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Vol. 4 Issue 84 www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 21st - December 4th 2018
Are the alarming levels of pollution in Gibraltar causing higher cancer rates, as has been claimed by pressure groups?
Nolotil in €500m lawsuit A CLASS action has been launched against the manufacturers and distributors of the deadly drug Nolotil. Law firm De Micco and Friends have filed the claim worth €500 million on behalf of over 200 victims claiming damages. Anyone affected by the numerous side effects of the lethal painkiller can register for free on the Mallorca-based law firm’s website. It comes after a two-year battle - launched by the Olive Press - came to an end, when the drug was banned for tourists to Spain from Britain and Ireland.
Deaths
The drug is believed to be responsible for the deaths of dozens of expats, who also now only be given the drug under strict monitoring rules, after a Spanish Medicine Agency (AEMPS) ruling. The Olive Press launched an investigation after three expats died after taking the drug in 2016. The drug is banned in the UK, US and most of Europe. However, we revealed how it is readily available across the counter at various pharmacies in Gibraltar in an investigation earlier this year.
The Olive Press investigates, see Blowing in the wind, page 6
By Laurence Dollimore
SPAIN has doubled down on its threat to vote down the Brexit withdrawal agreement if there are no further assurances on Gibraltar. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said yesterday that he will vote against the UK's exit deal if the text on Gibraltar is not changed. The PSOE leader said: "As of today, if there are no changes with respect to Gibraltar, Spain will vote no to the agreement on Brexit." Madrid refuses to accept the Rock is a part of the UK despite it being an overseas territory since 1713. Downing Street hit back insisting the deal would apply to the 'whole UK family' including Gibraltar and other overseas territories. Spain is demanding that a specific opt out on any trade deal be added to the part of the divorce committing the EU to negotiate it. Speaking in Brussels, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said: “The negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU do not apply to Gibraltar... future negotiations on Gibraltar are separate nego-
It’s a no from me
Last minute Spanish U-turn puts Brexit deal in jeopardy
tiation. “And that is what must be made clear. “Until we have the future declaration and we know what it says, whether we agree or not, we are also not going to approve the withdrawal agreement.” Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said it was 'no surprise' to see Spain’s last
DIRTY SANCHEZ: Spain’s leader has reneged on the agreement with May minute intervention. He said: “The language of vetos and exclusions should be the language of the past. “It has no place in the modern Europe of today at a time when when the United Kingdom and Gibraltar are trying to build a positive future relationship with the EU.” Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said earlier this week that Madrid needed more clarity on the future status of the Rock before it can offer its full support for the UK’s deal. “There is an article that we only found out about on Wednesday,” Borrell said, following a meeting of EU’s European affairs ministers. “We want to make sure the interpretation of this text is clear
and shows that what’s being negotiated between the EU and the UK does not apply to Gibraltar.” It comes just days before Theresa May is hoping to seal the deal in a key meeting with EU leaders on Sunday. May is already struggling with euroskeptics within her own party, who see the deal as a non-starter for giving too much power to the EU. Meanwhile Labour under Jeremy Corbyn has already vowed to vote down the agreement in parliament. Adding to embattled May’s obstacles, Spain has now requested changes to Article 184 of the draft exit treaty, despite chief negotiator Michel Barnier insisting that the text agreed last week shouldn’t be
readdressed. Borrell warned that his country’s support for the deal is now contingent on the content of the political declaration on the future ties between the two sides. Sources from the meeting claim Spain argued Gibraltar is not a part of the UK, meaning any future agreement can’t apply to its territory. It also said that if the Rock wanted an extended transition period along with the UK, it would have to negotiate its own. “The future negotiations over Gibraltar are separate,” Borrell told reporters in Brussels. “Until that’s clear in the exit text and the political declaration over the future relationship, we won’t be able to agree to it.”
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Teacher beater A MIJAS student gets six months in prison and a fine after assaulting her teacher last February.
Bleach attack A MAN, 49, has been arrested in Malaga after he broke into an 80-year-old man’s house and sprayed him with bleach, stealing €170.
Spain shame SPAIN is worse for street harassment against women than the US, UK, France, Italy and Germany, a study finds, with 92% of women affected.
Phoney fags ONE third of cigarettes smoked in Andalucia are smuggled in, according to data from the ‘Empty Packet Survey’ released by the Altadis tobacco company.
CRIME
November 21st - December 4th 2018
COOKING THE BOOKS
Documents from ‘Operacion Kitchen’ allege police and PP conspired to cover up national corruption scandal A CASH payment for the Prime Minister’s suits, a €300,000 bung to a former treasurer and a backhander to pay for an elite wedding. These are just three of the illegal ‘caja B’ cash payments made by the former PP party during Mariano Rajoy’s tenure. Revealed in a series of sensational hand-written notes and documents, kept by disgraced former PP treasurer Luis Barcenas, they clearly demonstrate how the party was illegally
funded on a national scale. Dubbed the ‘Operacion Kitchen’ papers, they have only now been made public, after being published in national newspaper El Mundo. What is even more shocking however is the way the dossier was allegedly stolen from Barcenas by police and not handed over to the courts in the recent Gurtel investigation into corruption. A Madrid judge has now opened an ‘urgent enquiry’ to look into why these
Teenage crime spree ends TWO Gibraltar teenagers have been arrested after allegedly carrying out 13 robberies in just ONE week. A coffee shop, estate agents and cycling shop were just a few of the targets over the seven-day spree. One of the youths has been charged with eight counts of burglary and one attempted burglary while both have been jointly charged in respect of four additional counts of burglary. The four joint charges of burglary relate to break-ins on November 14 at Las Iguanas Restaurant, The Bridge Bar and Grill Restaurant, the Pizza Express in Ocean Village and at the Midtown Hair and Beauty Salon at Bell Lane on November 16. The pair appeared in Juvenile Court yesterday afternoon.
documents have only now been made public. Judge Jose de la Mata has demanded the Home Office explain how police and the PP party allegedly conspired to keep the papers hidden. The documents were apparently stolen from Barcenas currently serving 33 years in prison for creaming off €1.24m in bribes. Barcenas instructed his wife to hide the huge dossier in their house inside furniture and his private office. However, she confided in the couple’s long-standing chauffeur where the documents were being hidden. Unbeknown to them he had become a mole of the National Police, who photocopied the documents and handed them over. The police, under disgraced former chief Jose Villarejo, then shockingly chose to conceal the evidence from the judiciary. Prime minister Mariano Rajoy became the first serving leader in Spain to testify in a criminal case when he was grilled on Gurtel’s dealings. He always denied receiving cash payments.
Torched cars mystery MARBELLA locals were left puzzled after two torched cars appeared outside their homes overnight. The Land Rover and Toyota were discovered in a car park next to a row of homes and apartment blocks in Nueva Andalucia. “They just appeared today,” one local told the Olive Press, “they must have torched them last night, you can still smell the burning rubber.”
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
The vehicles were likely used in crimes before being burnt to destroy any evidence. It comes after a wave of highprofile drug-related incidents have rocked the Costa del Sol this year. A similar burnt out 4x4 was discovered in Algeciras after it had been used to kidnap a gang member in Estepona before he was tortured and killed.
Gangland warfare A MAN has been shot dead in Marbella in what police believe to be the latest gangland attack. The victim, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was shot dead at around 8.30pm last night. The incident is believed to have taken place on a residential street in the Sierra Blanca area of upmarket Nagueles, a source told the Olive Press. Although his nationality has not been confirmed, well placed
sources said that he is foreign. He was shot several times while opening his garage door, before the attacker fled on a motorbike, in what police believe to be a ‘settling of scores’. It comes after a sudden surge of brazen gangland killings have ravaged the coast in recent months. The terrifying attacks have seen four victims tortured and killed, while last month two bombs exploded in San Pedro de Alcantara and Benahavis.
NEWS
www.gibraltarolivepress.com IT is set to be the maddest AND coolest Mad Cool festival yet. British legends The Cure are set to headline Madrid’s celebrated pop festival next summer. The former punk band, whose debut came out in 1978, have just celebrated their 40th anniversary. They will be joined by fellow British indie group The 1975, Scottish rock band Mogwai and The National, from Ohio. Fellow Brits Milk Teeth and the
Royal screening IT is fittingly known as the ‘Kings and Queens’ district of Sotogrande. So how appropriate that the area of grand avenues named after Spain’s former monarchs should become a setting for scenes in the globally adored series The Crown. Netflix producers jumped at the opportunity to film in the exclusive private enclave for the third series of the smash hit drama about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The Golden Globe-award winning programme was filmed in various places around Sotogrande, including on Avenida Paseo del Parque and in the nearby Valle del Guadiaro area.
Prestigious
The hit drama sees Broadchurch’s Olivia Colman taking the prestigious role of Queen Elizabeth, with Academy Award nominee, Helena Bonham Carter playing sister Princess Margaret. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones’ Tobias Menzies assumed his role as Prince Philip. Princess Diana is expected to be introduced in the upcoming season - something fans have long awaited. The Crown is currently the most expensive TV programme made in history, with the first season given a budget of $130 million.
Cool as F***
IN a bespoke Valentino dress and floor-length veil, the daughter of Spain’s richest man has married the son of one of the country’s top fashion designers. Unsurprisingly, no expense was spared for the wedding of Marta Ortega, 34, daughter of Zara billionaire owner Amancio Ortega (pictured below right). Most of the 400 guests - including Coldplay’s Chris Martin and DJ Mark Ronson - arrived in private jets to witness her wedding to Carlos
Hot Rod
BRITISH icon Rod Stewart is coming to the Costa del Sol. The London rocker will be performing in Fuengirola at the Marenostrum Castle Park next summer. The Do You Think I’m Sexy singer will be on stage on July 3. Tickets will be available from Friday November 23 via Ticketmaster.
HAPPY: Couple (right) while (top) Chris Martin and (above) Norah Jones By Elisa Menendez
Torretta, 35, son of fashion maestro, Roberto Torretta. The festivities began at the Ortega family home in A Coruna, before continuing into the early hours of Sunday at the Casas Nova equestrian club.
Exquisite
Other guests included Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica and heiress Athina Onassis. And it was Best of British when it came to choosing entertainment, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, serenading the couple for the first dance, before nine-time Grammy winner, Norah Jones took to the stage. The couple went back to their roots for the exquisite ca-
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Snuts have also been added to the bill, along with the top-rated Bon Iver, from Wisconsin. It comes after Massive Attack announced two concerts in the capital next year. The 2018 Mad Cool festival was awarded ‘best line up of the year’ by NME this month, for featuring The Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode and the Arctic Monkeys on the same bill. For more information visit www.madcoolfestival.es
Coldplay serenade British pop royalty arrive by private jet for wedding of Zara owner’s daughter
November 21st - December 4th 2018
tering, led by Spain’s Albert Adria - the co-owner of fivetime winner of the World’s Best Restaurant, El Bulli. Marta, a senior creative consultant for Zara Women, wowed in a modern Valentino high-neck dress with puff sleeves and a bow tied at the waist, finished with an elegant flower garland. Her father, 82, is the fifth richest man in the world, just behind Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg with a fortune of €61 billion. In 2015 and 2016 he was briefly named ahead of Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest person by Forbes. Groom Carlos - son of one of Spain’s top designers - has worked as a representative for Victoria’s Secret supermodels Adriana Lima and Kendall Jenner.
Pretty in pink PAZ Vega was all smiles ahead of being honoured at the Sevilla Festival of European Cinema. The actress, herself from Sevilla, donned an ankle-length dress with polkadot detail before receiving the lifetime RTVA award for her glittering career. The 42-year-old is one of Spain’s biggest acting exports, making her Hollywood debut in 2005’s Spanglish. Her Hollywood fame will only grow as the mother-of-three is currently filming Rambo 5, scheduled to be released next year.
Bring on the boys!
BACKSTREET’S back alright — and they’re coming to Spain as part of their biggest arena tour in 18 years. The Backstreet Boys announced a 70-date tour alongside news of their upcoming 10th studio album DNA. The boys will visit Madrid on May 13 followed by Barcelona on May 17.
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Blind eyes A MASSIVE 80% of Andalucians believe Susana Diaz’s government has ‘allowed corruption’ within the Junta. A shocking 78% of 1,803 respondents to a GAD3 survey agreed with the statement that the PSOE-led government ‘permits corruption’ in the region. Despite the staggering lack of trust, the Socialists are still expected to win snap regional elections on December 2. The latest polls show the PSOE will win around 40 seats, although this could sink to as low as 34, if all voters make it to vote.
Corruption
It is however 15 shy of the 55seat majority needed to win, with the PP party expected to win between 20 and 31 seats, Ciudadanos up to 26 seats and the left-wing coalition of Adelante Andalucia (IU and Podemos) getting around 20 seats. For Diaz to lose, experts say the PP and Ciudadanos would have to win the maximum seats forecast, which would just give them the 55 majority. The probability of that outcome has been put at 4%. The positive news for Diaz came as she was forced to defend her leadership during a Madrid political inquiry into the ERE scandal, one of Spain’s biggest ever corruption probes. The decade-long scandal saw politicians from the PSOE-run Junta embezzle almost €1 billion in public money meant for unemployed and retired workers.
NEWS
Alternative ban SPAIN is set to ban alternative medicines such as homeopathy and acupuncture from its medical centres. It comes after science and health ministers put forward a new proposal in a bid to quash the rise of ‘pseudo-therapies’, which they say have ‘no scientific evidence’ to support claims of curing patients. It is still not clear exactly which are regarded as ‘alternative therapies’, apart
from acupuncture and homeopathy. “Many people still believe that some treatments work despite there being no scientific proof available,” a government statement said.
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Bucket and spade plea THE Spanish tourism minister has met with UK tour operators in London to ensure that 18 million Brits still holiday in Spain after no-deal Brexit. Reyes Maroto met with various companies, including Thomas Cook and Jet2 at the World Travel Market in a bid to lay down Brexit contingency plans. “British tourists need to know that Spain next year will still be an attractive destination,” said Maroto. “We want to be optimistic, but we are at a point at which we all have to keep up the pressure on the negotiators to resolve the few issues still pending.” Tourism makes up 11% of Spain’s €1 trillion economy and British tourists are the largest visiting group, making up 25% of Spain’s total tourists.
Billion euro boost Spain’s poorest region to get new courts, new free trade zone and job schemes
SPAIN has approved a staggering €1 billion action plan to tackle escalating crime in the Campo de Gibraltar. New measures, put forward by central government this week, include three new criminal courts, key employment projects and a brand new ‘free trade zone’. A trio of new courts with 12 new prosecutors specialising in drug trafficking and corruption are to open in Algeciras, La Linea and San Roque ‘immediately’. It comes after months of high
profile drug busts in the Campo - dubbed the drug trafficking gateway to Europe - with
an estimated 3,000 people in La Linea working for criminal organisations. In a bid to crackdown on the so-called ‘drug trafficking and money laundering crisis’, police forces in the area will receive a financial boost
of some €29 million to improve resources, strengthen security and create an Asset Recovery Office. The government has also committed to a huge investment of €50 million for employment-boosting projects - something desperately needed to tackle the ‘25% of unemployment that ravages the district’. One project includes the introduction of a huge new free trade zone in Los Barrios, expected to be ready during the first quarter of 2019. Officials hope the area will ‘economically revitalise’ the Campo, offering lower taxes to attract new business and create more employment.
Not singing anymore A POP star’s tour manager has been arrested as part of one of Europe’s biggest ever drug hauls. Manu Chao’s chief roadie Jorge Gomez Calvino is one of 29 people arrested after over 3.4 tonnes of cocaine was seized in Spain. Calvino, based in Galicia, is said to be one of the masterminds behind the €100 million shipment, which was destined for the Andalucia and Madrid markets.
The music empresario - who travels around Europe with half-Spanish singer Manu Chao (right), famous for massive album Clandestino - was linked to a similar haul in 2013. The seizures in the Canary Islands and Galicia has dealt another blow to the Colombian cartels.
PROTESTERS: Hit back
Fascist boob A GROUP of topless women were kicked to the ground as they protested the anniversary celebrations of former Spanish dictator Franco’s death. Shocking images showed the right wing supporters attack the protestors, who bore the slogan ‘Legal Fascism, National Shame’ painted in ink across their chests.
Exhume
The women were angry that fascist supporters were allowed to march around Madrid city centre in opposition to plans to exhume the dictators body in the next few weeks.
Egg and run threat A BRITISH driver claims criminal gangs are robbing cars after smashing eggs on the windscreen. Tourist Peter Cackett shared a dashcam video showing his windscreen being egged by a passenger in a car driving on the other side of the road, in Axarquia near Lake Vinuela. In the clever ruse Cackett explained how the victim is then followed by another car on his side of the road until they stop, not being able to see. The passengers of his car apparently get out to help, but in fact rob him of valuables. In his video warning, he tells viewers: “Observe the one parked on the right going down the hill waiting for me to pull over, you see me pass him, he followed me all the way to the roundabout just before you turn on to the Autovia and then he gave up. “The important thing is not to put your wipers on.”
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NEWS
November 21st - December 4th 2018
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FEATURE
www.gibraltarolivepress.com The Rock’s only investigative
local newspaper
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.
OPINION Cause for concern POLLUTION in Gibraltar and the nearby Campo needs to be investigated much more thoroughly if we are to have any real chance of change. After weeks of work by several Olive Press journalists, what has frustrated us the most is the lack of cancer statistics available on the Rock. Yet through our in-depth research and interviews with local charities, government sources and health experts, we believe there may be a link between the serious pollution and cancer rates. And we believe we are not being given the full picture. It is interesting to note that Gibraltar’s previous director of public health received an MBE last Christmas, despite not releasing full cancer statistics during his 10 years in the job. Will his successor be keener on transparency? Either way, we salute organisations like Ecologistas en Accion and Pollution Watch, who continue to dig and attempt to shine a light on the issue. And we vow to continue investigating what appears to be a worrying link between pollution and cancer in the area. We owe it to our readers to inform them.
Operation cover-up IT might possibly be the cover-up of the century. And prosecutors have only really scratched the surface of the Gurtel case and the emergence of Operacion Kitchen that is rocking the PP party. The corruption didn’t just ravage resources in Valencia and Madrid, as previously thought, but shockingly it was a scandal that involved every region in the country. After various officials were sentenced to 84 years in prison just a few months ago, PP officials tried to claim they were merely ‘a few bad eggs’ in the party. But that is clearly far from the truth. Shocking new evidence has implicated a huge web of shady police officers and numerous PP officials. It is expected to lead to resignations. If this information had come to light earlier, countless more would have probably been sentenced. And they should be. It is disgraceful the people of Spain have been lied to for so long and deprived of funds urgently needed for better use. Let’s hope this new information makes sure justice is finally served.
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AWARDS
2016/2017 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.
2012 - 2017
Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.
By Charlie Smith, Diana Tang and Grace Lee
W
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Black clouds of pollution billow daily from the industrial chimneys of the Campo de Gibraltar. Is it all merely hot air or a smoking gun for cancer?
HEN Gibraltar’s tourist board coined the marketing slogan ‘More than you can imagine’, they weren’t counting on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to confirm it. But according to its damning new study, there’s more pollution on the Rock’s borders than most other places in the world. And the smoky clouds drifting across the frontier from the Campo de Gibraltar’s petrochemical chimneys don’t need to be imagined. They can be seen on a daily basis. Gibraltar borders Cadiz, which has the dirtiest air of any province in Spain, according to the new WHO report. And while La Linea ranks as the 30th most polluted place in the world - on a par with industrial hotspots like Delhi - the Rock has the second worst pollution in the UK, after Scunthorpe. And no wonder! A stone’s throw away in the Bay of Algeciras sits the Acerinox stainless steel works, to the north is the petrochemical plant PETRESA and next to that, on the Guadarranque Industrial Estate, the sprawling CEPSA refinery, dubbed by locals as the ‘Hollywood of Spain’ for its incredible bright lights and flares that shoot out at night. But there is nothing vaguely stardust-y in the new WHO re- DAMAGING: The Cepsa refinery in the Bay of Algeciras and (left) Gibraltar Cancer Servicport, which is caus- es Coordinator Isobel Ellul ing untold distress to residents who have cerned with the threat posed feared for years that by pollution,” she told the Olthey are at a higher ive Press. risk of cancer. “Our numbers are compaAnd those fears are rable to the rest of the EU,” not imagined either. The Campo officially insisted the former MP and sits beside the ‘cancer triangle’ of Sevilla, founder of Gibraltar’s Breast Cadiz and Huelva, cities which top Spain’s Cancer Awareness Charity. list of cancer deaths according to a Health “It is very difficult to link the Ministry study. two.” It is easy to see how the black pollution Indeed, pollution data for clouds generated by CEPSA’s gas flares drift 2018 shows that Gibraltar across to Gibraltar, but the Rock is even is in line with the EU’s target more of a magnet for pollution than imag- levels of pollution for benined. zene and carbon monoxide, The prevailing easterly and westerly winds which are PM2.5 and PM10. funnel any pollutants through Gibraltar, PM2.5 and PM10 are incredwhile the Rock’s geology attracts a build up ibly small particulate matter, of clouds overhead, hence the grey Levanter and PM2.5 is particularly cloud that often hovers over the peninsula dangerous, because its tiny like a shroud. size means it hangs in the One health expert this week told the Olive air for a long time. Press ‘it is a complex situation’ and that the However, the same cannot CEPSA refinery and pollution could not alone be said for known carcinobe blamed for cancer rates in the area. gen nitrogen dioxide (NO2), “The border was closed for 25 years,” the which exceeds the targets source said, “so you have a whole genera- set by the EU’s Air Quality tion who did not have access Directive by to fresh fruit and vegetables. 25%. “There are also more cars, “The politicians The 2018 more buildings and more NO2 average play down the ships, but the politicians play so far is 56 down the cancer risk beµg/m3, which cancer risk cause they want investment significantly DANGER ZONE: Spain’s highest cancer mortality rates because they in Gibraltar and don’t want exceeds the by province, taken between 2000 and 2014 per 100,000 it to be seen as a dangerous want investment” EU limit of 40 inhabitants place.” µg/m3 (see Her relaxed attitude is echoed by those in So should Rock and Campo graph). residents be worried? “From an environmental power on the Rock, who have been relatively That’s an emphatic ‘no’ from Gibraltar point of view it’s not ideal, but I think it’s one slow to move on the toxic air threat, particuHealth Services Cancer Services Coordina- of those realities, that one in three people larly in relation to transport. tor, Isobel Ellul. “We don’t link cancer to pol- are going to get cancer,” Ellul told the Olive The government’s most significant effort at understanding the link between pollution lution”. Press. Despite her important cancer work, for “Yes, I am worried in general but no, I am not and cancer was an epidemiological study which she was awarded an MBE in 2011, more worried about Gibraltar than anywhere commissioned way back in 2010. Conducted by professors Hans Sanderson the mother-of-two does not seem overly con- else in the world.” and Patrik Fauser of the National Environmental Research Institute at Denmark’s AARHUS University, the study set out to establish ‘whether Gibraltar is a high-risk community for cancer’; and whether there was a ‘greater than expected incidence of cancer in Gibraltar’. A categorical ‘no’ was the answer to both hypotheses: ‘Gibraltar is not a high-risk community for cancer,’ they concluded. But their study used data from 2008, now a decade old, and follow-up scientific analysis has been apparently scant. Indeed, it is incredibly hard to find in-depth studies on the pollution risks to health on both sides of the border. KILLER: Graffiti artists in Gibraltar hit back over pollution While a study was allegedly conducted by
Blowing in the wind
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FEATURE
November 21st - December 4th 2018
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olive press online
Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website
MILLION MONTH BONANZA
FRONT PAGE: Our Nov 7 Gibraltar issue
CHOKING: Thick smog engulfs the Rock and (below) the above the line nitrogen levels per month on Dockyard Road in Gibraltar, while (left) GHA charity worker Heidi Jeffries
The Olive Press received close to one MILLION hits in October, making it one of our best months in the history of the paper. Some 611,378 people came online to read the latest and breaking news, bringing more than 865,000 hits. A further 100,000 hits came from our other websites. It is a sign of the times as we continue to grow and leave our competitors in the dust. See the month’s biggest stories below...
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- Two BOMBS explode in Marbella and Benahavis as drug mafia wars reach new heights (27,803)
the Royal Navy in 2011 in reference to pensions, for various reasons it was not apparently released. “It was a risk study for soldiers in Gibraltar, which found that cancer rates were higher than expected,” a well placed source revealed. “It was connected to pensions and future health planning as I understand it,” he added. “It made for pretty damning reading.” Another healthcare professional Grainne McKenna, of the Rock’s longest-serving cancer charity Cancer Relief, confirmed it was very hard to get concrete facts. “To the best of my knowledge there are no published researched studies or statistics in this field,” she said. However, the ensuing years have seen dozens of media reports documenting the views of residents worried about the health effects of pollution. One of the most emotive accounts was across the border about a household plagued by cancer, including a five-year-old girl with a brain tumour. The Rivas family live just 25m away from San Roque’s CEPSA refinery, reported the El Español article in 2017, which made for harrowing reading. “Here you don’t breathe oxygen, you breathe poison, and it extends throughout the province depending on the winds,” said Carmen Rivas. “The smell of gas gets into your head, just above the nasal septum, and then your head hurts. It’s horrific.” Now the topic is very much back in the pub-
lic eye, after Ecologistas en Accion launched small organisation the facts alone speak a lawsuit against the Junta for ‘failing to for themselves, as they have seen a 25% tackle toxic air’. increase in breast cancer cases this year, The green group alleges that over 10,000 which is something of an alarming record. tonnes of pollutants were released into the “It is certainly high for us… and I think that is atmosphere last year. because of pollution,” insists Heidi. This might explain why so many Gibraltari- But again, there is no data to back up such ans and people living in the Campo regularly claims. suffer sore and itching throats and eyes. In fact, if anything it is the opposite. Someone who witnesses the The most recent government CEPSA refinery ‘ash clouds’ statistics, from 2015, show on her daily commute and di235 registered deaths in Gi“Here you don’t rectly helps those living with braltar of which 22% were cancer is Heidi Jeffries, sec- breathe oxygen, due to cancer, down from retary of local charity Breast 28% in 2014 and 31% in you breathe Cancer Support. 2013. She believes cancer rates in Cervical cancer vaccinations, poison. It’s Gibraltar are well exceeding along with breast screening horrific” anywhere else in the EU. waiting times, appointment “For me, pollution is a probattendances, are the only lem,” she told the Olive Press. ‘evidence’ publicly available. She was clear, however, that her personal One of the few follow-ups to the 2010 scienviews do not necessarily reflect those of the tific paper was written by the same two Dancharity, adding that traffic congestion in Gi- ish university professors together with fellow braltar was equally to blame. academic Per Lofstrom in 2013. “A good percentage of Gibraltarians put It focused on the prevalence of carcinogens the pollution down to cars and I think this within a 10km radius of Gibraltar and identicauses more deaths,” she said. fied the main pollution sources, in particular Although the Gibraltar Health Association Acerinox, which releases these chemicals as (GHA) support the charity Heidi works for, part of its welding of Stainless steel. the health organisation is not obligated to It’s conclusions: the carcinogen chromium provide data, including cancer statistics, to was at critical levels in Gibraltar and those the public. exposed to it have a heightened risk of lung The government’s only annual statutory obli- and other respiratory cancers. gation is to produce the census and reports What is most unclear is exactly how far - and on employment, tourism, hotel occupancy in what direction - these dangerous chemiand air traffic. cals and the smoke from the Cepsa refinery Pollution data is published by the Gibral- spread. tar Environmental Agency, and – perhaps It is generally believed that the prevailing somewhat dubiously – by the industries that winds take the pollution as much into Alsit along the Bay of Algeciras. geciras and Los Barrios, as they do towards But in both cases, cancer statistics are con- Gibraltar and east towards Estepona and spicuous by their absence. Marbella. We can only go on local data and at Heidi’s Do they reach as far as Jimena de la Frontera, or as far as Ronda? What impact do they have on Sotogrande and Tarifa? It is very hard to find out, but interesting to For up to date information on air quality in the note that at least two engineers who work Gibraltar area, check out this Facebook group at the Cepsa plant told the Olive Press they would ‘not consider’ living in the Campo de Pollution Watch Gibraltar are a platform on Facebook, where people Gibraltar with their families. in Gibraltar can raise their concerns about pollution. The group pub“I’m not taking any chances,” said one, who lishes advice and pollution maps using data collected by the European insisted on not being named. Space Agency’s SENTINEL 5-P satellite. They say they aim to ‘raise With no complete picture the answer, as Bob awareness about Gibraltar's worsening pollution’. Dylan sang, is blowing in the wind.
2
- RED ALERT: Highest warning issued for Spain’s Costa del Sol while third death announced in Mallorca (25,174)
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struck by lightning (12,316)
- CHAOS: Fire, landslide and flights delayed
as lightning and rain wreak havoc on Spain’s Costa del Sol (11,903)
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icon Rod Stewart to perform on Spain’s Costa del Sol (10,371)
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- British favourite
Marks & Spencer opening new store on Spain’s Costa del Sol
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LA CULTURA
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
what’s on
C
hristmas Decoration Workshop, John Mackintosh Hall, November 22
Learn how to make your own decorations in time for Christmas at this event. Workshops are on all day for those looking to add some festive sparkle to their home or even craft an entry for the Christmas Show.
C
hristmas Festival of Lights, John Mackintosh Square, November 23
Make sure you are in the square from 6:15pm where the Sea Scouts Pipe & Drum Band performance kicks things off. Stick around for the official switch-on ceremony and the opening of Santa’s Grotto and Christmas Market.
G
THE comic-book world is mourning the death of two legends. Last month saw the death of Spain’s cartoon hero Carlos Ezquerra - co-creator of the iconic character Judge Dredd who died age 70 after being diagnosed with lung cancer eight years ago. And just last week Marvel genius, Stan Lee, died age 95. Spider-Man and Fantastic Four fans across the world paid tribute to the US artist by signing off Tweets with his catchphrase, ‘excelsior’ - meaning onward and upward.
Enthralling
Zaragoza-born Ezquerra started his career drawing war comics in Barcelona, before moving to London where the transgressive, anti-authoritarian character Judge Dredd was born, enthralling readers of British comic magazine 2000AD for more than four
Rest in print Comic-book fans lose two of their superheroes as Spain’s Carlos Ezquerra and America’s Stan Lee pass away just weeks apart
decades. The Spaniard gained critical acclaim for his fusion of Spanish fascist iconography, the 70s British punk movement, and TV images of policemen charging miners on strike in northern England. Dredd’s eagle motif and helmet were inspired by fascism, the truncheon from police on the picket line, and the zips, chains
and knee pads from punk. “I was living in Franco’s Spain,” said Ezquerra, “but I was also living in Mrs Thatcher’s England.” He later went on to create the groundbreaking El Mestizo, a black slave fighting in the US Civil War. Other famous characters include 2000AD staple character Johnny Alpha for the strip
Strontium Dog. In 2010, Ezquerra broke the news to fans that he had had a lung removed, having been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. He wrote: “OK, one less lung but... who the hell needs two for drawing?”
Flamenco-ders
ibraltar International Magic Festival, John Mackintosh Hall, November 26-December 2 The world’s leading illusionists take to the stage for a spectacular display of magic and mystery. Tickets are £12.50 at the box office, but there are also free events.
November 21st - December 4th 2018
TRADITION: Flamenco
A PHD student at the University of Sevilla has developed a pioneering computer algorithm to preserve the heritage of flamenco. Nadine Kroher has created new computer code to collect and find new knowledge to help keep the Andalucia-born Spanish tradition alive. A research field called Music Information Retrieval (MIR) already uses algorithms to extract information from re-
cordings, but the code is only used for classical music, not flamenco. Kroher’s former professor at the university, José Miguel Díaz-Báñez, said: “Flamenco should be seen as a field of study as worthy as any other.” The algorithm will constantly scour the internet and collect images, videos, recordings and information related to flamenco and store it all in one place.
Netflix-o SPAIN has launched its first homegrown subscription streaming service, dubbed ‘Spanish Netflix’, which will focus on Spanish films and series. The streaming service, called FlixOlé, is the creation of Orange Spain, and will be available for €2.99 a month with the first month free. With over 3,000 HD films and TV series, the new entertainment platform will be a rival for Netflix in Spain, who’s monthly subscription is three times more expensive at €9.99 a month.
Losing
ICON: Ezquerra
FlixOlé chief executive Enrique Cerezo said: “Cinemas are now losing moviegoers, because there is now a great multitude of ways to watch movies. “Being able to collect on a platform, the history of cinema - which is the history of our country - is a great achievement that FlixOlé now offers.”
Property www.gibraltarolivepress.com
be Ma s m t p laga ag ro ’s az pe in rty e
Issue 25 November 2018
www.theolivepress.es
November 21st - December 4th 2018
9
THE PERFECT FRAME: An indoor cubed garden leads on to a view of Gibraltar at new home in Sotogrande, see page IV
Divine inspiration
ANGELIC ARCHITECTURE: A Madrid architect has won an award from the RIBA for his unique take on religion, see page VI
Massive growth in buyers from abroad, with the British leading the way despite Brexit fears
Foreign fireball
AN avalanche of foreign buyers is setting Spain’s property market on fire! A total of 53,359 homes were acquired by foreigners in the first half of 2018. The massive figure dwarfs the 33,000 sales recorded in the same period of 2007, when Spain’s property market was at its peak. And, no surprise, the British continue to lead the way, accounting for a record 7,613 purchases, up 8.8% on 2017. That’s according to the latest official figures from Spain’s notaries showing that 14% of all foreign buyers were British.
Second up come the French, who bought 4,211 properties (a drop of 5% on last year) and the Germans, who bought 4,138 homes, some 2% less than last year. When it comes to buying trends it turns out that the Irish, Danish - and most interestingly, the Moroccans - are the fastest growing nationalities. Spicing up the market, Moroccans bought 3,662 properties, a growth of 29% on last year, while the Danes were up by 18% and the Irish 25%. Romanians meanwhile continue to be a strong market having bought 3,872 homes.
Destination-wise, Valencia was the favourite province for investors, accounting for a third of all foreign sales, with 15,613 sales. It was the region with the highest year-on-year growth at 16.7%. Andalucia came in second with 8.2% of the foreign market (9,737 sales), followed by Catalunya with 7,570 sales, unsurprisingly a 5.3% decline from the same period last year, much to do with current political tension. The fifth highest destination was Madrid, where foreign market sales increased by 5.4% (4,911 purchases).
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PROPERTY
www.gibraltarolivepress.com
November 2018
The holiday rental laws are changing in Spain, writes Spanish Property Insight’s Mark Stucklin
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Rental woes?
W
HEN it comes to tourism, Spain is a superpower with more than 75 million visitors each year, outstripped only by France and the USA. Millions of visitors have long appreciated the sunny welcome they get. But tourists need places to stay, which means they compete with locals for accommodation where it is scarce, and are thought to be driving up housing costs in some tourist hotspots, according to local politicians and housing activists. This is leading to a clampdown on holiday rentals in areas where housing costs are now a hot potato, and where the tourist welcome isn’t quite so sunny. But holiday rentals are frequently part of the game plan for second home buyers looking for extra income from their investment when not in residence. Platforms like Airbnb are making it easier than ever to reach holiday rental clients, and many owners are taking full advantage of this, but the risks of falling foul of changing rental laws are growing. Holiday rental restrictions are tightest in the Balearic and Canary Islands, where some sort of restrictions have been in place for more than a decade, but are now getting tighter. A
powerful hotel lobby is ready to make on tourist rentals in all apartments the most of anxiety about housing and semi-detached homes, though costs for locals to stamp on what they detached homes can call ‘unfair’ competinow get a licence once tion from holiday rentagain. In the rest of als. The fines for the archipelago, it will The Balearic regional be difficult, though illegal tourist government has renot impossible, to get cently introduced a apartment rental lirentals have new tourism law that cences, whilst rural vilrisen to up to restricts holiday rentals las on rustic land will to certain areas and no longer be eligible. €40,000 types of property. PalThe authorities seem ma de Mallorca, the to be getting more Balearic capital, is takserious about busting ing a hard line with an outright ban rule breakers, and the fines for illegal
tourist rentals have risen to between €20,000 and €40,000, so it’s getting riskier to ignore the regulations. The restrictions in the Canaries are more confusing than most, which is saying something in Spain. Bizarrely, the latest draft law on tourist rentals in the Canaries aims to stamp them out in areas defined as touristic, but not in other areas. That measure has the fingerprints of the hotel lobby all over it. In other tourist hotspots, Barcelona already has a moratorium in place on new holiday rental licences, and Madrid is looking to follow Palma towards a total ban in the city cen-
tre. We are moving towards a patchwork of outright bans or restrictions on days per year and other obstacles depending on the region, so a typically Spanish legal mess. Fortunately, for the time being at least, holiday rental restrictions are some of the lightest in the most popular destinations of the Costa del Sol (Andalucia), and the Costa Blanca (Valencian Community). In both regions, you need to register your intention to engage in tourist rentals with the local tourism office, and in Andalucia meet some basic requirements on the condition and features of your property, but there are no impossible hoops to jump through, and no restrictions by area. But even in areas where restrictions have been in place for years, there are ways around the rules if you are careful. In the Balearics, for example, you can still rent on a short-term or extended stay basis (3 months or more) so long as you are very careful not to offer the property as a tourist rental with services for tourists, claims local legal expert Will Besga. “Just like under the previous law, the Spanish Tenancy Act allows for the renting out, in principle for any period of time, of any type of property,” explains Besga. “But because there is a regional law regulating touristic rentals, extreme care must be taken in ensuring that the short-term rental does not fall within the touristic rentals’ parameters, which effectively means that ‘short-term lets’ can be done under certain limiting conditions.” The trend is likely to continue towards restrictions in all hotspots where accommodation is scarce, in particular, the islands and Barcelona.
www.gibraltarolivepress.com
November 21st - December 4th 2018
III 11
November 2018
The hanging gardens of Banus
GREEN: Breathe in Banus
High-rent lifestyle THE average worker in Spain is forking out almost 50% of their earnings on rent, shocking new figures have revealed. A surge in demand has bumped up the national average rental price by 15% in just one year, while wage increases trailed by a measly 0.6%. Tenants in Madrid and the Balearics were left most out of pocket, with rent swallowing around 70% of their income. In Valencia the figure was close to 60%. Those in Catalunya, the Canary Islands and the Basque Country see close to 55% of workers’ earnings going on rent.
AN exciting new hangout - with greenery in its DNA - has got the Costa del Sol talking. Aptly-named Breathe is a restaurant-cum-bar where you happily struggle to see the walls from the trees. With shrubs on the walls and even hanging from the ceiling, plus a big green wall outside, it is more than doing its bit for the environment. Run on renewable energy sources, the Puerto Banus joint is ‘on a mission’ to provide an environmentally-friendly gastronomic
Pedro Sanchez orders banks to pay stamp duty tax but battle might not be over BANKS will pay the stamp duty on mortgages, not the buyer, a decree by Spain’s prime minister has ruled. It comes after a busy couple of months for Spain’s flipflopping Supreme Court, which couldn’t seem to make up its mind on the controversial tax, which sees up to 2% of the full property price paid to the notary. After ruling in October that banks should pay the tax - since it benefits them
experience. “We’re combining modern urban architecture with a large dose of natural elements to create energising spaces,” explains manager Victor Krensler. “Breathe is for people who care about their food and where it comes from. We’re all about careful selection and artisan preparation. Quality is not negotiable.” “And we really do care. From our innovative ground-source renewable energy to our gardens and the food on your plate, we have the environment and sustainability in mind.”
Mortgage mayhem - it reversed the decision following an outcry from the lenders in November. The banks claimed the up to €17 billion they would be forced to pay back if the
ruling covered backdated stamp duties over four years, could lead to a crisis. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias blasted the decision, saying on Twitter: “The
Home for high flyers
BACK TO THE FUTURE: British home to feature first landing pad for €1.7 million flying cars
IT’S the first-world problem facing the super rich of the future; where will I park my flying car? Look no further than Nottingham, where the world’s first home with a landing pad for airborne vehicles is under construction. It’s no flight of fantasy. The pad is being built in Edwalton village at the £10 million (€11.5 million) home of property developer Guy Phoenix in partnership with VRCO, a British company working on a flying
car design. The electric powered NeoXcraft two-seat vehicle, which will cost a cool £1.5 million (€1.7 million), will be able to zip to London in half an hour and VRCO expects to have a prototype in the air next year. The pad is six metres in diameter and has a renewable energy source to recharge the aircraft. It will be included in the asking price for the home, called Hermitage, when it goes on the market early next year.
banks have won and citizens have lost.” But just a day later, Spain’s new Socialist prime minister criticised the Supreme Court for yielding to the banks and not acting in the interest of the people. He signed a decree ordering banks to pay the full amount of the tax. But MPs are calling for the decision to be made into a bill and be voted on, since it concerns the law of Spain.
Rooms with a view THE prestige Palladium hotel chain has chosen Málaga for its first opening in Spain. With 330 rooms, the beachfront Palladium Hotel Costa del Sol will open in July 2019, offering jaw-dropping views over the Med. Just 20 minutes from Malaga airport, it will feature a ‘stylish and contemporary design’ with spacious rooms and three dining spaces: a show-cooking restaurant, an a la carte eatery serving local and international dishes and a seafront beach club. There will also be a Sky Lounge where guests can enjoy cocktails while they drink in stunning sunset views. Other features include an outdoor pool with a bar, gym and spa equipped with a thermal circuit, jacuzzi, sauna and private treatment cabins.
Fail Known as the AJD tax in Spain, it allows banks to start foreclosure proceedings should the client fail to keep up with mortgage payments. For the past 23 years it has been the norm in Spain for borrowers to pay the tax.
SLICK: New hotel to open
12
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IV
November 2018
PROPERTY
November 21st - December 4th 2018
EXCITING: Entrance to La Gran Reserva, which is expected to be as successful as La Reserva Beach (below) that was 35% over its target this year
Jon Clarke takes a ride into the lush La Reserva hills to have a look at one of Spain’s most exclusive real estate projects
I
AM surrounded by lush matorEstate Awards, created by Andalucía ral vegetation, a pungent mix of Inmobiliaria, one of Spain’s leading broom, wild palms and olives and real estate publications. a small smattering of oaks. This has gone hand in hand with the The air is pine fresh and the overall adjacent golf course finding itself sensation is one of silence, only occaas Europe’s 36th best golf resort, sionally broken by birdsong and the according to Golf World, read by squawk of a juvenile Booted eagle 128,000 UK golfers a month. high up above me. The second-highest new entry, it was In the distance I can see Africa and lauded for its general ‘feelgood factor’ as well as for its ‘excellent’ resthe peak of Gibraltar, while in the taurants, great service and the pracforeground I look down to Sotogrande port, a mere five minutes tice facilities which are ‘among the drive away. best’ in Europe. This is easily one of the most exciting The course meanwhile won ‘Best Service’ at the World Golf Awards in Slonew developments in Andalucia today. venia and is included in the World’s A completely virgin area in rolling Top 100 golf courses and ranked 9th hills near the Alcornocales Natural in Spain, rated for its wide fairways, Park, the La Gran Reserva project ‘large and beautifully maintained comprises hundreds of hectares of greens and gentle yet challenging land, but with less than two dozen undulations’. properties. Now December is almost on us and “Yet you can be in Sotogrande port the Beach has closed for the winter in just a few minutes and it’s wonderful for families, with kids season, Sotogrande’s being able to cycle, walk bosses have turned their The Seven or horse-ride around attention to finishing the the area in total safety,” landscaping and plantcomprises of ing of the La Gran Reserexplains Sotogrande SA brand manager Juliana seven of the most va, as well as beefing up and laying the Velez. amazing homes in security foundations for the first Even better, as of this Spain villas. summer, a stunning new The series of stunning lifestyle project opened properties sit in an ensome 400 metres below. clave that can only really be comThe so-called The Beach is a breathtaking inland lagoon and restaurant, pared to La Zagaleta, in nearby which counts on 2,800 square metres Benahavis, but with better communication and much nearer the beach. of shoreline and a nearly a dozen activities for the family including water In one of the lowest density developments in Europe, buyers have a sports, tennis and padel courts. choice of two different options, ‘The After it opened in June, next to La 15’ and ‘The Seven’. Reserva golf club, it became one of The first, a series of 15 plots are the coast’s most-talked about attractions, and it surprised everyone by around 5,000m in size and a range bringing in 35% more visitors and of architects are available for the design and build, while the stunning turnover than bosses had initially ‘The Seven’ project comprises seven predicted. of the most amazing properties (see Unsurprisingly, it has just won an pullout right) to be built in Spain. award as 2018’s Best Real Estate “We have not officially started marProject in the fifth Andalusian Real keting the 15 yet, but the plots are offered to those who want to be part of this exclusive community” explains sales rep Vanesa Butron, who showed me around the site. “Each house will be well integrated into the landscape, blending into nature and with lots of wood and stone and only natural building materials,” she adds. “All will have a very high end finish, geared towards high net worth individuals and if buyers want to use their own architect they will have to adhere to our standards and we will HARD AT WORK: Landscaping team
maintain the right to have the final say to maintain the general quality and style.” Nearby, buyers will have to move fast to acquire one of the four villas left
Fran Silvestre Arquitectos
Gumuchdjian studio
Studio MK27
Jensen & Skodvin
Welcom
in the outstanding separate gatedcommunity of El Mirador, which has direct access to the golf course and is already approaching completion. Created by leading local architecture
firm ARK, each villa is different in style, with price tags from €6m, and with landscaping and views to the maximum. Finally a nearby series of homes in the
Andreas Martin-Lof
TAKE seven leading international architects, give them seven generous plots and command blue sky thinking, but with authenticity and nature as part of the mix. This is the concept behind The Seven, an amazing seven villa gated-community set in 10 hectares of virgin woodland in the hills above Sotogrande. With leading French landscape gardener Jean Mus sculpting this ‘patch of Provence’ in Andalucia, it is set to be one of most exclusive developments in Europe. The price-tag starts at €15m and each home counts on at least a hectare of plot as well as guaranteed uninterrupted mountain and sea views. The seven architects include London’s Gumuchdjian studio, that has worked on the Centre Pompidou-Metz and Kew Gardens, and also won awards from the RIBA in the UK. It also includes Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan – of Sao Paolo’s Studio MK27 – for his first Andalucian project. His Kogan Villa is a delight for its use of space and wood, which is no surprises for a studio that has won over 200 awards. Swede Andreas Martin-Lof has created a wonderful internal garden that cleverly frames the Rock of Gibraltar, while Valencia-based Fran Silvestre
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
13V
November 2018
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
me to paradise so-called La Reserva Collection start at €2.5m for a four to five bed villa. “All four projects are a lot more than just owning a property,” explains Juliana Velez, who has worked in La
Reserva for three years. “We are selling a barefoot luxury lifestyle perfect for families both to live or as a second home. “La Reserva is the perfect place to re-
connect with yourself and your family and our high level of service is key. “Everything here is about authenticity, low density living, space and quality. As simple as that.”
Manuel J. Ruiz Moriche, ARK
GLOBAL POSSE: (from left) Ben van Berkel, Fran Silvestre, Jan Jensen, Manuel J. Ruiz Moriche, Andreas Martin-Lof, Philip Gumuchdijian, Marcio Kogan
UNStudio
has gone big on landscaping and environmental touches. Having designed the amazing Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, Ben van Berkel, voted the A&W architect of the year,
was always going to create something stunning, while Norwegian architect Jan Jensen is big on nature and brings his Viking spirit to Sotogrande for the first time.
Finally, local architect Manuel R. Moriche, from ARK in Sotogrande, has come up with a stunning modern design with an indoor and outdoor pool to make up the Seven.
Festive delights IT is a busy month ahead for Sotogrande with more events than ever taking place within its leafy borders in the run up to Christmas. As ever there is a big focus on culinary events, and the Christmas street market will be a key focus in December in the Marina. One particular date for your diary should be December 15 when there will be a Santa’s grotto, live music, as well as food and drinks, all organised by Sotogrande International School. It will certainly be a great time to take a visit to the El Mercado de Levante at La Marina, where most of the restaurants will have special festive menus, including pick of the bunch Don Diego, which has a special Christmas menu. Up at La Reserva club, there are a series of fabulous Xmas menus at excellent restaurant L’Olive. Chef Cristina Gutierrez (one of Andalucia’s top female chefs) will be undertaking a ‘show cooking’ event geared towards Christmas on December 12.There are also a series of excellent Christmas menus for companies, which start from just €20 a head for a basic cocktail and tapas menu, and from €55 for a proper sit down meal. Plus an excellent Christmas Day brunch for anyone looking for a good place to enjoy this festive day. And for a great way to see in the New Year and brush off the cobwebs of 2018, why not head to L’Olive on January 1 for a very special New year’s brunch.
Walk for Danii La Reserva are very proud sponsors of the upcoming Sotosol Walk and Fun Run, which is taking place this Sunday (nov 25) through the reserve hills. The popular annual event is organised to raise money for the charity of local girl Danii Toni, who attended the local Sotogrande International School and has gone on to university in the UK, despite having cancer. The Danii Cancer charity was set up to help her battle with leukemia, and it has so far raised nearly €180,000 for three different causes, including the children’s oncology ward at Hospital Virgen del Rocío in Sevilla. You can walk or run 5km or 10km routes, around La Reserva, starting and finishing at Sotogrande International School. Great for all the family, why not bring your
dogs and enjoy the fresh air and exercise even if you are not competitive. This really is an event for everyone, so get a team together, pick up a tshirt from outside the school and get involved – the more the merrier!
VI 14
PROPERTY
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November 2018
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Madrid masters Leading Spanish architects scoop top British award from the RIBA
T CELEBRATED: Emilio Tunon
WO Spanish architects have been awarded a ‘lifetime honour’ award by the presitigous Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Ignacio Vicens y Hualde and Emilio Tunon are among seven laureates set to receive 2019 International Fellowships at a ceremony next February. The lifetime honour recognises the contributions of architects internationally and allows recipients to use the initials FRIBA after their names. Tunon, of Tunon and Ruckstuhl Architects in Madrid, has taught in universities around the world
and was previously awarded the Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts from the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Hualde, head of Madrid-based Vicens + Ramos Architects, has also taught across the Americas and Europe. His notable works including the School of Communications at the University of Navarra and the Churches of Rivas-Vaciamadrid. Together they are changing the skyline of Spain and Andalucia with their iconic structures. We delved into their portfolio of projects, completed or underway, to bring you the highlights.
CONGRATS: Ignacio Haulde
Atlanterra style Church of Ponferrada
On a steep slope overlooking Playa Alemanes, in Atlanterra, this majestic 400 m² house will be carved into the land through a set of horizontal platforms, protected from the wind by thick concrete pillars. The top floor of this Tunon creation boasts stunning views over the ocean and houses a kitchen and master bedroom. The lower platform houses the pool surrounded by thick pillars, with parking on the floor below.
Another divine inspiration has been this imposing modern church in Ponferrada. According to Haulde, the church’s main space is designed as a meeting place ‘for the joyous celebration of the Sacrifice.’ Its layout emphasises community and is littered with symbolic references while the design ensures that the altar, Holy See and pulpit are visible to the entire congregation.
Valladolid Wine Dome This proposed design is set to rise up on the banks of the river Duero, replicating the neat rows of the surrounding vineyards so precisely it’s almost invisible. Incredibly spacious inside, the Wine Dome is a basic structure of 86m2 with a square courtyard in the centre inspired by medieval monasteries which, according to architect Tunon, ‘treasured the wisdom of wine production’.
Church of Santa Monica The Madrid-based studio by Hualde was commissioned to create this Cubist-style place of worship for the quickly ballooning population of Rivas-Vaciamadrid, a new residential development 10 miles from the capital. The church has a linear design to make the most of the plot and provide maximum capacity. The building also contains management offices, classrooms and accommodation for two priests.
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
VII 15
November 2018
Curious yellow
Is it a balloon, a zeppelin or a yellow submarine? No, it’s an ultralight pavilion dreamed up to promote Spain at the next world EXPO ULTRA MODERN: The nine inflatable canopies will thrill visitors in the Middle East
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WO Madrid architect firms have joined forces in a bid to design Spain’s National Pavilion for EXPO 2020 in Dubai. Their incredible design includes an inflatable canopy of nine custard yellow cylinders set within a steel framework. The ‘breathing pavilion’ design allows two inflatables to move the cylinders up and down to respond to views, light and breeze. Reinterpreting a typical Spanish plaza, the
project includes an elevated square underneath inflatables with room for diverse programming and installations. According to Arch Daily, the shaded space is is designed to adapt to the climate of Dubai with natural thermal conditioning. Below, a matrix of large fans will move air to accompany the gentle breeze generated by natural wind flow. There will also be a restaurant and tapas bar, mixing gastronomic experiences ‘with spatial and sensory stimuli’ - not unlike
squares and famous steps across cities in Spain The pavilion is designed to emit zero emissions with the help of 1,000 square meters of rooftop photo-voltaic panels. In turn, the design team designed the inflatable deck with more than 80% certified recycled materials. The ultralight pavilion aims to be a more sustainable structure that could be easily removed and transported as it takes on other lives after EXPO.
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PROPERTY
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November 2018
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Lost and found?
Historians have ‘finally discovered’ Lost City of Atlantis in southern Spain and evidence of historic - and advanced - building methods
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NEW documentary has claimed the Lost City of Atlantis was in fact off the coast of Andalucia. Atlantica, produced by Michael Donnellan, claims ancient ruins analysed off the coast of Cadiz prove Atlantis’ huge harbour walls once stood in southern Spain. Maritime historian Tim Akers, head of research at Merlin Burrows which studied the pictures, also said ‘laboratory analysis’ of material recovered showed evidence of a type of cement not seen before. "We have filmed clear PLATO: First wrote evidence and have collected samples which about Atlantis
have been scientifically tested in a lab in Modena, Italy, which is used in testing ancient Roman finds. "The results of the tests prove the age of the finds are older than Roman or Greek, and that they were more advanced," Akers said. The film was produced on the back of the new images, which were taken with the help of satellite imagery. Filmmaker Donnellan said: "Finding and filming Atlantis has been life changing. Talk about a purpose. "All my skill sets and passions have come together in the creation of this series of films. The discovery of Atlantis is monumental. "Suddenly we know, not think, but know that humanity, in an advanced stage of development, existed, so long ago. "And had existed undisturbed for many thou-
sands of years prior to its destruction. "The imagination boggles when considering their capabilities. We have a lot we can learn from this civilization, to help move our own into a better future." Dr Giacomo Falanga, from the Modena Centro Prove, a chemical testing laboratory in Modena, Italy, said: "These structures contain binders, like calcite. The presence of mica, potassium, and other trace minerals show proof of artificial mixing of an ancient, prehistoric concrete." Andrea Carpi, a space materials engineer from the laboratory, added: "We can confirm with certainty that the samples analysed were the creation of an ancient civilisation with advanced construction methods, which makes me believe that we're talking about a civilisation with very advanced technology."
ADVANCED: (Left) Mock-up of Atlantis, while (right), satellite images of seabed where structures may have stood
SEA WALL: Entrance to Atlantis
BUSINESS
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Making its Mark MARKS & Spencer is opening a new store in Malaga. The British favourite has already begun preparing the space on Calle Nueva in Malaga’s city centre. It is the brand’s second store in Spain after it opened a branch in Marbella’s La Canada shopping centre in 2009. The new Malaga location will replace a Sephora. It will be open by next month in time for Christmas.
SOLAR energy could light up Spain with investments worth up to €70 billion by 2030, Secretary for Energy Jose Dominguez Abascal said. Speaking at a conference in Madrid, the politician added: “Spain is going through a unique historical moment, which should be taken advantage of. It’s a great chal-
November 21st - December 4th 2018
November 21st - December 4h 2018
Pile in the green lenge, but also a great opportunity for development.” Sunny Spain hopes to have 35% of its energy needs met by renewable energy by 2030, putting it ahead of any other European country. Industry leaders have
British Airways seeks to become Spanish company as it steps up preparations for no-deal Brexit
ish government and the European Commission for over a month to stop Brit-
Hook them up!
SPEEDY: Internet for towns
enthusiastically greeted the government’s commitment to renewable energy. Antonio Delgado, from Aleasoft Energy Forecasting, said “We are living a revolution and Spain is a gold mine.” Solar energy firms have cre-
ated 19,000 jobs and the sector is set to boom with plans to remove a tax on home and business owners who use solar energy making it an ever more attractive alternative to fossil fuels.
Not so British
BRITISH Airways is reportedly in talks to be considered a Spanish company after Brexit to keep its status as a European carrier. International Airlines Group (IAG) has been seeking the support of the Span-
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INTERNET companies in Spain must offer every small town in the country high speed internet, the government has ruled. Giants Movistar, Vodafone and Orange must offer at least a 30 Mbps service to 90% of people in towns or localities with less than 5,000 residents by January 1 2020. Currently, only around 32% of these populations have access to internet of 30 Mbps.
ain’s exit from negatively impacting the business. The IAG group, which also owns Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, has registered offices in Madrid but but its operational headquarters are based in London, meaning a no-deal Brexit could be detrimental to the airline. EU rules currently state that more than 50% of an airline must be owned and controlled by member states in order for it to be considered an European carrier - something IAG may struggle to meet after Brexit.
Ahead of Britain’s exit in March IAG - believed to be worth €23 billion - hopes it will continue be considered an EU-based company and therefore covered by same rules. According to three government sources and one from the EU, it will be Brussels that will have to ratify the nationality of the group.
Rail-y good news A SPANISH train builder is on track to create 1,000 jobs in the UK. It comes after manufacturer Talgo decided to build a plant in Scotland to build trains to be used on the first phase of the HS2 high-speed railway project, which will connect London and Birmingham by 2026. Madrid-based Talgo employs more than 2,000 people to construct high speed trains across two factories in Spain and one in Kazakhstan. On choosing Scotland's Fife, President Carlos de Palacio said: “This has been a tremendously challenging mission for Talgo and I have personally seen excellence in all corners of the UK. “It has been a difficult decision to make as the quality has been so high in so many places.”
Party
Following the news of IAG consulting the Spanish government, deputy leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, Tweeted: “Spanish Airways”. IAG was founded in 2011 and is the sixth largest airline company in the world.
SURGE: In UK j0bs
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.gibraltarolivepress.com
Sticky slope
‘FAKE’ honey from China is decimating Andalucia’s honey industry, farmers have warned. The produce from the far east - which often comprises rice or corn syrup - is being imported at much cheaper prices, making local produce less competitive and cutting beekeepers’ profits by half. There are a number of ways The region has seen a decline to test honey to see if it is the in production of up to 50% real deal or a sugary fake. over the last year, described as near ‘fatal’ by a farming 1 - Use water. Drop some boss. honey into a glass and stir “We cannot compete…Multiit. If it starts to dissolve, the nationals are importing prohoney is not pure. But if it duce from places like China, sinks or slides to the bottom which already accounts for in a lump, it is genuine honey. 80% of the honey in Spain,” said Lorenzo Ruiz, of the 2 - Set fire to it. Coat a candle Farmers Union, in Cordoba. wick with honey and light it. If it catches light it is real honey, Decline if it does not, water may have The price of Andalucian honbeen added. ey has fallen from around €4 per kilo to just €2.20 per kilo 3 - Blot it. Fake honey will be while Chinese honey costs a absorbed into cloth or a paper maximum €1.10 per kilo. towel, pure honey will sit on it. A similar decline can be seen Also, if you wash the cloth afin other regions across Spain ter, real honey does not leave and the amount of honey proa stain, impure honey might. duced nationally fell by 6% in 2017. 4 - The stale bread test. Take Andalucia is home to largest a slice of stiff stale bread number of beehives in Spain and spread some honey on with over 600,000 hives proit. Leave it for about 10 minducing 7,337 tons of honey in utes – if the bread is still stiff, 2016. Spain as a whole proit has real honey on it. Fake duces around 30,000 tons. honey will contain other subAlmeria has the largest numstances that make the bread ber of hives, followed by Sesoggy and moist. villa and Malaga.
Bee-lieve in Real Honey
Our courtesy Does your insurance company guarantee a courtesy car after a bump?
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F your vehicle is involved in an accident and has to go in for repairs, the last thing you need to worry about is organising alternative transport while your car is off the road. Fully comprehensive car insurance with Línea Directa guarantees a free courtesy car after an accident, for an unlimited period of time, until your car is back on the road. To qualify, policyholders need to take out additional Replacement Car Cover and ensure that the vehicle is repaired in one of their approved national network of authorised repairers.
Audi This includes free pick-up and drop-off of the vehicle and they guarantee original manufacturer replacement parts. With a fleet of nearly 1,000 Audi A1 courtesy cars, Línea Directa is already helping to keep its customers on the move. Following a claim, here is what one customer has said about this new and enhanced service: “I am very impressed with Linea Directa in this instance. “They have since updated their courtesy car, I noticed. The car that was allocated to me in this instance is an Audi A1, with Línea Directa livery displayed on the doors. “The car, I think, had done only 350 kms, so was brand new! “Thank you and the company for your help and understanding in this matter.”
A dozen Andalucian bakers have entered Spain’s top bakeries list
MOLLETES, barras, pitufos, bastons… a dozen Andalucian bakers are listed in the country’s best places to buy your favourite type of bread. The group scattered have been listed among the 80 best bakeries, according to the ‘Good Bread Route’, compiled by Panatics, an organisation on a mission to promote good local produce. Three of Malaga’s best include Puerto de la Torre’s Horno de Lena Martin, El Mastren in La Vinuela and Pan Pina, in the tiny village of Algatocin, near Ronda. “We bake 700 loaves a day in our wood oven and we have over 170 different types of bread on offer,” its owner Juan Manuel Moreno, told the Olive Press. As well as baking a golden loaf, which can cost up to €200 a loaf, he has gluten-free, vegan and numerous other types of bread. Much is sold to local Eroski supermarkets on the coast, while he supplies numerous leading restaurants, including Michelin-starred Bardal, in Ronda.
Passion
The bakery has been open since 1940 and it has been in his family for generations. A firm believer in the Slow Food Movement, he and his wife, Manuela, who have three children, bake bread seven days a week. “Everything should be done with good ingredients and in particular not in a hurry. Local produce is everything and KM-0 is the future,” he added. The new route has been compiled as consumers are turning more and more to supermarket giants at 38%, while 37% remain loyal to their local baker. Despite the 300 types of bread on offer, Spaniards are eating less than ever, consuming 37
Liquid gold helps babies OLIVE oil helps the growth and development of unborn babies, according to a study conducted by five Andalucian hospitals and the University of Jaen. Researchers spent two years collecting data across the region and found that mothers who had babies that were small for their gestational age were more likely to have less olive oil in their diets.
Risk
If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 282 or visit www.lineadirecta.com.
Doctors concluded that oil olive helps protect against the risk and has a positive role in the development and growth of unborn babies. The Andalucian study looked at 1,036 mothers and babies and the mother’s diet during pregnancy.
November 21st - December 4th 2018
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
Rise to the top
WINNERS: Algatocin bakers Juan and Manuela kilos per person in 2013, dropping to 32 kilos last year. In a bid to tackle this, Panatics’ Michelin-style route chooses panaderias based on taste, touch, smell and appearance. Almeria’s Malpica and Nijar’s La Tahona - famous for centu-
ries-old recipes using lengthy fermentation processes - were given a good write up. Cordoba’s Panaderia Hermanos Fernandez also featured for its values and passion to serve the community. Others included Cadiz’s Hor-
no Artesa, Federico Guillen in Granada, Jaen’s Horno Jose Antonio Garcia, and Sevilla’s Panaderia Garcia Martin. Andalucia has even more bakeries on the list than Madrid and is only pipped by Catalunya with 22.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Brought up in Spain’s post-war era, human dynamo Carlos Soria has only two ‘eight-thousanders’ to summit before becoming the oldest man in history to conquer all 14 By Heather Galloway
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FAMILY FUN: Carlos Soria with wife and children hiking
No peak in sight
IGHT now, Carlos Soria’s placement to help him with his 10th climbing ambitions have attempt at conquering this stubborn been reduced to the stairs behemoth next March. of his home in Moralzarzal, If he makes it, he will be left with Madrid, and then, only with the help just one final summit, Xixabangma, of crutches. to achieve his goal of becoming the He is in a lot of pain and it is hard to oldest man ever to bag all 14 peaks believe that only several weeks ago, over 8,000 metres – though he he was just 117 metres has in fact already from the top of Dhausummited one of lagiri In the Himalayas, Xixabangma’s lesser one of the world’s high8,000-plus peaks What we have est mountains rising and is in any case brought is more the oldest climber to 8,167 metres into the heavens. have conquered 10 than just our Even harder to grasp is of them. “It should that Carlos Soria is 79 work like new,” he money years old, an age when says, startling me an expedition usually with a video of the entails a bus ride to a prosthesis being fitlocal beauty spot. Carlos will be 80 ted. in February, but far from preparing The term mountaineer generally to hang up his spurs, he has just conjures up an image of a tall, strapgone under the knife for a knee re- ping individual with an Alpine air,
TOUGH: Soria has never given up
but Carlos Soria is small and neat, weighing around 57 kilos and measuring just 1,62 metres. According to trainer Juan del Campo, he carries only 10% fat and boasts a resting heart rate of 40-45, rising to just 140 at maximum exertion. But while Carlos has no trouble clambering up 8,000 metres and more, descents have always proved more challenging due to a ski ac-
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
ADVENTURER: (Left) Soria as a child where he found his passion for the great outdoors, while (above) he pushes on at the grand age of 79
cident that left his left knee damaged back stances of the poverty-stricken barrio. Indifin the 1970s. The pain became particularly ferent to the fact his neighbours, a colourful acute in 2016 when, at the age of 77, he community that included a prostitute and successfully got to the top of Annapurna, an pickpocket, considered him ‘weird’, he pulled 8,091-metre peak, considered one of the on his baggy knee-length shorts fashioned trickiest of the 14. from old velvet curtains and climbed his way “Coming down was agony,” he says. “All the out of the misery. weight was on my left knee. With the pros- “Who would have thought that young lad thesis, I hope to be back to training hard in from the barrio would explore the entire two months.” world through climbing mountains?” says Few of these mountains are conquered on Carlos. “I’ve been on expeditions with one of the first attempt. “We got to 8,050 metres,” the world’s greatest botanists, Salvador Risays Carlos of his ninth attempt at Dhaula- vas, and also with the geographer and writer giri. “But there was a problem with fog and Eduardo Martínez de Pison. I’ve made great we tried an ascent that turned out to be the friends with philosophers and it has changed wrong one. It looks obvious from the bottom, my life.” but when you’re up there it’s complicated. I Despite having reached such lofty heights, Carwant to find a sponsor for the next attempt los never lost sight of his roots. It was his own and take an expedition.” humble beginnings, he says, that prompted Makalu, at 8,463 metres, meanwhile, proved him to become involved in the remote village a piece of cake. “That was the best climb I’ve of Sama in Nepali back in the 1970s and also done in my life. I was 69 and I did it without to set up Ayuda Directo Himalaya – www.ayuoxygen and very fast.” dadirectahimalaya.org, a small NGO that has Far from being a life-long ambition, the 14 helped to rebuild and supply schools in five peaks challenge is recent and anecdotal. villages following the devastating 2015 earth“I’ve always been deeply involved in sport,” quake. Referring to the village of Sama, at the says Carlos, “And always with a focus foot of the 8,163-metre beast Manason mountaineering. I did my lu, Carlos says, “Because I didn’t first eight-thousander when have much schooling myself, I I was 50 – Nanga Parbat became obsessed with getin Pakistan. When I got ting schooling for the chilolder, I thought, ‘Well, dren there. My first visit I’ve gone up Everest was in 1973 and every and K2 and some attempt at Manaslu I others and perwould come back. haps I could do Over the years, them all.” we provided them So why did he with solar panels, wait until he was school materials ‘past his prime’ to and mattresses. I tackle the world’s managed to get to most challenging the top of Manaslu mountains? “I had a 37 years after my family to bring up and first attempt.” He was a job to do,” he says. 71 years old and it was EXPLORING: Young Soria “When I retired, I had his fifth time lucky. and friends more time.” A glance at Carlos’ sporting Carlos’s obsession with achievements over the years climbing began when he was 14 might leave you wondering if he and struck out for the Sierra de Guahad time for much else. But, given his darrama with a friend from Madrid. Born into contagious energy, it comes as no surprise a family of upholsterers who lived in the then that he combined feats of derring-do with his marginalized district of Ventas in Madrid, role as a hands-on father, helping his wife CrisCarlos left school at the age of 11 to become tina, 77, to bring up their four daughters, while first a book binder, then an upholsterer. “I continuing his family’s upholstery business. didn’t like what was around me,” he says. The couple met in La Pedriza in the Sierra de “I liked nature. A love of nature has helped Guadarrama. No stranger to shimmying up a me a lot in life. At home, we had no running rock face herself, Cristina has climbed Monte water. Madrid was terribly poor in the post- Cervino – the Matterhorn from the Italian side war era and I was used to carrying buckets of – and Mont Blanc, as well as accompanying water. So when I got to Nepal I was familiar Carlos on several expeditions to the Himalawith the conditions. It was my life many years yas. I ask if she is still active and she smiles before.” and shakes her head. “I’m a normal person,” That first trip out to the Sierra in 1952 led she says. “I don’t feel like doing those things to increasingly more adventurous excursions, anymore.” a world away from the challenging circum- The couple’s four daughters do, however,
continue the tradition they were brought up in. Cristina recalls one daughter asking if she could have a Sunday outfit, to which she replied, “Hija, you’ve got your Sunday outfit – your walking boots and your climbing trousers…” Like Cristina, few of us will feel like braving arctic conditions, vertiginous gradients and avalanches as we pocket our pensions. But superhuman or not, Carlos stands as a beacon of light to those approaching their senior years. “When I give conferences, I tell people that retirement
is fantastic. And you need to get there in the best possible condition because you will still have many years ahead of you and very good ones at that,” he tells me. “I hear people say things like, ‘Oh well, I’m 70 now.’ And I tell them, ‘Great. That’s to be celebrated. You’ve got this far. Now don’t turn your back on things you can keep doing. You might not win the 100 metres, but there are many things to do in the world.’” And you get the distinct feeling that Carlos is itching to get on with them.
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COLUMNISTS
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November 21st - December 4th 2018
November 21st - December 4th 2018
All you want for Christmas Forget Black Friday - Belinda Beckett has the pressie shopping in the bag
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HIS Christmas, the average European will travel 190 miles on five Christmas shopping trips of four hours each, attend three Christmas parties, suffer three hangovers and sit down at the family table four times during which they will gain 4lb in weight eating three Christmas dinners. Don’t ask why. That process starts in November, with Black Friday. Although personally, the sight of grown adults fighting over discount TVs rather tarnishes the tinsel on my Christmas tree and I always give the high street a swerve on the busiest shopping day of the year. Instead just for a day, and despite being the kind of technophobe who has a panic attack
posting on Facebook, I joined the 46% of European consumers who will be surfing for gifts online this year and was thoroughly entertained. I’m glad I’m not one of the 42% of all shoppers who have to buy toys. What to choose when a doll that pees, a dragon that poops and a Hogwarts Hall Lego set that costs over €100 are top on Santa’s list. And I pity any pet forced to wear an Inflatable Unicorn Horn or Pajamagram matching jimjams designed for dogs, cats and their humans. But there were some gifts I’d definitely add to my Amazon shopping cart if I wasn’t planning to support the high street (and not so inept on a mobile) …
Bollocks to Brexit Bag The perfect accessory for Christmas shopping in Gib. You’ll be among friends and you might even get a discount! Available from www.etsy.com Amazon does a more polite one that reads: ‘Don’t Blame Me, I voted Remain.’ But, as I’m one of the 3 million expat Brits not allowed to vote, bollocks to that.
Donald Trump Loo Paper A stocking filler that also makes a political statement, this presidential roll of honour contains 200 full colour portrait sheets of the man making toilet tissue great again.
Porn for Women Guzzle Buddy
The Cambridge Women’s Pornography Cooperative asked women - young, old, rich, and poor - ‘What really, really gets you hot?’ Their answers are in this LOL coffee table book. Guys talking clean is one way - as in ‘Let me clean the bathroom’, or whispering: ‘Have another piece of cake, I don’t like you looking so thin’ will also do it.
There’s no nudity but for ladies who appreciate the sight of a rippling torso at the ironing board or a taut butt bent over the sink, this is a winner.
Watch Ya’ Mouth
Enjoy a festive bottle of vino – all to yourself – with this handy glass that screws into the neck. Perfect for Christmas parties where you can never attract the wine waiter’s attention, with this essential seasonal accessory the glass will always be full.
If you don’t wet yourself like James Corden when he tried out this family game on the Late Late Show (see it on YouTube) you will definitely dribble. Basically it’s a box of cheek retractors – the kind used by dentists to keep patients’ mouths open. Players have to wear one while reading out phrases and team mates have to guess what they’re saying/drooling. Utterly puerile but guaranteed to liven up Boxing Day lunch with the in-laws, especially the adult version.
Fawlty dining
As a Fawlty Towers dinner event comes to the Rock, Giles Brown recalls other not-so savoury meals
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AST weekend saw me in Gibraltar for a and the frankly foul. There was the restaurant Fawlty Towers dining experience. that was so bad that we seriously contemplated No, that’s not me using the classic 70s ordering a takeaway pizza to be delivered to our British comedy series as a metaphor, table. The chef walked out halfway through our which by the way, contained one of my favourite review, leaving what I can only assume was the characters of all time, ranking just below Uncle blind kitchen porter who had lost his taste buds Monty, the Major - sample line “I must have liked in a tragic accident to prepare the rest of the her, Fawlty, because I took her to see India.” meal. “India, Major?” And then there was Venice. I imagine that if “Yes! at the Oval!” you have limitless cash to spend or know the The lunchtime theatre performance saw Ba- places to go, then the floating city must be a sil, Sybil and, of course, Manuel, interacting heady combination for the senses. When I viswith the guests in a show that included classic ited for Carnivale on a ‘memorable’ press trip, scenes including Manuel’s pet rat getting loose however, it became an exercise in avoiding beas well as Basil discovering that there was, in- ing ripped off every time we ordered food and deed, a party of Germans in the audience. He drink. Most famously we were warned by one may have mentioned the war, but we think he fabulously disheveled waiter that the €5 pizza got away with it… advertised outside his estabThere was also some brilliant lishment was ‘very small and improvisation, with the cast not very good’, and when picking out members of the the beer coaster sized slice audience and, returning from of gloop on a dough base powdering my nose at one duly arrived I was forced to point, I was lambasted by Sybagree. I spent the rest of the il for my striped shirt. “Wearthree days ensconced in an ing your pyjama top are you, Irish pub (this was back in Sir?” she commented as I my drinking for Dublin days) tried to sneak past unnoticed. pausing only to dash out to It was, of course, all an act, wolf down McDonalds. As but it made me reflect on much as I detest patronising some of the less than savoury the fast food megalith, unless dining experiences that I have I was viciously hungover (see not enjoyed so much over previous sentence) it was the the years. I frequently write only place that I knew exactly restaurant reviews that have what I was ordering. brought me into culinary conBasil Fawlty would not have tact with the good, the bad COMIC: Manuel wowing crowds approved…
SPORT
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GOLD: Pat McCormack
Twinning TWINS have helped England triumph not once, but four times in Vallodolid at the European Union Boxing Championships. The McCormack brothers, Pat and Luke, from Sunderland, bagged two of England's four gold medals, following their European and Commonwealth podium finishes earlier this year. After Luke beat Italy's Paolo Di Lernia to win the light welterweight 64kg title, Pat joined his sibling’s success, overcoming Spain's Youba Sissokho to take the welterweight 69kg title. Their countrymen Frazer Clarke and Benjamin Whittaker, brought home England’s other golds, winning the superheavyweight and light-heavyweight finals respectively. England’s dominance would have stretched to five golds, had it not been for Ireland’s Kurt Walker, who emerged victorious over Peter McGrail in a tense bantamweight 56kg final.
Stream team MILLIONS across Spain can now watch Fulham battle it out with Burnley for a goalless draw, as sports streaming giant DAZN continues its European march. That is because Premier League and MotoGP are the latest TV rights granted to the broadcaster in Spain, as its CEO Simon Denyer aggressively targets European markets. Denyer said: “We’re expanding at an incredible pace with our unique approach, breathing new life into sports with long and distinguished heritages and growing audiences.” With no need to sign up for a for a long term contract, DAZN exclusively offers Spanish subscribers all 235 games of the 2019/20 and 2021/22 Premier League seasons. Meanwhile superbike fans will be glued to their screens from 2019 to 2022 if they are signed up to DAZN.
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Triple threat
Spain, Morocco AND Portugal want to joint-host the 2030 World Cup, but they have stiff competition SPAIN is officially bidding to joint-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced that he has already pitched the idea of a joint bid. "I made the proposal, firstly to the government then to King Mohammed VI to launch a shared application with Morocco, Portugal and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup," the PSOE leader said in Rabat after a meeting with the monarch. "It will be the first two-continent application, with Europe and Africa, and King Mohammed VI welcomed the proposal warmly." It comes after the King ordered the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to launch their own World Cup bid earlier this year. The office of the Moroccan
prime minister Saad Eddine el Othmani refused to comment on Sanchez's statement. The north African country has failed five times to bring the tournament to the southern shores of the Mediterranean, with the US, Canada and Mexico most recently beating them to the 2026 competition.
Bidding
Another triple threat, formed of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, have also proposed a bid to coordinate the 2030 event, which will mark 100 years since the first tournament. Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia are also considering a joint bid, as are the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The official bidding process is set to being in 2020.
Leave him alone! SPAIN’S football boss has blasted criticism of David de Gea as ‘unfair’ - but failed to confirm if the under-pressure goalkeeper would remain as a starter for his country. Luis Enrique defended De Gea after he was blamed by many for Tin Jedvaj's late winner in the costly 3-2 defeat to Croatia in the Nations League. The Manchester United man has been a poor show on the international stage, saving less than
half of the shots he has faced since the start of La Roja's disappointing World Cup campaign. Enrique did not confirm if De Gea would carry on starting for Spain, but said: “Criticism must be for the whole team and the coach, too...when it's aimed at one person it's unfair because this is a team sport. "Goals aren't just scored because of the goalkeepers – when we concede we're all responsible.” He added: "I won't talk about my preferences, as my actions speak louder than words."
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November 7th - November 20th 2018
Comeback kings ENGLAND have booked their place in the Nations League final, getting revenge over Croatia just four months after their World Cup loss. Gareth Southgate’s men fought back from 1-0 down with two late goals from Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane to beat a strong Croatia side at Wembley. Kane once again saved his country on the international stage, poking home in the 85th minute, following a Ben Chilwell free kick, just minutes after sub Lingard had knocked in the equaliser from close range. England needed two goals to top Group 4 in League A and they will now play in the semi-finals of the inaugural tournament in Portugal in June.
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Employment drive
FINAL WORDS
THE government is taking on 3,618 new staff in the Andalucian Health Service, with 10% of posts reserved for disabled people.
Nordic surge ICELANDIC expat numbers retiring in Spain are up 10% this year with around 700 now registered here and in particular the Costa Blanca.
Pokerface THE Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell has accused David Cameron of ‘playing poker’ with the UK and said he ‘won’t go down as the best Prime Minister of Britain’.
November 21st - December 4th 2018
Vol. 4 Issue 84 www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 21st - December 4th 2018
Frosty reception THE heartbreaking story of a baby orangutan hiding in a little girl’s room has already become this year’s most talked about Christmas advert. Created by Greenpeace for supermarket giant Iceland, which has 17 shops in Spain, the advert has caused outrage worldwide after being banned from broadcasting it on TV. Narrated by Dame Emma
Almost a million sign petition to have Iceland’s Greenpeace Christmas ad allowed on TV Thompson, the tragic cartoon was deemed ‘too political’ by the UK advertising regulatory body, Clearcast. The video has garnered almost 990,000 people signing a peti-
Learning about laziness
SUCCESS has more to do with talent than effort in the minds of most Spanish adolescents. Only 30% of Spanish 15-year-olds believe good results can be obtained through effort. An incredible 60% of South Koreans in the same age bracket, found the 2018 PISA report. As a result Asian students are outstripping Western pupils academically, believes the OECD’s Education boss Andreas Schleicher. He believes Asian children are more receptive
to the idea that hard work can be rewarding than children in the West. “Talent is seen as something over which the student has no control,” he said. “So [the Western] student is less likely to put in the extra effort.” Chief Academic Officer at King’s College, Madrid, Dawn Akyurek, told the paper “I believe all children can achieve with the right teacher, the right conditions.”
tion to get the cartoon shown on TV. Iceland, which has three supermarkets on the Costa del Sol, dedicated it to the ‘25 orangutans we lose every day’ due to the destruction of rainforests for palm oil. The advert shows cute baby Rang-tan telling her friend how she ended up in the little girl’s room and shows harrowing images of machines ravaging forests and taking orangutans with them. Iceland has vowed to remove palm oil from all its products until producers of the oil stop devastating rainforests. Clearcast has been forced to close its Facebook page after staff were ‘threatened’.
Reasons to be cheerful GIBRALTAR came out in force to celebrate World Smile Day at Ocean Village and raise money for mental health charity Gib Sams on its first anniversary. A brilliant day of sunshine raised awareness for people suffering mental health difficulties and suicidal thoughts, while the charity raised £451.33. Princess Belle was joined by Buzz Lightyear and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Marie Lou Guerrero, founder of Gib Sams said: “We would like to thank Ocean Village, especially Emilia HazellSmith, for organising the very successful World Smile Day event. “Every penny helps us get closer to achieving our aims we want everyone in Gibraltar to know its OK not to be OK.”