Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 189

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A BRITISH couple claim their accountant stole €22,000 from them after forging court documents.Expats Mike and Jean Lett insist that the disgraced Es-tepona councillor took the money on a number of occa-sions and illegally reinvested it in his own name.The couple, who run furniture business Jean’s Emporium in Estepona, had used Man-uel Reina Contreras for eight years for their business.They have denounced the for-mer PES councillor - who is also being investigated over the multimillion euro Astapa corruption scandal - and their case is now going through the courts.“We cannot believe this man could get away with this. He saw a way of getting quick

NUMBER CRUNCHED

British couple call in the police after their accountant runs off with €22,000

TWO thirds of Spaniards want a vote on whether the country should scrap its monarchy.According to a survey in El Pais, 62% of Spanish people want a referendum on be-coming a republic, with 34% against it.It comes after a series of large protests around the coun-try called for an end to the monarchy after the king an-nounced he is abdicating in favour of son Felipe later this month.

Majority Despite broad support for a referendum, the poll revealed however, that only a minority of Spaniards would in fact prefer a republican form of government.Nearly half of respondents said that if asked, they would still support a monarchy headed by Felipe VI, while 36% said they would demand a return to a republic.Moreover, the majority of res-idents applauded King Juan Carlos’ decision to abdicate.The popularity rating of the monarchy is said to have gone up from 49% to 56% since the abdication was announced two weeks ago, according to a poll in El Mundo.Of those questioned 73% said Felipe would make a good king.

Ronda hotel voted best in Spain while Gibraltar selects its candidate for next Miss World

money and he took it,” Mr Lett, 72, told the Olive Press. The Letts - who have lived in Spain for 28 years - had given the money to Contreras to pre-vent a court from repossessing a hotel they owned in San Roque.The accountant had told them

that Estepona court needed the money if they were to prevent a foreclosure on the building that they were in the process of selling.However, as it later emerged, the court had never solicited the money at all and both re-

vide us with an invoice which he said was from the court.”However, they started to sus-pect Contreras and decided to get their lawyer to look into the situation.“It was at that point we found out that all was not as it seemed and the documen-tation supposedly from the courthouse was forged.”It turned out it was not the first time Contreras had been on the wrong side of the law.

BriberyIn June 2008, he was ar-rested alongside Estepona mayor Antonio Barrientos, in a complex web of corruption involving fraudulent land re-zoning, bribery and money-laundering. The former Councillor for the Economy at Estepona town hall was one of five people remanded in custody in the Astapa case.Now, despite numerous re-quests for the return of their money, the Letts haven’t seen a penny and the hotel has been repossessed.When contacted by the Ol-ive Press, Contreras said this week: “The only thing I have to say is that I have made mis-takes. I have a lot of problems and my priority now is to solve them. “I feel bad about what I have done to these good people, and I only hope I can pay them back.”

We want a Republic!

RIPPED OFF: The Letts and (right) Contreras arrested

TAKING ON THE WORLD

quests and receipts from a judge were al-legedly forged.“This is where our real problems start-ed,” said Mrs Lett, 68, from Newquay. “One time Contreras even drove me to the bank to withdraw the mon-ey, because he said if it wasn’t paid into the court that day every-thing would be null and void. “Each time we would pay the ‘rent’ money to him, he would pro-

Hats off to Laurie Lee

See Page 20

Flamenco star in town

See Page 3

The Bitch is back!

See Pages 15 and 42

AXED: Royals face chop

100 years since birth of semi-nal writer and lover of Spain

Olive Press probes Jaoquin Cortes on Naomi and more

Joan Collins is getting big in Benidorm, believe it or not

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HUNDREDS of Brits are said to be cheating the UK welfare system from the safe haven of the Costa del Sol. The coast – long a hideout for fugi-tive conmen, fraudsters and drug barons – is now home to the new evolution of benefits scamming, claims the UK government.Dubbed ‘abroad fraud’, the prob-lem is so bad that the Department of Work and Pensions has now launched a dedicated team in Ma-drid, solely to tackle the cheats.

TWO British golfers have been drugged and robbed in Fuen-girola.Keith Low believes he and a fellow golfer from the Glen Gorse Golf Club in Leicester-shire, were spiked with the notorious ‘date-rape’ drug Rohypnol.Neither can remember any-thing after accepting a free shot in a bar during a night out.Mr Low, 59, woke up in a side-street, missing his gold chain and cash from his wal-let.Police explained that they were most likely drugged with Ro-hypnol and then led away from the group and robbed.The UK Foreign Office warns tourists on the Costa del Sol to be vigilant, advising that drinks be kept in sight at all times to make sure they are not tampered with.

POLICE have arrested several people suspected of trafficking illegal horse-meat. In a collaboration with French authorities, po-lice are investigating the suspected introduction of horses into Spanish slaughterhouses, to make meat for human con-sumption. The traffickers allegedly use forged or altered iden-tification and health docu-ments for the horses. The investigation follows a Europe-wide health scare in 2013, after probes revealed horsemeat was being mis-labeled and sold as ready-meals containing beef.

POLICE investigating the disappearance of Maddie McCann are set to interview eight potential suspects in Portugal. The ‘persons of interest’, identified by

A ‘CORRUPT’ UK detec-tive living in Spain is to be investigated over claims he sabotaged the initial Ste-phen Lawrence murder in-vestigation. John Davidson, who lives in Minorca, is to be probed over a claimed corrupt re-lationship he had with the gangster father of one of the teenager’s alleged kill-ers.It has been claimed that Da-vidson, who now runs a bar on the Balearic island, was dangerously close to Clif-

Probe on island cop

‘Corrupt’ UK detective said to have stalled Lawrence enquiry is to be investigated

ford Norris, the father of David Norris. The UK’s Independent Po-lice Complaints Commis-sion (IPCC) will examine

whether he deliberately stalled the inquiry, per-haps after being paid by him.In police intelligence re-

about his conduct in the days following the mur-der.

RacistLawrence, an 18-year-old aspiring architect, was stabbed to death in a racist attack by a white gang in south-east London in April 1993. Yet despite damning evi-dence no convictions were made until 2012, when Gary Dobson, 36, and David Nor-ris, 35, were given life sen-tences. It is unclear how police will question Davidson over the allegations, as he can only be extradited from his Spanish island if there is sufficient evidence to charge him. He denies all allegations.

Horse meat arrests

‘Abroad fraud’ on the Costa del Crime

Eight face questions over Maddie

Scotland Yard, include three convicted drug-dealers, thought to have been in-volved in burglaries in the Praia da Luz area in the days before the British

youngster disap-peared. Phone records show the three made numerous phone calls to each other in the hours after she went missing, in May 2007.

HopeMeanwhile, po-lice have fin-ished their first search of an area of scrubland in the Praia da Luz, in an excavation of three key sites in the Algarve holiday resort. Forensic teams will now move on to the two other sites, after halt-ing the operation for two days for a Portuguese na-tional holiday. The excavation was described as being ‘encourag-ing’.

Knock-out shot

ENCOURAGING: Search for Maddie

ILLEGAL: Horse meat

Spain sees more cases of suspect-ed UK benefit fraud than any other country – in 2013, there were 769 suspected cases, compared to 628 in Pakistan and 298 in Turkey. Across the world last year, Brits living overseas scammed more than €103 million from the Brit-ish taxpayer – twice as much as in 2011. Investigators have followed up 1,267 calls since 2008, leading to the recovery of more than €6 mil-lion of taxpayers’ money.

ports, the for-mer detective sergeant was described as having ‘no integrity as a police officer’.A n o t h e r damning re-port added that he was ‘open to of-fers from any source if financially viable’ and raised seri-ous questions

PROBE: Into Davidson (top) over murdered Stephen Lawrence (left)

3www.theolivepress.es the olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014NEWS

By Tom Powell

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CELEBRITY hysteria, pool-side snogging, loud arguments and questionable swimming cos-tumes.It can only mean one thing… the eccentric cast of TOWIE are back in town.Marbella has once again been entertaining Essex’s finest as they film the annual Marbs summer special of the hit real-ity TV series The only way is Essex.As well as showing off on private yachts in Puerto Banus, the group have been enjoying nights in Mo-saic nightclub, Plaza Beach, La Sala and Sisu, according to local sources.Local Marbella snapper Johnny Gates told the Olive Press it had been bedlam trying to get a glimpse of the

IT has been one of Hollywood’s most endur-ing relationships.But after 18 years of wedded unity, Malaga’s most famous son Antonio Banderas and Hollywood superstar Melanie Griffith are getting a divorce. According to the divorce papers filed in Los Angeles, the separation was requested by Griffith, citing irreconcilable differences. The 56-year-old actress has allegedly asked Banderas, 53, for spousal support and for child support to look after their 17-year-old daughter, Stella.But the couple, who first fell in love on the set of the 1995 film Two Much, insist the de-cision was reached by mutual consent and

THE former sweetheart of Prince Harry appears to be revelling in life outside of the royal family, posing for exuberant photos with friends on the party island of Ibiza.Chelsy Davy, a 28-year-old lawyer, was snapped pull-ing racy poses with the half-brother of the Prince’s new girlfriend, Cressida Bonas.She was also joined on holiday by her 30-year-old boyfriend, jeweller Charles Goode among other friends.She ended her turbulent six-year relationship with Harry in 2010, reportedly telling friends that marry-ing into the Royal family would not have been the life for her.

JOAN Collins has made a welcome return to Spain, filming the next series of the much-loved British ITV com-edy series Benidorm. The 81-year-old British ac-tress oozed glamour during a meeting with the mayor of Benidorm. Now a resident of California’s Beverly Hills, Collins - best known for her role as a schem-ing ex-wife in American soap opera Dynasty – said she is ‘delighted’ to be back. After making her debut in the program last year – as feisty hotel owner Crystal Hennesey-Vass – the actress said she ‘so badly wanted to return’. She became famous for her roles in Hollywood films The Bitch and The Stud, written by her sister Jackie.The seventh season of Beni-dorm is now being filmed in the hotel Madeira Centro and will air early in 2015. Collins will appear alongside Johnny Vegas, Elsie Kelly and guest star John Challis – best known as Boycie from British series Only Fools and Horses.

ONE of the world’s biggest reggae groups will take to the stage in Gibraltar next month. Bob Marley’s favourite band Steel Pulse – who her-ald from Birmingham - are set to perform at the Victoria Stadium on July 18. The band was a hugely influential part of the

The Bitch is back!

GIBRALTAR’S ON THE PULSERock Against Racism movement in England in the 70s and their album Handsworth Revolu-tion is seen as a seminal moment in UK pop history.Tickets at £28 or €35, for more information visit www.steelpulsegibraltar.eventbrite.com

Marbs Ahoy!

The only way is Marbs as the UK’s most bizarre celebrity bandwagon rumbles down to the Costa del Sol

UK stars.He said: “There are a lot of paparaz-zi down here, all trying to get the

best pictures and share the fame.“The producers are trying to in-troduce new cast members, but people are only really interested in the old ones.”The show’s stars Bobby Norris and Harry Derbidge opted for matching half-speedos while they drank cocktails by the pool.

Muscle-flexingMeanwhile, co-stars Dan Os-bourne and Tom Pearce were spotted taking a muscle-flexing stroll along the beach, much to the enjoyment of other holiday-makers.But it wasn’t all plain sailing this time around, as the easy-

jet flight carrying cast mem-bers and their luggage was

grounded because it was too heavy to take off.

Former Royal darling hits Ibiza

Two much for Melanieafter careful consideration. “We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalise our almost 20 years marriage in a loving and friendly manner, honouring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together,” the couple said in a joint statement.

FlamedThe couple have been plagued by split ru-mours for most of the last year.These were flamed when Griffith failed to accompany her husband to Malaga for his annual Semana Santa outing for the first time in years.WHAT TO DO WITH THE TATTOO?: After break up

Tw

itte

r

DIVA: Joan Collins

POSING: Chelsy with pal

SOME HAIR: Steel Pulse’s David Hinds

HEAD-TURNER: Bobby let’s it all hang out

4 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 NEWS

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THE wife of a missing British man is appealing for informa-tion, after a potential sighting of her husband in Malaga. Tim Beardsley disappeared from his home in the UK in July 2012, and has not been seen since. Tim is described as 5ft 10in (178cm) tall, and of a stocky build. He has blue eyes and brown hair, which is greying. Wife Terrie told the Olive Press that he was suffering from depression at the time of his disappearance.“We would really like to know he is safe and well. I’m con-tacting all areas of Spain as it’s possible he could be mov-ing around.” Contact charity Missing Abroad 0044 800 098 8485 or Olive Press newsdesk on 951 127 006 or email [email protected]

THE abdication of King Juan Carlos has cost a fleet of journal-ists, writers and illustrators their jobs. El Mundo royal correspondent, Ana Romero, has allegedly left the paper after making references to the king’s relationship with German aristocrat Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. Two more El Mundo reporters, Maria Ramirez and her husband

A FORMER journalist and di-vorcee whose grandfather was a taxi driver will be crowned the Queen of Spain next week.Letizia Ortiz – previously a TV newsreader – will stand alongside husband Prince Fe-lipe, when he is crowned the King of Spain on June 19.Former CNN reporter - who covered the 9/11 World Trade Centre bombings - Letizia married Crown Prince Fe-

A BATTLE is raging over which designer will win the honour of making Letizia’s dress for the royal coronation.She has become a global fashion icon, appearing in dazzling outfits to suit every occasion, and the world’s top designers are desperate to dress her for the big day.The former journalist is renowned for her unprincess-like style, leaving fashion fans eager to see how she will turn out on the day she is crowned Queen of Spain.

CORONATION SPECIAL

The Royal divorcee

Her Grandad was a taxi driver, she was a journalist… welcome to the new broom taking over Moncloa palace, writes Tom Powell

Have you seen my husband?

lipe just over 10 years ago to a mixed reception from the Spanish public.

To many she represented the ‘modern woman’, but as a divorcee she did not sit well with the more traditionalist Catholics in Spain.The couple began seeing each other while she was reporting on the Prestige oil spill disas-ter in Galicia in 2002, but the relationship was kept hidden for many months.Similar to Britain’s royal cou-ple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, their down-to-earth attitudes have changed the way people view royalty in Spain.Letizia owns a mortgage on a flat in Madrid, rides the subway, sits in the stands for sports games, and the couple have also often walk their two daughters, Leonor, eight, and Sofia, seven, to school.

Fight to the dress

Abdication costs jobs

Eduardo Suarez, also faced dis-ciplinary proceedings over com-ments made on Twitter support-ing her.Staff at satirical magazine El Jueves have also suffered in the wake of the abdication with three illustrators and a writer having lost their jobs. The magazine’s publisher RBA pulled a front page il-lustration showing the king handing over a dirty crown.

ReferendumCongress is expected to vote on the abdication this week. The ruling PP, the PSOE - along with other central parties - will back the royal transition. But left-wing parties including Izquierda Unida will note against it and re-quest a referendum instead.

From front page

‘Gunman’ corneredA MAN has been arrested in La Linea, after threatening numerous passersby with what appeared to be a handgun. The 41-year-old man from Sevilla punched, kicked and threatened police as he tried to flee but was eventually pinned down.

Foreign festivalESTEPONA will celebrate Foreign Resident’s Day on June 14, with 20 different nationalities expected to take part.

Drug findA TOURIST stum-bled across a package containing 640 grams of hashish on Mijas’ El Bombo beach, after it was presumably dit-ched at sea.

Gas scamFOUR people have been arrested in Malaga for posing as gas inspectors and charging extortionate sums for unnecessary repairs. In total, 26 people were arrested in Spain.

Hello mummySPANISH archaeologists have discovered a tomb belonging to an Egyptian pharaoh in the city of Luxor, the capital of ancient Egypt.

WIFE’S APPEAL: Terrie and Tim

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6 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014

Tel: 951127006 (admin/editorial/sales/advertising) or [email protected] or [email protected] 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.Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029Urb Casares del Sol, bloque 21, portal 70, bajo b, Casares 29690, MalagaPrinted by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.Editor: Jon [email protected]:Newsdesk [email protected] Brown [email protected] Powell [email protected] Calderwood

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WHAT began as a hopeful campaign in a tiny northern village in Spain

has taken on huge signifi-cance under the eagle eyes of a global audience.Castrillo Matajudios – or Jew Killer Camp – hit the lime-light when Mayor Lorenzo Rodriguez Perez decided it was time for a name change referendum. And as the 56 elderly resi-dents placed their votes, the world looked on with bated breath. “We had no idea that this would be something that would gain worldwide atten-tion,” said the mayor, who warned he would resign if his proposal was rejected. And journalists flocked to the village in Castilla y Leon to witness the outcome of the vote for themselves.With a result of 29 votes in favour to 19 against, the residents decided to aban-don the 400-year-old name of Matajudios, and with it a small part of Spain’s more violent past.Indeed, across this nation, town and family names stand as symbols of its incredible history, from bloodthirsty dic-tator Franco and the slaugh-tering of ethnic minorities, to Muslim fiefdoms and Moor-ish rule.

A dark past for Jews

The name Matajudios is a remnant of the dark history of Judaism in Spain. A his-tory that includes centuries of expulsion, forced conver-sions, massacres, pogroms and the infamous Spanish Inquisition. It may seem strange for a village with such an anti-Se-mitic name, but Matajudios’ coat of arms and flag both bear the Star of David – hint-ing at its complicated Jewish history. “We can’t carry a name that

What’s in a name?

The map of Spain is a tour of the country’s turbulent, colourful and ever-changing history, displayed in the names of its towns and villages, writes Imogen Calderwood

suggests we kill Jewish peo-ple when we are completely the opposite,” explained mayor Rodriguez.“This is a community that actually sprang from Jewish roots and its descendants are the descendants of Jew-ish people.”The village - originally Mota Judios, or Hill of Jews - was founded in 1035 by a group of Jews fleeing a nearby po-grom - a mass slaughter.As a result it was predomi-nantly Jewish for more than 400 years. But in 1492 Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand expelled the Jews from Spain, and for this prosperous Jewish town the threat of religious perse-cution was overwhelming. Following the expulsion, the history of the village’s name becomes a mystery. One argument, put forward by archeolog ist Angel Palo-mino says that the name was changed to Matajudios in 1623, but by Jews who had stayed and converted to Catholicism. “The descendants of the Jews changed the name so as to portray themselves as the most anti-Semitic peo-

ple possible at a time when Spain was the most Catholic monarchy of Europe,” argues Palomino. But mayor Rodriguez believes the name was less deliber-

ate. “In the 16th and 17th cen-tury, there was so much pres-sure on con-verted Jews and someone changed one

letter around the 16th cen-tury and the name stuck,” he explains. Others believe with one let-ter difference, it was simply a slip of the pen.

Either way, for Mayor Lorenzo Rodriguez Perez the name change is more than just a change of title. It represents a change of attitude, of per-spective, and the start of a new phase in Spain’s Jewish history. He now hopes to restore the village’s old Jewish quarter, to search for the remains of the synagogue and other buried evidence of the origi-nal settlement, and to work out which local family names were originally Jewish – in-cluding, probably, his own.

Valley of the Moor Killers

Many voices have risen in dissent of the Matajudios ref-erendum, with a strong argu-ment being that Spain is full of offensive names.“What’s next?” asked one Matajudios resident. “Are we going to change every name in the country that might of-fend someone?” The town of Valle de Mat-amoros – the Valley of Moor Killers – in western Spain an-nounced last month that it has no intention of changing its name. “We have never thought of al-tering it. It is a historic name here – you are born with it and you live with it,” a local official announced. What’s more, more than 3,200 Spaniards are report-ed to have Matamoros as a surname. Dr David Levey, a lecturer in language and linguistics at

The Valley of Moor Killers announced last month that it

has no intention of changing its name

FINALLY CONVINCED: Matajudios residents debating

ONE LETTER DIFFERENCE: The new name of Matajudios is less offensive to some

LEGACY: The cathedral of Jerez de la Frontera which was once the frontier of the Kingdom of Granada

A change of thronesAFTER a spate of abdications of late in Europe it was perhaps no surprise when Spain’s King Juan Carlos called it a day.After all his popularity rating has sunk to an all time low as his family has become embroiled in a series of scandals.In Britain, a rush of popularity for William and Kate and Prince Harr y, has put serious pressure on the Queen to take a hint from other vacating elderly mon-archs and make way for the younger generation. It is strange that although two thirds of Spaniards are demanding a referendum, only 36% said they would get rid of the monarchy in a vote. Perhaps we don’t want to scrap Europe’s monarchies after all and all we really need is younger monarchs. Ones that can keep up with our smart-phone, celebri-ty-fuelled society.

Only the bestAMID all the doom and gloom, it is great to hear news of our business partners succeeding, and more than that, being recognised as leaders in their fields.In particular, congratulations are in order for Andy and Pauline at hotel Molino del Santo, near Ronda, for running what has been voted Spain’s second best hotel on TripAdvisor.Working hard for nearly three decades, they have turned a rundown ruin in an unfashionable dusty cor-ner of Malaga province into one of the hottest, most sought after retreats in Europe.It should also be mentioned that no less than four of Spain’s top 20 hotels, according to TripAdvisor, are clients of the Olive Press. It is an equal number for restaurants.This merely reinforces how proud we are to work with and promote the ver y best this region has to offer, and as a result, see these places flourish.Yes, the Olive Press stands for quality... and the best of you realise that.Long may it continue!

Got a news story?Contact our team of fully-qualified

journalists in our Costa del Sol office on951 127 006

or email [email protected]

7www.theolivepress.es the olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014FEATURE

lAlcantarilla, Murcia – SewerFrom the Arabic word ‘al-qantarah’, meaning bridge. lL’ampolla, Catalunya – The blisterThis Catalan fishing town was only founded in 1989, when it separated from the municipality of Perello. lCenicero, La Rioja – The ashtrayThe name is thought to stem from the ashes left by shepherd’s fires. lMuelas de los Caballeros, Castilla – Gentlemen’s back teethBut ‘muela’ can also be translated as mound or hillock. lVenta las Ranas, Asturias – Shop of frogsA huge number of frogs once lived in the village’s swampy waters, and villagers would make roof tiles, bricks and clay vases from all the sludge.

lBanos del Agua Hedionda, Jaen – Baths of the stinky waterIn Jaen province. Comes from the sulphur-charged waters once used to treat all kinds of ailments. Even a military hospi-tal during Spain’s Civil War. Slowly decaying facilities. lCalaveras de abajo, Castilla y Leon – Skulls down belowIf that’s not sinister enough, the sister village of Calaveras de arriba, meaning Skulls up above, is 1.4km away. lGuarroman, Jaen – DirtmanThe town’s name actually comes from the Arabic ‘wadi-r-rum-man’ or Cattle River. lPocilgas, Castilla y Leon – The PigstiesBut this village changed its name in 1909 to the much more palatable Buenavista, meaning good view.

lPozo de las Mujeres Muertas, Asturias – Dead women’s wellLegend has it that a group of local girls became trapped in a well by a storm that lasted several days. Their bodies weren’t found until months later.

Cadiz University, argues that these names are so deeply in-grained in Spain’s history that many Spaniards aren’t really aware of the connection. “If they say the word Matam-oros, they don’t make any as-sociation with killing Arab peo-ple. And I believe it is the same with Matajudios,” he says.

Franco’s legacy

Between 1939 and 1975, Gen-eral Francisco Franco was an oppressive force in Spain and his memory lives on in town names with the epithet ‘Caudi-llo’ – meaning leader.For many, any recognition of this evil dictator was hugely offensive, and in 2009 vast numbers of these tributes were erased from public view.Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero passed a law calling for all symbols of Francoism to be removed, and plaques, stat-

ues and monuments were de-stroyed. Along with them went a number of place and street names.Most recently Boadilla del Monte, a town near Madrid, scrapped a reference to Franco in the name of its main street, the Avenida del Generalisimo. It is now fittingly named in honour of Adolfo Suarez – the prime minister who champi-oned democracy in Spain fol-lowing Franco’s death - who died in March this year. Other examples of name changes include: Ribadelago de Franco in Castilla y Leon – now known as Ribadelago Nuevo; Bardena del Caudillo in Zaragoza – known as Barde-nas since 2008; and Gevora del Caudillo in Badajoz, known as Gevora since 2011. Closer to home, Barbate de Franco in Cadiz is now, simply, Barbate.But many villages have had to keep their names, for practical reasons rather than moral or political.

The village of Bembezar del Caudillo, in the southern prov-ince of Cordoba, briefly became ‘Bembezar’. The idea was soon abandoned, however, because ‘it created a lot of confusion with the post’, according to a town hall official.

Oriental origins

It is not only violence and per-secution that have impacted place names in Spain. Arabic names are common too – particularly along the eastern coast and in Andalucia – from the Moorish governance of Spain, at various times be-tween 711 and 1492.Axarquia comes from the Ara-bic Ash-sharquia, meaning the oriental region. While Almeria is either from Al Meraya, mean-ing the watchtower, or from al-Mirayah, meaning the mirror.Jaen, from Jayyan, means cross-roads of caravans, and Algeci-ras is from Al Jazeera Al Khadra, meaning the green island.

Any name that begins with Ben-, from the Arabic Bani, means son of. For example, Benahavis, Benalmadena and Benajoan, all of which were once Muslim fiefdoms. And the signifier ‘Frontera’ is used for towns along the old border of the Kingdom of Granada.Jerez de la Frontera and Arcos de la Frontera, in modern-day Cadiz province, were the site of many border skirmishes, as the Muslim dynasty relentlessly fought off its enemies.Even the name Andalucia comes from the Arabic name Al Andalus – the medieval Islamic state that occupied most of what are today Spain, Portugal, Andorra and part of southern France.Spain’s history is an intricate web of different cultures and nationalities, and each one has left its mark. The question is how we treat these names now. Are they scars on the land-scape, offensive and painful memories of violence? Or are

they a vital part of Spain’s iden-tity, that to change would be to deny history? Who could have guessed that

the humble village of Castrillo Matajudios would launch a debate of such national signifi-cance?

Weird or wonderful? Spain’s filthiest place names

CAUDILLO: Franco

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A-7 motorway

Urbanización El Tomillar29740 Torre del Mar(MÁLAGA)

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T - 952 54 27 58 / 62 www.aquavelis.com

ARABIC NAMES: So many places and monuments, like the Alhambra, are Moorish in origin


9www.theolivepress.es the olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014NEWS

By Tom Powell

News IN BRIEF

ESTUCO INTERIORSCentro Comercial Plaza 18, 29660 Nueva Andalucia

Tel. 952 810 633 / 952 819 321www.estucointeriors.com

A CHARITY event now in its 12th year has raised a spectacu-lar €39,000 for DEBRA, which helps children with the condi-tion Butterfly Skin.Some 230 golfers and 242 party guests attended a weekend of events at Aloha Golf Club to raise the money which helps those suf-fering the condition in Spain.Guests at Sunday night’s ball enjoyed music from the TAPAS Choir, 2True & The Mass Fu-sion Band and Ricky Lavazza.

Nightclub stabbingAN 18-year-old Moroccan has died after he was stabbed outside a nightclub in Benalmadena. A Colombian man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Bus scheduleTHEplanned bus station in San Pedro will be built in four months time and will cost around €400,000, despite on-going protests that it is too close to school gates.

Plane crashA SPANISH Eurojet crashed into the runway at a military air-base near Sevilla - Moron de la Fronte-ra - killing the pilot.

CRUEL footage of the appalling condi-tions in rabbit farms in Spain has been revealed by an animal rights charity.Igualdad Animal (IA) campaigners were shocked when they investigated 70 farms including many in Andalucia.Their footage shows rabbits having their throats slit while dead animals are left ly-ing for days in cages beside live ones.The films also show injured and sick ani-mals being left untreated and others eat-ing their own faeces.

ANOTHER group of expats is facing imminent demolition of their homes in Andalucia. Some 13 British and Belgian expat families face seeing their homes knocked down in a new raft of draconian orders in Almeria.The state prosecutor is seeking the demolition of the homes in Partaloa, despite not accusing the residents of any wrongdoing.The case has been brought after the Guardia Civil’s environ-mental arm Seprona ruled that many of the homes were built on non urban land, some without licences.A criminal case has been brought against the promoter and the company Lakes Vega SL, for planning crimes. The pros-ecutor is also insisting that it should compensate the buyers.

Butterfly ball success

Money raised came from do-nations, green fees, the char-ity dinner, various raffles and a charity auction.

HAPPY: Punter enters raffle while (right) DEBRA team

Bunny boilersAnimal rights group exposes awful treatment of rabbits at Spanish farms

Farmers were also observed killing sick animals by hitting them over the head with iron bars, smashing their skulls also exposes scenes of cannibalism due

to stress and overcrowding.“The public has a right to know what is happening in these places, something which the industry wants to hide,” said founder Javier Moreno.The organisation has lodged 72 official complaints against the treatment of animals, which if proven could result in fines of up to €1.2million and prison sen-tences.However, Spain’s rabbit farming indus-try association Intercun has criticised the report, claiming it is far from a ‘rigorous study that can reflect the industry as a whole.”

against concrete floors or punching them.According to the campaigners many of these animals are being sold to the UK, with British res-taurants, including one at the National Theatre in London, using them.Spanish actor Pab-lo Puyol appears in the video, which

HORRIFIC: Conditions at farm

Unlucky 13 face demolition

10 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 10

Exclusive By Imogen Calderwood

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MIJAS Town Hall is suing one of Spain’s leading con-struction companies for €13 million for the failure of its waste treatment plant. Despite promises to recycle 30% of waste, the company FCC’s Entrerrios plant turned around just 3.7% of waste since being built 15 years ago.The rest was simply buried in a ‘landfill scenario’ and left to become a ‘toxic dump’, claims the town hall.“The economic and environ-mental cost here is huge,” council refuse boss Jose Ma-ria Moreno told the Olive

GREENHOUSE emis-sions are at a record low in Europe, according to new data. The European Envi-ronment Agency states emissions are 19.2% lower than in 1990, making the collective 2020 emissions reduc-tion target a reality. The emission reduction from 2008 to 2012 in the first 15 EU member states was greater than Spain’s total emissions in 2012. Reductions in transport and industry and in-creased renewable en-ergy alternatives have helped lower emissions.

A BILLION-euro oil drill-ing project off Spain’s Canary Islands has won government approval. Despite fierce opposition, Spain’s largest oil company, Rep-sol, is set to launch the €7 billion project just 64km offshore from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Geologists estimate the area could meet as much as 10% of Spain’s needs.Political leaders have opposed the project, voicing environ-mental concerns and the impact on the tourism industry that draws 61 million visitors a year. However, according to Deputy Environment Minister Fed-erico Ramos, approval is on condition that Repsol uses the best possible safeguards against oil spills.But Mario Cabrera, president of the local government of Fuerteventura disagreed. “We have little to gain and a lot to lose,” he said. “Tourism needs a clean sea.”

AN ANCIENT fossil of a worm liz-ard has been found in Spain, re-vealing new information about the bizarre creature.Its skull, only 1.1cm long, shows these reptiles have been largely unchanged for around 11 million

Secrets of the worm lizardyears. Arnau Bolet, from the Institute of Paleontology in Barcelona, said: “To study a complete fossil skull more than 11 million years old was an unprecedented opportu-nity.”

Getting greener

TOTAL DUMP!

Mijas town hall sues multinational for €13 million after recycling plant becomes ‘toxic’ waste ground

Press. “Had the plant worked prop-erly, it would have buried just 54% of waste. But it was not a treatment plant, it was a dump. “All the waste that could have

been recycled was just buried along with everything else.”The town hall also alleges that FCC has taken no responsibil-ity for clean-up operations, leaving toxic liquids aban-doned. The contract with FCC was signed in 1994 by the PSOE party, but the plant was shut down in September 2011 after suspicions were raised.It is claimed that between 1996 and 2011, at least a doz-en reports were received by the PSOE Mijas government warning about the irregular practices in the plant. The town hall has taken steps to make the site safe in the interim, but now it is deter-mined to make FCC take re-sponsibility. Moreno added: “We are try-ing to defend the public’s interest, as it hasn’t been defended up until now. After years of hard work we have all the documents we need, and we are extremely hopeful of victory.”The Olive Press failed to get a comment from the company, which is based in Madrid.

GRIM: Plant and (above) Moreno

Black sea?

PROTESTS: No oil drilling

PROGRESS: Emissions down


12 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 12 AXARQUIA NEWS

952 53 31 85 www.thegardenfrigiliana.comCalle del Santa Cristo, 29788, Frigiliana, Nerja, Malaga

Freshly Prepared Foodwith Uninterrupted Views

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A FAMILY was held hos-tage for over an hour while gun-carrying thieves waited for the father to return from work.The mother and her three

TWO heartless female thieves have been arrested after stealing collection tins for a terminally ill mother-of-three in Velez Malaga.The Malaga women were snared after police studied CCTV footage of them entering shops, pharmacies and bars around the town.The pair are believed to have stolen hundreds of euros from the 12 collection tins.The money was being collected for local woman Lorrena Herrera, 35, who has an inoperable brain tumour and needs urgent treatment.Tragically the local social security has refused to pay for the critical private treatment that costs €3000 for 10 treat-ments at the Hilu Clinic in Marbella.So the family of the mother distributed more than 200 col-lection tins around the town to raise money. Fortunately family and friends have helped to raise the first sum of money for her to undertake the first round of treat-ment. Her husband, Adolfo Araguez, thanked the town for its generosity. The two suspects had previously been arrested for an alleged string of thefts from hairdressers.

THE 7th annual Fabrica Rock concert has rocked Nerja.The concert, organised by cultural association Nerja en Directo and the town hall included mu-sic from bands including Malaga’s Elephant Rid-ers and Spencer (pictured right).

Rock on the beach

Tortured and gagged

Family tied up in a horrific attack that left the father in hospital with serious head wounds

By Joe Chiverschildren (aged 20, 11 and seven) were handcuffed and gagged while they waited for the Velez Malaga business-

man to return home.The family had to think fast and ‘fight dirty’ to escape the clutches of the attackers, who were wearing military boots and ski masks.

FracturesA big fight broke out when their father, who owns a taxi business, returned home with a fourth son, six, around midnight to find the home in complete darkness.Believing that his family was playing a trick on him he crept in quietly and fought the attackers before being knocked out.The man, 38, was admitted to hospital with serious head wounds believed to have been

inflicted by a log.According to reports, two men had broken into the property in Almayate Playa at around 10.30 on June 3 demanding that the wife open their safe.After attacking her, and torturing her with electric shocks, they handcuffed and gagged her and her children.So serious were the injuries that the man’s wife rushed him to the Hospital Comarcal de Axarquia herself, instead of waiting for an ambulance.He has various fractures but is understood to be out of in-tensive care.The crime is being investi-gated by the Policia Nacio-nal, but no one has yet been arrested. It has not been dis-counted that the man knew his attackers.

Thieves steal collection tins in Velez-Malaga

LA Vaqueria is the original dairy of the village and apart from giving painting classes and feeding peo-

ple, my new art and sensory garden has become a passion which is taking my art to a new level.Experimenting with recycled materials and mixing tradition-al methods with upbeat funky designs, I hope the garden will continue to grow and inspire many.One of the problems for gar-deners here, of course, is wa-ter. But a scrubby hillside can be transformed with the plant-ing of cacti and succulents.And for some low maintenance

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?Su Derrick gives a monthly update of her garden at La Vaqueria in Benamargosa

colour – you can’t beat a mosa-ic, and be it three-dimensional or flat, this marvelous medium is ideal, especially in a country with a huge variety of ceramic tiles.When I say ‘mosaic’ I am not referring to those marvelous Roman creations that would turn any would-be artist into a quivering wreck! Far from it, what we do here is so simple anyone can pull it off.Here are a couple of tips to help you create mosaic path-ways.

1/ For these stepping stones I have cast a concrete base using old paint cans from the local tip as moulds2/ The mosaic slabs are laid in the ground in a “chino” path-way Contact Su on 952517273 or visit www.la-va-queria.com


KIKI OLIVE 256X342-TRAZADO.indd 1 06/06/14 13:42

14 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 GIBRALTAR NEWS

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IT had to happen.Finally after months of rows and recrimination the Guar-dia Civil and Gibraltar Police have been working together.In a rare instance of cross-border co-operation both forces collaborated to capture a suspected drug smuggling gang. Spanish authorities requested help intercepting a suspicious vessel, 10 metres long and

A BESPOKE party-planning shop has opened in Gibraltar.Tourism Minister Neil Costa cut the ribbon for the new shop Orchid Events 49 which will be organising parties and weddings around the Rock and southern Spain. Jeanette Obytz, co-founder, said: “I am looking forward to getting stuck in, and just in time for wedding sea-son.”One of their first events was the party for the Miss Gibraltar pageant over the weekend.

LOVEBIRDS marrying on the Rock will have to spend a minimum of one night there, in a new rul-ing to maximise revenue from non-resident mar-riages.The government changed the rules in a bid to bring increased business at ho-tels and restaurants and boost tourism.

A BRAND new residential care home has opened for the elderly.John Mackintosh Home, part of the old St Bernard’s Hospital, has been totally refurbished and converted into an elderly care home. Once fully operational it will be able to house 54 resi-dents.“It adds a further string to the bow of elderly services that we now offer,” said Samantha Sacramento, Minister for Equality, So-cial Services and the El-derly.

Age care boonPLUSH: New home

Let’s have a party

EXCITED: Jeanette and (inset) the team

Teamwork triumph

Gibraltar Police and the Guardia Civil work together to capture drug smugglers

By Giles Brown

powered by twin 250 horse-power outboard engines, heading for Europa Point.The Guardia Civil had chal-lenged the high performance

vessel off the coast of Moroc-co and suspected that bales of cannabis resin had been thrown overboard.A Gibraltar Police vessel in-tercepted the boat in British waters off Eastern Beach, yet its four person crew contin-ued to ignore orders to stop.The suspected smugglers fi-nally headed into port in La Linea, where the Guardia Civil arrested two men. Offi-cers found 15 bales of canna-bis resin on board.

Night of passion


News IN BRIEF

GIBRALTAR NEWS

Slow danceTHE European Slow Dance Championships will be held in Gibraltar for the second time. More than 20 countries are expected to compete at the event, which takes place from October 1-4.

Bermuda businessFINANCE Minister Albert Isola led a financial services delegation to Bermuda last week. The team – including insurance specialists and service providers – highlighted the benefits of doing business on the Rock.

Strait GamesTHIS year’s Strait Games passed without incident, despite the tensions at the border. La Linea’s Deputy Mayor, Angel Villar, complimented Gibraltar on the successful organisation of the two day event.

The Olive Press guide to What’s On in Gibraltar over the next two weeks

ON the Rock

June 11 - 21Gibraltar Spring Festival 2014For further information contact Ministry of CultureE-mail: [email protected]

June 11HM The Queen’s Birthday Parade (Rehearsal)Casemates Square, 6pmFor further information Tel:200 550 01/2

June 12HM The Queen’s Birthday ParadeCasemates Square, 6pm

For further info Tel: 200 550 01/2

June 13Gibraltar Botanic Gardens ToursSucculents around the World10.30 amPrice £5.00 adults-chil-dren free of chargeFor further information contact Tel:200 412 35

June 15Art and Craft Market. Ocean Village10am-2pm

GIBRALTAR have beaten Malta 1-0 in their first-ever victory. A goal from Kyle Casciaro in the 66th minute secured the game after draws with Slovakia and Estonia. Gibraltar will face Scot-land in the European Championship qualifying round in October.

SHYANNE Azzopardi has been crowned Miss Gibral-tar 2014.The 20-year-old was crowned by outgoing Miss Gibraltar Maroua Khar-

Shyanne shines as Miss Gibraltar!

While former Miss World Kaiane Aldorino becomes deputy mayor of the Rock

By Giles Brown

bouch and will now repre-sent Gibraltar at the 64th Miss World Pageant, in

London in December.Kirsty Torres was voted ‘1st Princess’ while Claire Nunez was ‘2nd Princess’.“I hope to be a good role model for younger genera-tions,” Shyanne said after the pageant.

CommunityMeanwhile, a former Miss Gibraltar - who later be-came Miss World, has been made Deputy Mayor of Gi-braltar.Kaiane Aldorino, intially won five years ago, is the first beauty queen to take up the role, which involves assisting the Mayor, host-ing VIP visitors, presenting awards and presiding over festivities.“It’s a huge honour for me, an opportunity for me to give something back to the community that has done so much for me,” she said.Aldorino had travelled the world after scooping the prestigious title in 2009.

SMOKING MIRRORS: Two Arabic-dressed men entertained Main Street last week

ROCK STAR: Shyanne

Bend it like... Casciaro

GOAL SCORER: Kyle

16 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 LETTERS

POTTED POINTERS

ANDALUCIA RESERVOIRLEVELS

This week: 86.26% full Same week last year: 93.18% Same week in 2003: 65.50%

AIRPORTSGibraltar -00350 22073026Granada-Jaen -958 245 200Jerez - 956 150 000Malaga - 952 048 844**For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000

EMERGENCIESPolice 091Guardia Civil 062Medical service 061Fire 080

EURO EXCHANGE RATES 1 euro is worth1.36 American Dollars0.81 British Pounds1.49 Canadian Dollars7.46 Danish Kroner10.57 H Kong Dollars8.12 Norwegian Kroner1.70 Singapore Dollars

Corruption cure?Dear OP,

THE English tend to think of Spain as a nation of corrupt people – which is untrue. However, when I have met cor-ruption here it has been huge, and those who practise it daily – in business or politics – do not consider themselves corrupt. Worse still, the courts seem unable to cope with it. I do not see any changes likely to happen in the next 50 years, so to reiterate an old adage: “What cannot be cured must be endured.” Or should it be?

Graham V. Lewis,Marbella

Rent a scamRE your article about David Ballard of Brian’s Rent a Car. I too hired a car from this company and a €300 deposit was taken. I collected the car from ‘Dave’ at Malaga airport in a poorly-lit area. When inspected later the car was dirty and the tyres borderline illegal. I returned the car in a better state than i received it. ‘Dave’ said my deposit would be re-turned in a few days, providing no return paperwork. Despite months passing and numerous excuses, no deposit back. Authorities should investigate this company and their practices.

John Wreghitt,UK

Auto suggestionI READ, with vested interest, the letter ‘What a welcome’ (issue 188) as I had also made a booking with the company doyouspain.com. I have two observations about the company worth adding.Firstly the ‘Gold Insurance’ fee of €65. My hire car company – Record – outright refused me a car until I paid €127.45 for their own full cover insurance. What does the doyouspain.com fee cover then?Secondly, doyouspain.com advertise ‘Unlimited Mile-age’, but any car you drive is limited to 2000km and must be swapped for another at this point. When dealing with low cost companies, one must expect a few hiccups.

Carole Bowers, Estepona

Bravo medicsI MUST praise the Ambulato-ry at San Pedro de Alcantara. I had a bad fall and my hus-band rushed me to the Ur-gencias (A&E) there. In less than two minutes I was seen by a medic who cleaned, ban-daged and gave me medica-tion and a tetanus injection.I was then examined by a doc-tor. All in all a fast, and com-forting, experience. I wish I could say that I would have received such immedi-ate attention in the UK.Many thanks to the Spanish Health service. Bravo!

Desiree Bishop, San Pedro

Penniless pensionWHY don’t the tax office sort themselves out? My husband – now 66 – has not received any pension from the Spanish authori-ties, despite being autonomo (registered self employed) for 15 years and resident for 19 years. He has waited for 15 months – is he going to be dead be-fore he receives anything?

Just a joke. We keep getting fobbed off with claims they have not received the paperwork from the UK, who assure us they have sent the documents four times.

Pauline Rands,Malaga

Support SOHAIT beggars belief that Save our Homes in Axarquia (SOHA) has so few mem-bers. A ‘head in the sand’ attitude is to blame: ‘They won’t de-molish our house anyway, and it’s not as important as losing our TV’. In reality, our houses are virtually unsellable our in-vestments worthless, under threat at the whim of ab-sentee politicians. This is a scandal on a massive scale. The only way this will be ‘happily’ resolved is with a change in the law.It needs thousands of people demonstrating, huge public-ity, relentless pressure on politicians in Spain and in our original countries. This is only going to happen if people actively support or-ganisations such as SOHA in

their thousands.

Elliot Brown,The Axarquia

An unfair copDRIVING into Spain from France over El Portalet, I was stopped by the Guardia Civil on a charge of failing to stop in the middle of the road when turning. I had stopped briefly and there wasn’t any traffic in sight. Threats of impounding the vehicle were made without any empathy – we were all ex-hausted from a long journey.We paid the €100 but words fail me. It’s sad these thugs get away with it. Maybe they just don’t like tourists?

Julian Piper,Ronda

Changing TimesJH Longman (letters page, Issue 188) appears to want a return to the 1950s, when women were expected to ‘keep it until they were married’.That was two generations ago, and the western world has

moved on, thank goodness.The claim that ‘every girl you meet had had more partners than sleep-around males’ is baseless. Which sources are the statistics from? And anyway, what law says that women can-not enjoy sex as often and with as many partners as males?As the grandfather of two beautiful and normal teenage girls, maybe I am better in-formed. There is tremendous peer pressure to sleep with boyfriends/girlfriends; If both partners want to do so, why shouldn’t they? And if there is a lot of what has been called ‘recreational sex’, why not? Most teenagers are well informed on contraception and the dangers of STD. Is JH Longman motivated by the fact that he/she was a teen in a different age and ‘missed out’? Life moves on.As for the allegation that ‘I love you’ is thrown about without any understanding. Define ‘love’. No two people can ever know if what they see as ‘love’ is the same. You cannot measure love.Let the young enjoy life and each other, and let us smile at the pleasure young love in all its forms gives instead of criticizing it.

David Chown,Estepona

Letters should be emailed to [email protected]. The writer’s name and address should be provided. Opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

CROSSMOT 34Across7 Want (6) * 8 Realmente (6) * 9 Corn (4) * 10 Disfrutar (8) * 11 Opinión (7) * 13 Fruta (5) * 15 Voz (5) * 17 Norway (7) * 20 Delicado (8) * 21 Carga (4) * 23 Clover (6) * 24 Tomando (6)

Down1 Cot (4) * 2 Congelado (6) * 3 Greeks (7) * 4 Costume (5) * 5 Abogado (6) * 6 Aferrándose (8) * 12 Pioneros (8) * 14 Modest (7) * 16 Sube (6) * 18 A Diferencia De (6) * 19 Speaks (5) * 22 Tía (4)

SHEER DISBELIEF AT HIS CHUTZPAH

Dodgy as a bad prawn vindaloo

AS a lawyer I enjoyed the great inves-tigative reporting on ‘the man from Del Monte’, Nigel Goldman. I met him once, listened to his spiel and knew he was as dodgy as a bad prawn vin-daloo.I suggest you publish the threatening emails and texts he sent you. Other possible actions would involve issuing proceedings for damages – costing you – and he would likely declare himself bank-rupt, meaning no funds to pay dam-ages.

Keep us in the loopVERY grateful to hear about the alarming Nigel Goldman story. I am going to ask you to keep me in the loop over this. Keep up the brave fight.

Geordie Greig,Editor, The Mail on Sunday

I DO not understand why UK authori-ties have not arrested Goldman. He has committed fraud against UK citizens in the UK (and in Spain) nu-merous times and had denuncias filed against him. Why have the UK ‘authorities’ done nothing? Oh, wait, I know why…Maybe they are waiting for him to claim unemployment and housing benefits, living off these for years, using taxpay-

er-financed legal aid until brought to trial.If extradited for trial in Spain, he will Appeal to the EU Court of Justice as this would infringe on his ‘human rights’.Or… he’s related to someone in the up-per levels of Government! How else does such a known perp go free?

Joseph GoldsteinLondon

By Tom Powell and Jamie Micklethwaite

Continues on Page 4

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A PAIR of young girls pae-dophile PR guru Max Clif-ford sexually assaulted on the Costa del Sol have led to his conviction.Clifford - a long-time visi-tor to the coast and involved in charities and local events - has been found guilty of eight counts of sexual assault, mostly on minors.At least two were groomed on the coast, after being lured in with promises of stardom.He is pictured here with his showbiz chum Kenny Lynch at a bash in Marbella.

BRITS are still happier in Spain, despite reports sug-gesting 90,000 have aban-doned the expat dream.An exclusive Olive Press survey found that more than three quarters of our read-ers are happier since mak-ing the move.For the full story, see No end to Spanish dream on page 4.

EXPOSED: COSTA CONMAN FOUND PEDDLING COINS FROM ENGLISH VILLAGEThe man from Del MonteEXCLUSIVE: The Olive Press can reveal that convicted fraudster Nigel Goldman is back in business using the false name ‘Howard Del Monte’

COSTA del Sol fraudster Ni-gel Goldman is hiding out in a classic English country cottage under the false name ‘Howard del Monte’.Goldman - aka ‘Del Monte’ - has also returned to the busi-ness of buying and selling coins, stamps and antiques, it can be revealed.Renting on a six month lease in the charming Berkshire village of Kintbury, he and

his partner Suzanne Couling are peddling their wares via a joint Ebay account called ‘Bensons Emporium’.Village post office staff told the Olive Press that he regularly collects parcels addressed to ‘Del Monte’, and also ‘sends many packages’.

HIDEOUT: Goldman’s UK bolthole and (top) with Suzanne

Clifford guilty

See full story on page 2

It’s MORE fun in the sunCartel behind Putin’s mystery costa homeThe Olive Press can reveal that the Russian President may have bought a multimillion euro Marbella mansion with a group of six businessmen. See full story on page 3

Goldman fled Spain last year amid accusations of fraud, leaving behind dozens of vic-tims owed a total of €15 mil-lion.While he refused to answer questions, he seems happy living with Couling, her two daughters and two cats in the modest three-bedroom prop-erty.

While the pair are Kintbury’s hottest topic of conversation, they are rarely seen and ‘keep themselves to themselves’. Couling’s family live nearby in Hungerford.In fact, the secretive man from Del Monte is seemingly only ever seen leaving the house to go to the post office.When the Olive Press con-fronted him in his country-side retreat, Goldman refused to come to the door, instead briefly poking his head out of his bedroom window.

“I have nothing to say to you, but I look forward to meeting you again,” he called down.

Parking ticketHis hair was disheveled, but he did not have the mous-tache some have claimed he is now sporting as part of his disguise.

The previous morning, Coul-ing was seen leaving the house at 9am to load up their silver Vauxhall Zafira with boxes and head off, possibly to a car boot sale. One neighbour explained that the day they moved into the house, a traffic warden ar-rived and issued the couple

with a parking ticket.“I don’t understand why he hasn’t been arrested, if a traf-fic warden can find him then surely the police can,” said the neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous.“Everyone in the village knows he’s Goldman, what-ever name he goes under.”Goldman, who deleted his Facebook account recently, is currently being investigated for failing to return millions of euros to investors in his fi-nancial companies.Various victims told the Olive Press that they are practically destitute after losing their life savings to his schemes, that

EXCLUSIVE

He should also be reported to the FCA, or the Fraud Squad of the City

of London Police and the equivalent regulatory body here in Spain, since he was plainly offering investment advice and products without being regulated.I am amazed at the sense of impunity people like Gold-man feel on the Costa Del Sol.It is time he reaps what he has sown.

Simon David,MarbellaIMPUNITY: Goldman owes millions


what’s on

la cultura17

June 11 - June 25 2014

SPAIN’S foremost architect has been awarded €30,000 in a lawsuit against a website critical of his work.Santiago Calatrava won damages from the Valencia branch of left-wing party Esquerra Unida – founders of the website Calatravatelaclava – which translates as ‘Calatrava bleeds you

PSYCHEDELIC rock band Pink Floyd turn 50 this year and to celebrate, their iconic sound will hit the coast.The ‘prog’ giants have in-spired countless musicians, including Costa del Sol resi-dent Andy Claridge and his Pink Floyd tribute band.Ahead of a 16-show European Tour – launching in August at the famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen – Andy and his band will give an exclusive preview in the Mijas Audito-rium on June 27. The show includes their

‘Landmark’ rulingdry’.The party launched the site in 2012 to criticise Calatrava’s over-budget ‘City of Arts and Sciences’ project, designed to put Valencia on the map.Among his famous works are Florida Polytechnic University and the TGV station in Lyon, France.

Peaks of perilDark thriller to be set in Andalucian mountains

A HORROR film will use the steamy heat of Andalu-cia’s mountains as the lair of a sinister cyber-crime network.The Finca, a small-budget thriller produced by Caro-line Spence, will begin filming this autumn in the provinces of Malaga and Al-meria.Entertainment industry in-terest in the region is at a high, with US TV hit Game of Thrones also scouting Andalucian locations for se-ries five.The Finca sees young women holidaying in Spain being tracked by creepy figures over the internet – an increasingly common crime in the digi-

tal age.“Andalucia is incredibly inspirational for a writer, with stunningly atmo-spheric locations and beautiful light,” said Caro-line.

Black humour“Although officially a British film, the scripting is more ‘trans-Atlantic’ than ‘Brit Flick’, with a hint of Tarantino black humour.”

The producer also empha-sised the importance of the female protagonists and having women working off-camera.If you fancy launching your own film career, two Brit-ish female roles and various

walk-on parts are still up for grabs.The Finca – a Raya films production – will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2015 and other international events.

MALAGA has added an-other museum to its blos-soming cultural scene.The Jorge Rando Muse-um will showcase more than 100 works by local-ly-born Rando, as well as hosting exhibitions of Spanish and internation-al expressionism, educa-tional programmes and film screenings.The museum, in Calle Cruz del Molinillo, is open Monday to Satur-day between 10am and 8pm.

Malaga ups the arty

CREEPY: The Finca - set to film in part in Cabo de Gata (above) - is still looking for two actors

Costa del

greatest hits, original video projections and laser light-ing and will be right at home in the atmospheric venue next to the Plaza de Toros.For more information, visit www.costadeldisco.com, or call BigM Promo-tions on 965 661 819. Tick-ets are between €12-20 if purchased before June 26, or €15-25 on the night.

EXPRESSIONIST: Rando

INSPIRATION: Pink Floyd in

their younger days

2 pairs of tickets for the concert in an exclusive Olive Press offer... just send the answer of this easy question to [email protected]:

Comple the following Dark Side of the ........?

WIN WIN WIN

Mijas. June 6-30. Artist Jane Gomis exhibits

her latest watercolour paintings at the Mijas Hotel. Open daily to the public. For more information visit www.janegomis.com, or call 600 502 706.

Malaga. Thursdays in June. Poetry at the

Picasso is returning to the gardens of the Museo Picasso Malaga. Featuring writers Olvido García Valdés, Marta Sanz, Blanca Andreu and Elena Medel. Admission free. For more information visit www.museopicassomalaga.org or call 952 127 600.

Marbella. June 12-July 25. Art photographer

Tariq Dajani exhibits a collection of Arabic-inspired prints at Kasser Rassu gallery. For more information, visit www.kasserrassu.com and www.tariqdajani.com or call 650 463 447.

Torre del Mar. June 19. Coach trip to

Gibraltar. Departure times: Algarrobo (Lidl) 6.45am, Caleta 6.50am, Torre del Mar bus station 7.00am. Passports required. For more information call 952 543 334 or email [email protected]

ICONIC: Calatrava’s TGV station in Lyon, France


la cultura18

CORDOBA Airport is a non-descript local hub primarily used by small planes. Due to its diminutive scale, Malaga

and Sevilla airports host most of the international flight routes in the re-gion. So there is not much about Cordoba to suggest any significant connec-tion to aviation. Yet this city played host to what many – especially in the Muslim world – consider one of the most significant chapters in man’s quest for flight. In 875 AD, the Moorish daredevil, Ibn Firnas, dressed in eagle feath-ers and a wing-like cloak, jumped off the Mezquita Tower in Cordoba. Whether he was attempting to hang-glide or parachute is not clear, but according to Moroccan historian Ahmed al Maqquari, Ibn Firnas flew ‘faster than a phoenix’. Years later, more than 65-years old, Ibn Firnas made another attempt. This time he fashioned wing-like struts stretched over a cloth sheath and jumped off a Cordoba hillside in front of cheering spectators. He flew a ‘considerable distance’ but his landing was bad. He later said he failed to consider fashion-ing a tail similar to what birds use to land. As humorous and colour-ful as this tale may be, Maqquari’s account is believed to be the first written documentation of a ‘heavier

In Cordoban skies…

How a Moorish daredevil made aviation history in the ancient city

than air’ man in flight. The universal desire to fly is found throughout human history, in myth, legend, art, literature and religion. Folklore is replete with soaring gods, magic carpets and flying heroes who – unlike mere mortals – can navi-gate the ‘infinite highway of the air’. The Italian Leonardo de Vinci (1452-1519) was perhaps the first to ap-proach the subject from a stand-point of sophisticated engineering.

DaredevilDe Vinci left more than 500 pages of flight-focused notes, including blueprints for a helicopter, wing-flapping devices and various hang-glider models, all inspired by his study of birds. The French believe that the ‘first un-tethered manned flight’ was made by a hot air balloon in Paris around 1783 and Americans like to think of the Wright brothers as owning the title of ‘the first successful mecha-nized flight’. What is interesting about Ibn Firnas’ achievement is how it was received in the Muslim world. Baghdad’s

newest airport is known as Ibn Fir-nas International and a large sculp-ture of the flying daredevil greets all visiting the airport.

In 2005, Libya issued a popu-lar commemorative stamp in his honour (Spain has since done the same). In the field of astronomy, the

largest dark side of the moon crater carries the name Ibn Firnas Crater. British ultra-luxury car manufacturer Rolls-Royce has even produced a limited edition model known as the ‘Ibn Firnas Ghost’, available only in Qatar and Dubai. It is important to remember the era in which Ibn Firnas lived. The 8th century Muslim city of Cordoba was greatly prosperous. It was the capital of the Islamic Caliphate and rivaled Baghdad in size and splen-dour. Cordoba was home to huge librar-ies, medical schools and universi-ties and was considered the intellec-tual centre of Europe. The Mezquita or Great Mosque of Cordoba, the Ro-man bridge and the Jewish quarter are all reminders of the city’s illustri-ous past. So while there may not be much in Cordoba to specifically suggest a legacy of aviation, the legacy of Ibn Firnas and his memorable flight the city hosted, is alive and well around the globe.

Jack’s Corner

June 11 - June 25 2014

FLYING: Ibn Firnas jumped off the Mezquita tower



la cultura20

The BookshopSabinillas

Email: [email protected]: 952 891 545

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NEW OPENING TIMES Monday ~ Friday 10:00 - 14.30 / 16.30 - 20:00Saturday 10:00 - 14:00 Sunday 10:00 - 13:00

Postal Service • Books & Cards Balloons • Maps & Guides • Day Trips

We now stock all your Daily and Sunday Newspapers

Secure Mail Boxes Available Ask in the shop for details

FLAMENCO legend Joa-quin Cortes believes his su-perstardom has propelled the genre to a global audi-ence.Famous for breaking the heart of British supermod-el Naomi Campbell - and hugely admired by Jennifer Lopez and Emma Thomp-son - the superstar is also credited with single-hand-edly turning flamenco into a global genre.“Of course, the fact I am seen as a mainstream celeb-rity, a rock-star, has raised the profile of flamenco im-mensely,” he told the Olive Press, as he prepares for a series of shows in Marbella next month.“English people especially, give me an amazing wel-come,” added the star, who has performed an incredible 20 times at London’s Royal Albert Hall.“I have danced in many spe-cial places though, includ-

As big as a rock star

Joaquin Cortes tells Tom Powell (left) how his affair with Naomi Campbell and playing the White House and Royal Albert Hall has helped send flamenco into the stratosphere

ing the White House, but right at the top is the Royal Albert Hall. It’s an unbeliev-able place.”Born in Cordoba, but raised in Madrid where he still

HEARTTHROB: Joaquin with ex-lover Campbell

MEET: Cortes and Powell

owns a house, Cortes has exported his passionate brand of flamenco across the world.“I am very lucky to be able to visit so many places and

experience so many cul-tures, so I try to learn from them all and use it in my shows,” he explained.He said that the reception in every country is always wonderful, and as a result more and more people out-side of Spain are beginning to enjoy flamenco.With constant travel, Cortes admits that his home is ‘the world’. And the inevitable problem with this is, he doesn’t know which football team to support.

Gypsy“I will support Spain in the World Cup, but otherwise I cannot have a favourite team,” he said.Cortes has also appeared in several films, including playing himself in the 1995 production Flamenco. But while he enjoys the film ex-perience, he admits dislik-ing the lack of continuity in the dancing.His latest show, ‘Gitano’, fuses his gypsy roots and traditions with the different cultures and influences he has gathered from travel-ling around the world.His real passion is the stage, which is where he will per-form on July 26 and 27, at the Puente Romano hotel, in Marbella.

ADMIRER: Actress Emma Thompson and (left) a steamy performance with Hollywood superstar Jennifer Lopez

June 11 - June 25 2014


…you have 4 teaching venues specifically for beginners.

but you wish you could

Well now you can - and we can teach you.Colin and the JiveSpain crew have already helpedover 1,000 people, that insisted they had two leftfeet, to look good dancing Modern Jive in clubsand restaurants from Marbella to Gibraltar and now…

…you have 4 teaching venues specifically for beginners.

So, you can’t dance So, you can’t dance

Now you can danceNow you can danceTo see our ‘Promo Film’ visit: www.JiveSpain.com If you have questions call Colin on 635 71 72 11 FI

RST LES

SON F

REE V

OUCHER

If you

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ith us

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e

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her to

any ‘

teach

ing’

venu

e and

enjoy

your

first le

sson

COMPL

IMEN

TARY

CODE: C

LM

FRIDAYEl Goleto

Duquesa Hills

TUESDAYMiraflores

Restaurant

WEDNESDAYEl Campanario

Nr San Pedro

THURSDAYRestaurant

TikiTanoEveryone is welcome; 18 – 80. There’s no need to book just turn up at any venue 8.00pm with or

without a partner for a whole evening of dancing, making new friends and burning calories.

You will be made welcome from the moment you arrive and, after just one week,you will have your own dance routine and look good on any dance floor dancing to whatever dance

music the band or DJ is playing. Each evening lasts three hours and admission is 10€.

The reason that Modern Jive is so popular around the world (in England they call it CEROC and in France it’s known as LeROC) is because people of all ages can dance Modern Jive to all speeds of music from slow romantic to Rock & Roll.

New friends, who insist that when dance music starts their feet start fighting each other, findus every week. Come and join us for what is as much a ‘good night out’ as a dance class.

ESTEPONA is aiming to break the Guinness world record for the largest group of people dancing Sevillanas in one place.At the town’s fair on June 14, around 1,000 people are expected to strut their stuff in unison.The current record of 780 people was set in Cordoba in 2012, but Estepona organisers are confident of beating it.

Mi Marbella takes to the airwavesEXPATS in Marbella can tune in to a new English-language show with local news, in-formation and events.Mi Marbella is broadcast on the Marbella Town Hall frequency of 107.6 FM and listeners can sub-mit questions to be passed on to town hall officials.“We’re all Marbellis, so there will be lots of other great interviews too with local businesses

Spain’s for living… not retiringStereotypically, ‘mature’ people are expected to be banished to nursing homes in Eastbourne, to be spoon-fed semolina by nurses originally trained as prison wardens… Well not anymore!

I WAS so proud when our dance club was referred to as ‘a bunch of grown up de-linquents!’

The dictionary definition of delinquent is ‘a person that doesn’t conform to the nor-

BARCELONA’S acclaimed music and technology fes-tival, Sonar, is set to pre-miere two amazing inven-tions. American masters students from the Berklee College of Music’s Valencia campus will present their projects, the Orbit Suit and Roba-ton.

mal, often used in reference to teenagers’. What a compli-ment.At JiveSpain we teach ‘Mod-ern Jive’ five nights a week at some of the most beauti-ful venues on the coast, in-

cluding Restaurant TikiTano, El Campanario, El Goleto in Duquesa and Miraflores Res-taurant.Modern Jive is all about danc-ing to anything from Elvis to Michael Buble, which means that you can look good on any dance floor, anytime, anywhere, to any music: slow romantic to swing and even rock and roll.Come and join us. You will be made to feel welcome from the moment you arrive, with or without a partner. Half our dancers arrive as couples, half come on their own. Some venues average 40 dancers, some 20-25, but existing dancers always make new friends welcome.Every evening lasts between two-and-a-half and three hours and admission is €10. If you’re new, just cut out the ‘FIRST LESSON FREE VOUCH-ER’ on this page (top right) and come along.For more information, visit www.JiveSpain.com where you will find directions to ven-ues and a short video show-ing exactly what we ‘delin-quents’ get up to.

NON-CONFORMERS: The JiveSpain team

Advertorial

Sevillanas surgeThe town’s Pena Flamenca is offering free professional dance classes ahead of the bid.Sevillanas is based on Flamenco rhythms and is a popular dance at Spanish fairs and weddings.Find out what happened when the Olive Press sent a reporter to learn to dance and help Estepona break the world re-cord in the next issue.

Students’ Sonar sounds

Music and technology festival offers a glimpse of the future

Designed by Misty Jones, the Orbit Suit is a dress hoped to free electronic musicians

from their laptops. The dress features four wire-less controllers, which are

used to simultaneously remix electric guitar, play music and control video. Robaton is a robot created by Pierluigi Barberis and Alan Tish, that plays mu-sic controlled by a virtual orchestra-conducting sys-tem. It is the second time Berklee students have presented their work at Sonar, which runs from June 12-14. For more information, visit www.sonar.es

and personalities from our Costapolitan com-munity,” said a spokesperson for the show.The programme – also broadcasting world-wide on rtvmabella.tv – will feature weekly interviews with Marbella’s tourism council-lor, Jose Luis Hernandez.Mi Marbella is on-air Wednesday to Friday, 3.30 to 5.00pm.

la cultura June 11 - June 25 2014


la cultura22

Midsummer night’s fiesta‘Festival of fire’ is the hottest ‘free’ party of the yearBONFIRES, fireworks and a splash of paganism make San Juan one of the most exciting Spanish fiestas. Every major town or city in Spain holds a celebration on the midsummer night of June 23.Crowds normally flock to the nearest beach to light massive bonfires and eat, drink and dance the night away. The symbolism-loaded night, with its many Pagan and religious con-notations, is also known as ‘the fes-tival of fire’.At midnight, revel-lers jump in the sea for a ritual cleansing. Traditionally, washing your face and feet three times will grant you three wish-es and a happy year ahead.One of the biggest parties

is held on the beaches

between Este-pona and Mar-

bella, with sound systems blaring until

sunrise. Sonora Beach and Heaven are always standout

parties and Ocean Club is holding its own event with fire shows, celebrity DJs and dancers. For a more family-friendly night, Sabinillas or Benalmadena have a feria atmosphere, with rides and entertainment.

RISKY: Fire-leaping

SUNSET ‘TIL SUNRISE: An all-nighter

DANCING: The beaches will come alive with party-goers

June 11 - June 25 2014

RITUAL: Revellers jump in the sea at midnight



la cultura24

EVER been stumped for the right word? Let me offer the advice of a master wordsmith: “Don’t use a second-class word because you are

in a hurry – leave it for a day or so until the word comes. Let your own feelings show. Don’t use old expressions that are not yours.”Laurie Lee knew what he was talking about, for he had a gift for golden prose. I met him, appropriately enough, as I walked out one midsummer afternoon. He was sitting on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean, sipping a glass of wine.A raffish figure, he smiled a leprechaun smile, his natty cream suit and snow-white hair contrasting with his gypsy-dark complexion. He confessed: “I have been in hospital. The doctor said don’t fly, drink or eat. So I flew down here and immedi-ately felt much better.” Some moments carve out a place in your memory. Gilded by time, they take on a magical aura. This is the case with my recollection of that sunny afternoon I met the man whose writing drew so many Brit-ish to southern Spain.June 26 marks the centenary of Laurie Lee’s birth with many events planned in the UK.In Spain, where he is less well-known, a solitary plaque on the Almunecar water-front recalls his bond with that Granada town. The phallic aspect of the pillar where the plaque is located would no doubt appeal to his wicked sense of hu-mour.As a jobless young man, Laurie Lee left the Cotswolds and bought a £4 one-way ticket to Vigo in northwest Spain. From there, armed with fiddle, blanket and knapsack – plus an urge for adventure – he trekked to Andalucia. The year was 1935 and suppressed pas-sions seethed below the surface. A civil

When Laurie Lee walked out ...

war was about to erupt – as the footloose Lee was to witness, until being whisked to safety by a British destroyer at Almunecar in July 1936.Years later he vividly recalled that dra-matic summer in a book which was ac-claimed as a classic, and helped estab-lish his reputation as a writer and lured many others to follow in his footsteps.

BittersweetWho could not be seduced by the lyrical prose of As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning? Laurie’s flair for brilliant, poetic imagery gives life to the very taste and smell of Spain, enough to make the most leisurely of armchair travellers want to hit the road.My meeting with him took place on his last visit to Spain. The setting was ap-propriate: a tree-shaded patio near Al-munecar, disguised in his book as ‘Cas-tillo’ to protect his Republican friends from rightwing revenge during the Fran-co regime.Confessing to being shocked by the changes along the coast, he told me: “I remember how the fishermen used to exchange ancient stories in the bars. But now what have you got? Television shows, phony Hollywood stuff written by drunken scriptwriters. The fishermen are struck dumb. They are reduced to sitting in a corner, mute. The culture has been crippled. You see people in a bar drinking while watching Mass – on television!”His first visit to Spain was very differ-ent. In As I Walked Out... he told how he crossed ‘great gold plains, where the sun rose up like a butcher each morning and left curtains of blood each night’. Girls were never far from his thoughts. In Madrid, ‘the city of a thousand tav-

erns’, he encountered the sultry Concha (‘I could smell her peppery flesh’) and in Valdepenas he met a girl whose ‘wander-ing fin ger, tipped with precocious cun-ning, seemed the only thing left alive in the world’.Along what would years later come to be known as the Costa del Sol, he

In the centenary year of Lee’s birth, David Baird recalls a meeting with the famous writer credited with bringing many expats to Spain

POETIC: His prose recognised in Almunecar

WALKING TALL: Lee had arrived in Andalucia, having walked the length of Spain and ended up fighting Franco


la cultura

Tel: 951 310 437 CC Puerta de Banús, Local 3, Marbella 29660www.tvonespain.com / [email protected]

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Worried about losing BBC, ITV and Channel 4?Relax...there are several solutions

and there will be one that is just right for you!

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When Laurie Lee walked out ...

erns’, he encountered the sultry Concha (‘I could smell her peppery flesh’) and in Valdepenas he met a girl whose ‘wander-ing fin ger, tipped with precocious cun-ning, seemed the only thing left alive in the world’.Along what would years later come to be known as the Costa del Sol, he

found ‘a beautiful but exhausted shore, seemingly forgotten by the world… San Pedro, Estepona, Marbella, and Fuen-girola...salt-fish villages, thin-ribbed, sea-hating, cursing their place in the sun’.In Málaga, ‘an untidy city on the banks of a dried-up river’, he shared a room at an inn with an asthmatic ventriloquist, four dwarfs and a bird-tamer who slept in top hat and boots. Wandering further along the coast he came to Almunecar, ‘a tum-bling little village, backed by a bandsaw of mountains and fronted by a strip of grey sand.’He returned to Spain in the 1950s, re-counted in A Rose for Winter, a feast of bittersweet images of an impover-ished country suffering under a dicta-tor - looking back a true classic. Laurie’s last visit was more light-hearted. As he swigged wine and lunched on pa-ella, his daughter Jessy told me: “The light and the sunshine are good for him. He comes to life in Spain.”

Farewell

Charm – ‘the ultimate weapon, the su-preme seduction, against which there are few defences’ as he once wrote – was one of Lee’s most potent weapons. His wife Cathy, said: “He has an amazing abil-ity to make contact with people. He starts talking to somebody in the street and the next thing he has formed a relationship and they’re old friends.”Laurie talked to me of his early life, not-ing: “I left school at 14 so had no higher education. I had to find my own lan guage and tone of life – an immensely pleasur-able occupation. When you go to univer-sity, you are inundated with other writers, but I think I was relieved of that pressure. I was not under any influence.”

His reading gave him a taste for what he calls ‘fat-bacon language’, the sort that engraves itself on one’s memory. Lee’s talent for magical phrases recalls Dylan Thomas’s flights of imagination.“Thomas was an innovator, but I can’t say he influenced me as I started writing before knowing him. I remember he expressed amazement at my accent – he seemed to think I would speak with a broad Cotswold accent. He had a Welsh preacher’s voice.”So where did Laurie find the right words? “Sight, smell, distance … they’re all in-volved. And in my village we had a good grounding in the Bible and, of course, Shakespeare.”Laurie was notorious for his roving eye, a trait which his wife Cathy treated with amazing tolerance. He admitted: “I be-gan by being a poet because I lived an active adolescent life. I ran a dance band and spent a lot of time on a bike looking for girls. Then I realised that po-etry was a means I had to declare my love.”In Cider with Rosie, the classic story of his rural childhood in the Cotswold ham-let of Slad, he recalled his tumbles in the haystacks. Unsurprisingly, one of the first things he noticed in Spain were the ‘strange vivid girls . . . with hair like coils of dripping tar and large mouths, red and savage’.On that last sun-kissed afternoon – he died in 1997 at 82 – Laurie was still full of zest for life, reliving his experi-ences in Spain as though they were yesterday. Draining a glass of champagne, served by our hosts, English painter Michael Still and German sculptress Helga Lam-bacher, he chuckled: “If this is farewell, I love it.”

HOME: Lee felt at home in the Spanish town of Almunecar (left) where he lived for four years, as a plaque (above) in-forms visitors. His book As I Walked Out (right) ended there, while (top) Lee later visited with his daughter

POETIC: His prose recognised in Almunecar

25

Are You A British Ex-Pat on the Costa del Sol?

Are you enjoying a new life in the Spanish sunshine?

Mentorn Media is making a new programme for BBC1 looking at the British ex-pat community on the Costa, and we’d love you to

tell us your story!

Are you at the start of your Spanish adventure? Or maybe you’ve been here for years? Whether you came to Spain to look for

work, to retire, or to set up your own business, we want to know what it’s like for you living on the Costa del Sol, and how you

manage to make ends meet when living abroad

How does living in Spain compare to being in the UK?

How do you survive financially away from home?

Whatever your story, we’d love to hear from you

Call Stef on +447901 938739

Or email [email protected]

June 11 - June 25 2014


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27www.theolivepress.es the olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014Property 27

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HOUSE prices in Mallorca are rising even faster than London’s most fashionable boroughs, ac-cording to a new report. The island has topped the best-seller list of UK agency Ches-terton Humberts, coming even higher than the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. In the past year, prices in Mal-lorca have increased by 15.8%.

MARBELLA’S oldest estate agency is linking up with one of London’s biggest property players.Panorama, established in Marbella in 1970, has signed a deal to work with interna-tional agency Savills, which has representatives in around 50 countries.The new association will strengthen both agencies’ international position, ben-efitting buyer and seller cli-ents. “This collaboration fur-ther strengthens our brand and position as Marbella’s property leader, and gives our property portfolio un-rivalled international expo-sure,” said Panorama boss Chris Clover.Rupert Sebag-Montefiore, head of global residential at Savills, added: “Marbella has long been a popular destina-tion for second-home own-ers and we are delighted to be working with such a well-known, market-leading firm.”

SPAIN has become a magnet for global bargain hunters, as experts predict the real estate market is about to rocket. Prices are down as much as 50% from their peak, and investors from all over the world are beginning to flock to Spain to take advantage of the opportunity. Investments from big-name inter-

THE government has failed to pro-tect vulnerable citizens from the ef-fect of the housing crisis, claims a new report. It has taken insufficient action to relieve the impact of the crisis and the suffering of its citizens, insists the Human Rights Watch (HRW) study. The NGO’s 81-page report – en-titled Shattered dreams: Impact of Spain’s housing crisis on vulner-able groups – documents the harsh housing conditions faced by mil-lions across Spain. It focuses on families who have lost their homes due to defaulting on mortgage payments amid the deep recession, which has led to massive unemployment. “The dream of owning one’s own home has turned into a nightmare of foreclosures, evictions and over-

What crisis? Foreign investors flock to Spain as the market looks set to take offnational companies are driving the market, with Goldman Sachs, Paul-son & Company and George Soros all moving into the Spanish property market.“It’s crazy the number of investors

coming in. I think 2014 is the year we will see a lot of transactions,” said Fernando Acuna, of real estate advi-sory firm Aura.And in further evidence that the market is growing fast, an incredible

€5 billion worth of real estate trans-actions took place last year - more than double 2012 - added consu

tants CBRE.At the onset of the crisis, it was predicted it would take Spain 10 years to recover.

AssetsBut just five years on, many are starting to voice concerns that the competition to invest in some assets is driving pric-es higher.

Signing with Savills

Chipper than Chelsea

Shattered dreamsindebtedness,” said researcher Ju-dith Sunderland. “Spanish authorities need to adopt measures to help a broader range of individuals and families avoid evictions, secure affordable hous-ing, and ensure access to fair debt restructuring, relief and cancella-tion,” she added.

ExclusionThe report concludes: “Govern-ments should be judged on how they manage the human fallout of the economic crisis, not just on macroeconomic indicators. “The Spanish government needs to take a hard look at its policies, and take into account a range of people facing social exclusion due to mortgage defaults.” VICTIMS: Vulnerable citizens

THRILLED: Panorama team

SUCCESS: Olmedo and Vazquez and (right) their bus station

June 11 - June 25 2014

IT has not been a good decade for architects, with the collapse of the Spanish property market.But at DTR things are a little different.Set up by friends Jose Maria Olmedo and Jose Maria Vazquez – both 37 – they have hardly had time to come up to breathe with projects to de-sign not just here in Spain, but as far away as Nigeria.Indeed, in just nine years, the friends, who stud-ied architecture at Granada University, have com-pleted over 100 projects, some winning awards.The projects vary from small restaurants – such as La Fuente in Gaucin – to big urban projects, such as a bus station in Baeza, in Jaen.They have also converted slaughterhouses into museums, designed artist’s studios and even

Building up nicely

sculpted luxury villas for African businessmen.“We have done a bit of everything and are always busy,” explained father-of-three Olmedo, who comes from Granada. “Our clients come from all around the world, but mostly Americans, English and Norwegians.

Intricate“It helps that we speak English and also that we have a lot of experience of refurbishment proj-ects and know our way around the Spanish sys-tem.”Their first project was a hotel conversion in an in-dustrial estate in Jaen, for which they won a prize for their clever use of light and intricate details in the interior design.“We realised the hotel had no real views so we introduced light from inside and made the place as stylish as we could,” explained Vazquez, from Gaucin.The pair, who have a team of five architects work-ing under them, are big fans of natural light, as well as Moorish architecture, such as the Alham-bra, in Granada.

Despite the deep recession one young architecture firm is bucking the trend and finding plenty of work

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Property28

The Property Insiderby Adam Neale

A professional acquain-tance recently let a villa in Marbella that was also up for sale. But,

when he then found a buyer for the property and told the tenants they would have to leave, they invoked their right to renew for up to two more years, putting a stop to the sale and making the owners very unhappy.To confirm what owners ought to consider when letting prop-erty long-term, we talked to a trusted lawyer friend, Ad-olfo Martos Gross. Adolfo is a founding partner of the Gutiér-rez del Álamo y Martos firm, which has offices in Malaga and Marbella and specialises in civil and commercial law, particularly real estate, con-struction, planning, insolven-cy, and international law. “What makes a difference in rental contracts is not the term, but the use of the prop-erty,” Adolfo explains. “Own-ers should remember three basic rules: (a) any short-term contract can become a three-year contract, if the property is used as a primary residence; (b) tenants have a preferen-tial right to buy, unless that is waived in the contract; (c) owners should demand six months’ rent as a deposit, to minimise the risk of drawn-out

Landlord of the manor: letting your castle in Spain for the long-term

If you own a second home or investment property here, the chances are you’re thinking about letting it – or already have done – to cover running costs or earn extra income. Here’s some food for thought

eviction proceedings.”Rental contracts should al-ways be in writing, ideally in as much detail as possible. Verbal agreements are valid in Spain, but open to interpretation, so, to avoid problems, ensure ev-erything that could constitute a contract is in black and white. Having a lawyer check the con-tract protects your interests and is a very worthwhile invest-ment.In Spain, tenants are particu-larly well-protected. Long-term contracts are normally for a 12-month period, which can

be extended, year-by-year, up to a total of three years. Land-lords can raise rent above infla-tion, only if improvements are made, increases meet stipu-lated standards, and add up to less than 20% over 12 months. A tenant’s right to buy can be expressly waived in primary residence contracts, allow-ing owners to sell with just 30 days’ notice.

IncomeIn case of rent arrears, land-lords now have greater powers to evict those who cannot, or

do not, pay. Eviction proceed-ings can begin after just one month’s arrears and, once the court notifies tenants of a demand, they must settle debts or appeal in 10 days. If it is expressly stated in the contract, non-payment can give rise to immediate termi-nation, subject to notarial or judicial order, letting the own-er recover a property. But, if tenants pay off rent owing at any time during the proceed-ings, the original terms of the contract still apply. In practice, eviction proceed-ings may last for an eternity, if there are problems notifying tenants or delays in taking the case to court. The aver-age time to regain posses-sion is six to nine months.Regarding taxes, resident owners should simply in-clude income in their an-nual income-tax declaration. Non-resident owners must pay 24.75% tax on rental income, with the right to de-duct this if they reside in an-other European Union state. Tax must be paid every three months, Adolfo notes.Finally, all long-term rental contracts must be registered with the Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad), both to protect owners’ and tenants’ rights.

June 11 - June 25 2014



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The Olive Press fortnightly business section taking a look at the Spanish economy and offering tips on how to save AND make moneyT Dop ollar

31

BUSINESS IN BRIEF

PRIME Minister Mariano Rajoy has an-nounced a new package to boost Spain’s economy and create jobs.Rajoy said: “The plan will include invest-

A MALAGA bank has returned €120,000 to a client after admitting an error.The customer discovered Bankia had taken the money from his ac-count even after he declined the of-fer of two life insurance policies.Bank officials had approached him with a ‘very profitable investment proposal’.

It’s payback time...Bank refunds client €120,000 for unauthorised policies However, the next time he was at the bank they urged him to sign the two policies – which he declined – before noticing sums of €75,000 and €25,000 had already been

taken.A further €20,000 had been debit-ed, vaguely described as a ‘transfer

order’.After the bank failed to help, he took his case to consumer watchdog

FACUA.

ConsentThe group told Bankia of-ficials that staff had pres-surised the customer and made charges without his consent, demanding the immediate return of the money.Bankia claimed the custom-er had initially given a ver-bal agreement but agreed to return the client’s €120,000 immediately. However, no compensation was given.

Billions-boost for business

ments totalling €6.3 billion, of which €2.67 billion will come from the private sector and €3.63 billion from the public sector.”The main rate of corporate tax will be cut

SPAIN’S job market has continued to im-prove, with a massive increase of 198,320 Social Security af-filiations recorded in May.The increase was the greatest on re-cord since July 2005, when the govern-ment granted legal status to thousands of undocumented migrants.May also saw u n e m p l o y m e n t claims decrease by 111,916 – the larg-est drop on record to date.

from 30% to 25% and the package will include credits to small and medium-sized firms and investment in re-search and development, transport and energy sav-ing.The economy grew at its fastest quarterly pace since 2008 in the first three months of 2014, with GDP up by 0.4% over the quarter.

Good job!

BOOST: Small businesses will receive investment

SPAIN’S ‘bad bank’ says prop-erty sales are accelerating, indi-cating the market is on the up. Sareb – which was created to clean up Spain’s financial sec-tor – sold more than 5,000 homes by the end of April, compared to just 9,000 in the whole of 2013. Belen Romana, chairwoman of Sareb, said: “It’s time to invest in the property market because it is stabilising in terms of price.”

Anything but bad THE International Monetary Fund

(IMF) has said the UK will be the fastest-growing major economy this year.After accusing UK chancel-lor George Osborne of ‘play-ing with fire’ in his economic policy last year, the IMF has backtracked.It should come as good news for Spain, with Britons being the big-gest overseas buyers of Spanish property.

‘Firing on all cylinders’As the property market is slowly pulling itself out of a slump, Brit-ish people will undoubtedly play a crucial role.“We clearly underestimated the growth of the UK economy in our forecasts a year ago,” said Chris-tine Lagarde, boss of the Washing-ton-based firm. “The planned fiscal adjustment for this year is appro-priate.”Mr Osborne said that the UK econ-omy is ‘firing on all cylinders’.

HUFFED: Osborne

Confidence boostSPAIN is repaying EU financial aid early in an attempt to boost confidence in the euro region’s fourth-largest economy. EU aid was given in 2012 to help stabilise Spain’s banks.

ECB gambleTHE European Central Bank (ECB) has become the first of the world’s monetary superpowers to cut its deposit rate below zero, in a historic gamble by Mario Draghi. The ECB president hopes to combat deflation.

Betting bountyONLINE gaming revenue in Spain has leapt up to €67.9m in the first quarter of 2014.


CAFES and bars along the Costa del Sol are fighting a tax on awnings and wind-breaks.The tax, which has received initial approval from the Partido Popular, will cost businesses €154 a year for each awning.The Torremolinos Develop-ment Association has now filed a host of complaints with the town hall, claiming the tax is unfair, excessive and illegal.

Top Dollar32

‘Shady’ dealUproar over ‘illegal’ awning tax

The group claims some pop-ular establishments could face annual bills in excess of

€1,000.The tax will not be limited to newly installed awnings

but levied on all existing ones.

DoubleB u s i n e s s e s , however, have already paid a tax to the town hall to install the awnings.This double tax-ation and lack of justification for the tax has led the group to claim it is il-legal.

FURIOUS: Businesses claim double tax is illegal

ALL but two of the 35 companies listed on the Spanish stock exchange are using tax havens, it has been revealed.The figures, based on company reports for 2012, show a 31.9% in-crease in the use of tax havens compared with 2010, with 33 firms using them.The report by the Spanish tax office estimates that the ‘submerged’ econo-my accounts for a quarter of the nation’s GDP.And, it has emphasised what a problem tax evasion has become.While there have been recent high-profile court cases, such as the foot-baller Lionel Messi and the soprano Montserrat Caballe, tax inspectors say the bulk of the evasion is carried out by business and families with large fortunes.Tax authorities have complained that their time is wasted pursuing small individual cases while large companies remain out of reach.

Tax havens rife for fat cats


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34 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 Top Dollar34

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Road to Riches, by Richard Alexander

PEOPLE are asking me more questions about unfunded pensions. In an earlier article, I said there was ‘no pot of gold’ in such schemes. However, as P Trippett wrote to the Olive Press to say, local government schemes are in fact funded and I had erroneously included them in my list of unfunded schemes. However, there are many other pensions which are unfunded including, for exam-ple, the UK State Pension Scheme. I have been asked to expand on this and to explain what it means.Pensions broadly fall under three catego-ries; they are either defined contribution (DC), defined benefit (DB) or state pen-sions.DC schemes are set up as a long-term plan and the level of pension benefits available in retirement will be determined by how much money is in the pension pot at that time. This in turn relies on contribu-tion levels and investment growth.DB schemes have benefits that are de-fined at the outset and often referred to as final salary schemes. The level of benefits payable will be determined by the number of years of service and the final pension-

Understanding unfunded pensions

able salary at retirement age. There is no investment risk for the members, provid-ing their employer can honour the benefits that have been promised. In the private sector, DB schemes will mainly have a large pension pot set aside to meet the liabilities arising when peo-ple retire and want their pensions paid to them. Some such schemes are fully-funded but many are underfunded, which could have a negative impact for people requesting a transfer value, for example. In the public sector, however, and with state pensions, these are largely on a ‘pay

as you go’ basis. This means that the pen-sions being paid this year have to come from the current year’s budget, rather than reserves. This is why such a large propor-tion of the budget for some organisations is set aside each year to pay pensioners, before they even start to fund the opera-tion for the current year. The impact of changing demographics is visible in the State Pension Scheme that is on a ‘pay as you go’ basis, with pensions each year being funded from National In-surance contributions being paid by peo-ple who are working that year. Hence ‘pay as you go’.This system works well when you have an increasing working population when com-pared to the number of pensioners. While employment in the UK is at an all-time high, so is the number of people beyond retirement age. In fact, this population is growing faster than the increase in the rate of employment, as people are living longer and the ‘baby boomers’ move into retirement. This is why the state pension age has been increased – and will continue to be increased in the future – to help soften the impact.

June 11 - June 25 2014

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Top Dollar 35

Market mumbles with Mark Rickard

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June 11 - June 25 2014

THE premise of this ar-ticle is the contradictory case of a British tax resi-dent of Spain who does

not exist for the Spanish tax of-fice – confusing, I know...However, the idiosyncrasies of Spanish bureaucracy often lend themselves to these per-plexing situations.A client selling his property – a resident of Spain for 20 years – found he did not exist in the eyes of the Spanish Tax Office, because as as a retiree, he had never been obliged to file a tax return here. Therefore, he would not be giv-en a Tax Residency Certificate, necessary to avoid the 3% cap-ital gains tax retention on the proceeds of the sale.Adamant that Spain was his place of retirement – and tax residency – he was not going to let the tax office get away with it.In the knowledge that in the Costa del Sol, if you submit a query to three tax/legal pro-fessionals you end up with four opinions, we told him about the Hacienda’s binding consultation service – the ul-timate official opinion on a tax matter. His case was submitted to the Directorate General of Tax (DGT) for a definitive decision.This was their response:l1.The main document that proves tax residency in Spain is the Tax Residency Certifi-

The invisible manAntonio Flores on the intricacies of tax-residency in Spaincate.l2. The issuance of an individ-ual Tax Residency Certificate is subject to the applicant proving his/her residency in Spain.l3.Where the above certificate cannot be obtained, the onus of proving Spanish residency lies with the taxpayer who will be able to submit, in support of his claim, alternative evidence: certificate of empadronamien-to (Padron registration), chil-dren’s school enrollment appli-

cations, rental payments, water and electricity receipts etc.l4.The Spanish Tax Office, based on the widely-accepted judicial ‘principle of free evalu-ation of the evidence´ will de-termine whether the applicant is or isn’t a tax resident of Spain.I have also found a certificate of non-residency from the tax office of the country of origin adds considerable weight to applications, so consider this a fifth point to remember.Finally, note that the Spanish Tax Office has not commented on the EU residency forms is-sued by National Police sta-tions; this is probably because it is not that relevant in their eyes.

THE kickoff of the Brazil World Cup heralds a month of comradery, pa-triotism and increased beer-swill-ing. This inevitably means softer

market conditions, as the football crazy nations are distracted from day to day activities, focussed only on the beautiful game. “They think it’s all over…it is now!”Another interest rate cut from the European Central Bank (ECB) last week was well re-ceived... for the time being. A meagre 10 basis points took the rate down to 0.15%, however this was coupled with a negative deposit rate decrease to 0.1% and another €400 billion made available to boost spend-ing and growth.I recall when the UK was in deep crisis, the British Bankers Association reported that there was more savers money on deposit than ever before. People became scared to take risks and wanted hold onto their funds for that very rainy day, or ‘can’t miss’ oppor-tunity. Perhaps the negative deposit rates in Europe will drive a summer spending spree from the frugal savers there? I imagine Spain will ben-efit if this happens! This week:UKlMonday 9.30am Industrial Production Apr

Soccer season softens market

previous -0.1% m/mlMonday 9.30am Manufacturing Produc-tion Apr previous 0.5% m/mlWednesday 9.30am Claimant Count Change May previous -25klWednesday 9.30am Unemployment Rate Apr previous 6.8%lThursday 12.01am RICS Housing Survey May previous 54% EuropelMonday 9.30am Sentix Investor Confi-dence Jun previous 12.8lThursday 10am EU Industrial Production Apr previous -0.1% y/ylFriday 7am German Consumer Price Infla-tion May previous 1.3% y/ylFriday 10am EU Trade Balance Apr previ-ous €17.1bn USlThursday 1.30pm Retail Sales May previ-ous 0.1% m/mlFriday 2.55pm Michigan Consumer Senti-ment Index Jun previous 81.9

The world cup provides a distraction from banks and currencies, for a month at least...

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STEP 4: Obtaining a Spanish mot certificateAll vehicles over 4 years old must be roadworthy and clearly

display a valid ITV sticker. The ITV (Vehicle Technical Inspec-tion) must be tested at an authorised centre, just as for an MOT test. You can find out the location of your nearest ITV centre on DGT website (equiva-lent to the DVLA). You can also call your local centre to make a booking. If the centre is busy, especially pre-summer, this can save a lot of time. The cost can vary but generally is around €40 for petrol-engine cars and €56 for diesel-engine cars.

STEP 5: Obtaining a spanish equivalent of a tax discThe Spanish Tax Agency can provide your vehicle with a valid ‘tax disc’ for Spain, which must be carried in the car when in use. You will need to complete the relevant form online and pay the amount according to your car’s tax band.You can carry out all these pro-cedures yourself or you can seek the assistance of an ac-countant to do this for you.We hope the information provid-ed in this article is of interest.

More information on Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

CLASSIC cars and petrol-heads have motored in to Puerto Banus for a ‘regularity rally’ on June 8.The event – at Plaza Antonio Banderas – was a joint venture between organisers of the Marbella Classic Grand Prix rally and Marbella Town Hall.Classic car owners mingled and the public had a chance to admire the stunning vehicles on dis-play. There was also be a summer market.Drivers were presented with a simple roadbook for a 5km route starting and finishing in the square, and were timed according to the principles of the regu-larity rally. For more information visit www.marbellaclassic-grandprix.es

Stoned on the roadFatal crashes soar due to alcohol, drugs and ageing cars

MORE than one in 10 drivers on Spanish roads are intoxicated, ac-cording to official data.A Department of Transport (DGT) survey, involving 3,000 drivers, found that 8.8% of drivers had been taking drugs, particularly cannabis, while 4.1% were over the alcohol limit.Toxicology reports show 43% of

those killed on Spanish roads this year had taken drugs or been drink-ing alcohol.The DGT also insists that traf-

fic fatalities – which numbered nearly 2,000 in 2012 – could be halved if people drove only when sober.Boss Maria Segui explained that while Spain has accepted the ‘don’t drink and drive’ concept, the coun-try has failed to realise it also ap-plies to drugs.She also blames the state and age of

cars for an alarming rise in road deaths this year.She said that many of the 396 people who have been killed this year - four times more than last year – is partly because the average Spanish car is 12-years old.

Ocean drive

NEW car sales in Spain have risen again for the ninth straight month in a row, with a total of 82,483 sold in May.There was a 16.9% in-crease on cars sold in May 2013, according to car manufacturers’ associa-tion Anfac.The Government sub-sidy scheme, which gives buyers of new cars a re-bate for their old vehi-cles, continues to boost sales.Sales in the first five months of the year were up 16.3% on the same pe-riod a year ago.

Sales speed on

June 11 - June 25 2014

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GOLF In the swing of it37

June 11 - June 25 2014

From tee to green

MALAGA golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez has become the first man over the age of 50 to win on the European Tour after victory at the Spanish Open.The 50-year-old won a three-man play-off after finishing tied on four-under-par with Richard Green and Thomas Pieters.“There’s no words to describe what it means to me,” said Jimenez. “You need to be in my skin but I’m not going to let you. It’s amazing.”Jimenez now lies just outside the automatic qualification places for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September.If he qualifies or is selected by captain Paul McGinley, Jimenez will be-come Europe’s oldest-ever player.

Malaga’s Miguel makes history

WINNER: Jimenez

THE annual Rhys Daniels Trust golf challenge is cele-brating its 20th anniversary this year with a long week-end of fun activities in aid of its ‘Home from Home’

Celeb challenge hits double decade

Rhys Daniels Trust reaches its 20th birthday with a long weekend at La Cala resortappeal.Golfers are invited to en-ter the special fundraising

challenge as individuals or teams of four, and it is tak-ing place between June 20

and 23 at La Cala resort in Mijas Costa.Previous celebrity guests in-clude Chris Tarrant and Sir Steve Redgrave, as well as pop star Gareth Gates.

FamiliesThe Butterfly Ball will take place on 22 June Sunday, and is included in the cost of the golf challenge pack-age.Contestants will also get event t-shirts, meals and accommodation at La Cala resort.The Rhys Daniels Trust provides self contained ac-commodation for families to use, free of charge, while their child is receiving treatment at a specialist children’s hospital a long way from their own home.

For more information visit www.rhysdanielstrust.org or call Patti Senker on 0034 637 969189

By Tom Powell

SUNSHINE: Happy golfers

IN a bid to encourage locals to leave their so-fas and get some exercise, Estepona Town Hall organised ‘24 Hours of Sport’.Central to the event was a golf tournament

at Estepona Golf Course. Competitors enjoyed a day of play on a great course followed by a chance to chat over paella.Perez Espinosa and Rodriguez De La Fuente took first place with a net score of 59.Mateo Montes and Montes Sedeno came in second (61 net) and Gomez Guerrero and Luki-an took third place (65 net).The Waterloo Cup – a charity event in aid of Help for Heroes – also took to the greens of Estepona Golf Club. Popular with expats in the region, the tournament was followed by a prize-giving and food at the Leisure Lounge. The event raised more than €1,450 for Help for Heroes.The winners of the Two-Ball Texas Scramble (half handicap) were: Greg and Charlie with 56 points; Derek Statham and Greg Fellows with 55 and Gordon Short and Barry Grant with 52.Duquesa Golf Club meanwhile, took a 4-0 wal-loping from Miraflores Golf Club. They were

A great weekend for golf

delivered on time by Gaston Golf Minibus but failed to beat the locals. Rob Whately – backed up by his partner Chris – claims he hit at least three good shots during his game.

This month’s joke:A school teacher was taking her first golfing lesson. “Is the word… Put or Putt?” she asked the instructor. “Putt is correct” he replied. To ‘Put’ is to place a thing where you want it. ‘Putt’ merely means a vain attempt to do the same thing…

BATTLE: On the golf green

Email [email protected] or call 952936803

Bob Gaston rounds up the months local golfing news


OP Columnists Belinda Beckett, aka Mistress of Sizzle, has some sage advice for tourists

38

WHAT is it about Americans that makes them want to ‘do’ an en-tire country in one visit?I devised a bespoke tour for the

American side of my family who were over on a two-week trip to Spain and Portugal. They were keen to ‘do’ the Golden Triangle of Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba... and maybe Madrid and Barcelona too, while they were at it!I vetoed most of it. Just as well, because after two nights schlepping around Sevil-la – visiting more farmacias for sticking

Sevilla: Not on my Beckett list!

plasters than cultural attractions – they’d had enough. Sevilla is a stunning city but it’s BIG, and not knowing where the hell you are causes blisters! It took 90 minutes, a Google map, GPS and conversations with four strangers to find the tapas bar I’d picked out on TripAdvisor. Having been sent south, north, east and west by a road digger, a policeman, a student and a waiter, we caught a cab and were dropped five minutes from where we started.

Tapas confused our visitors – “Where can we get a whole meal?” they asked. The lo-cal specialities repelled them: “Cold soup? No thanks! … This is the cheek of a pig? How gross!” and so on.The sangria was ‘more fruity’ in Portugal, the prawns in the paella were the size of lobsters – and not in a good way – and Spanish restaurants compared unfavour-ably to Olive Garden and Taco Bell, ‘where at least you know what you’re getting’. The best meal of the weekend was de-clared to be the Egg McMuffin at McDon-

ald’s.That was before they’d tried almadraba tuna in Vejer. They were blown away by places they’d never heard of: Tarifa, Zahara, Canos de Meca, the stunning landscapes and quaint Victorian stations they saw through the carriage win-dows aboard Mr Henderson’s Railway, the cuisine at the Mo-lino del Santo...

MiffedFear of going all that way and not seeing the big cities and sights makes tourists want to tick them off their ‘Bucket Lists’. However, rushing from the Giralda to the Alhambra to the Mezquita de Cordoba in 72 hours isn’t my idea of fun. Day trips from one base to re-mote pueblos and rural idylls top my ‘Beckett List’.My American family saw Se-villa again on an unscheduled 4am visit when they missed the airport turning. This made them late for the plane, caus-ing their luggage to go astray. They were more miffed that their bags saw Amsterdam and they didn’t! My boyfriend’s family are over from New Zealand next, to visit Morocco, Sevilla, Jerez, Mal-aga and us before heading to France, Italy, Greece and God knows where else. Don’t get me started about Antipodeans ‘doing’ Europe. If I get my way they won’t see half of it... and they’ll have a far better time!

STUNNING: Plaza Espana in Sevilla

Football frenzyIN case you hadn’t noticed,

the Brazil World Cup kicks off on June 12 – with the hosts playing Croatia – and

for the following weeks, it will be impossible to avoid the madness. Whether you have satellite

or Spanish TV, the channels will devote hours of cover-age to each team’s chanc-es, predictions, the games themselves, a host of expert opinions and after-match post-mortems.Forget nipping out for the

evening to get away from the World Cup. The qual-ity of your dining experience will certainly suffer. During the tournament, expect to find service in your favou-rite pasta place a little slow when Italy are playing, forget tapas when Spain take to the pitch and don’t even try to order escargots if France get beaten.

DementedBrazil 2014 has some mouth-watering matches in store. England will play Italy and Spain will face Holland in a repeat of the last World Cup final. When Spain win a match, for-get all thoughts of sleep, as the roads will be full of driv-ers honking their horns like demented sea lions.You won’t be able to escape the matches in public either, so why not take in the games in a variety of locations?

Sitting with an ice-cold beer in a beach bar watching one of the afternoon matches is

a unique pleasure, especially if you normally watch foot-ball on a wet Wednesday in

Wigan. Try a tapas bar for the Span-ish matches, an Italian res-taurant when the Azzuri are playing and why not sample a little sushi when Japan are in action?And as a neu-tral supporter you may even be adopted by a set of fans as an unof-ficial mascot – which is why there is a photo of me s o m e w h e r e in San Pe-dro wearing a massive orange hat, clutching a Heineken. I think that Hol-land may have been playing...

Royal legacyTHE King is gone. Long live the King. The decision by Juan Carlos – beset by scandal and ill health – to abdicate to his son has been mostly applauded. I saw photos on social media, however, of jubilant republicans covering statues of Juan Carlos in Marbella (that well known hotbed of far left politics).How quickly they forget that Juan Carlos was chosen by Franco to continue the dictatorship, but af-ter his death the young King re-alised that Spain had to return to democracy. When Guardia Civil officers launched a coup in 1981, the King refused to back them and it quick-ly fizzled out.Perhaps those who threw a hood over Juan Carlos’ statue last week should consider that without his

moves to democracy, their actions would have led to a long spell in jail. Or something worse.

CONFUSED: Where’s the nearest McDonald’s?


the olive pressC lassifiedsTo place your classified, please

call 951 127 006 or email [email protected]

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Members of British Association of RemoversContact us via email: [email protected]

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PROPERTY / CONSTRUCTION

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We are selling properties & have very happy clients! WITH the World Cup

kicking off tom-morrow, it’s per-haps appropriate

that we should be scoring a hattrick this week with our classified page.Due to unprecedented growth in the section this month the Olive Press is going up from two to three pages of classified adver-tisements.Splitting into easy to fol-low sections, there will be extra ones added each is-sue, as new businesses and individuals come on board.Proven to be a fantastic – and good value way – to sell and market your busi-ness, the Olive Press is now read by over 200,000 people each month, via both its paper and website edition.From just 5.50 euros, you can sell your car, your bedpost or your child’s old bike thanks to our healthy and growing group of read-ers.And for businesses this is

Three’s companyNot one, not two, but THREE pages in the new relaunched Olive Press classifieds section – and a fantastic special offer for readers

a vital resource for being seen and being taken seri-ously.Please do not hesitate to get in touch with your queries on 951127006 or 655825683And to celebrate in our growth we are making a very special launch offer: Take 3 months of classi-fieds (7 issues) and get 3 issues free.In other words take a single box advert for 39 euros, pay 273 euros and get a total of 10 issues – or five months cover for your business.Whether you sell insur-ance, fix cars or run a transport company, can you afford NOT to take up this offer?Please call our new classifieds boss Sarah Adams, who has many years experience in me-dia sales. She will be only too happy to help you through the process.Once again the number to call is 951127006 or 655825683

GIVE ME A BUZZ: The lovely Sarah

40 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 201440 FOOD & DRINK

To place your classified, please call 951 127 006 or email [email protected]

CARS/mOTORINg

40

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THEBOOKENDEnglish Bookshop

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the olive press Classifieds

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SERVICES

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Local issue 46:The Local Issue 5 5/13/14 10:54 PM Page 104

FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

42

AN Andalucian hotel has been named as Spain’s second best, according to a global traveller’s website.Hotel Molino del Santo, in Benaojan, near Ronda, has been voted the coun-try’s second best and scooped a coveted TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice award. The stunning converted olive mill even pipped the Costa del Sol’s long-time fa-vourite Villa Marbella for the first time to

I VISITED Molino del Santo for a holiday – without in-troducing myself as a jour-nalist – so no special treat-ment there! And I was genuinely aston-ished by the quality of the hotel, the care and atten-tion the staff give and the beauty of the location. It is wonderfully laid back

Andalucian accolade

Hotel owners delighted to be named Spain’s second best hotel by TripAdvisorcome top in Andalucia.Delighted Andy Chapell, who has owned the hotel for 27 years with his wife Pau-line Elkin, told the Olive Press: “We’re so grateful to our staff for their hard work, because without them the hotel just wouldn’t be as good as it is.”

By Imogen Calderwood

“What’s most important to us is atten-tion and a personalised service. We like to look after people.”

Of the 25 best in Spain, nine hotels are in Andalucia – more than any other region. Half of these are current or former Olive Press clients.

QualityFirst place went to Casa Camper Hotel in Barcelona, which ranked 21st in Eu-rope. Barbara Messing, chief mar-keting officer for TripAdvisor said: “Travellers have millions of hotels to choose from and quality of service is a way to stand out from the crowd. “It is clear from reading our reviews of the hotels that when you have a happy customer, they spread the word.”

THRILLED: Andy and Pauline

‘Special treatment’ as standardOlive Press writer Imogen Calderwood played ‘secret inspector’ at the Molino

and comfortable - and the food was amazing - so it comes as no surprise that the couple’s hard work has been recognised on a global

scale.And no, I didn’t fill in a re-view form with TripAdvisor, just in case you wanted to know.

ASTONISHING: The tranquil country retreat

43www.theolivepress.es the olive press - June 11 - June 25 201443FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

ROYALASCOTROYALASCOT

THURSDAY 19TH JUNEVALPARAISO

PRIZEDRAW

Lynda Martin-Campbell: 608 675 081 Jo Rawselly: 696 430 160

VIP TICKETS 35€ P.P.FROM 1:30PM

ALL DRINKS INCLUDEDVIP BUFFET, NOTHING TO COMPARE! (ALL DAY)

ALL RACES COVERED,FIRST RACE STARTS 3:15PM

LARGE TV SCREENS

TEA FOR THE LADIES WITH STRAWBERRIES &CREAM, AND A MOUNTAINOF CUP CAKES SERVEDWITH PINK BUBBLYA GRAND RAFFLE WILL BE HELD IN AID OF CHAIN ANIMAL CHARITY AND A PRIZE FOR THE BEST HAT OF THE DAY!The events continue with an evening

by “The Pool Bar” This event promisesto be the best on the coast, with full

VIP Valparaiso HospitalityLocal Hotel Accomodation at

Special Rates can be arranged.

TELEPHONE EVENT ORGANISER:

VIP LADIES DAYA fabulous day at the races!For Ladies and their Gentlemen.

Urb. Villa Marina, Nueva Andalucia, Marbella ● [email protected] ● www.LaSalaByTheSea.com

la salaby the Seap u e r t o b a n u s

TM

Sala’s signature dishes fused

with a Thai twistSALA

’S

SPANISH celebrity chef Dario Barrio has died in a tragic sky-diving accident. In shocking video footage, a passerby captured the famous TV chef’s final moments before he crashed into a cliff face in Jaen’s Sierra Segura mountain range. Paramedics were called to the scene, but were unable to re-vive him. The experienced skydiver, 42,

SIR Cliff Richard isn’t the only thing that improves with age – clearly his wines do too. The 73-year-old singer, who produces his own wines from his home in Portugal, entered four wines into London’s International Wine Challenge, and three of them won.When appearing on Gordon Ramsay’s F Word in 2006, however, Cliff was less impressed with his Vida Nova wines. Presented with a glass of his Chateau Cliff during a blind tasting he declared: “That’s rubbish! I wouldn’t pay for that, it’s tainted, it’s insipid. It tastes like vinaigrette. I’d never buy that.”

TV chef dies in skydive accidentDario Barrio - the Jamie Oliver of Spain - fell to his death in Jaen after parachute failed to open

POPULAR: Like Oliver, Barrio promoted healthy eatingwas taking part in the Andalu-cian International Air Festival, when his parachute malfunc-tioned and failed to open.

Organisers have suspended all remaining events in the festi-val, and say they ‘deeply regret’

the accident.The celebrity chef, who be-gan cooking when he was just 14, became famous after ap-pearing on the television pro-gramme ‘Todos contra el chef’ – or Everyone against the chef. Friends and colleagues took to Twitter to express their sorrow. Celebrated US chef Jose An-dres said that ‘the sky will eat much better’, while comedian Goyo Jimenez added that he was ‘in shock’. Barrio has won numerous awards, and was well-known as a promoter of a healthy lifestyle.

Aged to perfection...

44 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

44

Do you remember KONTIKI on the El Chorro lakes? On the shore of green lake Guadalhorce.

Good news is open again. You can enjoy beautiful views over a best chicken curry

and sip cold Cobra beer.

Open from Thursday till Sunday.Directon: From restaurant Kiosko on the El Chorro lakes

2.5 km towards Valle de Abdalajis - Antequera.Tel: 679742761

RESTAURANT - MIJAS PUEBLO

La Alcazaba, Plaza de la Constitución, Mijas.For Information & Reservations: Tel. 952 590 253 - 952 486 397

Email. [email protected] www.rest-laalcazabademijas.com

Celebrate your private parties or business lunches with us in our Mozarabic room, whilst enjoying

our breathtaking panoramic view.

CLOSED MONDAYS.

MY TOP TEN ROSE WINES

PERFECT SUMMER COOLERSROSÉ wines hint at happiness, inspire apetite and induce romance. Summer is nearly here and there is one style of wine that matches it perfectly. When the sun shines bright, light pink and fresh rosé comes to our mind. New wine shop D Wine in Puerto Banus has an excellent selection of roses from Spain and France. Here, its som-melier Julio Cesar Garcia (right) chooses his favourites.

BEST FROM SPAIN

BEST FROM FRANCEProvence: A fresh and balanced rosé that captures the spirit of the Côte d’Azur with its exotic fruit and white peach flavours. Built upon Domaines Ott’s winemaking expertise.4. Confidentielle Rose 2013. AOC Cote de Provence: Composed of 40% Mourvè-dre, 30% Cinsault and 30% Grenache. A wine with a pale and delicate robe and a complex minty and mineral bouquet with a hint of citrus fruit and spice.5. Chateau de Berne Rose 2013. AOC Cote de Provence: A beautiful clear rose petal color with hints of orange. A fresh nose with hints of peach, nectarine, and violet.

1. Chateau de Selle Rosé Couer de Grain 2013. AOC Cote de Provence: Grenache 50% + Cinsault 30% + Syrah 15% + Cab-ernet Sauvignon 5% Pale robe with golden highlights. The fine nose is evocative of peach and lemon, with cinnamon and vanilla notes.2. Whispering Angels Rose. Chateau D´ Esclans 2013: AOC Cote de Provence: Beautiful colour, the palest of pale roses, a silver-pink, lovely fragrance on the nose, clean and fresh light summer fruits, a cer-tain fleshiness and structure on the palate that shows the red grapes base.3. Les Domaniers Rose 2013 AOC Cote de

highlights the scents of the Cabernet Sauvi-gnon grape (bilberries, strawberry, pepper). Full bodied, the balancing acid gives this wine a lively and supple character.4. Gran Caus Rose 2013. D.O Penedés: Fruity, potent and delicious. A rosé 100 %. Merlot with colour and body, its potency and complexity making it a versatile companion for fine foods.5. Izadi Larrosa 2013. D.O.Ca Rioja: From the highest vineyards in Rioja Alavesa.

BRITISH coffee chain Costa Coffee has opened a new cafe in Fuengirola. The second Costa cafe in An-dalucia – the sixth in Spain – set up shop in the town’s popular Miramar Shopping Centre.Costa Coffee won the Allegra Strategies prize of ‘Europe’s favourite coffee shop’ in 2013.

RED wine could prevent tooth decay, according to a study by Spanish scientists. Scientists dipped samples of bacteria into various liquids, including red wine alone, red wine without alcohol, red wine mixed with grape seed extract, water and 12% etha-nol. Project leader Dr Victoria

Bacteria battler

1. Chivite Colección 125 2013. D.O Na-varra: The Quintessential rose from Spain, a blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo, fer-mented in French oak barrels and aged on its own lees at least for six months. Intense, very floral with pear and pomegranate notes.2. Muga Rosado 2013. D.O.Ca Rioja: This wine is fresh on the nose with aromas of peaches on a background of exotic fruits (kiwi, pineapple and passion fruit) avail-able also in Magnum.3. Enate Rosado 2013. D.O Somontano: Its powerful and remarkably fruity bouquet

Moreno-Arribas said: “Red wine with or without alcohol and wine with grape seed extract were the most effective at getting rid of the bacteria.” It is hoped that the find-ings could lead to the development of natural products to fight den-tal diseases.

Costa del Costa


Hotelier and Hoteli-HER

FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

Have you been meaning to share some

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✓ Comfortable Air-conditioned Rooms,

✓ Award-winning Staff,

✓ Excellent Imaginative Food,

✓ Magical Moonlit Summner Nights on the Terraces

✓ Amazing Local Artwork

✓ Great Information Service - Walks and Visits

✓ Peace and Quiet✓ Train Service on your Doorstep - 15

minutes to Ronda✓ Special Events A Speciality

DO YOU PUT OFF MAKING ARRANGEMENTS?“You won’t be remembered for things you DIDN’T organise”

✓ Mention this Ad for Special Rates

✓ Great Informative Website -www.molinodelsanto.com

__________________________“I shall dream of returning here”

Shari, June 2014__________________________

HEAD TO THE HILLS THIS SUMMER...

...HEAD TO MOLINO DEL SANTO, RONDA’S LEADING

RURAL HOTEL.

A Great Escape by Train or Road

MOLINO DEL SANTO’S DOG GIVES HIS VIEWS ON HOTEL LIFE

Follow Eddie’s regular thoughts on ourFacebook page – Hotel Molino del Santo

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www.molinodelsanto.com | [email protected] | 952 16 71 51

TO BOOK YOUR ESCAPE TO THE HILLSCALL 952 16 71 51 NOW

OR E-MAIL [email protected]

So Molino del Santo has a new chef this year – and everyone says the food is as good if not better-than previous years. That’s not how I see it : This new

guy needs help. Why would anyone choose to have corn-fed chicken brochettes with almonds and

raisins on a menu when this almost guarantees to leave no scraps for a dog?

Everything here is about putting the customer before the dog. Recipe for disaster if you ask me.

My Campaign: Bring back meat with bones and fatty, gristly bits. As soon as possible.

By our Benaoján Correspondent

Advertorial

Hotel - Bar - Restaurante. Bda Estacion s/n, 29370 Benaojan, Malaga. 952 16 71 51 - 952 16 79 27 . [email protected]

USING local products in the restaurant has always been

a top priority for Molino del San-to – they’re fresh, taste better and help employ local people. And living in this wonderful climate there’s always local food to be bought – a fantastic selection of fruit, vegetables, herbs, cheeses and yogurts, meat and ‘chacinas’, not to mention an ever-growing selection of superb Andalucian Wines. Our June menu features the first of the local figs called ‘brevas’ , cheese from the neighbouring village of Montejaque, locally made chocolate and herbs from a farm in Ronda. And our house wines are all from local bodegas – and we’re delighted that 90% of our wine sales are from local producers. José Peñin, the most respected of Spanish wine critics said this year: “I don’t think there’s another area of Spain with such a diver-sity of wines as in Andalucía.”

Creating JobsFresh from the news that their hotel has just been voted Spain’s second best hotel on Trip Advisor (see p42) hoteliers Andy and Pauline write about buying and employing locally

THERE are lots of satis-factions in running your own business – the inde-pendence, liaising with

customers, making your own decisions. But the most pleasing thing is to be able to provide stable jobs for hard-working members of our local community who might otherwise be drawing

the dole.With youth unemployment in our area over 50% it is par-ticularly satisfying to take on youngsters – many of whom

have little hope of finding ways to earn money and gain experi-ence in the work place.Incredibly one position that has just come up as a waiter (and we haven’t even advertised for it yet) has had no less than 50 applicants just from our village.And as we are doing well – just voted best hotel in Andalucia ac-cording to TripAdvisor – we have been able to create three new jobs already over the last month.All of them for young folk from our village and the pride and satisfaction that they bring with them – as well as the energy – is very exciting. One young man literally plead-ed for the opportunity to show what his training in food prepa-ration has taught him – and the results are wonderful. There is far too much young tal-ent being wasted in this coun-try at the moment. I’m hoping the government will offer more support to employ-ers to stem the tide of despair that prevails among too many young people.

…and think local, eat local and drink local!

FRESH: Produce to the door

46 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - June 11 - June 25 2014 FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

46

THAT heavenly nectar of a wine you sipped on those balmy holiday evenings rare-

Remember the first time?ly tastes quite the same at home, does it?Now, an Oxford University professor claims he can tell us why.To enjoy a holiday wine at home you must recreate the environment in which you first tasted it, claims Charles Spence, professor of experi-mental psychology.He also found that the best way to serve drinks is in heavy glasses, not plastic cups or cans.Lightness is associated with ‘cheapness’ and will change the flavour of even the most pricey beverages, claims Prof Spence, who has previously advised leading UK chef Hes-ton Blumenthal, from the Fat Duck.“We like heavy containers, we associate them with bet-ter quality – it has greater worth,” he said.So, if your wine is in a reas-suringly heavy bottle, be sure to pass it around the table be-fore serving.

Holiday wines never taste the same at home... and this is why

WINES stored underwater off Marbella for the Schatz winery in Ronda have been given the experts’ seal of approval.This increasingly-popular meth-od of maturing wine has been used in Italy, France and Spain.Vintners use the sea to manip-ulate the levels of oxygen expo-sure, temperature, darkness, and pressure.

Seabed cellar

A BAR in Estepona has scooped first prize for the whole of Mal-aga in the Feria de la Tapa 2014. The well-loved Bar Simonito - one of the oldest tapas bars in Estepona - is a favourite with locals and holiday-makers alike, and specialises in fish dishes. Simonito will be competing at a national level in Madrid in the coming year.

A sign of summer

Chiringuito season is in full swing..

and the coast’s most

typical dish is, without a dou-

bt, ‘espetos’ or sardines cooked on

a barbe-cue, here at

Chambao, in Sotogrande

Tip top tapas DELICIOUS:Bar Simonito’s


FIN

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DS

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Covering Andalucia in 2014 with over 200,000 papers (130,000 digital) and around 300,000 visits to the

website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!FREEthe olive press

Telephone: 951127006 June 11 - June 25 2014 www.theolivepress.es

Mosquito Screens

Call

Mosquito Nick

647 072 861

Price of sexSPAIN has begun the almost impossible task of assessing the contribution that prostitution makes to the nation’s gross domestic product.

Hound hotelTHE world’s first canine resort featuring a world-class swimming pool with slides and fountains, all designed specially for dogs, has opened in Barcelona.

SmokedA ‘CANNABIS club’ in Barcelona has been closed down for suspected drug dealing, the first closure of its kind in what could be a huge blow to the city’s growing repu-tation as a hub for marijuana tourism.

Pig fertility A SPANISH scientist investigating a fall in pig fertility has warned her findings could also apply to humans. The chemical linked to the pigs’ reproductive failures is also found in packaging for crisps and sliced meat.

MANCHESTER United foot-baller Marouane Fellaini has been left shaken after an in-cident on holiday in Puerto Banus.The Belgian was harassed by ‘drunken tourists’, while enjoying a drink with his brother and two friends in the Seven bar.“There was a little bit of push-ing and shoving going on,” a waiter at the bar revealed.“When it looked like it was going to kick off, Fellaini and his brother made a run for it and we took them to an area above the bar out of harm’s way.”

A SPANISH politician has slammed the whopping €720,000 Spain’s players will each receive if they win the World Cup.The eye-watering sum is more than double what their Brazilian and German coun-terparts stand to earn, with both countries vowing to give much more money to the gen-eral development of their do-mestic leagues if they win.The news prompted one poli-tician to tweet: “Spain will pay more than double the bo-nus that Germany will for the World Cup. Are we twice as rich as Germany?” Their first match is against Holland this Friday.

A SPANISH bear has proved too fertile for his own good, and is now facing castration or segregation. Pyros, a European brown bear, is facing the op or a spell in a zoo after living happily as the top al-pha male in the Val d’Aran area of the Pyrenees for 26 years.It comes after a cub was born

Romantic at heartONE could have almost stepped back in time a couple of centuries.Doffing bandit-style headgear, brandishing guns and even firing them, it was Ronda’s at-tempt to bring history to life.The town was certainly turned upside down for the three-day Ronda Romantica festival, in which its citizens and thou-sands from the nearby towns joined in the fun.Locals dressed as cour-tesans, bandits, farmers and Napoleonic soldiers - to re-live the area’s dramatic past.The event took place alongside the town’s Feria de Mayo agricultural fair, which at 500 years old is Spain’s second oldest. BANDITS AND COURTESANS: Ronda turns back time

A fair chopSpain’s quick fix solution to deal with sexually aggressive bearthat was both his daughter and his granddaughter. It also emerged that he was ei-ther father, grandfather or great-grandfather to nearly every cub born in the last 20

years. Now scientists insist that his sexual appetite is becoming a threat to the Catalan colony as his aggressive appetite is making it difficult for other bears to get a look in. Pyros’ behaviour is worrying scientists as the bears nor-mally lose their sexual appe-tite around 19-years-old. They also worry about the

gene pool.“If he keeps up this sexual vigour and dominant atti-tude for a few more years, the other males in the mountains have no chance of mating with any of the females,” said Val d’Aran environment boss Jose Enrique Arro. Conservationists have worked hard to reintroduce the spe-cies after it dwindled to near extinction in the early 90s.

TOO FERTILE: Pyros

‘Zookeeper was not shot wearing monkey suit’A SPANISH zoo has been forced to deny that a keeper was wearing a gorilla suit when shot with a tranquiliser dart during an emergency drill. The denial came after local media report-ed that he had been wearing the suit to make the drill more realistic and the vet mistook him for a real gorilla.However the zoo in-sisted: “The vet did not mean to hit the zookeeper and the zookeeper was not pretending to be a go-rilla.”Aside from sleeping a lot, the 35-year-old zoo-keeper has made a full recovery.

Biggest bonus

Belgian run!

GLORY: But also riches

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Olive Press Newspaper - Issue 189