www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 1

Don’t let thebanks cash in

www.hifx.co.uksee page 13

Don’t let thebanks cash in

www.hifx.co.uksee page 13see page 4

Turn to page 2

olive pressThe original and only English-language

investigative newspaper in Andalucía

WHICH BUSINESS GREW BY 50% LAST YEAR? YES, THE OLIVE PRESS... AND WE WON’T STOP NOW

FREE Vol. 7 Issue 154 www.theolivepress.es February 07 - Feb 20,

the

Who will cut out thecancerdestroying Spain? While millions sit on the breadline with

the highest unemployment in history, and expats come into the firing line with new laws and taxes, the PM allegedly took 30,000-a-year from an 22m offshore slush fund... Enough is enough!

AS A MILLION PEOPLE DEMAND THAT RAJOY MUST RESIGN OVER BUNGS SCANDAL...

POINTING THE FINGER: But Rajoy and many of his cabinet are said to have received black money from a Swiss bank account

SPANISH Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is battling to save his political career after facing increasing pres-sure to resign over the PP corruption scandal.Nearly a million people have signed an online peti-tion calling for him to step down, amid widespread protests.Opinion polls show that 77% believe he is now no longer fit to lead the coun-try, while 54% believe there should be a general election.Opposition leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba has called for his head, demanding that Rajoy be grilled in Con-gress about the allegations.The prime minister stands accused of accepting illegal cash payments made to top-ranking party officials over a 12-year period.

Slush fundRajoy however fiercely de-nies the claims, describing them as ‘totally false’ and has said he will publish his tax returns online.Among the other politicians accused of taking ‘bungs’ are current General Secre-tary Maria Delores Co-spedal, Senate President Pio Garcia Escudero and even former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.The money was allegedly taken from a €22 million slush fund hidden in a Swiss bank account controlled by former party treasurer Luis Barcenas.Barcenas kept secret ledgers of money received between

By James Bryce

2 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013

Will Rajoy resign?2 NEWS

1990 and 2008 from donors, including construction firms, and it is these that show the alleged payments to Rajoy.The notebooks, published by Spanish newspaper El Pais at the weekend, show the prime minister was allegedly paid €25,200 each year from 1999 to 2008.Until 2007, Spanish political parties were allowed to receive anonymous donations - the ledgers were kept from 1990 to 2009. The PP has threatened to sue those mak-ing the allegations, which it describes as a smear campaign.But despite the denials, even Rajoy himself appeared to indicate there was some truth in the allegations, in a cryptic answer to a journalist’s question at a press conference in Berlin.“Everything that refers to me, and that ap-pears there, and to some of my fellow party members that appear there, is not right, except for something that the media has published,” he said.Former PP deputy Jorge Trias Sagnier and five other former senior officials have already confirmed that party leaders re-ceived bungs. Moreover, Spain’s chief state prosecutor has confirmed there could be enough evi-dence to investigate, and the PP has been forced to conduct an internal audit.

Barcenas - who controlled the slush fund – has already been forced to step down from his role as party treasurer after being im-plicated in the Gurtel corruption scandal, in Valencia. The case involves the alleged awarding of construction contracts by the regional gov-ernment, in exchange for cash donations.Between 2002 and 2004, secret cash pay-ments were made to Barcenas in exchange for public contracts for construction firm Constructora Hispanica.Barcenas got €600,000 in cash during that time, but only put €114,000 through the PP books as political donations.The rest is alleged to have been put into a central pot, which was then distributed by Barcenas and fellow treasurer Alvaro Lapuerta as backhanders to senior PP of-ficials. A total of €120 million, paid into the fund by a group of businessmen led by Francis-co Correa, is believed to have gone unde-clared. The payment scandal comes against a backdrop of severe austerity, spending cuts and an unemployment rate of 26%. It also comes as Spain tries increasingly hard to raise taxes and penalise middle class earn-ers.On Monday, the threat of political upheaval forced Spanish bond yields to surge and stock markets to dive.

What is alleged?

It is claimed that docu-ments published by El Pais are a list of unde-clared or secret cash payments to senior PP members. The docu-ments – which the PP claims are false - are said to be written by the party’s former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, who re-signed over a separate scandal last year.

What do they say?

The hand-written notes, marked with dates from 1990 to 2008, contain a series of columns. The names of senior PP mem-bers often appear in a left-hand column. In another column, marked as “have” or “out”, appear numbers. Private companies and businessmen are also mentioned in the docu-ments. Alongside these names, in another column marked “owed” or “in”, there are also often large numbers. El Pais claims these are ‘donations’, and that 70% of them would not have fallen within Spain’s party financing laws, which only allow pri-vate donor to give 60,000 euros to a political party in a single year.

We asked four Olive Press readers their opinion on the scandal engulfing SpainPaul O’Connell, 56, a photographer from Mijas, believes that the PM should resign, saying that as well as allegations of corruption, Spain’s leader had plunged the country into ‘economic madness’.“In light of these corruption charges, he should definite-ly step down.Although the truth is, Spain has been rife with corruption for the last 30 years, so it is difficult to know who can replace him?”

Martin Nathan, 60, chairman of Talk Radio Europe, in Marbella, said Rajoy should remain inno-cent until proven guilty and people should refrain from forming an opinion until all the evidence had been heard. He said: “It is simply too early to make a judge-ment one way or another. He is maintaining that the allegations are untrue and before it is proved you can’t assume the allegations are true.”

Jackie Cornwall, 55, from Vejer de la Frontera, said: “We’ve seen from similar scandals in the UK that corruption is endemic in political life, but in the context of today’s uncer-tainties, he should only re-sign if something is proved against him. “That’s assuming there is now a proper legal process to establish the truth, which might be too large an as-sumption.”

Adam Neale, 43, a real estate agent from Estepona, said: “It is certainly not looking good for Rajoy that is for sure. “Is he biding his time so he can make an orderly exit or are the allegations really true?“Let’s hope we see some more excellent investiga-tive journalism in Spain so that all these people can be properly exposed.”

From Page 1

Q & A of the PP corruption scandal

YOUR SHOUT

What was the role of Luis Barcenas? (above)

Luis Barcenas is a for-mer senator, and was the treasurer of the Popular Party from 1990 to 2009. He stepped down from the post, after being impli-cated in a separate, high-profile corruption case in Spain, known as the Gurtel scandal. In that case in Va-lencia, he stands accused of tax fraud and receiving illegal payments. As part of an ongoing investiga-tion into the Gurtel case, it emerged last month that Barcenas had previously held a bank account in Switzerland containing 22 million euros.

Is Rajoy involved?

Mariano Rajoy’s name is written a number of times in the documents pub-lished by El Pais. Along-side his name are num-bers totalling 25,200 for each year, from 1999 to 2008, the dates to which the documents apparently correspond. This means, if true, he took a total €322,000 in black money, which doesn’t appear to have been declared.

A one off case?

No, corruption cases against politicians have become so widespread over the last decade that it seems to be part of a growing cancer in Spanish society. However this is the first time that so many current and former lead-ers of the governing party, including the prime min-ister, have been linked to such a high-profile case.

How damaging could it be?

Even Spain’s right-wing newspapers, such as El Mundo and ABC, who back the PP party, believe that the scandal has already badly damaged the image of the prime minister and his party. There have al-ready been protests and a million people demanding his resignation

What happens next?

The PP has said it will take legal action against those responsible for what it says is a smear campaign. Meanwhile, Spain’s chief state prosecutor has also said that there could be enough evidence to in-vestigate the allegations against the PP, to see if anything illegal has taken place. While the leader of Spain’s main opposition party, Alfredo Perez Rub-alcaba, has called for the prime minister to resign, unless new strong alle-gations or further proof comes out, it is unlikely to happen.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 3NEWS

By Frances Leate

ANTIQUES ARE BACK

FOR those with hidden treasures gathering dust at home, Antiques Roadshow star Eric Knowles will be heading to Mijas to lend a helping hand.The expert will be providing free valuations at this year’s Over 50s show on May 18 and 19 following its move from Estepona.The huge lifestyle event is returning to the Hippo-drome and will feature ev-erything from golf lessons to wine tasting.Other attractions will in-clude cooking demonstra-tions, computer lessons, yoga classes, an art exhibi-tion, legal advice and guid-ance on cosmetic proce-dures.For further info call 902 003896 or email john@slp.ie

GARDEN lovers are be-ing given the chance to get some top tips from Ground Force star Tommy Walsh in the flesh.Finance company HiFX is offering five pairs of VIP tickets to this year’s Homes, Gardens & Life-style Show in Torremo-linos.Along with meeting Tommy, lucky winners will also be treated to cava and canapes at the action-packed event.The show, which runs from April 27 to April 28 at the Palacio de Congresos, will also feature talks from Olive Press gardening colum-nist Sue Rodgers.To enter the compe-tition, simply email sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk with ‘Meet Tom-my’ in the subject line.

NEW mum, Shakira, has tweeted to the world the first glimpse of her baby with footballer husband, Gerard Pique.The Colombian singer released the first official photo of her son, Milan Pique Mebarak, on the social networking site on Monday.The photo shows the tiny tot in the arms of her handsome husband, Pique, who plays for Bar-celona.It shows the footballer cradling his son and plant-

IS PENNY PREGNANT?

Gary Linekar flies mum home for health care

Meet Tommy in Torre!

‘Dear, loving and gracious’

TULISA CUTS SHORT MARBELLA BREAK

Or Milan... to us the short-version of the name of Shakira and Pique’s new baby

ing a kiss on his cheek with the message: “Meet our baby boy Milan.”Shakira, 36, and Pique, 26, have asked for donations to children’s charity, Uni-cef instead of gifts for their newborn.

BarcelonaThe superstar singer said: “We hope that, in his name, other less-privi-leged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations.“Thank you for sharing this unforgettable mo-ment with us.”The She Wolf singer gave birth to Milan on January 22 in a hospital in Barce-

PENELOPE Cruz is rumoured be pregnant again.The rumours began after the Pirates of the Ca-ribbean actress, who is married to fellow actor, Javier Bardem, was spotted visiting the Ruber International Clinic, in Madrid, which special-ises in gynaecology.Cruz, 38, used the clinic during her first preg-nancy with one-year-old son, Leonardo.The news comes just weeks after her 35-year-old sister, Monica, shocked the world by an-nouncing she was pregnant through artificial insemination.The single Agent Provocateur model is expected to give birth a few months before Penelope.Meanwhile Penelope gushed about motherhood in an interview with Vogue in June 2011 and said: “Nature is very wise and gives you nine months to prepare, but in that moment, when you see that face, you are transformed forever.”

lona.Explaining her son’s name, she said: “It means dear, loving and gracious in

Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious.“Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth.”The families are now spend-ing time together at their home in the Spanish city.

GARY Lineker has paid for a private jet to fly his sick mum from Spain to Britain for treatment.The Match of the Day host grew concerned for mum Margaret, 73, who now lives in Spain.She had been hooked up to a drip in Tarragona Hos-pital near Barcelona after becoming ill.

Despite the usually good medical care in Spain, the ex-footballer, preferred that she was cared for in the UK.He paid for a private jet to take her and his brother Wayne, who owns a bar in Marbella, to a UK hospital.

See Spanish doctors saved my life on page 29

NEW DADDY: Pique and Milan see the light

GEMS: Eric Knowles

X-FACTOR presenter Tulisa Contostavlos was forced to shelve a short break to Marbella early after her boyfriend got involved in a vi-cious brawl in the UK.The N-Dubz singer was seen looking glum at Malaga airport after she had to return home to see Danny Simpson who had been spotted lying unconscious on a Newcastle pavement with blood dripping from his mouth.Before the incident, the singer had been pho-tographed enjoying food, champagne and shots of Jagermeister at La Sala Restaurant, in Puerto Banus, with friends (right).

4 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 20134 NEWS

EXECUTED

EXCLUSIVE By Mason Jones

Please save our fish

A BRITISH expat has called in police after witnessing a dog being ‘brutally beaten and killed’ outside her home in Almogia.Susie Murdoch, 55, saw a man trying to retrieve a male mastiff from the top of her drive before launch-ing a vicious attack on the animal.“I saw the mastiff, then a man following it and shout-ing as it tried to hide behind a tree. He picked up a very large stick from the ground and began beating the dog

Expat calls in cops after pet dog beaten to death in her drive

so I ran up the drive shout-ing,” said Murdoch.“He shouted something back at me in Spanish and then walked away.”As the owner left the prem-ises, Murdoch went after the injured animal.After nearly 30 minutes of searching, Murdoch saw the dog collapse in a nearby field through a pair of binoculars.Murdoch, originally from

Brighton, found the animal dead with what appeared to be a broken spine.After reporting the attack to the Guardia Civil, Murdoch has been asked by some lo-cals to withdraw her claims because ‘the man has a wife and children’.“That is something I will not do,” she said.“It’s absolutely disgusting, the dog was killed just be-cause it wouldn’t go back to him,” added the expat.It emerges that the man, who is thought to be in his mid-forties, also owns sev-eral other animals.Mastiffs are commonly used throughout Spain to guard livestock due to their size and temperament.The incident is just one of many recent reports of ani-mal cruelty in Andalucia, with one man running over his dog recently in Estepona.The case has now been re-ferred to the Guardia Civil.

THOUSANDS of rare and endangered fish are at risk of death as an aquarium falls further into financial hot wa-ter. The aquarium - Andalucia’s largest - in Roquetas de Mar is likely to have its electricity switched off due to an unpaid bill for €9,500 this week. The cut off would cause the death of more than a thousand different species, in-cluding rare and protected fish. It has been struggling un-der a €3.5 million debt for several years.

4

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 5NEWS

ELECTRIC NEWS FOR PYLON COUPLE

EXCLUSIVE By Frances Leate

INSURANCE STITCH UP

Pensioners find they are uninsured after robbery despite signing insurance forms and having money in their bank to pay itAN elderly couple who claim to have been bullied by their bank into changing their insurance policy were devastated to discover they

were not covered after being burgled.Terry and Doreen Barker, both in their 70s, say they felt ‘intimidated’ by their

bank Unicaja after visiting it in May 2011.After what Mr Barker de-scribes as ‘hard sales tactics’ the couple were talked into

THE Olive Press can claim another victory in fighting bureaucracy in Spain after we exposed town hall bosses who had stopped home own-ers getting electricity installed.It comes after we told in our last issue how Ken and Val Kendal had been fighting for ten years and spent €90,000 trying to get electricity in their home in Yunquera.Despite erecting 12 pylons and do-ing everything by the book they were told by their town hall that a new law was prohibiting them getting

switched on. However, after the Olive Press contacted town hall bosses it sparked a turn around and within a matter of days Ende-sa were given the go ahead to in-stall a meter and turn on the elec-tricity. The reason for the U-Turn is still unknown, but Kendal said he was delighted with the decision. “Thanks for all your help. The day after the article appeared I went to Endesa and signed to have it turned on and we now have elec-tricity after ten long years.”

cancelling their insurance policy with Linea Directa and swapping for one with Caser, owned by Unicaja.They received a food mix-er as part of the deal and signed up to an annual di-rect debit scheme for a total of €411.13 to insure their property in Velez-Malaga.In February, while celebrat-ing his 75th birthday, the couple were contacted by their security company to inform them they had been burgled.The burglars stole Mrs Barker’s jewellery, money from their safe and a lap-top computer, all totalling around €8,000.Mr Barker said: “When we returned we couldn’t believe what we were seeing, there was absolute destruction ev-erywhere.”

But unfortunately worse was to come when they con-tacted Caser to claim on his home contents insurance.“They told me the policy had been cancelled and when I contacted Unicaja they con-firmed the horrifying news,” he explained.“This was despite never re-ceiving any communication from them. Quite simply the direct debit had not been processed and the premi-ums had not been paid.“We were beyond devas-tated, we couldn’t bear to sleep in the house and my wife even wanted to go back to England.“As if this wasn’t enough we even got let down by our own bank.”He added: “We should nev-

er have given in to them.”Despite having all the insur-ance documents signed by the bank, plus never having less than €4,000 in the ac-count at any time, the bank insisted the policy was void.A spokeswoman for Unicaja said the bank had sent two letters to Barker informing him of the problem with the direct debit, although Bark-er claims he never received them.The spokesperson added: “Unicaja is willing to listen to considerations of Barker, in line with the attention and service that the com-pany provides to its custom-ers.”The couple have since em-ployed a solicitor who is now handling the case.

THE BARKERS:Let down by bank

6 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013

OPINION

The original and only English-languageinvestigative newspaper in Andalucía

Tel: 951166060 (admin) or 952895230 (editorial)A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in southern Spain - 186,000 copies distributed monthly (120,000 digitally) with an estimated readership, including the website, of more than 500,000 people a month.

Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029Urb Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350 MalagaPrinted by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.Editor: Jon Clarkejon@theolivepress.esNews editor: James Bryce james@theolivepress.esReporters:Frances Leate frances@theolivepress.esMason Jones mason@theolivepress.es

Distribution: 951 166 060

Admin/advertising sales:Pauline Olivera admin@theolivepress.esSALES TEAM:West Costa del Sol Jane Jewson 673 958 858AxarquiaCharlie Bamber 661 452 180CadizElizabeth Gould 683 337 342Ronda/San Pedro/MarbellaJon Clarke 691 831 399

the olive pressFREE

Got anewsstory?

Contact our team of journalists in our

Costa del Sol office on

951127006 or 691831399

or emailnewsdesk@

theolivepress.es

FEATURE

Homing a puppy is one thing, find-

ing a home for an older dog is

another

It’s a dog’s life for many animals on the Costa del Sol thanks to an army of expats who give their time to car-ing, discov-ers Frances Leate

MOST people travel-ling to Andalucia on holiday or even moving here to live

will no doubt be moved by the plight of the thousands of abandoned and stray ani-mals roaming the streets and countryside.But it takes a certain kind of person to decide they want to do something about it.From donating, adopting, volunteering and fundrais-ing these determined people with the will to change things for the better are working be-hind the scenes at a handful of animal charities in South-ern Spain and making a daily difference to the lives of ani-mals.In far too many cases they are saving them from death through starvation or unimag-inable cruelty.Mary Page, chairman of Ad-ana animal rescue, in Este-pona, moved to Spain several years ago and while walking her dog in the countryside her and her partner came across a female dog close to death.She said: “The dog was com-pletely skeletal and looked as though its eye had been kicked in.“It was a shocking sight.”Despite taking her home and making daily trips to the vet after a week it was apparent she was suffering too much and Mary reluctantly had to have her put to sleep. “It was then we realised that although, originally, we had moved to Spain for the quiet life, the problem of aban-doned dogs was so great it just couldn’t be ignored,” she said.Mary then got involved with Adana, which has been run-ning in the Estepona area since 1989.Set up by English expats and

local Spanish people con-cerned by the growing num-bers of abandoned dogs in the seaside town, the rescue kennels take in up to 400 dogs and puppies each year, re-homing around 250.Last November alone they had more than 60 dogs com-ing into the centre.The charity has the all-impor-tant kennels, a second hand shop in Camino Padre Cura, Estepona, and a stall at the Sunday Rastro, in Sabinillas, but are entirely reliant on fun-draising and donations from the public to fund the €8,000 a month it costs to shelter, vaccinate and feed all the dogs.The charity has been in talks with Estepona Town Hall

(which has a statutory re-sponsibility to provide shelter for abandoned animals) to help with funding in the fu-ture but in the meantime they have around 200 dogs and puppies in their care, all in need of homes.With only three to five volun-teers helping out each day and two mem-bers of staff, Mary admits there are simply too many dogs.However, putting a dog to sleep is only ever a very last resort.She said: “All the dogs we

take in are checked over by a vet, fed and given shelter.“Then we advertise the dogs on our web-site for adoption.“They are well cared for and we would only ever put a dog to sleep if it was too vicious or gravely ill.”Earlier this month, a very timid female dog was bought in to the

centre who had endured terri-ble cruelty, both her ears had been cut off and the story saddened many people.

It is now hoped she can be ad-opted and find a home where she will be treated in the way she deserves.A n o t h e r dog, now on her way to

recovery and awaiting adop-tion, was found starving and chained to a tree.While the Olive Press was at Adana a Danish couple were choosing a puppy to take home, one of the more hap-pier occasions at the centre, the couple were thrilled with their new found friend, who was also clearly grateful to find a proper home.However, homing a puppy is one thing, finding somewhere for an older dog that may not have the ‘cute factor’ is an-other.Some dogs have spent half their life at the centre, always being passed by by potential

A LEADING expat insurer, Liberty Seguros, has launched a new pet insurance policy. With the cost of vets fees increasing every year the policy will make sure your pet is protected if it needs treatment because of an accident or illness. The affordable insur-ance will not only cover against accidents and illnesses but public liability, a stay in kennels if you are taken into hospital and help with the expenses of finding your pet if it gets lost. Pet owners who take out a policy before March 31 will receive a €25 shopping voucher to spend in El Corte Ingles. Contact www.libertyexpatri-ates.es or call 902 255 258.

NEW PET INSURANCE LAUNCHED

Puppy loveHAPPY: Jorgen and Jane with puppy

Time to go

SPAIN’S prime minister is under intense scrutiny over the illegal payment scandal that is threatening to engulf his government.The idea of political corruption is clearly nothing new in Spain and is so endemic throughout town halls and central government that it has almost become normalised.But the allegations facing Rajoy and the PP are far from normal and the importance of uncovering the truth behind the scandal cannot be over-emphasised.If it transpires that top government officials were indeed taking ille-gal cash payments from a secret slush fund, the legitimacy of their ruthless pursuit of the little man is completely undermined.How can a government that wilfully allows ordinary Spaniards to be made redundant and kicked out of their homes while creaming off thousands in undeclared payments be treated with any credibility whatsoever?It seems unlikely at this stage that Rajoy will step down, as he vows to continue his battle to save Spain’s shattered economy.But with 77% of Spaniards believing he’s unfit to lead the country, surely from now on he will be little more than a dead man walking.

Checks for animal owners

In recent months we have seen a string of reports about animals being tortured and killed in Andalucia.From a dog being run over by its owner (issue 153) to a man break-ing his dog’s back in this issue. While the fact that laws have now been put in place to prosecute animal abusers is undoubtedly a good thing, not enough is being done to protect the animals in the first place. The SPAP (Spain’s RSPCA equivalent) do a great job of caring for injured and unwanted pets but first we must tackle the root of the problem, the owners.If this kind cruelty continues it should be mandatory for would-be animal owners to undergo checks for previous violent crimes along with passing a basic animal care test.

Milan really?

AS far as weird and wonderful names for babies in Celebland go, the more bizarre the better.Sadly, for a whole generation of famous children, no law has yet been passed to prevent famous families naming their children af-ter a variety of fruit and vegetables (Apple -Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) and we have even had a child born into the world named after a town in Essex (Harlow-Nicole Richie). And thanks to Sir Bob Geldof, the champion parent of weird name calling, we have had Peaches, Fifi, Pixie and Tiger Lily. So when Shakira and her husband, Gerard Pique, announced their tiny newborn would be blessed with the name of the Italian city, Milan, people barely batted an eyelid.We at the Olive Press wondered if perhaps they were either doing a Victoria and David Beckham by naming him after the city he was conceived in (Brooklyn) or that Pique was hoping to make a trans-fer to the Italian team.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 7FEATURE

Animals in Distress (A.I.D) was set up by Jose and Janice Ruiz and their mission is to reduce the amount of stray and abandoned animals in the Coin area.They moved to the Costa del Sol in 1998 and are now a reg-istered charity with a team of vol-unteers looking after 250 animals a year. The couple are keen to find a home for Carmen, who came into the rescue centre as a pup a year ago.She is a Dalmatian cross who was found with her mum. She is described as a fun loving pup who likes her walks. For more information visit www.an-imal-in-distress.eu.

TRIPLE A: The Marbella and San Pedro based charity cares for around 500 abandoned and abused cats and dogs. Visit www.aaahelps.com, or call 952 771 586.

The National Association of Breeders of Rare Andalucian Giant Donkeys (ANCRAA):This Association has a breeding sanctuary in Estepona.Visit www.ancraa.org or call 952 790 511.

CYD SANTA MARIA:This Malaga-based charity cares for aban-doned and mistreated horses.

For more information visit: www.aso-ciacioncydsantamaria.es.

PAD:The PAD animal charity saves many aban-doned dogs and cats and finds them new homes. Call Barbara on 952 486 084 or email: info@padcatsanddogs.org

PEPIS DOG REFUGE:Pepis Dog Refuge is a registered non-profit charity solely run by volunteers to help fight animal cruelty towards Galgos, Spanish Greyhounds. Visit www.pepisdogrefuge.com

OTHER ANIMAL CHARITIES IN ANDALUCIA

Adana dog rescue is based in Estepona and cares for unwanted and abandoned dogs.Henry is recovering from a nasty eye infection and needs to be given eye ointment three times a day.He needs lots of TLC and the vet says his best chance for a better life would be to find a caring home.Volunteers at Adana have described him as a well-behaved and patient dog. Anyone able to foster or adopt Henry can contact the centre on 0034 952 113 467 or email adoptions@adana.es.

The Andalucian Rescue Centre for Horses (ARCH) is a volunteer run charity that provides care for abandoned horses and donkeys based in Alhaurin el Grande.Resident, Indio, is looking for a home.The 15-year-old Skewbald Gelding pony is 13.2 hands, gentle, well-mannered and loves children.For more information about Indio or to volunteer, donate or adopt call Jill on 0034 656 935 613 or Claire on 0034 635 798 219. Or email: info@horserescue-spain.org.

Please help us find a home

owners.Mary said: “We have dogs here that may never get homed. It is very sad for them because they would certainly benefit from some human love and affection in their last few years of life.”An adopted dog, vaccinated, micro-chipped and neu-tered or castrated, costs €150 and comes with a pet passport.Older dogs that have been at the centre for a long time will be given to a good home for free.

To see the full list of dogs for adoption or fostering or to find out about fundrais-ing events, volun-teering or becoming a flight companion, visit the charity’s website: www.ad-ana.es.

8 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 20138

EXCLUSIVE By Mason Jones

YOU can now get a car in-surance quote in just three minutes via your smart-phone.It comes thanks to a new website launched by Línea Directa, which can give you the quote after just 10 ques-tions. The website will initially be available for offering car in-surance quotes and hopes to give over 150,000 quotes a year via the method.

Smart quote

NEWS

A VICTIM of a Marbella wedding planner who fled Spain leaving a trail of un-paid debt has called for more people to report her to Irish police.The Olive Press reported in October that Spanish Dream Weddings owner Sue Danker (far right), al-legedly ‘vanished’ without paying at least 15 suppliers.She also left a number of couples ‘high and dry’ on the day of their wedding before moving, it can be re-vealed, to live near Dublin.Now Keith Comerford, who is still owed €1,200 from Danker, believes more peo-ple will have to report her before action is taken.“The Department of Public Prosecution in Dublin said that if enough people report her and there is a strong enough case they might send an investigator out to Spain,” said the 31-year-old Dubliner.

Foul PlayLike many of those who have approached the Olive Press regarding Danker, Comerford was only aware of foul play when suppli-ers began to call asking for money.“When we met Sue she had a good vibe and she said she’d do it for a good price.“I gave her €2,000 to pay everyone on the day but af-ter the wedding our photog-rapher called up saying he needed his €500.”Comerford was later con-tacted by other suppliers, who again claimed they had not been paid.One couple told the Olive Press they had to pay for their entire wedding again, totalling over €15,000, and several others are still owed thousands by Danker, in-cluding Tanya Brown, who got married last summer in

Nerja.Comerford feels he and his wife ‘got off lightly’ with a bill of €1,200.At the time of publication the Olive Press has been un-

Victim of Marbella wedding planner calls for victims to come forward to get her investigated

able to contact Danker, who is now thought to be living in Swords, Dublin.

See our wedding supple-ment starting on page 19

SHE DESERVES HER BIG DAY...IN COURT!

A CHARITY worker who had been missing for sev-eral weeks has been found dead.Richard Sturman, 82, who worked at Cudeca, was found dead after falling down a bank beside a road.A colleague who worked with him described him as a ‘wonderful man’ who cared about other people.

UK budget hotel chain Trav-elodge is expanding and building two new hotels in Spain.Some €327 million is being spent on the two new hotels in Madrid and Barcelona, as well as a refurbishment of three other hotels it owns around Spain.

Sad end for expat Travelodge set to expand in Spain

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 9NEWSNews IN BRIEF

9

Landmark meeting

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to have their homes rebuilt af-ter the Mijas fires have held a ‘breakthrough’ meeting with Spain’s top ombuds-man and local councillors.Members of the Phoenix Campaign group met with Soledad Becerril in La Cala de Mijas before taking her on a tour of the fire ravaged area.Spain’s leading upholder of citizen’s rights, a for-mer government minister, promised to fight for their case.Most of the victims have been waiting five months to get the go ahead to rebuild their homes after the fires last August.The meeting was also at-tended by Mijas deputy mayor Carmen Marques and a number of council-lors.Pat Laing, campaign spokesman, explained:

Phoenix group campaign gets Spain’s ombudsman on the case

“The meeting went really well. She is pretty powerful and will now ask some ques-tions of the Junta.“I think we were very lucky to get a face to face meeting with her.”The issue-backed by an Ol-ive Press campaign-was also recently discussed in the Andalucia Parliament and it was unanimously agreed the situation should be re-solved as soon as possible.In the meeting Green coun-cillor Juan Porras, said he hoped his vote would help to ‘unlock a situation that affects many people’.Meanwhile, PSOE spokes-man, Fuensanta Lima, said: “The municipal officers should approach the scat-tered groups to explain to those affected the process forward.”

By Frances Leate

Double deathA SEVILLA woman charged with double infanticide after two dead babies were found in her freezer does not have a mental disorder, according to psychologists.

Budget visitsMalaga province attracted the same number of tourists last year as in 2011, but they stayed less time and spent less money.

Road rumpus A group fighting for the completion of the link between Coin and the A357 motorway has announced it is to file a criminal suit over the Junta’s failure to conclude the works.

Super supportPresident of the Mercadona supermarket chain, Juan Roig, has launched a scheme to help entrepreneurs fund sustainable and innovative projects.

10 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 11GREEN NEWS

Green news IN BRIEFDon’t dig up Doñana

No wind up

SPANISH windfarms have produced more electric-ity than any other power source for the first time in Spain, according to an in-dustry body.Over the past three months more than a quar-ter of the country’s energy came from wind turbines, which out-performed both nuclear and coal-fired power stations.In total, Spain delivered over six terawatt-hours of electricity from its wind farms in January alone, according to the Spanish Wind Energy Association.“Since November 1, wind has been the top technol-ogy in the electrical sys-tem,” read a statement.“The last time any tech-nology exceeded six ter-awatt-hours of monthly generation was in 2010, when it was combined-cycle gas turbines.”

Environmentalists threaten action after license is issued to explore for gas near park, where the world’s last lynx still cling on to survivalWindfarms

break a record

MAYORS BOYCOTT NEW COAST LAW MEETING

ONE of Spain’s most important conservation zones is under threat after a gas company was granted permission to drill for gas in the area.The site is on the border of

Donana National Park, which is a key habitat for the endan-gered Iberian Lynx. Petroleum Oil Gas-Espana has been given the go-ahead to analyse the soil to determine the potential profitability of gas extraction in the region.The project, which could include the construction of an 18 kilome-tre-long gas pipe, moved a step closer to reality following the granting of a Declaration of En-vironmental Impact document.

BlockThe company is due to invest €2.2 million in the scheme, which has been criticised by en-vironmentalists, who may now call on the EU to block it. “The foremost goal of this proj-ect is the production of natural gas, and the second goal is to later use the deposits as under-ground gas storage,” according to a government spokesman.

By James Bryce

MAYORS and councillors refused to attend a meeting called by the Junta to discuss a new controversial plan-ning law.Not one of the Costa del Sol’s PP May-ors turned up for the meeting to ratify a new law which bans construction within 500 metres of the coastline.The politicians are angry that the so called Ley de Costa, which came into force in November, aims to halt much of the construction that was originally planned in the 1980s and 1990s.It means that scores of development projects, which many town leaders hoped would bring in revenue and jobs, will now no longer happen.

The decree affects 11 towns in Malaga including Estepona, where the con-struction of 16,751 projected proper-ties is no longer likely.This includes a scheme linked to the Saudi Arabian royal family which in-volved building a luxury residential development with 1,477 homes, a ho-tel and a golf course on 60 hectares of land.The new law may also have an impact on the new CHARE hospital develop-ment in Cerros de Aguila which aims to serve patients in Mijas and Fuengi-rola. In the Axarquia, schemes in the La Noria, Playazo Beach and Punta Lara areas are also in jeopardy.

Africa fishingSPAIN looks set to strike a new ‘more profitable’ fishing deal with Morocco, according to Andalucian Federation of Fisheries boss Pedro Maza.

Olive woes Andalucia’s olive harvest is expected to total 560,000 tons this season, down nearly 60% from last year and the worst since 1999.

Health dumpEnvronmental group, Ecologists in Action, have written a public letter to Nerva Town Hall urging them to study the effects of a nearby land-fill has on public health.

12 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 12

PRICE DROPPED AGAIN

FOR QUICK SALE

€ 135,000

NEWS

A MADRID court is to hear whether El Pais libelled a Russian entrepreneur over claims he laundered money for African lead-er Teodoro Obiang.A Moscow court has already ruled that the article about Vladi-mir Kokorev was libellous. It claimed he was involved in a money laundering scheme for various officials from Obiang’s Equatorial Guinea government.The scheme involved the purchase of various properties includ-ing two in Madrid and one in the Canary Islands and Kokorev was said to have laundered “immense amounts of money”.However, the Spanish government has denied any investiga-tion against Kokorev. According to his lawyer Kirill Yaschenkov it is “absurd” that Obiang would launder money via Kokorev in Spain to acquire a modest 90m2 apartment in Las Palmas, of Gran Canaria.

NO INVESTIGATION AGAINST RUSSIAN EXPAT

AN investigation has been launched into a Costa del Sol house fire which killed a friend of the Duchess of York.Property magnate David Elias (above) is believed to have been overcome by noxious fumes caused by a candle setting fire to a rug in his Marbella home.Elias is believed to have pre-

Fergie pal killed in blazeDavid Elias had allegedly previously faked his own death following €100m investment scandal

viously faked his own death after the Serious Fraud Of-fice launched an investiga-tion into the collapse of an investment firm.He was declared dead in May 2009 having appar-ently died from pneumonia and his ashes were said to have been scattered in the Borneo jungle.But the businessman myste-riously reappeared in Spain

18 months ago and had been living in an apart-ment in Nagueles with his eastern European girl-friend. A neighbour raised the alarm after seeing smoke pouring from a window of the property.“He was alone, he had told his girlfriend not to come over because he wanted to sleep,” said a friend. “There had been a power cut in his building and it seems the candles he had lit burnt down and set fire to some rugs.“Apparently they gave off noxious fumes.”

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 13

14 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 GIBRALTAR NEWS

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 15GIBRALTAR NEWS

Gib IN BRIEFPLAYING THE GAME

Don’t stub us out

UK gambling firms based in Gi-braltar are facing fresh scrutiny over their tax dealings after it emerged offshore bookies are saving €290 million a year on UK tax. All of the top 10 so-called ‘remote gambling’ operators are now based in offshore tax havens in-cluding Gibraltar. This has cost the UK Treasury more than €1 billion in lost duty since 2009, yet the loophole is expected to remain open for a further two years.

FavourableTwo of the UK’s leading betting firms, William Hill and Lad-brokes, are both UK plcs with a large presence on the high street. But bets placed via their websites or phone lines are regulated and taxed in Gibraltar, which offers more favourable tax conditions compared to the UK. Many firms claim to have been forced offshore due to what they describe as the UK’s ‘uncompeti-tive’ tax rate. Ladbrokes said it had moved off-shore ‘to survive and compete’, while William Hill insists it pays corporation tax on the whole group’s earnings.

A GIBRALTAR MEP has called on the EU to in-vestigate whether new re-strictions on the sale of to-bacco discriminate against Spaniards living near the border. Recent legislation intro-duced by the Spanish government restricts the number of cigarettes peo-ple living within 15km of the frontier can bring into Spain from the Rock. The figure has been re-duced to 80 cigarettes each month, compared to

Sir Graham Watson calls on EU to investigate whether new restrictions on tobacco imports are fair

200 previously. Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson has called on the European Commis-sion to investigate whether or not this is a fair policy. In questions tabled in the European Parliament, Watson points out that the same policy is not applied to Spaniards bringing to-bacco into the country from Andorra, Ceuta and Melilla. He said: “With VAT and duty being lower in An-dorra as well as Melilla

TOP officials from a number of cruise com-panies have visited Gibraltar to see what the Rock can offer holidaymakers. The familiarisation trips are the latest effort by the government to attract more visitors to Gibraltar. Tourism Minister Neil Costa is meeting ex-ecutives from Thomson Cruises this week, having already entertained representatives of Carnival UK. “I am very pleased to welcome senior execu-tives of another cruise company to Gibraltar,” said Costa. “Their visit is part of the Government’s ongo-ing commitment to increase cruise ship calls and to develop new tours for passengers.”

Cruising for commerce

and Ceuta, these territo-ries represent a threat to customs revenue similar to that posed by those enter-ing Spain from Gibraltar. “In light of this, does the Commission consider that a consistent, fair and non-discriminatory approach

would see similar thor-ough checks also being re-quired at these frontiers?” Guardia Civil officers seized a total of 7,898 car-tons of cigarettes and 299 vehicles in 484 separate incidents at the Gibraltar border in January alone.

LUCRATIVE: Cruise ships bring substantial revenue

New heights

Gibraltar government has built an open-air escalator linking Engineers Lane with the Upper Town area of the Rock.

Power struggle GSD leadership candidates Daniel Feetham and Damon Bossino have given presentations to the party executive in a bid to win support.

Back track Spanish cross-border workers association Citypeg has apologised to the Gibraltar Government over discrimination claims made in December.

Minister visit Spain’s Minister for Social Services Samantha Sacramento has visited a centre for people with learning difficulties in La Linea.

16 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 201316 31AXARQUIA NEWSAxq IN BRIEF

Care-homeclosure

Off-duty heroAN off-duty policeman and two local residents have stopped a knife-wielding caravan bur-glar in Velez-Malaga.Owners of the caravan, a father and his son, were

Policeman on holiday wades in to arrest a robber armed with a knife

By Mason Jonessurprised to come home to find two men remov-ing items from their trailer last Thursday at 4.00 pm.While one of the rob-bers fled the scene im-mediately, the other man pulled out a blade measuring 14 centime-tres.

Stanley knifeAlerted by the commo-tion, an off-duty police officer managed to grab the weapon and wrestle the man to the ground before back-up arrived.Police later found the man was also armed with a Stanley knife and a screwdriver. Velez Malaga mayor Francisco Bonilla con-gratulated the officer, pointing out that he had also solved two other crimes in the town in just one week.

A DAYCARE cen-tre for the el-derly has shut in Riogordo leaving six OAPs with no-where to spend their days.The home has been forced to close after being hit with losses of €30,000.Local mayor An-tonio Ales admit-ted: “We have a set plan to meet a debt of nearly €1 million and we simply cannot find €30,000 to serve just six people.”

School attacker gets prison

A MAN who assaulted his child’s teacher at a Velez-Mal-aga school has been given an eight month suspended prison sentence.The incident, reported in our last issue, occurred when the student at IES Reyes Catolicos school called her father after she was told off for being late.When he arrived at the school, the man entered the classroom and assaulted the teacher by grabbing his head and pushing him to the ground.The attack, which took place in front of the girl’s classmates, left the teacher with an eye in-jury and cuts and bruises.A 300-strong crowd later gath-ered to condemn the incident, which education authorities in Malaga described as ‘disgust-ing’.Along with the suspended sen-tence, the father has also been ordered to pay the teacher over €430 in compensation.

Infant supportALMACHAR Mayor Jose Gamuz said that parents of children born in 2013 will receive shopping vouchers and a 12 month work contract will be offered to one of the parents if they are both unemployed.

Con-vertVelez-Malaga’s 16th century Las Claras convent may be bought by the town hall and converted into a cultural centre after lying empty for over three years.

Town spendVelez-Malaga Town Hall has announced it will publish an annual declaration of spending and profit on www.velezmalaga.es.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 17

18 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 LETTERS

POTTED POINTERS

ANDALUCIA RESERVOIRLEVELSThis week: 78.24% full Same week last year: 76.92% Same week in 2003: 57.25%

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 worth1.3258 American Dollars0.8151 British Pounds1.3114 Canadian Dollars7.4605 Danish Kroner10.275 H Kong Dollars7.3611 Norwegian Kroner1.6153 Singapore Dollars

Letters should be posted to Urb. Cayetano Arroyo, Buzon 13, Arriate 29350, Malaga or emailed to letters@theolivepress.es The writer’s name and address should be provided. Published opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.

PLEASEWRITE

Bleeding us dryto take a well needed break and spend Christ-mas with my family abroad. I cannot thank them enough for their caring and generosity.A big thank you to the President, John Harg-reaves and his wife, and to Charles Betty.Also to Bay Trees where my mother was looked af-ter so well.

Louise Dodge, via email

I have been caring for my mother, who is soon to be 102, for several years. Last June what little help we received from the Ley de Dependencia was stopped due to the crisis and I am now finding it very difficult to cope as she is severely incapaci-tated.Age Care were very kind and offered to pay for a month’s stay for her at a local elderly people’s home on Benalmadena Costa, thus enabling me

Thank you to all at Age Care

Dear Olive Press,

ALL the English newspa-pers seem to be focusing on the threats of huge taxes and fines relating to any as-sets held outside of Spain. Have the Spanish decided that bleeding us expats dry will get them out of the fi-nancial black hole that their greed and corruption got themselves into in recent years?I’m rather cynical at pres-ent, because I just found out this week that as a resident of Benalmadena for many years, my modest 3 bed-room villa, if sold, would at-tract a Plus Valia local prop-erty tax of over €46,900.I therefore can never af-ford to sell my property and move even if I want to.

John Attenborough, Benalmadena

Belt upI suffer from Parkinson’s disease and don’t drive any more but I have a Citroen Saxo which a friend drives for me. We decided to visit Torrox Costa one evening and at the entrance to the Avenida del Faro we were stopped by the Policia Local. They asked us where we were going and if my friend was prepared to take a breath test.

He was and it was negative. They asked whose car it was and for the car’s documents. This all took some time and at the end of it all the officer said that he was going to is-sue my friend with a denun-cia for not wearing his seat belt. My friend strongly protest-ed because he was wearing it but the policeman said he had only just put it on. I know my friend was wear-ing his seat belt. Not only does he always do so, but with the effects of Parkinson’s disease, I sometimes have difficulty putting my seatbelt on and it has become a ritual that, after putting his on, he helps me with mine. The police were mistaken. It was very dark both inside and outside the car and dif-ficult to see clearly. I was wondering if you had heard about any other prob-lems with the Policia Local?

Ernest Hole, via email

Fueling debateI was amazed to read Ju-lian Ward’s letter on the subject of the Winter Fuel

Allowance in your last is-sue, especially considering the marked difference in temperature in Fuengirola compared with the UK at this time. For a person who has lived in Spain for the last 25 years and who has presumably paid no tax or NIC in the

UK in that time to complain about being ‘cheated by DWP’ is a bit hard to take for someone like myself who has paid his full whack all his working and pensioned life. I appreciate that there must be areas in Spain which get cold in the winter, but I can-not understand why ex-pats

like him should expect the UK taxpayer to shell out to people who pay nothing in to the pot.

Evan JonesNeath, UK

Need of helpI am 70 years of age and had a stroke with lasting weakness on my right side. I also have balance prob-lems due to arthosis of the cervical vertebrae and vi-sual problems in the dark.I have to walk at night 2.5 kms along a dirt track to my home, because the track has in part been made impassable for my car because the track is damaged.Last time I tried I had to have the car towed and re-paired at a cost of €70.I have tried to everything I know to find a solution and spoken to the mayor of Jimena, the Guardia Civil, the Policia Local and the medical social worker, tell-ing them my plight. I have no drinking water other than what I can carry and if I were taken ill no ambulance could reach me.The mayor of Jimena, Guiliermo Diaz Diaz, has offered to make funds available to effect a repair, but not until March.We originally had a meet-ing in the mayor’s office; there was a lot of angry exchanges, but after that everything has dissipated.

Charles Butters, San Pab-lo de Buceite

CorrectionsThe Olive Press wishes to correct an error made in the School Report Card for Almunecar International School in the last issue (no, 153 January 24 2013).In the report we listed Sue Richards as the current head teacher, which is in-correct. Dawn Harris is the current head teacher and has been since taking up the post in September 2012.We apologise for the er-ror and any inconvenience caused.

In our education supple-ment we featured a case study on home educator, Louise Sutton. If anyone would like to get in touch with her about home edu-cation, the correct email is sutton.lula@gmail.com

Across7 Tos (6) * 8 Notices (6) * 9 Almost (4) * 10 Agricul-tural (8) * 11 Fértil (7) * 13 Vacío (5) * 15 Artículos (5) * 16 Legend (7) * 18 Poisonous (8) * 19 Termina (4) * 21 Trace (6) * 22 Scarce (6).

Down1 Soup (4) * 2 Cracking (13) * 3 Por Lo General (7) * 4 Hada (5) * 5 Circunferencia (13) * 6 Contaminado (8) * 12 Deliver (8) * 14 Fears (7) * 17 Poles (5) * 20 Polvo (4). = 198

CROSSMOT 154

Introducing our brand new Spanish learning crossword

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 19A All about ndalucia weddingsIssue 154 Feb 6 2013

19

Splice up your life!

ONE sunny afternoon back in 1998 my hus-band got down on one knee and made the most romantic of proposals; Right on top of a mountain in the Serrania de Ronda,

surrounded by goats and a bemused looking goat herd! Of course I said ‘yes’, and from that moment on we began a journey into the unknown and, as much as anything, the world of Spanish bureaucracy! We quickly discovered that getting married here was going to prove quite a challenge, especially in those cloudy ‘pre-internet days’ when you relied on local priests, town hall clerks and the occasional expat ‘aficionado’ to provide semi-accurate and sometimes conflicting information. We found it a real learning experience and had soon created a thick file on the subject, (so good was it that even the British Embassy called us once or twice to confirm a few facts!). After gleaning a wealth of information and armed with a local newspaper’s classified section for local florists and photographers we set out to arrange our own wedding. All in all it took us six months and I remember, fol-lowing the wedding, somebody casually mentioned that we should start our own wedding business.It was said as a joke, but with all the information we’d compiled, we actually took it seriously and our first ‘baby’ was born, ‘The Wedding Service’. Now a decade-and-a-half later with two more ba-bies in tow and still happily mar- Turn to Page 20

Pict

ure

cred

it: T

alia

Gira

udo

at w

ww.

thor

ough

lygor

geou

s.co

m

Claire Chiappe on the trials and tribulations of getting married in Spain

20 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 201320 Weddings specialried (well, we’ve weathered the odd Costa storm or two like most couples!) we have plenty of weddings under our belts.From large churches to small chapels, country fin-cas to big seaside dos we have done the lot.There have rarely been dull moments, plus some hairy times too, for example sit-ting outside the law courts in Malaga waiting for the right judge to appear.

Farmer Then there were the hours spent at Estepona Register Office, circa 1999, watching the clerk laboriously type out on her ancient typewrit-er the paperwork for a mar-riage application, tippex-ing out the mistakes.These were the days before the term ‘Wedding Planner’ even hit the pages of Bride Magazine. Looking back over the last decade or so we have had some memorable moments! They include the organist who failed to arrive at the church as his wife had gone into labour and me desper-ately sending the wedding car round the block to give us time to find a replace-ment.Then there was Jamie chas-ing around farmland in an

Never a dull momentFrom Page 19

attempt to find the farmer, who supplied the white homing doves, to be re-leased romantically in the glorious surroundings of a luxury five star hotel and forced to sit up all night keeping an eye on the doves just in case one died.Those and many more little details, but on a positive note, for all the responsibili-ty, it is a wonderful and hap-py vocation, very rewarding

Pict

ure

cred

it: T

revo

r Bro

oks

Frances piece

AVOID THE WEDDING WOES

when you see the happiness and joy that comes through on the day.We have also recently been asked if we organise di-vorces. Tough to tackle on the legal front, but food for thought... we are always up for a good party!

Claire Chiappe is the owner of The Wedding Service w w w . w e d d i n g s e r v i c e -spain.com

Spanish romantic?...hmm

I HAVE always considered myself as a bit of a Bridget Jones-type, drowning in wine and experiencing endless disappointments in love all the while wearing pin-striped pyja-mas and singing love ballads on the sofa. Well, not really, but I have had my fair share of crushes on inappropri-ate men and not nearly enough Mr Darcy types to sweep me off my feet.So moving to Spain presented me with a new opportunity to find Mr Right.I hate to generalise, but I was done with beer-swigging Brits with their eyes glued to the football every night or career-obsessed English-men waking at the crack of dawn just to beat their boss to work.I wanted butterflies-in-the-stomach romance, of the distinctly Spanish-kind.I imagined quickly finding a Javier Bardem-type, passionate and in-tense with a penchant for grand ro-mantic gestures.Outgoing, flirtatious and sexy, the Latino lover stereotype wasn’t something I was entirely unfamiliar with. A few years back I found my-self knee deep in love with a Cuban.My pina colada-induced romance didn’t last much longer than my two week holiday though, especially after I found out that a wife, girl-friend, lover and a bit on the side was all par for the course for a Cu-bano.However, with recent statistics showing that Spanish children are

Frances Leate ponders whether Spain is a land of romance or are the Spanish dead between the sheets?

the most stable in the world, with nearly 90% growing up with both birth parents still together, the idea of a multi-dating Casanova didn’t re-ally fit with the huge value Hispanic people seem to place on family life.I sought the help of newly acquired Spanish friend, Diego.A handsome (imagine Julio Iglesias in his hip thrusting prime) man of about 30. Single (or so he says) and looking for romance.He explains: “I don’t think Spanish men are any different to men in Eng-land or other parts of Europe or even Latin America. “I think Spanish men do love to flirt and can be romantic, but only with the right girl.“Some British women are more likely to give everything away after the first few dates and if you haven’t had to work for it I don’t think you value it.“But in the end, most single men are really looking for someone to be with long-term.“Family is the most important thing in Spain and I know people think us

Spanish men can be controlling but it’s really the woman who domi-nates home life.”Despite Diego’s insistence on the value of family life in Spain and its essentially egalitarian nature, pros-titution is still socially acceptable and according to a UN study, 39% of Spanish men have used prosti-tutes at least once.This goes against the idea that they pride themselves on their seductive prowess.Spaniards lose their virginity on average at 18, a year or more later than in the USA or England and explains why teen pregnancy rates are a quarter of those in the UK.And according to a 2003 national statistics institute (NSI) survey, a quarter of all Spanish men and 55% of women have had only one sexual partner in their lives.Despite this, the idea of Spaniards as mighty Latin lovers has stuck.And as long as hordes of female tourists flock here to have their week of fun in the sun with their Spanish waiter, tour guide or bar man, the stereotype is not going away anytime soon.But if you are living in Spain and looking for romance, remember you are here for the long-term so the universal three date rule still applies. In fact, if you are looking for something serious, the longer you wait the better.The truth is, women are the best players the world over... so girls go forth and trust your judgement!

IDYLLIC: It is not just the weather that makes a Spanish wedding. Here, a charming hotel near Gaucin

DISHY: Bardem-types are scarce

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 212525

IS your wedding planner insisting you put all your budget into his or her ac-count to book the suppli-ers on your behalf or is he organising your payments to the suppliers directly?Beware, if you are paying money for the suppliers to the planner, the planner could well be covering up the true supplier costs and marking up the prices. It is a huge risk to hand over your entire wedding budget to one person, re-gardless of how much you trust them.If you are paying the sup-pliers directly, overseen by your planner, then you know the actual costs in-volved and your planner will obtain individual re-ceipts and confirmation of booking from every sup-plier involved. There are stories about planners bullying suppli-ers, whether it is photog-

AVOID THE WEDDING WOES To avoid some of the heartbreaking

scenarios some couples find themselves in after being swindled by so-called ‘wedding planners’, Laura Charles, of Reviva Weddings, has a few tips to ensure your wedding day comes off without a hitch

raphers or cake makers, etc, into building in com-missions into their prices in order to pay wedding plan-ners.So despite paying your planner a rock bottom bar-gain fee of €800 chances are he may well be taking €800 again by the venue, plus another €400 or so in commissions from the sup-pliers. This means the client has paid nearly €2,000 to this planner without even realis-ing it, while suppliers may feel underpaid. If the suppliers are being paid what they are worth then they are happy and will breeze into your wed-ding without having to worry about cutting corners and scraping back that 10 or 20%.

For more top tips visit www.t h ewe d d i n g d e c o r a to r.blogspot.com.es

Spanish romantic?...hmm

Spanish men can be controlling but it’s really the woman who domi-nates home life.”Despite Diego’s insistence on the value of family life in Spain and its essentially egalitarian nature, pros-titution is still socially acceptable and according to a UN study, 39% of Spanish men have used prosti-tutes at least once.This goes against the idea that they pride themselves on their seductive prowess.Spaniards lose their virginity on average at 18, a year or more later than in the USA or England and explains why teen pregnancy rates are a quarter of those in the UK.And according to a 2003 national statistics institute (NSI) survey, a quarter of all Spanish men and 55% of women have had only one sexual partner in their lives.Despite this, the idea of Spaniards as mighty Latin lovers has stuck.And as long as hordes of female tourists flock here to have their week of fun in the sun with their Spanish waiter, tour guide or bar man, the stereotype is not going away anytime soon.But if you are living in Spain and looking for romance, remember you are here for the long-term so the universal three date rule still applies. In fact, if you are looking for something serious, the longer you wait the better.The truth is, women are the best players the world over... so girls go forth and trust your judgement!

22 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 weddings special

JUST five minutes from the beach and 15 from the white-washed vil-lage of Mijas Pueblo sits

the perfect Andalucian wed-ding venue. Hotel Tamisa Golf, located in the hills above Fuengirola, of-fers the best of both worlds when it comes to tying the knot in Spain.With easy access to both the tourism hotspots and the more traditional Spain, Tami-sa provides a perfect middle ground overlooking the Costa del Sol.Surrounded by picturesque gardens, the luxury four-star hotel has been the choice of hundreds of couples looking to wed in Spain.Priding itself on peace and quiet, it is easy to see why fa-mous faces flock to the relax-ing hide-away.

VinnieVinnie Jones, Rolf Harris and Spice Girl Melanie C are just some of Tamisa’s previous clients.From footballers to film-stars, the hotel has seen its fair share of celebrity guests both on the nearby golf course and at wedding ceremonies.“Discretion is paramount, and all our guests are as-sured of the utmost courtesy and privacy to enjoy the ho-tel’s facilities in complete an-onymity without any hassle,” explains hotel manager John Peach.Ex-Nottingham Forest goal-keeper Mark Crossley, who recently got married at Tami-sa, has nothing but praise for the hotel.“The setting, the garden, the food, the staff, the at-mosphere were all perfect and we couldn’t have asked for more,” he tells the Olive Press. “All our family and friends commented on how beautiful

Advertorial

Why celebrities such as footballer Mark Crossley choose Tamisa hotel to get married

By Mason Jones

the hotel is and how fantastic the whole day was.“We will definitely be return-ing for our first anniversary next year,” he added. Visit www.hoteltamisagolf.com

The best of both worlds

SETTING: The location really appealed to Crossley (right)

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 2331

July 26, 2012

what’s on

la cultura

The REAL EntertainersHACKS: Newspaper men Lenox and Connolly (left) with Lenox and Scott (right) today

23

AN expat author is to publish a book telling the story of one of Andalucia’s most pictur-esque white villages. Michael Tracy, 80, charts the colourful his-tory and local customs of his home village in, Bubion - the story of an Alpujarran vil-lage. The book, to be published on March 1, looks at the role played by the village in some of Spain’s biggest historical events including the Catholic reconquest and the Civil War. Visit www.hermitagebook.net

Tales from my village

IT is Spain’s most presti-gious art fair and tradition-ally attracts international buyers from around the world, each paying up to €40.

Home gig for Pablo

Collectors paid to attend art fairBut this year organiser’s of the ARCO contemporary art fair, held in Madrid, have been forced to pay wealthy collectors to attend due to poor ticket sales. With local buyers struggling due

to the financial crisis, 150 guests from the US, Rus-sia and Asia will have their airfare and three nights accommodation paid for. More than 200 galleries from 30 countries will be taking part in this year’s fair, now in its 32nd year, which runs from February 13-17.

SOME of Pablo Picasso’s earliest works are to go on display in Malaga.Picasso of Malaga, Earliest Works launching on February 25 will include 55 pieces of the art-ist’s work alongside 65 pieces by other artists.Picasso, one of the founders of the 20th Centu-ry avant-garde art movement cubism, was born in Malaga in 1881.A spokesman for the museum said: “The exhi-bition puts into context a significant collection of works from the artist’s childhood, with pho-tographs, maps, objects and documents that show what the town was like during its transi-tion between two centuries. “This was where he lived with his family, and where other artists worked, such as Belgrano, Degrain, as well as Picasso’s own father, José Ruiz Blasco, a selection of whose works are also on display.”

IT didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts after be-ing banned from Gibraltar in its first few months.

But what began as a light-hearted project between two friends soon became a run-away success as The En-tertainer spread throughout Spain’s expat community.Founded by Lenox Napier and Mike Connolly in 1985 the pa-per’s humble origins in Almeria quickly ballooned into editions on the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol. They had soon taken on Marbella dynamo Mike Scott to help with expansion.Napier, 59, grudgingly sold the paper in 1999, which later be-

‘I was young, rich and foolish’... The origins of Olive Press rival Euro Weekly News started from two close friends in Almeria

came the Euro Weekly News. “It was fun because it was the first independent English newspaper on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca,” said Napier.“We started out with my wife

as editor and Mike as head of sales. Mike Scott did a bit of everything.“I was young, rich and foolish and I saw it as a chance to teach the Brits about Spain because no one was giving ad-

vice to expats - and to learn more about Spain myself.” And on that ban in Gib, Napier, who moved to Spain in 1966, added: “The Spycatcher MI5 expose had been banned in the UK so we paid for the rights in Spain. We seri-alised it in the paper but given that Gi-braltar is part of the UK we were banned from distributing the paper there for a few months.” Connolly has since died but the other two have stayed in touch and are pictured here having dinner at a res-taurant in Marbella last week.

Fuengirola

4.30pm on Feb 11 at Salon Varieties Theatre.His-torian Barry Venning, will be talking about the funny, cru-el and, at times, extremely perceptive views of cartoon-ists over the last 150 years. For more information call 664 160 652.

Malaga

Feb 9. A flower parade, including a drag queen, will take place in the historical centre. A parade will also take place on February 10 as part of the Malaga Carnival 2013.For more information visit www.thatsmalaga.com

Sierra de las Nieves Nature Park

February 25 to March 4 at El Burgo. The Andalucian Walking and Cultural Fes-tival is a week long event which will include a variety of cultural activities includ-ing cookery classes and wine tasting.

24 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 la cultura

Are you ready for the ‘Big Switch off?

WHEN Channel 5 disap-peared in a puff of smoke before Christmas taking with it all those chestnuts such as CSI and Celebrity Big Brother, there was – perhaps understandably – little more than a minor ripple of concern.That was until the million or so British expats in Spain learnt that ITV and BBC might be next.The horror of losing Coro-nation Street and East-enders, not to mention X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, was too much to bear for some people, with one even commenting in a recent article that his wife would ‘force him to move back to Blighty if she lost her British TV’.Action stations then for many, rushing out to find the best value solution to the upcoming problem... but do they really need to worry?Well the short answer is ‘yes’, but it is not imminent and nobody knows exactly which parts of Spain will be affected.What is pretty certain though is Andalucia is in for the chop. And even if you live in Gibraltar you will almost certainly lose your Freesat channels this sum-mer.It all stems back to the launch of the SES Astra Satellite fleet some 13 years ago since when expats on the Costa del Sol could en-joy their favourite television programs via this satellite with little interruption.However the recent and planned improvements to the Astra Satellite fleet will change all this.Let me explain. Our televi-sion is provided by several

individual satellites posi-tioned in geo-stationary or-bit at an approximate height of 22.000 miles above the earth at 28.2deg east of south.The individual satellites are placed several miles apart from each other and they all help to create a strong and reliable TV signal for their

clients; the TV networks, such as Canal Plus, Rai Uno and ITV.The problem is that the life of a satellite is around 12 years and as most of the

present fleet were launched around 13 years ago they need to be replaced.This was demonstrated by the rapid decline in perfor-mance of the satellite Astra 2D. Although launched in late 2000, its performance declined so quickly that a quick fix was required and all channels were trans-ferred to Astra 1N, a satellite intended for the use of Ger-man and Spanish channels at a slot of 19 degrees, but moved to 28.2 to assist the failing 2D.All of the popular British channels were moved from 2D to 1N early last year and reception throughout Spain improved especially in Gi-braltar and the Balearic Is-lands, with Andalucia also faring well.However this is certainly all about to change this summer when 1N will be moved back to its original slot of 19deg as originally planned and all

Internet TV specialist Michael Coard explains why and when you will be losing your British TV this year

It’s all about ‘spot beams’ and ‘big birds’ apparently

The huge changes that will come this

summer are backed up by a BBC missive

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 2533??5133

la cultura 25

THE upcoming changes to the TV ser-vices we receive here in Spain will send shockwaves through the expatriate com-munity.Spain has long been a sort-of extension of the UK; less than three hours flying time away, with English language newspapers, pubs and bars selling British beers and

shops selling PG Tips and baked beans.And on top of that we get our favourite tele-vision programmes, just as if we were still living back in Blighty....and we didn’t have to pay a BBC licence fee!Now one element of that lifestyle is about to be changed as the free to air television

British c h a n -n e l s will be moved to the new ‘big birds’ c a l l e d Astra 2E and 2F. Astra 2F was put into ser-vice in December 2012 and Astra 2E has a predicted launch date at the end of May.These two satellites are of similar build and specifi-cation and have two main broadcast beams. These are a ‘UK spot beam’ concen-trated entirely on a UK do-mestic client base and a pan European beam.And that is the problem as the UK spot beam will not be received on the Costa Del Sol even with a whopping three metre dish and there-fore all channels will be lost.How do we know this? Well it has, in fact, already been proved when Channel Five moved to the UK spot beam in December and disap-

peared from our screens (apart from Five HD (High Definition) which is a part of the Sky package).The date for the major ‘switch off’, as it has come to be known, is being esti-mated to be at some point this summer when all the

UK public service channels will move to the spot beam.It is likely to happen around two months after the satel-lite has been launched, po-sitioned in the correct place and tested properly, so at a guess I would say late July.This is already backed up by

Shockwaves on the CostasMike Crompton on why it makes sense to be prepared for losing your right to watch Corrie and Homelands this summer

channels are expected to vanish before the end of the summer.With the main broadcast medium (the sat-ellite system) no longer available, a number of enterprising companies – including mine - have turned to the internet as a way to make sure that the TV programmes, which have become an integral part of our life-style, are maintained.And with over a million British expatriates having decided to make their life in Spain – and not being able to live without their telly - it might be wise to place your order for this new equipment sooner rather than later.Contact mike at admin@mediastreamz.com

missives from the BBC (see end) where they explain about the changes being due to the need to improve ser-vices for all UK based view-ers, particularly in places like northern Scotland.Ultimately it seems certain that there will be a loss of channels in Andalucia, as well as Portugal and the Ca-nary Islands.Sky channels are less likely to be affected as it is prob-able that they will be broad-cast via the pan European beam that can be received in Southern Spain without problem. They’ve got plenty of clients down here, after all. But nothing is certain.

Luckily there are alterna-tives to continue getting UK TV using your internet con-nection.Some free services, such as Filmon, already exist but you view on your PC or con-nect a cable to your main TV, however the image quality isn’t so good, and you have to pay if you want it in HD.Another, better alternative is to subscribe to a profes-sional streaming service and connect an IPTV set top box to your main televi-sion. You will need a stable internet connection of at least 2M and will be able to enjoy many advanced fea-

tures such as ‘never miss a program’ catch up TV, programme-recording, up-to-date movies in English and live Premier League football.And to boot, you will be able to use the IPTV set top box to access YouTube, Google and everything else... My advice, don’t hang around... get prepared for the ‘big switch off’ whoever you choose.

For more information visit www.smartsat-tv.com and http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/posts/Changes-to-BBC-Satellite-transponders-in-2013

AXED: Shows like Strictly Come Dancing, Coronation Street and Homeland will not be available

26 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 la cultura26

ARTASTIC! Medieval paintings among 12 works handed to museum

ONE of Spain’s most famous museums has received its biggest donation in decades. The Prado museum, in Ma-drid, was handed 12 medi-eval and Renaissance works in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The paintings, donated by a Barcelona businessman, include The Virgin of To-

bed, the central panel of the altarpiece of a church and a Catalan painting attributed

SPAIN has plenty of contenders for the world’s wackiest festivals. But the annual Jarramplas Festival, held each January in Piornal, Ex-tremadura is definitely among the strangest. Dressed in a devil-like mask with horns, a huge nose and colourful fabric, one of the villagers bangs a drum to attract the rest of the residents out into the street. Once there, they pelt him with up to 15,000 turnips. The origin of the centuries-long tradition is believed to be linked to the punishment of cattle thieves.

What a turnip

to Jaume Serra.“These aren’t times of lavish state spending, so this do-

nation is generous and tremendously timely,” said Jose Pedro Perez Llorca, president of the Prado’s board of trustees.Rajoy added: “The Prado stands for the memory of an ambitious nation that has never been stopped by hard-ship. “This donation enriches in an ex-traordinary way a museum which is an indispensable el-ement of our image as a country.”As a result of the gift, donor Jose Luis Varez has had a room named after him at the museum. It is not yet clear when the works will go on display.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 271951la cultura 27

28 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013

STRICTLY FAT BURNING

Rubbing up nicely

Complementary Salud!Down dog dampens

DEPRESSION

DOCTORS have con-firmed what yoga experts have been

claiming for years...the practise of yoga can improve mental health problems.It also helps conditions like depression, schizo-phrenia and ADHD.

SleepingAnd doctors have also discovered that yoga can also improve prob-lems sleeping.The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, supports the view that yoga can be just as ef-fective as anti-depres-sants and psychother-apy.

STRICTLY Come Danc-ing fans have a great op-portunity to learn from the experts thanks to

MASSAGE therapy is a key alternative health method in the prevention and treatment of a number of ailments, according to one expert. Different types of massage are often used to help with pain relief, rehabilitation from sports injuries and the reduction of stress.

StressBut according to Arnold Kelly, a massage therapist based in the US, it can also lower blood pressure, help prevent colds and enhance skin tone. “Immediately following massage, you can experi-ence reduced tightness in the muscles, improved blood flow and breathing, plus reduced anxiety and stress,” Kelly said.

new ballroom classes on the Costa del Sol. The sessions will be run by ex-world dance champion Lia Mullins who has appeared in a number of TV and film productions. The classes will take place on Sunday morn-ings at the new wellness centre Los Hidalgos, in Duquesa port. Mullins will also be running her own twice-weekly dance fitness class, combining zumba and aerobics. The centre has brought together a variety of beauty therapists of-fering a wide range of treatments including chiropody, reiki and hypnotherapy as well as facials, tanning and manicures. Call 622849113 for more information.

“Over the long-term, the benefits of massage accu-mulate. “It can increase a person’s range of move-ment, strengthen the im-mune system and provide an improved sense of well-being.” Massage therapy - often considered a form of com-plimentary and alternative medicine - is also some-times used by those suf-fering from anxiety and depression. Kelly adds: “When deciding which type of massage therapy to have, you need to con-sider how experienced the therapist is and whether the method focuses more on physical or mental as-pects.”

By James Bryce

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 2951T Sop alud29

LIFE insurance is one of those things you must have if you have a mortgage (and probably should have, even if you don’t) but it’s certainly not something you like to pay for or think about. But a good life insurance policy is not all about dying, it’s about providing for you AND your loved ones in the event of all sorts of life changing situations, not just the worst case scenario.If you have a mortgage here in Spain, the bank providing the mortgage will probably have provided the life insurance too; they may have even told you that you HAVE to have a policy with them. This is not true and you would be surprised at the difference in the cost of a policy: you could be paying up to TWICE AS MUCH for your bank’s life insurance company compared to an independent company such as Liberty Seguros. Many life insurance policies will only cover you up to 70 years of age, Liberty now offers life cover up to your 80th year.If you have an accident and can’t work due to disability, the right life insurance policy will pay you a sum enabling you to pay the potential additional expenses and avoid a loss of income which would affect you and your family. Life insurance is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself and your family financially, in the event that one day you’re not around to do so. If there are people who can’t afford to lose you, you can’t afford to be without life insurance.For more information and a quote, please call Hyperien In-surance on 952 895216 or email me at carol.crompton@hyperien.net.

Don’t pay TWICE the price for your life insurance policy, writes Carol Crompton

Life insurance – it’s not all about death!

Advertorial

Spanish doctors saved my lifeA WOMAN who went to her doctor in the UK with a lump in her breast was only diagnosed with can-cer three years later after visiting Spanish doctors.Elaine Wheeler, 63, who has lived in Torremolinos since 1999, had been going back to the UK every year to see family and get an annual health check.But when she visited her UK doctor in Repton, Der-byshire, 2005 with a lump

After UK doctors ignored a lump in her breast THREE times expat was diagnosed with cancer by Spanish doctor

EXCLUSIVEby Frances Leate

in her breast she was told there was nothing wrong with her despite not being given a mammogram.She was told to go home and ‘get on with your life’.The mother of two told the Olive Press that she was given the same diagnosis on three concurrent visits.Indeed, it was not until 2007 when she went to a

pharmacy in Coin to get painkillers for a headache, that Spanish healthcare stepped in to save her.Because of her very high blood pressure the phar-macist recommended she went to a nearby clinic for a check up.It was there that a Span-ish doctor spotted the lump in her breast, which

had grown to three and a half inches, and sent her straight to hospital.She said: “The doctor was taken aback by what she saw and I was immediately rushed to Malaga Hospital for further tests. “I had a number of biop-sies which confirmed my worst nightmares, I had breast cancer.

“My whole world fell apart.”Mrs Wheeler then had an operation to remove two tumours from her right breast followed by 16 ses-sions of radiotherapy.Five years on she is now in remission and hopes to get the all clear in April.She said: “I am lucky to be alive. Thank god I was fi-nally diagnosed.

Fantastic“The doctors in Spain were fantastic and very thor-ough, they have been phe-nomenal and I can never thank them enough.“They were so astute in realising there was some-thing seriously wrong.“My doctor in the UK didn’t even check my blood pressure.”She added: “I spent all those years thinking it was just a cyst because I had been told there was nothing wrong with me, you should be able to trust your doctor but I could have died.”

A ROUNDABOUT outside the Cudeca cancer hospice in Benalmadena is to be named after the charity’s founder and president, Joan Hunt OBE (above). The town hall described Hunt as ‘an exemplary citi-zen’, highlighting her ‘hu-manity, her persistence and her work in aiding thou-sands of people in Malaga province’.The news comes after Cu-deca reported a loss of €400,000 last year due to the recession.

NEW research has shown that taking exercise before breakfast and eating lunch earlier than 3pm will help you lose weight faster.Scientists have discovered that people who eat lunch be-fore 3pm are much more likely to lose weight than those who leave lunch until later or skip it altogether.The study was undertaken in Spain by Granada Universi-ty, which discovered that 40% of most people’s daily total was consumed at lunch.It has also been revealed that exercising before breakfast can help you to burn 20% more body fat.The discovery was made during a study at the University of Northumbria.

Running on empty and eating an early lunch helps you lose weight

BITTER SWEET NEWS FOR CUDECA

30 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 36 4630

For more information visit www.simplecarehealthplan.com

Fight the fluDr Raymond Prats advises on how to avoid the winter snifflesSip hot tea People who drink five cups of black tea daily produce 10 times more virus-fighting interferon than coffee drinkers.

Eat 100% whole-grain cereals

Oatmeal, shredded wheat, and other whole-grain cere-als deliver three nutrients proved to enhance immunity.

Spice up your chicken soup Chicken soup shortens the duration of a cold by 50%. Use hot red pepper, which contains capsaicin, a powerful decongestant.

Breathe aromatic steam

Fill the bath or sink with steaming water, and add two teaspoons of chopped fresh

ginger. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the steam to get maximum benefit. Take a warm shower

Getting in a warm shower with the bathroom door closed works as your own personal sauna. The steamy bathroom helps to open your airways and moisten and thin the mucus in your sinuses.

Use moist heat compresses If your head is throbbing and it’s difficult to breathe through your nose, you may find relief by applying warm moist compresses to the cheeks and sinuses.

Increase liquids

Stay well-hydrated by drinking at least eight cups of water each day.

Water keeps your respi-ratory system hydrated, which helps to liquefy thick mucus that builds up with a respiratory infection. Avoid coffee, tea with caffeine, or alcoholic beverages as these may cause dehydration.

Try nasal saline irrigation or saline sprays A host of scientific stud-ies support nasal saline irrigation as an effective flu remedy to thin mucus, decrease postnasal drip, and add moisture to dried mucous membranes. In addition, the nasal rinse helps to remove virus par-ticles and bacteria from your nose. Consider de-congestant nasal sprays if you want immediate relief for a congested nasal pas-sage, decongestant nasal sprays are safe to use, but it’s important to stop the spray after three days to avoid the development of rebound congestion.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 3131

OPThe Olive Press’ monthly youth and education sectionXtreme

The crying game

SINGLE SEX SCHOOLS DENIED PUBLIC FUNDING

Violent vocation

AS part of Swans School’s ongoing commitment to support local charities, the children of the primary school were very excited to be able to present Triple A animal shelter with a cheque for €600 from money raised at the traditional Christ-mas Fair. Triple A attended the fair, bringing with them dogs from the shelter, much to the children’s delight. The treasurer of Triple A was awarded the cheque during a special school assembly where he explained to the children how the money would be used and how much their efforts were appreciated.Meanwhile the school has begun collaboration with the WishList Volunteer group of Marbella. The group has been helping to refurbish a local children’s home in San Roque, near Gibraltar. The centre caters for a group of around a dozen children, from various backgrounds, at any given time.

SIX single sex schools in Andalucía have been denied the right to re-ceive public funding.The ruling, made by the Supreme Court upholds the decision by the Junta to deny funding to all single sex schools.Last year, the Junta wrote to all sin-gle sex schools in Andalucía inform-ing them that their funding would be stopped if they didn’t become a

mixed school.However, Mar Mareno, the Junta’s education councillor, said public funding would continue for current students up to their graduation but would not be provided for incoming students.She said: “The rights of children must be respected.”The six schools are in the Sevilla and Cordoba provinces.

VIOLENCE against pri-mary school teachers continues to be an is-sue in Spanish schools, despite attempts to eradicate the problem. Half of the primary and secondary schools

Aggression against teachers continues to be an issue despite efforts to eradicate problem

in Malaga are affiliated with a scheme to pro-mote tolerance in the classroom. But while experts have reported a significant reduction in class conflicts, cases of threats and aggression

towards primary school teachers continues to be an issue. Of the inci-dents reported, 61% in-volved primary teachers compared to just 31% in-volving secondary teach-ers. Among the most common complaints

by teachers against students were ag-gression (28%), disrespect (27%) and insults (9%). Conflict with par-ents was most com-monly because of harassment (29%), threats (24%) and violence (23%). The statistics come just days after a man was jailed for eight months after attack-ing his daughter’s teacher at a school in Velez-Malaga. (See page 16)

32 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 201330

Fancy amovie?If you want to head to the cinema this weekend, but your Spanish is not up to scratch, check out the VO/VOSE films (Original Version) available in your area

King’s Bastion Leisure Centre, Gibraltar

Les Miserables (12A) 18.00Hotel Transylvania (U) 15.30Parental Guidance (PG)

Plaza Mayor, Malaga

Hitchcock (12) 19.00 21.10Lincoln (7+) 22.15

OP Xtreme

By headmistress Sian Kirkham

IT’S been a hectic month at BSM with more events than a bumper issue of Hello Magazine.We kicked off our Spring Term with an action packed new Primary Sports pro-gramme for Key Stages One and Two.Aimed at preventing the rise of salad dodgers, chocolate chom-pers and sofa surfers,our children have taken to the new sports quicker than Tom Daley to water. Fight-ing fit youngsters can now enjoy horse riding, dancing, swimming, ball games and athletics every afternoon after their studies have fin-ished. But if truth be told the near vertical walk up to the Paco Cantos Sports Complex alone is doing wonders for the fitness lev-els of students.Surprisingly a hitherto un-known competitive sport has evolved in the class-rooms since the introduc-tion of afternoon sports.Rival classrooms now race each other for the glory of who can get changed the quickest with seconds being shaved off the record each week. Teachers can only look on in open mouthed amazement as precision folding of clothes at fantas-

tic speeds is taken to a whole new level. In other news budding writers got the op-portunity to meet a real life author when Beverly Saun-ders dropped in for a visit during Book Week. Armed with her book about shoes who come to life (Shoeman Beings), she helped children between the ages of two and nine invent their own characters. And no special event at the school would be complete without invit-ing pupils and staff to dress up for the occasion. Among them was Harry Potter spot-ted in the staffroom drink-ing tea surreptitiously and several Snow Whites who

could easily have passed as dwarfs. But the talk in the playground and the school gates of late has been cen-tred on the annual parent teacher race on February 24th. Although it’s only a 4km from Puerto Banús to the Trocadero Beach Res-taurant on the Paseo Mari-timo, event organisers at the school say it will be “merci-less”. Several members of staff and parents are report-ed to have been out on early morning runs with the hope of winning not just the tro-phy, but bragging rights for the next year.Next up on our school ca-lander is the Chinese New Year on Monday February 11th.So fingers crossed we man-age to find a dragon in time!

Headmistress Mrs Kirkham takes a look at what’s going on at the British School of Marbella this month

A RIOTOF COLOUR

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 33474140

34 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 40

HOLIDAY

SERVICES

SUNSHINE TOLDOS

All types of awning and blinds

Installed or fixedManual/electricWill travel inland

No deposit/cash on deliveryCall John on 952467783

680323969

2434

the olive pressTo place your classified, please call 951 16 60 60 or email admin@theolivepress.es

Classifieds

Malaga Airport www.hellehollis.com

Tel.: +34 95 224 55 44

Check out www.hellehollis.comand you will be pleasantly surprised!*special conditions apply

Bargain Car Hire!Try group

B.basic

83 cents per word. Minimum charge based on 10 words per issue and a minimum of 2 issues. IVA not included All ads include the first 2 words in bold. For all text in bold add 25%

Display boxesSingle column display box 35 euros per issueDouble column display box 49 euros per issueThree column display box 72 euros per issue

Full name and passport or NIE number must be provided when advertisements are placed. All ads must be paid prior to publication

the olive press

C lassifiedsAdvertise here for as

little as 40 € per issue

We are on the lookout for key staff for our new Costa del Sol office:

ADMIN/EDITORIAL ASSISANTThe Olive Press is looking for a bilingual individual to help man its busy office. You will need to have a clean driving licence, have a good understanding of computers and programmes including Excel and Word.

SALES EXECUTIVEWe are also looking for a self-motivated, hungry sales executive to cover the Marbella to Malaga area for the paper as we expand in 2013. Must have clean driving licence and good command of Spanish.

If you feel you can meet the above,please send your CV tojon@theolivepress.es

We are also looking for good free-

lance sales reps in the Guadal-

horce, Almeria and Granada

areas CONTACT US NOW

Roller Shutter Repairs

Conversion from manual to motorised, new installa-tions, also ornings & mos-quito screensCall Julian 655825931.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 35COLUMNS

Tales from a bookshop

The spirit of enterprise

DOWN these mean Mar-bella streets a man must go and I’ve always had the ut-most respect for the forces of law and order. Of course, we’ve had our little differences over the years (a painful encounter with the Guardia Civil in my teenage years after been discovered in the back seat of a car with a young lady springs to mind).But by and large I get on pret-ty well with the police.

WeaponsSo you can imagine my sur-prise when I was accosted by the boys in blue last week while on my way to do a res-taurant review in Puerto Ba-nus.Being a ‘creative’ type, I had decided to dress up a bit for the occasion and was sport-ing a cream blazer, white jeans, Ben Sherman shirt, white scarf and a trusty pair of brogues. As I ambled down the hill in

the sunshine, my mind already looking forward to the start-ers, I was somewhat surprised when a police van stopped alongside me and the officers asked to see my ID. Having shown them my driv-ing licence and answered their questions about where I lived,

they asked if I had ever been in any trouble with the law.Now, when you’ve led a life-style of late nights, bust ups with bouncers and single-handedly lowered the level of the EC wine lake, the odd night in the cells is par for the course.

At this point, a second po-lice van pulled up, and I en-visioned myself spending a long afternoon behind bars. A quick call to the station soon confirmed that there were no European arrest war-rants out for me, and I was al-

lowed to go on my way. One question which did make me double take, however, was when the officer asked me if I was carrying any weapons. “You mean, apart from my sword cane, Walther PPK in the shoulder holster a la

This week Deirdre had the gratifying expe-rience of receiving commercial recognition while I endured the converse and rather irritating experience of being subjected to bureaucratic pedantry. “I’m going to be famous,” Deirdre said, placing an email printout on the counter. I read the message. “You’re the Entrepreneur of the Year!” I said, brimful of pride.“Well, just one of the candidates,” Deirdre corrected modestly, “but that’s nice, isn’t it!”Since Deirdre bought up a defunct inter-net cafe and installed the equipment in the empty premises next to the bookshop her business has gone from strength to strength – not, I think, just because it fulfils a necessary function among visitors who want to print boarding passes or check their email, but because Deirdre brings a little bit of herself to the place. It’s cheerful and ef-ficient. The Internet cafe and the bookshop are joined at the hip. We knocked a large hole in the wall that had separated the two premises. Now, web surfers can wander in and look at the books and book brows-ers can go through and surf the web.The knocking of the hole in the wall was the subject of the next communication re-ceived. It arrived by hand, in an envelope bearing the crest of the ayuntamiento. The Planning Department, it informed me, had concluded that the hole in the wall should not, in fact, be there. The permit to carry out the work, obtained by Manolo the builder, was taken out for a private rather than a commercial property. The ayuntamiento, entirely silent on this matter until now, indicated in the characteristically peremptory tone of this kind of official note that unless we bricked up the hole in the wall and separated the bookshop from the internet cafe within fif-teen days we would have to pay an astro-nomical fine. I believe my jaw may have dropped. It didn’t help that the ayuntamien-to addressed its high-handed dissatisfac-

tion exclusively to the male representative of our household. I wondered, perhaps a tad ungallantly, why the Entrepreneur of the Year wasn’t cited as a co-defendant. “How come they’re blaming me?” I said, indigna-tion jostling with panic as the keynote in my voice. “It’s your wall too!” “But I couldn’t have committed this offence without the permission of my husband,” she said not entirely helpfully. “There’s sure to be an old-fashioned assumption at the ayuntamiento that you’re the one in charge.”I didn’t know whether to agree with this point of principle or take umbrage. “Will you come and visit me in prison?” I asked, a little petulantly. “Of course, I will,” she said soothingly, “as long as I don’t find a lover on the outside.” In the afternoon Deirdre went round to speak to the Planning Department. “They aren’t going to lock you up!” she said when she came back. “At least for now. Manolo had the right permit, but the clerk entered it in the wrong register. There’s an-other hitch though. When they took out all

the paperwork and looked at it again, they noticed that the bookshop and the inter-net cafe are legally separate, and that means we should have got two permits not just one.” I responded to this with an expression that may accurately be described as crestfallen. “But there’s a way out!” Deirdre added quickly. “If we register as one business we won’t need two

permits.” I was unspeakably relieved. “Let’s go and register!” “I’ve got the papers,” she continued, “and I’ve filled in the details. You just have to sign.”I glanced through two photocopied forms. “This says the bookshop’s been acquired by the internet cafe!” I said, looking at Deirdre with what the gender-challenged people at the ayuntamiento would no doubt charac-terise as the surprised expression of a hen-pecked husband.Deirdre looked back at me with affectionate serenity. Entrepreneur of the Year indeed! Ruthless opportunist, more like.

BOYS IN BLUE: Harrassing our

Giles

MICHEAL O’REILLY BATTLES BUREAUCRACY IN SPAIN WITH THE HELP OF BUSINESS MINDED DIERDREthe olive press

I fought the law and the law won

Cycling in Spain is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons with the Op-eration Puerto trial, resulting in several leading names being called to testify over their involvement in drug cheating. Having interviewed Lance Armstrong’s right hand man, Tyler Hamilton, a few weeks ago, he was open and honest about the scale of the cheating that took place - seemingly everyone was at it. I’ve never been a huge fan of cycling,

Get on your bikes if you dare!

I didn’t know wheth-er to agree with this point of principle or

take umbrage

and even less so since I moved to my place near Istan, a road that resem-bles a mini Tour de France most week-ends as I’m stuck behind some sweat-ing fat guy in Lycra (as I said, my wild days are now way behind me...) My only saving grace is that I can now yell “Drug Fiend” at the startled cyclist as I finally get past. I know it’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but it’s a simple plea-sure.

James Bond and flick knife in my boot?” I thought to myself. I may have fancied myself as a bit of a tough guy in the past, but with a cream blazer and scarf, these days I’m more likely to be stopped by the fashion police.

36 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 3745J Up the ardin path

IT is finally starting to feel more spring-like after one of the longest periods of strong winds I can remember. Many of the crop covers I boasted about using are now adorning trees, flats and power lines!But do not get carried away with the warm weather, as winter still has a sting in its tail with the forecast predicting frost may be on its way.Now is the time to get your borders filled with an array of spring flower-ing plants including pansies, primrose and marigolds.For those of you who managed to get your bulbs planted in the autumn, you will now be beginning to see the fruits of your labour. In our own garden we are seeing the appearance of my favourite of all, freesias. As well as giving a superb splash of colour, their perfume is second to none and far superior to bought air-fresheners.For those of you embarking on a spring gardening spree now is the time to finish preparing the ground as February is the ideal month for sowing and planting nearly everything you can think of.Contact me at peter@semilleroslapalma.com

LIKE humans, animals can ben-efit greatly from natural rem-edies and they know instinc-tively when and what plants to

Perking up your pets!

The month for sowing

Herb specialist Sue Rodgers reveals the best natural remedies for your pet

eat to ensure good health.We all know that cats and dogs eat grass as a way to cleanse their in-testines without any help from us.

Your garden can provide a wealth of natural medicines – dandelion, parsley, nettles and garlic among them. Add a little grated raw carrot or some thyme to help dispel worms. A daily dose of garlic, whether fresh or in tablet form (only use veterinary tab-lets) can greatly boost your pet’s im-mune system, cleanse the whole sys-tem and help repel any kind of parasite. Ever wondered what goes into those flea repellent collars? To treat fleas, I use diatomaceous earth (DE), partly because I don’t ever use chemicals.We put DE on our cats’ bedding as it pierces the skin of the flea and kills them within 72 hours. DE is safe for animals and humans and relatively cheap. We also use it in the garden to kill flea beetles, aphids and the like.Of course you must consult your vet if your animal is injured or seriously ill, but even then herbs can help soothe the pain and speed up healing. If you want to know more, then Mary Broughton’s book Herbal Medicine for Dogs is an excellent start.

www.selfsufficiency4u.com

HE KNOWS HIS ONIONS! by Peter Langdale

38 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013 FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

46

Going local in AndaluciaTHERE are a variety of rea-sons people up-sticks and leave the UK for Spain. While people often talk of the climate and slower pace of life, one of the country’s greatest attractions is for some reason rarely men-tioned. That is food.Perhaps this is because Spain has no national cui-sine, but rather a mixture of regional cuisines each shaped by their local sur-roundings. Here in Andalucia we are lucky to have a diet mould-ed through centuries of different cultures and tradi-tions. Though taking influence from the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians, it is un-doubtedly the Moors who left the biggest stamp in the Andalucian kitchen. Many of the dishes consid-ered typically Spanish might not exist at all without the Moorish reign that began over a thousand years ago.Andalucian gastronomy also relies heavily on the land, while hams are cured in the mountains, olive groves sprawl across its sunny plains.

InexpensiveFresh fruit and vegetables flourish throughout the re-gion, making them easily available and inexpensive.So, in a place that seemingly revolves around food, the question is, where is the best place to buy it?There’s no shortage of super-markets in every major town, but a closer look will reveal much smaller localised shops selling quality goods directly from those who produce them.Lauren Aloise, 26, who makes a living writing about Spanish food for spanishsa-bores.com, told the Olive Press: “Speciality shops often offer quality that doesn’t exist in the supermarkets.“I try to buy ham, cheese, wine, olive oil, and spices from small vendors that I trust, as these products last for a while. “It is more difficult to find good meat and fish, as these items perish quickly and a smaller shop doesn’t neces-sarily mean that it is any bet-ter than a supermarket,” she added.Many expats would worry that, like the UK, a more per-sonalised local service would come at a higher cost.Aloise however, who also runs city food tours, believes that

Mason Jones looks at how supermarkets compare to specialist shops in the region

this is not the case.She said: “I think there is an excellent middle ground be-tween small stores and the supermarkets. “If you go to a ham shop they can cut you an excellent jamon serrano or jamon de cebo that is much cheaper than jamon de bellota but infinitely better than what is pre-cut in the supermarket.

“There are also plenty of reasonably priced wines and cheeses that can even be cheaper than the mass pro-duced stuff that they sell in most supermarkets. “You may have to pay a little more for good olive oil, but the difference is worth it and it is much more healthy than what you’ll find at supermar-kets,” she added.

www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 07- February 20, 2013 39FOOD & DRINKwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

47

Going local in Andalucia

SeafoodDue to its location, one of the major pillars of Anda-lucía’s gastronomy is seafood.Five of Andalucia’s eight provinces have a stretch of coastline, meaning it is never hard to locate a tasty seafood dish.Prawns, mussels, scallops, crab and squid are just some of the shellfish available in the region.There’s more good news, seafood is not just easy to get your hands on in Andalucía, it is good for you too. Recent studies show that including just one por-tion of seafood in your weekly diet can reduce your chances of having a heart attack by half. On the coast local fish markets can be a great source of inexpensive and fresh goods while your local ‘fre-iduria’ can provide great fried seafood.

HamIt has been referred to as ‘the taste of Spain’ by some, and it is certainly one of Andalucía’s most prized delicacies.The cured ham has a varied price range depending on the type of pig used, its diet and the region it is produced in. At €30 per kilogram for the lowest quality, and some-times over €100 per kilogram for the high end jamon iberico de bel-lota (or acorn-fed ham), this tasty meat is not cheap.When the amount of care that goes into producing the jamon is revealed however, its price be-comes a little more agreeable.The prized Iberico pigs are first fat-tened with barley and maize be-fore being released to roam in oak groves. Here they feed naturally on grass, herbs and acorns until slaughter, where the ham is salted and left to dry for several weeks.After being rinsed and dried for an-other four to six weeks the meat undergoes a curing process that can take anything from 12 to 48 months. Although you may not be able to splash out on a kilo of jamon iberico de bellota, a local vendor should let you try other types of ham and will probably give you a more generous cut than the supermarket.

40 www.theolivepress.esthe olive press - February 07 - February 20, 2013the olive press

Covering Andalucia in 2013 with 186,000 papers (120,000 digital) and around 150,000 visits to the

website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

FREE

Telephone: 951 16 60 60 February 7 - February 20, 2013 www.theolivepress.es

No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the explicit permission of the publisher. While efforts are made to ensure the authenticity of advertisements and articles appearing in The Olive Press, the publisher does not accept any responsibility for claims made, nor do contributors’ opinions necessarily represent his own. Copyright Luke Stewart Media S.L 2013

FIN

AL W

OR

DS

Sell your property THIS WEEK with an online ad reaching

thousands for just

49,99 euroswww.allabout

andaluciaproperty.com(brought to you by the OlivePress)

SEEN MY CAR?Documentary will attempt to track down the car Clash frontman Joe Strummer ‘lost’ in Madrid

A DOCUMENTARY that cen-tres on an abandoned car lost by Clash singer Joe Strummer in a Madrid garage in 1986 is being made.The documentary, ‘I Need a Dodge! Joe Strummer on the run’, is being produced by British film maker, Nick Hall.The film will depict the times when Strummer frequently left his troubles in London for the sunny climes of Spain.In particular, it looks at the hilarious story about how the singer dumped hid beloved Dodge in a hurry ‘somewhere in Madrid’ when he flew back to the UK on hearing his daughter, Lola, was about to be born.The legendary musician first made an appeal for the car’s return on Spanish Radio 3 live from Glastonbury Fes-

tival in the 1990s, saying: “Friends, women, broth-ers and sisters, I loved that Dodge”.During the documentary, Barcelona-based film mak-er, Hall, sets out to find the lost car and in doing so re-veals a lot about the singer’s life in Spain.It is hoped the film, which is in post-production, will be part funded by fans of The Clash.In return, the producers, Tindog Films, are offering a series of gifts in return for donations, including a mention during the films credits, a DVD with extras and a tour around Spain in a Dodge like Strummers.

CongenitalFor more information visit www.ineedadodge.com This year is the tenth anni-versary of Joe Strummer’s death of a congenital heart condition and in August he would have celebrated his 60th birthday. The Olive Press recently re-vealed how Strummer will be honored in his adopted home of Granada by having a plaza named after him.The frontman once told Ol-ive Press editor Jon Clarke about his love for Almeria and how he had a home in Cabo de Gata.

WHILE e-readers are widely regarded as a modern phe-nomenon, some historians believe a Spanish woman had the idea over 60 years ago.In 1949 a teacher named Angelina Ruiz Robles (above) created a device she called the Mechanical Ency-clopedia, long before the ar-rival of Kindles, Kobos and Nooks.The device used pressurised air to turn pages of preload-ed content and even includ-ed a ‘zoom’ feature.Robles intended the device to reduce the weight of her students’ school bags. Sadly Robles could not find sufficient funding for the project so the prototype nev-er reached the market.María Jose Rodriguez For-tiz, from the University of Granada, said: “There were other priorities in the coun-try and they went for other projects. It is easy to see that there are very few women who have dared to enter their ideas for inventions and innovations.”

Antique e-reader

Near miss for mother EarthSCIENTISTS in Granada have discovered an aster-oid capable of wiping out an entire city heading to-wards Earth.Fortunately the fireball will miss our planet by 17,200 miles, a very near miss in space terms.The asteroid, which will enter the Earth’s orbit on February 15, was discovered by astronomers at Granada’s La Sagra Sky Survey observatory last year. “In future times the possibility of a collision cannot be completely excluded. It is highly unlikely, but the chance is greater than zero,” said Dr Gerhard Drol-shagen from the European Space Agency. Our next close encounter with the asteroid is pre-dicted to be in 2046, missing earth by a more com-fortable 37,000 miles.

FORMULA One supre-mo Lewis Hamilton gets behind the wheel of his new team’s car for the first time in Jerez this week.But his visit comes just a day after the British driver had looked on in horror after the back of his team mate’s Mer-cedes F1 car caught fire.The dramatic incident, involving Nico Rosberg, saw flames and smoke coming from the back of the car as the German completed a test lap. The fire was later blamed on a relatively minor electrical fault and came on the first day of a three-day test-ing session at the Cir-cuito de Jerez.

The wrong formula

By Frances Leate

Techno boostERICSSON hopes to create 100 more jobs at Malaga’s Andalucia Technology Park this year, creating a further 300 jobs by 2015.

Clean sheetMalaga City Council has been ranked as one of the most transparent in Spain by independent assessors Transparency International.

Holy caseA nun due to appear in a Madrid court over the abduction of twin babies has died aged 88.

Swing fundThe Costa del Sol Tourism Board plans to spend €4.1 million to attract golfers to the area this year, €1.1 million less than in 2012.