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Wedding out the rogues EXCLUSIVE by James Bryce A WEDDING association is being set up in a bid to clamp down on a spate of fake vicars emerging in Spain. The initiative will see potential members undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure they are capable and qualified to undertake services here. It comes after the Olive Press revealed last issue that a number of people had lost money to a fake reverend Alan McLean (above), who vanished without completing his contractual obligations. Others have since come forward to condemn McLean, including one couple who rented a property to him in Competa. They insist he failed to pay his rent and falsely claimed expenses for replacing a damaged bed, before disappearing overnight leaving the house ‘stinking and dirty’.
olive press SHOCKER! FREE
Vol. 6 Issue 132
By Wendy Williams
RESIDENTS in Spain have been clobbered by Spain’s most austere budget for three decades.
CRUEL TRICK: Georgia mistook olive oil for honey
April 05 - 28, 2012
No April Fool as government introduces seven per cent rise in electricity in new austerity budget Homeowners and tenants alike have been left reeling after the government announced a staggering seven
per cent hike in electricity costs. In a move affecting the whole country, the cost of
Bittersweet victory for writing comp winner
Confidence
Founder of the Association for Wedding Professionals within Europe Jennifer McCloy said the scheme was a bid to self-govern the industry, which is not currently regulated. She said it was vital to regulate a growing trend that sees thousands of foreigners married in Spain each year. “There has been a lot of money lost over the years. This is the first step towards restoring confidence,” McCloy told the Olive Press. “Everybody has a right to a professional service, and given that it is one of the biggest single expenses people make, it is important to know the process is legitimate.”
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IT was a classic mistake that any newcomer to Spain could have easily made. But it was one that budding writer Georgia Willets, 12, remembers as if it was yesterday. Settling down to a fabulous spread of local foods to celebrate her first Andalucia Day at the age of four, how could she have known that it was olive oil in a bottle? Mistaking it for honey she ladled it on her bread, leading to one of the biggest shocks of her short life. Her reminiscence of the day have at least led to a happy outcome with the La Cala-based expat winning the Olive Press OPX’s writing competition. The Lancashire lass, who attends EIC school in Marbella, impressed the Turn to Page 24
Antonio’s pious return
gas also went up by five per cent as of the beginning of this month. In anything but an April Fool, residents will also be affected by a drastic funding drop for the regions, as well as an increase in income tax. The moves are part of a raft of hard-hitting measures which aim to see cuts of around 27 billion euros. In Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s first budget changes also include: l Civil servants’ wages frozen l Ministry budgets slashed by up to 50 per cent l Unemployment frozen
benefit
l An amnesty on tax evasion in return for a 10 per cent fee Consumers have at least been spared some pain as the much anticipated VAT (IVA) rise was not introduced. However, the government is going ahead with a previously-announced increase in income tax by 1.9 per cent, with top earners hit especially hard. Moreover the government plans drastic cuts in all its ministries with an average reduction of 16.9 per cent. The biggest cuts come in Turn to Page 7
MALAGA’S most famous son is making a very pious return. Antonio Banderas (above) has vowed that this Easter he will ‘immerse’ himself more than ever into Andalucia’s Holy Week celebrations, as processions get underway around the region. The star of The Mask of Zorro and The Skin I Live In has returned to his home town to take part in Malaga’s traditional procession on Palm Sunday. “This year I want to be fully committed and have completely cleaned the agenda,” the actor revealed. “I deeply love Easter. It is an opportunity for me to relate to my spiritual side, with the traditions and art. For me, this is a return to my roots.”
Hard times It might be the reason that – for once – his wife, actress Melanie Griffiths, has decided not to take a ride across the pond from their home in Los Angeles. The official reason; that their daughter Stella needs to concentrate on her studies. Banderas also appealed to 65,000 brotherhood members to help those around them during the current hard times. Turn to Page 30 for our Easter Special
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