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FREE INTRUDER: In waters
Blast off ANOTHER Spanish warship has entered British territorial waters at Gibraltar while blasting its national anthem. A 300ft patrol boat engaged in a two-hour stand off with a 50ft Royal Navy boat, during a training exercise off Gibraltar. As the HMS Sabre began the drill at around 9am, the Spanish Tornado boat interupted the exercise and refused to move. Local reports said Royal Navy personnel heard the Spanish national anthem being played over the radio at a base on Gibraltar. It comes after a Spanish warship illegally encroached into Gibraltar’s waters back in December, also blaring the national anthem of Spain.
Incident
After the December incident British Ambassador to Spain Simon Manley confirmed that the UK would make a formal complaint to Spain. Media reported that the UK will also protest to Spain over this latest incident. “We can confirm an incursion by the Spanish navy occurred this morning,” a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said. They added: “As with all incursions, the Royal Navy challenged the vessel. “When challenged, the Spanish navy vessel subsequently left British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. “Incursions are a violation of sovereignty, not a threat to it, we have no doubt about our sovereignty over Gibraltar.” Questions of Gibraltar’s sovereignty have arisen during the negotiations for the UK to leave the European Union. However, the Rock’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo was firm in his new year’s message, as he said the concept of joint sovereignty of the territory with Spain was ‘as dead as a dodo’.
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Issue 26
February 13th - February
February 2019
From medieval to modern
We 26th 2019
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roundup the lucky few buildings on the Rock to receive a heritage award See page VII
T: +350 20051020 E: info Unit 3 Royal Ocean Plaza, As Spain adds 11 new we explore how their towns to its ‘most beautiful’ list, unique architecture helped them there, see Belissimas get page VIII
West One - 601
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LET IT GROW
SPAIN’S property market is expected to continue growing least another two years, experts for at According to a leading Catalanhave predicted. slow down until at least 2021. institute, ITEC, there will be no It comes after last year saw sales reach their highest since crisis, with a 9.7% year-to-year the 2008 Meanwhile, the number of increase from January to September. Growth was particularly strong in compared to the same monthsales in October rose by a huge 17% ingly, Sevilla Murcia, up 53%, and interestin 2017, according to official province saw a 50% spike. ment statistics (INE). govern- Growth was also strong across New home sales were up 15% lona in particular with a rise the board in Catalunya, and Barceto 7,971 and resales up 17% of 31%. to 43,536. And it was hotspots like the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca which
Expansion for two more years, as market approaches growth of 17% this winter
Vol. 4 Issue 90 www.gibraltarolivepress.com February 13th - February 26th 2019
continued to be in the top ments in the world for Brits.three destinations for property investThe only regions where sales Islands, the latter of which fell were in the Canary and Balearic saw a significant 3% drop quarter. in the last Meanwhile, the Spanish house price index published Spain’s biggest appraisal company, by Tinsa, showed prices in the such as Barcelona and Madrid were up 9.4% in November.big cities The Mediterranean coast shot up 7.8%, and the Balearic nary Islands up 2.3%. and Ca-
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Windrush expat ‘terrified’ no-deal Brexit would force him back to the Caribbean A BRITISH expat fears being kicked out of Europe just before his 90th birthday in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Windrush pensioner and former black cab driver, Basil Moonilall, 89, relies heavily on Spain’s health system after having a throat tumour removed in 2000. However if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, Moonilall, based in La Linea, fears he won’t be
able to afford private insurance on his €511-per month pension. “If I don’t get free healthcare, I don’t get to see the doctor,” Moonilall, who only has one vocal cord from cancer, told the Olive Press. The expat, who worked as a taxi driver in the UK for 35 years, also fears that if he was forced to return to Britain he could be deported back to Guyana after arriv-
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EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
ing as part of the Windrush generation in 1958. “I’m worried that if I leave, I will have to start life all over again,” added the anxious grandfather, who moved to Spain in 1993 to be with his Spanish wife who sadly passed away two months ago. The Windrush generation were born British subjects and arrived in the UK before 1973 from the Caribbean, but shockingly in recent years have been refused healthcare or had their citizenship revoked. Some have even been forced home. “They were asked to come to the UK to rebuild the country after the war,” Moonilall’s son Raymon, who lives in Gibraltar, told the Olive Press, adding that he is worried his father may be sent back to Guyana.
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This despite not visiting since 1958 and where only one of eight siblings is still alive. “In the draft withdrawal deal we only have until 2020 to enjoy free healthcare, but what happens at the end of those two years?” Javier Rodriguez, an assessor with the Expat Agency, insisted he expected more problems for expats like him in two years. He told the Olive Press that most private health insurance companies ‘don’t want
TM
FEARFUL: Expat Basil Moonilall to cover you’ if you are 65 and over. He said: “I know many Spanish people who when they reach 70 their insurance companies don’t want to cover them, or make them pay as much as €1,000 per month.”
TM
Tel: 902 123 282 902 123 282 See page 10 & 18
He added that over-65s could pay into the Spanish social security system, for which the minimum payment is currently €283 per month. It would mean however that, without any reciprocal agreements between the UK and Spain, in the event of a no deal Brexit, the next best scenario could see Moonilall with only €228 spare capital per month. The UK is scheduled to leave the EU in just six weeks. See Anxiety Rises, page 6 Opinion Page 6
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Independence THE 12 leaders of Catalunya’s failed independence referendum have gone on trial at Madrid’s Supreme Court.
Ice cold A MAN, 43, has been arrested in Madrid after police found the body of his girlfriend, 22, chopped up in a freezer.
Locked up THE hitman, James Quinn, 36, locked up for Gary Hutch’s murder will spend 22 years behind bars after losing his appeal.
Three to go THREE GHA staff at St Bernard’s Hospital arrested on suspicion of manslaughter have been released after the death of a newborn baby.
Plot to kill A HOMELESS Spanish man, 43, in Malaga has nearly been burnt alive by a couple who torched the car he slept in.
Hash smash
500 cops, helicopters and boats mobilised in one of Campo de Gibraltar’s biggest ever narco raids
POLICE have begun a huge anti-drug trafficking operation by land, sea and air on the Costa del Sol. Over 500 Guardia Civil agents are involved in the bust, which focuses on La Linea and other targets in Malaga and Cadiz. Several people linked to the notorious Castañitas drug gang have been arrested after cops moved in with 30 different search warrants early on Tuesday morning.
February 13th - February 26th 2019
SCUM: More, Barton and Panitzke
Wanted Brits
RAIDS: Across the Campo de Gibraltar The criminal clan control 70% of the hash that passses across the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco into Spain. Head honcho of the gang, Francisco Isco Tejón Carrasco was cuffed back in October after starring in a reggaeton video.
Crackdown SOME 2,800 people were arrested in connection to drug trafficking in Andalucia last year, figures released this week have revealed. According to the Guardia Civil, the armed police force had one of its most successful years in terms of arrests and seizures. Some 227 tonnes of hashish were recovered, as well as ten tonnes of cocaine and almost 250,000 cannabis plants. Meanwhile, a total of 2,796 suspects were detained for drug-related crimes, representing a 5% increase on 2017 and a 34% increase on 2016. The results came in what was one of the bloodiest years on the Costa del Sol in terms of mafia activity.
His brother, dubbed the ‘narco king’ of the Campo was caught earlier in June, after police revealed the pair had amassed a fortune in excess of €30 million. A police boat and at least two helicopters are also patrolling the skies and seas in the area. The neighbourhoods of La Atunara, San Bernardo, El Zabal, Santa Margarita have all been the target of police raids. A search in San Bernardo resulted in the seizure of a radar used by drug traffickers in counter-surveillance against police. The main aim of the police operation is to dismantle the narco gang that operates between Morocco and the Campo.
THE UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has released its list of the most wanted British criminals on the run. Among them are an alleged murderer, convicted drug trafficker and a big time VAT fraudster who may have fled to Spain. Christopher More is wanted in connection with the murder of a man in Cheshire in June 2003. Sarah Panitzke is wanted by the UK’s HMRC for conspiracy to acquire criminal property after laundering more
than €1 billion. John Barton was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in 2003 for conspiring to import large amounts of heroin into the UK between 1999 and 2000. He was convicted in absentia and is believed to have links to the Fuengirola and Costa del Sol area. If you have seen any of the following people or know of their whereabouts, get in touch at newsdesk@theolivepress.es or contact the NCA immediately.
Roca rolling
completed over half his sentence and been a model prisoner. This is despite the politician amassing a fortune worth at least €125 million, including a string of properties, a huge collection of exotic animals and a private art portfolio that included a Miro that he kept in the loo. Roca was convicted of being the ringleader of the Malaya plot, which saw 53 officials, including three former Marbella mayors, tried for embezzlement of public funds and fraud between 1991 and 2006.
HE was the svengali who made Spain’s biggest-ever corruption scam tick like clockwork. The mastermind behind Marbella’s infamous Malaya case, Juan Roca, has finally been let out of prison after serving 12 years of a 20-year sentence. A judge deemed the former Marbella urban planning boss eligible for release as he had
NEWS
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NOT FAMOUS: Elsa in Oz
Keeping their roots! SPANISH model Elsa Pataky has revealed how she makes sure her children with Thor star Chris Hemsworth hold onto their heritage. The 42-year-old, who left Madrid for Hemsworth’s native Australia four years ago, said she surrounds her three kids with Spanish people ‘so they never lose their roots’. “I have almost all my family here to speak to them in Spanish,” she said. “I’m going to try to go to Spain almost every summer, so that they know it and experience its culture. “I also teach them about typical Spanish dishes.” She added that her and hubby Chris, 35, keep their daughter India, six, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, four, as sheltered from the public eye as much as possible. “ T h e y don’t know their family is famous,” she insisted.
Gangster’s question time Pulling teeth, torture and chokey… Krays’ associate Dave ‘Dangerous’ Courtney set to come clean at ‘Costa del Dosh’ show
Running rings ECCENTRIC: Guest list only for Courtney event using a knuckle duster when debt-collecting. In and out of court since a youngster, he famously arranged the security for the funeral of Ronnie Kray in 1995. Courtney, from Bermondsey, London, claims he ‘had to kill to stay alive’ during his criminal years and has allegedly been shot, stabbed and had his nose bitten off. He revealed to the Olive Press how he also lived in Marbella twice for periods of between six to eight months. “I was debt collecting and doing other bits, we used to call it the Costa del Dosh,” he re-
Flop trumps WATFORD flop Mario Suarez may have dropped the ball when it comes to his football career, but he’s picked a winner in the marital stakes. The Spanish footballer, who moved to China after failing to set the Premiership alight, has now moved back to Madrid with his Scandinavian wife Malena Costa Sjorgren, 29, who grew up in Mallorca. He has landed a job with Rayo Vallecano, while wife Malena has won over the web with this picture of herself squatting naked on a horse. The model, from Alcudia, has amassed 409,000 followers on Instagram, unsurBAREBACK: For Mario’s missus prising with photos like this.
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GETTING SPLICED: Ramos and Pilar to get married
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
A FORMER British gangster who rolled with the likes of the Krays and the Richardsons is coming to the Costa del Sol. Dave Courtney, 59, is set to appear in An Audience with Dave Courtney in Fuengirola this month. Taking place at Bar Mortoni the session will focus on ‘anything the audience wants to know’, he promises. “They can ask me anything about my career and the people I’ve worked with and I’m still friends with, I’ve got great stories to tell, including many from the Costa del Sol,” he told the Olive Press. Courtney was once an associate of the Kray twins and cultivated a reputation for
February 13th - February 26th 2019
vealed. “This was back when the coast was more like a gangster’s paradise, I think those days are gone now,” he added. Courtney still has a holiday home in Marbella which he visits every year. “I love it out there,” he added, “I usually I keep a much lower profile than this.” Courtney often refers to himself as Dave Courtney ‘OBE’, for ‘One Big Ego’, and has been linked to smuggling, assault and murder. In his book F**k the Ride, Courtney claims to have been found not guilty in 19 separate trials, although he spent 16 weeks in Belmarsh Prison for assault. Bar owner Hayley Mortoni told the Olive Press: “Dave’s my good friend of 25 years. “He is a comedian, eccentric, and highly entertaining.” The event is guest list only ‘for obvious reasons’ so enquiries must be made directly via Facebook. Hayley added: “There will be strictly 60 guests and security on the door. “There’s a €2 cover fee for each guest payable on the night and no entry unless you’re on the list.”
HE is known as the hatchet man of Madrid. Now Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos has carved out a new ambition - to marry his sweetheart this summer. The Spanish defender has confirmed he will take his TV presenter girlfriend Pilar Rubio down the aisle in June. The A-list wedding will take place in Sevilla on June 15 with Ramos, 32, describing it as ‘the ideal moment’ for the nuptials. The lovebirds chose the Andalucian capital for a more private affair, and will ask guests to leave their phones and cam-
eras at the door. Ramos, who has won the Champions League four times with Madrid, said: “We’ve decided to get married in Sevilla because we’ve been in Madrid for so long now, it means there’ll be less people. Rubio, 40, who was voted sexiest woman in the world by FHM magazine, suggested a top music act could perform at the wedding, describing them as ‘very big’. Ramos was born in Sevilla and also began his career at the La Liga side, before being transferred to Madrid for €27m.
Lining up to star ANTONIO Banderas will baptise his new Malaga theatre by starring in a version of hit musical A Chorus Line. The Hollywood actor, 58, has chosen the famous show for the opening of his new venture, Teatro de Soho CaixaBank. The Malagueño said the show will run for three months at the new theatre, which will be within the renovated Teatro Alameda.
The show will begin in the autumn and Banderas, best known for The Mask of Zorro and a string of Pedro Almodovar films, will be playing one of the leading roles.
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NEWS IN BRIEF New roads ahead ROADS around Queensway, Glacis Road and Winston Churchill Avenue will be relaid soon on the completion of works at Mid-Town, Ocean Spa Plaza and Glacis estate.
Leaks plugged ELDERLY people living at Bishop Canilla House will be pleased to hear that their flats will undergo extensive waterproofing after they complained of humidity and leaks.
Makeover MOUNT Alvernia, the public care home, will finally be getting a makeover, with refurbishment of key areas and Dementia-friendly, colour-coded areas being created.
Peking interest THE Chinese new year on February 5 was celebrated by Year 3 children at St Joseph’s school who donned Chinese costumes, ate a Far Eastern lunch and learnt about the country’s culture.
February 13th - February 26th 2019
Not sitting on fence
We vow to listen, insists Marlene’s Together Gibraltar party “IN a place like Gibraltar it is more important to challenge the status quo rather than sit on the fence,” insisted Marlene Nahon Hassan, at the annual general meeting of her new Together Gibraltar party. The leader of the ‘centrist’ party has also vowed not to sit on the fence at the next election, expected later this year. She told 250 people at John Mackintosh Hall that her
By John Culatto
party was giving ‘another choice’ for the electorate. “People will at least have a choice at the next election,” said the MP, whose father Sir Joshua Hassan led Gibraltar for nearly half a century. “We don’t really focus on other parties but I believe I have proved to be value for money for the electorate, even for those who didn’t vote for
Elections loom SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is considering calling early elections on April 14, a government source has revealed. The state-owned Spanish news agency EFE reported the news on Monday, after speaking to an unidentified source. It comes as the Spanish parliament is LEADER: set to vote on Sanchez’s 2019 budget Pablo on Wednesday. The ruling PSOE party do not have an overall majority and are supported in government by the Podemos.
LEADER: Marlene
me.” She added: “If anybody was to feel they didn’t belong it would be the more intolerant and very right-wing voices.” Hassan created the party after holding a number of meetings throughout last year on different community areas. She said: “The whole point of the Together Gibraltar civil society movement was to bring people together, understand the issues Gibraltar faces and to see whether people wanted a new party. “I am very happy that it resulted this way as I feel it was much more responsible from a grassroots platform rather than the top down.” She continued: “The biggest factor we are bringing in is listening to the people on the ground. We have woken up people’s hopes in the sense they are feeling part of it.”
iLearning CHILDREN will be shown better life skills in revolutionary plans being rolled out at schools across Gibraltar. The push will include the use of mobile phones in the classroom to continue to promote ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning. “When I said some time ago that we were undergoing an Education Revolution in Gibraltar, I wasn’t referring just to buildings,” said Minister for Education John Cortes. “We are responding to changing times and widening of resources available to teachers and learners, maximising the richly active and environmentally diverse community to which we belong.” He added: “Being in school in Gibraltar – whether teaching or learning – is going to become even more productive – and much more fun!” A government spokesperson said the overhaul would help children develop their emotional and mental wellbeing: “The aim is to ensure that they develop into confident and happy individuals, with the resilience and problem-solving skills to work through the complexities of life. “This review will also see outdoor learning to equip our learners with love and respect for the outdoors, nurture, self-esteem and teamwork skills.”
Getting tough on mental health COUNSELLORS are being trained to tackle mental health in schools from an early age, UK education bosses have revealed. Plans for four professionals to start work on assessing children have already been announced after talks with a top UK psychotherapist. “An effective counselling service must form part of a whole school approach to emotional health and well-being,” said a government spokesperson. “Counselors are in a unique position to recognise early on children who are at risk, in need, vulnerable or for whom there are potential serious mental health risks.” “We are moving in leaps and bounds on improving the way we deal with mental health in our schools,” said Minister John Cortes. “We are developing a professional and robust service that will properly serve our young people’s needs and support the teachers in their vital roles.”
Not so rank
UPGRADE: Taxi rank
EVER arrived at Gibraltar Airport and had to stand on a blustery day in the rain waiting for a taxi? Well those days could soon be over. A taxi rank is now being built outside the airport terminal to give passengers a chance to stay dry and comfortable while they wait for a ride home. “The new taxi rank now provides further sheltered waiting area that will complement the parasols which will be moved from the forecourt of the terminal building to this new location,” a government spokesperson said. “The rank will also have a holding area for passengers waiting for a taxi which will create a formal queue system as seen in many modern airports and indeed railway stations throughout the world.”
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FEATURE
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.
OPINION Rock and a hard place IT’S high time the British Government stop infighting and get on with delivering Brexit, whatever it may be! The human impact of the UK’s divorce from the EU was revealed to its fullest extent this week, as Basil Moonilall, who turns 90 this year, revealed it could see him kicked out of TWO countries. Basil came to the UK in 1958 with the Windrush generation, before he moved to the Campo de Gibraltar in 1993 to be with his Spanish wife, who sadly died two months ago. His future is more uncertain than most, with his healthcare and citizenship in question, but his story should resonate with the hundreds of thousands of Brits who have built their lives here in Spain. The biggest fear for British pensioners is that their healthcare will not be covered by the NHS after the UK leaves the EU. Whatever the outcome, there needs to be something concrete from the Government so that people like Basil - who spent his whole working lives in the service of the British public - can begin planning their futures after March 29.
Tragedy in Paradise THE tragic tale of how a grandmother’s dead body was kept indoors for nearly a year signals the spiralling isolation that can hit bright-eyed British expats arriving in Spain. Guardia Civil officers on the scene last Saturday speculated that Louise Butroid could have hid her mother beneath a mattress and cardboard boxes to continue receiving her mother’s pension. But the sorry state of the house and neighbours’ comments heard by an Olive Press reporter indicate that the family’s problems were not just economic. The nearly €300,000 luxury chalet overlooking a mountain stream and the sublime Lago de Istan looks like paradise in a brochure, but expats must try to integrate, make meaningful friendships and get a useful grasp of spanish. Without this, the troubles, divorces or illnesses that can happen in life will hit 10 times harder. Community spirit is what keeps expats thriving. So even if it means calling for help, find the strength to do so... this shouldn’t be the Costa del Solitude.
Publisher/ Editor Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es
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Joshua Parfitt joshuap@theolivepress.es
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Anxiety rises PACKED: Hundreds of expats came to hear the latest updates from Simon Manley in Manilva
A deal, or no deal, expats are growing increasingly concerned about Brexit next month… here Charlie Smith and Joshua Parfitt present their Brexit Survival Guide
W
ILL I be deported? Can I still see a doctor? Do I have to fly the Spanish flag? It’s no wonder fears are swirling among the up to one million expats who call Spain their home, as the Brexit deadline approaches like an express train. With just over six weeks to go before the UK pulls out of Europe, it is still unclear exactly how the 300,000 registered Brits in Spain will be treated… let alone all those who come and go on a temporary basis. In a mercy-type mission to ease these concerns, British Ambassador to Spain,
CAPTION
TENSION: Jean Claude Juncker shares frosty moment with Theresa May as Brexit looms
Simon Manley has been undertaking a series of roadshows around the country. At one, taking place to a packed hall of expats in Manilva last week, his How to get your Spanish citizenship message was simple: After living in Spain for 10 ‘Keep calm, years you can apply for and get regSpanish citizenship. istered’. Getting this ‘golden ticket’ Alongside means you can travel, work an expert and visit within the EU. panel, he Spain does not permit dual carefully citizenship however, so you and clearly would have to give up your responded UK passport. to people’s But, you can also become a Spanish citizen through birth or marriage, even if your Spanish parents were born outside the country. The other requirements include being a ‘good citizen’ and being integrated into Spanish society. To be a good citizen you must be financially stable and without a criminal record. Being integrated means that you must be able to speak some Spanish and ‘take part in Spanish social activities’. If you are applying after having lived in Spain for 10 years, you must first have permanent residency. To apply for Spanish citizenship you will need to visit your local Civil Registry office. You will need to fill in a citizenship form and bring the following documents:
fears about their status in Spain come March 29. Above all, he assured the 200-plus people gathered that under the draft withdrawal agreement there would be no significant changes to anyone’s rights until the end of a transition period, set to last until December 31 2020. However, he raised a few key concerns and warned what could actually happen if the UK leaves the EU with no deal, as could still alarmingly be the case. Here, the Olive Press breaks down the key talking points of the Brexit seminar, on everything from healthcare to pensions and the peculiar situation where Spain permits foreigners to get dualcitizenship.
●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●
A valid passport and copy For under-18s: a guardian, or both parents Spanish Resident Card (TIE) Birth certificate printed within last 90 days Criminal record check printed within last 90 days Marriage certificate if applicable Registration certificate printed within the last 90 days A CEFR certificate of at least A2 in Spanish A CCSE exam certificate showing the result of an exam on Spanish laws and culture ●● A payment of €100
HERE TO HELP: Ambassador Simon Manley
FEATURE
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
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olive press online
Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
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- Another Spanish warship enters Gibraltar waters playing national anthem in two-hour Royal Navy stand-off (13,533)
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PANEL: Experts giving their advice just weeks before the UK divorce date
Deal - ‘Your rights maintained’ but new ‘TIE’ green card needed Expats crammed into every available space of Villa Mathilde, in San Luis de Sabinillas, in Manilva, as British Ambassador Simon Manley rose to his feet to assure anxious attendees that ‘with a deal, your rights in Spain will be guaranteed by force of international law.’ “The deal will maintain your right to residency, pensions will continue to be uprated and healthcare will continue as before,” he said. And the diplomat calmed nerves by saying that a grace period - a paradise period for some - in which all paperwork could be sorted out, would remain until December 31, 2020. “But that withdrawal agreement can only enter into force when it has been approved by the UK,” added Manley. The Brexit divorce is being felt in many parts of the Union, but at this stage of negotiations it appears the source of heartache for expats on the Costa del Sol is not the English channel, nor Brussels, but the House of Commons. If it passes before March 29, the key component of the deal for British residents in Spain will be the transition to a new form of identification. The Ambassador announced that ‘a new card will replace the green card’ that British expats currently wield as their right to residency in Spain. Brits will ‘at some point’ during the transition period need to submit their green registration certificates for a Foreigner’s Identity Card (TIE) - it’s the same identification that grants non-EU nationals residency in Spain - but Brits will not need to fulfil the same requirements as non-EU nationals. Those who are NOT currently registered via the National Police will NOT however be able to acquire a TIE card. “Please apply now,” the Ambassador urged, “there’s nothing more important you can do.”
No Deal - Assuming our rights will be maintained, but no agreement yet In the worst-case scenario that an agreement is not reached, and the UK leaves the EU with no deal, the Ambassador warned that British expats’ rights in Spain will ‘not be protected’. He spoke passionately about meetings with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who insisted he greatly valued the British presence in his country. However, as with promises surrounding pensions, healthcare and rights to residency, the recurring word in the Ambassadors oratory was ‘assume’. Concerning healthcare, he said: “The intentions are clear, but we have to find an agreement with Spain.” Regarding pensions, Manley added: “We need a reciprocal agreement with Spain, because without that the default position is pensions will not be uprated - British expats in Australia do not have uprated pensions.” A royal decree is expected this month to underline how Spain will treat British expats should Britain exit the EU without a deal. There were sterner warnings however, from panel legal expert Myra Azzopardi, of Citizens Advice Bureau Spain. She warned the Olive Press that up to 700,000 British people either living full time here unregistered or with interests in Spain could face immigration issues soon after March 29. She said that under EU law, British citizens would be allowed 90 days in Spain before they would have to register themselves at the nearest national police station. Though Spain currently has no powers to expel Brits who stay over this 90-day period, she said ‘after Brexit you will be expelled as an illegal alien, you could be deported.’
Dual citizenship exists for a chosen few
Spain does not permit dual citizenship, except for two very specific groups of people. But who are these chosen two? 1. International Brigades veterans: This group of volunteers fought as soldiers for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. Named after the 50 countries from which they came, the group’s largest intake was from France with 9,000 joining from the country. The UK contributed 2,000 men to the International Brigades and 500 were killed while 1,200 were wounded. 2. Sephardi Jews who can prove a family relation to Spain: These Jews are an ethnic group originally from Spain or Sepharad, a place of uncertain location that is mentioned once in the Bible. The Sephardi Jews set up communities throughout Spain and Portugal, before they began to be exiled in the 15th Century. About 16% of the global Jewish population is Sephardi and around 40,000 are thought to live in Spain.
- WATCH: Spaniards fuming at viral video of two drunk British women being treated at hospital in expat hotspot (12,392)
Number crunching
4
- Dog walker finds dead narco washed up on Costa del Sol beach after high speed police chase (8,069)
- WATCH: Wild boar shot and killed by cops after rummaging through bins on Spain’s Costa del Sol (7,300)
5
- Man in Spain arrested as police find his girlfriend chopped up in freezer (4,880)
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IT’S been another bumper two weeks for the OP website, as we have shot into the top 200,000 in the WORLD, leaving our English rivals in the dust.
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Do you have a what’s on?
LA CULTURA
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what’s on
B
ack to basics LEARN the basics of how to care for your plants in theory and practice with the Horticultural Society from 6:308pm at the John Mackintosh Hall on February 14.
THE BBC has crowned Pablo Picasso as the greatest artist of the 20th century. The Malagueño beat out Alfred Hitchcock, Virginia Woolf and Andy Warhol in the Artists & Writers category of BBC Two’s ICONS series. The history series profiled great people from seven different fields of human endeavour and a s k e d British viewers to
B
alls to you A THREEcourse meal, with entrance drinks and wine will be on offer at the 48th Anniversary Ball with an Argentine Tango at the CCC Sequence Dance Club on February 23.
vote for their favourites. The BBC said: “Picasso’s work spans a head-spinning variety of styles, genres, art forms and ideas. From drawing to painting, sculpture to poetry – and beyond – Picasso
Gibraltar is putting on its dancing shoes for its 17th international dance festival HUNDREDS of dancers will descend upon Gibraltar to take part in the annual international dance festival this month. Now in its 17th year, the festival will host more than 250 movers and shakers from the Rock, the UK and Spain. Organiser Seamus Byrne told the Gibraltar Olive Press that all money collected from the ticket sales will ‘go back to the dancers themselves when they need to go to World Championships or dance schools.’
He added: “This is a platform for many young people to do something different. For instance, every two years we take dancers to the Commonwealth Games and this time it’s in South Africa. “This Easter, Stylos Dance Group will take a group to the Young Americans educational programme in Los Angeles so we will be funding them too.” Seamus Byrne forms part of a charity called M.O. Productions that every year organ-
never allowed himself to be restricted. “What’s more, he consistently evolved and changed his styles, taking influence from the places he lived – including Madrid, Barcelona and Paris – and the writers and artists he met along the way. “Yet there was a coherent vision behind this creativity, a way of feeling the world that permeated all of Picasso’s art.”
Dance, dance, dance
ises the Gibraltar International Dance Festival. The dancers’ ages range from five to over 30, with various categories for the different styles and numbers involved in each performance. “This will be a preparation for the European Showdance Championships we will be organising for the third time in 2021,” said Byrne. “With all the new facilities the Government
is putting in place and depending on Brexit, we hope to one day organise the World Championships.” The previous European Championship saw over 1,200 people stay in Gibraltar while one million people viewed the event online. Tickets are already on sale at buytickets.gi for the festival which will be held from February 20 - 23 at the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre.
Dancespired WHO could have guessed that the head of the fine arts association likes to dance to music while painting his very abstract pictures? Well, this is exactly what Paul Cosquieri revealed to the Olive Press before Paintings to Dance To, his first solo exhibition, opened on February 13 at the GEMA gallery on Line Wall Road. “I have named this latest series Paintings To Dance To for one simple reason,” said the Fine Arts Association chief. “I have painted each and every one of them to the sound of music and I always dance throughout the entire painting process. “Music is my great inspiration, it helps me get in the zone.” Cosquieri is the first to present his work at the GEMA (Gibraltar Exhibitions of Modern Art Gallery) in a new series that allows local artists to put on smaller exhibitions on the Rock. He also formed part of an Easterly Winds event at the Diputacion de Cadiz which is still on and has painted a mural at the Gibraltar University called ‘Non Plus Ultra’.
Haunting
Homeward Bound.. FRANCE - ITALY - PORTUGAL
s.es
Big in Britain
M
ove for money DANCERS from UK, Spain and Gibraltar will compete for £2,000 in the Gibraltar Dance Festival at the John Mackintosh Hall from February 20 to 23.
Send you r informa February 13th - February 26th 2019 newsdesk@theolive tion to pres
Read this latest thriller, but maybe keep the lights on
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Five years ago, 11-yearold friends Ana and Lucía disappeared without a trace from the isolated village of Monte Perdido in the Spanish Pyrenees. Now, in the present, there has been a car crash. The driver has
died, and the injured survivor is Ana. A new investigation is launched in the hopes of also finding Lucía alive, but Ana is traumatised and cannot remember details that may help the police in their search. The initial investigation was plagued with mistakes, so this time investigators Sara Campos and Santiago Bain are sent from Madrid to lead the hunt for Lucía. As the investigation unfolds, we are treated to a multi-layered, atmospheric crime thriller with plenty of twists. The eagerly awaited TV series will be available on La 1 this year under the Spanish title of La Caza: Monteperdido. €19.50, Available from The Bookshop San Pedro - www. thebookshop.es
Property
be Ma s m t p laga ag ro ’s az pe in rty e
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Issue 26
February 2019
We February 13th - February 26th 2019
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roundup the lucky few buildings on the Rock to receive a heritage award See page VII
From medieval to modern As Spain adds 11 new towns to its ‘most beautiful’ list, we explore how their unique architecture helped get them there, see Belissimas page VIII
LET IT GROW SPAIN’S property market is expected to continue growing for at least another two years, experts have predicted. According to a leading Catalan institute, ITEC, there will be no slow down until at least 2021. It comes after last year saw sales reach their highest since the 2008 crisis, with a 9.7% year-to-year increase from January to September. Meanwhile, the number of sales in October rose by a huge 17% compared to the same month in 2017, according to official government statistics (INE). New home sales were up 15% to 7,971 and resales up 17% to 43,536.
Expansion for two more years, as market approaches growth of 17% this winter
Growth was particularly strong in Murcia, up 53%, and interestingly, Sevilla province saw a 50% spike. Growth was also strong across the board in Catalunya, and Barcelona in particular with a rise of 31%. And it was hotspots like the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca which
continued to be in the top three destinations for property investments in the world for Brits. The only regions where sales fell were in the Canary and Balearic Islands, the latter of which saw a significant 3% drop in the last quarter. Meanwhile, the Spanish house price index published by Tinsa, Spain’s biggest appraisal company, showed prices in the big cities such as Barcelona and Madrid were up 9.4% in November. The Mediterranean coast shot up 7.8%, and the Balearic and Canary Islands up 2.3%.
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PROPERTY
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February 2019
February 13th - February 26th 2019
Land of contrasts
Spain’s property growth could be slowing down - with some regions seeing growth of 25%, while others are 50% down, but generally the country is still in a strong position, writes Mark Stucklin
T
HE number of Spanish home sales inscribed in the National Land Registry rose by 3% in November last year compared to the same month in 2017. There were 38,084 Spanish home sales inscribed in the Land Register in November, and 42,150 if you include subsidised homes (known as VPO), all according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), based on data from the Spanish Land Registrars’ Association. The Spanish market has been growing since it started to recover in 2014, but the recent figures suggest that growth is starting to slow down, as one would expect it to one day. The average sales growth over the first 11 months of 2018 was 12%, compared to 16% in 2017. New home sales were up 8% to 8,043 and resales up 3% to 34,107, both in positive territory as they have been al-
most every month since August 2017. By region, November was a mixed bag, with sales up strongly in small markets like Cantabria and Asturias in the north, as well as isolated, but beautiful Teruel, in Aragon. The province of Girona, in Catalunya home of the Costa Brava - also had a good month. In contrast the Andalucian province of Huelva, home to the Costa de la Luz, suffered a 54% decline in sales (ED: This is amazing, if true, given I know the area well and many of my agent clients and friends say it has been pretty steady there). Looking at how sales changed on a year-to-date basis (11 months) in regions that attract the most attention from foreign buyers, interest was up in all regions bar the Balearics, where sales fell 3% (see above right). Growth in sales was also comparatively weak in Catalunya, possibly due to the politi-
SALES: Teruel came out top, while Balearics saw a 3% drop while (below) January saw the best sales last year
cal situation. Murcia deserves a mention in dispatches for it’s 24% growth. Despite it’s romantic name, rugged landscape, and sunny climate, Murcia is a bit of a backwater that is popular with British buyers, perhaps because of the marketing efforts of mega-developer Polaris World back in the boom years. Had it not been for Polaris World spending big on marketing in the UK before it succumbed to the Spanish property crash, Murcia might not be on the radar of British buyers as much as it is. A new airport in Murcia that has just become operational might boost foreign demand for the region over time. Visit Spanishpropertyinsight.com for more information
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III 11
February 2019 A SERIES of iconic 20th century images have been recreated for an original advertising project, selling homes on the Costa del Sol. The brainchild of developers Urbania, the photographs have been superimposed and re-imagined alongside vistas of the development, Higueron West 217, between Benalmadena and Fuengirola. The snaps include the legendary Abbey
INSPIRED: Green belt
Door-todoor binmen
AN entrepreneur has launched a new refuse collection service that comes to your front door. The trash-collection service, Mi Basura, is now operating in Benalmadena, having already established itself in Sevilla, Huelva and Jerez de la Frontera. Founder Francisco Jose Novalio, 48, from Sevilla, insists the service has been very popular and he already has thousands signed up in the Costa del Sol resort. He collects the rubbish from 3,500 homes in one urbanisation alone. He insisted ‘lots of people’ were too lazy to dispose of their rubbish, while many older residents were ‘too scared’ to go out at night. The service costs €10 a month per house.
Road photo featuring The Beatles, and one of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s looking through a glass window. In the Abbey Road photo a group of builders dress up like the original Fab Four crossing a road in the development, with a dozen vintage cars from the era in the background. Another uses Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famous photo of a sailor kissing a girl during the VE celebrations in New York. The resort, set to open in 2020, is bidding to be one of the most environmentally-friendly developments ever with a 100,000m2 ‘green belt’ at the forefront of its marketing campaign.
ICONIC: Abbey Road shot
Pile on the pressure
THE mayor of Marbella is pushing to get a train line from Malaga along the coast ‘as quickly as possible’. Angeles Munoz (below) believes it is a vital infrastructure project for the key Costa del Sol towns. “It’s really important for Marbella, but we have to push, everyone has to push to get it built,” she told a meeting of expats at the Beach House restaurant, in Elviria. She added that she wanted a stop for the hospital, one for San Pedro and one for central Marbella. She admitted the project would cost ‘a lot of money’ at around two billion euros, but that technical studies were already underway. She also promised that security would be improved in Marbella this year with 35 extra policemen contracted, as well as 30 more traffic cops.
Government crackdown on landlords of decaying homes THE owners of a series of near-derelict homes are to be ordered to take action. It comes after the properties were exposed as being ‘not fit for habitation’ in a GBC TV programme. The collapsing homes are to be investi-
Dole them out
gated by the government after the Viewpoint programme showed the poor state they are in. The Government has now promised to send the Environmental Agency around all of the homes highlighted.
Going up-ski THEY have become one of the key growth markets along the Spanish costas over the last decade. Thanks to the golden visa scheme tens of thousands of Russians have now bought homes in key resorts such as Marbella, Estepona and around Mallorca and the Alicante region. So it was only a matter of time before they started to build their own churches. After one went up in Altea, Alicante, last year, a new one is starting to rise up in the hills near Estepona. The €1.1m project, in the Selwo area, was designed by Tobal Architects, in Marbella, and is being built by Jamena and is due to be finished by the end of the year. The church will be called the Templo de la Ascensión de la Ortodoxa Rusa
Line it up!
Turning heads
CONCERNED: Samantha Sacramento
and on the 14,000 metre plot it will have a cultural centre and a park. The building will be a contemporary in-
terpretation of a traditional orthodox church with a golden dome and will be able to fill 500 worshippers.
Minister for the Environment John Cortes pledged to end this type of irresponsible behaviour by landlords. “We are reviewing the law and looking at ways in which we can pile on the pressure,” he said. “There will now be knocks on many doors. “I call on all those citizens living in substandard dwellings to make their case known to the Environmental Agency without fear. “Any reprisals or threats of reprisals from landlords should be reported immediately. Flooding, structural damage and humidity were the main issues shown in the programme. “I am extremely concerned by the manner in which private landlords are renting dwellings which are clearly not fit for habitation for financial return,” said Minister for Housing Samantha Sacramento.
AN Andalucian town hall is splashing out €2 million on council housing. Fuengirola is set to purchase dozens of private homes worth up €150,000 each and rent them out to lower income families. The homes must be free of debt and will have a minimum 40 square metres in size. Each purchase must represent ‘good value for money’.
Fruits of corruption A NEW language school is being built thanks to more than €1 million recovered from the Malaya corruption case. The EOI Marbella language school will move to a new 1,000-square metre site next year in Edificio Feria. Its current location will be turned into 12 apartments made specifically for younger people in the area to rent. Meanwhile up to 1,800 students will be able to attend the new school.
IV 12
PROPERTY
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February 2019
February 13th - February 26th 2019
Stunning House refurb revives the art of local craf and slashes €€€€ off the bill, writes Jon Clarke
W
EXQUISITE: Indian marble reception and outdoor tables, while (right) Guy and Lucy
ITH its forest-green marble reception desk, 400-year-old red pine doors and hand-painted wallpaper from London, one might have expected the recent renovations at Marbella’s Beach House restaurant to have cost as much as a private Caribbean atoll. On the contrary, its resourceful British owners Guy and Lucy McCrow went the self-build route, sourcing the materials and using just local tradesmen and their very own team to create the new look. The end result is spectacular… dramatically
increasing the value extend rant guests by means of a perience something which w been economically viable h contracted out. “We created the wine cell ceilings, laid the floors and
ftsmanship
ded to all restauan enhanced exwould never have had the job been
lar, installed the d even ended up
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
February 2019
New dawn building our own chairs and tables,” ex- designing bespoke pieces for the five-star plains Guy, 35, from Hertfordshire. Puente Romano hotel, and local upholsterer This is perhaps not surprising after receiv- Paco who’s attention to detail is astonishing. ing countless quotes for conIt is a similar story with the beautemporary, commercial grade tiful reclaimed doors, which lead furniture which were way out the charming pool and garAccess to such into of their budget. den of The Residence, their all “€1000 chairs may be ac- specialised skills new bed and breakfast venture. ceptable in a Zagaleta dining a short investigative stint as an individual After room, but we needed lots of that would have given David them and we were definitely is unthinkable in Dickensen a run for his money, not about to compromise” they salvaged a pair of antique London continues the friendly fatherdoors from a reclamation yard in of-three, who has lived in Montes de Malaga. Spain for over a decade. “Made from the same cut of AnThey ended up using friend and specialist dalucian red pine felled to build the Spanish metal worker Will, who is normally found Armada,” explains Lucy. “the chap who salvaged them even insisted on installing frames of the same age to ensure perfect harmony.” Perhaps the single greatest example of local expertise are the stonemasons who were responsible for the book-matched, rain forest-green marble which clads the reception, kitchen pass and main bar. “To have access to such specialised skills as an individual would be unthinkable back in London. It’s so refreshing to work with these talented and modest people without the necessity for CAD drawings and horrendous design fees.” And as Lucy so perfectly sums up: “Of course, undertaking a project like this means things take much longer but it also means you get them exactly the way you want them, and exactly the way your clients deserve them.”
13V
WELL APPOINTED: Entrance to B&B and (below) a suite
For more information, visit www.beachhousemarbella.com
Taste of the sea
In kee ping with the Bea ch Hou se’s stun nin g mar itim e location Guy and Luc y cho se ligh t blue bes pok e wal lpap er, des igne d by Ital ian pain ter Pier o Fornas etti , who died in 198 8. Full of fan tastica l fish , it mak es a bold stat eme nt whi le har mon isin g with the oce anf ron t env iron men t.
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T: +350 20051020 E: info@century21gibraltar.com Unit 3 Royal Ocean Plaza, Ocean Village, Gibraltar
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4 bed 2 bath apartment New development, Views to the West towards the bay, Communal swimming pool, Gym & gardens
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
February 2019
Historic buildings on the Rock recognised for their sympathetic restoration
SILVER: Plata Villa appropriately came second
OUR buildings in Gibraltar have been awarded coveted awards from the Gibraltar Heritage Trust. The first Group Heritage Award went to The Arches, Gibraltar’s old police barracks which has had a mas-
Commonwealth. The second Group Heritage Award went to Plata Villa on Witham’s Road. Originally a private home and then an orphanage, before becoming a school, it also housed Gibraltarian evacuees who started returning to Gibral-
F
sive facelift. The building in Irish Town is a rare example of neoclassical architecture with Tuscan columns and arcades. The Royal Gibraltar Police, established in 1830, is the world’s second oldest police force and the oldest in the
ARCH VICTOR: The Arches development won top prize
PROJECTS We have exciting residential work happening in Ocean Village, Royal Ocean Plaza, Gibraltar Town and South District. HOME REFURBISHMENT DECORATING GENERAL BUILDING SERVICES RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Call us on: +350 (0) 200 43222 or email: hello@b2projects.co.uk to discuss your project and get a quote. To see more examples of our work Follow us on: Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn
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VII 15
tar in 1944. The building has been subdivided into four private flats in the new Plata Villa development. Meanwhile Grape Vine House at 23 Naval Hospital Road, owned by Gil Podesta, scooped the Individual Heritage Award. And a Special Commendation was handed to Orion House on George’s Lane, a traditional townhouse now converted into four apartments retaining a retail outlet on the ground floor.
OTHER WINNERS: And prizes below
VIII 16
PROPERTY
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
Belissimas! February 2019
Stunning new villages have made it onto Spain’s ‘most beautiful’ list, writes Laurence Dollimore
ATTENTION all Instagram addicts! A further 11 new villages have been added to the list of the most beautiful in Spain. The list is created by the Asociación de Los Pueblos Más Bonitos De España (Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain) to celebrate and create awareness of some of the more scenic but under-visited spots in the country. We’ve rounded up five of the 11 gems them for you to add to your getaway list for 2019.
Níjar, Almería This Moorish wonder is steeped in history and sits between the Sierra Alhamilla and south-east coastline of Almeria. Its sea of white houses and churches make it one of the most picturesque. It’s also renowned for its pottery, new performing arts centre (above) and sits in a stunning natural enclave, right on the edge of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park.
Carmona, Cantabria Nestled in the leafy region of Cantabria. Carmona has been declared an official Historical-Artistic Site thanks to its typical mountain houses which give it its traditional aesthetic. It sits on the picturesque Nansa River and is surrounded by bright green valleys, making it a top contender for Spain’s ‘most beautiful’ list.
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IX 17
February 2019
This colourful town is located in the centre of the Liebana region in Cantabria. It sits at the confluence of four valleys with bridges and gorgeous views adding to its charm. Its rainbow-coloured homes and buildings are complemented by its Mediterranean climate and walnut and poplar trees. Earthy orujo grape brandy is a local speciality produced by its valley. vineyards.
Setenil de las Bodegas, Cadiz Based in Cádiz, this quaint town is famous for its troglodyte dwellings built into rock overhangs above the Río Guadalporcún. According to the 2005 census, the town has a population of just 3,016, many of whom live in nearby Ronda. The town extends along the course of the Rio Trejo with some houses being built into the rock walls of the gorge itself, created by enlarging natural caves or overhangs and adding an external wall.
San Martín de Trevejo, Cáceres This idyllic village in Extremadura is a heritage treasure with one of the best-preserved historic quarters in Spain. Streams run down the centre of the streets and the roofs of the houses practically touch. Just 15km from Portugal’s border, only 800 inhabitants live here today and speak a dialect no visitor will recognise - Fala - quite different to Spanish and Portuguese though closer to the latter.
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BUSINESS
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Feb 13th - Feb 26th 2019
COUGH UP: Mourinho
No way Jose JOSE Mourinho has been handed a one-year prison sentence for tax fraud in Spain - but he will not serve any time. The ex-Manchester United manager struck a deal with prosecutor and agreed to pay a €2 million fine. The 53-year-old Portuguese’s crime relates to tax fraud in 2011 and 2012 while he was the coach of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Evasion
It comes after fellow exReal star Cristiano Ronaldo was given a 23-month prison sentence and an €18.8m fine for tax evasion. Xabi Alonso, who played alongside Ronaldo under Mourinho, is also accused of tax fraud.
BUSINESS leaders have vowed Gibraltar will ‘never give up’ on international business while attending a string of meetings in London. As a no-deal Brexit continues to threaten the Rock’s business dealings, Gibraltar minister Albert Isola held two VIP dinners in London for the Gibraltar Funds and Investments Association (GFIA). Isola, who also hosted a cryptocurrency breakfast on the Strand, attended a number of private meetings in the City
February 13th - February 26th 2019
Charm offensive
and Canary Wharf. He was accompanied by Finance Director James Tipping and finance senior executives Timothy Haynes and Michael Ashton. “Gibraltar is the only jurisdiction in Eu-
rope that will allow you to launch your fund and then let the regulator know about it,” said GFIA chairman Lasry at a recent breakfast on cryptocurrency. For his part, the minister for economic development, Joe Bossano went to a conference at Zurich University. The Identitat Global Forum looked at ‘The Changing World, Europe and China’, with Bossano very keen in recent times to forge closer trade links with the Far Eastern economic superpower.
Wage war
Huge minimum wage hike begins in Spain as companies admit they will increase prices COMPANIES across Spain have begun reacting to the controversial 22% minimum wage increase. It comes after the central bank MORE than 82 million foreigners visited Spain last year, breaking tourism records for the sixth year in a row. Despite renewed competition from Turkey, Tunisia and Greece, the total number of tourists increased by 1.1% from 2017. Overseas visitors spent almost €90 billion in total, a 3% increase on the year before, according to the National Sta-
warned the massive hike, from €736 per month to €900, could destroy around 125,000 jobs this year. The PSOE government, led by
On fire tistics Institute (INE). The average daily spend by individual tourists has also grown to €146. Despite the number of British visitors declining by 1.6%, they were still by far the biggest foreign group with 18.5 million holidaying here in 2018. The number of Germans
Pedro Sanchez, believes the salary bump, which came into effect in January, will bolster spending and hiring, helping Spain’s economic expansion reach the next level. The €164 monthly wage increase affects around 8% of the country’s workforce - about 1.2 million people. However fears that the increase dropped by 4.1% to 11.4 million while Scandinavian visitor numbers also dropped by 0.7% to 5.7 million. But visitors from the US grew by 11.8% to reach just under 3 million while Russian tourists jumped by 6.3% to 1.2 million. Tourism is among Spain’s most important industries, accounting for around 16% of GDP.
would push prices up are beginning to bear fruit. Jorge Montes, the boss of a dry cleaners in Madrid, told press he will be raising his prices for the first time in over a decade to pay for his two full-time employees’ new earnings. ““I’m going to try to pass that on to the consumer,” Montes said, “I didn’t dare do it before because I didn’t want to lose market share.” Spain is not the only country to increase its minimum wage, following in the footsteps of France, Greece, parts of Canada and the US. Seen as a sure fire vote winner, the move is hoped to jump-start broader salary growth, which has failed to keep up with the pace of GDP expansion. It is also hoped it will weaken the appeal of farright populist parties like Vox, which is predicted to do well at the next elections.
Brexit fears SPANISH businesses are being warned of the potentially major consequences of a no-deal Brexit. The tax office has sent letters to thousands of export firms advising them on how to adapt to the worst case scenario, should the UK crash out of the EU without a deal in March. The letters warn that trade flows between Spain and Britain would cease to be considered internal European transactions and would instead be subject to customs formalities.
Significant
“Brexit could have a significant effect on your organisation and its logistics flows,” the letter reads. “If there is no exit agreement that includes a transitional period, this will mean that on March 30 the UK will leave the single market and the customs union.” The number of Spanish companies exporting to the UK grew by 8% between 2012 and 2017 to 11,695. The UK was the fifth top destination for Spanish exports in 2017, after France, Germany, Italy and Portugal.
Confused?
If the UK’s departure from the EU is giving you a headache, Linea Directa is here to help you get the right insurance SOFT Brexit, hard Brexit or no-deal. What does Brexit mean? Soft Brexit People who voted to remain in the EU are hoping for a soft Brexit. In this scenario, the UK could stay in the single market or the customs union, or both. This would ate their own trade deals with countries ensure a continuing close relationship around the world. Trade between the with the EU in return for some EU pay- UK and the EU would continue but with ments to be made, some EU rules to be more restrictions and new rules on how work. followed and continuing the free move-* Fu l l y coitm pwould re h e n s i ve o f fe r va l i d fo r n e w c u s to m e r s o n l y. G u a ra nte e s u b j e c t to cove r, re p a i r at ment of people. a p p rove d g a ra g e, a n d co u r te s y ve h i c l e ava i l a b i l i t y. S u b j e c t to co n d i t i o n s. O f fe r e n d s 3 0 / 1 1 / 1 8 . No-deal If a new set of rules and regulations for Hard Brexit In the case of a hard Brexit, the UK may a hard Brexit cannot be agreed, then the 2/8/18 have to give up access to the single UK could leave the EU with no deal. In market and the Customs Union. EU pay- this scenario, the UK may have to defer ments would probably end as would free to the World Trade Organisation rules on movement of people, meaning that UK international trade when doing business citizens would lose their automatic right with EU countries. UK exports would be to live and work in any European coun- subject to taxes and customs checks. try. The UK would be free to make its The legal status of UK expats in Europe own rules and regulations, and negoti- and EU expats in the UK would be uncertain. Would people require visas? Would the price of food imports rise? Would business be thrown into chaos? TM
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.gibraltarolivepress.com
Pear-shaped
FOOD chiefs in Malaga have revealed they are increasing prickly pear imports as they battle a tiny beetle decimating their crops. The cochineal beetle has plagued harvests of the fruit, also known as ‘chumbos’, in Cadiz, Huelva, Malaga, Granada and Almeria. Only Cordoba and Almeria still grow prickly pears, with each province having just 12 and two hectares of dedicated land respectively.
ICON: Ferran Adria
February 13th - February 26th 2019
IT is already one of the main hotels of reference in Puerto Banus. Now, the Benabola Hotel is becoming a true landmark with a remarkable transformation of its roof terrace. Known as the Sky Lounge, the stunning cocktail terrace has one of the best views on the Costa del Sol, particularly at sunset. Even better, you are bound to meet the odd local celebrity… and you even get two hours FREE parking in the hotel car park below.
Bena-beauty
Food lab
LEGENDARY restaurant elBulli is set to reopen next year after a £10 million revamp - but there won’t be any food on the menu. Ferran Adria’s Catalunyan restaurant was ranked as
Taste test-icle
the best in the world for four years in a row. But it has now been brought back to life as a laboratory and museum of culinary innovation. Adria, 56, said: “The mission
SPERM is finally on the menu in Spain. Cod’s sperm that is. The Japanese delicacy, known as shirako, sees the testicle of the fish - containing its semen - served as a tapa. It is usually served raw and with a seaweed sauce, although there is an option to have it fried. The dish is available for the first time in Spain at Kiro Suhi, in Logroño, in the La Rioja region. Diners who have tucked into the testicle-based menu item describe it as soft and ‘similar to the brains of a lamb’. OH MY COD: Fish sperm tapa Others said it tasted of cream cheese.
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
of elBulli1846 is to create quality knowledge of restaurant gastronomy and everything that surrounds it.” The ‘1846’ is a tribute to Auguste Escoffier, the French maestro who became known as the ‘king of chefs, chef to kings’. Born in 1846, he is credited with popularising haute cuisine, and inspired Adria to accomplish a similar feat with molecular gastronomy, which mixes
World famous elBulli restaurant to reopen as museum textures and flavours like edible foams, papers or jellies. The original elBulli, named after a French bulldog owned by the German-Czech couple that built the place in 1961, shut eight years ago due to heavy losses despite its huge popularity. The new project will open by February 2020. Professionals will work there on how to innovate efficiently, be it in the big-league restaurant business or on a smaller scale, Adria said. The parallel museum will offer guided tours by prior appointment only.“There’ll be people saying that this won’t work, but they used to say the same in the mid-1990s,” added Adria.
Rose ole SPANISH rose is tipped to be one of the biggest trends in the world of wines this year. According to respected industry paper The Drinks Business, the country’s winemakers have been working hard to compete in the growing market. R i o j a king Muga recently added Provence-style pink, Flor de Muga, made from old vine Garnacha to its range. Barrel-fermented and left on its lees for four months, it is a delicate pink shade with notes of cantaloupe, peach and rose blossom. Meanwhile, its Rioja neighbour, Marqués de Riscal, has taken its rosé in ‘a fresh direction’. “It has lightened its colour to the ballet-shoe pink consumers crave by changing the blend from 100% Tempranillo to 80% Garnacha and a 20% mix of Viura, Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca,” the Drinks Business reported. Cava producer Codorníu set the rose trend in motion last summer with Anna Rocks, a frozen rosé popsicle made with its semi-dry Cava, Anna Ice Edition Rosé, created by pastry chef Jordi Roca of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona.
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
The Cat’s Wh February 13th - February 26th 2019
As the tiny village of Robledillo de Gata is singled out alongside Carmona and Vejer as among Spain’s best rural retreats, Jon Clarke extols the delights of a week in the little-known Sierra de Gata
CHARMING: Hervas village stroll and drinking fountain
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OOKING for a quiet corner of Europe, where you are almost guaranteed to hear no English, French or German? A place where even in summer you will hardly meet a tourist? Head to the Sierra de Gata, a rolling collection of hills that meander gently down to the Portuguese border between the Salamanca and Caceres provinces. Meaning the ‘Cat Mountains’, few parts of Spain have such a wonderful collec-
tion of pretty, mostly untouched villages paired with wow factor walking terrain. For outdoor types it’s the cat’s whiskers! One of Spain’s most remote corners, yet only five hours by car from the Costa del Sol or two from Madrid, you will find yourself in a different world wrapped in lush wooded forests, home to storks, black vultures and other impressive birds of prey including booted eagles, sparrowhawks and goshawks. Even better, the villages are as old as the Doomsday book and offer up an excellent range of places to stay and eat. We discovered the Cat Mountains (not to be confused with the Catskills, in the US) while looking for somewhere to escape the sweaty Spanish coastline in August, having packed the kids off to their grandparents for a week. While much of central Spain - particularly Extremadura - becomes a frying pan in summer, the northern hills of Caceres at mostly over 1,000m in altitude are five-to-ten degrees cooler and temperatures drop down nicely at night. We had initially planned a trip to the neighbouring area of Los Hurdes, equally dramatic and magical although nowhere near as pretty as the Sierra de Gata. While Los Hurdes was said to be so poor a century ago there was widespread FOUNTAIN: In Robledillo WATERFALL: Near Robledillo starvation and even cannibalism, its up and use as a launchpad for our journear neighbour was ney of discovery. blessed with more Set on a jaw-dropping 200-hectare esfertile land and high- tate of oak woodland, it’s a genuine sustainable working farm, producing its own er rainfall. This was clear, with olive oil, honey and milk. Owner Miguel takes his large herd of most of cows out to grass each its two morning and brings them dozen There’s well safely back each night. villages He and wife Maria were feeling signposted so enthusiastic for their decidedfootpaths in guests to really explore ly livedthe area they devoted in and many of its 10 minutes every mornrelatively villages ing over breakfast to a populatrundown of suggestions, ed, with most of them excellent. quite a few younger, more Some even involved Miguel coming to educated urban pick you up in his ancient 4x4 after a types arriving to long and lubricated lunch at one of the run restaurants and nearby village ventas! One of the area’s big draws is its locab&bs. We found one of the tion on the long-distance GR-10 footpath latter in the delight- which spans Spain and Portugal, running ful Finca el Cabezo, from Valencia to Lisbon. which proved the This means you get a series of wellperfect place to hole signposted footpaths out of many of its EVENING WALK: Around San Martin de Trevejo
with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
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hiskers
February 13th - February 26th 2019
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February 13th - February 26th 2019
WHERE TO STAY
AUTHENTIC: Breakfast is served at Finca el Cabezo
VERDANT: Sierra de Gata valley, map (inset) and local horseman (below)
DIP: In dammed river
vas, at the other end of Caceres, just off the main N-630 motorway that would take us back to Sevilla. One of lesser-known towns of the celebrated Ruta de la Plata, it’s home to the most remarkable collection of buildings of anywhere I have visited in Spain. Medieval in look, but unique in style, with roof tiles that stretch down the sides of the buildings, much of the town was built by jews before the full force of the Reconquest took hold. It has a curious, well preserved jewish area, and an extremely atmospheric ancient centre, buffering on the river. It also has a number of decent places to eat. It’s also an excellent base for hiking, with plenty of trails taking you into the nearby hills, one heading to a splendid waterfall for an icy cool midday dip. All in all, this was a very eye-opening trip of discovery for us, a little-heard about region and practically never written about, in English at least. I hope the Sierra de Gata stays something of a secret for now. So try not to let the cat out of the bag!
villages, most heading on ancient medieval paths into the hills and on to the next village. Each day we would get up and hike for two or three hours before the heat of the day took a grip. During the evenings we would head out to visit the charming villages, with Robledillo de Gata one of the true gems of the region, a real photographer’s delight with wonderful well-preserved old buildings and a breathtaking green backdrop. But other villages like San Martin de Trevejo and Trevejo its tinier sibling are equally worthy of visits, particularly for their excellent local restaurants. And the square in San Martin is the epitome of ‘charming’, such beauty in a pinprick of a town coming as a complete surprise. Our side-trip to Portugal for the day was also fun, although much much hotter. We ended our week in the fascinating village of Her- REMARKABLE: Hervas has one of the most unusual collections of buildings
Finca el Cabezo is one of the most stunning country farmhouses in Spain. Authentic in the extreme, you will be amazed at its charms, not to mention its peaceful location and incredible landscapes. While there is no pool, you can find a series of natural pools to swim LOCATION: Cabezo and in nearby and you can (below) El Jardin walk right from the door. www.fincaelcabezo.com In Hervas, you might want to consider El Jardin del Convento, a charming townhouse hotel with one of the most amazingly kept hotel gardens in Spain. A peaceful spot, expect to hear the owner’s family playing the piano in the evening, while the building has been little altered in 200 years. www.eljardindelconvento.com
WHERE TO EAT Sesamo in Hervas is a charming spot at the bottom of the town specialising in healthy mediterranean cuisine and heavy on vegetables. www.sesamocasadecomidas.com El Buen Avio de Trevejo is a tiny hole in the wall in one of Spain’s smallest hamlets of Trevejo. A tiny spot high up in the Sierra, it nonetheless has charm personified and some amazing good local, organic produce, thanks to its owner.
TOP TIP - Roman Gem of Merida
one night in the wonderTake my advice and spend at least the way to the Sierra de on da Meri of city ura mad ful Extre Gata or back. Unesco World Heritage August is a great time to visit this de la Plata, in south Ruta us famo the gem, which sits on amazing Roman Extremadura. Why? You can do the keep you occupied sites by day (and there is enough to play at the original for at least two days) and take in a awesome stone Roman amphitheatre at night. This C, is surrounded by structure which dates back to 16B world’s oldest, still the of one nd ry…a histo ng fascinati functioning Roman bridges.
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COLUMNISTS
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Feb 13th - Feb 26th 2019
February 13th - February 26th 2019
KISS AND TELL
R
ODIN dedicated a bronze sculpture to it, the Italians named a sweet after it – baci – and the average human spends two weeks of their lifetime engaged in it, burning off 26 calories per minute in the process. Contrary to the lyrics of As Time Goes By in Casablanca the movie, a kiss is so much more than a kiss. The Art of Kissing, written by Hugh Morris in 1936, is the Grand Slam guide to the leisure sport of tonsil tennis. His chapter on How to Kiss Girls with Different Sizes of Mouth is a must for anyone confronted with today’s collagen-implanted trout lips. No one really knows how it all started. One unromantic theory contests it was a preamble to regurgitation, dating from the pre-Moulinex blender Age when cave mama pre-chewed
Belinda Beckett brings you the ‘pucker’ guide to kissing for Valentine’s month the baby food. Freud claimed it was an unconscious repetition of infantile delight in breast feeding. The early Christians exchanged a holy kiss of peace until the congregation started exploiting the convention to advance their own sexual agendas. Thereafter they were required to kiss a relic known as a ‘pax’ instead of each other. In ancient Rome, it was all about status. Bigwigs kissed cheeks or hands, lesser mortals kissed feet, yuck! But not as yucky as oral kissing in the days before toothpaste and dental floss ... No wonder me-
All you need is
dieval maids carried clove-studded apples when courting, exchanging bites for kisses to sweeten their suitors’ breath. The British upper lip was not at all stiff in Tudor times when it was the practice, in Court circles, to engage in fullon lip kissing as a social greeting. Three centuries later, such was social and physical squeamishness, some Victorian doctors preferred to let a patient die than administer the kiss of life. On a further historical note, some sources claim that when Lord Nelson expired, he actually sighed: ‘Kismet, Hardy’ so that, in mishearing, the young officer made a bit of a prat of himself.
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The Boar Wars
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In Spain, social cheek kissing is as natural as breathing but French kissing in public could have got you thrown into jail in Franco’s time, and in some Middle Eastern countries it still can. Kissing takes on many guises, not all of which have to do with affection, sex or sincerity. Think politicians kissing babies or luvvies kissing air at the Oscars, coming up on February 25. Jane Wyman and Ray Tooney hold the honours for the longest screen kiss in the 1941 movie, You’re In The Army Now. It lasted for three-and-a-half TRADITION: Humans have kissed for centuries minutes. But that’s tame compared to the cur- hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds rent Guinness World Kissing Record in 2013. Pass the lip salve! held by Thai couple Ekkachai and If you’re wondering, they were allowed Laksana Tiranarat. They snogged to eat, drink and use the loo provided without a break for an incredible 58 they didn’t break their embrace...
pring has sprung early in the me by surprise. campo. There is almond blossom I was fiddling with the lock on the main everywhere as Nature goes into gate one night when my peripheral vision seasonal overdrive. My garden was made out a shadowy figure in the garden. I looking particularly splendid, a minor mira- almost had a heart attack on the spot until cle considering that I’m now in charge of it, I swung my head torch on it and it revealed since my gardener, maintenance man and itself as an ‘artistically arranged’ pile of all-round “fixer”, seven stones. the multi-talentNeedless to say ed Florin, has it didn’t last long. moved on. LuckMy biggest probily he pops back lem this year, every few weeks however, has to make sure been the wild that the place is boar. (And if you, still standing and like me, were a check on the wateenager in the ter levels in the 80s, then you deposit tank. can’t read those Otherwise the words without Casita might be hearing Duran looking like one Duran in your of those artist’s head.) Like a impressions of determined and what the world PEST: Wild boars wreaking havoc demented bunch would look like of porkers audiif humans vanished – overgrown build- tioning for the Istan amateur dramatic verings, abandoned cars, cats lording it over sion of ‘The Great Escape’, they have made the place – which is pretty much standard repeated forays under my fence and ripped round at mine most days. up swathes of the garden. As well as the flora, the local fauna has I’m scratching my head what to do about been active too. Rabbits scurrying up the them, with my current plans, as I survey the track, wild goats coming down to drink on devastation, of sitting on an office chair at the far bank of the lake, and the local fox night with a touch strapped to the 12-bore. slinking guiltily out of sight of the head- A sort of grumpy and well armed campo lights most nights. Even the houseguest lighthouse, if you will. has been active, though her current hobby The Boar Wars have begun. It’s going to be of building stone totems in the garden took an interesting month…
SPORT
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RECORD: Attendance
Girl power A WOMEN’S football match has broken the record for the highest attendance at any female sports event in Spain. According to official data, 48,121, came to watch the quarterfinal clash of the Copa de la Reina between Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid.
Strike
Atlético won the match 2-0 thanks to a first-half strike from Ángela Sosa and a late goal from Aurélie Kaci. The tie, which took place at the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao, beat the previous record attendance by 12,000. The previous record also involved Athletic, when they beat Hispalis 5-1 in 2003 at their former stadium.
February 13th - February 26th 2019
February 13th - February 26th 2019
Fighting talk
Europa captain vows to take back league after toppling Gibraltar Champs in Rock Cup
By John Culatto
EUROPA FC have beaten their arch-rivals Lincoln Red Imps 2-1 in their second round Rock Cup clash. After the victory, co-captain Javi Munoz told the Gibraltar Olive Press Europa will carry on fighting ‘to the very end’ to take back the league title from Lincoln. “It was a great win against a strong team like Lincoln,” said Munoz, 37, who started his career at Sevilla FC. “Two new signings this season, Arana and Manu Dimas helped us win a very tight and equally-matched game between two strong teams. “Now we have to turn our attention to the league which is a different competition to the Cup. We have a lot to play for with a lot of vital matches to go so anything can happen. “It’s a very well balanced league with a lot of competitive teams so we will have our work cut out because any one of them can beat us now.”
Pesky Germans GREAT Britain has lost out to Germany in the crucial Challenge Mallorca cycling four-day cycling series. Marcel Kittel from Germany rode to victory in the Trofeo Palma race, ahead of the highest-placed British rider Alex Paton, who finished in 55th place. Paton is part of the Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes team, who were also represented by Brits Jacob Hennessy, Matthew Bostock and Alexander Richardson. Kittel beat the Brits to claim just his first win in 11 months, helping him bounce back from a poor 2018.
KEEPER: Javi Munoz
Plans to merge the first and second divisions next season could make it easier on teams who want to field more Gibraltarian players. Without fear or relegation the idea is that locals will get more minutes. “The Gibraltarian players in our squad keep evolving in the league and for their national side,” added goalkeeper Munoz. “TJ de Barr has been one of the standouts this season. He has everything he needs to be a big star in football and I wish him the best of luck in the future. “For myself at 37 I feel good on the pitch and while that is the case, I will carry on playing football.”
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Training campo LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed his side will train in Marbella this week, ahead of their clash with Bayern Munich. The Reds are set to play the German side in the last 16 of the Champions League on February 19. The Costa del Sol break comes after midfielder Geor-
TRAINING: Reds in Spain
ginio Wijnaldum revealed he played through Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth at the weekend with diarrhoea. He said: “The tablets helped a lot but at half-time I had to run off to get to the toilet. “I was like 'Oh no!' I ran inside and I managed to control it!” Liverpool’s convincing win over the south-coast side at Anfield helped them get their title bid back on track after Manchester City closed the gap at the top to just three points. As Liverpool head back to southern Spain, they are likely to be at the Marbella Football Centre where they trained in February last year. For those looking to catch
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BOSS: Pellegrini a glimpse of the Premier League stars, the training ground is in San Pedro, just off the AP-7. Fellow Premier League side West Ham have also arrived in Malaga this week for a few days of training. The Hammers will be training in the warm weather until Saturday before their meeting with Fulham at the London Stadium on February 22.
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Apprenticeship talks
FINAL WORDS
UNITE the Union have discussed their own manifesto commitments with the GSD opposition after last week’s talks about apprenticeships with the Government.
Ka-ching! WITHIN three days Gibraltar sold out double the amount of coins of the year before at the Berlin World Money Fair after Minister for Economic Development, Joe Bossano, gave a talk.
Last strawb A FOOD chief in Andalucia has warned that Brexit could trigger a crisis for strawberry imports to the UK, one of the biggest exporters of the region.
February 13th - February 26th 2019 Drawing a line in the sand
Vol. 4 Issue 90 www.gibraltarolivepress.com February 13th - February 26th 2019
Young lad claims £25,000 chess championships winnings in record time Exclusive By John Culatto
A 20-YEAR-OLD Russian lad has cashed in after beating his hero in the Gibraltar chess masters. Grand Master Vladislav Artemiev, who is ranked 41st in the world, pulled off his shock victory with a record 8 and a half points from a possible ten at the Gibraltar International Chess Festival. And his secret? Walking. “It helps to be healthy and sleep well while twice a day I would walk to my hotel in Spain which was good for my mind,” he said. “I try to have a little more time on the clock than my opponent and always play my strongest move. “This is the biggest result of my
Russian to victory career,” he told the Gibraltar Olive Press, after winning the £25,000 first prize. “I have never won in a classical tournament such as this before. “There were very many top players such as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura so it was not easy. “I really love chess but before this tournament I didn’t have a very easy time because I was studying in university. This meant I didn’t have very much time to train my game so this makes it even more satisfying. “But if you have a talent is not so hard to handle the pressure but it is important to work on your chess for at least six days
a week. It also helps to have someone to help you like a good coach and be strong physically too.” Born in Siberia, Artemiev now lives in Kazan, capital of the semi-autonomous Tatarstan Republic, on the Volga River. At 20-years-old the Grand Master has been three times Russian Blitz (five minute game) champion and European Rapid Chess Champion. Artemiev said he did not have enough time to see the monkeys because ‘when you are a professional player you don’t have much free time’. Defying the stereotype he said he does not like vodka but instead prefers ‘a glass of red wine when I am celebrating’. Instead of a splashing out the young Russian – who mar-
ried two months ago – said he would use the £25,000 prize to have a more ‘a comfortable life’ and maybe take his wife for ‘a good dinner’. When asked about Kasparov he was hesitant because of the political views the man who ruled chess for a decade now has. He called Kasparov ‘a great champion for more than ten years’ but said he preferred the two World Champions who preceded him, Anatoly Karpov and Bob Fischer.
DRAWING hearts in the sand could land tourists in prison, the Canary Islands Government has warned in a beach vandalism crackdown. Graffitied stones, crosses made out of volcanic rocks and a smiley face carved into a cliff face, are among the activities to be made illegal by environmentalists. The Maspalomas sand dunes on Gran Canaria are part of a protected area, but tourists have desecrated the natural surroundings with their ‘works of art’, according to green groups. One organisation, the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Foundation has backed tougher punishment for the tourists whose behaviour they say, is an ‘abuse to the environment’. A government spokesperson said: “The Cabildo of Tenerife wants to express its condemnation towards this type of act against one of the main environmental and tourist patrimonies of the island.” Perpetrators could be fined up to €600 or face prison, while visitors to the island will now have to get written permission before visiting the island.