hottest new trend, reports Rob Horgan tel groups, tour operators and tourism marketers from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Turkey, France and the UK. Following the conference, industry experts are now predicting that Andalucia will become a 'hub of interest' for Muslim holidaymakers.

Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of HalalTrip – the world's leading Halal travel website – told the Olive Press that Andalucia is 'ideally positioned to capture a larger share of the growing

Muslim market'.

He added: "The Islamic heritage offered in Andalucia is unique.

We are seeing a huge interest in exploring this region from Muslim travelers.

"Making minor adjustments, like the availability of halal food, will make it a must-visit destination for this segment of travellers."

According to Turespa – Spain’s national tourism agency – 81,000 tourists from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait travelled to

Spain last year, spending an average of €145 per night for a hotel room.

But Andalucia will also be looking to promote halal tours closer to home, with around half a million Muslims currently residing in Spain and over 14 million living in the EU.

Pioneer

The two-day conference welcomed over 300 delegates from across the world to discuss one of the fastestgrowing sectors of the industry.

After the conference, a two-day tour of Andalucia flaunted the region’s attributes to delegates.

Starting with a visit to Granada’s iconic Moorish palace, the tour showed off southern Spain’s Islamic history as well as demonstrating how it can adapt to cater for a growing number of Muslim tourists.

Sebastian Perez, President of Granada Council, called Andalucia 'a pioneer of the booming sector' setting the 'global benchmark' for other cities to follow.

He added: "We have opened the doors of our province and we have given them the wonders of our monumental, landscape and cultural heritage, with the Alhambra in the lead."

As the world’s leading travel representatives packed up and headed home, the next stage of southern Spain’s evolution was already set in motion, while the rest of the world plays catch-up.

How to cook halal at home HALAL cuisine is healthy eating but - ‘halalujah’ - it’s tasty too! In fact, everything that’s not haraam (forbidden, in Arabic) is halal (permitted).

Most people know that Muslims don’t touch pork products or alcohol but did you know they’re also forbidden to eat birds

of prey or land animals without external ears?

But, hey, that’s no hardship. When was the last time you ate fricassé of falcon or sauteed snake?

Try out these following finger-licking recipes for a halal of a dinner party!

Mutton Kalya

Shahi Tukada Traditional dessert served at Eid, to mark the end of Ramadan.

To create the ‘rabri’, boil milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a medium heat until it is reduced to a quarter of the original quantity. Then add sugar and cardamom and stir well.

In a separate heavy-bottomed pan, boil together half a cup of sugar, half a cup of water and saffron.

Once the sugar syrup comes to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer until it reaches a single thread consistency.

Next, in a medium sized pan, pour in ghee (clarified butter) and shallow fry bread pieces until they turn light brown and crisp.

Soak the fried bread in the prepared sugar syrup for about half a minute and place on a serving platter.

Pour the prepared rabri over the bread pieces and garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve immediately.

Easy butter chicken An uncomplicated dish for less-experienced cooks that still tastes great.

Marinate 500g of chicken in dhana jeeroo powder, chillies, tomato puree and yogurt for one hour.

Fry chopped onions in butter until golden and then add marinated chicken. Cook until tender.

Serve with coriander and either chapattis or naan bread.

Tuna boats

An easy, quick and healthy dish.

Peel the outside of a cucumber and cut in half lengthways.

Scoop out the seeds to shape your ‘boat’ or ‘canoe’.

In a bowl, add tuna flakes, sweetcorn, grated carrot, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise. Add the mix to your cucumber boat and hey presto, lunch is ready to launch!

A great dish if you are entertaining or want to impress someone.

Marinate 500g of mutton or lamb with three chillies, cumin powder, turmeric, chopped tomatoes and the juice of a lemon. Leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

Cook on a medium heat and add a cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves to tenderise the meat.

Meanwhile, fry chopped potatoes in oil and season with salt and a pinch of turmeric and boil 2-3 eggs. When the meat is almost tender, add the potatoes and eggs.

Serve with rotis or naan bread.

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Shack attack!

By Tom Powell

OWNERS of an embattled Fuengirola restaurant would ‘be in prison in the UK’, claimed Gordon Ramsay in the first of a new restaurant series based in Spain.

Expats Jack and Pat Diaz were told they were ‘lucky to not have killed anyone’ at their restaurant Mayfair, which has now changed its name to Jack’s Chicken Shack.

In a trademark foul-mouthed tirade in Ramsay’s Costa del Nightmares, he slammed its hygiene standards as being the worst he had ever seen.

In particular he slammed four-day-old cooked pasta, rotten chicken and calamari ‘more rubbery than a cockring’.

But five months down the line the restaurant is in better condition than ever, insists son John Diaz, who has now taken over the running of the eaterie.

Customers

“We’ve got the TV show playing on a big screen every day, and people are always coming in asking for photos,” he told the Olive Press.

“The customers seem happy and 95% of the feedback is positive and we are sometimes catering for 70 clients at a time easily.

“Gordon actually said that our show was the most entertaining of the lot, it really was great fun,” added John, a former car salesman described

by Ramsay as ‘one ball short

cars, write an IOU to his dad for the €40,000 he owes him and ‘prepare for the biggest summer of their lives’.

But the change was far from easy - with Ramsay admitting he had been waking at 4:30am every morning worried for them.

SHOCK: Gordon inspects kitchen, and (above) John

Chef Gordon Ramsay slams Fuengirola restaurant’s disgusting conditions before turning them into deepfried celebs

of a full sack’.

To save the failing restaurant – losing €30,000 a year – Ramsay ordered a mass clearout and demoted owner Jack to the position of waiter.

He then told John to sell his

Hilarious

“I’m panicking for the first time in my life, I’m very, very worried for them,” he said.

But in a bold move he changes the name to Jack’s Chicken Shack and creates a simple fried chicken menu aimed at ‘tourists and expats’.

In one hilarious scene, he has Jack and John running around Fuengirola in promotional chicken costumes.

The show ends with Jack’s Chicken Shack making €1,500 a week, thanks to a new chef at the helm, and it appears to have continued going from strength to strength.

An episode airing next week on October 7, sees Ramsay run the rule over La Granada Divino in Gaucin.

Salud to salad as veg exports hit €2 billion ANDALUCIA’S fruit and vegetable exports totalled nearly €2 billion in the last year, according to new Junta data.

Tomatoes were the biggest export, with a value of €624 million. Peppers came a close second – worth over €500 million – followed by cucumbers, with a value of €360 million.

Fish fingered

A CRACKDOWN on illegal fishing has seen 10 people charged for poaching sea anemones off the coast of Marbella.

Guardia Civil officials confiscated 168 kilos of the popular delicacy known in Andalucia as ortiguillas - as well as netting equipment used to fish for the anemones.

The men were arrested as they attempted to transport their catch to Cadiz, where it would have been sold illegally.

The gastronomic delicacy is consumed in large quantities in Cadiz and Sevilla where they commonly fetch a price of €7 per dozen.

Serrania de Ronda’s freshest new restaurant

Cream of the kitchen THE country’s brightest stars of the kitchen have come together for a night of gastronomic delight.

The 12 chefs - all winners of Spain’s prestigious Cocinero Revelacion award, presented at Madrid Fusion - got to work at Montia restaurant, near Madrid.

Advertorial

Top breakfast DUQUESA has a new hotspot for anyone missing their Great British breakfasts.

Wiltshire couple Michelle and Allan Beard have launched the Portside Bar Cafe in Duquesa serving breakfast from 8am as well as lunch and bar snacks.

Feeling brave? Try the ‘Belly Buster’ breakfast, which only three people have so far managed to finish. Portside is also now open for drinks in the evening.

Come and see what Gordon did next!

Views to Gibraltar and Africa

Reservations: +34 951 709 075 reservations@lagranadadivino.com

www.lagranadadivino.com

www.theolivepress.es

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FOOD & DRINK with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Anyone for Rubber-lip?

A BIZARRELY-NAMED fish is taking restaurants on the south coast of Spain by storm.

The ‘Rubber-lip grunt’ - despite its unattractive name - is a relatively rare bottom feeder, that makes its home in the Mediterranean waters of Spain and Portugal.

Appearing as ‘Borriquete’ on Spanish menus, it is growing in popularity and being seen increasingly on menus, particularly in Cadiz and on the Costa del Sol. It is said to be particularly good grilled straight off the barbecue.

Advertorial

AMAZING

BIRTHDAY OFFER RONDA HOTEL Mango patrol AT Limited Offer FREE Meal Deal FISHY: But not Jagger lookalikes

Helicopters and police road blocks are stopping fruit thieves stealing Spain’s most valuable crop, writes Jacqueline Fanchini

A POLICE helicopter has been sent up to protect Spain’s most expensive cash crop.

The Guardia Civil chopper is keeping an eye on 9,000 hectares of mango plantations in the Axarquia, as the harvesting season gets into full flow.

The measure - alongside police road checkpoints - has been introduced to prevent the growth of fruit-snatching in the region.

Local shops and markets are

Brrr-illiant: New Iceland opens in Sotogrande BRITISH supermarket giant Iceland is opening a brand new store on the Costa del Sol. The successful company - with two shops already in Marbella and Fuengirola - is opening in Pueblo Nuevo, Sotogrande, on October 14.

It is the 10th branch on the Spanish mainland and it will stock Local issue 46:The Local Issue 5 5/12/14 7:29 PM Page 59 a wide range of popular British foods, including Waitrose products, fresh and frozen foods, and newspapers and magazines.

also party to random checks to prove that the mangoes they are selling are legitimate.

Thieves can make up to €3/kg for the crop.

The move came after farming association Asaja met with the Guardia Civil, local police and the Velez-Malaga’s mayor to discuss ways to cut down on theft.

Because of the variety of mango breeds, the harvest season can last up until early December and this season is expected to be a bumper harvest, up to 25,000 tonnes.

Axarquia is one of the only places in Europe with an appropriate climate for mango farming and is the continent’s only exporter - expecting to net farmers over €20 million this year.

The crop is proving increasingly popular among farmers as they consume 30% less water than the contending avocados.

Fed up with crap!!!

Come Celebrate in the Mountains FROM OUR BENAOJÁN CORRESPONDENT

Are you looking to celebrate a birthday in style? Like to get a great deal too?

A popular mountain hotel near Ronda is offering a free meal to anyone who eats in its very popular restaurant if they visit on their birthday.

Molino del Santo, a delightful watermill hotel in the village of Benaoján has a free meal to give away every day. You just need to pre-book, be the first to reserve that day and visit before they close on the 9th of November.

RANGE OF MENUS You can choose from eight course tasting menus with local wines, through a la carte options or a menu of the month. There are also simpler dishes from the grill and a lighter cafeteria menu. If you’re a vegetarian you’ll have high quality choices too and there is a special menu for children..

The location is delightful by a mountain stream in a Natural Park, the food and wine is excellent, and the staff are friendly and professional. You might want to take the

FREE

COCOMO Cocktail Bar & Restaurant Reservations recommended

685 218 054 Next to the Senator Banus Spa Hotel

Please mention The Local when responding to advertisements Page 59

FREE ROOM UPGRADE Want more? Don’t forget there are comfortable hotel bedrooms available too if you’d like to stay over for a night or two – and mention this ad to get a free room upgrade, subject to availability. With rooms from just 107 euros – with breakfast and tax included – even if it’s not your birthday, what are you waiting for?

Call or e-mail the hotel now to make a reservation quoting The Olive Press. Call 952 16 71 51 or e-mail info@molinodelsanto.com.

Don’t delay though – this special offer only applies to one birthday meal each day until the 9th November, . Call or e-mail the hotel now to avoid disappointment quoting The Olive Press. Call 952 16 71 51 or e-mail info@molinodelsanto.com.

STUNNING TRAIN JOURNEY Not your birthday before the 9th November? Why not invite someone who has a birthday to visit Molino del Santo before it closes – they’ll honour the deal whoever makes the reservation.

We offer exactly what it says on the tin

train from San Roque which stops nearby to give you a very different day out. Ask for more information.

Birthday meals without charge for a limited time only You must visit on your birthday and provide proof of your date of birth. (Forgeries discouraged.) Free meal only for person celebrating birthday who must be accompanied. Sharing dishes and drinks not included.

Only one free birthday meal available per day. Subject to Availability. Season ends 9th November 2014, Reopen 6th March 2015.

VISITING RONDA?

– don’t make the journey without your FREE Guide “101 Things to Enjoy in the Ronda Area.” Packed with 101 suggestions for all ages. E-mail info@molinodelsanto.com to get your copy sent to you completely FREE.

ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

EDDIE THE HOTEL DOG’S THORTS

Groups are great! The Old Master (he’s no Oil Painting) has just been hosting a big group of Medical folk for a conference and they ordered rather too much food.

Good news for a dog. The left over paella was excellent, the barbecue kebabs were great and, I’ve got to be grateful that the old boy scraped the tandoori coating from the remaining chicken. Not so keen on the fish dishes myself and why does anyone want to eat green leaves? I eat grass and leaves when I want to be sick.

This made my tail wag this week : “Properly trained, a man can be a dog’s best friend.” Corey Ford Slight panic setting in… we close on the 9th November and then it’s back to dry old dog food.

Hope to see you before then.

Mr E Dogg

www.molinodelsanto.com | info@molinodelsanto.com | 952 16 71 51

Graffiti gang POLICE have smashed a 10man guerilla-style graffiti gang that forced trains to a sudden and dangerous halt to paint carriages in lightening operations, causing €600,000 worth of damage.

the

olive press

Telephone: 951 127 006

Plane peak FINAL WORDS

Covering Andalucia in 2014 with over 200,000 papers EE (130,000 digital) and around 300,000 visits to the R F website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

ALMERIA airport recorded a 7% increase in passenger numbers for the first eight months of the year, with 535,000 passengers passing through the Andalucian airport.

Judgement

Cat’s out of bag...

October 2- October 15, 2014

By Rob Horgan

A SPANISH boxing judge is to be investigated by the World Boxing Organisation after controversially scoring British boxer Paul Smith’s bout with Arthur Abraham 119 - 109 against Smith.

MOLE: Paddy McKenna

ONE of the final secrets of the Great Train Robbery has been let out of the bag… from Andalucia.

Gordon Goody - mastermind of one of the most famous crimes in history - has revealed the name of the ‘mole’ in the sting at the Royal Mail.

From his home in Almeria, Goody finally fingered Paddy McKenna, a senior mail worker, as being the insider, who tipped them off about the train’s movements.

www.theolivepress.es

Andalucia-based train robber Gordon Goody finally fingers Mail worker as the ‘mole’ who helped them Goody - who moved to Mojacar after his release from UK prison in 1975 - spoke out during the filming of the documentary The Great Train Robbery: A Tale of Two Thieves.

McKenna - previously known as ‘the Ulsterman’ - is a devout Catholic who may have given his cut of the stolen

cash to church charities.

While his criminal associates - Ronnie Biggs and Bruce Reynolds, to name just two - became cult figures in the UK, Goody escaped to Spain to run beach bar Chiringuito Kon Tiki in Mojacar.

The film is being released this week in UK cinemas and online.

DRIVEN: Teresa Forcades

Nun so radical!

A PRO-ABORTION nun has set up her own political party to take on the establishment.

Teresa Forcades has been ticked off by the Vatican for her left-wing views, which would see Spain leaving the Eurozone and for all banks to be nationalised.

Now her party Proces Constituent is supporting Catalan independence.

The Benedictine nun, who lives in Montserrat, said: "I am in favour of the independence of my country, because I do believe that for true democracy to be real or possible, you need small political units."

NO BULL: New run

Taking the Mickey Footballers face penalty Running TWO street performers dressed as Disney’s most lovable couple, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, literally lost their heads when they were arrested after fighting a heckler in Madrid.

Caught on camera, Fazzio and Ticiana Yanez turned on an unhappy punter during a performance in the Spanish capital.

The footage shows Fazzio (Mickey) landing punches to the man’s face, while Ticiana (Minnie) provides intermittent kicks to the body.

To view footage visit www.theolivepress.es.

FIX?: Post-match hugs

FOOTBALLERS from two Spanish clubs have been summoned to the state prosecutor in Madrid over match fixing allegations in a game between Levante and Real Zaragoza.

The match under investigation was played during the last round of the 2010-11 La Liga season which saw Zaragoza fight off relegation.

Two goals from current At-

letico Madrid captain Gabi Fernandez saw Zaragoza run out 2-1 winners.

The La Liga president, Javier Tebas, included the match in a list of nine matches to be investigated in a June 2013 report.

Match fixing in Spain can lead to prison sentences for individuals and a club being banned from official competitions.

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of the ball

THE rocket fires, the gates open and the brave runners begin their adrenaline-fuelled sprint, knowing one slip could mean a brutal goring.

Or actually just a bump from behind... if you are in the town of Mataelpino.

The Madrid town has introduced an unusual style of bull run including a ball rather than a bull.

Now the campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is urging other towns across Spain to do the same, and swap bulls for balls.

The comical idea of racing away downhill from a giant ball was originally introduced in the town four years ago as a cost-cutting exercise during the crisis.

But it has now received widespread attention, and Peta has offered to provide similar balls to any other mayor tempted by the running of the balls.

And for the hardy daredevils scoffing at replacing half tonne bulls with polystyrene balls, several runners still ended up in hospital last year after suffering a ‘strong wallop’.

Either way, the town hall insists that it has no intention of dropping its annual bull run, which has taken place for over 100 years.