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The only investigative newspaper in Gibraltar
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Vol. 1 Issue 15 www.gibraltarolivepress.com March 30th - April 12th 2016
GIBRALTAR
olive pressThe only investigative local newspaper
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It’s RaInIng shaRks and whalEs In gIbRaltaR. pagE 5
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Hidden agenda?
Gibraltar government ‘concerned’ over Vladimir Putin’s unofficial Mediterranean navy base
RUSSIAN naval activity in the straits has become ‘a matter of concern’, admitted the Gibraltar government.It comes after it emerged that leader Vladimir Putin’s vessels are stopping off at least 10 times a year at the Spanish north African enclave of Ceuta, just 68 km from the Rock.It has led to a stinging rebuke from a group of MEPs over Russia’s use of Ceuta as a regular refuelling base for its subma-rines, destroyers and frigates since 2011.Some 11 MEPs complained to the Euro-pean Commission that it amounted to a breach of the EU’s sanctions against Pu-tin for his annexation of the Crimea.A spokesman for the government told the Olive Press: “The use of a Spanish
EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
Turn to Page 22
BrexitmaniaIan Le Breton says the Eu-rozone economy is not out of the woods yet
port by the Russians when Spain is a NATO ally must be a matter of concern.”However, he added: “The defence of Gi-braltar is the constitutional responsibil-ity of the United Kingdom and so is any matter related to the presence of Rus-sian submarines in this area.”Spanish diplomatic sources have claimed the stops are ‘routine maritime activities and never military activity.’The Russian stop-offs are granted by the Spanish Foreign Ministry on a case by case basis and bring around €1 million a year to Ceuta’s economy.This behaviour has not been supported
in the US, with one Washington-based think tank, The Heritage Foundation, de-scribing Spain’s willingness to allow the Russian military to operate so close to Gi-braltar as ‘a potential security problem’.“This behavior is unbecoming of 21st-century NATO allies,” it said. “The topography of Gibraltar makes intelli-gence gathering a core function. “Having Russian submarines resupply mere miles away presents a potential in-telligence and security problem for the U.S. and its allies.”Neither the British Ministry of Defence or Foreign Office were able to comment as we went to press.
In the second edition of our Property magazine find out how to...
IT brings a whole new meaning to the concept of living life on the edge.Perched above the Med, Casa del Acantilado (The Cliff House) is the latest project from weird and wacky Madrid architects GilBartolome.
xxxxxSomething of a challenge, it was created by architects Pablo Gil and Jaime Barto-lome on a 42-degree slope on the Granada coastline.Commissioned by a young couple from Madrid, ev-ery single window of the home, near Salobrena, boasts stunning views of the sea.
The state-of-the-art de-sign split over two floors features a ‘dragon-scale’ inspired curved roof, floor-to-ceiling windows and an infinity pool. Its position dug into the hillside helps the inside stay cool in the summer months and warmer in winter.“The project combined
EVEREST veteran Stephen Venables has swapped his West Country home for a pad in hilly Gaucin.The intrepid mountaineer, who found fame leading ex-peditions through the Hi-malayas, has chosen soaring Andalucian mountains over Somerset countryside.“It’s a strange irony that though I’ve spent most of my life calling myself a moun-taineer, yet this is the first time I’ve actually lived in the mountains,” revealed Ven-ables, 61.Venables and wife Rosie, from Bath, bought a pair of small, adjacent town hous-es and have knocked them through to create one larger village home.“We are reliant on the local expat community because we are only just learning how to speak Spanish,” he said.Venables found fame forg-ing a new route up Everest’s Kangshung Face and was the first Briton to summit with-out extra oxygen. He has also explored Antarctica.
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LIVING ON THE EDGEIconic Spanish architects complete innovative cliffside pad on the Andalucia coast
Up IN THE wOrLD!
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Phot
o by
: Jes
us G
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olive pressropertywww.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016
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joyful living, innovative construction techniques, the return of craftsman-
ship and the cave as an en-vironmental strategy,” said Bartolome.
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IT is not often you see Gi-braltar’s Chief Minister on the front page of a Span-ish newspaper… for all the right reasons.But Fabian Picardo graced El Mundo this weekend with the quote; “The Brit-ish monarch will always reign over the Rock.”He was responding to questions in a double-page article regarding Gi-braltar and Spanish for-eign minister Margallo’s claim that Spain would push for joint sovereignty in the event of Brexit.“The people voted to stay British in 2002, and giv-en Margallo’s behaviour since then, there would be even less people in favour of co-sovereignty now,” Picardo said.
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... and who did this?
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From page 13
... why Hugh is in Palma
opinion. Page 6
2 www.gibraltarolivepress.comCRIME nEwsMarch 30th- April 12th 2016
THE governor has asked Gi-braltar to be ‘alert but not alarmed’ following the terror-ist attacks in Belgium.The Rock’s security levels have not been increased and remain substantial, after suicide bombers in Brussels killed at least 34 people.Governor Edward Davis, who assumed duty in February, said the thoughts of the peo-ple of Gibraltar are with those in the Belgian capital.Chief Minister Fabian Picar-do added: "This is another appalling and shocking attack on Europe, on our freedom and our liberty.“The Government empathi-ses strongly with the people
Alert, not alarmed
Security levels remain substantial following Brussels attacksof Belgium who are having to go through this dreadful inci-dent."
The Belgian flag was flown at half-mast outside govern-ment headquarters follow-ing the attacks at the airport and on the metro, which have since been claimed by the so-called Islamic State.Moorish castle was also lit up in the colours of the Belgian flag, with Chief Minister Fabi-an Picardo sending a letter of-fering sympathy to Belgium’s Prime Minister.The Gibraltar Security Coun-cil said it would continue to monitor and review the situ-ation on a regular basis.
RESPECT: Governor and (right) flags
SILENCE: For Brussels
A NEW phishing scam is tar-geting Gibraltar residents. Fraudulent emails claiming to be from ‘NatWest Security Center’ are currently doing the rounds. The scam is believed to have originated in the UK, but it now appears that account holders living on the Rock are being targeted. The RGP has issued a warn-ing about the scam to all Gi-braltar residents. “The email is designed to steal your account informa-tion,” a RGP spokesman said. “NatWest account holders in particular are being tar-geted.”
A 500KG cannabis haul has been recov-ered from a boat off the coast of Gibraltar.The rigid hull inflat-able vessel (RHIB) was seized by Port Authori-ty officers on March 22 about one mile west of the Detached Mole.The drugs were stored in small slabs and pel-lets inside the boat’s collar, which was apparently being towed by another vessel.
SCAM ALERT
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3www.gibraltarolivepress.com nEws March 30th- April 12th 2016
THE winner of X Factor 2014 will perform at Gibraltar’s May Day Celebrations.Ben Haenow, whose single Something I Need sold 214,000 copies in its first week, has been confirmed for the Casemates Square show.The May 1 celebrations start at 11am and in-clude live music and all round family fun.Haenow, from England, released his epony-mous debut album in november 2015 which included the hit single, Second Hand Heart, a duet with Kelly Clarkson.Haenow confirmed this January that he and Simon Cowell’s record label Syco had parted ways after just one year of working together.
SARAH Ferguson is the lat-est in a long line of art lovers to get Hooked.The Duchess of York and Gi-braltar’s very own art legend, Christian Hook, had great success fundraising together in London last week.The two friends were on hand for a private auction in Mayfair, which raised €44,000 for the charity Chil-dren in Crisis. Among the items to be auc-tioned were Hook’s 2014 portrait of Fergie, which fetched thousands. Hook also whipped out his palette on the night and did an im-promptu portrait of the Mar-chioness of Milford Haven in front of the star-studded crowd.The winner of Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2014 is no stranger to famous faces with boxer Amir Khan, actor Alan Cumming, and BBC star Sue Johnston all having sat for him.The event at Clarendon Art Gallery saw Fergie and her Spanish ex-boyfriend, Man-
HE put the cast of MTV’S Ex On The Beach under his spell.Now hypnotist Stuart Ash-ing is asking Gibraltar to look into his eyes.Volunteers will be plucked from the Rock crowd on April 2nd to help Stuart with his unique Dance Trance, much to the audi-ence’s amusement.And with over 60,000 peo-ple falling under his trance so far, Stuart’s 25 years ex-
Hey now, Haenow!
Hook, line and sinker
One of Gib’s finest exports proves a right royal success
Dance Trance Chance
uel Fernandez, reunited – al-beit just as friends.They are reported to have split up several weeks ago following a relationship last-ing over a year.
THE star of US hit show Dance Moms has been teach-ing Gibraltar’s budding balle-rinas how to strut their stuff. A big figure in the dance world, Abby Lee Miller put lo-cal performers through their paces at a masterclass on the Sunborn. Among those attending was Britain’s Got Talent star Jon-athan Lutwyche, who is home in Gibraltar after breaking a leg during training at Joffrey Ballet School in New York. The Abby Lee Miller Dance Company is currently on a world tour with dates all over Europe next month. Dance Moms was first broadcast in 2011. The re-ality TV show is now in its sixth season.
FAULTY TOWERS: Cameron
GIBRALTAR’S man in London Albert Poggio has announced his retirement.The director of Gibraltar House will quit politics at the end of June following the EU referendum.Poggio revealed to the Olive Press last month that he has been lobbying Westminster MPs heavily ahead of the crucial vote on Britain's future.He was appointed director of Gibraltar House in 1988 and is senior vice chairman of the Calpe House Trust, which offers care to Gibraltarians travelling to London for hospital treatment.
Poggio calls it a day
FERGIE: Picture perfect and (right) with Hook
PLANT: Marbs gig
SITTING PRETTY: Haenow
HYPNOTIC: MTV cast
DAnCInG qUEEn
HE should probably know better… or at least his ad-visors should.British Prime Minister David Cameron has been staying at an illegal hotel on his latest sojourn to Spain.The Conservative leader will have hopefully got a knockdown price at a hotel in Lanzarote that should have been knocked down years ago.In his seventh visit to Spain in as many years, he booked his family into the controversial Hotel Gran Castillo, in Playa Blanca, which has infringed nu-merous laws.The five-star hotel’s build-ing permit was cancelled by the Canary Islands Su-preme Court in 2007 for breaching the 1991 build-ing plan.
MonstrosityA judge ruled that the ten-swimming pool ‘mon-strosity’ exceeded both capacity and height rules and ‘does not fit in with the landscape’.However, the hotel which was built in 2006, has so far avoided demolition, despite flaunting these and various other regula-tions.Either way, Cameron seemed oblivious as he ate paella on Thursday while alone for 24 hours before his wife Samantha arrived on Friday. It gave him ‘time to think’ as he told a press conference.Cameron is fond of this part of the world, having stayed around the corner in San Bartolome, two years ago, when he got stung by a jellyfish.Indeed, the country has become a firm favourite for the Camerons, who have enjoyed breaks in Granada and Mallorca, while the Olive Press re-vealed he holidayed twice in Ronda, before he be-came Prime Minister.The town hall believes the UK PM’s visit advertising value of more than €1.2 million.
Was it a knockdown price, Dave?
perience as a comedy hyp-notist make him one of the best in the business.
Beam me up RobbieLED Zeppelin frontman Rob-ert Plant is landing in Marbel-la with his Sensational Space Shifters.The former wildman is set to headline at this year’s Star-lite Festival, alongside Tom Jones and Carlos Santana.The legendary singer will play the Marbella Auditorium in Nagueles on July 16, while Santana plays on July 24 and Tom Jones on August 1.In 2014, Plant cancelled his upcoming Spanish tour citing ‘exhaustion’.
By Iona napier
ILLEGAL: Hotel Gran Castillo
4 nEws
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March 30th- April 12th 2016
nEws In bRIEF
IT’S a Long Way to Tipper-ary, as the British Army’s famous song goes.But it’s even further to Je-rusalem for an ex-Royal Gibraltar Regiment colo-nel about to set off on an 8,400km charity hike from the Rock to the Holy Land.The retired Lieutenant Col-onel Mark Randall’s route will take him to Santiago de Compostela before cross-ing the Pyrenees, through France, then Italy, Albania, Greece and Turkey.He will then get a boat to Is-rael via Cyprus.Randall is raising money for various charities and is ex-pected to take between nine months and a year to com-plete the walk.In 2015, he published his
Holy hike
LOVES A STROLL: Randall, here with Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo
Army man to walk from the Rock to the Dome of the Rock
book Walk To The Rock about his 75-day hike from Cardiff to Gibraltar.Randall raised £17,000 for charity during the gruelling 2,200 km walk.
By Joe Duggan
Right anglersTHE Gibraltar Federa-tion of Sea Anglers has welcomed the Govern-ment’s decision to issue Temporary Boat Licences from April 1.
Easter actsGooD Friday was observed with the traditional outdoor Stations of the Cross down Main Street, led by Monsignor Paul Bear and making a to-tal of 13 stops.
Holiday feverMORE than 50 volunteers spent Easter Sunday put-ting together and deliver-ing food hampers to the elderly and vulnerable liv-ing alone in Laguna and Glacis estates.
GOTHAM’S Cave’s bid to achieve World Heri-tage Status looks likely to be accepted when the UNESCO Committee meets this July in Tur-key.
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THE government has hit back at claims that it is being ‘fidgety’ and ‘indecisive’ in its stance towards same sex mar-riage. It comes after Equality Rights Group chairman Felix Alva-rez questioned leader Fabian Picardo’s commitment to his pre-election pledge of im-proving equal rights for the LGBT community. Alvarez claimed government inaction ‘runs the risk of cre-ating the impression in both the LGBT and wider commu-nity that they are more keen on properly satisfying outdat-
UnEXPECTED GUESTS
SPOTTED: Humpback whale and (inset) stock image of basking shark
Not fidgeting!Chief minister hits back as equal rights activist slams government inaction
EXCLUSIVEBy Rob Horgan
ed bigotry than on making a clear determination in favour of social progress’.Dismissing Alvarez’s com-ments, Chief Minister Picar-do told the Olive Press that the government was comply-ing with its ‘obligations to the letter’. “The Government is being far from indecisive on the subject of equal marriage and is com-plying fully with its manifesto
ADAMANT: Alvarez
IS it a boat, is it a submarine . . . no, it’s a basking shark! Oh and a hump-back whale!First, a basking shark caused com-motion when it was sighted off Cata-lan Bay, with swimmers warned to steer clear of the water.Although the Department of the En-vironment did cool fears by confirm-ing that basking sharks, the second largest shark species, are in fact harmless to humans.Then, just days later, reports of a ju-venile humpback whale in the Bay of
Gibraltar surfaced.Mariners have been asked to be ex-tra vigilant while navigating Gibral-tar’s waters as all whales are protect-ed under law and Cetacean protocol.Vessels are required to give the mammals a 60m exclusion zone, so as not to disturb them or intercept their trajectory.It is unclear whether the mammals were Spanish, and were thus ille-gally encroaching on British Gibral-tar Territorial Waters in search for supper.
commitments,” Picardo told the Olive Press. “The GSLP/Liberal manifesto clearly provided for a public consultation via a Command Paper that would report in June, and Government em-barked upon this process soon after the election.” He added: “Responses have now been collected and are currently under consider-ation. The normal and proper procedures for a Command Paper are being followed. “That is not to be indecisive: it’s to comply with one’s obli-gations to the letter.”The spat comes after the government announced that it will appoint a ministerial committee to consider re-sponses to a consultation on one civil marriage law for all.Something Alvarez believes is another example of the government being ‘indeci-sive’ and backtracking on their pledge for greater equal rights.
STAFF and students at Westside Comprehen-sive have raised a record £23,000 for charity.The money has been raised through a series of fundraising events over the last 10 months.A sponsored walk, a reading challenge and a choir performance have all taken place to raise money, while one of the more bizarre fundraisers was a ‘prankathon’ which involved students pulling pranks on their teachers for a week. The money will be split between 21 charities in-cluding Research into Childhood Cancer, Calpe House and Women in
Big push at Westside
need. other causes to re-ceive funding were child marriage charities and the current refugee cri-sis.The fundraising effort is an annual event for the school, with this year’s total a new record.
BIG LOVE: Pupils
opinion. Page 6
6 www.gibraltarolivepress.com
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Cold watersTHE continued presence of Russian nuclear subma-rines and warships just a few miles from Gibraltar is, at best, alarming…at worst provocative and dangerous.It certainly seems odd that Spain - a NATO ally of the UK - should allow Vladimir Putin’s forces to refuel and disembark in Ceuta.And the spectre of Putin using Ceuta as a base to spy on Gibraltar’s sensitive military installations has been raised.After all, the Russian submarine Novorossiysk, which is almost impossible to detect, docked at the north Afri-can enclave last year.The unpredictable Russian leader makes an unwelcome next-door neighbour and it is encouraging that 11 MEPs are demanding answers fast.
He’s got a pointCHIEF Minister Fabian Picardo is well within his rights to hit back at claims that he is not doing enough to push through same sex marriage. Far from being ‘fidgety’ or ‘indecisive’, as Felix Alvarez claims, the government does appear to be following up on its election pledge. After all, the command paper which was always set to report in June, is running to the exact time frame the government set out in the first place.
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The windswept beaches of the Costa de la Luz, the mountains of the Serrania de Ronda and the rugged Almeria land-scape are all firm favourites.But for decades neighbouring Spain has taken its stunning environment for granted, with corrupt politicians and greedy businessman putting Father Wal-let above Mother Nature.During a decade-long struggle, a 20-sto-rey hulk on a Cabo de Gata beach came to represent everything about Spain’s
internal war between the forces of eco-nomics, politics and the environment.The Supreme Court’s decision to – once and for all – declare the Algarrobico Ho-tel illegal could mark a turning point in environmental thinking. Following the landmark ruling, it looks likely that ‘El Horrible’ will finally be torn down.This decision could result in much more than an enormous pile of rubble on a barren beach – it has the potential to
kickstart an environmental revolution. The ruling sends out the message that Spain is putting its wild and wonderful environment above the back pockets of the corrupt elite. But wait, hang on, haven’t we heard this all before?A little investigation reveals the Algarro-bico is far from the only environmental planning battle being waged, and that there’s a long way to go before we win the war.
war goes on Spain’s relationship with its environment has been frosty to say the least, but does the Supreme Court ruling over Almeria’s Algarrobico signal a dawn? By Tom Powell and Rob Horgan
TO demolish an enormous hotel like the Algarrobico is a massive task, but not unprecedented.In 2002, The Gran Hotel de At-lanterra on the Costa de la Luz in Cadiz, was blasted to pieces in a controlled demolition.The nine-storey megalith had been built by a German com-pany in the early 1970s, but was ruled to have broken environmen-tal protection laws and never opened.At the time, then Environment Minister Jaume Matas hailed the act as a ‘milestone in the recov-ery of protected coastal areas’.“This is an important day for en-vironmental policy in Spain and all the people who spent 20 years fighting and vindicating the recov-ery of this natural area,” he said.“This must serve as an example which will follow for the rest of Spain’s coast.”Only time will tell if the Algarro-bico will follow the Atlanterra and become another humongous pile of debris or kickstart real change.
deja vu...
Caption
MARIO ALEGRIA
MATTERSMADRID
March 30th- April 12th 2016
FOR Gibraltarians, an escape to the Spanish countryside is a chance to enjoy some untamed
wilderness.
TIME is running out and none of the ma-jor political parties have any type of di-
rection as to where they are going. April 29 seems the dead-line day for the parties to try to pull together a coali-tion government that can run Spain for the next four years.But after more than 90 days since the December 20 elections left a fractured parliament and an ungov-ernable state, the four major political forces have refused to budge on their positions. The Socialists will once again try to convince left-ist Podemos to join its pact
stalematePolitical uncertainty continues in Madrid with major parties at loggerheadswith the centre right Ciudada-nos party. But Podemos want too much power in any future govern-ment, which the Socialists are not willing to yield. At the same time, Podemos don't want Ciudadanos to be included in the pact.So then what? The ruling Popular Party, the govern-ment which is in a transition-al stage, is still opting for the great pact between Ciudada-
nos and PSOE. The problem is that neither party wants Mariano Rajoy to continue as prime minister in which he insists. There have even been calls within the PP that he must step aside. We are all back to square one. The political parties don't seem to be too concerned that the gruelling process will have to continue, even after the next elections, if there is
no real winner. The 2016 budgets have been passed so we seemed covered for the rest of the year.Not really a fine way of look-ing at things.But politicians want to play politics, it is part of their blood. They must broker that tiny compromise before they can satisfactorily say they hammered out deal.
7www.gibraltarolivepress.com FEatURE
war goes on
It is one of the most ex-pensive tracks of railway that will never be used.Incredibly some 77 kilo-metres of aVE rail track was laid between ante-quera and Marchena, before the project was scrapped by the Europe-an Union.Costing €279 million, the ‘El aVE ghost line’ was abandoned after the EU slammed it for breaking environmental laws, in particular, for building a viaduct over the protect-ed los Ojuelos lagoon.European Environment Commissioner Janez po-
El bulli battleTROUBLE is brewing at the site of what was the most famous restaurant in the world. Plans to expand former 3-Michelin star restau-rant el Bulli into a gas-tronomic hub took a blow last month, when envi-ronmentalists got wind of the plans and kicked up a storm.They claimed - and the law agreed - that chef Fer-ran Adria’s plans were a breach of environmental law as el Bulli is located in the Costa Brava’s Cap de Creus Natural Park. In the face of opposition, Adria has been forced to scale back his expansion plan by 300%. But he has not given up his dream to create a mega, gastronomical think-tank on the site of his former restaurant. New – albeit scaled-back – plans for the national park site have been sub-mitted.
gREEn groups are desperately campaign-ing to save a pine forest from being turned into a huge battery chicken farm. production company Jesus del Rio has applied for permission to upgrade its cur-rent premises in segovia in order to home 228,000 chickens. however, Ecologistas en accion claims that the original installation of a 35,000-chicken farm was illegal in the
first place. the group has been campaigning for the removal of the livestock factory since 2007 when 2.9 hectares of the pinarejos forest were cleared to make way for it. that, claims Ecologistas en accion, is al-most six times the amount that was au-thorised by regional government. The planning office is currently reviewing the expansion request.
Upsetting the bird bathAN artificial island home to 180 villas, a luxury hotel and an 18-hole golf course is sending birds sparrow in Extremadura. The Marina Isla de Valdecañas was denounced by envi-ronmentalists as long ago as in 2007. In fact a demolition order was passed by the Supreme Court in 2011, as the island development was deemed to be responsible for a major drop in bird population. However, the order was suspended when the Junta de Extremadura claimed demolition would cause greater damage to the birdlife than keeping it there. (The €32 million estimated cost of knocking it down was no doubt a factor in the decision.)Ecologistas en Accion has now submitted a plan to the regional government which reduces the environmental impact of demolition while also cutting the cost.
PLANS for a giant composting waste site are being fought by Estepona residents.Nearby homeowners launched their protest when the town hall approved the project to be built on protected land. They are complaining that the site infringes on environmental law because it is also less than 2km away from thousands of residential properties.The protestors have collected
FREE Vol. 9 Issue 226 www.theolivepress.es November 12th - 25th 2015olive pressthe
The original and only English-language
investigative newspaper in Andalucía
EXCLUSIVEBy Tom Powell We will fight
them on the beaches
Expat unites with green
group to save iconic
Trafalgar Lighthouse
from privatisation
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR: The lighthouse
is being converted into private apartments
while (right) Stuart is fighting to stop it
A DESPERATE battle is be-
ing waged to stop the iconic
Trafalgar lighthouse being
privatised and lost as a public
monument.The historic landmark, close
to where Admiral Nelson’s
British navy defeated an al-
lied French and Spanish fleet
in 1805, is loved and cher-
ished by many expats.
The emblematic lighthouse,
built in 1860, is also in a spot
of serene natural beauty, lo-
cated near Caños de Meca, on
the Costa de la Luz.
But now, 200 years after Nel-
son died in a heroic victory, a
second battle of Trafalgar is
being fought.For a German firm has been
awarded a contract to convert
the stunning landmark into
three luxury holiday apart-
ments, and in the process cut
it off from the public.
Under the controversial
agreement, company Floa-
tel is to take control of the
34-metre lighthouse for the
next 30 years, with the option
to renew for another 10.
However, a group of Cadiz
businessmen including long-
established expat James Stu-
art is taking up arms against
the project.Joined by local environmen-
talists, Stuart, boss of the
Califa Hotel group in Vejer,
has now filed an official com-
plaint with the Cadiz port au-
thority over ‘irregularities’ in
Floatel’s application.
The businessman, who runs
a string of hotels and restau-
rants on the Costa de la Luz,
has united with a group of key
Spanish businesses in a bid
to keep it entirely open to the
public.“We firmly believe the light-
house and its environs should
be in the public domain,” Stu-
art told the Olive Press.
“It should have the same
status as the Roman ruins at
Baelo Claudia, near Tarifa,
where there is a museum and
the site is free to the public.”
His group believes the Port
Authority is simply looking
for a way to ‘relieve itself of
the financial burden of main-
taining the site’.Insisting the last-ditched pro-
test has nothing to do with
his group’s own application
being turned down, he add-
ed: “We would also take over
the running and costs of the
lighthouse, but at the same
time keep it open for every-
one to enjoy.”The Califa group’s proposal,
Page 3
NAVAL HERO: Nelson
MARBELLA is in shock af-
ter its 2010 urban plan was
scrapped, leaving 16,500
houses in legal limbo.
All properties built since 1986
could be illegal.“It brings great uncertainty to
potential investors, who could
recoil as a result of the ensuing
chaos,” Marbella lawyer Anto-
nio Flores told the Olive Press.
PROPERTY BOMBSHELL
The strongest boy in the
world?Meet the 15-year-old Brit pulling
trucks, flipping tyres and
smashing world records
which came second, guaran-
teed to maintain the appear-
ance of the lighthouse, as well
as add a free interpretation
centre, restaurant and picnic
area employing 15 to 25 staff.
By contrast, Floatel’s plan
involves employing just two
staff, closing the main en-
trance and cutting off more
than 50% of the land and
buildings to the public.
It also plans to charge for
entry with limited opening
times.Stuart was motivated to chal-
lenge the decision after being
swayed by local opinion.
In particular, green group
Ecologistas en Accion has
filed a complaint with the
Cadiz Port Authority against
Floatel’s plans.“We are against the privatisa-
tion of public facilities such
as the Trafalgar Lighthouse,”
explained a spokesman.
The Cadiz Port Authority has
until November 15 to respond
to both appeals.
Marbella SOS - Page 31
Opinion Page 6
THE FESTIVE COUNTDOWN BEGINS - FROM PAGE 19
EXCLUSIVE
battle of trafalgar THE Trafalgar lighthouse on the Cadiz coast commemorates an old battle – and now it’s embroiled in a new one. The public monument, built in 1860, stands in an area of serene natural beauty near Canos de Meca on the Costa de la Luz. The landmark is a popular tourist attraction, looking out to the very spot where Admiral Nelson’s British Navy defeated an allied French and Spanish fleet in 1805. Now, 200 years after Nelson’s heroic victory and death, a German firm has been awarded a contract to convert the monument into three luxury holiday apart-ments, and in the process remove public access.Floatel is to take control of the 34-metre lighthouse for the next 30 years, and plans to begin renting the apartments as early as this summer.A group of Cadiz businessmen including long-established expat James Stuart, boss of the Califa Hotel group, filed an official complaint with the Cadiz port au-thority over ‘irregularities’ in Floatel’s application.They had hoped to turn the lighthouse into a museum and visitor centre for all to enjoy, a campaign backed by the Olive Press.But at the moment, the second Battle of Trafalgar isn’t going as well for the Brits as the first.
what a waste
tocnik demanded that the bridge be torn down two years ago as it dis-rupts the habitat of key breeding birds protected under EU law.as of yet, no action has been taken and the aVE line remains a scar on the face of spain’s wild habitat.
Rail to nowhere
over 100 signatures in a change.org petition, and served the town hall and the Junta with a denuncia for breaching environ-mental law.The site’s developers, however, insist that the composting site violates no laws and will have no impact on nearby homes.A meeting between residents, land owner and architect is scheduled for this month, with a decision expected to follow.
March 30th- April 12th 2016
Chicken run
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March 30th- April 12th 2016
CAMPO de Gibraltar gym bunnies are gearing up for a seabound charity spinning class to Africa.More than 120 intrepid keep-fit fans will cycle on the deck of a ferry cross-
ing from Algeciras to Tangiers and back on April 30.Using exercise bikes from gyms all over Algeciras, the ship-shape par-ticipants hope to raise money for
You spin me right round
Charity cyclists take on Strait of Gibraltar
FERRY prices between Algeci-ras and Ceuta are to be slashed. In a bid to make the trip more economically viable, the number of ferries making the crossing to the Spanish en-clave is also reducing. Algeciras Town Hall initially tabled the plan and it has now been approved by Ceuta may-or Juan Jesus Vivas. “We have to take the issue of maritime transport very se-riously,” Vivas said. “It is a chronic problem that hemor-rhages money. The new schedule is expected to be implemented in May.The current average price of a one-way ticket to Ceuta from Algeciras costs €35.
TWELVE stolen cars and 1,724 kg of hash have been seized in a po-lice swoop in La Linea.A 30-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were arrested in the raids, which also recovered 2,800 cartons of cigarettes.The investigation began after po-lice discovered a stolen car in Bar-rio de la Atunara.Further searches revealed several more stolen vehicles parked in nearby garages.The cars had fake licence plates and had been stripped of their back seats and spare tyres to allow more drugs to be transported.
BUSINESS in Algeciras is slowly starting to increase again following years of eco-nomic recession.Last year the number of firms in the town grew by 2.1%, ac-cording to the National Sta-tistics Institute.There are now 5,540 compa-nies registered in Algeciras, which is still some 300 off the 2012 high.The increase was evident across all sectors, but par-ticularly in construction, an industry which had seen a serious fall over the previous four years.
CRIMInAL GAnG BUSTED
Ferry good deal
Booming again?
DECKED OUT: FERRY SPIN CLASS
Plataforma de S o l i d a r i d a d Vecinal and Cáritas.The charities provide aid and support to local impover-ished people.“The riders will enjoy an a d v e n t u r e pedalling on the sea while enjoying a spinning class to music and a d m i r i n g s p e c t a c u l a r scenery,” said spokeswoman Laura Poyatos.NABBED: STOLEN CARS
Car pooling EMBARGOED ve-hicles in La Linea are going to be redistrib-uted by the town hall for use within the po-lice force and other departments.
LegbreakerA 45-YEAR-oLD man was pulled from his car by firefighters after he broke both his legs in a head-on collision in Castel-lar.
Lingo loveA TOTAL of 780 stu-dents have signed up for English classes this sum-mer at the Univer-sidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo in La Linea.
Care callCHILDCARE in Algeciras will re-ceive a big boost after the town hall announced plans to construct a new nursery.
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INTERNATIONAL supermar-kets are demanding urgent ac-tion to stop Spain’s strawberry growers sucking key wetlands dry. Companies including Sains-bury’s, M&S and Coca-Cola are campaigning over unsustain-able water usage in Huelva and Sevilla. The consortium of super-markets and food companies claims current strawberry growing practices will lead to ‘severe environmental damage’ in the Doñana National Park. The group is now demanding the introduction of a land plan set out by the Junta in 2014 but yet to be implemented. The plan includes the eradica-tion of 1,500 hectares of unau-thorised strawberry cultiva-tion. “We strongly support the land use plan and urge all parties to cooperate on its urgently needed implementa-tion,” a spokesman said.“We believe that continued pressure will ultimately lead to severe environmental degrada-tion of the ecosystem and in particular the Doñana National Park, as well as to a reduction in the long-term availability of strawberries from the region.”
Strawberry fields not forever
GUARDIA Civil officers are clamping down on the mistreatment of horses. new laws to protect horses in Andalucia were introduced last year but have largely been ig-nored.However the Guardia’s environmental arm, Seprona, is to enforce the law more stringently. As of April last year it has been illegal to hobble a horse, which involves ty-ing its front legs together, allegedly to improve pa-tience. Animal psychologists suggest the practice can trigger mental problems and panic attacks. Fines of up to €10,000 can be dished out for first-time offenders, while repeat offenders can face a total ban on keeping horses.
Hobble, hobble, toil and trouble
AFTER three years of globetrotting, Spaniard Nacho Dean has re-turned home. Malagueno Dean quit his job as a lifeguard and totted up 33,000 kms. He took in four continents and 31 coun-tries, and becomes the first Spaniard to walk around the world.On his travels he was chased by men with machetes in Mexico, mugged at knife point in Peru, and arrested
Walk on the wild side
NEIGH-SAYERS: Clampdown
THE opening phase of Gibraltar’s first-ever wave power installation has been completed.
Israeli firm Eco Wave Power completed the 100kw device on Gibraltar’s Ammu-nition Jetty earlier this month.
Once completed, the wave power plant will provide the Rock with 15% of its power needs.
WIPEoUT!
Wave power comes to Gibraltar as historic new installation completed
Testing on the plant is now underway and the wave in-stallation is expected to be fully operational by the end of April.The next phase will expand the commercial scale power plant to 5kw.Health Minister Dr John Cor-tes told the Olive Press: “It’s a source of clean, renewable energy and it will potentially play a significant role in help-ing us to meet our EU com-mitments in this respect.“It will also serve to put Gibraltar on the map as a leader in the deployment of innovative marine technolo-gies.”Eco Wave Power has received European Union funding for the scheme, which will help the Rock meet its 2020 re-newable energy targets.
in Iran for taking a selfie – but Dean said his journey was about spreading awareness of cli-mate change.And he documented the effects of climate change as he went. “It was always a dream that I had, to walk around the world,” he says.
“I needed to launch an environmental mes-sage for the care of nature and planet earth, and the most savage way to demonstrate my commitment was to walk.”He added: “There were some scary moments along the way but the most enriching part of my journey was the people I met.”
STROLL ON: Spaniard’s global trek
la cultura10
March 30th -April 12th 2016
A FORMER Gibraltar-based artist and novelist has spoken out about los-ing both legs while fighting in Afghanistan.In his memoir, Anatomy of a Soldier, Brit Harry Park-
Soldiering on Art in Gibraltar helps Afghan veteran cope with double amputation
IF you’re soaking up the sun this summer and suddenly hear what sounds like World War Three erupting in the harbour, don’t fear.It’s just the sound of the leg-endary Full Metal Cruise docking in Gibraltar.The cruise, now in its fifth year, starts and finishes in Mallorca, with stops in Gi-braltar and Malaga.Passengers are treated to live music from metal bands, ka-raoke and jam sessions.FIRST he wowed New
York, now he’s taking over London.Gibraltarian conductor Karel Chichon has just been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, one of the top mu-sic conservatoires in the world.Chichon is currently con-ducting a series of perfor-mances at the Metropoli-tan Opera House in New York.Fellowship to the Acade-my is an honour bestowed on musicians who have distinguished themselves within the profession.
BUDDING artists have the opportunity to swap the Rock for Berlin in a new exchange programme.The Gibraltar-Berlin Artist in Residence Exchange is aimed particularly at those who want to develop their work in urban spaces.The selected artist will travel to Germany in July with all expenses covered, plus spending money.In autumn, one artist from the Lichtenberg Studios will come to Gibraltar.
Metalheads ahoy
ART SWAP
er describes the moment his life changed. Returning from a night mission in 2009, Parker stepped on an IED bomb as he walked across a field close to Camp Bastion.
Lucky to be alive at all, his heart had to be restarted five times by air ambulance crew. In his book, the 32-year-old soldier said that losing his limbs was ‘like losing a loved one’, but added he has found solace in his for-mer passion.“Writing and drawing have been key to the restitution of my independence and sense of self,” said Parker, who spent much of his life in Gibraltar, owing to his father’s role in the army. And it was during his time on the Rock that he first fell in love with art.“I used to watch the planes landing and draw those or the aircraft carriers,” he said. “I never really said I want-ed to join the army as I was more into drawing.”Parker went on to study at Falmouth Art College, before taking history of art at University in London. He has now also completed a postgraduate course in fine
ISRAELI artist Ilan Itach currently has a show at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery.Dreaming on Hebrew Flamenco is inspired by Morocco, Jerusalem . . . and his flamenco dancer wife Sharon.Itach combines oil and Japanese inks to produce colourful dance portraits.The exhibition runs until the end of the month.
Flamenco flair
Top fellow
art at the Royal Drawing School in London and was chosen as a torch-bearer for London 2012.
ROYAL RESPECT: Chichon
RETURN TO PAST
PASSION: Harry
Parker
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la cultura 11
what’s on
SUPPLIERS OF CONCRETE BLOCKS, TIMBER, WEBER PRODUCTS,
PPE & DICKIES SAFETY WEAR/CLOTHING, KNAUF PLASTERBOARD,
AND A VAST RANGE OF CONSTRUCTION AND DIY MATERIALS
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101 LTD, UNIT 10 & 18 | HARBOURS YARD | NEW HARBOURS | GIBRALTARTel: (350) 200 41019 | Fax: (350) 200 74681 | www.101gibraltar.com/trade-centre/101-trade-centre
March 30th -April 12th 2016 March 30th -April 12th 2016
Calpe house fund-raiser, april 2April Fool’s Party
Dance in aid of Calpe House Trust Fund fea-turing freestyle danc-ing and music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Info: 54017533 or 54506000
Frank sinatra trib-ute, april 2Ol’ Blue Eyes looka-
like Martin Joseph takes to La Sala’s stage for this evening of classic Sina-tra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr hits. Info: 20016870.
gibraltar horti-cultural society, april 7
Green-fingered Rock residents can exchange garden tips and learn a few new techniques at this meeting at the John Mackintosh Hall from 7pm. Info: 54011677
HE collected butterflies along the Costa de la Luz and was instantly recog-
nisable, thanks to his rather bizarre appearance.Emaciated by a childhood bout with malaria, with thick glasses and huge ears that stuck out from his skull at right angles, Adolf Clauss was known in this part of Spain as ‘The Shadow’.Yet his covert activities from Huelva to Gibraltar changed the course of the Second World War and, by default, greatly in-fluenced the British legacy on the Rock.In true expat fashion, Clauss often claimed Spain was his ‘Homeland’ but Germany ‘The Fatherland’.The Clauss family had made a fortune in supplying staples
The führer’s butterfly collector How a bogus
butterfly-catcher spied
on Gibraltar for the Nazis, writes
Jack Giaoni
and industrial supplies to the burgeoning British-owned Rio Tinto mines in Huelva province.
ElaborateIn the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the British and Ger-man expatriate communities lived side by side in harmony, and in many cases, riches. But the outbreak of the Second World War changed everything. Germany sought Spain’s alle-giance as payback for the mili-tary support Hitler had provided Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Meanwhile, England hoped for Spanish neutrality, realising the tactical importance of the Mediterranean coastline.Gibraltar, in particular, was strategically important for mer-chant and military shipping, and
w o u l d be vulnerable if Ger-many enlisted Spain as an ally.Out there with his binoc-ulars, Adolf Clauss was not so much looking for butterflies but monitor-ing every ship coming and going from the ports of Huelva, Cadiz and es-pecially Gibraltar. And he was not alone.He was actually running the largest and most effi-cient German spy ring in Spain.Clauss enlisted (mostly through bribes) the services of dockworkers, harbourmasters, the Guardia Civil, taxi drivers, fishermen and shopkeepers.His spy network had the ear of the Führer himself, Adolf Hitler.
This fact was not lost on Brit-ish Intelligence Agencies how-ever, and, in a shrewd game of double agents and espionage, the British were able to use his against him.In what historians have come to call Operation Mincemeat, Clauss fell victim to his own success. An elaborate disinfor-mation plan was accomplished by persuading the Clauss spy network that they had inter-cepted ‘top secret’ documents.The ‘official’ papers, deliber-ately attached to a corpse that was allowed to wash ashore, gave false details of the Allied war plans.The elaborate hoax revealed an imminent Allied invasion of
Greece and Sardinia – instead of the actual target of Sicily.Clauss sent the false details to Hitler himself who fell for the deception. Thrown off the scent, the Germans redirected their defensive efforts.Thousands of lives were saved and Operation Mincemeat is said to have changed the entire tide of the war.German influence in the Medi-terranean was greatly dimin-ished and Gibraltar remained British without serious threat.Today there are still German and British expatriate commu-nities along the length of the Costa de la Luz, sharing the beautiful beaches, climate and Spanish lifestyle.
operation Mincemeat has been used as a plot device in film, fiction and theatre. The 1953 best-selling nov-el The Man who Never Was (later turned into a film) were inspired by the incidents involving Adolf Clauss. Interestingly, James Bond author Ian Fleming was ac-tually involved in the preparation of the hoax, and used elements of it in You Only Live Twice. In 2010, Simon Corble launched his play operation Mincemeat at The Adelaide Fringe Festival (Australia) to critical acclaim.
operation Mincemeat
SUPER SPY: Adolf Clauss
Unremitting solace, March 30Renowned poet,
author, toastmaster and motivational speaker Coty Benrimoj will be giving a talk with all pro-ceeds going to Clubhouse Gibraltar at Boyd’s King Bastion Leisure Centre.
12 www.gibraltarolivepress.com
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Positives and negativesSnapper supportAS a fellow photographer I have followed the Olive Press’ coverage of the missing John Lennon negatives with a great professional interest (Get back... to where they once belonged! Issue 14). Every photographer under the sun will have had his copyright stolen at one point or another. This type of property theft is worryingly ignored in the main. I hope a case of this magnitude will help all struggling photographers stake a claim to what they rightfully own.
Chris Parkinson, Malaga
Total outrage JOHN and Yoko’s wedding must be one of the most iconic moments of pop culture. The fact that this crook is trying to make a buck or two from flogging them is opportunist, selfish and above all else illegal. I hope the coverage will kick the authorities into action and get this guy banged up.
Steve Finn, London, UK
You need to haveyour say!Dear OP,
AS a permanent resident in Spain, I believe it is impor-tant for all British citizens also living in Spain to vote in the EU Referendum (Brexit battle, issue 13). The conse-quences of the UK leaving the EU could be very damaging for those receiving pensions and Spanish healthcare, not to mention all those living and working in Gibraltar. However it is also important to understand the voting sys-tem. As an expat you are al-lowed to vote in UK elections for 15 years after leaving the UK. You can register as an overseas voter at the Electoral Office of the last UK address where you were registered to vote. But being registered as an overseas voter is only the first step, you still have to ap-ply to the electoral office for a postal vote, or to appoint a proxy, this does not happen automatically. If you want to vote in the June referendum then now is the time to start the process.
Ian Hanson,Madrid
Hero or not?I WAS shocked to read about the soldier who went from hero to cheat in such extravagant fashion (Man who sold the world, issue 14). Leonard Berney was re-membered fondly in almost every media outlet when he
died, due to his work in lib-erating the Nazi Belsen con-centration camp. So thank you very much for digging beneath the surface and dis-covering his less-than-sa-voury financial ventures lat-er in life, seemingly screw-ing over many unwitting investors. One good deed does not make you a saint for life, people should know the truth about Berney.
Anon,Gibraltar
In ruinsI WAS disappointed to read about the demolitions and heavy construction in Este-pona (Demolition day, issue 14). How on earth can this be approved? Those build-ings are lost forever with no respect for history - the Capitalist way. Of course
builders are motivated by profit from loans for devel-opment, but they were beau-tiful buildings in a histori-cal area. But, sadly, money talks.
Jim Briggs,Manilva
3
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the Olive Press November 11th - 25th 2015
www.theolivepress.esNEWS
3March 16th - March 29th 2016
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GET BACK… to where they once belonged!HE’S the man who brought punk rock to the world.And now John Lydon is tak-ing the road to Spain with Public Image Limited.The Sex Pistols singer is play-ing dates in San Sebastian, Valencia, Santander, and Ma-drid during May.Lydon earned worldwide no-toriety as Johnny Rotten, the flame-haired frontman of the seminal British punk band before forming PiL in 1978.
THEY are the biggest UK export of Girl Pow-er for a decade.Now Little Mix are heading to Spain for a double-header of gigs.The X Factor win-ners, who got two Brit Award nominations last month, will be jet-ting into Barcelona on June 24 and Madrid on June 25, on the last two dates of a long 51-date world tour.The Black Magic hit-makers will be pro-moting their third al-bum, Get Weird, fol-lowing two number one singles.
BRITISH rock group The Vaccines are set to play their first ever gig in Granada.The London-based band come to Andalucia on Sat-urday March 19 as they tour their third album English Graffiti.The band are also playing in Barcelona on March 17 before heading to Madrid the follow-ing night.
The Vaccines have described English Graffiti as ‘genre-de-fining’ and released the first single, Handsome, off the al-bum on January 19 last year.
ROTTEN RETURNS
Time to get Vaccinated In the mix
FERGIE has been ditched by her Span-ish lover.The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, 56, is ‘distraught’ fol-lowing a break-up with exotic Spanish-Irish toyboy Manuel Fernandez, 47.The pair had been together for over a year, holidaying in Fernandez’ native Asturias last June, as well as skiing in the Alps.Now sources close to the Duchess - who is a regular visitor to Sotogrande very summer - revealed ‘Manuel’s finished it and she’s been very tearful.’
La vida loner
ROCKER: Lydon
SPAIN-BOUND: Vaccines
SINGLE: Fergie
THE Olive Press has tracked down the stolen negatives from John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Gibraltar wedding.Masquerading as a mystery buyer, we discovered that the original photos were being sold by a Beatles biographer from his Far East home.The writer, who we are not naming for legal reasons, put our undercover report-er in touch with an alleged Thailand-based ‘middleman’ before emailing proof sheets showing some of the never-before-seen wedding nega-tives (see right).The incredible shots, valued by Beatles experts at over £100,000, went missing in 1975 when British photogra-pher David Nutter lent them to Anthony Fawcett to use in
his book John Lennon: One Day At A Time.As we revealed last issue, Nut-ter - who had been hired by the Beatles’ record label Apple for the commission on the Rock - has been trying to get them back for four decades.However, when the Olive Press contacted Fawcett, he
said ‘these were in fact stolen from my New York apart-ment around 1976 along with everything else from my flat’.Acting on a tip-off that the negatives were being ped-dled online, our undercover reporter approached the 62-year-old Beatles biogra-pher in the Far East.
Issuing instructions that the fee for the negatives would be €7,000, he put us in touch with the mysterious seller.
RemarkableOur reporter was told to send 90% of the agreed price after two contact sheets showing the original negatives were sent as proof of ownership.Despite Nutter being com-missioned by Apple execu-tive Peter Brown, the seller claimed Nutter was working for HIS company Sparrow Photos.He also said Nutter was ‘dead’ and never owned the copy-right anyway.After a week of exchanges, two remarkable never-before-seen contact sheets from the wed-ding were emailed over.But when the writer suspect-ed our undercover reporter was working for Yoko Ono he launched into a vile tirade against Lennon’s widow be-fore threatening to sue and ending contact.Nutter, who had unsuccess-fully called in police over the theft, is furious with the writer and wants his nega-tives back.Speaking from his New York home, last night, Nutter said: “This is criminal. They are my stolen property... end of story.”
EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan Olive Press tracks down stolen John and Yoko wedding pics
AN extraordinary collection of photos of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is to go on display for the first time in Malaga.The wonderful set of 55 inti-mate unseen images by photog-rapher Leo Matiz are on display at La Termica gallery until May 29.They capture her early life in the 1940s with lover, fellow art-ist Diego Rivera. Frida unseen
DISCOVERED: Missing negatives belonging to Nutter (pictured right) with Lennon and Ono
March 30th- April 12th 2016
olive press
ropertywww.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016
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IT brings a whole new meaning to the concept of living life on the edge.Perched above the Med, Casa del Acantilado (The Cliff House) is the latest project from weird and wacky Madrid architects GilBartolome.
StunningSomething of a challenge, it was created by Pablo Gil and Jaime Bartolome on a 42-degree slope on the Granada coastline.Commissioned by a young couple from Ma-drid, every window of the home, near Salobrena, boasts stunning views of the sea.The state-of-the-art de-sign split over two floors features a ‘dragon-scale’ curved roof, floor-to-ceiling windows and an infinity pool. Its position dug into the hillside helps the inside stay cool in the summer months and warmer in winter.“The project combined
EVEREST veteran Stephen Venables has swapped his West Country home for a pad in hilly Gaucin.The intrepid mountaineer, who found fame leading ex-peditions through the Hi-malayas, has chosen soaring Andalucian mountains over Somerset countryside.“It’s a strange irony that though I’ve spent most of my life calling myself a moun-taineer, this is the first time I’ve actually lived in the mountains,” revealed Ven-ables, 61.Venables and wife Rosie, from Bath, bought a pair of small, adjacent town hous-es and have knocked them through to create one larger village home.“We are reliant on the local expat community because we are only just learning how to speak Spanish,” he said.Venables found fame forg-ing a new route up Everest’s Kangshung Face and was the first Briton to reach the sum-mit without extra oxygen. He has also explored Antarctica.
Live like a rockstarPAGE 23
PAGE 24
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Happy first Birthday
Best of the botched jobs
What’s Hugh doing in Mallorca?
LIVING ON THE EDGE
Iconic Spanish architects complete stylish cliffside pad on the Andalucia coast
Up in the world!
GOING UNDER-GROUND: Innovative hillside pad
Phot
o by
: Jes
us G
rana
da
IN THE HILLS: Venables (above) and Gaucin
joyful living, innovative construction techniques, the return of craftsman-
ship and the cave as an environmental strategy,” said Bartolome.
Property www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 201614
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Positive, but not naiveThe year started well for sales and at least one top economist is cautiously optimistic, writes property pundit Mark Stucklin
ONE of Spain’s top economists, professor Jordi Gual of the Caixa Bank group, is optimistic about the year ahead despite the frag-
ile global economy.Speaking at a dinner for real estate pro-fessionals organised by Amat Immobili-aris he talked about the oil price crash, slowdown in China, and low interest rates – and the implications for Spain as it emerges from recession after a painful internal devaluation and restructuring, and now faces a continuing political cri-sis in Madrid.After reading so many gloomy head-lines of late, it was reassuring to listen to a more balanced view from some-one with access to all the data. Prof Gual made it clear he is cautiously optimistic for Spain, describing his position as ‘posi-tive but not naive’, in-cluding on the domes-tic political front.Without denying the human cost, he ex-plained how Spain has become much more competitive, al-though the job is not yet over. As a totally open econo-my, foreign investment has been flooding in to take advantage of Spain’s opportunities, including real estate. Of course, he stressed, if foreign investors take fright, they can leave as quickly as they arrived.He also explained how
Spanish firms are just as productive as those in other EU countries like Germany when comparing mid-sized and big companies. Spain’s productivity problem stems from its large number of small companies compared
to economies like Germany and the UK. Why so many small companies? Be-cause the administrative environment in Spain discourages companies from growing above a certain size.
gOOd staRt tO thE YEaROfficial statistics for January show the Spanish property market kicked off the year with a blast, as sales surged and house prices increased.There were 27,568 homes sold in Janu-ary, according to the General Council of Notaries, an increase of 27% on last year (see chart above).However, the chart also shows that Janu-ary 2015 was 11% down on 2014, so this January’s big increase might have more to do with weak sales last year than strong sales this year. The hotspots are Barcelona, Madrid and the most popular towns on the Mediterranean coast like Marbella, as well as the Balea-rics and Canary Islands.
hOUsE pRICEsMeanwhile, average house prices (in terms of €/sqm) rose 2% in January on a year before, having climbed from an an-nualised decline of 6% in January 2015 (and - 8% a year ago in March 2015).
There were 11,884 new mortgages signed in January, an increase of 30% over the same time last year.Although house prices have crawled back into positive territory (based on the price of property sold), they lack the momentum to rise fast anytime soon. And house prices are still 31% below their 2007 peak.In the context of the SPI House Price Index Tracker (see chart, left), which in-cludes the seven most watched house price indices in Spain, the latest data from the notaries reinforces the picture of Spanish house prices stabilising in mildly-positive territory, after years of big declines.
COnClUsIOnSales up 27%, mortgage lending up 30%, house prices up 2%: It looks like January was a great start to the year for the Spanish property market.
Mark Stucklin runs www.span-ishpropertyinsight.comON THE UP: House prices keep going up again
IF you’ve ever dreamed of sitting in Rick Parfitt’s chair, the time is right now.The Status Quo rocker’s Spanish mansion is up
EXCLUSIVE By Iona napier
for sale - and for less than half the original asking price.
The six-bedroom pile set in a leafy two-and-a-half hectare plot in Alhaurin El Grande has been priced to sell fast, slashed from €2 million two years ago to €995,000 now. Which proves you’re Never Too Late for Whatev-er You Want.Rick, 67, his third wife Lyndsay Parfitt and their seven-year-old twins use the property as a weekend re-treat when they are not at their luxury Marbella
villa.The impressive Alhaurin estate with stunning views
boasts a home cinema room, huge swim-ming pool, ten-nis court, separate guest house and ‘space for stables’.
The house is on the market with the Parfitts’ very own estate agency, Status Homes, which the couple launched late last year in San Pedro.
Last June, the Olive Press ex-posed a dodgy
WINSTON Churchill’s World War II HQ is to be given a makeover by a leading Span-ish construction company. The keys to the Old War Office in White-hall, a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliwament and Downing Street, have been handed over to partners at Spain-based firm OHL and global conglomerate
Would Churchill turn in his grave?the Hinduja Group. The seven-storey, 1,100-room building where Churchill often spent the night will be converted into a five-star hotel.OHL has purchased the lease - for an un-disclosed fee - from the British Ministry of Defence on a 250-year arrangement, in partnership with the Hinduja Group.
kitchenware scam in Nue-va Andalucia which left the Parfitts €2,930 out of pocket.
Property www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016 15
REVISED plans for a wine storage unit on Devil’s Tower Road have been approved.Clearance was grant-ed at a meeting of Gibraltar’s develop-ment and planning commission.Reinforcement of the site’s roof will in-crease the building’s height by one storey.The Gibraltar Heri-tage Trust has re-quested that five blast walls inside McFar-lane’s Chamber are not demolished as proposed.
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RUSSIAn purchases in Spain are on the decline.The Spanish Property Registry reveals buyers fell by 42% between 2014 and 2015.Just 1,767 properties were sold to Russians in 2015, down from 3,106 in 2014.According to agency Engel & Völkers ‘there is no lack of interest, but Russian buyers have become sellers’.They are being replaced by Americans, Swiss and buy-ers from the Middle East.However, Brits remain the biggest buyers from abroad and represent a staggering 21% of all property sales.
THEy’rE Off-skI
Property16
S O T O G R A N D E
S O T O G R A N D E
www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 2016
S O T O G R A N D E
S O T O G R A N D E
Property www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 201618
What would the romans say
...about Spain’s long list of botched makeovers and reck-less restorations?Rob Horgan and Iona Napier tour the country’s monumental disasters
WHEN archaeologists uncov-ered incredible Roman ruins in Ecija, the town hall turned it
into a car park. When UNESCO threat-ened to take away Sevilla’s World Heritage status, the city ploughed
ahead with plans for a 40-storey sky-scraper anyway. And now, in Cadiz, Spain’s latest res-
toration disaster is unfolding.Historians and locals are outraged over ‘repairs’ to El Castillo de Matre-
Car crash digaRChEOlOgIsts could barely hide their excite-ment. historians revelled in the unearthing of a new hidden gem. and then … the bulldozers moved in, flattening nearly 2,000 years of history. beneath the main square of Ecija, in sevilla, a trea-sure trove of Roman his-tory languishes beneath a new car park. where a Roman bath house, gymnasium and temple had once stood, seat Ibizas, leons and to-ledos are now parked up. while archaeolo-gists around the world slammed the work, the town hall claimed that had it not dug up the main square to build the car park in 1998, the re-mains would never have been found.
WHEN the final stone is set in place, Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia will be the world’s tall-est church, soaring 170 metres above Barcelona. It will also be one of the strang-est looking and possibly the most controversial places of worship ever built. Confounding architects, critics and historians alike, the church was described by George Or-well as ‘one of the most hid-eous buildings in the world’ and he admitted he hoped it would be destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.Although Gaudi began the work, the building’s numerous subsequent architects have each added their own stamp. Some critics say they have strayed too far from the original vision of the great Spanish ar-chitect. Started in 1882 the project is scheduled - although unlikely - to be finished in 2026.
Towering insult FOR 13 centuries a bell tower overlooked the ancient city of Sevilla. It was the tallest building in Andalucia’s capital and the standout jewel on the city’s skyline. Then in 2010, a 178-metre tower was erected by Spanish bank Cajasol and the quaint La Giralda bell tower was thrust into its shadows. It was regarded as such an eyesore and an insult to the city’s architecture, UNESCO threatened to remove Sevilla from its list of World Heritage Sites. In the end, the city retained its status but remains on the ‘threatened list’ and has been warned off ruining its historic skyline.
UNHOLy HOTCHPOTCH
ra, after the 9th century castle was ‘extended’ by builders.In place of ancient stone work, concrete blocks were slotted in to ‘pre-serve’ the monument. A National Monument since 1949, a local histo-rian described the work as a ‘heritage massacre’.
Mocked
Such a cowboy cockup it is, that it has received international media cov-erage lambasting the poor workmanship and the images went viral on social media, as people mocked the less-than-lovingly restored Moorish castle. But the botched job on the Castillo is sadly noth-ing new. In place of historic land-marks, giant eyesores have been popping up across the country since the turn of the century. Here are some of the worst (or best, depend-ing on your taste).
ONE of Spain’s biggest restora-tion disasters has polemically become a tourist draw.When an elderly woman tried to repair a religious fresco in a Zaragoza church in 2012, scan-dal and derision reverberated through the country and its me-dia outlets.But now Cecilia Gimenez, 82, has the last laugh, as a visitor centre has opened to document her botched drawing of Christ.
Her efforts to preserve Behold the Man (Ecce Homo) were cru-elly but somewhat accurately re-named Behold the Monkey (Ecce Mono).The patched-up 100-year-old sketch has drawn some 100,000 visitors to Borja and even in-spired an opera, Behold the Man.Borja Mayor Francisco Arilla hopes more good can come, with an average of 30,000 visitors per year predicted.
Monkey business
Property www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 201619
CocomoThe Old Bank, 17-21 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar, P.O. Box 1418 T: +350 200 48532 F: +350 200 62050 E: [email protected]
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Find your perfect home in Gibraltar or Spain.Talk to NP Estates for more information
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THE priciest pad in Spain is owned by a British lord.Tory donor Lord James Lup-ton purchased lavish clifftop estate La Fortaleza, in Mal-lorca, for an estimated €40 million in 2011 from another Brit, John Ogden.However, it is a snip com-pared to the estate’s €125 million price tag at the peak of the boom in 2008, when Ogden put it on the marketNow multimillionaire Lup-ton, a former executive at Barings bank, has allowed the BBC to film the new se-
The Lord’s lairBBC films drama at Spain’s most expensive property, which belongs to aristocratic Brit
PRICEY PAD: La Fortaleza while (above) Hugh Laurie and (below) Lord Lupton
ries of The Night Manager, there for an undisclosed sum last month.The drama sees Hugh Lau-rie and Tom Hiddleston strut around the seven-villa, two-pool estate perched high above Pollenca bay in a thriller about arms dealer Richard Roper.A one-week stay at the
sumptuous estate was auc-tioned for a cool €265,000 at a Conservative party fun-draiser last year.La Fortaleza was built as a fort in 1628 to defend the peninsula from the Saracens.While it cannot be rented publically, it may soon be open to the public several days a month.
Top Dollar20 202020
Cocomo
What the papers say...“The Cocomo building provides a stylish ambience and a sleek, modern approach for today’s discerning clientele to enjoy a light snack, a signature cocktail or a full evening meal. Cocomo delivers for its diverse mix of local residents and global visitors alike.”
A unique opportunity to acquire this established freehold restaurant & bar, situated in the renowned beachside community of Benamara.
Next to The Senator Banus Spa Hotel Marbella
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire the freehold site of this well established venue in readiness for an immediate return on investment.Due to a change in personal circumstances of its owner, an established hotelier, for whom the site was developed as a lifestyle retirement business, it is now reluctantly being offered for sale with vacant possession.Located in the picturesque community of Benamara dos Hermanos, beachside, only minutes from fashionable Puerto Banus and adjacent to the distinguished five star Senator Banus Spa Hotel, it has gained an enviable
reputation from its discerning clientele.Operating profitably from its first opening, it provides its occupier privileged profits and an excellent eclectic customer mix, with continued growth potential either as owner operator or with significant investment potential, providing a yield of circa 7.5%.The site extends to over 500 sq metres and is constructed over 3 floors. All works during its extensive half million euro reform were fully authorised and approved by the local authority and overseen by Baldrich – Tobal Arquitectos.
Accommodation & Luxury Apartment There is an external access from the street to a self-contained staff unit which has its own bathroom, A/C and provides for overnight accommodation.First Floor – The Apartment – Reformed in 2016, two double bedrooms, master bathroom, guest cloak room, lounge/dining room with new kitchen and utility area. The apartment is accessed by its own independent external staircase.
Plot: 500 metresTerrace: 240 metresBuild total: 330 metresBar: 150 metresBasement: 100 metresApartment: 96 metres
The establishment is marketed freehold and priced to sell, interested parties should make contact with the owner directly by email [email protected]
Property www.theolivepress.es March 30th - April 12th 201620
21www.gibraltarolivepress.com
nEws In bRIEF
21Top DollarMarch 30th - April 12th 2016
THE Limited Liability Partnership has come into effect in Gibraltar, the government has announced.The act offers protection for business partners put at risk by the negligence of a work colleague.“The legislation significantly increases the ability of local practitioners to provide first class solutions to their local and international clients thereby creating new and in-creased business flows for Gibraltar,” said Financial Services Minister Albert Isola.
new business act
A SET of six new buses will ply the Upper Town and Mount Alvernia routes.The buses have been modi-fied to include sliding doors, air conditioning and a CCTV system.They are also fully accessi-ble to the disabled thanks to rear entry wheelchair lifts.
BULGARIA has defini-tively removed Gibral-tar from its list of tax havens.It follows months of in-tensive lobbying by the financial services min-ister, Albert Isola, and a meeting with the Bul-garian Ambassador to the UK in London.The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance has now re-moved Gibraltar from its list of countries with preferential tax re-gimes.“I am delighted with this result following our recent successes with Canada, Estonia, Italy, Latvia and Poland,” said Isola.“We will continue to press the remaining very small number of EU Member States to delist Gibraltar as soon as possible given that we have exchange of in-formation mechanisms for tax purposes with all EU member states as well as a further fifty countries around the world.”
Bulgaria sees sense
BUS BooST
A PRIVATE Swiss bank with assets worth billions has announced it will take over Gibraltar’s Credit Su-isse arm.J Safra Sarasin Group, which has also snapped up the Swiss bank’s Mo-naco operations, expects to complete the takeover by the end of the year, sub-ject to regulatory approval.Credit Suisse has operated in Gibraltar since 1987 and J. Safra Sarasin has been on the Rock since 2001.Jacob J. Safra, vice-chair-
man of J. Safra Sarasin, said: "The acquisition of Credit Suisse in Monaco and Gibraltar, with their skillful and experienced professionals, high qual-ity assets and strong lo-cal presence, will allow J. Safra Sarasin to extend its reach in these attractive private banking jurisdic-tions.”Safra Sarasin Group has more than 25 locations worldwide and managed client assets worth €132 billion at the end of 2015.
Swiss roll up
Private bank snaps up Credit Suisse Gibraltar operations
ONLINE gambling giant 888 has announced its prof-its are up 20% from this time last year.The news boosted the Gi-braltar-based company’s shares by 2.2% to £185.75.The company’s customer base and revenue both ex-panded in 2016.The good start to 2016 comes despite a £10.34 mil-lion charge for the failed takeover of Bwin.party which hit 2015 year-end profits.
Great for 888
TAKEOVER: Gib acquisition
WHEEL OF FORTUNE: 888 profits jump
House music THE biggest nightclub group in Spain, Pacha, is set to open 25 hotels and 50 restaurants in Europe, South Amer-ica and Asia over the next nine years.
Hotting upTHE Spanish party is-land of Ibiza is expecting to receive no less than 120 private jets per day this summer.
AmazingAMAZon is opening its new European Hq in Madrid and will employ a team of 50 Amazon software en-gineers to improve customers’ shopping experiences.
Top tourismTOURISM accounted for 16.2% of all Spanish jobs in 2015, according to a new study by The World Travel & Tourism Coun-cil (WTTC).
www.theo-22 2222Top Dollar22
Email: [email protected] tel: +350 200 76173 www.sovereigngroup.com
Le Breton’s Briefing
Property22 Property22 AGonY AnTYOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS AD-DRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES
Email Antonio at [email protected]
a FORtnIght ago I was attending a radio station’s legal clinic when a listener, who happened to be Myra
azzopardi from the Citizens advice bu-reau spain, mentioned a widely unknown tax that nobody ever pays: transfer tax on rental property.while only a minority of lawyers asked will admit to knowing it, or even having heard of it, the majority of the population is oblivi-ous to its existence.Older people do recall that once upon a time, landlords would buy ten-ancy template contracts from any tobacconist (below), where the appli-cable transfer tax was inserted. this has gone out of fashion in a big way and nobody bothers.In Madrid, the regional tax office has started a massive campaign to remind tenants of their obligation to pay this tax, following technical up-grades to their It systems that enables them to cross-reference data. the revenue received in 2015 was still
minute: around €600,000 for the year.In Andalucia, I am yet to find a tenant who has ever paid even if, by comparison to other forms of revenue, the tax is neg-ligible. For instance, a five-year contract where the tenant pays €850 month will attract €204 for the full contract duration, and a further €40-80 for every year it gets ex-
tended.the law also states that owners can be made re-sponsible for payment of this tax if the tenant fails to do so. article nine of the appli-cable law confirms this: “In tenancy agreements, owners will be held liable if he/she have collected the first rental without de-manding proof of payment of tax.”bizarrely, the law gives the tenant 30 days to submit the tax declaration from exchanging contracts, which we do know always coincides with the first
rental payment. With such conflicting rules, no wonder no one can be bothered.
the tax nobody pays The curious case of Tax on
Rental Contracts in Andalucia
March 30th -April 12th 2016
“WELL”, said my Dutch col-league (for I remain en-sconced in Sovereign’s Amsterdam office for just
a little while longer), “what do you reckon to the upcoming EU referendum then?” I thought to myself how very direct these Netherlanders can be. But then why should I be surprised? After all, I’ve seen the way Amsterdammers ride their bicycles like they own the place. Well, they do I guess but still, those bikes seem to be every-where and you have to keep your eyes open – even in the bathtub!
Binding“It’s not like the government will take any notice. I’m not sure I will even bother to vote,” he continued. What was my Dutch friend talking about? What right had he to vote in our referendum?It was only then that he ex-plained. The Dutch are about to have their own plebiscite on the EU’s recent Association Agreement with Ukraine, which is the first step to their applying for full EU member-ship.As my colleague pointed
Referendum mania The eurozone economy
is certainly not out of the woods yet
out, this referendum is not binding on the Dutch govern-ment – and besides, the EU’s agreement with Ukraine has already come into force (on January 1 this year).This conversation led us swiftly to the UK’s referen-dum in which, of course, Gi-braltar will participate. Unlike the Dutch vote, this referendum really does mat-ter to all Britons – including those of us based on the Rock. I have always stayed away from politics in these arti-cles and that is not going to change now. But the finan-cial implications are of great interest and they are some-thing I can talk about.If we don’t like the incumbent
government in Gibraltar or UK, there is an opportunity to change it every four or five years at our parliamentary elections. But the decision as to wheth-er we remain in the EU is not one that can be reversed in a few years’ time; it will be final.From a finan-cial perspec-tive, no one can be ab-solutely sure of the implications of Brexit. Both sides will of course paint dramatically opposing sce-narios of life in or out of the EU, but the only certainty is
that the uncertainty will grow over the coming weeks until ‘R’ Day – Thursday, 23 June – when we go to the polls. And markets hate uncertainty.I imagine the foreign ex-
change mar-ket will be one to watch and, of course, the euro to ster-ling exchange rate is always a hot topic on and around Gi-braltar. The eurozone economy is
certainly not out of the woods yet, so we can expect consid-erable volatility in the euro for some time. For UK pensioners living in
we can expect the stock market to
wobble as the date approaches
Spain, this represents a tan-gible difference each month. Imagine the effect multiplied hugely in 2016 before and af-ter ‘R’ Day. Similarly we can expect the stock market to wobble as the date approaches and the pollsters issue their predic-tions.And there is always the dan-ger that interest rates, which have been frozen at 0.5% for seven years now in the UK, will be drawn into the fray.There will be more from me as spring rolls into summer and the big day itself draws
near. I may not be allowed to tell you how to vote but, with the decision apparently finely balanced, I can say that every vote will count; our freedom to exercise our democratic rights has never been more important.For unlike my friends in the Netherlands on April 6, our referendum definitely mat-ters and the government will take note of the result. And we will all have to live with the consequences for years to come.
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How many New Year Resolutions have you broken so far?- By Quentin Sellar / International Financial Adviser
Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Licence No: 00805B and registered with the DGS in Spain.
We are almost at the end of the first quarter of 2016 and as the last weekend will include Easter most of us will break the “I won’t eat chocolate in 2016” resolution by Easter Sunday - if we have lasted that long!
That was a slightly flippant opening, but there is a common resolution that my colleagues and I hear most days: “I said at the start of the year that we MUST get my finances sorted out and do something about…” That ‘something’ could be a frozen pension in the UK or having too much cash in a current account that is earning them absolutely nothing and even in these days of low inflation, eroding their spending ability. It could be having investments that were started when you were living in the UK and made fantastic sense as a UK resident, but give you absolutely no benefit at all now that you are living in Spain. Think ISA’s or Premium Bonds.
It could even be an inheritance that you know you should do something with, but with all this uncertainty caused by Brexit, interest rates rising in the USA or concern over the volatility of the financial markets the money is still sitting in a deposit account gaining no interest whatsoever.
Or it could be that you know you should have done something about your Residency, completing your Modelo 720 submission.
Let’s take this step by step and look at the main areas where we find people are not planning properly or are delinquent, and therefore leaving themselves open to a severe fine or potentially penalising their beneficiaries.
I’ve focussed on a few of the most important issues and the key ones are:
• Spanish or UK resident• Declaration of Offshore Assets (Modelo 720)• Spanish Inheritance Tax
Before I start on those, on 29 October 2014, 51 jurisdictions signed the first ever multilateral competent authority agreement to automatically exchange information. Known as the “Automatic Exchange of Information or Common Reporting Standards”.
These countries have agreed to collect data on income earned in their territory by non-resident individuals and automatically transmit this data to the authorities where the individual resides, so that it can be taxed in the individual’s country of residence. This process started with the EU Savings Directive in 2005, where details of savings accounts held in other countries were automatically sent to the tax offices. In January 2016 this level of information was extended to all income from any source.
Fiscal Residency - this is a matter of fact and not a matter of choice.
Spain will class you as being a Fiscal Resident, and therefore due to pay your taxes in Spain if:
• You spend more than 183 days a year in Spain• Your dependent spouse and children live here• Your centre of economic interest is in Spain
The taxes that are due to be paid in Spain:
• Income tax on worldwide income• Savings and Dividend taxes• Capital Gains Tax
And as a fiscal resident you are also now need to declare all assets held outside of Spain.
Declaration of Overseas Assets - Modelo 720
Since 2014, you have been obligated to declare assets held in other countries if you have more than €50,000 in either:
• Property• Bank Accounts• Investments
The deadline for this submission is 31st March and if you have not already done so, please complete it now. The fines for a late submission are a lot less severe than no submission at all and being caught. From January 2016 the asset will be declared to the Spanish authorities anyway. Once you have made the declaration, you do not need to submit again unless your holdings in any of the three asset classes has increased by more than €20,000, or made any disposals.
However, do not be caught out by the exchange rate trap. On 31st December 2013, the £:€ rate was 1:1.20 but on 31st December 2014 it
was 1:1.28 and on 31st December 2015 it had climbed to 1:1.36. So even if the value of the asset in GBP had not increased, the euro value had increased quite significantly.
Inheritance Tax
You need to be aware that the system in Spain is completely different to that of the UK. I’m not going to go into all the differences or explain how it is calculated in this article because it is very complicated, but the most significant differences are:
• There are no free transfers between spouses• The beneficiary must pay the tax before they can inherit the asset• There are different rates applied depending on your relationship to the deceased, i.e. Unmarried couples pay twice as much as those who are married or who have registered as “Pareja de Hecho” Step children will pay twice as much as natural children
There are allowances, again depending on your relationship to the deceased but these are nowhere near the level of the UK, so most people will have a tax liability to pay.
Can we help?
Of course we can. When we meet a client for the first time we have a relaxed conversation to establish their current situation, discuss their future plans and finally what they want to happen to their estate when that time comes. We then develop a solution that will meet those needs in the most tax effective way possible.
I’ve only touched on the most common problems people encounter so if you want more information contact me on + 34 952 816 443 or email [email protected]
the Olive press’ monthly youth and education sectionXtremeoP
I THINK it is fair to say that every parent wants to be the best parent they can possibly be. The trouble is, it's not that easy. There are no formal qualifications required
or training provided to new mums or dads. Few parents have the time to read lots of books on the subject of parenting and rely on friends and family for help and advice. Some people simply use the ‘role model’ pro-vided by their parents to bring up their own child/children.Sadly that is not always the best approach. For example my parents thought children should be ‘seen and not heard’. They thought all learning happened in school and their job was to feed me and keep me safe. How things have changed. Today children are growing up in a complex, fast changing world. The internet is still in its infancy and the rate of technological change is staggering. Most of the jobs children in nursery school to-day will do when they become adults have not been invented yet. Change is the new norm! However some things remain the same. Over the next few weeks I shall be talking about the BASICS. That is, belonging, aspirations, safety, identity, challenge and success.In my view the most precious thing you can give your child is your time. And it all begins with the basics!Everyone needs to belong. Children need to feel valued and loved, both at home and at school. This requires parents to make time to be with
your child and listen to them. But there is more to this than just showing you care. You should establish family routines, e.g eat-ing meals together, reading with your child and bedtime routines. Find time to discuss events of the day. Your child will know how you expect them to behave. This will help them to feel a sense of security and belonging. Children with a strong sense of belonging are more likely to make friends with those children who also have clear guidance from their fami-lies. They will be more trusting in making friend-ships and less likely to be shy. Children at any age need to know they can talk to their parents and their parents will listen to them. Absolutely vital for those of you with teenage children. Tips for developing a sense of belonging· show your child what you want them to do, rather than criticising them· show your child unconditional love· Remind your child that they are loved for who they are and not what they do· be positive and praise them when de-served Being a good parent is not easy. However it is, arguably, the most important job in the world and the most rewarding. Good luck!
Contact Stephen Coventry on [email protected]
parenting abC
x
Teacher’s tips+-
with Stephen CoventryFormer Gibraltar headteacher Stephen Coventry discusses the fundamentals of parenting
BREXIT could make it dif-ficult for British students to come and study in Spain and abroad, education experts have revealed.British undergraduates could have problems benefiting from Erasmus, which has facilitated 200,000 students of EU mem-ber states to study abroad since
Br-education exit?
ARTY: Eggs
A GROUP of British teen-agers have been flown out to Andalucia in a free trip of a lifetime.Nine students from Bath College will spend six weeks in Sevilla working as tour guides and learning Spanish with all-expenses-paid by Erasmus plus.The lucky globetrotters, aged around 18, went through a tough selection process and will be in the Andalucian capital until mid-April.
Into the frying pan
STUDEnTS in Spain spend more time doing their homework than all but four countries in the world, according to a World Health organisation survey.Teachers in Spain are setting more than six hours of homework per week for their students.Homework in Russia takes 10 hours per week on av-erage, Italians receive more than eight hours.
WoRK THEM HARD
YOU know spring has arrived when you see a display of decorated eggs as fantastic as the one at Governor’s Meadow First School and
Nursery.The spring ‘Eggstravaganza’ saw over 200 pu-pils create the eggcellent display, the backdrop
for an afternoon full of creative arts and deli-cious treats.Parents and carers got their aprons on and
EGGSTATIC!School holds Easter fun day to raise funds for charity
baked cakes for the hugely successful cake sale.The event raised £300 for the new Calpe House building in London, a fa-cility for Gibraltarians in needing to travel to the UK for hospital treatment.The school is planning fun events throughout the year to raise money for other worthy causes.
its creation in 1987.According to Helen Drake, Europe expert and chair of the UACES (University As-sociation of Contemporary European Studies), ‘British universities could experi-ence an unprecedented fall in overseas student recruitment, with many incoming Eras-
mus students not turning up and outgoing students having their places withdrawn´.Universities UK, the ‘defini-tive voice for universities in the UK’ revealed there is ‘great uncertainty and an exit would obviously lead to lengthy negotiations’.The body has also commented on the ‘overwhelmingly posi-tive’ impact of the EU on high-er education, 15% of university staff coming from EU nations.“We’re stronger IN because being in the EU makes it easier for universities to at-tract some of the world’s most talented people to come to the UK and contribute to the UK’s cultural and academic life,” said Lucy Shackleton
policy manager for the EU membership campaign.But Erasmus+, the umbrella body which manages funding and training, refused to spec-ulate and said ‘our focus is to continuing managing the pro-gramme as usual in the UK.’ Tension between the Erasmus system and Switzerland was seen when the country did not join the EU in 1992 and stu-dents were barred from Eras-mus until individual funding projects were set up.
BENEFICIAL: Erasmus
LUCKY: British students
24
www.theolivepress.es
with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
FOOd, dRInk & tRaVEl
Top celebrity chefs blasted for butchering classic Spanish dishes
Damning reviews:
SUSHI lovers in Gibraltar are rejoicing. A new takeaway bar, SushiTake, has been installed at Eroski supermarket, by the airport, and trained chefs are now serving up Japan’s finest every day . . . using 100% norwegian salmon.open during supermarket opening hours.
Rock ‘n’ sushi roll
CELEBRITY chef Omar Allibhoy has fallen in love with a British classic on his quest to bring a taste Spain to the UK.Founder of the Tapas Rev-olution group Omar Allib-hoy has admitted ‘falling in love’ with chip butties since he opened his first restaurant in London in 2011. The former elBulli chef also owned up to partaking in fish and chip Fridays and being partial to a Sun-day roast dinner.
Revolution chip butty
SPAIN’S orange industry is feeling the squeeze. Spain’s biggest fruit and veg group has warned that the country’s orange trade faces ‘permanent and irrepara-ble’ damage. Anecoop highlighted pro-ducers plight in its annual report, with prices down 2% on the previous year - repre-senting five years of decline within the citrus industry. To combat the price fears, the group has set up a com-mittee to ‘prevent abusive practices’.
TAnGoED! On Gordon Ramsay:In best Kitchen Nightmares style, Ramsay strikes his perfect “I-know-what-I’m-doing” pose. Then he launches into making a “pa-ella” with (what else?) cho-rizo, chicken, shrimp, squid and clams. He then jazzes it up with a generous squirt of sherry, as well as a few chili peppers – because it’s never too late to confuse Spain with Mexico.
On Jamie Oliver:
Jamie Oliver has made Spanglish food something of a personal trademark. He enthusiastically adds cho-rizo to pretty much every-thing, and his odd “Made in Spain” combinations make for a good laugh for any Spaniard watching his pro-gram.
On John Torode:Then, when the rice is done, he shakes it up passionately one more time, because he knows that a good paella needs to be mushy and that the rice grains should be crushed so that it is an unap-petizing eyesore.
A SPANISH food critic has pulled no punches in a brutal assessment of some of the world’s top chefs. In a hilariously damn-ing review, Ana Vega has slammed Brits Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Marco Pierre White as well as having a dig at many internationally-acclaimed chefs. Dismissing Ramsay’s 14 Michelin-starred past,
Cut to pieces!
Vega labels his take on Paella as ‘something that does not even deserve to fall into the category of rice with stuff in it’.The host of Kitchen Nightmares is then lambasted for
IN LOVE: Allibhoy
SLAMMED: Pierre White
His latest Tapas Revolu-tion bar opened in Shef-field this month.
confusing Mexican ingre-dients and Spanish cui-sine. Next up, pukka-chef Oliver receives a pasting from the El Pais critic for his ‘Span-glish paella’ and his ‘sad hue’-coloured gazpacho. Meanwhile, Pierre White is damned for labelling the ‘best paella in Spain is from the north’. And Australian celebri-ty-chef John Torode is mocked for ‘cooking to the sound of Spanish guitar chords, while attempting to find his inner-Spaniard’. Making up Vega’s hit list are David Chang for his noddle-based Fideuá and Sanjeev Kapoor for his psychedelic tortilla.
25
26 FOOd, dRInk & tRaVElwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
26March 30th -April 12th 2016
Fresh, vibrant, healthy home cooking from the mediterranean
Corredera 55, Vejer de la Frontera, CádizReservations: 956 451 848
CalifaVejer.com
Plaza de España 16, Vejer de la Frontera, CádizReservations: 956 451 706 CalifaVejer.com
Moroccan and middle eastern fine dining
Come and enjoyhistoric Cape Trafalgar with us
Avda. Trafalgar 102,Los Caños de Meca, Costa de la Luztel: 956 437 255CalifaVejer.com
SPRING is finally here and dining tables are emigrating out-doors to take advantage of the balmy March weather.Restaurateurs who have battled their way through the winter - or closed up - are finally back with smiles on their
faces.Easter marks the start of the tourist season officially. It is when tens of thousands of tourists swap rainy northern Europe for sunny Andalucia, T-shirts and shorts at the ready.Be it the British, the Germans, or the Scandinavians, they are all yearning for some springtime sun, reminiscent of August back home… and, above all, the perfect outdoor table. As tables in town squares get harder to come by and the beach chiringuitos finally start to open again, it is clear that the al fresco dining season is underway.With a tapa in one hand and a chilled drink in the other, you may well ask yourself if there is any place in the world you’d rather be right now.“Lets face it where else in Europe can you be sitting outdoors in glorious sunshine at this time of year?” asks restaurateur Mona Crites, of charming outdoor dining spot Al Lago, in Zahara de la Sierra, near Ronda.“The spring flowers and blossom is out, the views, the colours, it feels like you are alive again after a long, hard winter.”Dining outside is certainly one of life’s simple pleasures in this part of the world.It helps to titillate the taste buds and loosens the tongue.And in Spain, eating in the aire libre promises some of the best people-watching in all of Europe.With extended Spanish families all gathered around the com-munal table - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and their im-maculately turned-out little ones - you really do see life on a plate!Whether you head inland to the Guadalhorce Valley or the Serra-nia de Ronda’s numerous rural restaurants - including Molino del Santo or el Muelle de Arriate - there are so many fabulous dining terrace options.
the great outdoors!It’s time to soak up the spring vibes on a dining terrace near you, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke
AL FRESCO LIFE: WIne and olives at Al Lago
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March 30th -April 12th 2016
FOOd, dRInk & tRaVElwith DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
27
THE charming converted railway storeroom that is El Muelle is well worth a jour-ney to Arriate alone, as many people do all the way from Estepona and Marbella for a night out.Run by a talented Dutchman Frank Rottgering, it has truly come of age since opening in 2012, offering a superb mix of local and international dishes.All home cooked by a team led by the gifted Isa from nearby Alcala del Valle, there are not many places in Andalucia where you eat blinis with foie and a gazpacho made out of cherries. And best of all on warm days and evenings you sit out with incredible views towards the soaring distant Grazalema mountains… and if you’re lucky the odd local train might steam past.
IF there is one place to guar-antee fine dining it is the Cos-ta de la Luz, meaning Coast of Light, just a short drive to
the West.An abundance of organic homegrown produce added to the coast’s fabulous tuna and retinto beef, has created the perfect storm for foodies.Add in a bunch of dynamic in-ternational restaurant owners who’ve added their own dash of creativity and hey presto!Its culinary epicentre is most definitely Vejer de la Frontera, which has developed - like a slow cooked cocido - into a true hive of dining delights.One of the best established restaurants is award-winning El Jardin del Califa, reached through the labyrinthine corri-dors of the 16th century Califa hotel.Its exquisite palm courtyard is enclosed by ancient walls and is lit with Moroccan lamps after dark radiating a 1001 Nights buzz.If you aren’t hypnotised by the scent of frangipani, jasmine and incense, wait until you try the menu, a heavenly harem of authentic flavours from north Africa and the Middle East: de-lights such as babaganoush, shish taouk, pastela filled with chicken, almonds and cinna-mon and tempting tagines. Another equally fabulous spot
the great outdoors!
El Muelle, Arriate
In the Axarquia look no further than Frigiliana’s amazing El Jardin restaurant, or Las Orquideas, near Lake Vinuela.Then you might prefer to wriggle your toes in the sand at a relaxed beach café on the Costa de la Luz, or on the Costa del Sol, where stand out spots include The Beach House in Elviria.And don’t forget the cities such as Sevilla and Cordoba, or Malaga, which has been dubbed
‘the new Barcelona’ (you read it first in the Olive Press).Even if you’re dining ‘in’ (meaning at home), shift the dining table onto your patio or balcony and light those candles in celebration of the new season.Just don’t blame us when your green-with-envy Instagram friends decide to book a table chez vous and descend for the whole of the summer!
Here Dining Secrets of Andalu-cia, the region’s top website for restaurants, picks out a favou-rite place to visit for outdoor din-ing in Vejer and a top pick for an outdoor table, near Ronda.Through the month of April we will be doing a special focus on outdoor dining each issue, picking out its highlights and some top tips.Visit www.diningsecretsofan-dalucia.com for more informa-tion of the best places to eat in Andalucia.
DINING IN STYLE: In the sunshine at Corredera 55
spRIngtIME pICk
spECIal FOCUs: VEJER dE la FROntERa
If you would like to ad-vertise your fantastic outdoor spot, contact [email protected] or call 691831399.
let in the light!
A wonderful spot to stay, right on the coast in nearby Canos de Meca, 10 minutes from Vejer, is Madreselva.Sitting on a fantastic beach with its own pool and atmospheric courtyard, this small bou-tique hotel takes some beating.Comfortable rooms each with their own quiet
back patios, are complimented with a cool re-ception where you take your breakfast.Best of all, you are just a short walk to two of Andalucia’s most emblematic beaches and the famous Trafalgar Lighthouse.Visit www.califavejer.com for more informa-tion.
is Corredera 55, which has a fantastic outdoor dining terrace overlooking a landscape of roll-ing hills, Quixotic windmills and spectacular sunsets. The menu is a fusion of world flavours with bouillabaisse soup or the carrillada (pigs cheeks) braised for five hours in vino de Jerez and served with cinnamon-scented cauliflower puree.
SOMEWHERE TO STAY:
Columnists28
March 30th -April 12th 2016
kiwi CapersThe land way down under is another world
WHATEVER I expected on my trip to New Zealand, it wasn’t a human Kiwi (my part-
ner Dave) getting lost in the kiwi house at Auckland Zoo.It was pitch dark, which the noc-turnal kiwi likes, but as we re-volved through the glass doors I went to the left and, due to a reactolight specs malfunction, Dave spun off to the right. He was still going round in cir-cles 10 minutes later.The funny part was (although Dave didn’t see it that way) at first he thought he was look-ing at a keeper tending kiwis in their enclosure, and watched for a while. It was only when he noticed that the keeper’s looks and movements bore an uncanny resemblance to his own that
the light dawned. He had been staring at his own reflection! Well, he is from the South Island. Eventually, through the Stygian gloom, we did spot something rustling in the undergrowth that might have been a kiwi. But the Tasmanian Devils next door were far better value with their pink pointy ears and Drac-ula fangs.More elusive than kiwis or sun-shine during our early summer visit to Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud in Maori - was anywhere to indulge in my one Spanish vice: morning cof-fee and brandy. Ask for alcohol in any café and they look at you as if you’d just ordered crystal meth.We were based in Waiuku which boasts New Zealand’s
oldest pub. With its clap-board front and hitching rail, it looked like Ian Mc-Shane’s place in Deadwood and I’d love to have burst through the saloon doors like Calam-ity Jane but it didn’t open until high noon.
Nor do supermarkets in New Zealand sell spirits. You have to go to a liquor store and even I didn’t have the bot-tle to ask where I’d find one of those at nine o'clock on a Mon-day morning. Cigarettes are kept under lock and key in a cabinet and sold furtively, as if Prohibition was in force – at prohibitive prices. One packet costs the same as five in Gibraltar.Smokers will soon join kiwis on the endangered list as lighting up anywhere within Auckland city limits is to be outlawed - even on infamous Karanga-hape Road, where everything else is permitted. ‘K' Road’, as the locals call it, is the red light and LGBT district where a rainbow crowd strut their flamboyant stuff. And I mean flamboyant. We saw one LGBT-er (not sure
which) literally ‘lighting up’ in a dress made of fairy light bulbs.There’s lots to love about New Zealand, although there’s a reason it’s so green… And neither Frodo nor Bilbo Bag-gins were at home on our visit to Middle-earth. You can’t go beyond the door of the Hobbit holes, they’re just a ‘front’.But where in the world could you take off in a Cessna with-out filing a flight plan, land in a farmer’s field free of charge and grab lunch and a few Moa beers at a green lipped mussel farm in the middle of nowhere? Only in New Zealand where, outside the main towns, there’s just one human to one square km or large herd of sheep.But will I be emigrating? As I sit in my patio enjoying the win-ter and a morning coffee and brandy - I think you know the answer to that one.
THE past two decades have seen the rise and fall of the metrosexual. Journalist Mark Simpson first coined the term back in 1994 and identified
male model, perennial paparazzi prey, sarong lover and occasional England footballer David Beckham, as the typical metrosexual.“So what modern-day woman doesn’t appre-ciate a man who works out, can prepare rack of lamb, doesn’t mind shopping with you on a Saturday afternoon while the match is on, ex-hibits fashion sense and trims his nose hairs? I want a metrosexual! “ I hear you shriek.But you’d be behind the times. The world has moved on from the metrosex-ual’s heady heyday of the mid nineties and I’d like to be the first to introduce you to the backlash. Ladies, meet the neo-Neanderthal.Forget your morning exfoliating, cleansing and moisturising regime. My grandfather used an old-fashioned cut throat razor. He certainly didn’t need a four-bladed bit of technological tosh in luminous green with an inbuilt MP3 player and Sat Nav system. After his expert shave, he would slap on an old-fashioned aftershave that probably defies the modern moratorium on chemical weapons. When his eyes had stopped streaming, he would apply Brylcream to his hair and this certainly made him attractive to the ladies. I’m second generation living proof.As for other aspects of male grooming, stay well clear of waxing. Only Premiership footballers and cyclists have themselves waxed (and the cyclists are too out-of-it on performance-enhancing drugs to feel anything anyway).Neo-Neanderthal takes the less is more ap-proach to fashion. He needs one suit (for weddings, funerals, in-terviews and court appearances) three pairs of shoes (black, brown and trainers for the weekend) five shirts (for the working week,
white or blue) and his weekend outfit.During my long and distinguished journalistic career I have had the opportunity to attend dozens of launches, openings, exhibitions and conferences and normally grade them on the type of freebie handed out.More than anything else, however, clothing is always warmly welcomed, and I’ve collected baseball caps, T-shirts and rugby shirts by the sack-load, causing someone to ask me if I was sponsored by a pub chain.Food and drink play an important part in both the metrosexual and the neo-Neanderthal’s life. But while the metrosexual is more con-cerned with creating the perfect cocktail and slicing his own sushi in the comfort of his de-signer apartment, the Neo-Neanderthal views food and drink as a social activity with others, preferably during a sporting event.As every good host will tell you, the most im-portant aspect to hosting a dinner party is the guests, and the Neo-Neanderthal does this by getting the boys around for a few beers and takeaway pizza while watching the match. Due to this, the most important items of furni-ture in the living room - apart from a really, re-ally BIG television, are a sofa that can seat four and a coffee table that can bear the weight of four pairs of trainers, 20 or so beers and a se-lection of Italian/Indian takeaway containers.There is only one style of music for the Neo-Neanderthal - LOUD. It’s not all macho music stuff, however, and the Neo-Neanderthal is quite content to watch any DVD featuring Beyonce, Rihanna and Shakira.So ladies, look out for your nearest neo-Ne-anderthal. And don’t be afraid that he won’t appreciate you. Because, as James Brown (no relation, by the way) once sang:“This is a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s WorldBut it wouldn’t be nothing, nothingWithout a woman or a girl.”
all manLadies and gentlemen, meet the Neo-Neanderthal
FLYING HIGH: But will Belinda emigrate?
HOBBIT-LAND: Just a front
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TRIBUTEAn uncanny resemblance to ‘Old blue eyes’ Martin
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Saturday 2nd April
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Want to reach a wider audience?
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Your leaflets could be inside
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Combine the power of DIRECT MAIL with the reach and low cost of LOCAL PRESS
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Want to reach a wider audience?
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sport31
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SPonSoRED BY:
March 30th -April 12th 2016
AN irate mother has landed her son’s football club in trouble after she took on the referee. Manchester 62 football club is under investigation after the female fan con-fronted officials during a youth game against Lynx. The woman allegedly jumped the wall between spectators and the pitch to
THE open de Espana is heading back to Anda-lucia for the 11th time in April.Real Club Valderrama and the Sergio García Foundation are join-ing forces for the pres-tigious tournament, which was last held in the region in Sevilla in 2012.Angel Gallardo was the first Spaniard to win in Andalucia when he was victorious at Marbella’s RCG Las Brisas in 1970.Alvaro quiros won the 2010 open, which was also held at Real Club de Golf de Sevilla.
EMMA Montiel and Allison Edwards put in gutsy performanc-es for Gibraltar in the IAAF World Half Marathon Champion-ships.Montiel came 77th in Saturday’s Cardiff event, crossing the line in 1:25:51.Edwards finished just behind, clocking a time time of 1:32:08 to finish in 80th position.Kenya swept the medals board, with their runner Peres Jep-chirchir winning the race with a time of 1:07:31.
GIBRALTAR battled to a con-troversial 0-0 draw against Liechtenstein in the first of March’s ‘homecoming’ friendlies at the Victoria Sta-dium.The visitors had two first-half ‘goals’ ruled out during an en-tertaining encounter, one ef-fort for offside before a stun-ning free-kick was chalked off for an infringement in the wall.Aaron Payas hit a 30-yard volley for Gibraltar which brought an acrobatic save from Peter Jehle.Manager Jeff Wood gave 17-year-old Jayce Olivero his debut and Robert Montovio capped his fine domestic sea-son by making his interna-tional bow in the second half.Gibraltar had a penalty ap-peal turned down when George Cabrera appeared to be impeded, but the Rock will be satisfied with securing their third draw in three years of internationals.
DARTS stars from around the world are preparing to return to the Rock for the fourth Gibraltar Darts Trophy.World number one Mi-chael van Gerwen is one of 48 playing in the tournament from May 6-8.Held at the Victoria Sta-dium, it is the third of ten PDC European Tour Events being staged across the continent this year.Van Gerwen, who won the tournament last year will face World Champion Gary Ander-son and Gibraltar 2014 winner James Wade in his battle for the £115,000 prize fund.
out of lineAngry mum invades football pitch to tackle ref
EXCLUSIVEBy Rob Horgan
take on the referee after the match official awarded a free-kick against her son. Grass roots officer at Lynx,
Raymond Gomez, con-firmed the incident took place in an under-15 match. “A woman had to be re-strained after she jumped on to the pitch and ap-proached the referee,” Go-mez told the Olive Press.
“The coach reported the incident to me and now it is up to the FA to deal with it if they see fit.” The woman is believed to be the mother of one of Manchester 62’s young stars. Gibraltar FA is assessing the situation. Manchester 62 is yet to respond to Olive Press questions.
on your darts
CHAMP: Van Gerwen
Andalucia again for open
WELSH WIZARDRY
PLAY on
THE football pitches at Victoria Park are fully open again follow-ing the installation of a roof net. The national stadium’s second pitch had been temporarily closed after stray footballs repeatedly entered the runway behind it, causing travel disruption. The roof net covers a third of the playing area at the Bayside Sports Centre. The minister for sport Steven Linares has con-firmed following the brief disruption things will be returning to normal.
Duo debut in draw
BATTLED: To draw
A ROYAL Gibraltar Regiment runner has made the army athletics team after finish-ing seventh overall in the Army and Inter-Services half marathon in the UK.Arnold Rogers scored a personal best of one hour, 11 minutes and 51 seconds in this
month’s Fleet event, the second best army finish time.Rogers will run the Malaga half marathon on April 10, although has opted not to en-ter the Army team for the London mara-thon.
Rogers makes army cut
“Unfortunately I'm not go-ing to London,” he told the Olive Press.“Due to it being such a late entry and my lack of full marathon training we thought it best to play it safe and not enter.”
RUN FOR IT: Rogers will run Malaga half marathon this month
VICTORIOUS: Angel Gallardo
MATCH REPoRT
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the Covering Gibraltar in 2016 with over 20,000 papers
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March 30th - April 12th 2016
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Fighting racism!MInISTER for Equality Saman-tha Sacramento attended a confer-ence on tackling antisemitism.
Sky highBUDGET airlines charge up to 20 times the supermar-ket price for snacks, with the mark-up as high as 2,646% of the item’s original price, according to travel website Kayak.
An incredible 11 motorbikes were damaged on Sunday night after a drunk driver wiped them out on Russia Road... right outside the Mole House police station.Police were understandably quickly on the scene to arrest Marchin Szarek, a 35-year-old Pole living in Gibraltar.He has been charged with drink driving after the bikes fell like dominoes and was due in court this week.
THE sight of dummies, nappies and even tod-dlers flying down the aisle of Gibraltar’s buses has become endemic. In a bid to tackle care-less parents, the ministry of transport has urged mums and dads to take more care when riding the bus. The advice comes follow-ing a number of incidents when prams have jolted forward when buses have come to an abrupt stop.
Foul play?UEFA faces match-fixing questions over ‘strange incidents’ in Gibraltar friendly
EXCLUSIVEBy Tom Powell
An unexploded First World War bomb has been disarmed in London by a Royal Gibraltar Regi-ment soldier.Lance Corporal Alec Spooner made the mor-tar incendiary safe after it was discovered in wood-land near RAF northolt.Alec was recently de-ployed on an exchange with 621 Squadron (EoD), a sub-division of 11 EoD Regiment and is expected to stay in the UK for six weeks.
DAMAGED DoZEn
RoCK STEADY
Model behaviour
Babies on the bus go round and
round
A BUDDInG Gibraltar-ian Kate Moss is des-perately vying for your vote to win a modelling competition.Davinia Cano (above) could pocket up to £400 AnD a year-long modelling contract if she wins the modelvot-er.com competition.At we went to press, the 29-year-old singer was ranked at number 27 after almost 900 votes with two days left until the competition closed.Visit www.modelvot-er.com to vote.
IT seems that sun, sea and sangria aren’t all they’re cracked up to be after Spain ranked a dismal 37th in the 2016 World Happiness Re-port, behind Saudi Arabia and Qatar.Denmark emerged as the happiest country in the world thanks to its high GDP, good social care and excellent medical care.At the other end of the 157-country table, the land-locked African nation of Burundi beat ISIS-ravaged Syria to last place.But the real shock came with Spain’s downward spi-ral. It now ranks 14 places behind the UK and just one above Algeria.The report, released to mark the UN's World Happiness Day on March 20, consid-ered numerous factors in-cluding health, family rela-tions, job security, political freedom and government corruption.Behind Denmark came the usual suspects of Switzer-land, Iceland and Norway.
Sad Spanish
UEFA has been alerted to allegations of match-fixing in Gibraltar’s 0-0 friendly draw with Lichtenstein.Websites and social media users have questioned how Welsh referee Ryan Stewart disallowed two Lichtenstein
goals, including one seem-ingly legitimate free-kick.Numerous Twitter com-ments have been posted about the match, question-ing the result.One user, Alexis Zorba, pointed out that an unusu-ally high £421,000 had been placed on the game with gaming site Betfair alone.
ObstructionIn contrast, only around £250,000 was placed on Monday evening’s match be-tween Wales and Ukraine.Websites including whoa-teallthepies.com and dream-
QUESTIONS: Raised over 0-0 drawteamfc.com have highlighted the ‘strange’ incidents, in-cluding a seemingly non-existent ‘obstruction’ that led to the second disallowed goal from a free kick.A number of fans have now raised questions with UEFA over the match that was the smallest UEFA game ever played in terms of the popu-lations of two nations.The Olive Press has so far been unable to obtain clarifi-cation from UEFA that an in-vestigation is underway, but it is understood the matter is being looked into.A spokesman for the Gibral-tar FA did not reply to ques-tions as we went to press.
