Gibraltar Olive Press - Issue 67 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

Est. 1946

www.gibraltarolivepress.com LT D

Cookshop, Household Goods, General Hardware, Beach Accessories & more

March 28th - April 10th 2018

The Rock’s only free and investigative local paper

FREE

46 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 75188 Email: bia@gibraltar.gi Facebook: GibraltarBIA

Crystal clear THE Spanish Prime Minister has promised that a deal will be agreed with the United Kingdom over Gibraltar ‘in the coming months’. Mariano Rajoy revealed that bilateral talks between the two countries were ongoing and progressing well. To the relief of many on the Rock, Rajoy also confirmed that the issue of Gibraltar’s sovereignty would not be up for debate. Instead, he said that the priority for Spain was safeguarding the livelihoods of those living in the Campo who depend on Gibraltar for their income. It is believed that 8,000 Spanish workers cross the frontier each day making Gibraltar the second biggest employer in the Andalucian region. “We have already started bilateral talks with the United Kingdom, these are progressing satisfactorily,” he said. “(Any deal should) first ensure that the situation of frontier workers is maintained and improved, which is out priority, and reasonable solutions to a number of issues which have been adversely affecting Gibraltar.” The news comes as the UK revealed the terms of its initial draft withdrawal agreement with the EU which would see Gibraltar leave the union at the same time. The draft confirms that the UK will leave the EU on March 29 2019 but that it will then be given a 21 month transition period whereby it could secure new trade deals. The deals, which would also apply to Gibraltar, would then come into play after the transition period finished providing a degree of certainty for business. It has certainly been a good fortnight of Brexit negotiations for Gibraltar. Crucially, the UK government confirmed that Gibraltar would have barrier-free access to its financial services and online gaming markets after Brexit and until 2020. Continues on Page 4

Vol. 3 Issue 67 www.gibraltarolivepress.com March 28th - April 10th 2018

e d i s In man

GE 7 A P E E S

family of missing expat appeal to gibraltar and campo residents

Help us find Lisa

A £100,000 reward has been issued for anyone with info that finds Lisa EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez and Aleesha Hansel

THE family of missing Scottish expat, Lisa Brown, have been plastering the streets of Gibraltar with posters in a bid to gather more information. It comes after a new public plea was launched last week in which a reward of up to £100,000 will be offered to those that can help unravel the mystery behind Lisa’s disappearance, after she went missing from her home in Cadiz in November 2015. Brother Craig Douglas, 48, sister Helen, 51, and mum Cathy, 73, were seen putting up reward posters - while wearing t-shirts printed with Lisa’s image - on the Rock this weekend, a short distance from where the expat used to live. The Guardia Civil are currently leading the investiga-

MAYFAIR ONMAIN

Gibraltar’s luxury hair salon experience where quality & service matter 286 Main Street Gibraltar, GX11 1AA (+350) 200 75913 info@mayfaironmain.gi www.mayfaironmain.gi

MISSING: Lisa Brown

DEMANDING ANSWERS: Helen, Craig and Cathy

tion but officials are urging for ‘citizen collaboration’. The reward will be paid out to any providing substantial

information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible or results in identifying the whereabouts of the body. The reward will be valid for six months dating from March 23. A small group is thought to be behind the disappearance of Scottish expat, Lisa Brown, who has been missing since November 2015. The information was exclusively revealed to the Olive Press by brother, Craig Douglas, following a new public plea for information. It comes just weeks after Lisa’s then boyfriend, Simon Corner, 35, who has been the main suspect in the investigation, went on the run. Douglas, 48, believes that now Corner has absconded it could lead to the break down of the ‘wall of silence’ around

his sister’s disappearance among the expat community. Further details of the investigation cannot be revealed at this time. A £100,000 (€114,000) reward has been offered for information on the whereabouts of Lisa, 32, from Alexandria in Dunbartonshire. Speaking of the family’s heartache, Douglas said although

Lisa’s son Marco knows his mum is missing, he does not understand the gravity of what has happened. “His room is absolutely covered in photos of his mum. “But how a 10-year-old can even comprehend to cope with that, we don’t know,” he added. Lisa was reported missing in November 2015 after she failed to pick up Marco from school. He now lives with father Tony. Douglas said the most difficult part for the family is not being able to take flowers to a grave. “These past 28 months have been the most painful of all our lives… I don’t have to tell you that the pain of losing someone never goes away,” said Douglas. The family of Lisa are working with UK NGO Crimestoppers, the British Embassy in Spain and the Cadiz Government in the hopes of finding fresh leads. Director of Crimestoppers, Roger Critchell, said: “We just genuinely don’t know what happened to Lisa.” The Guardia Civil are currently leading the investigation but officials are urging for ‘citizen collaboration’.

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

Building blocks PLANNING permission for a new 10-storey affordable housing block at the site of Amar Bakery has been filed with the Town Planners.

Museum matters A HERITAGE Environment Record detailing all of Gibraltar’s antiquities and other heritage assets will be put together by the Gibraltar Museum.

Sister sister MINISTER for Equality Samantha Sacramento has attended the UN Commission in New York conference on promoting women’s empowerment through equality in economic and social issues.

091

Stories and features in this edition of Gibraltar’s original community newspaper

Spain unveils new get-tough measures to tackle escalating drug trade in the Campo THE lightweight RHIB boats favoured by drug smugglers are to be banned by the Spanish government. The move was announced by Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido during top level talks with Junta de Andalucia President Susana Diaz. The boats have been outlawed in Gibraltar since the 1990s over concerns they were used to smuggle tobacco. Traffickers prefer to use these nippy rigid-hulled inflatable boats to ship hashish over from Morocco as

CRIME

March 28th - April 10th 2018

War on RHIBs NO MORE: Outlawed

Mercy for mule A DRUGS mule has been allowed to return to Spain for a vital operation. Alfredo Farina, who lived in Malaga, was caught with more than €60,000 worth of cannabis in a suitcase at Edinburgh Airport in January. He pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to being in possession of the drug on January 29. His lawyer, Iain Smith, said he was a musician and had lived in Malaga for 10 years.

But he added that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and possible prostate cancer. An operation was arranged in Malaga on May 5 and his lawyer requested he be allowed to return to temporarily return to Spain. Sheriff Crowe deferred sentence until August 20 and detained him for deportation. Farina has been warned if he does not return, an arrest warrant will be issued.

they are cheap to purchase yet agile in choppy seas and can outrun police vessels. Their size also makes them more difficult to spot when travelling at night. “Wherever they are, they’ll be seized,” Zoido vowed. Spanish authorities have also pledged to increase cooperation with their Gibraltarian and Moroccan counterparts to track criminals evading working between the three territories. Relief Zoido added that more Guardia Civil officers will be deployed to the Campo this year to replace those sent to Catalunya to tackle unrest after last year’s independence referendum. The news will come as a relief to the Spanish police union who stated that one of the main causes of the Campo’s escalating drug problem was a reduced police presence in the region.

Serial burglar banged up A YOUNG Gibraltarian man has been sentenced to a year behind bars after carrying out a spree of burglaries across the Rock. Christian Baglietto, 20, of Glacis Estate was finally arrested after stealing a Real Madrid sports bag from Laguna Youth Club in February. It was the latest in a spate of 16 separate burglary incidents attributed to Baglietto who claimed he committed the robberies to fund his drug habit. They included breaking into El Faro restaurant to steal the till takings, robbing the storeroom of the Hire U Shop of electronic equipment and making off with almost £200 in cash and a mobile phone from Cafe Fresco in Ocean Village.

Hash-ty getaway A MANHUNT is underway after a drug trafficker fled from a stolen vehicle packing 400kg of hashish. He ditched his cargo after realising he was approaching a police checkpoint on the A-38 road in San Roque. The vehicle had fake licence plates and had been stolen from Mijas last year.

BUY 1 GET 1 FREE

To Celebrate 10 Years of Fitness On The Rock Our Membership Just Got Bigger And Better! Join The Infinity Club, The Atlantic Health Club or Ocean Health Club and Get Unlimited

Membership As Part Of Your Package.

www.atlanticsuiteshealthclub.gi • www.sunborninfinity.gi • www.reshape-rumble.gi • www.oceanvillagehealthclub.gi

Ne ws

www.gibraltarolivepress.com RIYAD Mahrez and his Leicester team mates jetted down to the Costa for a warm-weather training camp ahead of their FA Cup quarter final against Chelsea. The squad enjoyed a mixture of drills and practice games at Marbella Football Club. “It’s different scenery and the whole point is to get away from our so-called ‘comfort zone’ and come away as a group to be together and train in a different environment,” said right-back

Champions in Marbs Danny Simpson. “It’s great team bonding - sometimes you go to Leicester, you train, you do your bits in the gym and you go home. “Whereas here, we’ll spend a bit of time together in and around the hotel, playing different games.”

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Leicester currently sit at eighth position in the Premier League, having famously won the title in 2016. Marbella Football Club is a top-of-theleague team favourite, with Liverpool also recently visiting ahead of their Champions League game against Porto.

Get ready to rock!

Three times a Dream Girl

Stormzy to head a glittering musical line-up at September’s MTV Gibraltar Calling festival

Song and dance DANCE prodigy Faye Gomez will represent Gibraltar at a major British performance festival. Gomez will compete at the Sussex Festival for Song and Dance between April 7 and 9 after winning the Sussex Award at the 15th Gibraltar International Dance Festival in 2017. Her routines will be choreographed by Lilian and Lauren Montero. The Sussex and Gibraltar Festivals are twinned with the aim of encouraging cultural exchange between young people in the UK and the Rock. Good luck Faye from everyone at the Gibraltar Olive Press!

Since starting Voices of Gibraltar we have had a phenomenal response from residents on the Rock! We return this issue with four new voices about issues that matter to them

BIG NAMES: Bob Geldof

Lessons learnt Conchita Triay, 62, Retired teacher “From campaigning with the Gibraltar branch of the CND and the Peace Movement in the 80s and 90s, to presently being a committee member of the Environmental Safety Group and The Gibraltar Mental Welfare Society, it has been an intrinsic part of my life to work towards objectives which I consider important. “Issues of social injustice as a result of poverty, or mental health problems, or sexual discrimination, have always mattered to me. “I think everybody who can, should invest in trying to make positive changes in whatever field most concerns them.”

GIB CALLING: ‘Shut Up’ rapper Stormzy has booked this summer. The artist made headlines earlier this year after his politically-charged performance at the BRIT Awards, in which he called out Theresa May over the lack of money set aside for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. Iconic activist Bob Geldof and his punk rock band The Boomtown Rats will also be jetting to Gib to tell us why they Don’t Like Mondays, alongside Brit singer, Rag’n’Bone Man and Irish indie band, Two Door Cinema Club. Friday night will celebrate 40 years of disco, with the iconic Sister Sledge taking to the Classic Stage, and a performance by America’s 1970’s leather-clad vocal powerhouse Suzi Quatro on Saturday. More international and local acts performing at the festival

V G of

FAME: Award winning

AWARD winning Brit grime artist Stormzy will be one of the top acts to watch at this year’s MTV Presents: Gibraltar Calling music festival. The ‘Shut Up’ rapper joins a crowd-pulling line-up that includes Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, Rag’n’Bone Man, Two Door Cinema Club and Sister Sledge. The musical extravaganza will rock the Rock over two days and nights from Friday September 21 to 22 at Gibraltar’s Victoria Stadium Gang Signs & Prayer – Stormzy’s critically-acclaimed debut studio album – was the first grime album in history to reach number one on the UK music charts. After picking up two BRIT Awards and the Global Award for Best RnB, Hip Hop and Grime in the past month, Stormzy’s performance on the Rock will be one of just four dates he

are yet to be announced. Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: ‘I am delighted that we are now able to announce the first headliners for Gibraltar Calling 2018. “The quality of these artists, with Stormzy and Rag’n’Bone Man both fresh from the Brit Awards, clearly proves that Gibraltar is firmly established as one of Europe’s best summer music festival destinations.” Official Club MTV after parties will be held on both festival days at DUSK nightclub in Ocean Village. Festival doors will open at 3pm on both days of the event. Early bird tickets are available now starting from £75 at www.gibraltarcalling.com

THIS year’s hugely anticipated Dream Girl pageant has been won by 13-year-old Niah Lima. She impressed in over a number of different catwalk rounds to walk away with a hat trick of awards - Miss Friendship, Miss Vogue and Miss Elegant. Niah enjoys rowing and hockey and aspires to be a doctor. The pageant world is in her blood, with her older sister Tessa Britto finishing as 1st Princess in the 2017 Miss Gibraltar contest. Her triple victory in the 13th consecutive edition of the competition comes ‘after seven weeks of hard work and rehearsal after rehearsal to perfect the routines and catwalks’, commented a spokesperson. Money raised at the event will be donated to a number of local charities including Childline Gibraltar and The Guardian Angel Foundation.

Marbella bound TOWIE stars Gemma Collins and James Argent have bought a home on the Costa del Sol in preparation for starting a family. It comes after the reality TV couple decided to make an official 'serious go of things' last month following years of on and off dating. Gemma, 37, said: "I've made no secret of the fact I really want kids so I don't

think we'll wait too long before trying for a family. "But before we start trying I want to get my health in order.” She added: "You're going to need lots of energy, James, we'll have to have sex morning, noon and night when we're trying!" The couple have bought a home in Marbella to live in together during the summer.

Voices of Gibraltar

Need for speed

Mark Rodriguez, 42, Electrician and Sam Brudenell, 41, Project manager

“My name is Mark Rodriguez and my race partner is Sam Brudenell, together we are SRM Racing. “2018 sees our second year racing in the Andalucian Championship in the Gibralfaro Cup. “Myself and Sam met at an open track day nearly four years ago and through our passion of motorsport we joined forces and became SRM racing. “Our first year (2016) we competed in the Span-

Good cause

ish Timeattack series where I won three meetings. “Last year we both competed in the Gibralfaro Cup and I finished fourth in the championship while Sam placed seventh. “Our first race of the 2018 race season is at Gaudix race track on May 6. “As far as I’m aware myself and Sam are the only team from Gibraltar competing anywhere in Spain in motorsport.“

Nyree Robinson, 38, Dramatherapist

“I have always done charity work throughout my life, from Faith and Light as a child because my family went to support the Syrian crisis. “Most recently, a group of us founded ‘No means No’ locally. “I am passionate about working with vulnerable people, advocacy, and doing something - no matter how small - to make the world a better place.

“I sometimes become cynical after watching international news or hearing stories that I come across in my line of work as a dramatherapist. “Charity work reminds me that there are more good people out there trying to bring about positive changes, and I meet many inspirational people along the way that give me the energy to keep doing what I do.”

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

NE WS

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Bonus for banning SEX ads

Frenemies? From front

The UK market currently accounts for over 90% of all business conducted by Gibraltar-based companies. The British government then confirmed that it would draw up the terms for a new agreement for Gibraltar post2020, based on its status outside of the EU. “Great care has rightly been taken by the UK and Gibraltar to ensure regulatory standards will be maintained between us in a manner that will be designed to assure customer protection and equivalence on regulatory outcomes going forward,” said the Chief Minister. “Today our bilateral relationship grows stronger and the terms for it to endure are further cemented as we realise the commitment to maintain and enhance market access for Gibraltar service providers into the UK post-Brexit.”

A GROUP of 20 newspapers have followed the Olive Press’ decade-long stance of banning sex ads. The media companies from around Andalucia have agreed to banish the sleazy sections that encouraged sexual slavery, as well as the black market. This group includes our rival Sur in English, that sometimes ran up to four pages of classifieds for prostitutes, rent boys and sex clubs. In a move that will dent its pockets, the section vanished overnight last week, with many of the clients switching to the Euro Weekly News, which has increased its section to three pages. While the Junta labelled the move as a ‘major step forward’ and leader Susana Diaz expressed her ‘thanks and pride’, the Olive Press can reveal the deal came after

Healthcare employees are concerned they may lose their jobs after tender was passed from Grand Home Care to MedDoc UNITE the Union has failed to rule out launching legal action against the government after an employment dispute broke out at St Bernard’s Hospital. The contract for running the hospital’s John Mackintosh Wing will be passed from Grand Home Care (GHC) to MedDoc on April 6. Those currently employed by GHC say they face an uncertain future with 100 workers staging an angry protest outside Unite to draw attention to their fears.

Clipped wings

UNCERTAIN

I’ll not leave you here HOLLYWOOD actor Mark Hamill, famous for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga has touched down on the Rock. The 66-year-old was invited to open Gibraltar’s latest tourist attraction, ‘Skywalk’ – a glass, state of the art walkway on the Rock, offering panoramic views of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean sea. The stunning viewpoint, designed by Boavis Koala JV, will be free to visit for the public until April 1. “It is so great to be here in Gibraltar with your Macaques, we don’t have those in Malibu, but if I would tell you one thing, and that is to believe in yourself, to work hard and to never give up,” Hamill told the enthralled crowds.

The employees say they have been told by MedDoc that they must resign first from GHC before being able to reapply for a new job. The representatives of the 55 people currently employed

in the wing say there is no guarantee of new employment and they worry they will lose earnings during the interim re-application pro-

UK: +44 772 213 6148 SPAIN: +34 634 682 048 Adept Transport Ltd

adepttransport 1

www.adepttransportltd.com

cess. They argue that under the 1932 Gibraltar Employment Act their current, permanent contracts with GHC must be honoured until their completion by any new employer. The Gibraltarian government has attempted to allay the fears of the workers by stating that there will not be any job losses. “As the successful tenderer, MedDoc has opened vacancies and will hold two public meetings for those interested in applying,” said a spokesperson.

“The government does not expect that Gibraltar will experience any job losses, as the addition of a third floor to the John Mackintosh Home will require additional staff.” Unite the Union has urged any transfer of employees from GHC to MedDoc to be put on hold until a proper process of consultation is organised between different parties. The organisation has vowed to ‘take whatever steps we deem necessary… in order to support our members’ interests.’

Permission to take off THE sovereignty of Gibraltar’s airport will not change despite ongoing Brexit talks the Gibraltarian government has clarified. Several articles published in the international media suggested that Gibraltar could now be willing to share the control of its air-

COOPERATION: Airport

Devil’s delight European trips leaving weekly Transport and removal services

threats to pull advertising. “Basically they had no choice after the Junta voted to ban any marketing spend with newspapers that carried the ads,” explained one senior PP source. “There was a lot at stake as the Junta and the town halls spend a lot of money on institutional marketing, so these papers couldn’t afford to risk losing that.” The group included leading regional papers ABC, Ideal and El Mundo de Andalucia. In a speech in front of the 20 editors, Diaz described the ads as the ‘tip of the iceberg’ for the sex industry that led to sexual exploitation of women and occasionally children. She insisted the agreement was ‘an example of commitment and social responsibility’ and appealed to the rest of Spain to adopt it.

THE section of Devil’s Tower Road which has been shut following a rock fall will remain so for a further three weeks. During this time a new timber fence will be constructed at the front of the aerial farm site to prevent any future rock fall from disrupting day-to-day life in Gibraltar. Traffic will be diverted through the new access road and roundabout built as part of the runway tunnel project until the fence is finished. The rock fall occurred during this month’s Storm Emma where winds of up to 60 knots an hour lashed Gibraltar. The adverse weather caused a large section of the North Face to crash down over Devil’s Tower Road. Fortunately no one was injured but several vehicles parked in the area were damaged by the flying rocks.

port with Spain. “Let’s be very clear about the issue of the airport and indeed all other aspects of these negotiations,” said the Chief Minister. “We will want to continue to offer an olive branch of cooperation and friendship to the people of Spain as we have at every stage but that doesn’t mean we will make concessions on sovereignty, jurisdiction or control.”

BREXIT

Gibraltar signed the Cordoba Agreement with Spain in 2006 which agreed terms of use for Gibraltar International Airport. As a result, Gibraltar retained control but built its current airport terminal adjacent to the frontier for ease of access for Spanish travellers. Provision was also made for Spaniards in the Campo region to access the airport by crossing the frontier in ‘sealed buses’.

TRAGIC: Flat fire

Pensioner fire death AN elderly Gibraltarian woman has been found dead in her flat after a house fire. Leovigilda Baglietto, 90, who lived at No 8 Ramilies House in Varyl Begg Estate, was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency services were called to the flat shortly before 4pm on March 15 after receiving calls from concerned neighbours but they were sadly too late. An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway and her next of kin has been informed.

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

ne ws

March 28th - April 10th 2018

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 Never have, never will THE Olive Press has never accepted sex adverts. In 12 years we have not placed one advert from a prostitute or a rent boy. And this despite six years of deep recession when this easy injection of money - mostly cash - would have gone a long way to helping to ease our coffers. Sure, we had plenty of offers, many very lucrative ones, and we knew of one Sur in English rep in Calahonda, who would have a line of prostitutes queuing outside her office to pay their weekly ads as deadline approached on Wednesday. Sex is big business. But sex is often also unregulated and sadly too often leads to exploitation. The ads were also part of the sleazy black economy that has so badly damaged the reputation of Andalucia over the last few decades. After all, was that money being declared on either side of the coin? So, while we are delighted that most ‘responsible’ newspaper groups have now banned them, we can’t help but feel aggrieved that it has been done, effectively for financial gain. And isn’t it incredible that during all this time, we got not one pat on the back from the Junta. Nor a single penny in institutional advertising. While the Sur in English took thousands.

Brexit relief DESPITE comforting statements from both the Gibraltarian and British governments over the future of the Rock after Brexit uncertainty remained rife. No more. After the past several weeks of negotiations we now have a clearer picture over what Gibraltar’s postBrexit future will resemble. Continued access to the UK’s financial markets all but safeguards the future of the Rock’s economy while the transition period will bring new business through trade deals. Furthermore, the rhetoric from Spain appears a lot less aggressive than in recent years, with Rajoy confirming his focus is on mitigating any fallout on the Campo as opposed to encroaching on the Rock’s sovereignty. Credit must be given to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and the rest of the negotiating team who have worked tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome for Gibraltar.

Publisher/ Editor

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 News editor

SALES: sales@theolivepress.es Admin (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

Accounts Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@theolivepress.es

reporters Joe Wallen joe@theolivepress.es Aleesha Hansel aleesha@theolivepress.es Designer James Partington design@theolivepress.es

Maria Angeles Vázquez mangeles@theolivepress.es Admin and account assistant Distribution Graham Warters distribution@theolivepress.es

Clarke Media Ltd. Registration number: 113878 Suite 2B, 143 Main Street, Gibraltar Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A. Desposito legal 834-2017

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.

Feat u re

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Stop fishing for impossible solutions

Never in British history has any government knowingly pursued a course of action it knew would be damaging, writes Sue Wilson of Bremain in Spain

T looks like Brexit is not going according to plan, if there was ever a plan in the first place. Even to the most casual observers, it must be clear that negotiating a Brexit deal - any Brexit deal – hasn’t been as easy or achievable as we were led to believe. So it is somewhat amazing that on Friday, EU leaders confirmed their expected support for the draft Withdrawal Agreement (WA) that was presented earlier in the week by David Davis and Michel Barnier. The biggest breakthrough was an agreement for a transition period of 21 months, ending in December 2020, during which the UK will obey EU rules but be left out of EU decision-making. The deal was heralded as ‘significant progress’ by many pundits but received criticism from both Remain and Leavers alike. For Jacob Rees-Mogg and other extreme Brexiters, it represented a betrayal of Leave voters – and especially of the British fishing industry. Rees-Mogg objected to the UK becoming a ‘vassal state’ and, especially, to UK fishermen being subject to European fisheries policies. A demonstration staged by ReesMogg on the Thames didn’t go to plan. He was unable to board the boat because nobody had applied for landing permission, leaving Nigel Farage left holding the dead, wet fish. While attracting lots of press coverage, just as Farage likes it, the protest attracted much ridicule and was described as a fitting metaphor for Brexit – i.e. badly planned and failing to deliver what it had promised. Concerns from Remain on WA meanwhile focused on what was missing rather than what was included. ‘Article 32’ was a much-discussed and unpopular clause in the original draft documents, relating to citizens’ rights. It related to restrictions placed on the freedom of movement of British citizens - us expats - living and working in the EU. If meant that our rights would be restricted to the country we call home but we would not be able to work across borders, or have clients in a bordering EU country. It was quite a surprise (a pleasant one, of sorts) therefore, to find that Article 32 had been removed from the draft WA. What did this mean? Had our

freedom of movement rights been restored? We set out to ask Our man in Spain, the British Ambassador, Simon Manley, who claimed that the offending article was not needed and that both the Brexit Committee and the European Parliament welcomed its removal. He added that freedom of movement rights had not been specifically agreed but that the British government would continue to push for us to retain those rights. Another concern was the statement from Barnier that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’. Unless the existing ‘agreements’ are ring-fenced, we will be back to square one in any ‘no deal’ scenario – a situation that May continues to insist is better than a bad deal. For May and her government, the

If every British citizen in Spain wrote to their current MP it would be a very powerful message indeed WA represented an opportunity to move forward and talk about trade – the only topic of interest to them thus far. To reach this stage, she agreed to accept the EU’s plan B for the Irish border, presumably in the hope she would never have to use it. Both sides have repeatedly said there will be no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. May’s suggestion of using technology was rejected as unworkable so the EU devised a fall-back position – move the Irish border to the Irish Sea. In her Mansion House speech during February, the PM ruled out this option and added that no British Prime Minister would ever agree to such a thing. Now, May has agreed to this fallback position – yet another of her infamous U-turns. She must find an alternative plan to a hard border, or risk losing the support of the DUP. If she loses this, she also kisses goodbye to her tiny majority in parliament. The DUP will never accept one rule for Northern Ireland and an-

other rule for the rest of the UK, so it’s an impossible circle to square. The Irish border issue is one of many problems that make delivering Brexit extremely difficult, if not impossible. The after-Brexit vision promised to the public has proved a myth, a dream, a nonsense. Britain cannot be stronger, bigger and better alone than it can be with the backing of 27 partners. May has hinted as much by asking for the EU’s support against Russia over recent events. Whatever the reasons that people voted Leave, it’s becoming clearer daily that Brexit will not solve these problems. Instead, it will cause economic harm, especially ironically in Leave-voting areas. The government knows this, and its own impact analyses back up this view. Nobody voted to be poorer or to harm the NHS, just as nobody voted for job losses or for the devaluation of Sterling. Despite May and Davis insisting that Brexit is inevitable, unstoppable, it just isn’t true. Brexit is impossible to deliver and it’s not too late to stop it. Remainers have every reason to be hopeful. If May continues to pursue a hard Brexit, the ‘deal’ will not be acceptable to parliament when it votes in autumn. If every British citizen in Spain wrote to their current/former MP to convey their views on Brexit, it would be very powerful indeed. We know from personal experience how effective personal lobbying can be. The only option left on the table after a vote in parliament would be to offer the British public a referendum on the deal. This option is becoming increasingly likely and is gaining momentum with Remainers and Leavers alike. No matter how anyone voted on June 23, 2016, everyone should want the opportunity to have a final say - to assess the deal that’s being offered and decide if they want to proceed now they can see what’s on the table. This was all about the ‘will of the people’, wasn’t it? If the people don’t want to proceed with Brexit when they know how it really looks, the government must pay attention and act accordingly. Never in British history has any British government knowingly pursued a course of action that would obviously be damaging to the nation. Let’s not start now!

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

SIF* reclines in one of the voluminous white sofas colonising the smoking area of Chocolatt, a popular nightclub in La Linea de la Concepcion, the notorious Spanish frontier town bordering Gibraltar. “Look around the square,” says the 23-yearold, gesturing to the well-dressed throng of mainly Spanish and British clubbers. “La Linea is one of the poorest towns in Spain but look at all the money here. “Young men go out and in just one night they spend thousands of euros on drinks, food and women. “You can bet that the majority spending money here tonight have earnt it the backdoor way, through smuggling drugs and tobacco. “Welcome to Europe’s first narco-town.” Asif smiles. Moroccan by birth, his family moved from the city of Khenifra in the Atlas Mountains to La Linea when he was five years old. Despite completing secondary education in the frontier town, he complains that he faced discrimination as a Moroccan and was unable to find full-time employment. He had no choice, he says, but to begin working for a criminal gang that smuggled hashish from Morocco into Spain. “I was paid €1,000 a day to work as a punto or spotter and alert the gangs to where the Spanish police were, both on land and on sea,” he explains. “That is small time anyway, those driving the boats over can earn €50,000 per trip!” “I would tell the boss that the police were in a certain part of town so drugs could be moved through a different area with no trouble.” Asif worked for the gang for two years, earning enough money to buy a house in La Linea and

“The town is so overrun by the drugs gangs, the police fear for their lives here.”

Feat u re

Joe Wallen gets the lowdown from traffickers and drug squad officers as soaring narco-trafficking in the Campo threatens tourism

Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es March 28th - April 10th 2018 And our site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

olive press online October 2015

Page views:xxxxxxxxx

Gibraltar’s best English daily news Visitors: xxxxxxxx website Most read this fortnight on

The top five mostwww.theolivepress.es read stories on www.gibraltarolivepress.com in the past two weeks are:

 Costa del Sol on weather alert withgovernment dropping temperatures - EXCLUSIVE: Gibraltar refusesand to more abortion rain - 4616 ban views change draconian

e d i s In man

1 2 3 4 5

VIDEO: Floods hiton Costa - Luke Skywalker opensnew Skywalk the del Sol as heavy rain continues - 4604 Rock views - Olive Press Investigates smuggling in the Gangsters’ paradise: A look at straits ofGibraltar the key figures past and present of Costa delMTV Crime Gibraltar - 3872 views - SHUT UP: Stormzy tothe headline Calling Festival  Torremolinos to open Andalucia’s biggest shopping - Spanish study questions amount tobaccoand im-leisure centre - 3122 views ported into Gibraltar  Gibraltar schoolgirl reaches semi -final14 of Spanish TV 26 talent show Statistics for: March to March 3065 views

SOCIALMEDIA OlivePressNewspaper olivepress olivepressnews +TheolivepressEs

set up a small business selling electronics. La Linea de la Concepcion is a quaint but economically deprived Spanish town popular with British tourists who use local hotels and guesthouses as a base for visiting Gibraltar, just across the frontier. However, the town’s notoriety for narcotics smuggling has returned to the front pages of the international press over the last few months after a string of high-profile drug-related crimes, including a hospital heist by 20 masked men who breached security to free their drug boss. Karen Benson, 62, from Kent is a British tourist familiar with the area. “For the last 20 years we have been staying in La Linea before we go to Gibraltar,” she said. “There were bad times in the past but things appear to have taken a real turn for the worse the last few years. “There seems to be no police presence and if it is obvious to us when we see the drug gangs operating here, it must be to everyone else. “I wouldn’t say I feel particularly safe, we’ve seen a few fights late at night – I think next time when I come back we will take the financial hit and stay in Gib.” A recent police survey estimates that there are 30 drug smuggling gangs operating in La Linea, directly employing 3,000 of the town’s 63,000 residents. Thousands more are known to depend on earnings from a family member working in the trade. “With the money I used to earn in a week, I was able to take care of my parents here and also send money back to aunties, uncles, cousins and so on in Morocco,” Asif explains. La Linea, like many of the towns across Andalucia and the Costa del Sol, struggles with high levels of youth poverty. Unemployment stands at 33% in the town while in some neighbourhoods such as La Atunara, it is thought to run as high as 80%. The draw of La Linea’s drug trade is often too great for the town’s impoverished youth. “You have to be stupid not to work in the hash trade here,” enthuses Rafael*, a grinning 27-year-old from nearby Algeciras. “There are no jobs here and compared to

BE ‘APPY!

NOTORIOUS FOR NARCOTICS: The Campo up in arms those that are available, I can earn as much as I would in a month in just one day selling drugs, even if I was working in a big office.” Spanish police admit having limited success tackling the drug trade in the region. Francisco Mena who heads Nexus, an umbrella-group for the region’s various anti-drug associations, estimates that ‘only between 10-15% of the drugs smuggled through here are seized by the authorities’. The cold hard fact is, Spanish police do not have the resources to keep up with the increasingly sophisticated drug gangs. The Spanish United Police Union estimate La Linea is short of 100 police officers, while Algeciras is short of 300. The situation is so bad that officers are transferring out as soon as they can. “We have police who are leaving the service or applying to move to traditionally dangerous posts in the Basque region,” a police spokesman told me. “This town is so overrun by the drugs gangs, the police fear for their lives here. “The traffickers marry into rival families to keep the peace and share information, they have spotters and cameras all over La Linea. “If you drive through their area they will scan your number plate to identify who you are. “Houses on the coast have police radar inbuilt - who knows where they get those from – and they can literally track our helicopters, boats and cars. “Who wants to risk their lives against such an adversary?” he says, shaking his head.

The drug trade is not exclusive to the Campo. Spanish police recently discovered 3.5 tonnes of cocaine, worth €120 million, stashed in a home and warehouse in Estepona. “The drug trade has always been prevalent on the Costa,” says David Smithson, 42, who has visited the region for over 20 years. “However, in recent years it seems to be out of control. “Me and my partner see dealers acting fairly brazenly around here or in Marbella, like never before, and when we inform the police they say they are doing their best.” Shirley Thomas*, 52, is from Bristol but she has lived in an apartment in Estepona for the past five years. “There are always suspect people hanging around here late at night and I have seen RHIBs coming in and being loaded,” she said. “I was sold the ‘expat dream’ here but instead it appears I have walked into an escalating crime zone. “It’s enough to put you off coming back to the Costa. “I think the gangs keep to themselves but if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time who knows what could happen.” The Spanish Interior Ministry has pledged to send more police to the affected areas of Andalucia, promising the Costa will ‘not be dominated by narcos’. However, for both residents and holidaymakers alike, it is hoped that this will not be too little, too late. “It is too big an enemy, it’s like a seven-headed serpent – no matter how often you cut one (head) off, a new one grows,” laments the Mayor of La Linea, Juan Franco, shaking his head. “We are alarmed, disgusted, we feel hopeless and abandoned.” *Names have been changed to protect identities.

Download our app now and begin enjoying the best Spanish www.diningsecretsofandalucia.com news on the go.

The Olive Press TOP for news in Spain! www.allaboutandalucia.com

Useful numbers EMERGENCIES Ambulance/ Fire brigade/ Police 112 Local police 092 Medical 061 Fire 080 Guardia civil 062

Airport Malaga - 952 048 844* *For English press 9 Gibraltar00350 22073026

Granada - Jaen 958 245 200 Jerez - 956 150 000 Sevilla 954 449 000

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

Do you have a what’s on?

www.gibraltarolivepress.com Send your information to newsdesk@theolivepress.es

what’s on

nnual Alzheimer’s & Dementia Bake Sale, April 7

DELICIOUS baked goods will be sold in the Piazza to raise money for the Gibraltar Alzheimer's & Dementia Society. A raffle will also be held.

t Andrews Craft & Collectors Fair, April 7

A COLLECTION of Gibraltar’s best antiques will be on sale at St Andrews Church from 102pm. It is £1 to attend the fair with all proceeds going to the Church Restoration Fund.

eak Classic Fitness Competition, April 14

FANCY yourself as a gym fanatic? You can enter the Rock’s premier bodybuilding competition in one of over twenty classes. Entry costs £22.50 for the contest at John Mackintosh Hall.

osom Buddies Cancer Trust Tea Party, April 17

MARY Kay beauticians will be holding a makeup demonstration while you enjoy tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches and cakes. Tickets cost £6 for adults, £3 for children for the event at Calpe Rowing Club.

la cultura campo

March 28th - April 10th 2018

SOCIALMEDIA March 28th - April 10th 2018

OlivePressNewspaper

olivepress olivepressnews

Spilling the royal beans?

+TheolivepressEs

BE ‘APPY!

Novel by Queen Letizia’s ex could be a kiss-and-tell Queen Letizia's ex-husband has penned a romance that could be based on his real-life relationship with the Spanish royal. Alonso Guerrero Perez, 55, from Alcalá de Henares, Spain, has published El Amor De Penny Robinson (The Love of Penny Robinson) as a fictional

book. But the novel tells the story of a man with the same name as the author who is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when his exwife becomes queen. The hero even describes how he took a nude snap of his first love, Laura, a character be-

London bests Barca LONDON has been named the second best tourist destination in the world by TripAdvisor. The UK capital came second only to Paris in the tenth annual Travellers’ Choice awards for destinations. Rome was hot on its heels in third place, with tropical Bali fourth. But the Big Apple fell from top-of-the-tree fifth place to tenth in the ratings. Crete, Barcelona, Prague, Marrakech and Istanbul – which come in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively – all ranked above New York. The awards are based on millions of reviews and opinions from users on TripAdvisor.

lieved to be based on Letizia. Letizia married high school teacher Alonso, nine years her senior, in 1998 following a 10year romance. They first met when the future Spanish queen was just 16. They got hitched in a civil ceremony in the town of Almendralejo, Badajoz, but divorced the following year. The former journalist, now 45, met husband-to-be Felipe in 2002, while she was working for popular TV channel 24 Horas. They announced their engagement just a year later. But Letizia's status as a divorcee caused controversy in Spain ahead of the royal wedding, thrusting Alonso into the spotlight. In his novel the male protagonist falls in love with two women - Laura and Nené. Both characters are thought to be based on Letizia although it is Nené who becomes Queen. According to Royal Central, Alonso has previously told Spanish media how his relationship with Letizia 'has neither benefited nor harmed me'.

DANCE DANCE: Jamiroquai coming to Download our app Spain now and

Blow your mind

begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go.

JAMIROQUAI will be bringing their Love FooThe Olivelosophy Pressto Marbella this summer as part of the anStarlite festival. TOP for newsnual in Spain! The Return of the Space Cowboy band will take NOVEL: Fact or fiction? to the stage on July 22 in Letizia married Felipe in 2004 what will be one of the in a lavish ceremony at Ma- most popular concerts drid’s Almudena Cathedral. The this year. royal couple have two school- They will join Sting, age daughters. James Blunt, and a range She was allowed to marry in the Catholic Church as her previous of Spanish-language permarriage had been a civil cer- formers at the festival, which runs throughout emony. Despite her popularity today, a July and August. 2005 book suggested King Juan This year’s festival, the Carlos considered the former seventh so far, will take journalist a threat to Spain’s place at the Auditorio de la Cantera de Nagüeles. royal household.

Next Generation Radio...

Mix 106 playing all the best music ever made on one frequency from Gibraltar to Nerja Listen to Mix 106 on 106 fm; via the Radio Mix 106 App from Google Play; online at www.radiomix106.com; on the TuneIn App; Best TV Channel 195; Kodi; and most other popular radio platforms. • • • • •

Great Music Local News What’s On on the Costa del Sol and Gibraltar International News Business and Showbiz News

Visit and like our Facebook Page and join our Facebook Group for news on the local and international music scene, great competitions and features including an opportunity to win 2 tickets to see Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium on 15th June 2018! Tel: (+34) 856 830 003 | studio@radiomix106.com www.radiomix106.com

Mijas

www.gibraltarolivepress.com ll about

Vol: 12

Issue 288

www.theolivepress.es

What a gem

Auto Quick

C/ Fuengirola 2 (Bajo Gasolinera BP)

9am - 6pm Mon-Fri Tel: 952 493 997

29649 Mijas Costa www.autoquick.es

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Service

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Polished Mijas pueblo shines bright like a diamond, casting its brilliance the length of the Costa del Sol, writes Iona Napier

HE classic Spanish hilltop town known police. from Chelsea to China for its choco- Mijas is flaunting a €4.7 million renovation late box charm nails the which saw the main square quaint-small-town vibe transformed beyond recogniat just a stone’s throw from Mijas is flaunting tion, with 70% coming direct the coast. from the European kitty. a €4 million Discovered by the globe’s And the ways to get around more bohemian artists and makeover which are myriad, from the two writers in the 1950s and 60s, dozen burro-taxis (€10 on a it was immortalised in Ron- saw its main square saddle, €15 in a carriage) to ald Fraser’s 1973 book, The the white stallions bearing transformed Pueblo, and continues to cast Cinderella-style carriages. a spell on visitors today. Set just up above the square, And it’s still improving on Tuk-Tuk Spain is coming to perfection, ramping up attractions that go the end of its third year and has been a mabeyond the famous donkey taxis, colourful jor draw for thrill-seekers and anyone lack tourist tuk-tuks and zippy Segway-mounted Continues on Page 9

e c i v Ser

Opening times: 9am - 6pm Mon-Fri Tel: 952 493 997 Mob: 629 270 222 Email: info.autoquick@gmail.com C/ Fuengirola 2 (Bajo Gasolinera BP) 29649 Mijas Costa (Malaga) www.autoquick.es

10 10

Mijas

ll about www.gibraltarolivepress.com

From Page 10

ing the stamina to scale hilly Mijas. From the burro stables you can see what looks like a massive boulder to most newbies. The Ermita de la Virgen de la Pena is, in fact, an endearingly unpretentious little chapel. Forget the checked tiles of Notre Dame or the Sagrada Familia’s spiky, bejewelled interior. The hermitage was hollowed out by a single Carmelite monk in the 17th century. Outside, a stone gargoyle spouts water into a grand font. Inside, the candle light, bumpy floor, six ornate gold benches, fresh flowers and a small exhibition are a real treat. Leaving the chapel, I see a pair of paleskinned Japanese tourists huddled on a bench hollowed out of rock, using Al fresco dining the an umbrella to is the norm here protect themfrom with not a table selves the late-March deluge. free near the Al fresco dinMirador ing is the norm here, with usually - not a table free near the Mirador del Compas, where you can dine to the musical swoosh of water - provided by the charming fountain, not Handel! “It may be busy today but Mijas is popular all year round, like diamonds,” confides Francisco, a nut seller who has lived in the town all his life. Rightly, he capitalises on the buzz to flog his delicious candied almonds which give me renewed strength to hit the ground running. Mijas is designed for its multicultural tourist scene – with around 20,000 foreign residents and many, many more visitors. Signs

March 28th - April 10th 2018

EQUINE THRILLS: Taking stirrup cup at the feria and (left) street scene

HILLTOP HIDEOUT

appear in English and there is even an impressive machine vending t-shirts, maps and guides after trading hours. Welcome to the future, I chuckle. And yet the human reception is second to none. Carmen in the Tourist Office, who

hails from Valencia, gives me the inside track on just about everything in immaculate English. In fact she offers maps and info in an incredible 16 languages! Treats include free flamenco in the main square every Wednesday and Saturday

at noon, weather permitting, rivalling any you’ll see at Sevilla’s tobacco factory or in Granada’s celebrated caves. Let’s not forget the countryside. There are beautiful hiking trails waiting to be explored. Sign up for ‘senderismo’ at the tour-

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

11 11

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Mijas by numbers

- Picasso’s ceramic works in the Contemporary Arts Centre Mijas (CAC Mijas), the second most important collection of this kind in the world.

50%

- ratio of male to female residents.

2,920

- hours of sunshine per year (243 days of solid sunshine)

ist office for any one (or all) of three weekly routes. Multilingual guides lead groups of up to 30 around paths of varying difficulty – an energetic and sociable affair. “The biggest reason Mijas draws people in is because we are close to the biggest Costa towns yet a typical Andalucian pueblo blanco which people love, complete with donkeys and mountains,” explains Carmen. “While the centre of town is beautifully preserved, we are moving forward and modernising on the outskirts within easy reach of the coast.” Get a free town walking map that emcompasses the key sites in a leisurely two hour stroll – providing you don’t make too many wateringhole stops. Several museums and plazas are worth a look-in, in particular, the oval-shaped bullring built in 1900 and the main town museum, adorned with speciality esparto products and fabulous photos. On top of this is the intriguing miniatures museum, squeezed into a conspicuous yellow caravan, as well as the handsome town hall. Rest your weary legs in the tranquil Plaza de los Siete Canos and poke a nose inside the eighteenth-century Ermita de Nuestra Senora de los Remedios before circuiting back to central Plaza de la Libertad via Calle Larga del Palmar and Calle San Sebastian. The latter is ‘officially’ the pueblo’s prettiest street and houses much of Canadian businessman Thomas Weller’s restaurant empire, including Aroma Café & Secret Garden, Meguinez, and the Mariposa shop (Bana Bana and Latitud 36 are elsewhere). Softly-spoken Weller can often be seen tearing between his numerous establishments. Bana Bana won Mijas’ top tapas award in 2015 for the second year running, thanks to head chef Txelo’s daffy duck confit and truffle milhojas with lemon ice cream! There are tapas haunts and restaurants to suit every taste and budget in Mijas, while the open air auditorium becomes a great concert venue, often hosting tribute acts in the summer.

flower pots damaged during road works will be restored.

150,000

Japanese tourists visit Mijas each year.

6,000

Brits are registered as living in Mijas.

1,476

Every local I meet seems to have lived here colours – the sign of a true española – was their whole life: sun-shrivelled Antonio, similarly smitten. who cannot remember his own age, “I went to Liverpool to study languages as my clutches my arm enthusiastically to mum did,” says the 34-year-old who is a perlead me to the art museum while fect example of the cosmopolitan population telling me about how town has in Mijas. “But I came back here to raise my changed. daughter; it is the most wonderWe pass bouful place.” tiques, delis and a A cool glass of tinto de verano A cool glass of baking dynasty that later and I feel so welcomed by has been going since Mijas Pueblo’s residents that I’m tinto de verano 1904, with grandreluctant to get back in the drivlater and I feel son Francisco now in ing seat and head for the coast charge. so welcomed by to the municipality’s ‘other half’ It’s easy to fall in love - Mijas Costa. Mijas pueblo with this enchanting But the welcome in La Cala is pueblo. At a zapateria, equally warm – restaurateurs, fresh-faced shoe-seller professionals and locals are all Celia recalls how her Liverpool mother itching to tell me about their slice of paradise met an Andalusian in Ibiza in the 60s, by the beach. married him, moved to Mijas and Be it a Sauvignon Blanc in Olivia’s - run by never left. TOWIE star Elliott Wright - or a pint of GuinShoe fetishist Nikki, who ness at Biddy Mulligan’s - run by Davey from has pairs of alpargatas (es- Ireland - there is somewhere for everyone to padrilles) in more than 30 sit back and unwind.

feet above ground - Mijas pueblo’s location ensures hot summers and mild winters.

82,184 tion of Mijas.

- popula-

Joe Bayley KITCHENS BEDROOMS BATHROOMS SALES | MANAGEMENT LONG & SHORT TERM RENTALS tel: (+34) 952 939 116 CC El Zoco, Local 83 & 84 Sitio de Calahonda

CAPTION: Liti test voluptinis et pa in re non praten

4,000

EMBLEMATIC: The ancient bullring held its first fight in 1900, when ‘esparto’ knitting was big business

WWW.DIRECTESTATES.COM

C/Fuengirola 6, 29649 La Cala Mijas Costa tel: 951 401 695 mob: 639 727 188 www.joebayley.com joe@joebayley.com

Breakfast, Lunch & Snacks Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm Sat: 9am-3pm Calle de Los Adarves, El Zoco, 29649 Mijas

12 12

Mijas

ll about www.gibraltarolivepress.com

March 28th - April 10th 2018

EVOCATIVE: A magical surprise awaits diners at the Secret Garden

DYNAMOS: Thomas and Hugo at Secret Garden

JON CLARKE meets expats Thomas and Hugo, the key restaurateurs of Mijas Pueblo

T is around the world in a dozen flavours for Thomas Weller and Hugo German most days of the week. Everything from langoustines to Argentinian steaks and osso bucco to sushi, the pair have to keep their taste buds sharpened at all times. With half a dozen restaurants between them in Mijas, not to mention quite a few shops and another eaterie in Fuengirola, they are certainly never short of a meal! It all started in 2004, when Argentinian Hugo, 55, first arrived in Mijas pueblo, via a short stint in Mallorca. An engineer by trade, the father-of-three moved from Buenos Aires during the deep 1990s recession, looking to make a new life in Spain. He had soon found his vocation working with fellow expat Thomas, 46, helping the Canadian entrepreneur build and kit out a series of shops in Mijas pueblo. But things took a turn for the new when they found a hidden overgrown garden in the heart of the pueblo and knew instinctively what to do. Clearing out the brambles and rubbish, they shipped

Secret of s

NEW ORDER: Hugo at his new joint la Cucine di Nico

in tables and turned it into a tea rooms with tapas and waited for the world to beat a trail to their front door. But it wasn’t until they changed the concept to an Argentinian-style bbq three years later that Aroma Cafe & Secret Garden started to make money. “It was a very tough few early years,” explains Hugo. “And it wasn’t until we got the concept right that things started to work.

CUCINA ITALIANA Avenida del Compás, 18. Mijas Pueblo 952 59 07 46

“Finally we created the bbq out of a recycled staircase and suddenly it went wild.” Since then they have invested more and more in the remarkable gardens, which are a must-visit, if only for a glass of wine or coffee. “We wanted to create a sensation, something visual, not just a place to eat,” adds Thomas, who first arrived in Europe in the 1990s as a ski rep in the Alps.

The pair have since opened two more restaurants together, Meguinez Grapevine Patio in 2013 and Latitud 36 fish restaurant in 2014, with Canadian Thomas opening a tapas bar Tapintxos last year and a new Italian restaurant trattoria this year (which used to be Bana Bana). Thomas himself is known for quite a few firsts of his own, co-pioneering the Costa del Sol’s first ever sushi

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

March 28th - April 10th 2018

13 13

March 28th - April 10th 2018

success

OASIS: The pond in the Secret Garden, while (right) Hugo shows off his BBQ skills in the kitchen and (inset left) Latitud 36

bar in 1998 and creating his own eco-cosmetic company Weller Ecology, which sells from his three shops in the town. A new one has also just opened in Ronda, with others in the pipeline around Spain. He collectively employs around 60 local workers and is constantly on the move, looking to improve his products and restaurants. “All our places offer good food, good service and sim-

ple, good ingredients. It seems to be a winning formula,” he explains. He had only come across Mijas by chance on a break from the Alps and quickly spotted a gap in the market and had the gumption to go for it. “We have been really lucky,” says modest Weller, who gets his cosmetics made between workshops in Madrid and San Sebastian.

“Mijas’ culinary scene is getting more and more exciting all the time. When I arrived here 20 years ago, there were a lot of over-priced places and very little quality. We have helped to change that.” He initially set up a photography company on the coast, taking pictures of golfers and golf courses, and opened his first boutique, Mariposa, in 2001, a little shop that now nestles among the two further boutiques nearby. “The key to everything is being different. We’re always looking for new designers, products and names that don’t exist here yet,” he explains. He continues: “I remember being terrified at the idea of spending 75,000 pesetas (€450 euros) a month on a shop. It seemed like a huge amount of money at the time,” he continues. Following the success of ‘Mariposa’, Weller opened the largest candle shop on the coast nearby and then a shop selling handbags and costume jewellery. He puts his ability to run so many businesses in one place down to being able to walk between them and his excellent team.

“I think it’s good to be involved with lots of very different projects, and to always be taking on something completely different,” he says. “That way, if one thing starts to lapse you can always rely on the others.” Retail in Mijas did take a hit during the recession, but Weller maintains that across his businesses ‘we were too busy for the crisis’. He said: “We have been so busy throughout it here on the Costa, we have been very privileged but, of course, feel terrible for those who have been going through difficult times.” Weller insists he rarely makes concrete plans for the future, putting his success down to being fortunate with timing and working incredibly hard... “Mijas is the best place on the Costa del Sol,” he said. “I’m very proud to say that this little town stood up strong in the crisis, because of everything that it is. “And despite the waves of foreigners that come and go, Mijas hasn’t lost its soul or character. It’s still just the same as when I first arrived.”

Todos los martes Every Tuesday

CUALQUIER PIZZA A ELEGIR DE NUESTRO MENÚ ANY PIZZA FROM OUR MENU También para llevar Also to take away

14 14

Mijas

ll about www.gibraltarolivepress.com

March 28th - April 10th 2018

OUR MAN IS HAPPY: Ambassador Simon drops in

Joffrey Charles is the true Gallic star of the coast, writes Jon Clarke

ADONNA, Prince Charles and Kate Moss have already tasted a little bit of Joffrey. As has the British ambassador, who popped in for lunch with a trio of local mayors on a whistlestop trip to Mijas this month. But now everyone can sample the delights of French chef Joffrey Charles de Saint Georges (to use his grand full name) who is now in his second year in Mijas. Classy Joffrey’s Las Mimosas is the realisation of a dream for the 28-year-old maestro, who has royal roots from Normandy, alongside his vivacious former TV star partner, Lisa Burgess. It is already becoming the talk of La Cala thanks to Joffrey’s artistic flair and culinary passion. “It’s something we’ve always wanted

Oh la la La Cala

ATTENTION TO DETAIL: Joffrey and (left) with Lisa

to do together,” explains Lisa, who was the fashion expert for TV3’s Ireland AM for a decade. “Joffrey has been working as a chef since he was 15 in some of the best restaurants around Europe, includ-

ing spells in Val D’Isere, Dublin and London. “He cooked for Prince Charles at a party of his in London and for Madonna and Kate Moss in Corsica. “What Joffrey does is food art. His dish-

es look beautiful and he is so passionate about what he does.” The pair met at a friend’s chalet in Mont Blanc, deciding to head to the sun after a successful stint in Dublin. “Joffrey had been working at the city’s fine dining restaurant Marcel’s but wanted to be his own boss, as did I after 10 years working for TV. So we decided to throw ourselves into the fire. “We looked at many different destinations, from South Africa to France. The only thing we knew we wanted was somewhere in the sunshine. “When we came to Spain we actually looked at Marbella first but when we came to La Cala fell in love with it straight away. “It’s very up and coming and is only 25 minutes from Malaga.” They acquired their spot two years ago, which is now almost completely unrecognisable from its previous guise as an old working men’s cafe. Since opening last Spring their reputation has blossomed. “We’ve just

been growing naturally by word of mouth,” continues Lisa. And things really started to move when they became TV stars, appearing in Channel 4’s A New Life in the Sun last month, with Lisa describing setting up a restaurant in Spain as ‘like going three rounds with Mike Tyson’. Since it first aired their reservations have gone through the roof and they are now having to regularly turn away dozens of diners each weekend. “I had to turn 20 away last Sunday which was really upsetting,” says Lisa. “So make sure to book early.” They are doing a set lunch nowadays at 20 euros, as well as various events including a Royal Wedding special (practically sold out), and a series of wine tasting lunches, plus a seven-course degustation menu. Visit joffreyslasmimosas.com

Contemporary fine dining

OPEN: Wednesday to Sunday 1-4pm for a 2 Course Lunch €20 & Tuesday to Saturday 6.30-10.30pm for A La Carte Dinner

tel: 952 493 909 or 658 748 919 reservations@joffreyslasmimosas.com | Plenty of parking available outside restaurant Urbanización las Mimosas, 3A, La Cala De Mijas, 29649 Mijas, Málaga | www.joffreyslasmimosas.com Joffrey Charles is a French chef born and raised in Normandy. He has worked, for the past decade, in fine dining restaurants in Mont Saint Michel, Val D’Isere, Corsica, Dublin and London. Joffrey recently featured in a 2018 Channel 4 programme about his cuisine & opening a restaurant in Spain.

Mijas

ll about www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Fit for a king

Off the beaten track

MANUEL Leal, owner of Auto Quick, has mechanics in his blood. When other children were on holiday, Manuel was in the garage helping his dad. It was inevitable then that he would set up his own company, which he did 22 years ago, and customers from those early days still continue to return. Starting from humble beginnings, with a mattress on the floor so he could offer a 24 hours service, his dedication to providing the best service has not waned. He now boasts a team of seven highly skilled staff, whose passion keeps Auto Quick growing from strength to strength. Anything and everything to do with cars, can be dealt with, from registration to punctures to purchasing. Priding themselves on trust and living by the words ‘no job is too big or small’ has given Manuel some interesting stories. During the Granada to Morocco section of the Dakar Rally a few years ago, one of the racer’s Fenders broke down. Manuel immediately put his expertise to good use and fixed it using parts from his family’s Range Rover, so they could continue the very next day. And he once rescued King Fahd of Saudi Arabia’s luxury motorhome from Aloha when it broke down in the middle of the night. So if you need motoring services fit for a king, call visit autoquick.es or call 952 49 39 97.

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Bedder than the rest

Discover Mijas Pueblo’s rocky mountain highs

ONKEYS and tuk tuks transport visi- Mijas. Rising to a height of 1,150 metres, tors through the vertiginous streets the view is jaw dropping. of the village but it would be a crime Another trail leads to the Ermita de Calvario to visit Mijas without (hermitage), perched among venturing into the surroundpine groves on the mountain ing hills by Shanks's Pony, aka side. your own two feet. Walkers can read up on the Rising to a height Seven well-signposted routes history of these enchanting of 1,150 metres, surroundings via information deliver picturesque countryside and birds-eye perspecpanels along the routes. the view is jaw tives of the Costa del Sol and Guided walking tours are stunning inland mountains. also occasionally offered and dropping Totalling 19 kilometres in can be booked at the tourist length, it is easy to traverse information centre in Plaza more than one multi-ability linVirgen de la Pena. ear route in a day, and all can be accessed This is also the place to pick up a route map on foot from the village. for your own self-guided journey of discovAdrenalin junkies come to scale the Pico de ery.

AT The Bed Warehouse, we have over 40 years of experience in giving people the comfort they deserve at a price they can afford! Having previously owned our own successful bed company in the UK in which we manufactured our own beds on site; we can assist you in finding the ideal bed for YOU. We have now been established in Spain and Portugal for 10 years and as well as supplying other retail shops, you can buy direct from the warehouse at unbeatable prices! We specialise in bankrupt stock; supplying top name brands such as Sealy, Silentnight and John Lewis at a fraction of the retail price. We also manufacture our own beds, enabling you to ‘design your own bed’ with a wide range of colours, fabrics and headboards to choose from. All of our beds are from the UK and follow standard UK sizes- we specialise in Superking size and can even have beds and mattresses made to specific measurements. If you can imagine it, we can create it! We also provide top-quality bedding, pillows and mattress toppers in all standard British sizes. But that’s not all! We supply the best quality solid oak household furniture. All products come ready assembled, are 100% solid hardwood and made only using the finest cuts of timber – no chipboard, mdf or veneer! With 25 individual ranges, from traditional rustic to contemporary, you are sure to find the ideal surroundings for your home! And the best part? No skyhigh shipping costs! We also supply a wide range of British sofas from popular brands such as DFS, Next and Sofaworks. From electric recliners to luxury corner units and sofa beds, we have something to suit all tastes and budgets. We have the largest amount of stock on the coast-so no need to wait! Delivery can be as soon as the same day! We supply the retail shops, so cut out the middleman and visit The Bed Warehouse directly to SAVE MONEY NOW!

THE BED WAREHOUSE BRITISH BEDS, SOFAS & SOLID OAK FURNITURE

✔TOP BRITISH BRAND NAME STOCK ✔ALL BED SIZES INCLUDING SUPERKING ✔LUXURY BRITISH SOFAS ✔SUPERIOR SOLID OAK HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE

to Manilva Pueblo

N340 Sotogrande

NEW OUTLET

San Luis de Sabinillas

THE BED WAREHOUSE

Km 145 Estepona

Edf el Mero, San Luis de Sabinillas, No 104-1a, Calle Pio Baroja (opposite Repsol petrol station, next to Arenal Wellness centre)

15 15

✔BEDDING, PILLOWS AND MATTRESS TOPPERS ✔‘DESIGN YOUR OWN’ SERVICE ✔NEXT DAY DELIVERY ✔UNBEATABLE PRICES ✔DIRECT FROM THE WAREHOUSE

Tel: Emma (+34) 634 187 700 or email: bedwarehousespain@hotmail.com The Bed Warehouse Showroom Local 66-69, Centro Comercial El Zoco, Calahonda

www.bedwarehousespain.com

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

ON EY *

March 28th - April 10th 2018

CA N

9 SA 0 VE % M

PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

Save money on your electricity and get your bill and customer service in English Call +34 916 358 626 Energy Nordic is your English-speaking electricity supplier in Spain. Everything we say and write to you will be in clear, direct English. Should you have any questions, you will always have an English-speaking customer service team ready to assist you. Quite simple! We have an office in Fuengirola and you are always very welcome to drop by. Find out more at energynordic.com

*At the moment 9 out of 10 can save money on their energy bill if they switch to Energy Nordic (based on our current customer profile)

Energy Nordic S.L. C/San Pancracio 18 29640 Fuengirola +34 916 358 626 energynordic.com

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

SOCIALMEDIA

Business

www.gibraltarolivepress.com OlivePressNewspaper

olivepress

17 17

March 28th - April 10th 2018

olivepressnews

Girl +TheolivepressEs power BE ‘APPY!

Data with destiny GIBRALTAR will introduce important new data protection regulation in May which companies must adhere to to continue to practice. The rules include appointing staff to ensure data protection compliance, easier rights of access to data and notifying data

A STUDY will examine whether women in Gibraltar are given equal status in business on the Rock. The report was anPassengers our app now and nounced atDownload the International Women’s Day meal begin enjoying the best Spanish flying solo with at Bistro Point bythe Women news on go. budget carrier in Business. It forms part of their ef- Ryanair forts to adhere to this year’s International despite booking Women’s Day theme of together ‘Press for Progress’. The government also PASSENGERS have been left used the meal as an op- outraged after Ryanair douportunity The to Olive remind Press bled the cost of reserving a women looking to get standard seat. budget airline is raisinto business thatnews they in The TOP for Spain! offer a mentoring scheme ing the price from £2 to £4, which provides advice to meaning families could be charged £20 extra per holiwomen starting out. day just to sit together.

Accuse

EQUAL RIGHTS: Ladies night

March 28th - April 10th 2018

breaches to individuals. Produced by the Gibraltar Regulation Authority, the rules reflect the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. The rules will apply to both private and public firms.

Double trouble

Ryanair has also increased the price of its extra legroom seats from £11 to £15, as revealed by Money Saving Expert. It comes as British holidaymakers accuse the budget airline of purposefully splitting up groups and families so that they pay the extra fee to have seats together.

Gen02.pdf 1 16/10/2012 08:39:43

CMY

Dozens of passengers have complained about the policy, including one party of 20 golfers who were flying from the UK to Spain. According to one of the group, three people paid for legroom and the remaining 17 were all placed in middle seats. Last year, a hen party was sat in 15 different rows, despite checking in four days ahead of their flight.

WINNERS: Gib girls

Tech teens A GROUP of tech-savvy Gibraltarian girls stunned the UK after winning a coveted national cyber security award. The so-called ‘Super Girls’ from Westside School triumphed in the ‘CyberCenturion’ competition which tests competitors on how best they are able to secure an underthreat computer. The girls, Eliza Triay, Katerina Zagurova, Alexandra Lester, Lily Jaques and Ritika Melwani are aged between just 15 and 17 and surely have a bright future ahead of them. Their prize is an all-expenses paid trip to the United States where they will meet with leading cyber security experts. It was a successful day’s competition for Gibraltar, with two teams from Bayside School also finishing in the top ten of the boys’ competition.

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

lockhead

By Christopher Cousins of Igniteratings.com

Asset Ratings - Then, Now and Why ICOs need them In a new mini-series the CEO of Ignite Ratings, Chris Cousins, will explain why asset ratings are such an integral part of the global financial system I’m often surprised how many people ask me why asset ratings are important in crypto. The fact is that asset ratings make the financial world go round, and you probably would struggle to buy anything without a credit rating, how so? Well, think about the last time you asked your bank for some form of credit, no doubt they will want to know how they are getting paid back. Thus, to answer that question you are usually presented with a pile of paperwork to complete. The bank also wants to be updated on your financial position and future business prospects. No one gets so much as a credit card without this; however, most don’t notice because it’s the credit rating agencies who keep tabs, usually without you ever knowing. (unless you are one of the types that likes to check their score every month) Nearly all consumers, businesses, and governments have a credit rating, and if they have bad rating they don’t get loans. This begs the question, who is rating ICOs? To understand why this is so important, let’s evaluate several major financial failures over the next few weeks as they all have a common theme. The Medici Bank- Riches to broke… Credit is not a new invention- it has existed since the beginning of time, but the bank of Medici developed it into what we know of today (and built the beautiful city of Florence on the back of it). The Medici Bank was the HSBC equivalent of the day, they had branches across Europe. The Medici Bank developed letters of credit which

FINTECH

March 28th -March April 10th 28th2018 - April 10th 2018

Landmark ICO paper The government paper has provided more information on the upcoming ICO laws

are strikingly similar to a traveller’s cheque. This was developed so that merchants could avoid carrying around bags of gold when travelling for trade. It was a truly innovative product which allowed the bank to become one of the strongest in Europe. The Medici’s had a simple system of credit assessment — the bank manager controlled this process entirely. The manager would simply lend to anyone that appeared to be rich and successful, rather than performing an analysis, or due diligence, on capacity the borrower’s ability to repay. What was the result? The Medici bank failed in one location after another until it went bankrupt. They ruled banking but in the end due to bad credit controls died a slow death. In short it was impossible to monitor every borrower’s situation until it was too late.

THE Gibraltarian government has published details of its Initial Coin Offering (ICO) legislation in a white paper. It explains that as ICOs are speculative and risky the government must regulate the industry. It is hoped Gibraltar can con-

tinue to attract leading fintech firms in the knowledge that their business interests are protected by law. The white paper revealed companies operating in Gibraltar will have to disclose ‘adequate information’ about their business practice and authorised

Eastern promise THE first ever fintech co-operation agreement between two territories has been signed between Gibraltar and Hong Kong. The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and the Hong Kong Insurance Authority will collaborate on regulation. It is hoped by working together and sharing expertise they can provide a safer environment for businesses operating out of their jurisdictions. “Hong Kong is a major economy in the region and at the leading edge of technological developments and Gibraltar’s recent moves with its new legislative programme on fintech has proved an attractive proposition to a number of firms based here,” said Minister for Commerce, Albert Isola. The memorandum was signed during a recent visit by Isola and his team to several territories in Asia.

sponsors must comply with relevant knowledge and experience criteria. Authorised sponsors must also enter into a public register where their activity can be monitored to ensure they comply with the Proceeds of Crimes Act 2015. The law is expected to come into practice this Summer. “The publication of the white paper is a further and important step in the development of the regulatory environment we are creating for the new technology sector generally,” said the Minister for Commerce, Albert Isola. “We are aware of and sensitive to concerns expressed to us with regard to the ICO space and have worked with the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and the DLT Working Group to put in place regulations, complimentary to the DLT Regulatory Framework, specifically covering token sales.” An ICO is a form of generating capital through the sale of tokens or virtual coins which are created by using Distributed Ledger Technology and are typically carried out by startups.

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

SOCIALMEDIA

Property

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

OlivePressNewspaper olivepress

BE ‘APPY!

New 150-apartment block seeks green light to begin construction A

15-storey

apartment

Download our app now and block in the North District enjoying the best Spanish is awaiting final planning BOOM: begin For Spain permission. news on the go.

Google knows all

The Hub, set to be built on Shackleton Road, will contain 150 apartments as well as a gym, TV and games room on its first floor. The developers, Tylee Properties, say the homes will interest first time The Olive Press SPANISH property sales will buyers, divorcees, returnincrease by 8% this year, at ing students and non-loTOP forGoogle news prein Spain! least that’s what cals working on the Rock. dicts. CaixaBank researchers have used Google Trends to show the popularity of internet searches such as ‘buy flat’ or ‘buy flat in Barcelona’ to predict how healthy the 2018 cycle will be. While the amount of searches has been lower than last year - which saw a 14.6% rise in property sales - experts have predicted an 8% rise in purchases nationally, and a 10% rise in hotspots Barcelona and Madrid.

Trends

The use of Google search data has been described as opening up a ‘new paradigm for the forecasting of real estate trends.’ Being able to more accurately predict changes in house purchase trends before these actually happen could improve the capacity of housing supply to react to changes in demand, experts say.

March 28th - April 10th 2018

olivepressnews +TheolivepressEs

Hub inches closer

Exciting

“A stepping stone for young and old who can’t get on the housing list – there is a need for developers like us with new concepts that are being used all over Europe,” said a spokesperson from Tylee. The project received backing from the Development and Planning Commission last November. It is an exciting time to be a prospective homeowner in Gibraltar with sales of apartments in another luxury complex set to commence in April.

HIGH HOPES: First flats

The EuroCity development will see 366 flats made available in three separate buildings in the Europort area. They have been designed by award-winning British architect Jonathan Maus-

er, while the gardens are being created by Chelsea Flower Show winner Andy Sturgeon. “The Gibraltar property market has remained robust, with little sign of faltering in the face of Brexit uncertainty,” said Mike Nicholls, of Chestertons, who is handling the initial sales. “Gibraltar is seen as an attractive, safe haven for high net-worth individuals and property investors alike and we expect this appeal to grow as projects like EuroCity come to fruition.”

Villas & Fincas is urgently looking for Quality Properties for clients Country Villas – Beach Villas – Equestrian Vineyards – Olive Farms – Cortijos In the area of: La Herradura, La Punta De La Mona, Casares, Estepona, Inland Sotogrande, Gaucin, Ronda, Jimena, El Cuarton, Tarifa, Vejer de la Frontera, Caños de Meca, Atlanterra, Zahara de los Atunes or large cortijos inland Andalucia Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 5 m² Built: 350m² Plot m²: 1.200 Garden: Private Pool: Private

BENALUP – 850.000 €

Ref. Nr. 186-00728P

CASAS VIEJAS, LOVELY COUNTRY VILLA

Villas & Fincas | Casares Property Agent Ctra. de Casares s/n, 29690 Casares Malaga SPAIN Phone: + 34 952 895 139 Mobile: +34 636 546 796 E-mail: info@villasfincas.com

www.villasfincas.com

Pay up! SOME 136,000 property owners who have advertised on sites like Airbnb have been sent a warning from Spain’s treasury. It comes after the Hacienda began investigating sites including HomeAway and Wimdu for rental incomes not being declared by Spanish property owners. In a notice sent out to landlords it said: “According to the data available to the Tax Agency , you have made announcements of rental of real estate in different advertising media, including the internet.We remind you that, in case of having received rental income, they must be included in the declaration.”

Pioneers & experts in Spanish off-plan property claims according to banks liabilities – under ley 57/1968 NO WIN NO FEE FIRST DIBS: Sea views

Join the club SUBSCRIBERS of Gibraltar Property News have been given the first opportunity to reserve one of the spectacular new apartments to be built in Marina Bay. The ‘Marina Club’ will feature 144 apartments in five detached three-storey buildings accessed by a landscaped pier. 40 apartments have already been reserved and the development will be opened to the public after GPN subscribers. A range of studio, one and two bedroom waterside flats are available with rooftop tropical gardens and pools available to every occupant. The apartments are only available for private landlords and will carry a 15 year restriction on owner occupancy.

SPAIN Calle Regino Martínez 30, 3Âº, 11201 Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain Tel. +34 956 092 687 | Fax. +34 956 092 697 UNITED KINGDOM Unit 2, Cochran Close, Crownhill Industry, Milton Keynes, MK8 0AJ, United Kingdom Facebook: costaluzlawyers Twitter: costaluzlawyers

web@costaluzlawyers.es www.costaluzlawyers.es

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

HEALTH

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

SOCIALMEDIA March 28th - April 10th 2018

OlivePressNewspaper

olivepress

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Green light for cerebral palsy THE Gibraltar castle was lit up in green last weekend in support of a cerebral palsy awareness campaign. The official endorsement of the campaign also saw a fun stand held outside the ICC on Saturday, and a walk from the Piazza to Casemates on Sunday. Organiser Tanya Wilkinson said: “We are trying to raise as much awareness as possible as there is a void in Gibraltar with supporting families like us. The awareness campaign is aimed at educating people that children and adults living with CP come in all types and in some cases not all disabilities are visual. “My daughter Aimie Mills has hymaplegia cerebral palsy which effects her right side, and often people can think she is being awkward, for example she relies on a bannister for going up and down stairs and people coming the opposite way will look horrified that she won’t move out of the way. “People must be aware that all disabilities are not physical.”

Kids are alright

olivepressnews +TheolivepressEs

BE ‘APPY!

An overhaul of the healthcare system in Gibraltar will see a new paediatric centre and Primary Care Centre built A NEW children’s healthcare centre will be built at St Bernard’s Hospital after extensive consultation with medical professionals and parents. The Paediatric Centre will combine treatment for children in one place by offering both primary and secondary outpatient care under its one roof. As part of an exciting healthcare overhaul, it was also announced that a new Primary Care Centre will be built, opening in the

first half of 2019. The new facilities will upgrade ‘good quality healthcare to excellent healthcare’ according to Neil Costa, the Minister of Health. The new paediatric facility will include physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, child and adolescent psychology, audiology and child welfare services. “This is something we have long been wanting to achieve, so this is a huge

Chemsex epidemic

Download our app now and begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go.

SPAIN’S three biggest cities have the highest rates of chemsex in Europe. Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia see the most people using drugs to enhance sexual pleasure than anywhere else Olive on the continent. The Press It is a trend that health experts say can greatly exacerTOPbate forSTD news Spain! andinHIV transmission. It comes after Spanish health experts launched a study called 99 key questions about Chemsex, in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of using illicit labmade drugs to prolong and enhance sex.

Assistance

NEW HOPE: Additional treatment

step forward,” the Chief Minister said. “This is a hugely exciting moment for the public in Gibraltar, I think this is really a giant leap in respect of how we organise primary care and in particular how we look after our children when it comes to their primary contact with healthcare in Gibraltar.” The new Primary Care Centre will retain the daytime opening hours of the current facility with the addition of extra evening clinics between 5-8pm to

cope with periods of increased demand. It is hoped that the new building will allow for more cohesive healthcare provision in Gibraltar. For example, departments including nursing, diabetes, asthma clinics, community physiotherapy and occupational therapy will be placed closer together to allow for greater cooperation. A new ‘walk in’ minor treatment area will also be provided as well as an out of hours GP service.

These include mephedrone, methamphetamine and GHB (Gamma Hydroxibutarate), often added to a cocktail of cocaine, MDMA, poppers and other substances by chemsex participants, and mostly affects the LGBT+ community. “We’re facing an STD epidemic,” Ignacio Pérez, doctor at Madrid’s La Paz University Hospital and author of the study, said. He added that there needed to be a tougher mental health approach, with so far only one assistance unit for chemsex advice in Spain being opened in Barcelona.

Think of the children

Manía, Urb Taraje, 53-75 Camino de Brijan s/n 29680 Estepona, Málaga. Urb Taraje, Mundo 53-75 Camino de Brijan s/n 29680 Estepona, Málaga. Exit CANCELADA on the A7.

WORLDOF OFFUN FUNFOR FOREVERYONE EVERYONE AA WORLD T: (+34) 952 938 173 | info@mundo-mania.com | www.mundo-mania.com

T: (+34) 952 938 173 | info@mundo-mania.com | www.mundo-mania.com

CHILDREN in the UK are among the least healthy in Europe, a new study has found. Undertaken by the Nuffield Trust think-tank, it examined 16 indicators including breastfeeding rates, obesity, life expectancy and birth defects caused by a lack of folic acid. The folic acid birth defect rates were the second highest after France. An average of 12.8 babies out of 10,000 in the UK are born with neural tube defects, which affect the brain, spine or spinal cord. This is three times the rate of Spain where only four babies out of 10,000 are affected and foods are more commonly fortified with folic acid. Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said: “Child health is notably absent from much policy thinking at the moment and we are now falling behind our peers when it comes to several vital measures. It’s time for policymakers to take child health seriously before our somewhat mediocre international standing becomes even worse.” The analysis also found that girls

OBESITY: Cause for concern

born in the UK can expect to live an average of 82.3 years. This was the lowest for the 11 European countries where figures were available, and three years less than a girl born in Spain. For boys in the UK the average life expectancy is 79.2 years, the fourth worst of 11 countries. Meanwhile, obesity rates for girls were the second worst of 15 countries, only behind the US. A total of 29.2% of girls under 18 in the UK are classed as overweight or obese. For boys the figure is slightly lower at 26.1%, and this is the eighth worst.

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

SOCIALMEDIA

Food, drink & travel

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

OlivePressNewspaper olivepress

March 28th - April 10th 2018

with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com

olivepressnews

Best+TheolivepressEs of the best BE ‘APPY!

2121

Marbella hosts world’s best chefs in homage to Basque culinary genius

THE most prestigious international event in gastronomy, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, will be held in Bilbao, País Vasco SOME of the world’s greatest this year. Recognised as the most chefs came together in Marbella Download our app now and sought-after title in the cu- to pay tribute to the father of linary world, the awards begin enjoying the best are SpanishSpanish and Basque cuisine. A Cuatro Manos paid tribute to voted for news by on theinternational go. chefs, restaurateurs, gour- the gastronomy of Juan Mari mands and critics and after Arzak, owner of three Michelinbeing held in Melbourne last starred restaurant Arzak, based year, the 16th edition will re- in San Sebastián. Over five days, Marbella’s own turn to Europe this summer. Kicking off on June 16, the two Michelin-starred chef Dani five day culinary celebration García joined forces with 20 will take place at Palacio Eu- chefs at his eponymous Puente skalduna in the Basque city Romano Hotel restaurant . centre. The Olive Press

Michelin magic

Pioneer

Awards TOP for news in Spain! Now in its fifth year, this stellar The main awards night will gastro gig celebrates innovators be held on Tuesday June 19 who have paved the way for with a red carpet and a glam- modern Spanish cuisine. Arzak opened the event by takorous reception. San Sebastián is known for ing to the stage to conduct the boasting one of the highest Tamborrada de San Sebastián concentrations of Michelin - a traditional anthem perStar restaurants in the world formed every January 20 on and the region is renowned the patron saint day of Donostia - the Basque name for the País for its famous pintxos bars. Since the awards launched Vasco. in 2002, Spanish restau- The 75-year-old’s daughter, rants have won the best in Elena Arzak - named Best Fethe world a staggering seven male Chef in the World in 2012 times, with El Bulli taking and co-owner of Arzak - was the top spot five times and El moved to tears by the procession in her father’s honour. Cellar de Can Roca twice.

STAR: Joan Roca Opening his restaurant in 1966, Arzak’s menus were based on traditional Basque cuisine but offered a personal touch to each

dish as he created them alongside his mother. As the restaurant grew from strength to strength, his repertoire evolved into a food trend dubbed New Basque Cuisine. In 1989 Arzak was awarded his third Michelin star, becoming the second Spanish chef ever to receive the prestigious recognition three times - a standard which he has maintained for nearly three decades. Some 10 years ago he was awarded the Universal Basque Award for ‘adapting gastronomy, one of the most important traditions of the Basque Country, to the new times and making of it one of the most innovative of the world’. Given the pioneer’s accolades it seemed only fitting that the event was held on Father’s Day, as Arzak is widely recognised as the father of Spanish gas-

tronomy. Famous chefs who attended the event included five time ‘Best Restaurant in the World’ winner, El Bulli’s Ferran Adrià, Joan Roca, Martín Berasategui, Quique Dacosta and Angel León of Aponiente, Andalucia’s only three-Michelin-starred restaurant. The culinary alchemists with 40 stars between them, created dishes reflecting Arzak’s techniques and flavours, incorporating products typical of his menus. Held at Dani García’s restaurant, BiBo in Marbella, the private dinner saw a menu combining Basque, Spanish and Peruvian cuisines as Peru’s Gastón Acurio - one of the top 20 most influential chefs in the world - joined the team.

PUEBLO BOOST: Isco

Gastro goal REAL Madrid midfielder Isco Alarcón is kicking around ideas for his own gourmet food emporium in Benalmadena. The football star has bought the entire upper floor and a number of small properties on the ground floor of San Juan commercial centre in Arroyo de la Miel. Although exact details of the business plan have not been confirmed, Alarcón is hoping to boost local economy in the town where he grew up. The player’s representatives are currently in talks with the Ayuntamiento de Benalmádena and the Junta de Andalucía about the possibilities of refurbishing the 1980 building as a gourmet market, with various shops across the two floors.

Now open - book ahead! Come and enjoy our wonderful beaches around historic Cape Trafalgar.

Panoramic Terrace – Open every day from 12 to 12 Plaza de España 16, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz tel: 956 44 77 30 CalifaVejer.com

Avda. Trafalgar 102, Los Caños de Meca, Costa de la Luz tel: 956 437 255 CalifaVejer.com

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Columnists

March 28th - April 10th 2018

Job seeker

HEN it rains it pours — and my goodness, did it pour down this month! As gardens enjoyed a well-earned drink, swimming pools overflowed and my mother’s basement suffered its annual flooding, the rain seeped into everything this March and clung, cold and damp in the apartment. But as the rain fell hard outside my bedroom window, freelance writing work dried up almost entirely. I sat in bed, ploughing through invoices and bills one morning, shivering and swearing, the child and animals wrapped up in blankets next to me with and the smell of damp dog clinging in the air, (for life had become a game of ‘catch me if you can’ with the Rain Gods who had uncanny timing for bucketing it down, the moment we set out to walk the dog) and decided that it was high time I applied for a ‘normal job’. I mentioned this to a few friends who stared blankly at me, “Doing what?” They asked finally and I shook my head. “I’m not quite sure,” I mumbled, “I haven’t got that far yet!” A nice, ordinary 9 to 5 was what I wanted; no deadline anxiety, no chasing clients, no desperately seeking in-

spiration in the bottom of a coffee cup at four o’clock By Natalie Rose Kern in the morning. “Perhaps something in an office”, I mused, as I fluffed up the pillows and the damp dog curled up on my feet. “Routine, stability and security” I thought, opening up a new document, and commencing to write a CV “...and money... lots of money”. Now I’ve done my fair share of weird and wacky jobs in my time, from brolly-dolly-ing for Rossi at the MotoGP to handing out free cups of coffee to commuters at Liverpool Street Station, but Marbella has certainly pushed my limits of ‘what constitutes as a job’! Oh yes, this city may well be a great spot to spend your cash, but making any money here - legally - is another story entirely. From the ‘investment’ agency that was closed down in a raid while I was out on my lunch break, to the many restaurants and bars I did shifts at, whose owners disappeared without a trace or had to ‘go away for a while’, it seems that every employment I have had has been a washing, drying, ironing and pressing laundry operation — and I’m not talking about clothes. Of course there are always PR jobs in Marbella, but most of these involve donning a bikini and 6-inch heels and traipsing ‘round beach clubs and bars handing out flyers and wristbands — not quite the PR position I had in mind. Perhaps my funniest job in Marbella was when my best friend and I became the ‘NEVER work with children or animals’ the old thefaces of Antidote, a pill that promatrical adage goes and the same could justly be apised to prevent hangovers after a plied to that other branch of the entertainment world night out. Every Friday and Saturday otherwise known as Marbella politics. The town hall night, we squeezed into hot pants had more power struggles and shady dealing than and branded T-shirts and had to a Sopranos season finale during the G.I.L era, with parade up and down Puerto Banus’ more bloodletting and surprise attacks than the Red second line, convincing incoherent Wedding in Game of Thrones when the OSP party Irish golfers and loudmouth football suddenly defected to Angles ‘Khaalissi’ Muñoz’s louts to ‘buy these pills to feel good P.P. and deposed then mayor Jose ‘Ned Stark’ Berin the morning!’ nal. Not to mention the usual dose of Kafkaesque I learnt many an excellent skill in paperwork and surrealist comedy that is daily life in that job, namely my backchat, Marbella’s corridors of power. which made great progress — as Even the cast of Reality TV show The Only Way is Esdid my backhand! “Have you done sex have found that they cannot compete with the webcam?” My friend asked me one escapades of Marbella town hall, announcing that afternoon as I scoured the net for they will be filming the next series in Barcelona. jobs. I shook my head without lookPersonally I think this is a brilliant strategic move ing up from the screen, “I don’t by Prime Minister Rajoy. I reckon the Catalan sepaeven know what that is!” I told her. ratists will be begging for Madrid to come and save “You sign up to an agency and them and they will stop demanding independence then turn on your webcam and within 48 hour of Joey Essex, Arg and the rest of the take calls!” She told me blankly. I brainless Bimbo Blitzkrieg hitting Barcelona. looked up, aghast. “I do whaaat?” But I digress. I shrieked. “You don’t have to take Mayor Muñoz and the rest of the town hall unwityour clothes off...” she continued, tingly unleashed a storm of protest when they un“The trick is to keep callers on the derestimated the number of animal lovers in town. line for as long as possible to make It’s safe to say that the Partido Popular is the Spanmore money, so if you’re good you ish political party that supports ‘traditional’ values. won’t need to take anything off at And, although animal rights have come a long way all. I’ve done loads of it in the past!” since villagers in obscure locations routinely hurled I took my glasses off and stared at donkeys off church towers during ferias and Saint’s her, suddenly aware of what a shelDays, this is a nation that still indulges in bullfighttered existence I lead. “Everyone ing. does it,” she nodded, before listing A veritable storm of mierda erupted when the town a number of our friends who ‘turn hall announced it was putting the contract for coltheir webcam on’ and describing lecting stray animals out to tender, with the very the wigs they wear and the names real possibility of it being taken away from Triple A, they use. Desperately, I buried my a charity that has been finding foster and forever head back into the laptop and my homes for abandoned animals for nearly 30 years. job search, “Come on, please give And no wonder, as it opened the door for one of the me something!” And there it was: so-called ‘killing stations’ that euthanize animals af“Could you teach a large group of ter 10 days to get the contract. old age pensioners to line dance? Such was the outcry that Muñoz was forced to put out Cash money!” I knew nothing about a video message to calm things down, only to have line dancing, but visions of prancing her message completely scuppered by her ranting about in front of a laptop in a bikini Health Councillor, Carlos Alcalá, at a chaotic Press and a pink wig flashed before my Conference a few days later. Obviously auditioning eyes and I wrote back immediately. for the part of one of Cruella deVille's henchmen, he “Yes. I can!” I mean... How hard waved official documents in the air, saying those opcould it be? And so it came to pass posing the town hall’s plans were ‘ignorant’. that on a grey Sunday afternoon in Cue huge uproar and one of the biggest retreats March, the sun broke through the since Napoleon’s from Moscow in 1812. The town clouds and I found myself teaching hall announced the same afternoon that they would a group of Scandinavian senior citibe drawing up a new plan with Triple A, and Marbelzens to line dance on a lawn by the la’s abandoned animals were saved. sea, as we sung ABBA songs at the Meanwhile rumours that activists had brought Goofy, top of our lungs. And my career as a Sylvester and Pluto fancy dress costumes and were senior citizen line dancing instrucplanning to kidnap and hold Sñr Alcalá for 10 days to tor has begun... I may well have fisee how HE liked it, were unfounded… nally found my vocation!

Retreat!

Marbella diaries

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

SOCIALMEDIA

Sport

www.gibraltarolivepress.com OlivePressNewspaper

olivepress

March 28th - April 10th 2018