Walter Finch, Author at Olive Press News Spain

Ceuta killer and gang member, 20, waltzes out of Madrid jail concealed among his family after they visited him on Christmas Eve

A YOUNG gang member and hitman escaped from jail on Christmas Eve after brazenly walking out of the prison gates hidden among his visiting family. Ceuta-born Yussef ML, 20, also known as

27 Dec, 2023 @ 15:00

Cadiz·Crime & Law·Lead·Madrid

Renowned 17th century painting by Spanish master Velasquez vanishes ahead of its €50m auction in New York – and not for the first time

THE art world is once again grappling with the mysterious disappearance of a painting by a Spanish master, the Times report. Velasquez’s ‘Portrait of Isabel de Borbon’ vanished during Napoleon’s invasion of

27 Dec, 2023 @ 14:15

La Cultura·Lead

World Health Organisation praises Spain's health service and says costs for patients are low

Spain issues these 7 health tips amid an explosion of flu, Covid and other cold viruses

WITH the holiday season firmly underway, a sudden surge in flu and Covid cases has gripped Spain. During the week of December 11 to 17, the Acute Respiratory Infection Surveillance System (Sivira)

27 Dec, 2023 @ 12:45

Health·Lead

Covid and flu cases spike on Spain’s Costa del Sol: Health centres swell as pharmacies run out of tests and masks

A SURGE in Covid-19 and flu cases over the festive season is overloading health centres and hospitals on the Costa del Sol. The number of patients exhibiting common cold-like symptoms such as

27 Dec, 2023 @ 11:36

Costa del Sol·Health·Lead

Spain is Europe’s cocaine gateway of choice for the Kinahans and Europe’s new ‘super cartels’, according to Europol conference

SPAIN’S role as a pivotal gateway for cocaine entering Europe was a key talking point at a conference of Europe’s top anti-drug enforcers. It was a stark conclusion of Europol’s 7th European

25 Dec, 2023 @ 10:00

Crime & Law·Lead

Did Britannia REALLY rule the waves? History buff in Spain reveals the times the Spanish defeated the British at sea (and the many times they did not)

THE British Royal Navy ruled the waves supreme for many centuries, both in deed and reputation. As the many British victories over Spain have been immortalised in history, one contrary Spanish X

24 Dec, 2023 @ 11:00

La Cultura·Lead

Real and Barca share a victory for once! Fresh life breathed into breakaway European Super League after top EU court ruling

THE titans of Spanish football are celebrating after a European court ruled against football’s top governing bodies in a dispute over the controversial European Super League (ESL). In a decision that will

21 Dec, 2023 @ 13:15

Football·Lead·Sport

Climate change ‘is threatening tourism profits’ on Spain’s Costa del Sol as visitors ‘will soon seek out cooler destinations’ in the summer, warns Junta boss

TOURISM in the Costa del Sol is set to face ‘profound challenges’ in the wake of rising heatwaves and water shortages caused by global warming, the president of Andalucia has warned. Speaking

20 Dec, 2023 @ 15:00

Costa del Sol·Lead

This European city could legalise COCAINE in a desperate bid to stop cartels in Spain and the Lowlands from flooding the area with the drug

SUPER wealthy Switzerland is considering a groundbreaking proposal to legalise cocaine for recreational use. In what would be a first-of-its-kind pilot scheme, the Swiss capital Bern is examining the possibility, although it

20 Dec, 2023 @ 14:00

Crime & Law·Health·Lead

Three young jihadists planning to detonate a ‘mother of Satan’ bomb in Spain are arrested

THREE ‘highly radicalised’ teenagers have been arrested in Madrid and Barcelona over plans to make a massive bomb. The suspects, aged between 14 and 18 years, were found to be in the

20 Dec, 2023 @ 12:15

Barcelona·Lead·Madrid

WATCH: ‘I’m going to murder innocent people!’ Dramatic moment crazed man, 70, is arrested after hijacking taxi armed with two shotguns on Spain’s Costa del Sol

A MAN intent on revenge and armed with two shotguns hijacked a taxi on the Costa del Sol and told the driver to take him to the local police station. The 70-year-old

20 Dec, 2023 @ 11:00

Costa del Sol·Lead·Malaga

DISPATCH: This idyllic Andalucian retreat favoured by expats is being torn apart by excessive water bills which threaten British property owners with ruin

THEY had ‘penny-pinched’ since the moment their children flew the nest to be able to retire to their amazing hilltop location in southern Spain. The quantity surveyor and primary school teacher sacrificed

17 Dec, 2023 @ 17:00

EXCLUSIVE·Lead·Malaga·Must Read

Costa Blanca bar customers told to follow COVID health rules like no smoking and mask wearing to avoid new closures

New smoking ban in Spain ‘would spark fights between waiters and customers’, warns restaurant boss in Mallorca

A NEW proposal to ban smoking and vaping in terraces could provoke fights between smokers and bar staff, a Mallorca hospitality chief has warned. The controversial plan would see a return of

17 Dec, 2023 @ 08:00

Balearic Islands·Lead·Mallorca

EXCLUSIVE: British-run charity on Spain’s Costa del Sol comes under fire: President is accused by ex-volunteers of lack of transparency and splashing donations on €1,300 staff dinner

VOLUNTEERS at a well-known expat charity are raising concerns over how it is run. Current and former staff claim the president of Estepona Age Concern is running it like a ‘private business’.

15 Dec, 2023 @ 14:00

Costa del Sol·Estepona·EXCLUSIVE·Lead·Must Read

BREAKING: British boy, who was 11 when he was abducted in Spain six years ago, is found ALIVE in France aged 17

A BRITISH boy who mysteriously vanished during a Marbella holiday six years ago has been found alive and well in France, the public prosecutor has announced. Alex Batty, who was 11 years

14 Dec, 2023 @ 15:57

Lead·Malaga·Marbella

Got talent? Estepona is looking for the best singers aged up to 25 – with cash prizes worth €10,000

THE Estepona talent show once again returns to the Costa del Sol, this time in search of the best and brightest young singers. The latest version of ‘Estepona Crea’ (Estepona believes) is

13 Dec, 2023 @ 13:30

Costa del Sol·Estepona·Lead

Sevilla woman slapped with fine and restraining order after shocking campaign of abuse against ex’s girlfriend

A WOMAN has been ordered to pay €1,500 to a love rival after a campaign of abuse that included spreading online videos calling her a ‘fat woman with a wrinkly face’ while

13 Dec, 2023 @ 09:00

Lead·Sevilla

Costa del Sol breaks record for hottest December day ever on mainland Spain with unbelievable 29.9C

THE record for the hottest December day ever in mainland Spain was set today in Malaga. Thermometers hit an incredible 29.9C at 14.20 just two weeks before Christmas, beating the previous record

12 Dec, 2023 @ 20:28

Costa del Sol·Lead·Malaga·Weather

Two alleged Dutch-Moroccan hitmen acquitted over gangland murder of Marbella nightclub impresario and Kinahan associate in 2019

TWO Dutchmen have been dramatically acquitted of the 2021 murder of a Kinahan cartel bagman who was killed in a hail of bullets while driving his Bentley in Marbella. The gangland hit

12 Dec, 2023 @ 16:12

Crime & Law·Lead·Marbella

Fraudsters enjoy high class beauty clinic treatments by using stolen IDs on Spain's Costa Blanca

Hair salon of horror: Sheep placenta and cancer-causing cosmetics are discovered by police in Spain during raids on beauty clinics

A SERIES of hair salons were discovered to be using banned cosmetics made from sheep placenta and other cancer-causing products. Police inspections of the salons in the Usera neighbourhood of Madrid uncovered

6 Dec, 2023 @ 18:45

Lead·Madrid

These are the drastic anti-drought measures set to cost Spain’s Andalucia €71million in 2024 – including having water delivered by ships

AS Andalucia waits for rain that never comes, the Junta is set to launch a raft of increasingly extreme measures to counter the most prolonged drought since the 1960s. The €71 million

6 Dec, 2023 @ 11:34

Andalucia·Environment·Lead

Enormous cocaine bust in Galicia: Police warehouse raid finds 7.2 TONNES stashed among frozen fish

A FRESH mega cocaine bust has seen authorities confiscate a staggering 7.2 tonnes of the white stuff from a warehouse in Galicia. The seizure was made following a raid of a frozen

6 Dec, 2023 @ 10:52

Crime & Law·Lead

EXCLUSIVE: Are orcas really plotting against humans? Experts explain their theories behind the recent yacht ‘attacks’ off Spain

AT first, Captain Sebastien Destremau believed a sudden incoming swell was just the fierce poniente wind blowing in from the Atlantic one afternoon in May – ‘as it can when you exit

3 Dec, 2023 @ 11:57

Animals·Environment·EXCLUSIVE·Lead·Must Read

Looking for a day trip? Delve into the ‘Copper Forest’ located in Spain’s picturesque Genal Valley – just a short drive from the Costa del Sol (PICTURE SPECIAL)

FORGET New England in the fall. The transformation of the Genal Valley into the ‘Copper Forest’ every autumn is a mesmerising rite of passage for any visitor to the Costa del Sol.

3 Dec, 2023 @ 11:33

Lead·Olive Press Travel

EXCLUSIVE: Notorious British conman who ‘stole millions from expats’ on Spain’s Costa del Sol is back behind bars

Have you been a victim of Chris O’Hare? Get in touch at [email protected] HE has mostly gone under the radar as far as expats and regular visitors to the Costa del Sol

1 Dec, 2023 @ 15:30

Costa del Sol·EXCLUSIVE·Lead·Marbella·Must Read·Other News

Young vets saddle up to learn horsemanship in English as part of EU-funded project in Spain’s Cadiz

A GROUP of young Spanish vets were treated to some horsemanship training in English as part of an EU-financed programme. The AgriNext project, led by trainer and ‘lifelong horse and donkey lover’

30 Nov, 2023 @ 08:00

Cadiz