Hello and welcome back to another round up of the biggest stories of the week – and a couple of ‘editor’s picks’, which are stories that I personally think were great but the reading public foolishly overlooked.
We start with the biggest news of the week bar none – the Olive Press podcast is BACK after a summer hiatus and you should get listening to it.
The next episode will be released on Sunday midday – the team provides their inside insight on both the shocking release of prime Maddie McCann suspect Christian Brueckner from jail in Germany.
We also discuss the Olive Press’ chequered history with Tommy Robinson as well as his enduring popularity with a segment of the OP readership.
Pedro Sanchez paid a visit to the Costa del Sol last weekend, where he gave a speech announcing that the government would take down over 50,000 illegal tourist apartment listings.
Up to 8,000 of those will be in Malaga province, while he announced ambitious plans to convert these properties into government rentals for young people. All very good – though not everyone agrees.
It has been revealed that a good chunk of those illegals are to be found in Sevilla, which comes in first place and Marbella coming in second nationwide.
Property coverage is our forte here at the Olive Press, and once again we have spoiled you with articles on where you can pick up a home on the cheap in Malaga province and a list of eight beautiful bargain towns around Spain.
You might be surprised to learn that the most read story this week has been our report on how Ryanair have amped their carry-on luggage size by a third. A welcome move I’m sure. Aena still found time to claim that the Irish carrier has been ‘lying constantly‘ in its airport fees dispute.
Meanwhile, Europe’s ten best airlines have been announced, featuring two British ones but only one Spanish. Ryanair was not to be seen.
There’s one airport that has surprisingly missed out on Spain’s tourism boom, with passenger numbers dropping into the red – despite being the gateway to one of the country’s most beautiful coastlines.
And one set of passengers who we’ll probably be seeing less of next year are Russian tourists – despite Spain’s resistance to EU plans to restrict their visa access.
Our other big story of the week was our ‘who’s who’ of the most dangerous mafias operating in Spain today, which is a good read.
In a move that may well have mafia links, a giant tattooed Danish man was shot in the face by men disguised as Guardia Civil in sleepy Alhaurin de la Torre.
Finally, we sign off on a sad note with the news that a young Spanish artist from Malaga was found dead in the River Thames in London, where he was living.
See you next week. Walt
Ps – Spain’s ‘second summer’ is set to end this weekend.
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Walter Finch, is the Digital Editor of the Olive Press and occasional roaming photographer who started out at the Daily Mail.
Born in London but having lived in six countries, he is well-travelled and worldly. He studied Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and earned his NCTJ diploma in journalism from London's renowned News Associates during the Covid era.
He got his first break working on the Foreign News desk of the Daily Mail's online arm, where he also helped out on the video desk due to previous experience as a camera operator and filmmaker.
He then decided to escape the confines of London and returned to Spain in 2022, having previously lived in Barcelona for many years.
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Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain
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Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain
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Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain
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Olive Press Round-Up: The biggest stories in Spain
