Olive Press Gibraltar Newspaper - Issue 26 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

The Rock’s original community newspaper

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We stand with you Gibraltar PRIME Minister Theresa May has vowed to ‘never’ surrender Gibraltar’s sovereignty. In a letter to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, the British PM confirmed there was no chance of joint sovereignty with Spain despite the Brexit referendum. May also stated there would be ‘no immediate changes’ to freedom of movement of people and services in Gibraltar. “The outcome of the EU referendum will not affect our steadfast commitment to Gibraltar and its people,” said May.

Blueprint

“We will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their wishes.” Meanwhile, it has been alleged that May will push through Brexit without holding a parliamentary vote. May has reportedly ordered ministers to come up with a ‘Brexit blueprint’ ahead of a Chequers cabinet meeting this week as she allegedly looks for a quick EU exit. Previously, opponents of Brexit have claimed that a House of Commons vote was necessary to trigger Article 50, the formal mechanism to leave the EU. Opinion Page 6

Aug 31st - Sep 13th 2016

A time to look back with pride Gibraltar’s top photographers submit their snaps as National Day celebrations begin National Day special Pages 12-15

Stay out of the water! EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

CAMPAIGNERS are demanding the closure of Western Beach over ‘off the scale’ pollution levels. The Environmental Safety Group (ESG) is demanding action after official figures showed E-Coli levels are up to 145 times the legal limit. ESG believes the pollution is caused by sewage ‘discharge’ largely coming from La Linea and is demanding ‘cross-border’ solutions to the issue. “It is clear that closure of this popular beach will be highly regrettable, but the data on the Government’s own monitoring site is there for all to see,” ESG spokesperson Janet Howitt said. “E Coli was 145 times the legally permitted level on

Swimmers told to keep away from Western Beach after ‘off the scale’ E-Coli levels are detected

CLEAN UP: Western Beach

August 17.” She continued: “Unless the source of the current contamination can be identified and stopped, the high levels of sewage pollution at this beach should result in its closure.” Howitt confirmed to the Olive Press that the ESG has lodged a complaint with the

Tel: 00350 20065155

EU over the Western Beach contamination. A government spokesperson told the Olive Press last night that it is ‘continuing to monitor’ water quality levels at the beauty spot and confirmed bathing is currently banned. “The government echoes the ESG's position and will continue to lobby the European Commission and Spanish authorities in order to find a permanent solution to the ongoing problem of sewage contamination at Western Beach,” a spokesperson said. “The public is advised that bathing at Western Beach is strictly prohibited until further notice.”

The problem came after a separate group of green volunteers went out of their way to attempt to clean the beach, in particular, mounds of rotting seaweed. It was during this clean up that the group, including Simy Herbert, found a separate alarming leak of black discharge coming from nearby Ministry of Defence property. “This thick, smelly muck is also seeping out onto our beach,” Herbert said. She added she had reported the leak ‘continuously’ to the environment department and that minister Dr John Cortes had thanked the volunteers for their efforts. He is set to visit her this week, according to Herbert, to discuss the issue. Opinion Page 6

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Trading places

QUEUES: For BHS deals DEBENHAMS is to take over Main Street’s two BHS shops with no job losses. A Debenhams ‘Home Store’ will open in September with the main ICC site hosting a pop-up Christmas store from late October before a refurbished department shop opens in February. It will be the first time Debenhams has opened in Gibraltar. George Russo, director of franchise holders IFL, said: “Securing Debenhams as a retail partner to take over the two BHS sites is a real coup in many ways for us. “Not only have we been able to secure a considerable number of jobs, but we are also delivering an improved retail offer to the Gibraltar public.” Meanwhile, bargain hunters were out in force at the BHS closing-down sale on Main Street (see pic).

CRIME

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Not jetting away with it! THREE Spanish teenagers who stole £16,000-worth of jet-skis from Ocean Village have been remanded in custody. The San Roque youths pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted theft. The trio were seen scaling a fence at Western Beach armed with bolt cutters before making their way to Ocean Village where they were spotted by off-duty police officers.

Syrian breaks into the Rock

Gib cops ‘excellent’ in drugs bust A MAJOR drugs cartel has been smashed by an international operation, involving both Spanish and Gibraltar police. A total of 19 Polish nationals, many based on the Costa Tropical of Granada, have been

arrested and £1.5 m of cannabis resin seized in a raid on a boat off the coast of Italy. Royal Gibraltar Police worked with the Guardia Civil and HM Customs, as well as Polish and Italian police, to snare the gang.

Give us closure

Couple demand inquiry for son they believe was killed in prison

A MAN who claims he is a Syrian national has illegally entered Gibraltar by jumping a fence. It came after he attempted to enter via normal means, but was refused entry. The arab, who is now claiming asylum, later climbed through a hole in a fence on the eastern end of the runway. He was held in cells overnight, before appearing at the Magistrates Court. His application is currently pending.

August 31st - September 13th 2016

A GIBRALTAR family who lost four children in tragic circumstances are fighting for justice for a son they claim died from injuries suffered in prison. Violet and Ron Brayson’s son Robert Bates was just 18 when he was found in a coma in his cell while on remand at the UK’s Brinsford Young Offenders Institute in 1994. A SMUGGLER who stuffed half a kilo of hash into his pants has been jailed for five months. Francisco Jose Mateos Alarcon was arrested as he drove into Gibraltar from Spain. The La Linea resident told a court he had been promised €50 to deliver the

By Joe Duggan Prison officials claimed the teenager, who was on remand for allegedly stealing a car, tried to hang himself, but the couple suspect foul play and are now demanding an inquest. Robert, who was left in a permanently vegetative state, was eventually brought home to Gi-

Pots and pants drugs. Alarcon pleaded guilty to possession, importation and possession with intent to supply.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said he was very proud of the work of the RGP, adding that their ‘excellent’ work had ‘contributed to a major international crime gang being brought to justice’. SUSPECT: Corner

Name and shame EXCLUSIVE

DESPERATE: Couple wants justice for their son braltar with his family in 2008. He was given round-the-clock care by his mother and partner Ron Brayson, but died in St Bernard’s Hospital in 2013, with the cause of death given as pneumonia. “They said Robert died of pneumonia, but he had so many injuries,” she told the Olive Press this week. “He looked like a juggernaut had hit him. He had to have surgery on his leg and hip.” His mother is still convinced his death was covered up. “There were no marks on his neck and I think he was restrained in his cell,” she continued. “We believe there is a wall of silence.” Airport worker Ron and Violet quit their jobs and took it in shifts to provide Robert

with 24-hour care, clearing his breathing apparatus up to 100 times a night. But because Robert died on the Rock, an inquest will cost the Braysons an estimated £250,000 in legal costs to fly people in from the UK. The family, who lost two other children by hanging, while a third died of leukaemia, returned to the UK two weeks ago to talk with solicitors about opening an inquest. “The Gibraltar coroner said he can’t commence an inquest without the facts,” said Violet. “I don’t care where the inquest is held, We just want closure.” Last night, the Ministry of Justice said: “Unless there are exceptional circumstances, a UK coroner has to have a body for their to be an inquest.”

THE former boyfriend of missing British expat Lisa Brown has reverted back to his birth name. Simon Corner is now using his name, Dean Woods, while he remains in custody in Algeciras prison. As revealed by the Olive Press, the wheeler dealer used many aliases during his years living and working in the Campo de Gibraltar area. These included Dean Tripp and Damien Woods. He is the main suspect in the disappearance of Scottish Lisa, who has not been seen since November 2015. Corner was placed in custody in May after fleeing the country and going on the run for six months. Police are also waiting to question Corner’s friend, Stephen Jackson, who was sentenced for people smuggling in the UK last month.

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

Stranger than fiction

Caribbean love VICTORIA STADIUM was transformed into a Caribbean paradise as Inner Circle rocked Gibraltar. The Jamaican reggae group played classics including Bad Boys and A La La La La Long to a packed out stadium. Ever popular on the Rock, the gig had to be moved from the Sunborn to the football stadium due to such high demand. Supporting act, Malaka Youth Reggae, from Malaga, also went down a storm at the event.

REGGAE: Inner Circle

Hats off to the chef EXCLUSIVE

CELEBRITY chef Steven Saunders is swapping his apron and toque blanche for suit and tie as he gets set to marry on the Costa del Sol. Tying the knot with partner Michele, the boss at Little Geranium in La Cala ‘cannot wait’ for the big day. The Olive Press can reveal that the former Michelin-star chef will tie the knot in front of 50 guests at the El Oceano hotel, in September. “We’re both very excited,” the former Ready Steady Cook star said last night. “I popped the question three years ago and thought it was about time.” The couple moved to the Costa del Sol in 2015 to open their restaurant.

TYING THE KNOT: Steven and Michele

EXCLUSIVE

Blast from the Past

No hidden Depps

JOHNNY DEPP has been spotted on holiday in Spain for the first time since his €6 million divorce settlement. The 53-year-old was pictured boarding the €177 million superyacht of Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz, 42, in Ibiza. Depp has remained on the party island since settling in California with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, who made allegations of physical abuse in May. She donated the €6 million she received to an American domestic abuse charity.

Steel-ing the show AWARD-WINNING comedian Mark Steel is set for a sidesplitting performance on the Rock. The host of BBC Radio 4 show Mark Steel’s in Town will be broadcasting from St. Michael’s Cave on September 22. Now in its seventh series, the episode in Gibraltar will be the first recorded in a British overseas territory. “I’m looking forward to discovering the quirks and characteristics (of Gibraltar),” he said. The show focusses on a different part of the UK each week. As well as visiting Gibraltar, Mark will travel to Colchester, Stockport, Hebden Bridge, Lynton and Kingston upon Thames as part of the new series.

INCOMING: (Clockwise from top left) Fratellis, Jess Glyne, Paul Young, Heather Small and Stereophonics

International artists head to Gibraltar for the summer festival curtain closer A PAIR of household names ics, Slave to Love singer Bryan from the ‘90s have been added Ferry and pop sensation Jess to the roster at the Gibraltar Glyne. Music Festival. Other acts taking to the VictoHeather Small from M People ria Stadium stage include ‘90s plays on Saturday, while Paul throwbacks All Saints and TraYoung has been added for Sun- vis. day. The two-day extravaganza kicks The star of smash hit Moving off on September 3 with some on Up will be playing a solo set, tickets still available from £94. while Scottish indie band The A GMF comedy stage has been Fratellis are also joining the line introduced for the first time this up. year featuring stand-up from They will be joined the likes Paul Foot, Simon13:27 Evans and1 Olive Press Advertby – Gaston:Layout 1 08/07/2016 Page of Welsh rockers Stereophon- Nathan Caton.

IT was something of an exciting homecoming for a Costaborn actress, who has become one of the big hits in Hollywood this summer. Millie Bobby Brown, 12, the surprise star of Netflix blockbuster Stranger Things, is the daughter of a former expat couple, Robert and Kelly Brown, once based in Marbella. Now, the Spanish-born actress has been back to her roots with a family trip to Marbella this summer after becoming a household name overnight. The Olive Press understands that her grandparents run a restaurant in Marbella and she spent a week here.

With little fanfare and with nobody recognising her, she is understood to have gone to Heaven Beach in Estepona, where she posted a video from a foam party, as well as various other outings undetected. Millie (above) moved to London when she was four, before moving to Orlando in Miami, in 2011, where her parents started a tooth-whitening business. She shot to fame last month as the lead character in the Netflix drama, which also stars Wynona Rider. She plays the part of a telekinetic girl in the show that is based around the disappearance of a young boy. In its first 16 days, the sci-fi thriller was watched by more than 8.2 million people, outperforming the critics’ darling House of Cards. Millie will return to LA in September when it is hoped a second season of the show will be announced.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Stoned! A GROUP of tobacco smugglers pelted customs officers with stones after their small dinghy was intercepted near to Western Beach.

Red alert NEW fire and rescue service drivers have been given emergency response training in fire engines around the streets of Gibraltar.

Testing the waters SAMPLES of water taken by Spanish authorities from the site of the nuclear HMS Ambush collision with a cargo ship have tested negative for radioactive material.

Stop sign THE largest Gibraltarbased motor insurer in Ireland - Zenith - is stopping car coverage on the emerald isle due to soaring claims costs.

NE WS

August 31st - September 13th 2016

Ground shakes for Mark A GIBRALTARIAN was just 100 miles from the epicentre of the Italian earthquake that killed hundreds last week. Mark Randall was half-way through a gruelling 8000 mile hike to Jerusalem, when he found himself close to Amatrice, where 290 people died. The former Commanding Officer, 53, said; “I felt the toilet move

VATICAN: Mark’s Roman stop-off

Horror hotel

Gibraltar firm slammed for leaving eyesore inside Wales’ Snowdonia National Park A GIBRALTAR-owned ‘ghost’ hotel is having a ‘devastating effect’ on tourism in Wales. The once five-star St David’s Hotel, owned by Gibraltar-based Aitchison Associates, has been deteriorating since permission was granted for its demolition in 2009. Based in the Snowdonia National Park, the building has been in a severe state of disrepair since closing in 2008, with people regularly helping themselves to its floorboards, windows and chimney pots.

from side to side under me. My heart goes out to the Italian people who have suffered from the 6.3 earthquake.” His walk from Gibraltar in just one pair of sandals is taking him across many countries and he is mostly sleeping on beaches. A seasoned walker, Mark is raising money for various local charities and recently reached Rome.

Spain parties pact THE PP and Ciudadanos have signed a pact as Mariano Rajoy bids to become Spain’s new Prime Minister. PP leader Rajoy and Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera joined forces ahead of September’s crucial Congress investiture vote. Rajoy needs 176 votes, but the backing of centre-right party Ciudadanos’ 34 delegates will only push the PP up to 169. If the Socialist PSOE abstain, PP and Ciudadanos would take power, but if not Spain could face an unprecedented third general election.

Lucky rock EYESORE: St. David’s Hotel

By Laurence Dollimore Local Plaid Cymru councillor Caerwyn Roberts said: “It is having a devastating effect on tourism, everyone who comes to Harlech will see it when they come on the A496, from either direction. “It is fast becoming a source of major concern for the people.” Roberts added that the same owners owned the former Hall of Residence site - a tower block - but that site also remains empty.

“They are holding Harlech back, we’re not happy,” he added. In 2009 the Snowdonia National Park Authority granted conditional planning permission for the hotel to be torn down and replaced with a 130-bedroom hotel with 76 holiday apartments, but the developer did not proceed with the project. A further application was approved in 2014 but there has been no developments. Aitchison Associates were unavailable for comment.

A MAJOR lottery company has reconfirmed its commitment to Gibraltar. Nigel Birrell of Lottoland has said Brexit is unlikely to impact the company’s decision to remain on the Rock. “Why stay in Gibraltar? Gibraltar has been good to us,” he said, “This is where we are born. This is our home and we’ve grown up here. “We didn’t move to Gibraltar from somewhere else and Gibraltar gaming regulation is very sound.” He also said he hopes to introduce cross border lotteries.

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Peking interest THE Chinese are looking to invest into Algeciras port as they continue buying up ports in the Mediterranean. Cosco Shipping Ports looks likely to invest in Southern Spain after having recently sewn up a deal to take over Greece’s largest port, Piraeus. Algeciras Port Authority at the start of this month issued a tender notice calling for bidders to build and operate – for 50 years – a third terminal, which covers an area of about 37 hectares.

Stubbed out THE Guardia Civil have seized 1500 packets of cigarettes that were stuffed into the roof of a van in La Linea. The smuggler was stopped in the border town en route to Gibraltar when police noticed something strange in the structure of the vehicle’s roof. When inspecting further, they found it had been raised so it could be filled with contraband. They confiscated the haul and the driver has been charged.

Drug smuggler tries to mow down police officers with car in La Linea A LA LINEA hashish trafficker is on the run after trying to stop police officers by running them over. Guardia Civil officers gave chase on foot after spotting a gang unloading hash bundles from three cars on Avenida Espana. The gang abandoned the drug parcels and fled the scene with the getaway drivers setting off at high speed. But another driver changed direction and drove at speed towards the unoccupied police car. He slammed repeatedly into the unmanned police car before speeding towards the officers. The police officers were forced to dive behind the beach wall on Avenida Espana for cover before the drug smuggler finally

C AM P O D E G I BR A LTA R

August 31st - September 13th 2016

FIND HIM

NEWS IN BRIEF

Bikes returned THE Guardia Civil have recovered three motorbikes at Algeciras port that were stolen in Guadiaro last month.

Crying wolf THE Guardia Civil are investigating two false reports of kidnappings in La Linea, after they were led to believe a father and daughter had been taken.

Sail away A FRENCH sailboat carrying four crew members had to be rescued by coast guards 25km off Tarifa. CRASH: Smuggler smashes car into post before fleeing

smashed the car into a lampost. The men all fled leaving 266

kilos of hashish. It comes just a fortnight after a drugs bust in the Campo

Fishy goings on SAN Roque residents have cleared a channel from the sea to the Guadiaro river to stop thousands of fish dying. Sand blown in by the levante wind had blocked the river mouth for 15 days near Sotogrande. At first, local authorities didn’t act despite fish dying and a foul smell coming from the area, but have been

spurred into action by locals digging out a path to the sea. San Roque mayor Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix put the blame on Spain’s central government “The central government knows the problems that the Guadarranque and Guadiaro Rivers face each year,” he said.

de Gibraltar unearthed 300 kilos of cocaine with two Algeciras port workers arrested.

Fruitful first SPANISH fruit producer Tany Nature has begun exporting stonefruit to China through the port of Algeciras, the first in Spain to do so.

Barking mad REFUGIO KIMBA has lodged a complaint with the Guardia Civil against the treatment and living conditions of the La Linea’s police dog force.

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

The Rock’s only investigative

local newspaper

OPINION Total dis-may IT’S great to hear Theresa May come out in support of Gibraltar and give us some reassurances about our future. Yet while May was promising to uphold the freedom of movement for Gibraltarians, it soon transpired she is apparently preparing to push through Brexit without holding a parliamentary vote. What gives her the right to forego constitutional norms, especially when so much is at stake? Let it be voted on in Parliament and have those who have actually been elected by the people be involved in this monumental decision.

Water woes

HATS off to the kind-hearted Gibraltarians who went out of their way to clean up Western Beach at the weekend. In their own time - and at their own expense - they toiled from 7am to 10pm to spruce up the area, which was covered in mounds of seaweed. What a huge shame then to discover that, aside from the seaweed, the beach water has shockingly gone miles over the safe limit for E-Coli and Intestinal enterococci levels. This has now led to the government confirming that swimmers should stay out of the water. What is needed now is an effective cross-border solution to root out the problem so the beach can be enjoyed properly by everybody.

Loud and proud!

IT is nearly here! Forget Christmas Day, September 10 is the big one on every Gibraltarian’s calendar… and rightly so! With political tensions nearing breaking point on the back of Brexit, this year’s National Day is a chance to really blow off some steam. The Olive Press will be there yet again and is happy to celebrate with you for what will no doubt be another fantastic party.

AWARDS

2015/2016

Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.

2012 - 2016

Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

ADMIN/SALES (+34) 951 273 575 Newsdesk (+34) 665 798 618 A campaigning, community newspaper, the Gibraltar Olive Press represents the local and expatriate communities working or living on the Rock with 10,000 copies distributed fortnightly on a Wednesday. Clarke Media Ltd. Registration number: 113878 Suite 2B, 143 Main Street, Gibraltar Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.

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Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 Rob Horgan rob@theolivepress.es Joe Duggan joe@theolivepress.es Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es Admin & Accounts (+34) 951 273 575 Maria González admin@theolivepress.es Admin and accounts coordinator Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@theolivepress.es Admin and account assistant

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DESPERATE: Last leap to safety THEY called me again at 5.30 am. I was the last one to talk to them alive,” Helena Maleno Garzon, a Tangier-based human rights worker for Walking Borders tells the Olive Press. “They said, ‘Please help, we are having problems with the boat’. The wind was very bad that night. I spoke to Zakarias in French before the phone went dead.” She sighs: “It’s very painful. Many times I am the last person who talks to them. The families always want to know what their last words were. And their last words are always, ‘Please help. I don’t want to die’.” The seven African migrants, aged 20 to 25, were all known to Helena. The young men had left Morocco in a boat for Tarifa on August 23. But despite a rescue mission by Spanish and Moroccan coast guards, they weren’t found. Their families now face an agonising wait to see if their bodies will be recovered. In her 15 years working with migrants crossing to Spain, it’s become a heartwrenchingly familiar tale for Helena. This year alone, 40 have died trying to cross to Tarifa, she tells me. By contrast, the nine Moroccan migrants who pleaded guilty to entering Gibraltar illegally two weeks ago were some of the lucky ones. At least they were alive.

Heart-wrenching

The men’s crossing from Africa ended when their inflatable boat landed near Catalan Bay two weeks ago. (see pic above) The men, aged 21 to 35, fled, but were soon arrested by the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP). Deportation to Morocco is a certainty. But thousands enticed by Europe’s promise glittering across the blue expanse don’t survive the journey. “Migrants don’t land in Gibraltar very often,” RGP officer Paul Chipolina tells the Olive Press. “I’ve been a police officer for 20 years and I’ve hardly ever seen it. “On the rare occasions it happens it is due to engine failure or confusion. We are very close to a major shipping transit route, so the crossing is not very safe. Plus there is another border for them to cross in Gibraltar. “Not only that, but the waters are very heavily policed to guard against drug trafficking. So your chances of being discovered are much higher.” Gibraltar may be low on the list of migrant destinations, but the past four years have seen a human exodus of biblical proportions along the Mediterranean. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 1.4 million migrants have crossed in that time with 8,100 deaths recorded. The number drowning so far this year - 3,164 - has already surpassed last year’s figure by 500. Preferred destinations are still Greece (where 162,599 have arrived so far in 2016) and Italy (where 104,141 have arrived). The numbers heading to the Spanish coast are

Peril at sea When nine Moroccan migrants recently landed in Gibraltar it brought home the 21st century’s biggest crisis, writes Joe Duggan

Rescue trauma

GIBRALTAR-REGISTERED rescue ship The Aquarius has saved 2,750 people off the coast of Libya since May. The 28-man crew patrol international waters looking for migrants attempting the crossing to Italy, said Aquarius nurse Jacob Goldberg. “The boats are so overcrowded that if people move around they will capsize,” the 32-year-old Briton told the Olive Press. “We picked up 400 people in one wooden boat. Sometimes they don’t know where they are heading. They have all had long traumatic journeys and they bear the physical and mental signs of that. “I met one 13-year-old boy who had lost his parents in Libya. He just had no idea

smaller (the tidal wave of refugees fleeing the killing fields of Iraq, Syria and Libya don’t cross from Morocco.) and are mainly west Africans. According to the IOM, so far this year, 2,476 migrants have landed in Spain, with 53 recorded deaths (human rights group Associacion Pro Derechos Humanos Andalucia put the number of deaths at 208). The IOM estimates hundreds have died since 2012. Behind every one of these statistics is a story of hardship and suffering. Amadou Siribe, a 19-year-old from Mali, fled his poverty-stricken Bamako home in search of a better life. He told the Olive Press how he and four friends almost died crossing to Spain in a blow-up dinghy. “The water was very rough and dangerous,” he

where he was. “One night we found 22 dead bodies on the bottom of the boat - 21 women and a man. There was another group of people huddled away from this horror.” said. “One of us was bailing out because so much water was coming in. “Dolphins were leaping out of the water and almost sinking the boat. I fell in the sea twice and had to be rescued. I swallowed so much salt water I became very sick. After six hours I thought we were all going to die and began crying for my family.” Hope, a young Nigerian woman, told the Olive Press how she survived a two-year ordeal after being trafficked to Spain by gangs. “I saw people dying on the spot from disease and from scorpion bites,” says Hope of her journey through Libya to Morocco. “We were piled on top of each other in an open truck in the desert. We ran out of water in the

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Angel of the desert

IN the 15 years she has worked for Crossing Borders, Helena Maleno Garzon has seen thousands of desperate people fleeing Africa. Her organisation cares for migrants attempting the perilous crossing to Spain from Morocco. It’s a vocation that has led to her being threatened by the Spanish police, the Moroccan police and criminal gangs. One night, they tried to kill her. “The mafia were trying to attack some immigrants,” says Garzon, who is originally from Almeria. “We tried to calm things down. They then attacked me. The Moroccan police stood by and did nothing. One of the migrants saved me.” The migrants Helena works with are usually from Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia and Nigeria. They generally try to cross to Almeria, the Granada and Malaga coast and Tarifa in

LIFE SAVER: Helena Garzon small boats without engines. “Most of the women from Nigeria are victims of human trafficking and will be sold for sexual exploitation,” she says. “Some are very small girls aged 12 to 14 because the European market asks for that. The final destination is often not Spain, but all over Europe. “Children come here because their fami-

lies have died from Ebola.” Sometimes migrants’ babies are kidnapped by the mafia and taken to Algeria where there is a black market trade in human organs, she tells me. “Migrants are big merchandise for these gangs,” she says. Garzon has been closely involved in the fight for justice for the families of 14 migrants who drowned at Tarajal beach while trying to enter Ceuta in 2014. Last year, a judge threw the case out but the families plan to appeal. “The Guardia Civil didn’t call the rescue services because they said the people put themselves in danger,” says Garzon. “The five bodies in Cueta have not yet been identified. The Spanish authorities won’t even allow the families to visit the graves. Imagine this, in a democracy? “The situation is a tragedy. What is most important, the right to life or migratory control?”

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Hope: Trip home and (right) dinghy in Gibraltar desert and had to drink our own urine.” Hope eventually made the crossing to Spain in a ramshackle boat while pregnant along with 54 other desperate migrants. Fortunately, Tarifa’s Cruz Roja scooped both her and Amadou from the sea. They are now assimilated into La Linea life (Amadou plays football for Real Balompédica Linense, Hope has two children and helps out at Hogar Betania, the crisis centre that helped her when she first arrived). But others, like the men Helena knew, are not so lucky. “The situation is a tragedy,” she says. “When the migrants are in the sea they usually call us between Morocco and Tarifa. If they’re crossing somewhere else, the phones don’t work. “The boats they use are more like toys. “We have cases of people rescued off the Andalucian coast. Sometimes the ship might have been lost at sea for 10 or 11 days, people die and sometimes a person drinks piss to survive. “When that person is rescued they are arrested by the Spanish police. Nobody is considering that person spent 10 days in the sea. “They need help. Like the victim of trauma or a tragedy.” This is the hidden face of pretty whitewashed

STAGGERING: Map of migrant deaths

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ports like Tarifa, the frontline in the battle to keep the Campo de Gibraltar’s waters safe. Young kitesurfers, lured by the Mediterranean’s whipping waves, have made this one of the coast’s hippest destinations. But mainland Europe’s most southern point is also a magnet for Africa’s migrants and refugees. The Salvamento Marítimo’s 100-strong

team patrols the waters 24/7 off Cadiz, with Tarifa the main focus of their attention. “The majority are in a state of shock when we find them,” Salvamento Marítimo captain Jose Cristobal Romero told the Olive Press. “The cold is one of the problems they have to face. Tiredness is a key factor because they try to row for a long time in boats that are not adequate.” According to figures supplied by Salvamento Marítimo, 1,219 migrants have been rescued at sea and taken to the sanctuary of the pretty whitewashed port so far in 2016. If they make it, migrants are taken to a detention centre on Tarifa’s Isla de las Palomas (around 90% are put out on the street after 60 days). Campaigners APDHA have called for the centre - or CIE - to be closed, saying it is illegal to hold people there. “The CIEs don’t meet the legal conditions,” APDHA member Andres De La Pena says. “People here are suffering from lack of psychological care, inadequate medical care, lack of adequate translation, legal misinformation, inadequate social services, lack of clothes.” But still the migrants keep coming. Desperation means there is often no other choice.

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Flight path AS there are also many many Gibraltarians and probably people in the surrounding area with Maltese ancestry I am sure putting on a flight between the two places could be viable during certain months (Flight of fancy, Issue 25). Thursday Sunday and Tuesday flights would suit people going on holiday and those on business. An airline could use a smaller plane for the route. Hope this doesn’t signal the gaming companies doing a bunk though. Luna Foley, Marbella

Popular route

SO many of us have to do the inconvenient double flight trip to Malta and back which are ridiculously time consuming. I think this connection would be very popular and should definitely be looked into, if nothing else the airline to do it first will be in prime position to cash in!

August 31st - September 13th 2016

Representation plea Support for MP FOR me the idea of an MP for expats is much more appealing than the prospect of dual nationality (Appeal for expat MPs, Issue 246). First of all, although I live in Spain I don’t consider myself Spanish in any way. I love Spain, the people, the landscape, the food, but I am not Spanish and never will be. Also having dual nationality doesn’t give expats any footing in the UK, an MP does. I for one will support this idea and I hope for everyone’s sake that it is pushed through. Peter Flinch, Malaga

a poor reason to deny the right to vote. Being outside the UK for more than fifteen years and not being allowed to vote is not the same as the privilege to vote in the EU referendum. Every UK passport holder should have been given that right. Many people living in the EU pay tax to the UK Government and many of us voted against joining the Free Trade vote in 1976, and I was one of them who envisaged that the EU would develop into what it has become. We should have constituencies in Spain and our voices must be heard. Gordon Blythe, Fuengirola

Cheer up!

WHY do expats forever moan about the conditions and treatment they receive? You live in a beautiful place, lead an envious lifestyle and most importantly, nobody forced you to WE have been ignored long enough and to use the excuse it was too complicated to allow expats to vote is move, you actively chose to. The post-Brexit pandemonium and calls for dual naDorianne Kjladstrom, tionality and an MP Gibraltar is just the latest in a long line of expat gripes. STAR LETTER – Sponsored by As the old proverb goes: ‘You can’t have I READ the article on a bag of discarded your cake and eat it’. +350 200 44523 adult toys and looked to see if any were of the brands we run in my shop, Steven Miller, but they were not (Dick n Mix, IsLondon sue 25). Funnily enough I wrote an article some years ago on the ANDALUCIA RESERVOIR subject of reusing your sexy LEVELS lingerie with a new man and people’s thoughts on 'bin and buy new' This week: 59.39% 'use again'. STATIONERY & OFFICE SUPPLIES or Last year: 59.85% Maybe the same goes for toys.. new Same week man, new toys! Heheh! WINNER receives a FREE PARKER PEN in 2006: 57.16% Aimee Jay, Gibraltar

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la cultura

August 31st - September 13th 2016

what’s on

Dance off fundraiser BE ‘APPY!

Flamenco star inspired by Brexit flies into Gibraltar

ational Day Fancy Dress Competition, September 10

end of the year. “The main aim is for dancers to come together in an educational, social and cultural exchange through dance,” said director and producer Seamus Byrne. Among those taking part are the Gibraltar Academy of Dance, Mediterranean Dance Group, Show Dance Company and Transitions Dance Academy.

Brexit ballads

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A US flamenco guitarist is bringing his Brexit-innews in Spain! spired TOP showfor to Gibraltar. Oklahoma native Ronald Radford will end his European tour at Ince’s Hall Theatre on August 30 with his Brexit por Bulerias concert. Radford is the only musician to have received a US government-backed Fulbright scholarship to study flamenco in Spain. “This show is a statement about the essential importance of culture at a time when Europe is at a structural crossroads,” said Radford. “If an American from deep in Oklahoma can learn to feel and practise the ancestral art of the Spanish gypsies, Romanians and Spaniards, Berliners and Athenians, Londoners and Tuscans can certainly find common feelings, common ground and shared cul- FLAMENCO: Radford

tural affinities,” said Radford. He isn’t the only artist to be inspired by Brexit to write music. The lead singer of Scottish band CHVRCHES, Lauren Mayberry, apologised about Brexit to a mixed crowd of Spanish and UK fans at Bilbao’s BBK festival, while British blues singer John Lanchaster has released an album titled Brexit Blues. Tickets for Radford’s show will be on sale from Sir John Mackintosh Hall the day before the concert.

August 31st - September 13th 2016

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A DANCE extravaganza is hot-stepping its way to Gibraltar. Fleet-footed dancers from La Linea and Gibraltar will join forces to raise funds for the Rock’s national dance team at Ince’s Hall on September 2. The national team is set to compete at the World Showdance, Modern and Jazz Download our app and Championships in now Germany before the begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go.

Entry forms available from John Mackintosh Hall. Show starts at 10:30am all participants must wear red and white clothing.

Nudes fit for a king A SECRET collection of nudes owned by Spanish monarchs is to go on display across the pond. Visitors to the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts will be privy to a collection of 16th and 17th century paintings previously banned in prudish Catholic Spain. A large number of the paintings were privately owned and ogled by the likes of Philip II (reigned 1556-98) and Philip IV (reigned 1621-40), and clandestinely stored in secret hiding places. In total, 28 paintings have been loaned from the Prado in Madrid by artists such as Titian, Tintoretto and Rubens. The paintings, condemned by the Catholic Church in the 16th century as the equivalent of porn, will remain on display until the end of the year.

onkey Rocks Festival, September 10

Held at the Victoria Stadium at 2pm, the festival includes top international DJs, best local DJs and a water sprinkler.

raft Collectors Fair, September 17

Hand crafted items included doll house items, antique and vintage items and modern collectables. Held at St Andrews Church, Governors Parade.

osom Buddies Variety and Fashion Show, September 22

Fashion show with tickets available from Hearts Boutique and John Mackintosh Hall.

Put your hands together...

STUNNING: Greenfingered goals

Green giant photography THE world’s most famous garden photography competition has teamed up with the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens for a new award. International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY)’s Green Gibraltar has been launched to celebrate the Alameda Gardens bicentennial anniversary. Categories include The Beauty of Plants, Beau-

tiful Gardens, Wildlife in the Garden, Breathing Spaces and Trees Woods Forests. An IGPOTY spokesman said: “This award aims to broaden public understanding of nature in Gibraltar and showcase the botanical beauty of The Rock.” Winning entries will be placed in an exhibition at the Alameda Gardens from April 2017.

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

Always a flag-flying celebration of British sovereignty and selfdetermination, National Day has special significance this year, writes Rob Horgan

IBRALTARIANS have good reason to remember September 10 - the day the Rock turns red, white and proud all over. And although the iconic National Day balloons banned on environmental grounds - will be conspicuous by their absence for the party’s 25th edition, the celebrations are rising to the occasion like never before. Live music, fireworks and beer by the barrel load are all set to mark Gibraltar’s most important day of the year. And, almost 50 years on from the first referendum when Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain British, the Rock is standing taller and prouder than ever. Ironically, another referendum has given this year’s celebrations added impetus. Britain’s Brexit result came as a blow to the Rock but in the true die-hard spirit associated with this tiny limestone outcrop in the Med, it has been business as usual and what threatened to shatter the Rock has only made it stronger. The resolute way Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has confronted the threat at home and abroad since June 23 can make all Gibraltarians proud! Now, with Spain still knocking at the door, this year’s National Day is a chance for Gibraltarians to fly the flag and show the rest of Europe that, in the Union or out of it, there is nothing more solid than the Rock. The abundance of local pride has seen the former one-day event spill over into more than a week of celebrations - including music of all

genres, arts, food, photography, competitions, a political rally - plenty to bring locals and tourists alike into the street and onto their feet. It’s a chance to demonstrate to the world that

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September on GBC TV includes: ‘National Day Live’ ‘World Cup European Qualifiers’ ‘Our Waters’ ‘Profiles’ ‘Viral TV’ ‘Mama Lotties: Mama’s in the Kitchen’ GBC TELEVISION

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there really is nowhere quite like Gibraltar, and no nation quite like its people. And, as tense political times fuel the fire in Gibraltarian bellies, this year’s festivities will be a statement as well as a celebration. Passion truly makes this party... and organisers expect more than 30,000 revellers to join the celebrations. But before the ‘big day’, the celebrations kicks off with a bang and a drum roll at the new legenday Gibraltar Music Festival (GMF). Spanning two days for the second year running, the event on September 3 and 4 will see internationally renowned acts, including Stereophonics and Bryan Ferry, starting the party in style. The GMF is regarded by many in the music industry as the finale to the global summer festival programme. Symbolically held on the ‘hallowed turf’ at Victoria Park, the UEFA newcomers’ national football stadium is another example of how little Gibraltar punches way above its weight. “There is always a real buzz around Gibraltar in the build up to national day,” explains 25-yearold Irish expat Michael Hayes, who commutes daily from La Linea. “I love working here and, as always, I am really looking forward to National Day.

Red a letter

rock - red and white all the way through - there’s also a vein of Union Jack blue. Gibraltar is proud of its status as a British Overseas Territory under a British sovereign for more than 300 years. The Queen may not have made an appearance since 1954 but, three years ago, with the Gibraltar flag flying over the Foreign Office in London, Prime Minister David Cameron joined the celebrations in spirit, rallying his loyal troops from a giant screen in Casemates. Passion “For 300 years we have stood together, as one “It really is the highlight of the year, a time all of with our shared sovereign. Let me assure you that the British people and my Government us can really show off how proud we are.” stand with you now. Our relaThe National Day festival is a tionship is solid, sure and enmix of looking back at Gibralduring,” he proclaimed to roars tar’s proud history; and looking With the world of approval. forward, celebrating the busiThese sentiments are increasness opportunities, innovation watching, the ingly important to Gibraltar in and future building plans for this Rock uses the light of recent international modern peninsular. Organised by the Self DetermiNational Day to tensions, played out through the media. nation for Gibraltar Group in strut its stuff But Gibraltar has said ‘enough conjunction with the Ministry of is enough’ to one-sided Spanish Culture, the celebration comnews reports. A high-profile vicmemorates one of the most important moments in Gibraltar’s history: the tory against Spanish newspaper ABC was the referendum of 1967, when citizens had a say start of the Rock’s fightback against years of ‘slanderous’ comments. on their sovereignty for the very first time. On that day, a landslide 99% of Gibraltarians As lawyer Charles Gomez says, if the rabid rightvoted to remain British. Today they are just as, wing Spanish press is to be believed then Giif not more, impassioned under the constant braltar is ‘a cocaine-fuelled, money-laundering playground run by the barbary apes’. taunts of their Spanish neighbour. Following the EU referendum, acting Spanish He adds: “Enough is enough, the government Foreign Minister Jose García-Margallo poured has finally had enough of the lies, untruths and petrol onto the flames of an already volatile fire complete propaganda. It is time for the Rock to stand up for itself and be proud.” by demanding joint-sovereignty of the Rock. But the stance of Gibraltar and Britain couldn’t And what better day to do so than on National Day? It’s about a party, not a political party, but be more clear: back off, Jose! And while Gibraltar is like a stick of Brighton it sends a message, loud and clear, in the best

ALL SM Nation

ay special

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and white r day...

August 31st - September 13th 2016

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FAMILY AFFAIR: Picardo with wife Justine and kids

MILES: Casemates Square is awash with people come nal Day

possible way. The day itself kicks off with a political rally at midday followed by speeches and toasts in Casemates Square. After a summer of stunning weather, an openair concert was a no-brainer for organisers. Children’s activities, live music and DJs will also keep the crowds entertained at other locations, including King’s Bastion Leisure Centre, Victoria Park and John Mackintosh Hall. Stick around for the grand finale at midnight when fireworks light up Casemates, before the party moves on to the late bars and clubs surrounding the square. With the eyes of the world’s media focused on Gibraltar, the Rock will also use National Day to strut its impressive stuff. Not only its national football squad but its new university, spectacularly sited at the southernmost tip of Europe, and top British private college Prior Park which opens its fourth school on the Rock this autumn. Quality education is as much of a priority as big business, enabling Gibraltar to attract and nurture top talent from around the world. The gambling industry, one of Gibraltar’s most lucrative sectors, is also pushing on with a number of top firms committing their future to Gibraltar, even in the face of Brexit. The World Trade Center, a project that has cost tens of millions of pounds, will be unveiled next to Victoria Stadium in the coming months - yet another example of Gibraltar’s refusal to rest on its laurels as it continues to innovate. The WTC will become a global hub, strengthening Gibraltar’s focus on finance, transport, banking and internet gaming. So while National Day has history at its roots, it is also a celebration of the peninsula’s future. If there was ever a time to stand up and fly the red and white flag with pride, that time is now.

Did you know?

• The height of the Rock is approximately 426 metres or 1,400 feet • The distance between Gibraltar and the coast of Africa is 24 kilometres or 15 miles • The Rock was formed approximately 200 million years ago and is composed of Jurassic Limestone • The UK pound can be used freely in Gibraltar, so there is no need to convert UK notes to Gibraltar ones. However, Gibraltar banknotes are not legal tender in the UK and will not be accepted there • In recent referendums the nearly 30,000 Gibraltarians who live on the Rock voted overwhelmingly to reject any involvement by Spain in their government • Queen Elizabeth II last visited Gibraltar in 1954 • The border was closed by Franco in 1969 and was shut for 13 years, only reopened partially for pedestrians in 1982 before being reopened fully in 1985

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national day special

August 31st - September 13th 2016 August 31st - September 13th 2016

WINNER: William William’s ‘A view of our own’

UDDING photographers on the Rock have been expressing their national pride digitally. They have been hard at-it capturing images of their homeland’s unique attributes for this year’s National Celebrations Photographic Exhibition. On display at John Mackintosh Hall, Culture Minister opened the exhibition with Miss Gibraltar Kayley Mifsud handing out prizes for the top five. William Williams scooped first place and a £300 cash prize with ‘A View of our Own’. Second prize went to Jonathan Manasco with Ghost of Christmas Past and John Piris came third with Standing Out. Making up the prize winners were Dylan Infante and Nicholas Lee Ferrary. Describing the win as ‘overwhelming’, Williams

Children’s Fancy Dress 10:30am Piazza

said he had been holding on to his photograph for a few years. “I took that photo four or maybe five years ago when I had been into photography for no more than a year,” he said. “One of my friends, who happened to live on one of the top floors in Ocean Village, invited me over for coffee and when I saw the spectacular view I just had to take a picture of it.” Organised by the Gibraltar Photographic Society in collaboration with the Gibraltar Cultural Services, the exhibition runs until September 9.

THINGS TO DO ON NATIONAL DAY

Fun for Kids 1.30pm to 7pm John Mackintosh Square Fun Activities and Entertainment 1.30pm till late King’s Bastion Leisure Centre

MAGICAL: Ghost of xmas past

The Rock’s top photographers capture the soul of Gibraltar

Live Music 1.30pm till late Rock on the Rock Club, Town Range

Live Music and DJ’s for Over 16’s 2pm till 11pm Bayside Sports Complex DJ’s and Foam Party for 15 and Under 2pm till 8pm Adventure Playground Jazz Friends 2.30pm to 7pm Governor’s Parade Aerial Twister Display 2.30pm, Catalan Bay

Aerial Twister Display 6pm Rosia Bay Fireworks Display 10.30pm Detached Mole

national day special

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August 31st - September 13th 2016 August 31st - September 13th 2016

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The Big launch looms

CHEEKY: First (cl)ass honours and (above) mosque

LEGACY: Admiral Nelson’s statue and (inset) the Victualling Yard he frequented

Pocket of patriotism DESPITE its name, Trafalgar Cemetery is home to just two victims of 1805’s almighty battle. Instead, many tombstones commemorate those who died in three devastating yellow fever epidemics around the same time. Nonetheless, this tiny pocket of Gibraltar still radiates patriotism. Its moss-covered graves and low-hanging branches could tempt anyone in for a moment of reflection while en-route to the Casemates Square this National Day. The cemetery – originally known as Southport Ditch Cemetery – was abandoned for many years until a huge restoration effort in the 1980s. Each year on the Sunday closest to the battle of Trafalgar (October 21), the Royal Navy holds a ceremony here. While most of those that died at Trafalgar were buried at sea, Admiral Nelson’s body was being transported

back to London for a state funeral and burial at St Paul’s cathedral. However, he was initially taken to Gibraltar’s Rosia Bay, in his ship HMS Victory, where his body was put in a vat of rum to conserve it, before being sent to the UK. But the connection goes deeper, before his heroic death Nelson would have been a regular on the Rock, especially at naval haunts like the Victualling Yard and Old Naval Hospital. And it was his close friend Aaron Cardozo – a wealthy Gibraltarian merchant – who inherited Nelson’s medal commemorating his victory in the Battle of the Nile. Although National Day is a time to celebrate Gibraltar’s self-determination it is also a time to refelect on a violent and turbulent past. So, come National Day, spare a moment to honour those who lost their lives defending Gibraltar.

KEEP your eyes peeled for the most exciting magazine launch of the year. Launching during National Day celebrations, GIB ROCKS is a new quarterly lifestyle magazine focussing on exclusive and original content. Coinciding with the first anniversary of the Gibraltar Olive This launch issue of GIB ROCKS cannot even begin to reßect life in the ofÞce as the Þnal will bring Press, the first issue deadline approached. together the excellent journalism The heat was most certainly on and I am not just about the scorching summer oftalking our in-house team and commonths! missioned writers, with But for all the challenges it has not only been a unique anstyle eventful, Gibraltar but enjoyable journey hasto bring nota seen beunique publication to Gibraltar. fore. From the compact-size to the original content, every efforthandy has been made to produce a local The compact-sized publiquality magazine everyone - including cation will fit inandyour ‘or business leaders, residents visitors handbag - will want to take home.so you can enjoy a good manbag’, We chose not to follow the crowd but to lead read inwith your own home. from the front a fresh new-look GIB ROCKS that intrigues, informs as well as It will be available FREE from entertains. hundreds outlets as well as onA collaborative effortof between the talented team of journalists behind theversion. Olive Press line as a digital newspapers and commissioned writers, has Make sure you pickXXXXXXY up your copy lead to exclusive articles including XYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYYXYY of GIB ROCKS and enjoy a difXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYYXYXYXYXYYXYYY ferent take on all the Rock has to XXYXYXYXYXYXYYXYXYYXYXYYXYXYYX Our aim is simple: to give the people of offer. Gibraltar a magazine to be proud of. A must read, can’t put-down publication. One year on from the successful launch of the Gibraltar Olive Press, it is now time for the next chapter in the ongoing success of Clarke Media Ltd. I hope you enjoy the fruits of our labour, while we turn our attention to our special Christmas Issue in November. Enjoy! XYXYXYXYXYXYYXY XYXYXYXYXYYXYYX

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

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More than 500 affordable homes get green light for 2019 finish

Beach pads

AFFORDABLE: More than 500 new homes

THE final design for 518 new affordable range of one-to-five bedroom aparthomes at Waterport Road is almost comments available. THE University of Gibraltar plete. A new brochure has been released to alhas set up five new associate Bob Peliza Mews will be built in two low interested parties a view of the most campuses and research insti- phases in early 2018 and 2019 with a up-to-date design for the flats . tutes. LocatedThe on and aroundPress Main Olive JUSTIN Bieber has snapped up one Street, Vice Chancellor Proof Spain’s most desirable properties. fessorTOP Daniella Tilbury defor news in Spain! The 22-year-old pop singer splashed scribed the unveiling as the €5 million on a Lanzarote bolthole ‘most exciting news’ since the after falling in love with the island place with absolute privacy,” university was established. during a visit with his new girlfriend, said Alessandro Proto, CEO of “I am very excited,” Professor the 17-year-old daughter of Lionel Proto Group Ltd who managed Tilbury said at a press conferthe sale. Ritchie, Sofia Ritchie. ence yesterday at the univerThe property is perched on a rock “This magnificent villa is absosity. and boasts enviable panoramic views lutely isolated, as you can see “This is going to be one of the from the pictures, it has an area across most of the Canary island. most exciting days we have “He asked specifically for a quiet of 2,000 square metres, six had so far. bedrooms, five bathrooms and “It is a day that is marked direct access to the sea.” by opportunity and partnerCanadian Bieber wanted the ship.” property so much he paid The external campuses have €800,000 over the €4.2 milbeen set up as part of the lion asking price. university’s two year plan to “The singer wanted it at all being recognised as an ‘incosts,” added Proto. ternational centre of research excellence’.

As well as apartments, the five-block complex will feature some commercial two-storey units for ground-floor retail and first-floor office accommodation. The government has also confirmed the project is not being relocated to the east side of the Rock as previously suggested. The apartments will be offered for sale through the governmentowned Gibraltar Residential Properties (GRP). Sea Master Lodge, which will provide 69 rental flats for elderly people in Mons Calpe Estate, is still to be allocated by the Housing Department, the government has said.

Just-in Spain

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RICS SURVEYORS & VALUERS BY BUILDING CAMPBELL FERGUSON

For peace of mind follow these property buying rules

The nine go to questions when investing in property THINGS aren’t always clear, especially in a foreign country and language. Often the answer to ‘why didn’t you tell me?’ is ‘you didn’t ask!’ The fact you didn’t know to ask is irrelevant. These are the nine important questions to ask when investing in property. 1. “Is the Spanish taxman’s value of the property higher than the price I am paying?” If it is, you may receive an additional tax bill, which can be quite a shock if not expected. It’s called ‘La Complementaria’. (A compliment like that one can do without!) 2. “Are there any guarantees regarding treatment of any timbers in the building?” While wood rot is relatively rare in the area, insect attack can be serious and rapid. It mostly affects young, unseasoned wood. 3. “Is the property 50 or more years old?” Properties over 50 years old should have a technical inspection to ensure the structural stability – Inspección Técnica de Edificios, which is required to be renewed every 10 years. “Does the municipality enforce it and is there a certificate of compliance?” 4. “Have you checked that there are no abnormal ground conditions, nor archaeological remains, nor pollution nor asbestos?” All these could affect occupation, development or value of the property. 5. “Have you seen the ‘Fin de Obras’ for the whole building and separately for any later additions and what is the date?” Provided by the architect supervising the construction, confirming compliance with the appropriate building regulations. The guarantee obligations of builders and developers start on that date, NOT the date of the First Occupation Licence, which is granted after, and there can be months or even years of difference between these two dates.

6. “Is there a First Occupation Licence? We Find Your Property are not going to buy if there isn’t one.” An absolutely essential question and statement. 7. “Is there a Decennial Structural Insurance Instruct Instruct Surveyor policy or was there oneBuilding for the first 10 Lawyer years of the building’s life?” These confirm that the construction of the concrete structure was independently supervised and tested. with Knowledge Every developer is obliged toBuy have one for ev& Confidence ery new building. However, houses or significant extensions constructed for occupation by the owner are not +34 required to have this 952 923 520 Connect with us! insurance, but they cannot be sold for 10 admin@surveyspain.com surveyspain.com years unless a retrospective one is provided. The policy will probably only cover the house structure and not non-loadbearing walls, etc, and not the garage, pool, retaining walls, drives or other works. It is not the equivalent of a UK NHBC policy. 8. “What guarantees and warranties are there for the machines and equipment?” Check the start and expiry dates. 9. “Is the property being sold ‘cuerpo cierto’?” This has the same effect as ‘Sold as Seen’, with no guarantee of sizes or condition and could be used to avoid the ‘Vicios Ocultos’ law, which relates to hidden defects. If a significant defect is discovered within 6 months of purchase, the buyer can claim compensation or oblige the buyer to take back the property and pay back the price. However, it’s one thing having a legal right; it’s another successfully enforcing it! Much better to have the property surveyed before buying and find the evidence of the problem before paying, deducting the cost from the price or even walking away from somebody else’s problem. If you don’t ask can you be certain that your adviser did?

Contact Campbell and the team on +34 952 923 520 or email info@surveyspain.com

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SPAIN’S coastline will be 100% urbanised by the year 2267 if development continues at the same pace. Some 7,898 kilometres of coastline has already been built on, over a quarter of the country’s seafront. Since 1987, 22.7 km of front line coast has been urbanised every 12 months, according to a report in the Sustainability Observatory. If development continues at the same pace then Spain’s entire coastline will be urbanised in 251 years time. The Mediterranean and South Atlantic coastal areas are the most densely urbanised, with 3,829 kms of coastline already occupied. The report also highlighted the increase in resident population on the coast, recording a 22.6% increase from 15 million people to 20 million over the past 20 years.

URBAN: Spain’s coast

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BREXIT Bulletin

Second chance saloon? THE UK House of Commons will debate a petition calling for a second EU referendum after it was signed by more than four million people. The record-breaking petition, which was set up by a Brexit supporter before the referendum, called for the Government to annul the results if either side won by less than 60 per cent on a turnout of less than 75 per cent. Leavers won 51.97% of the votes with a turnout of under 75%. In what may be disappointing for Remainers, a House of Commons spokesman said the debate does not have the power to change the law and will not end with the Commons deciding whether or not to have a second referendum.

CMY

Brexit ‘threat’ to Rock

A ‘HARD’ Brexit would be an ‘existential threat to Gibraltar’s economic model’, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has reiterated. The removal of access to the single market and freedom of movement for people would hit hard, Picardo said in an interview with BBC radio’s Today programme filmed at the top of the Rock. But Picardo is determined to ensure Gibraltar retains both as he continues discussions with UK political leaders, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. “The terminology of Remain

and Leave is the terminology of the referendum,” said Picardo. “We are in a different world. “Gibraltar is looking at what type of participation we can have in the EU once the UK has decided what its Brexit looks like.” Picardo is not worried about joint sovereignty of the Rock as the price for ensuring continued access to the single market. “We’re not worried,” said Picardo. “For 312 years Gibraltar has been British. For most of those 312 years there has been absolute freedom of movement between Gibraltar and Spain.”

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

Business as usual The European Cooperation Agreements that WILL survive Brexit By Charles Gomez

WHILE tensions remain high and confusion is rampant postBrexit, there has in fact been some good news. Businesses and academics in Gibraltar and the Campo continue to work towards cooperation with this year’s Cadiz University seminars in San Roque and Gibraltar attracting huge media attention. However, probably the most thought-provoking intervention was that of Dr Martin Guillermo of the European Association of Frontier Regions, based in Berlin. Dr Guillermo explained that regardless of Brexit, institutional cooperation of the kind promoted by his high-powered organisation would survive the UK’s withdrawal from the EU when it comes to cross-border agreements involving Gibraltar. In recent times there has been a groundswell of interest among trade unions, business associations and citizens’ groups on both sides of the frontier aimed at strengthening neighbourly links.  The work of the Trans-Frontier Group, led by a broad constituency of Gibraltarian and Spanish movers and shakers, has been particularly noteworthy. Its aim has been to promote and enhance links between Gibraltar and all the other towns and districts in the vicinity in terms of business and also in education, medical services,

BARRISTER: Gomez maritime security and so on. This was very much a work in progress but that monumental decision made on the 23 June 2016 put the future of such initiatives in doubt. Dr Guillermo’s lucid presentation at the Europa Point Campus of the University of Gibraltar highlighted that not only are such agreements still feasible post-Brexit, it is now even more important that they should be formed without more delay, and can be guaranteed support from European institutions. The economic advantages of these projects have not been missed by the more alert among the business people on both sides of the frontier. As well as being a barrister, I am an Honorary Professor of International Law at Cadiz University, and have for many years been involved in developing an understanding of English

Gibraltarian barrister Charles Gomez set to start a Br is column from ne exit sue. Be sure to xt ischeck our Brexit bulle tin every issue for the latest EU updates

law, which applies in Gibraltar, among Spanish lawyers and undergraduates. Together with the highly respected Professor Jesus Verdu Baeza, I have, since 2013, run common law courses for Cadiz University undergrads. Professor Verdu believes the links and general goodwill created in this way show how easy it can be to replicate the effects of friendship and cooperation at all levels for the greater prosperity of the region. Many will say that this shows how, regardless of decisions taken at a Europe-wide level, the reality is that trade and cooperation will continue and will include agreements recognised under European law which will survive Brexit.

Plan B-rexit THE chief executive of Gibraltar’s Chamber of Commerce has admitted some companies are setting up mirror operations following the Brexit vote. But Edward Macquisten struck a defiant note, adding that the Rock’s ‘business nous’ will ensure new markets emerge once the UK leaves the EU. Macquisten also underlined the ‘critical’ importance of keeping the border with Spain open in the coming months and years. “Some companies in certain sectors are

setting up mirror operations in other parts of the EU almost like an insurance policy,” he said. “We don’t know what the outcome of the negotiations is going to be and businesses can’t wait.” He added: “Gibraltar is not unfamiliar with adversity, it’s had plenty over the last 312 years. “If they are precluded from one market people will pick themselves up by the bootstraps and find five more markets the next day.”

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Business

Energy giant to supply Gib with Liquid Natural Gas

A MAJOR new deal to power Gibraltar with Liquid Natural Gas has been signed between the government and energy giant Shell. The LNG, which will be transported by A NEW £100 note honour- ship, will fuel Gibraltar’s gas-fired power plant, which is currently under construcing SirDownload Joshua Hassan is being our app now and tion. launched in Gibraltar. begin enjoying best Spanish The banknote will the feature an The gas storage unit will be operated by news the go.who served Gasnor, a Shell-owned subsidiary, with image of Siron Joshua, four terms as the Rock’s Chief the first delivery of LNG expected in the Minister, and a reflective holo- second half of 2017. gram of the Queen. Due to be released later this year, it will be the first ever £100 legal tender launched in polymer, a more durable THE Gibraltar Financial Services Commission’s (GFSC) first-ever Resbanknote paper. “We are proud to be issuing a olution Specialist believes new bankThe Olive Press £100 note which is at the cut- ing rules to protect taxpayers and ting edge of banknote design customers ‘can only be positive’. Irish expat Seamus Hayes’ new TOP for newsfeatures in Spain! and whose security are second to none,” said Chief role will address banks in crisis as Gibraltar adopts the Bank ReMinister Fabian Picardo. He also praised the note’s pro- covery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), a framework based on ducers, De La Rue.

Ton-up

August 31st - September 13th 2016

Shell scores LNG deal Chief Minister Fabian Picardo hailed the deal as ‘the best option for an environmentally-friendly and safe solution for guaranteed power generation’. He added: “This is a massive advance in

NEW DEAL: In liquid gas

respect of guaranteeing the integrity and security of electrical supply for Gibraltar for the next 30 years. “This excellent project will sit alongside our continued commitment to the intro-

duction of other sources of renewable energy.” The LNG will be delivered at night to ensure disruption to nearby residents is kept to a minimum.

Bank watchdog’s Brexit brief G20 rules for dealing with failing banks. During a 10-year career, Hayes previously worked with Lloyds and became President of the Gibraltar Bankers Association but is now set for this new challenge. “Everyone at this point is absorbing the potential impact of Brexit, which is one of our key challenges,” Hayes told the Olive Press. “ W e live in a state of flux in

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terms of the regulatory environment. The implementation of the BRRD can only be seen as a positive thing for the jurisdiction.” “What’s being seen locally is the jurisdiction and regime remain calm and we will put measures in place to support the jurisdiction going forwards in a post-Brexit world.” He added: “It’s an interesting time in terms of the changes associated with Brexit. “But the clear message is business as usual.”

Exchange rates

1 pound is worth 1.31 American dollars 1.17 Euros 1.70 Canadian dollars 8.71 Danish kroner 10.14 H Kong dollars 10.85 Norwegian kroner 1.78 Singapore dollars

Property AGONY ANT YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

No grounds

CCORDING to the government’s advice, if you wish to end your marriage in the UK, you need to provide good reasons, listed as grounds for divorce. These include adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion or having lived apart for more than two years where both spouses agree or five where not. In the U.S., several states still apply faultbased grounds for divorce and tangible proof of extra-marital affairs can make all the difference in proceedings, leading to a more favourable settlement. In Spain, following the reform operated by Law 15/2005, divorce does not require a previous judicial separation nor the concurrence of causes legally determined. This means that it is possible to sue directly to get a divorce without an invocation of a cause, a solution that has eradicated the conceptual distinction of fault and no-fault divorce. Alas, it was never like this before. The 1932 Divorce Act established, as grounds for divorce, both familiar ones i.e. adultery, bigamy, abandonment of family, desertion, and others less known: inducing wife and/ or daughters to prostitution or having contracted STDs -sexually transmitted diseases- during the marriage or before and it was concealed from the spouse. Franco’s powerfully religious-influenced regime abolished divorce altogether. Since 2005, private investigators are not required any longer as cheating pertains to the world of gossip and has no influence

Getting a divorce in Spain is wildly different to the UK

within divorce proceedings. Articles 86 and 81 of the Spanish Civil Code establish the following: Article 86: Divorce shall be decreed by the court, whatever the form of performance of the marriage, at the request of one of the spouses, of both or of one with the consent of the other, when the requirements and circumstances of article 81 are met. Article 81. Whatever the form of performance of the marriage, judicial separation shall be decreed: 1. At the request of both spouses or of one with the consent of the other, after the lapse of three months from the performance of the marriage. The claimant must necessarily attach the proposal of settlement agreement, in accordance with article 90 of this Code. 2. At the request of one of the spouses, after the lapse of three months from the performance of the marriage. The lapse of this period shall not be required to file the claim when there is evidence of the existence of risk to the life, physical integrity, freedom, moral integrity or sexual liberty and integrity of the spouse filing the claim or the children in common or any member of the marriage. The claim shall attach a reasoned proposal of the measures which are to regulate the effects of the separation.

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.es

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Columnists

August 31st - September 13th 2016 August 31st - September 13th 2016

As Spain settles back to normality after the hectic summer season, blame the craziness on Caligula

VER since the Roman soothsayer Thrasyllus told Caligula he had no more chance of becoming Emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae, man has travelled to distant lands in search of sun, sea and sand. Emperor Augustus may have given the hottest, most hassle-fraught month of the year its name but he’s not to blame for why you can’t get anything done in Spain, in August. It was the emperor who slept with his sisters, and made his horse a consul, who started the trend that brings traffic chaos to our roads, bodies to our favourite beaches and a general meltdown in anything that might pass for ‘service’ in Spain. Caligula had a bridge built across the gulf, rode across it in a splendid gold cloak and subsequently became Emperor, not only giving Thrasyllus the double finger and ruining the fortune-teller’s career but also establishing Baiae, in Italy, as the first known holiday resort. Excavations reveal sulphur baths and elaborate villas with mosaic swimming pools (remind you of anywhere close by, beginning with M)? There was even a casino. What went on there, historians can only surmise but Seneca the Younger penned a moral epistle on Baiae and Vice, describing the spa town

A brief history of holidays as a ‘vortex of luxury’ and a ‘harbour of vice’ not unlike Club Med, a couple of millennia later. Hailed as ‘2016’s must-do’ by internet travel sages, there’s nothing ground-breaking about the Camino de Santiago, trodden by pilgrims since the 9th century. And as Chaucer’s ribald Canterbury Tales illustrate, pilgrimages were a ‘holiday’ from the hardships of medieval life, in ‘holy day’ clothing. And just like modern tourists, pilgrims bought souvenirs (holy relics), obtained credit from foreign banks (money-changers) and took cruises. Early Santiago pilgrims from England booked passage on medieval wine ships bound for Vigo. Gap years? Flashpacking? Old hat. It’s been ‘the thing’ for the offspring of well-off families to take off on an ‘educational’ Grand Tour of Europe since the 17th century. The itinerary crossed the English Channel to Paris (history of art lectures for young ladies, French kissing for

VACATION: Historic holiday lover

young men), via the frescoes of Florence and the fleshpots of Rome to Greece to consult

Port of abuse B Why Banus is on my banned list for summer

Y now, gentle reader, you should have survived another summer in southern Spain and be looking forward to September. It’s one of my favourite times of year as you check on friends, ring around your neighbours, restock on supplies and venture cautiously out in public, now that the madding and maddening hordes have gone. I imagine that survivors of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves have pretty much the same routine. But as we head towards autumn, ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (and somewhere to park the car), I thought I’d reflect on what I’ve learned from the summer of 2016 which boils down to one guiding principle: stay out of Puerto Banus. I have a love/hate relationship with the ‘Port of Abuse’, as it’s where I spent my early teenage years (before moving on to full scale debauchery in Marbella’s Puerto Deportivo. My favourite bar there – which is still going – was called Locos, so I think you can draw your own conclusions). The Puerto Banus of the 80s (laidback and bohemian) and the Port of Abuse of today, with its TOWIE tsunami, are entirely different creatures. The Hottie Hippy had family over from the UK, however. So I felt duty bound as Unofficial Goodwill Ambassador of Marbella (I’ve been looking for a new role since I stopped being ‘The Voice of Brexit’ on UK Break-

fast TV ) to do the tourist thing and take them on a tour of Banus. In hindsight, it may have been an unwise move to do this slap bang in the middle of August. Puerto Banus was packed. Not just with TOWIE wannabes – and there are such poor unfortunate souls, trust me – but also the super wealthy. You know that you are in Marbella when you see more Lamborghinis than Minis, with the former sporting Kuwaiti number plates and seemingly being driven by teenagers. Stepping nimbly out of the way of the speeding supercars, the pavements were no safer. This summer’s must-have toy is the hoverboard and the pedestrian thoroughfare was heaving with the damn things, all being inexpertly piloted by overweight Middle Eastern kids. After having my clipped for the fifth time, then almost flattened by two kids on a Segway on a pedestrian crossing, I admitted defeat and slithered back up to my lake. “Wake me up when September ends,” I yelled over my shoulder, making a mental note not to try that again in a hurry.

oracles and study sculpture under amorous Athenians. They travelled with horses, carriages, servants and a tutor-chaperon known colloquially as a ‘bear-leader’, and never went anywhere without their trusty Baedeker – the Rough Guide of its time. Thomas Cook organised the first package tour in 1841: 570 temperance campaigners paid one shilling each for a return rail ticket from Leicester to a rally in Loughborough, 11 miles away, including entertainment, food and temperance beverages. Sounds like a fun do. One hundred and nine years later, Russian Vladimir Raitz of Horizon pioneered the package air holiday abroad, offering two-weeks camping in Corsica for £32.10s, advertising ‘meat and win with ALL meals’ – a banquet in the days of British post-war rationing. Back-packing? Voluntourism? Your parents and grandparents were doing that back in the Sixties: kibbutzing in Israel, promoting peace, love and flower power on the hippie trail to San Francisco or following the Silk Road out East to build monasteries, meditate transcendentally and drop acid. Space tourism is something new. A flight on Virgin Galactic, costs US$250,000 but it would be worth it to escape Spain’s orbit in August and put ‘crazy month’and my excitable Irish temperament at a safe distance.

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

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Give me more Local chef Justin Bautista hits the big screen again

es. “This series is more personal by having the 'Mamas' themselves cooking on the show and cooking dishes they are used to making and learnt at AN aspiring Gibraltarian TV a young age,” Justin told the chef’s cooking show has been Olive Press “I’m very excitrenewed for a second season on ed although a little nervous GBC. too, seeing myself on TV and Following the success of Mama knowing that now there are Lotties: A Gibraltarian Kitchpeople actually watching it is en, Justin Bautista, 26, is hitstill an odd feeling, I hope to ting screens again with Mama not disappoint!” Lotties: Mamas in the Kitchen. Justin’s very own mama will The show sees mothers and appear in the first of eight grandmothers guide the Rock’s weekly episodes, which begin their favourite and special dish- MUMMY’S BOY: Justin Bautista on August 30. “She had a great time, she was a natural,” THE Rock’s latest exsaid Justin, “I'll know said. port is giving the peoher reaction once “Chefs like Graham ple of Berkshire, UK, a we watch it through, Kerr and Keith Floyd taste of Gibraltar. but I’m told it looks showed me that cooking Chef Gui has set up great.” can be fun. shop in the market The show will be reHe added: “This accomtown of Wokingham peated on Thursday panied by a lot of travel via take away app, Supand Sundays, while enabled me to experiper. those not on the Rock ence and try out new inA ‘reminder of home’ can watch it live on gredients and dishes.” Gui is proud to intro- “Growing up in Githe GBC website or Cooking around three duce Gibraltarian dish- braltar brought a wide catch episodes on Justimes a week, Gui’s full es to the south-east of range of dishes and flatin’s Youtube channel menu can be found on England. www.youtube.com/ vours into my life,” Gui the app. mamalottie.

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August 31st - September 13th 2016 August 31st - September 13th 2016

Grape, rattle and roll!

TASTER: Wine lover tastes a slug

HE Costa del Sol and Gibraltar go crazy for grapes in September. From stomping to tasting, the small circular berries are celebrated and honoured with numerous festivities at this time of the year. Two of the most memorable annual events are the Manilva Grape Festival and the Gibraltar Wine Festival, where days are spent with international and local wine fans taking in the customs of a harvesting tradition, steeped in Spanish-Andalucian culture. Dating back to the 16th Century, the ‘Vendimia’ harvest festival in Manilva starts with a Mass before the Virgin is processioned through town in the early hours of the morning. The Virgin is then presented with Manilva’s very own sweet ‘moscatel’ grapes, before celebrations begin which eventually end in an evening of flamenco dancing, brass bands and food. Manilva took up winemaking as its main economic activity after the Spanish Civil War because of its ideally-suited climate and soil.

Seasoned wine-lover Samantha Mordi unearths a couple of juicy local festivals

As well as making the sweet dessert wine, the moscatel grapes are also dried on the hillsides to produce the famous ‘Malaga raisins’. And it now has another claim to fame; the only wine produced on the Costa del Sol calls Manilva home. Argimiro Martinez, the man behind Nilva wine, says his tipple is the first official local wine to be sold in restaurants and shops. Grown and fermented in a miniscule vineyard overlooking the Mediterranean, the dry fruity wine does more than wash down tapas. It’s also seen as a way to boost tourism in the area. “I believe we can attract a new cultured crowd to Manilva, aside from the traditional beach tourism,” claims

Martinez. An estimated six million people come to Spain for wine tourism each year, but the ancient beverage is just as popular in Gibraltar. The Rock recently saw the birth of its very own Wine Festival, which includes private tasting sessions, talks from vineyard owners and a barbecue as well as the main bash, featuring over 80 different international wines. Now in its fourth year, the event pulls in over 5,000 attendees with local musicians ensuring punters have something to groove to after a few hours’ on the plonk. Host My Wines Gibraltar is expecting another great turn out. New shop manager Lucy Martinez, about to experience the festival for the first time, reveals: “Here in Gibraltar people are very involved, the majority of people pop in even if they are not drinkers, this event is really popular.” If that sounds like your cup of vino, then celebrations occur on September 2 in Gibraltar and in Manilva on September 5-6.

TOP FIVE WINES IN Andalucia

Spain produces some of the best wine in the world. Here are some of the finest picks in Andalucia. 1. PALO CORTADO TRADICION VORS This exclusive sherry is aged for 32 years combining amontillado and the body of Oloroso. 2. LUSTAU VORS 30 YO This prestigious wine has a dark amber colour, with the scent on noble woods, a long finish and saline touches. 3. MANZANILLA SOLEAR BARBADILLO WINERIES This elegant wine features chamomile, a pale yellow colour and is intense and dry on the palate. 4.MANZANILLA SAN LEON HEREDEROS DE ARGUESO This Sherry from Sanlucar is aged for 60 months, with a dry, wide and long finish. 5. AMONTILLADO 1890 VIEJISIMO FROM HEREDEROS TORRES BURGOS This wine is known for its amber colour,countersunk sharp aroma, complex sensations and large and powerful palate.

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Casciaro and Gosling out Gibraltar stars to miss Portugal and Greece games

LEE Casciaro has pulled ENGLISH League Two side out of Gibraltar’s 23-man TOP for United news inhave Spain!squad for this week’s Cambridge signed Gibraltarian midfield- friendly with Portugal and er Jake Gosling on loan from the historic FIFA World Cup qualifier on September Bristol Rovers. The Gibraltarian midfielder 6. will stay on loan at the U’s un- The Lincoln Red Imps til January after spending last striker pulled out as his season on loan at Newport. partner is expecting a Gosling has played 49 times baby, with Jake Gosling for Rovers, winning promo- also withdrawing from the tions from non-league to squad after his move to League One. Cambridge. The Gibraltar international is Real Madrid star Ronaldo his country's leading scorer, wasn’t included in the Euwith two goals from 11 ap- ropean champions’ squad. pearances. Jeff Wood’s side head to Faro hoping to grab Gibraltar’s first ever competitive point in their Group H

SITTING OUT: Lee Casciaro and others to miss historic match

qualifier. Wood said: “We are going to look to try and build on

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what happened in the Euros. “We have some very good senior players, as they showed against Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers. “Now we’ve got some younger players coming through that have been given an opportunity to show

their potential.” He added: “Although Greece had mixed results in the Euro qualifiers, I am sure they will come looking to start positively in the World Cup qualifiers.” As well as Greece, Gibraltar face Belgium, BosniaHerzegovina, Estonia, and Cyprus in Group H.

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PROUD: Gib cricketers

Bowled over

GIBRALTAR left the ICC World Cricket League Division Two in Sweden without a win but with their heads held high. The Rock lost to the Isle of Man, Israel and Germany before a close-run final match with Spain. Captain Kieron Farray helped himself to five wickets against the Spanish as Gibraltar lost by just seven runs. Farray said: “Thank you to all who followed our games and wished us good luck before and throughout. I'm gutted, hurting and sorry we disappointed you all.” The final game against Sweden saw Gibraltar lose by 91 runs as Germany topped the league with eight points in five games.

CHESS: Competition

REAL MADRID will have to pay back state funding in excess of €18 million. The European Commission has ruled that the government will have to recover €18.4 million plus accrued interest that was handed to the club when the city’s mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon was in power. The judgement read: ““The European Commission considers that Spain has illegally granted state aid to Real Madrid in contravention of Article 108, Paragraph 3, of the Maastricht Treaty.” Spain will have two months to present the total amount with interest to the EU and proof that it has ordered the club to reimburse the funds.

Checking out

Lincoln leap

FORMER Portsmouth midfielder Liam Walker has signed for Europa FC from Gibraltar Premier Division champions Lincoln Red Imps. The star player was one of 11 new Europa players unveiled ahead of the new season when the three homegrown players rule comes in. Gibraltar international Walker, who scored 24 goals in 43 games for Lincoln, was a standout performer for the Imps in last month’s Champions League ties with Celtic. A Europa FC spokesperson said: “We have been after Liam for a while. He was the difference between us and Lincoln Red Imps last year. “We are in the fourth year of our ten-year plan and it is starting to bear fruit. More players want to join us now.”

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TENNIS ROYALTY: John McEnroe

You cannot be serious! JOHN MCENROE is coming to Marbella. The tennis legend will be playing in the Senior Master’s Cup at the Puente Romano Resort. Joining the three-time Wimbledon champion will be Yannick Noah, Mats Wilander, Sebastien Grosjean and others. The exhibition tournament will take place from September 22 - 24. To purchase tickets call 902 400 222.

MASTERMINDS of tomorrow have been doing battle at the sixth edition of the Gibraltar Junior Chess Championships. Spaniard Manuel Munoz claimed the top prize in the under 16 category, edging past Brits Nugith Jayawarna and Joseph Dalton. And the young Spaniards proved they knew their rooks from their pawns, claiming the top three spots in the Under 12 age group. Won by Alex Garrido, compatriots Salvador Perez and Alejandro Cueller tied for second place.

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August 31st - September 13th 2016

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FINAL WORDS

Rule Britannia! ‘TEAM BRITANNIA’ will attempt to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a power boat, setting off from Gibraltar on October 23.

Dog day THE Animals in Need association and the Gibraltar Vet Clinic celebrated International Dog Day by encouraging pet owners to treat their pet pooches.

Drink ban TEENAGERS were dealt an untimely blow as the RGP introduced a new policy to clamp down on underage drinking just a day before GCSE results day.

Vol. 2 Issue 26

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Sky’s the limit

MISS Gibraltar Kayley Mifsud has parachuted 15,000 feet to raise money for Calpe House. Kayley and two members of staff from Gibraltar House reached speeds of up to 130mph during their tandem skydives in Sevilla. Kayley said: “We had 60 seconds of freefall which was enough time to take everything in. Then, when the

Aug 31st - Sep 13th 2016

TAKING OFF: Dead cat strapped to drone

Cat flew over the moon

Miss Gibraltar’s daredevil dive for Calpe House charity parachute opened we had another 5 minutes before we landed. “In fact, the instructor allowed me able to control the descent for a while.” Calpe House Vice-Chairman Albert Poggio praised Kayley, Kaye Burfoot and Edwina O’Mahony for their daredevil dive. “It is a great achievement and wonderful for the girls to support Calpe House in this way¨ said Poggio. The London-based charity for Gibraltarians Calpe House is aiming to raise £5 million to renovate its new Grade II listed premises.

Royally spoofed A HILARIOUS video showing an alleged spat between beachgoers on Catalan Bay has been revealed as a spoof. Monique Benatar, who uploaded the video, said she made the brilliant oscar-worthy clip with her friend. “It was all a joke,” she told the Olive Press, “We made it because people were complaining about how many people reserve their spots on the beach and take up so much room.” The video shows Monique questioning her friend Neil Hayes over his two-metre square section of beach that

he has reserved with metal railings. The two exchange hostilities - during which Hayes claims his mother broke her waters with him in the same very spot - before Monique chucks a bucket of water over him. The video has been viewed by thousands on the Olive Press website since going live a fortnight ago. Monique meanwhile has promised a sequel is in the works. “It will be just as good,” she promised.

IS it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it a stuffed former pet that has been turned into a drone? Thanks to dutch inventor Bart Jansen, it’s probably the latter. The solar panel fitter by day and taxidermist by night made his first creation when he was unwilling to bury his pet cat, Orville, in 2013. As a tribute he opted to create a custom quadcopter for him, with footage going viral online in Spain. Undeterred by criticisms which labelled the creations as ‘cruel’, Bart has since created the ‘Ostrichcopter’ and the unforgettable ‘Sharkjet’. His next project is his biggest yet, as he is hoping to create an animalbased aircraft capable of transporting a person.

Catwoman A FORMER expat has spent thousands sending dozens of Spanish street cats back to the UK. Laura Inglis, 49, has splashed more than £8,000 on 41 furry friends rescued from her former hometown of Duquesa. The ex-Gibraltar project analyst is now based in Edinburgh at her 75-year-old mother’s house, alongside all 41 cats, having spent the money on passports, transportation and jabs. “The set up is not really suitable because I live in the city centre near busy roads,” said Inglis, who is hoping to raise £10,500 to pay for their treatments. “I am now in the process of finding each of them a safe and loving home.” Laura spends £600 a month on food while the treatments the cats will need include extra blood tests and jabs which can cost £80 per cat.

Channel vision

SWIM sensation Nathan Payas is preparing to make a splash for charity when he crosses the English Channel. The 37-year-old, who swam from Western Beach to Eastern Beach and back in 6hrs 33min last Saturday, will tackle the 21-mile body of water to raise money for Calpe House. Anyone wishing to donate can visit Natahan’s Just Giving page.

Dare-diablo THIS is the heart-stopping moment a man can be seen jumping on top of a dilapidated seaside church in Spain. A drone captured footage of the daredevil scaling the ruin in Los Realejos in Tenerife. Ruben Alonso Bizarro walks along the narrow walls of the La Gordejuela before holding his hands in the air as if flying. Bizarro, from Asturias, says he loves ‘sports and the good life’ and often shares photos of himself scaling buildings to his ON THE EDGE: Ruben Bizarro more than 3,500 followers.