Gibraltar Olive Press - Issue 89 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

ll about

The Rock’s only free local paper

FREE

s.es www.theolivepres ll about

January 30th - February

Education

A 12-page Olive Press special

supplement

Education The Only Specialist Sixth

Choosing the right school can be a puzzle of Einstein proportions for parents. But problem solved - we’ve done the homework for you, writes Laurence Dollimore

January 30th - February

12th 2019

Is the chemistry right? m

www.phoenixcollegemalaga.co

to ENCIL cases to fill, textbooks to plan buy, packed lunch menus first day of weeks in advance… thedeal for paschool can be as big a rents as it is for their kids. first tentatiFor new students, those filled with ve steps across a schoolyard key rites of passtrangers is one of life’s sage. right school is a So making sure it’s the pass with flying test all parents want to colours. primary school Whether it’s playschool, Andaluin parents or secondary school, as many choices cia and Gibraltar have Sweden or the as back home in Holland, UK. will depend on Of course, your selection from home, certain key factors: distance teaching budget, academic standards, recommendastyle and word-of-mouth tions, to name just a few. So where do you start? checklist should The first item on your do you opt for an be Public or Private – a Spanish state international college or school? decision to make It’s generally an easier primary schools for younger children, asmore or less comthroughout Europe are parable. expats send their Around two thirds of schools – called children to local state and ‘institu‘colegios’ (primary schools) tos’ (secondary schools). to Spaadvantages serious two are There nish public schools. Spanish fast One – children will learn into their new and should integrate well home country. thrive in staYounger children, in general, nines normally te schools with the underspoken Spanish picking up impressive their parents) wi(usually, far better than with their thin a year, just by socialising friends. is free of charge Two – state schoolingwhen children can from the age of three, Continues on Page

Sponsored by Form College in Málaga

their who have the drive to discover diverse academic levels School We look for students of much UK & International by three teachers with lived for almost 20 years true potential. Founded experience, who have teaching / education administration school, teaching A-levels & PCE (selectividad) private from qualified with degrees in Málaga, we are a selective are highly committed and students subjects. Our A-level teachers University and we enable College Dublin and Durham of the world. Oxford University, Trinity also in Spain and the rest not just in the UK, but to gain access to university Our Subjects: Geography, Politics, Spanish Chemistry, Physics, History, Mathematics, Biology, PCE subjects (selectividad). a choice of six Spanish & Further Maths, alongside Business, IT and Law This year we plan to add 29008 plaza Uncibay) Málaga Núñez 5, 1º D (junto a We are at: Calle Méndez 02 75 Email us at: info@phoenixcollegemalaga.com Call us on: +34 952 22

12th 2019

A 12-page Olive Press special supplement, see page 9

ROCKET SCIENCE: For pupils at Sotogrande school

ing Open Morn ary Febru on 18th

CONGRATS: Joe Garcia

50 years not out

HE has edited around 18,000 editions across a career than spanned an incredible five decades. So, it seems reasonable, that Panorama editor Joe Garcia should be honoured for his services to Gibraltar journalism. Garcia, who set up the paper in 1975, has been given a Governor’s Coin for his ‘excellence in journalism’. He was handed the award by Governor and Commander in Chief, General Lieut Edward Davis, who praised Garcia’s ‘remarkable and profoundly significant’ contributions to journalism. Highlights of Garcia’s illustrious career include being Gibraltar correspondent for the Financial Times for 25 years and El Pais for 10 years. He was the first Gibraltarian journalist to be honoured in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list. He has an MBE. Panorama was the first publication to launch its own website in 1997.

Don’t bank on it!

OPPOSITION leaders have appealed to the government to help save over 100 banking jobs. It comes after Jyske Bank announced it was set to pull out of Gibraltar over Brexit fears. The Danish financial group is set to sell off its Gibraltar subsidiary, citing the UK’s departure from the European Union as a major reason for the move. Other reasons cited included the loss of ‘crucial synergies’ between Denmark and Gibraltar, and the intention to focus more on their Hamburg clients. Political party Together Gibraltar has now called on the Government to protect the Scandinavian bank’s 100 employees on the Rock. The party said the Government needs to ensure Jyske workers’ ‘livelihoods and service are considered before a deal is reached’.

primary 10:00 ry seconda 12:00 -

Vol. 4 Issue 89 www.gibraltarolivepress.com January 30th - February 12th 2019

Pedro, Let it go! Spain PM to bid for Gibraltar’s sovereignty again as Theresa May returns to Brussels after UK MPs take no-deal off table

THE epic battle over Gibraltar’s sovereignty has reared its head yet again as MPs voted in Parliament last night on a series of amendments which could change the course of Brexit. Politicians passed a breakthrough, although nonbinding, amendment that rules out the option of the UK leaving the EU with-

UK BASED

TRAVEL INSURANCE for Spanish residents www.globelink.co.uk 96 626 5000 +44 (0) 1353 699082

Reliable private hire transfer services for any occasion Luxury vehicles • Door to door service • Airport collections • Weddings transport • Sightseeing day trips • Restaurant shuttles •

Find out more at: www.simply-shuttles.com tel: 951 279 117 info@simply-shuttles.com

By Elisa Menendez

out a deal. Lawmakers also voted to reopen negotiations with the EU over the Northern Ireland backstop, which would act as an insurance policy to avoid a hard border with Ireland after Brexit. Meanwhile, after weeks of

refusing to hold talks with Prime Minister Theresa May, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he is finally ready to meet and outline the agreement his party wants with the EU. Following the monumental night in the House of Commons, May will return to Brussels, now armed with a mandate to renegotiate a deal MPs will back. The EU, however, has fiercely reiterated that the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement is ‘not open for renegotiation’. It came as Spain, once again, insisted yesterday on excluding Gibraltar from all of its post-Brexit agreements with the UK and the EU. Diplomatic sources revealed how Prime Minister Pedro

Sanchez looks set to revive Spain’s bid for shared sovereignty over the Rock after the UK leaves the EU. “In every agreement reached with Great Britain there will be an asterisk which explains that the deal will not affect Gibraltar,” the source told Reuters. Gibraltar, which has been a British territory since 1713, is set to leave the EU alongside the UK.

Fight

But Spain is not giving up without a fight - one that Sanchez backs up with the fact that 97% of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum.

Tel: 902 123 282 902 123 282 See page 2

“After Brexit, Spain wants to include in writing in every document signed with the EU, that it has nothing to do with Gibraltar, which should be based on a different relationship,” said the source. “This strategy will be followed in all agreements that will be signed.” It comes after a fiery dispute between Sanchez and May over the Rock threatened to delay Brexit negotiations in November, but an 11th hour deal made sure the 27 EU states agreed on the Withdrawal Bill. But the issue of Gibraltar’s sovereignty will not be the only spanner in the Brexit works. A spokesperson for President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said that although the EU ‘welcomes’ and ‘shares’ the UK’s ambition to avoid a no-deal scenario, the Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation. However there were unconfirmed reports as we went to print that the EU ‘would consider’ an Article 50 extension.

CRIME

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

NEWS IN BRIEF Terror concerns THE UK foreign office (FCO) last week updated its website warning tourists about the ‘likely’ threat of terror attacks in Spain’.

Notes no more THE Bank of Spain will no longer issue €500 notes from Sunday, amid concerns that they facilitate corruption and finance terrorism.

Corrupt cop DISGRACED former national police chief and owner of Estepona’s Cenyt hospital, Jose Manuel Villarejo, amassed €20 million through corruption, officials have revealed.

Buzz off LEADING news organisation Buzzfeed Spain has folded following hundreds of shock job cuts across the global digital platform.

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Drug link to mystery shooting

Time’s up for Goldfinger crooks By Gerard Couzens, in Madrid

HALF a dozen British timeshare touts have been on trial over links to the infamous John Palmer crime empire. Palmer, aka ‘Goldfinger’s, alleged right-hand man Richard Cashman, 52, is accused of fraud, money laundering and criminal association. Five other Brits, including Palmer's nephew Darren Morris, are also standing trial at the Audiencia Nacional, in Madrid, - nearly 20 years after Palmer was jailed by the Old Bailey for fraud. His wife Christina Ketley, 58, however, was acquitted from the case on the first day, due to a technicality. She left court without making any comment with the couple's son James, 28, who was working out at his dad's gym in June 2015 when 1983 Brink's Mat gold smelter Palmer, 65, was shot six times by a mystery assassin in the back garden of his Essex mansion. At the time lead investigator DCI Stephen Jennings linked the Madrid trial to the murder which happened shortly after Palmer was charged in Spain.

Boss of Linekers, Portside and Tibu ‘had links’ to Irish mafia A POPULAR businessman gunned down outside his Marbella home may have been a ‘key player’ in an Irish drugs empire. Marco Yaqout, who owned a string of nightclubs, including Tibu, Portside and Linekers, had ties to Irish gangsters the Kinahan clan, it has been claimed. The Spanish/Moroccan businessman was shot 20 times as he arrived home in his Bentley in San Pedro. It comes despite friends telling the Olive Press they were

stunned by the sudden murder and could not fathom why the ‘much-loved businessman’ would have been a mafia target. One, who attended a wake at his home at the weekend with up to 500 people, said: “None of us were aware of any feuds he was involved in, it seems utterly senseless. “That said there are 20 different theories and it is impossible to rule out he was involved in something.” According to respected Belgian website boevennieuws.pro, Yaqout, 49, was involved in the

Dirty drone dozen A TEAM of talented drone pilots helped a drug trafficking ring smuggle six tonnes of hashish into Spain from Morocco. Two of the 12-strong gang were experts in the use of drones and had been using the unmanned aircraft to check if the coasts were clear of police. The gang, made up of Spaniards, including two women, would then send in the RHIB boats loaded with hashish into Almeria, Malaga and Cadiz. The group, based out of the Campo de Gibraltar, brought more than six tonnes into Spain over two months, police confirmed.

SLAIN: Marco movement of cocaine for clients along the Costa del Sol. The site claimed: “With his excellent contacts in South America and his ideal position among the jet set, including wealthy Arabs, Marco was in a key position.” A journalist from the site told the Olive Press: “We have multiple sources in Spain, Morocco and the Netherlands. “This information is mostly from Dutch Moroccans who spent a lot of time in the area, specifically in Puerto Banus.” Irish newspaper Sunday World also reported his close links to the Kinahans (inset above). Yaqout owned several bars and nightclubs in the upmarket resort, and co-owned popular Linekers, named after founder Wayne Lineker, brother to England ace Gary Lineker. The investigation continues.

Supergrass

It was believed he was shot as he was about to turn ‘supergrass’ before the Madrid trial. Shortly before he was jailed in the UK, Palmer's Canary Islands empire came under attack from former associates-turnedrivals including British boxer Dennis New and Lebanese-born Mohamed Derbah, who was arrested and investigated but never charged. The fraud and money laundering allegations relate to the years 1993 to 2002. The accomplices swindled at least 16,000 Brits, many pensioners, out of cash although the Spanish case centres on 234 complainants allegedly defrauded out of millions. Cashman insisted he played no role in the timeshare part of Palmer's business empire after moving to Tenerife in 1993 and was a bodyguard later given cheque-signing powers after earning the former market trader's trust. The defendants are accused of defrauding victims out of cash through schemes including non-existent timeshares and fake 'holiday club' discounts. Palmer's nephew is also facing an additional two and a half year prison demand on an illegal firearms possession charge.

902 123 282 * F u l l y

c o m p r e h e n s i v e

TheOlivePress-256x170-CAREmergencia.indd 1

o f f e r

v a l i d

f o r

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

o n l y .

S u b j e c t

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

E n d s

2 8 / 0 2 / 1 9 .

10/1/19 12:43

NEWS

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Queen in red CONGRATS: Elliott, Sadie and (below) William

Prince William (of the Costas) MARBELLA’S Elliott Wright has become a father again with new wife Sadie. The former TOWIE star and owner of Olivia’s La Cala restaurant took to Instagram to reveal Sadie had given birth to a ‘beautiful’ baby boy. Named him William James Wright. Wright told the Olive Press: “Thank you for the well wishes, the baby is lovely!” The reality star wrote on Instagram: “I’m so proud… so proud of both mum and baby.”

Waltzing on in HOLLYWOOD’S top villain has swooped in and made a guest appearance in the Spanish capital. Inglorious Bastards star Christoph Waltz, was in Madrid on Friday to attend a photocall for his new film Alita: Battle Angel. The two-time Oscar-winning actor looked sharp in a light blue open-buttoned shirt, teamed with a navy tweed blazer and matching dark blue chinos. Directed by Avatar’s James Cameron and Sin City’s Robert Rodriguez, the new flick is a big-budget fantasy adventure based on Japanese Manga comics. Waltz stars alongside Rosa Salazar, Jennifer Connelly, and Mahershala Ali, while Brit popstar Dua Lipa features on the soundtrack.

Sauce of regret

RAZED: Beach club featured in Las Ketchup music video

Costa del Sol beach bar used for iconic Las Ketchup hit is bulldozed EXCLUSIVE By Charlie Smith

LEGENDARY girl group Las Ketchup are heartbroken that a famous expat-run beach bar has been demolished. The massive Spanish band - famous for The Ketchup Song hit in 2002 - expressed their dismay that iconic Palm Beach chiringuito in Estepona has been knocked down. The all-girl group from Cordoba recorded their iconic video for their hit at the bar on Estepona’s main beach. “We are very sad, because Palm Beach brings back such good memories,” said

Kim Clark Benefits Consultancy If you suffer from... •

Mobility problems

• Pain

/ Breathlessness

• Falls

/ Stumbles

LEGENDARY: Girl group’s music video band member Lucía Muñoz. “We had a great time, there was a good atmosphere. It was summer, and there was a lot of joy surrounding the recording of the video.” The legendary venue, built in 1998, has fortunately only been temporarily razed and is being rebuilt this Spring. Palm Beach owner Erwin

Dolph-in town

STILL GOT IT: Dolph

Or you need... •

DOLPH Lundgren has been back on the Costa del Sol. The legendary Rocky actor has been staying at exclusive Nobu Hotel Marbella and posed for pics in a purple jumper matched with brown shades and a blue strap watch. The blonde Swede, 61, was in town for the premiere of his new action film Creed II. “Such an honour to have you here,” Nobu Hotel said: “Still hot!”

Vanderdonck, 52, from Amsterdam who took over in 2001, admitted he had ‘no idea’ how big the song had become. He added: “I only found out how huge the song was becoming when I got a call from a newspaper in Holland.” Palm Beach is set to re-open in April and Erwin said: “We had many great times in there, but now things are going to be even better.”

Platinium

Now living between Madrid and Córdoba, the Las Ketchup sisters told the Olive Press that they will soon be announcing a 2019 world tour, packed with festival dates. Asereje went platinum in the UK and reached number one in the charts in 26 other countries, selling over seven million copies worldwide.

 

Help with washing /dressing

• Supervision

You could be entitled to extra income by claiming UK sickness/disability benefits while living in Spain FOR ADVICE OR TO BOOK A CONSULTATION call 950 169 729 or 663 297 568 www.ukbenefitsinspain.com

BEYONCE has donned a Spanish designer in her latest viral Instagram post. The US superstar rocked red jewelled thigh-high boots and matching red blazer paired with an encrusted chanel purse. The powerful ensemble is the work of Catalan designer Maria Escote, who shared an image of the look, captioning it ‘The Queen in Red’. The photo has been liked more than three million times. Escote, from Barcelona, is seen a rising star in the fashion world and has dressed other big names, including Miley Cyrus.

 



  

Kings on the road AMERICAN rock gods Kings its 25th anniversary, the fesof Leon have been confirmed tival has pulled out the stops as the first major headline act signing British pop favourites at Spain’s most famous music George Ezra and Jess Glynn festival. for the four-day festival. The Nashville brothers head The artists will join the likes the bill at Benicassim in July of previously announced on their first trip to Spain in headliners, such as Lana del three years. Rey and The They will 1975, on the be joined Barcelona by UK indie stage. favourites Benicassim Franz Fersaw some dinand, as 170,000 well as You people from Me at Six at 25 different July 18 to 21 countries FIB bash. attend last To celebrate ROCKING: Kings of Leon year.

NEWS

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

I’ll be the judge A BOGUS lawyer has been arrested after stealing up to €80,000 from a series of clients. The fake brief, who is understood to be a Spanish woman from Malaga, had been masquerading as a solicitor for up to two decades. Based in Fuengirola, she had been charging a series of clients, including a number of expats, up to a whopping €2000 a minute. Amazingly, the bogus brief was even able to defend clients in court. However, she is understood to have lost the majority of the cases, and therefore her clients’ money. “When you go to court nobody asks for your credentials,” veteran Marbella lawyer Antonio Flores, of Lawbird, told the Olive Press. “So if for example you are a lawyer from Pamplona and need to attend a hearing in Huelva as counsel, you go straight, no questions asked.” He believes the fake lawyer could have simply waltzed in unchecked. “Having said that,” he added,“These scams are hard to get away in the long run as someone will eventually notice you have no clue.”

Shocking results POLICE in Gibraltar will be armed with Tasers for the first time. It comes after a risk assessment study ruled that the ‘less lethal option’ would be encouraged over guns. Only the RGP’s frontline and armed police officers will be given the conducted energy devices. “The Taser is one of a number of tactical options available to RGP officers when dealing with an incident with the potential for conflict,” said Assistant Commissioner Richard Ullger. The weapons work by incapacitating a person’s neuromuscular system with an electrical current, which causes extreme pain.

January 30th - February 12th 2019

UK pensioners, students and tourists in Spain will lose free healthcare under a no-deal Brexit, the Government has announced. Expat retirees living in the EU using an S1 certificate, may no longer have their healthcare funded by the NHS after March 29. It comes as the UK government yesterday published new guidelines for expats and tourists in case we crash out of the EU without a deal.

Health scare The updated advice adds that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) may not be valid for tourists and students. It will be a huge blow to 250,000 expat pensioners living in the other 27 EU member states. Expats should register for access to healthcare in Spain, while tourists should make sure they have health insurance.

Digging in UK spends £23m stockpiling food and fuel in Gibraltar and other territories to prepare for nodeal Brexit THE UK has begun stockpiling food in Gibraltar and its other overseas territories to prepare for

PREPARING FOR THE WORST: Stockpiling in Gib and other territories

no-deal Brexit. Military bosses have spent £23m on supplies

Securitek Limited was founded in 2008 and provides a broad spectrum of security, technical and training services to government organisations, local businesses and to private clientele. Our commitment to our customers is to provide a professional and unrivalled security service on the Rock. • CCTV Installation • Intruder Alarm Systems • Access Control Systems • Fire Systems and Services • Manned Guarding

to prepare for when the UK is set to leave the EU on March 29. The preparations are called Operation Yellowhammer and are part of the government’s emergency planning. It comes after fears grew over the difficulties of importing and exporting daily goods after Brexit. Ammunition, spare parts, fuel and food are being gathered at military bases in Gibraltar, Cyprus and the Falklands. “An army marches on its stomach. If supply lines breakdown they struggle,” a source told Sky News.

Gibraltar routinely sees UK military operations on its territory and thousands of soldiers and sailors could be affected by a lack of supplies. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Sky News that the UK is working to ‘ensure that essential defence tasks would not be affected by a nodeal Brexit’. They added: “The Ministry of Defence routinely undertakes contingency planning, and it is absolutely right that the government ensures we are prepared and resourced for a range of scenarios when we leave the EU.”

The high life

• UK Accredited Security Training • Event Security • Debt Recovery • Parking Enforcement • Specialist Security Services

TAKE A RIDE: On new helicopter tour

Securitek Limited Suite 33 Don House, 3rd Floor, Arcade, Main Street, Gibraltar sales@securitek.gi www.securitek.gi Telephone: +350 200 63699

IT’S bound to beat the cable car. But tourists will be expected to shell out hundreds more for an exciting new helicopter tour of the Rock. It comes after Norwegian chopper firm Fonnafly was given permission to start flying tourists around the Rock from May 30. Flights in the top-of-the-range EC130 helicopters will last between 10 and 15 minutes, offering unparalleled views across Gibraltar. “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Fonnafly to Gibraltar,” said Gilbert Licudi, the Minister with Responsibility for Commercial Aviation. For more details visit www.GibHeli.com or email booking@gibheli.com.

LEADERS: Picardo with Benn and Garcia

Help us plea THE Rock’s leaders have met with several UK MPs in Westminster in a bid to strengthen Brexit arrangements for Gibraltar. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and his deputy Joseph Garcia held meetings with five prominent Government Ministers. They included prominent Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin, remain vote campaigner Nicky Morgan and Bob Neill, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gibraltar. Among the Labour MPs to speak with Picardo were the Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry. No formal agreements were made, but Picardo said progress was made on explaining Gibraltar’s Brexit position to MPs.

Struggling

“The strategy of the Government in keeping parliamentarians abreast of developments in Gibraltar continues to work,” he said. MPs voted on amendments to British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal this week. May has been struggling to get her EU deal through Parliament, despite Conservative MPs being ordered to back an alternative to the Irish backstop, a guarantee of a frictionless border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile various cross-party groups of MPs have tabled proposals that include measures to rule out a no-deal exit from the EU and to delay the exit date of March 29.

Support from Liam INTERNATIONAL Trade Secretary Liam Fox has visited Gibraltar for last minute Brexit talks with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. The UK government minister and Rock leader discussed trading opportunities after Gibraltar leaves the EU over a working lunch. Fox said he was ‘delighted’ to have met Picardo and his number two, the Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph Garcia. Picardo said: “Liam Fox is a great friend and supporter of Gibraltar, he knows and understands our issues very well back from the time when he served as Defence Secretary.”

GREEN

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

End of the line A GAS pipeline planned to run through Spain and France has been rejected by regulators in both countries. The Midi-Catalonia (MidCat) pipeline is now unlikely to be finished after an investment request to build its central section was denied. Permission for the central portion of MidCat, the South Transit Eastern Pyrenees (STEP), was refused on the grounds of a lack of necessity and high cost The project also ‘fails to comply with market needs and lacks sufficient maturity to be considered,’ according to a joint statement by Spain’s CNMC and France’s CRE. It was also deemed at odds with the EU’s recent environmental goals.

EU clips Spain’s wings over wild songbird contests after almost 2 MILLION are captured and caged for sadistic tradition THE European Commission has told Spain to clamp down on its efforts to end the capture of small wild birds for traditional bird singing contests. The ancient practice, known as silvestrismo, is an essential part of Iberian culture, according to its supporters. Between 2013 and 2018, local governments across Spain gave permission for 1.7 million wild birds - such as goldfinches and canar-

January 30th - February 12th 2019

BIRD BAN!

ies - to be trapped with nets, caged and trained for the contests. In 2018, after intense pressure from Brussels, every region in Spain - except Madrid – agreed to stop giving out permits to catch the birds. But the EU is demanding further assurances and a complete ban. SEO/Birdlife, an organisation for the protection of birds, said many varieties of finches are in decline and their populations need to be safeguarded.

Stress

UNDER FIRE: Spanish tradition

Make a killing CORDOBA Zoo is looking for a caterer with a difference – one that can supply 150 kilos of rats, 170 kilos of mice, dayold chicks and 10 kilos of a wide variety of insects daily for its hungry animals. Their unique dietary requirements could be a real moneyspinner for the right supplier. The contract, which runs to thousands of kilos every week, is worth up to €350,000 over two years and also includes more regular food items such as meat, vegetables and fruit. But the zoo animals are picky customers. The rats must weigh between 50 grams and 150 grams each, and the mice must not weigh less than 100 grams each. And deliveries must be made every morning to allow for feeding between 8am and 10am.

The little songbirds are said to suffer severe stress during capture. A plan has now been put forward to set up a breeding programme for finches so that the traditional singing competitions can continue. But supporters of silvestrismo say the breeding scheme will not work because it produces weak and sickly birds and adds to environmental degradation. In the meantime, the EU has warned of legal repercussions unless all the regions of Spain, including Andalucia, fully comply with EU laws on the hunting and capture of wild birds.

Climate campaign

PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez has vowed to spend €235 billion over the next decade to combat climate change in Spain. The socialist premier apologised for the country’s inaction on climate change over the last decade, which he blamed on the hostile economic crisis Spain suffered for around six years. A new energy and climate change plan is expected to be submitted soon to the European Union, Sanchez revealed, which will see investments of €235 billion from 2021-2030. He added that new eco-friendly legislation will be presented to parliament by the end of January. “Spain is ready to contribute to creating a global economy that is prosperous, fair and ecological,” the PM announced at a high-level discussion in Madrid. Sanchez added that he is aiming for the newly eco-conscious country to become ‘socially just’ while keeping labourers such as coal miners in mind, many of whom are set to lose their jobs as Spain plans to switch to 100% renewable electricity by 2050.

www.gibraltarolivepress.com Voted top expat paper in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Action needed IT is heartbreaking that Spanish hunters have again broken the law and killed a much loved, innocent pet. And it’s not the first time in the Granada area, with expat Illona Mitchell seeing five of her dogs massacred after she banned hunting on her land. Yet again marksmen have ignored the rules and acted above the law with an illegal and vile hunt. Tommy, who was abused as a puppy, has now died in agony as a result. Let’s hope the hunters feel the long arm of the law this time around.

Blame game THE search effort to try and save little Julen who fell down a well captivated the world. While it ended badly and with a high cost for the state, it is not fair to begin a witch hunt against his family, who are already reeling from the tragedy. Yes, of course, it was irresponsible of the well digger to leave the hole not properly sealed and, it begs the question, how many other holes like this are lurking around the Spanish countryside? Publisher/ Editor Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

Elisa Menendez elisa@theolivepress.es

Charlie Smith charlie@theolivepress.es

Pablo Balbontin pablo@theolivepress.es

Gillian Keller gillian@theolivepress.es Office manager Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

Admin Beatriz Sanllehí (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

FEATURE

Shop to the top! Nicknamed the ‘Gilet man’, new Junta leader Juanma Moreno once wanted to be a pop star and grew up impecuniously often working at his dad’s grocery store

Malaga’s very own Bono

For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 POPPELGANGER: Moreno and (above) Hadley

Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva Deposito Legal MA: 835-2017

AWARDS

2016 - 2019 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.

2012 - 2019 Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

Family man

IS goal was to put an end to Andalucia’s 36-year Socialist government. And the PP’s Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla achieved his dream with 59 votes in favour, to 50 against, in the region’s historic elections last month. By signing into a coalition with centre-right Ciudadanos and far-right Vox, it was the nail in the coffin that took down former leader Susana Diaz’s maligned PSOE party, which had plagued the region with corruption for decades. It took four nervous weeks to confirm, but Moreno was finally sworn in as Andalucia’s seventh leader a fortnight ago - the first nonSocialist. “I always believed in myself, because to change things you have to believe in yourself,” said the Malaga politician, who was born in Catalunya. “I came here four-and-a-half years ago with the goal to change Andalucia and luck has been on my side,” added the 48-year-old at his inauguration. After his first public outing - to promote Andalucia at Madrid’s massive FITUR tourism fair (right) - the Olive Press shines a torch on the private life of the once wannabe pop star, popularly known as ‘Juanma’.

Distribution ENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es

Newsdesk Head office

January 30th - February 12th 2019

A dad of three kids and a newly adopted Maltese Bichon pup, the politician certainly has his hands full in and out of the office. The mother of his children and the ‘First Lady of Andalucia’, Manuela Villena (above and right), has been his biggest supporter since they married in 2006. She too shares a successful career, with a degree in Political Science, leading to a job as an executive at pharmaceutical company Bidafarma.

Sevillanos out The first Junta leader not from Sevilla, Juanma is a Catalan by birth, born on Workers Day, in Barcelona, in 1970, before moving at just eight weeks to Alhaurin el Grande, where his parents were originally from. Although his father often used to speak to him in Catalan, he insists he is a true Andalucian. “My parents always told me happy stories about Catalunya, a region I love, but I do not feel Catalan,” he explains.

While a clever boy, who excelled at school, he was anything but your normal Andalucian lad, initially planning to be a pop star. Despite looking more like Tony Hadley (left with arm in air) from Spandau Ballet, he preferred British ‘indie’ bands, including The Cure, U2 and Simple Minds. Such were his singing talents he became lead singer of various Malaga groups including Lapsus Psiquico, Falsas Realidades and Cuarto Protocolo. While none had any commercial success, he has never given up singing and even took to the mic on his wedding night to sing Danza Invisible’s Sabor de Amor. Today he lists his pastimes as jamming to his favourite bands, playing basketball, and joining Antonio Banderas for his Semana Santa brotherhood ritual.

THE ENGLISH JEWELLER 30 Years Experience | Diamond Sales Design & Remodeling | Repairs The cheapest way to get fantastic new designer jewellery is to remodel your own jewellery Contact Tim (+34) 677 195 638

Working class roots The son of a shopkeeper and the grandson of farm labourers, Moreno is an unconventional leader of the conservative PP party. His family had emigrated to Catalunya for work and only came back when his father, an industrial draughtsman, swapped his job at SEAT in Martorell, to work as a taxi driver. By a stroke of luck, the family won the lottery in 1975, which gave them the funds to buy a house and open a grocery store on Avenida Ingeniero de la Torre-Acosta in Las Chapas in Malaga, close to the city’s main mosque. It gave Juanma and his two sisters plenty of work growing up, as well as, crucially, a grasp of commerce.

‘The Gilet Man’ The PP politician has become Spain’s answer to Gareth Southgate. Moreno rarely makes an appearance without his suave gilet, earning him the nickname ‘el hombre del chaleco’. Those close to ‘Mr Gilet’ say he is proud of his image and loves having his photo taken, meaning he never steps out of the house looking less than camera-ready.

From pizza boy to politician

The politician has not forgotten his roots and says his early jobs of working as a pizza chef, a bartender, and a salesman - as well as in his dad’s shop, Although he is a proud ‘bohelped shape queron’ follower of Malahis career ga CF, Moreno has made and got him it clear he is also a big fan to where he of Real Madrid. Some is now. speculate that the That, and a politician’s favourite team degree at Mais the capital city’s lteam, drid’s Camilo but in order to keep up Jose Cela Uniappearances he also versity also supports the Costa del helped. Sol lads.

Malaga CF or Real Madrid fan?

Passion for the Partido Popular Likely to do with his commercial upbringing Moreno has long been a staunch member of the PP party and joined at the age of 19. He slowly worked up the political ladder to become the president of the PP’s New Generations in Malaga and later Andalucia, before becoming a councillor of Malaga at the tender age of 24. His career really started to take off when he joined Congress in 2000 as the Secretary of State for Social Services and Equality, under former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s premiership.

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

FEATURE

January 30th - February 12th 2019

olive press online

Spain and Gibraltar’s best English daily news website The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

1 2 3 4 5

- BREAKING: Body of little Julen found in

The world wept TRAGEDY: Little Julen (left and far right) lost his life down well and was the second child lost by mum and dad Jose and Vicky (centre)

HEY say lightning never strikes the same place twice. Tell that to Jose Rossello and Vicky Maria Garcia, who had to bury their twoyear-old son on Sunday. The unbearable tragedy, played out in front of the world’s media, came less than two years after their first son, Oliver, died of a heart defect in 2017, aged just three. The unimaginable began when the Malaga couple’s second son, Julen, fell down a well in a fluke accident in the tiny Axarquia village of Totalan. The couple, a tradesman and fast food worker watched and prayed through 13 dark nights until on Saturday morning at around 1.30am the lifeless body of little Julen Rossello was finally pulled out. It was a story, akin to the rescues of the Thailand cave boys or the Chilean miners, that ended up being watched around the world. Few stories in Malaga have captured the attention globally for such a length of time and it is fair to say that millions were holding their breath as the rescue effort went into its final hours on Friday night. It came after the biggest rescue mission the country has ever seen, involving 300 experts, firemen and police working round-the-clock to rescue the tot. As the days past, no one wanted to give up hope. No one wanted to believe life could be so cruel. Encouraged by dozens of local media groups, nearly nine days were spent digging two parallel wells, before a crack team of eight Asturian miners were flown in to dig a horizontal tunnel to Julen some 71 metres underground. After a slew of frustrating setbacks, the group took more than 31 hours, working tirelessly, digging in pairs in 40-minute shifts, to reach the tot. There was still hope when on the 13th day of the search they finally reached him, with a field hospital of doctors ready to operate and even a helicopter on standby should it be needed. As the search entered its final hours, dad Jose had to be treated for a panic attack in a nearby home, where he and his wife were waiting for news with some 30 friends and family.

After the lifeless body of Julen Rossello was finally found, Laurence Dollimore reports how little Julen broke hearts around the world

Malaga well (53,447)

- Marbella shooting victim identified as high

profile Costa del Sol businessman (19,849)

- Julen rescue mission delayed AGAIN as Malaga miners hit more hard rock (12,999)

- Little Julen suffered severe head trauma

Malaga autopsy shows (12,096)

- WATCH: ISIS terrorist cuffed in popular

British expat hotspot (9,917)

Visitors: 341,294

Page views: 501,448

Average time on site: 5:29

Sponsored by

January 30th - February 12th 2019

The Only Specialist Sixth Form College in Málaga

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Choosing the right school can be a puzzle of Einstein proportions for parents. But problem solved - we’ve done the homework for you, writes Laurence Dollimore

ENCIL cases to fill, textbooks to buy, packed lunch menus to plan weeks in advance… the first day of school can be as big a deal for parents as it is for their kids. For new students, those first tentative steps across a schoolyard filled with strangers is one of life’s key rites of passage. So making sure it’s the right school is a test all parents want to pass with flying colours. Whether it’s playschool, primary school or secondary school, parents in Andalucia and Gibraltar have as many choices as back home in Holland, Sweden or the UK. Of course, your selection will depend on certain key factors: distance from home, budget, academic standards, teaching style and word-of-mouth recommendations, to name just a few. So where do you start? The first item on your checklist should be Public or Private – do you opt for an international college or a Spanish state school? It’s generally an easier decision to make for younger children, as primary schools throughout Europe are more or less comparable. Around two thirds of expats send their children to local state schools – called ‘colegios’ (primary schools) and ‘institutos’ (secondary schools). There are two serious advantages to Spanish public schools. One – children will learn Spanish fast and should integrate well into their new home country. Younger children, in general, thrive in state schools with the under nines normally picking up impressive spoken Spanish (usually, far better than their parents) within a year, just by socialising with their friends. Two – state schooling is free of charge from the age of three, when children can Continues on Page 16

We look for students of diverse academic levels who have the drive to discover their true potential. Founded by three teachers with much UK & International School teaching / education administration experience, who have lived for almost 20 years in Málaga, we are a selective private school, teaching A-levels & PCE (selectividad) subjects. Our A-level teachers are highly committed and qualified with degrees from Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin and Durham University and we enable students to gain access to university not just in the UK, but also in Spain and the rest of the world.

Is the chemistry right? Our Subjects: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography, Politics, Spanish & Further Maths, alongside a choice of six Spanish PCE subjects (selectividad). This year we plan to add Business, IT and Law We are at: Calle Méndez Núñez 5, 1º D (junto a plaza Uncibay) Málaga 29008 Call us on: +34 952 22 02 75 Email us at: info@phoenixcollegemalaga.com

www.phoenixcollegemalaga.com

ROCKET SCIENCE: For pupils at Sotogrande school

g Open Mornin uary on 18th Febr ary 10:00 - prim ary nd co se 12:00

10 10

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

ll about

The art of learning

Education

January 30th - February 12th 2019

From front

begin attending ‘infantile’ or ‘pre- in the school and try to get to know escolar’, equivalent to a nursery in the other Spanish parents. Joining the UK. The only costs you’ll have to the parents/teachers association cover are books, school trips and, if certainly helps.” the school has them, uniforms. If you decide against the Spanish There are also plenty of downsides to state system – either because you Spanish schools. Older, less extrovert fear educational standards are low kids with limited Spanish can have (according to reports, Andalucia does trouble adjusting. And learning maths indeed come well below average), or and physics in a foreign idiom isn’t for because you prefer to have your chilsissies! dren educated in English – then you Also throwing them into Spanish will have no choice but to go private. schools if they are over nine can be Budget is a major consideration but daunting in the extreme. many expat parents say an internaIt is definitely worth considering ex- tional school gives a gentler introductra language tuition outside school tion to education in a foreign country, hours to help ease the transition. with smaller classes taught in English. Budget up to €20 per hour for private Most international schools even follessons - although there are plenty of low a UK curriculum of GCSE and Aexcellent local acadelevels, with a number mies, offering Spanish of local schools reguand some town halls larly seeing their puAnd learning even give free classes. pils getting into the top Your children will not British universities, inmaths and only be more able to cluding Oxbridge. physics in a keep up with lessons International schools but they are far more have very different foreign idiom is likely to make friends personalities and phiif they can socialise in not for sissies! losophies, and it’s the same language. very much a matter “It is fine if you get the of personal preferkids into school early, ence. But with more at a young age, but if they are nine than two dozen on the Costa del Sol or 10 then they will find it harder,” ad- alone, there are more than enough to vises one English parent whose two choose from. children have been through the local Marbella – with more than 40,000 system on the Costa del Sol. resident foreigners – has the larg“They will almost certainly need some est concentration of international extra tuition and watching carefully. It schools after Madrid and Barcelona. also helps if the parents get involved But most of the towns on the coast

Tips for choosing a new school lIgnore the glossy brochures - go to the school and see for yourself lMeet the head, meet the teachers, and meet the students lIf the students seem happy, chances are your child will be happy too lBe clear about what you want from a school - do lots of research lLook at the exam results lFind out about opening or taster days

CREATIVITY: Art and music at Laude, while (below) netball enjoyed at Prior Park have one or two schools, while Gibraltar has a couple of its own. The rise of international schools in Spain can be traced back to former dictator General Franco, who introduced tourism to the Costa del Sol. Since then, a torrent of foreign visitors settling along the coast has turned it into a melting pot of cultures, providing endless opportunities for education start-ups. British schools are now said to account for two-thirds of the international schools on the coast. The oldest is Swans International School, established in 1971, and named after its legendary headmistress and founder, Tessa Swan. Others include Sotogrande, established in 1978, which now numbers 980 pupils. Only a few other schools, including Laude, come near that number. Most British schools are members of the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) and are inspected regularly by the group, a set-up similar to the UK’s Ofsted inspections. A great advantage for many parents is that international schools often have a more multicultural environment than state schools. Most have some 20 different nationalities attending and offer a bilingual study programme. Paul Whitelock, a former UK schools inspector based in Ronda explains: “Pupils meet other students from so many different countries. “This is such a valuable opportunity as it awakens a curiosity for other cultures, languages, traditions, customs and even food from a very early age.” To tie in with this, many of the top schools are increasingly offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, as well as the local secondary school qualification, the Bachillerato. The IB – which may be unknown to

some English readers – is the normal route to university for European students. The main difference is that IB students take six or seven subjects – which often include elements of community work and public-speaking – as opposed to just three or four at A-level. As well as a more up-to-date, relaxed approach to teaching, international schools are generally considered to offer a better learning environment. The most obvious downside, of course, is the cost. Schools range from basic to luxurious but, take note, they come at a price. Fees range from €3,000 a year for primary school to between €6,000 and €20,000 per year for secondary schools. This generally does not include the cost of books, school trips or uniforms. A further downside is that children may find themselves in something of a Spanish vacuum, unable to integrate with the local community outside the classroom. But international schools are begin-

ning to fight this effect, with many more Spanish extracurricular activities available, more access to local culture on school trips and afterhours classes such as flamenco dancing. Education specialist Whitelock concluded: “Effort and attitude varies considerably from family to family. Some are content never to venture into ‘Spanish’ situations, while others make every effort to integrate, join sports clubs etc. and have much more exposure to the language.” But there are no rulebooks or easy answers to choosing the right schools in Spain. It really all depends on which boxes you need ticked, whether that’s affordability, integration or a smoother transition. Just one final tip for parents who decide to go with the Spanish system: learn the language yourself. How else will you chat to your kids’ teachers at open days? And, more important for your kids than that, how will you help them with their homework?

Cameron International Primary School WE OFFER The best school to nurture your children’s abilities and fit your busy lives

• A community spirited environment to support and nurture your child’s individual development • A motivated team of educational experts and new campus with latest technologies • Daily nutritious meals • Open from 7.30am to 7.00pm with breakfast club, after school extra curricular activities and homework support • Health and life-skills programs • Bus service Bilingual, IPC & NABBS Certified Education for ages 3 to 14

REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!! Call: 956 797 078 C.C. San Roque Club, San Roque www.cameroninternationalprimaryschool.com

quality British education ; located for families in Gib 11 February 12th 2019 11 anJanuary d S30th ou-th ern Spain. New Sixth Form now ope n

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Get to know the Spanish state system There are four phases: •

Educacion Infantil (Pre-school) - 3 to 5 years of age (inclusive, i.e. three years). This is optional.

•

Educacion Primaria (Primary Education) - 6 to 11 years of age (six years). Compulsory.

•

Educacion Secundaria Obligitoria or ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) - 12 to 15 years of age (four years).

•

Bachillerato (Post-Compulsory Schooling) - 16 and 17 years of age (two years).

The Pre-school stage (infantil or popularly known as pre-escolar) is free for all children but not compulsory. However, it is regarded as an integral part of the education system with infants’ classes at almost every primary school. There are some separate nursery schools, colegios infantiles, also. The next two phases, primary (colegio) and secondary school (instituto) education are compulsory and free of charge. At the end of the ESO successful pupils are awarded a Secondary Education Certificate, which is necessary to enter the post-compulsory stage of schooling for their university or vocational studies. Alternatively they may leave school and get a job. Once pupils have their Bachillerato they can take their university entrance exam.

Leading from the front

RIOR Park School continues to grow and is a thriving community within Gibraltar. Now into its third year, its recent first set of GCSE examination results, from its founding cohort of students were superb, with a 100% highgrade pass rate (C or above) and an outstanding 80% of all grades being between 7-9 (A-A*). “These results well exceeded

the expected level of attainment in the UK and we are immensely proud of our students for their hard work and fantastic achievements,” explains Headmaster Peter Watts. This year is seeing another new chapter for the school, as it plans to begin accepting year 7 students, in line with the Government of Gibraltar’s recent announcement to align the education system with that of the UK. “This is fantastic news for the school and serves us well in having plans to expand the school site, a p p rove d , ” adds Watts. “The ambitious plans will equip the school with some more outdoor, green STRUMMING AHEAD: Pupils in music lessons

Gibraltar’s first Co-educational Christian-Catholic Independent Senior School An exciting opportunity for a quality British education; ideally located for families in Gibraltar and Southern Spain. New Sixth Form now open!

spaces for students to relax and unwind out of the classrooms, as well as new teaching classes and a state-of-the art performance space.” This year, all students have been handed the task of giving at least one hour per week to a charitable cause and the school continues to raise money for various local and international charities. Students at Prior Park are also fast being active members of the wider sports community, playing fixtures against other local schools for the first time in Gibraltar’s history. “With ambitious plans for the future of our school, we continue to support, encourage and lift up our students to be forward-thinking, compassionate and driven young individuals,” concludes Mr.Watts.

12-18 Day Co-educational Ca tholic S

www.priorparkgibraltar. com

A SPANISH school in Ronda has launched a drive to keep the art of letter-writing alive. Colegio Esclavas set a task for all its Year two pupils to write a letter about their Christmas holidays and send it to their teacher. Here, one expat pupil goes about the task p o s t ing his effort from the central Ronda post off i c e , exactly 3 0 0 m from the school.

Life is Inspiring... To Find out more visit our website

www.priorparkgibraltar.com 12-18 Day Co-educational Catholic Senior School

Old School

Email: mshatwell@priorparkschools.com Tel: +350 20062006

12 12

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

ll about

Education

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Challenging, nurturing and academic

otogrande International School (SIS) is a day and boarding school, which follows the IB programme from 3-18 years. Home to a passionate learning community who inspire and encourage learning and intercultural understanding, promoting education as a force for good in the world.

CREATIVITY: A key skill

With more than 980 children from over 44 countries, SIS provides a challenging, nurturing and academically rigorous international education. Throughout the IB programmes teachers aim to combine academic excellence with extraordinary educational experiences. As an Apple Distinguished School, technology is creatively embedded in the curriculum for all students from the age of three, while the F1 in Schools programme and the Hyperbaric Challenge provide an exciting way for students to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related subjects. Academic results are consistently excellent, with both MYP and Diploma students achieving well above world average scores year after year. 2018 saw ten of our students receive an impressive 40+ points, with two achieving a perfect score of 45. Since opening in 1980, Sotogrande

International Boarding House has become home to intellectually adventurous students from all over the world. The diverse student population, composed of 29 nationalities, live together in the recently refurbished Boarding House, which provides excellent accommodation in large, shared twin bedrooms, all climate controlled and with en-suite bathrooms and WiFi connection. Boarders have access to a fantastic array of facilities which include an outdoor swimming pool, gym, music recording studio, tennis and basketball court, dance studio, student lounges, TV rooms and a library. To meet the changing demands of everyday life we offer a variety of boarding options, from full boarding to weekday or flexi-boarding.

And weekday boarding is increasingly popular among the 1000 lucky pupils at Sotogrande International School

VARIETY: From adventures to homely comforts at Sotogrande

Weekday Boarding

Our Weekday Boarding programme is particularly popular with students who live between Mรกlaga, Sevilla and Gibraltar. Weekday boarders benefit from the boarding experience with supervised study time and activities on school days whilst also spending valuable time at home with family and friends on the weekends.

A transport service is available to collect boarders from along the Costa del Sol, Tarifa and Gibraltar on Monday mornings and take them home after school on Friday afternoons. For more information about how Sotogrande International School can help your child reach their full potential contact admissions@sis.gl or visit our website www.sis.ac

BRAND NEW DAYCARE IN ATALAYA/ ESTEPONA Welcome to Joy Playschool Caring for and encouraging a New Generation At Joy Playschool we offer a harmonious and inspiring space for children to be happy

Providing Flexible Daycare, After School Club, Weekend Club and Holiday Camp We speak Spanish, English, Farsi and Swedish Call Us: +34 672 416 209 | +34 691 598 267 | info@joyplayschool.com Avenida Las Golondrinas | 57 Jardines de Atalaya | Estepona 29680 | Spain

www.joyplayschool.com

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

14 14

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

ll about

Education

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Scaling walls A foreign trip to Berlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebrated sites, opened the eyes of a group of Swans teenage students, writes head teacher Rob Maldonado

DUCATION can be so heavily weighted towards academic success that sometimes it is easy to forget the value of enriching young people's minds. At Swans, we always strive to produce the best results that we can at IGCSE and IB level, but we also place great emphasis on what happens outside of the classroom. On a recent trip to Berlin, I was able to experience firsthand how inspired our students can become when they are placed in a different setting and given the chance to live the lives of others. As we wandered the sites of the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the many museums that retell the horrors of life in Nazi Germany and during the

20th February

Holocaust, it was amazing to see how our students developed in their interest and knowledge, asking questions that they probably would not have asked before. There is great value in this that cannot be taught in a regular timetable. Our most inspiring day came when we were given a walking tour by two Syrian refugees, who told their stories of fleeing a wartorn country and their experience of arriving as immigrants to Germany. It was a chance to take our students away from the bubble that we live in on the Costa del Sol and open their eyes to the realities of the world while providing them with some modern-day politics at the same time. The number of messages received from parents on our return showed

INSPIRED: Swans students were fascinated by the Brandenburg Gate and nearby Checkpoint Charlie

us that their children had all enjoyed a wonderful experience, and had returned wiser and more interested in the world around them. It is our belief that this area of education is invaluable. We have been heavily involved in the European Youth Parliament during the past three years, which allows open-

minded students to play a role in discussing key global issues that affect us all. Some of our students have even organised debating sessions for the Malaga region and travelled abroad to take part in International Sessions, which has been a huge responsibility.

It is our hope that, by inspiring our youngsters with such experiences, we are not only enhancing their academic education but instilling the confidence in them to become leaders in whichever field they choose. Visit www.swansschool.net for more information

IB Open Afternoon. Information on our IB Diploma and Scholarship Programme Event at Swans Sierra Blanca | Wednesday 20th February 2019 | 4.30 pm

Our Swans IB Diploma Programme continues to grow from strength to strength. Last year, our top scorer gained 45 points (something that is achieved by less than 0.4% of candidates globally) and we regularly have a number of students that gain over 40 points, which puts them in the top 5% of IB students worldwide! Join us for more information: C/Lago de los Cisnes, s/n 29602 | T. +34 952 902 755 | www.swansschoolinternational.es

20 February 2019: IB Open Afternoon th

External Scholarships available for September 2019

4.30 pm | Swans International Sierra Blanca | Information on our IB Diploma and Scholarship Programme Our Swans IB Diploma Programme continues to grow from strength to strength. Last year, our top scorer gained 45 points (something that is achieved by less than 0.4% of candidates globally) and we regularly have a number of students that gain over 40 points, which puts them in the top 5% of IB students worldwide! Join us for more information: C/Lago de los Cisnes, s/n 29602 | T. +34 952 902 755 | www.swansschoolinternational.es

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

15 15

January 30th - February 12th 2019

How a British education was my ticket to personal growth, writes Romanian Radu Socol, 16

Welcome to Laude

Y name is Amanda Hughes and as the Principal, it is my privilege to introduce you to our school. Laude San Pedro is a private, co-educational school with pupils from 3-19 years old and we deliver the British National Curriculum. In the Primary school we frame this within the International Primary Curriculum so that the content is more vibrant and relevant for our pupils. In Secondary School and School and Sixth Form we continue the British National Curriculum so that students are entered for GCSEs and A-Levels. These examinations are the gold standard in UK academic qualifications, giving students access to universities throughout the world. Because we are a fully inclusive school, we offer pupils in Years 8-13 and alternative to the British curriculum and they have the choice to study and qualify within the Spanish system. In this way they can obtain the ESO and Bachillerato, with the opportunity to prepare for the highly demanding Selectividad exams as well. We are very fortunate to have over 50 nationalities in our school community and this enables our students to experience other cultures and develop into global citizens in a more profound way than their multilingual abilities demonstrate. In order to give access to our curriculum we provide individual pupil support and the Accelerated English Programme. This bespoke provision helps us to enable pupils to get better at learning so that they can all go on to achieve more than they dreamed possible.

The extra-curricular life of our school is exciting and dynamic, giving students the opportunity to take on roles of responsibility, as well as leading events and activities for other pupils and the wider community. Whether it is competitive sports or a desire to improve fitness, our sports programme and outstanding facilities on campus allow us to link with other students in the region and in other countries. From Danzart to international food events; singing to gymnastics; Young Investors to Literature quizzes. The pupils can all enjoy activities which will enrich their school lives. Our aspiration at Laude San Pedro International College is that each child will achieve more than they dreamed possible, in a happy and inclusive environment where everyone is supported and encouraged to excel. We hope that you will share this vision for your children and that you will come and see us, to learn more about the bespoke curriculum we offer and the amazing opportunities our students enjoy. Appointments for Open Days and personal visits can be made through our Head of Admissions, Mercedes Colmenar who will be delighted to hear from you. Please call 952 799 900 or email admissions@laudesanpedro.com

The Only Specialist Sixth Form College in Málaga We look for students of diverse academic levels who have the drive to discover their true potential. Founded by three teachers with much UK & International School teaching / education administration experience, who have lived for almost 20 years in Málaga, we are a selective private school, teaching A-levels & PCE (selectividad) subjects. Our A-level teachers are highly committed and qualified with degrees from Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin and Durham University and we enable students to gain access to university not just in the UK, but also in Spain and the rest of the world. Our Subjects: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography, Politics, Spanish & Further Maths, alongside a choice of six Spanish PCE subjects (selectividad). This year we plan to add Business, IT and Law We are at: Calle Méndez Núñez 5, 1º D (junto a plaza Uncibay) Málaga 29008 Call us on: +34 952 22 02 75 Email us at: info@phoenixcollegemalaga.com

www.phoenixcollegemalaga.com

Studying in the sun

S somebody who began his academic voyage in the bleak waters of the Romanian educational system, jumping ship from the equivalent of a sailing dinghy to a power boat may just have been the wisest decision that my parents ever made. Since my pre-teen years I dreamed of being taught in English, having developed a strange liking for the language and culture. But since my family felt intimidated by the ‘colourless way of British living’ (it was due to the weather, to be honest), our best bet was moving here to sunny Spain, well-regarded for its plethora of British schools. And so, nearly five years ago, I began a new academic voyage of discovery at Benalmádena International College. Graduating from the Romanian way of schooling that had shaped me thus far proved far easier than I thought. The Brits took me in with a sullen glare and had me reshaped by lunchtime. I felt relieved to have been integrated into a fresher way of doing things so quickly. But most importantly, choosing a British college on the Costa del Sol – mine is made up of 28 nationalities – was what really helped me fit in so easily. Such a rich cultural melting pot - compared to the tighter constraints of a tra-

ditional British school, I’m told - fosters a warm, get-along atmosphere of appreciation and acceptance of differences. It widens your horizons past whatever fears or insecurities once held you back from enjoying the freedom of expression an international school’s cosmopolitan climate can provide. There were times when I felt intimidated by the change of pace. I was in Year 8 when I found out that school can be a relaxed, rewarding environment rather than a stress-inducing, mind-churning meat grinder, especially regarding intermediary exams. Ditching the tortured logic that every bad grade will have a cataclysmic effect on your future was a true relief. That said my teachers’ dedication and support also counts immensely, adding a more personal mentor-apprentice approach that has become a rarity in modern education. Various teachers have inspired me through their own skills and work ethic, opening my eyes to wider academic vistas - such as maths actually having a sliver of importance. Rather than alienating and ridiculing my difficulties, as is the norm in Romania, I was encouraged to rise to the challenge and overcome such barriers. That was when everything started to add up.

CALPE SCHOOL

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

BRITISH NATIONAL CURRICULUM

SPECIALISTS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION 18 MONTHS - 10 YEARS DEDICATED TO LEARNING

DISCOVERING EDUCATION IN A CARING AND PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT FULFILLING OUR SCHOOL MOTTO OF “HAPPY TO LEARN” WWW.CALPESCHOOL.COM

TEL: 952 786 029

INFO@CALPESCHOOL.COM

VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

BUSINESS

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Ban-ting

A BRITISH expat has been threatened by police with an €800 fine for not taking down Union Jack bunting at her ‘Little Britannia’ bar in Spain. Tracey Walker, 54, from Bradford, and her customers told the Sun that her business in Benidorm was under threat, due to the anti-UK sentiment surrounding Brexit. “It is a British bar so what harm are some flags doing promoting my business?” she said. “I wonder if they’d do the same if the flags were Spanish?” Police even threatened to double the fine to €1,600 when Tracey refused to take down the flags at the bar in the city’s old town.

Solicitor

The Yorkshire woman says her bunting has been up for two years and that now she is hiring a solicitor to fight the fines. One of Tracey’s regulars also told the Sun: “There’s real concern that local bigwigs have ordered a crackdown on Brit bars. “There’s not a lot of love lost for Brits in Europe right now, and this could be Benidorm officials giving Brits a kicking in their own way,” they added. The bunting has now been taken down, while Tracey looks to overturn the ban.

FIGHTBACK: At Brit bar

Back to the Big Apple

DESTINATION: New York link to Malaga

AMERICA’S Delta Air Lines is bringing back its popular direct flights from Malaga to New York this summer. The daily service will operate from May 24 until the end of September - and it’s no ‘red-eye’. Takeoff from Malaga is at a civilised 8.15am with arrival at JFK Airport at 10.35pm local time. The return flight leaves New York at 5.05pm, landing in Malaga at 6.50am local time.

Ronaldo pays price for tax evasion in Spain but avoids jail as teammate Alonso risks prison protesting innocence

be worth more than €108 million. His ex-Los Blancos teammate Xabi Alonso was also in court, where he maintained his innocence over three counts of tax evasion. But unlike Ronaldo, Alonso did not accept a deal. Prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence and €4m fine for the Basque player in relation to alleged tax evasion between 2010 and 2012.

THE so-called ‘Google tax’ on digital services devised by the Pedro Sanchez Government will take ‘two or three more months’ to come into force.

Double bubble

OLD NEWS: Pensions up

Pensions hike SENIOR citizens in Spain are to receive an average 6.4% extra in their pension packets this year. The government has agreed to spend €135 million on retirement benefits in 2019 - 10.8% of GDP - to bring them in line with inflation.

Power

UNDER FIRE: Alonso and Ronaldo

According to labour minister Magdalena Valerio, the increase will improve the acquisitive power of retirees. Seguridad Social will receive a loan of €15 billion to put this and other commitments into action - including aid for single-parent families and temporary disability - although it’s hoped they won’t have to use up all the money in the pot.

Confidence

He said: “I have the conviction and confidence of having done everything right, collaborating from the start without hiding anything. “I’ve come here and I’m going to keep going until the end because I have confidence in justice. I’ve done everything right.” However a longer sentence means that he could face prison time.

The Google tax cometh

MARBELLA’S Nobu Hotel will double in size after a knockout debut year in business, it has been announced. The swanky adults-only hotel will open a further 40 rooms and suites for the 2019 season and will continue in its distinct minimalistic and chic design, with everything being made in Spain. Located on the Golden Mile, the hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) and is part owned by Hollywood legend Robert De Niro.

Delta has been offering direct flights between Malaga and the Big Apple every summer since 2008. All Delta aircraft operating from Spain are equipped with Wi-Fi and customers can enjoy free on-board messaging through iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Tickets must be booked through Delta.com or at local travel agents.

Game of halves

CRISTIANO Ronaldo has been slapped with a 23-month prison sentence as well as a hefty €18.8m fine for tax evasion during his time at Real Madrid. But the deal he agreed with prosecutors is a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card that will keep the fivetimes winner of the Ballon d’Or from being banged up behind bars. In Spain convicts rarely do time for sentences of under two years and, due to the non-violent nature of his offence, Ronaldo has received the equivalent of a suspended sentence. The 33-year-old Juventus forward was all smiles as he arrived at court in Madrid with his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez for sentencing. The Portuguese athlete’s crimes relate to a period between 2010 and 2014, when he avoided paying tax while a Real Madrid Player. Forbes lists Ronaldo as the third-richest athlete in the world, and he is thought to

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Spain is the first EU country to adopt the tax. The Impuesto sobre Determinados Servicios Digitales will levy 3% on online advertising, online platforms, and sales of user data by companies with global revenues of more than €750m. It is expected to bring in an extra €1.200 million a year but, with the delay, that figure could be lower. It was created to tax enterprises like Google which until now have taken advantage of a legal loophole to pay less than traditional bricks and mortar businesses. The law excludes corporations traditionally associated with offline high street services such as El Corte Ingles and Inditex, despite the fact that most such companies have jumped into online selling big time.

Buying or selling your property may be the most important transaction you will ever make... Attention to detail is crucial. That is why when you choose Charles Gomez & Co for your conveyancing, our dedicated team of experts scrutinise everything and keep you informed at every step of the process.

35 Years of Excellence in Conveyancing

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Property of the Week

Castillo de Locubin - TH3966 49.995€ Spacious 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 236m2 build townhouse sits on a generous plot of 300m2 boasting a large private terrace and good size garden with spectacular views over the town, countryside and to the mountains beyond.

tel: +34 953 587 040 Calle Abad Moya 4 bajo, 23680 Alcalá la Real, Jaén info@inlandandalucia.com www.inlandandalucia.com

Jan 30th - Feb 12th 2019

Southern Spain neighbourhood labelled poorest as average income in Madrid town is 1000% higher MIND the wealth gap in Spain. There’s a wallet-busting €100,000 difference between the average disposable income of its richest and poorest neighbourhoods. In the barrio of Carrus Este, in Elche, Alicante, it’s a miserly €13,286 while in La Moraleja, Madrid, it’s €113,642 - the other end of the pay scale. Carrus Este was traditionally a district of Spanish migrants who came to work in industry. But the economic crisis hit it more drastically than most.

PROPERTY Wealth gap January 30th - February 12th 2019

foreign immigrants whose economic level is very low, explained the mayor. The black economy is another factor, he added. However despite the deprivations, Carrus Este has its good points. “Living here is very pleasant, despite prejudices,” said Toure Modu Biabo, a Spanish resident of Senegalese origin.

Isolation

BIG GAP: Madrid mansion while (inset) Carrus Este According to its Socialist May- ly among long-term jobless’. or Carlos Gonzalez, it ‘faces a The population is now ‘a dehigh unemployment, especial- pressed zone’ dominated by

Cheaters never prosper A BRITISH expat stole more than £46,000 in housing benefits from the UK government while stupidly boasting of her real estate company in southern Spain online. Louise Jones, 50, was claiming housing benefits for a home in Hull, and another property in Cleethorpes for almost 10 years. Both homes were owned by her husband, Bruce McHardy, but the couple were actually living near Alicante. In

total, Jones illegally claimed a staggering £46,000 between 2007 and 2016. Exeter Crown Court heard how Jones dobbed herself in after she posted pictures of her wedding to McHardy, a property developer, on social media. With photos on her Facebook page of her engagement to McHardy in 2015 and her wedding in July 2017, she also described herself as managing director of his Spanish property business, McHardy

LOUISE: With McHardy Spanish Properties.She admitted eight counts of benefit fraud and was jailed for six months, suspended for two years, by Judge Peter Johnson.

While La Moraleja also has a mix of national and foreign migrants, they are the kind who can afford to pay half a million euros for a house and send their children to the best private schools. However residents live in virtual isolation behind walls bristling with high security systems, almost totally disconnected from the outside world or the nearest neighbourhood of Alcobendas. “The kind of lifestyle here is largely indoors”, affirmed one resident. In fact 30 years ago La Moraleja residents campaigned to separate from the Madrid municipality of Arroyo de la Vega it belongs to, arguing that they paid too many taxes for the services they received. Their proposal didn’t make it but people continue as if they are living in an independent republic.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Jan 30th - Feb 12th 2019

Candy crush

ROW: Between Moro clans

Grapes of wrath A VICIOUS spat has broken out between two leading Spanish vineyards over the right to use their names. International wine brands - both named Moro - have become embroiled in a real battle of the grapes. Carlos Moro, owner of Grupo Carlos Moro, which makes Matarromera, and Jose and Javier Moro, owners of Emilio Moro, are at loggerheads over the brand names.

Feud

It had not been an issue until recently as the wineries were based in different locations With one based in Ribera del Duero and the other in Rioja. But the feud kicked off when Carlos decided to open a winery in La Rioja also under the Moro name. Now, in a bid to protect their territory, his rivals have launched a huge advertising campaign, with the slogan: “In the wine world, Moro means Emilio Moro.”

January 30th - February 12th 2019

restaurant | lunch and dinner restaurant | lunch and dinner

Spaniards set to see major health changes in nearly 400 of their favourite food brands

SOME 4,000 products in Mercadona, McDonald’s and Carrefour are set to see major sugar and salt cuts. It comes as hundreds of leading food and drink brands have pledged to reduce at least 10% of sugar, saturated fat and salt in their products by 2020.

Spain’s Ministry of Health has signed 20 agreements with 398 companies in a bid to improve diets. More than 4,000 products from

Don’t get fried young! FRIED chicken increases the risk of premature death, claims a new study. According to the study by the British Medical Journal, eating fried chicken daily is linked to a 13% chance of dying early. Meanwhile, fried fish was found to be linked with a 7% higher risk. The BMJ researchers pointed out that the new information contradicts

a Spanish study which found no links between fried food and premature death. The discrepancy is believed to have emerged as Spaniards tend to cook with olive oil, which is considered healthier than normal cooking oils, used in the UK. Researchers, however, concluded that despite olive oil being a better choice, eating fried foods still increases the risk.

13 different sectors will be regulated, including soft drinks, pastries, cereals and dairy products. The government hopes to reduce salt by 16%, trans-fats by at least 5% and packaged meat - such as ham, turkey breast, sausage and chorizo - products by 10%. All supermarkets will have to stick to the changes, set to be published in the coming days. Other fast food giants, including McDonald’s, KFC and Telepizza, have signed the document adhering to the new regulation. “This enormous effort in the industry is a milestone, another step towards achieving a healthier diet. We can be proud of our companies, which show responsibility with health and the plan will have a very significant impact on nutritional work,” said Minister of Health, Maria Luisa Carcedo.

WWW.ELMUELLE-ARRIATE.COM WWW.ELMUELLE-ARRIATE.COM ESTACIÓONDE DE ARRIATE ARRIATE ||ARRIATE (MA(MA 7400, KM 4)KM 4) ESTACIÓON ARRIATE 7400, 0034 637784 784 416 416 | 166166 370370 0034 637 | 0034 0034952 952 CLOSEDON ONMONDAYS MONDAYS CLOSED

Tranquilo,

they’re on their way home..

FRANCE - ITALY - PORTUGAL

SPAIN - UK - IRELAND

DEFRA AUTHORISED ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION We are Defra Authorised and you can rely on us to take very good care of your pet. We will make sure that they are comfortable and have regular stops to be made a fuss of and carry out neccessary business. Our professional and friendly service will keep them happy until they are reunited with you..

Perfect Winter Break 2x1 Special Offer in January and February For a quote or just some friendly advice

For a quote and some friendly advice

Just Call Jack on the dog & bone.. (+34) 902 109 560

info@unionjackremovals.co.uk

www.unionjackremovals.co.uk

20 20

FOOD,DRINK

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Going local

Confused?

If the UK’s departure from the EU is giving you a headache, Linea Directa is here to help you get the right insurance SOFT Brexit, hard Brexit or no-deal. What does Brexit mean?

How I fell in love with vegetarianism, writes Manna Teji, Andalucia based chef who is starting a new recipe series with the OP

Soft Brexit People who voted to remain in the EU are hoping for a soft Brexit. In this scenario, the UK could stay in the single market or the customs union, or both. This would ensure a continuing close relationship with the EU in return for some EU payments to be made, some EU rules to be followed and continuing the free movement of people.

902 123 282

WAS born in Punjab, India and became known as the into a loving Sikh family. black sheep in a family that I was vegetarian even loved food and cooking. before I was born, as for I went to university where I some reason my mother obtained a masters in classiHard Brexit could not face eating meat cal Indian music. After marIn the case of a hard Brexit, the UK may have to give up access while she was pregnant with rying I met an exceptional to the single market and the Customs Union. EU payments would me, which carried on while chef whom I asked to teach probably end as would free movement of people, meaning that UK I was a baby. Finally when I me to cook. Although I wasn't citizens would lose their automatic right to live and work in any Eurowas three years old, my par- a very good student, he did pean country. The UK would be free to make its own rules and reguents met their spiritual men- give me some advice that lations, and negotiate their own trade deals with countries around tor and the has stayed the world. Trade between the UK and the EU would continue but whole family with me all with more restrictions and new rules on how it would work. converted to through my He told me No-deal vegetarianism. life - ‘Whatever whatever you If a new set of rules and regulations for a hard Brexit cannot be Growing up you cook with agreed, then the UK could leave the EU with no deal. In this sceI lived in love will turn cook with love nario, the UK may have to defer to the World Trade Organisation many differout wonderful’. rules on international trade when doing business with EU countries. will turn out ent places as At the time UK exports would be subject to taxes and customs checks. The lemy father's I thought he wonderful gal status of UK expats in Europe and EU expats in the UK would work took was just an be uncertain. Would people require visas? Would the price of food him around old man that imports rise? Would business be thrown into chaos? the world. My didn't know parents were great enter- what he was talking about, Did you know? tainers with food being an but now I know better! Whatever the final scenario, the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on integral part of the house- Cooking became my passion March 29 2019. Given that negotiations have started, we underhold. Through the different and as I travelled around the stand that it is of vital importance for expatriates to stay informed cooks we had at home I ex- globe and tasted all kinds of about the outcomes and how it affects them. perienced a wide variety of food, curiosity about the difstyles of cooking. ferent gastronomies drove For more information please call 902 123 282 or However when I was a child I me to learn, investigate and visit www.lineadirecta.com. refused to enter the kitchen, innovate in my own kitchen, every day. Having children also sparked a new desire to invent interesting, tasty and fun vegetarian food that would be nourishing but appealing. Finally after living in five different continents, I settled in Spain in 1999 and became a professional vegetarian chef. I always try to source my food locally, and am lucky enough to live in the agricultural province of Almeria, where I support local initiatives to grow organic produce. Here I have created food for markets to top restaurants as well as catering for yoga schools, vegans, people with food allergies and a host of other needs. Fed up with your ad getting lost in a labyrinth of mediocrity and sex ads? I am presently advising Albar Restaurant at Casona Why not call a professional award-winning newspaper with 50% original, Granado in the Lubrin area, sparkling editorial that its readers take home and cherish? as well as a healthcare pro* Fu l l y co m p re h e n s i ve o f fe r va l i d fo r n e w c u s to m e r s o n l y. G u a ra nte e s u b j e c t to cove r, re p a i r at a p p rove d g a ra g e, a n d co u r te s y ve h i c l e ava i l a b i l i t y. S u b j e c t to co n d i t i o n s. O f fe r e n d s 3 0 / 1 1 / 1 8 .

TheOlivePress-256x170-CAR-4.indd 1

2/8/18 17:01

VEGGIE FOR LIFE: Manna Teji is in love with veggie cooking

WE GIVE YOU MORE

Reasons IT’S TIME TO

switch to

HILLSIDE HOME: Manna has settled in Mojacar

vider in London, who are keen to include more vegetarian and vegan choices on their menus. I currently live just outside Mojacar, where I run a small B&B offering various courses with accommodation. I also give cookery classes and advise on all aspects of vegetarian catering, from gift hampers to children's parties. Here (right) is one of my

With three editions and six websites, The Olive Press is now the unquestionable market leader in Spain for reach, quality and results.

AND HERE IS WHY

12 years of excellent customer service and a team that listens to its clients Fair payment policy and no pushy hard sales A true family paper with a ban on murky illegal businesses and brothels Incredible distribution to over 2000 locations with less than 0.5% returns Editorial geared to expats and tourists of all nationalities and relevant to them No boring rehashed town hall press releases and hundreds of irrelevant news in briefs Properly researched features and investigations creating positive results Harder working team than any other publication on the coast Fully legal with registered office, deposito legal and contracted staff 10000 visitors a day to our websites while our social media followers are GENUINE and not paid for in China

HOME MEMORIES: A market in Punjab

most popular sweet treats for you to try at home. Enjoy! Manna Teji is an Indian chef living in Mojacar who is passionate about vegetarian food. Manna welcomes questions on the topic of food and health, especially vegetarianism and veganism, so feel free to contact her at mannateji@hotmail.com

& TRAVEL

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

January 30th - February 12th 2019

VEGAN STICKY TOFFEE CAKE Serves 6 to 8 INGREDIENTS:

www.bistropoint.gi

For the pudding

UNIVERSITY OF GIBRALTAR, EUROPA POINT

• • • • • • • • • • •

250g of stoned dates 250g of flour 75gs of maple syrup 200g of chopped walnuts 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder 2 teaspoons of baking soda 100ml. of olive oil 2 tablespoons of egg substitute (optional) 100ml. of water 1 pinch of salt

Reservations on 200 76588 or bistropoint@huntergroup.gi

For the toffee • • •

250gms of cane sugar 50gms of vegan butter 80gms of vegan cream (chilled)

METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180ºC/ 375 F. Prepare your baking tray or tin. Put water, dates and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) in a pan, bring to boil and simmer on medium heat until the dates are softened. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, sieve the flour with baking powder, pinch of salt and egg substitute. Add the cooked dates mixture to the flour along with olive oil, vanilla essence and walnuts and mix well. Put the batter into the baking tin and bake for 40-45 min or until if you prick the cake with a stick and it comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before turning out. In another pan, heat the butter and add the sugar. Let it cook without stirring until it caramelises into a brown syrup. Now carefully pour the chilled cream into the pan and stir well. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Pour the toffee generously over the cake and leave to cool before cutting. Another way is to serve the toffee mixture hot, poured over each serving like a pudding.

CARAVANING

2019 a

27 EDITION

FEBRUARY, FROM 8th TO 10th & 15th TO 17th

TWO WEEKENDS

EXHIBITION HALL OF ALICANTE

COME AND DISCOVER THE EXCITING WORLD OF CARAVANING Motorhomes, caravaning, mobile-homes, convertible trailers, accessories and camping equipment

COLUMNISTS Twiddling thumbs 22 22

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Jan 30th - Feb 12th 2019

“

MUM, why won’t my Xbox work?”, bellows a voice from behind his bedroom door. “We don’t have internet,” I sigh, and unpack another box. “WHAT? Even the goat house had internet, what am I supposed to do?” “Get off your arse and chat to real people?”, I mumble. Our worldly possessions had arrived the day before, delivered by a very nice man with a very big van. Looking at the mountain of boxes I realise I haven’t packed one kitchen utensil, not even a fork. But we had brought the 4-foot long fibreglass shark head which is currently residing on the balcony underneath the washing line. Foolishly I had thought that every expat selling a property in Spain would leave their abode furnished, like a 1980s Wimpy show home. But we purchased from locals, and locals take everything with them, including the shower head.

January 30th - February 12th 2019

New wife in the sun

No wifi, no water and no cutlery, how can Paula Leskovitz make her new life work in the sun?

We also have no hot water. The ancient gas boiler didn’t even make an attempt to fire up. It just stood there, white and lacklustre, mocking my sweaty armpits with silent authority. It’s barely 10am on a Saturday and I drag the petulant one out of his bed. We amble over to Miramar shopping centre and queue at the Movistar desk, waiting patiently to speak to the solitary English-speaking staff member, hoping he can enable our access back into the 21st century without a Tardis. Two hours later we claim possession of an extortionate phone contract with the promise that fibre optic will be installed into our flat forthwith. The midday sun beats down around scantily clad tourists and we decide to take a pitstop to fill our growling bellies at a local café.

Sitting at the table opposite is a blonde woman of similar age, talking rapidly on the phone in French and flicking cigarette ash onto the pavement. She catches my eye and smiles, raising her eyebrows in a conspiratorial ‘are people actually this stupid’ motion, slams her phone onto the table and inhales another round of nicotine. Her brown eyes swivel in my direction and land directly on my rapidly evaporating glass of wine. “I think I’ll join you in one of those,” she says in perfect English and beckons the waiter. “Would you like another?”, she enquires, then orders two wines before I have time to accept her generous offer. Devoid of any real adult conversation since moving into our new home, I motion her to join us at the table. “So,” my new friend enquires, “what do the people with chil-

Take Radio Mix 106 with you Wherever you go Download Radio Mix 1 Spain

MUST HAVE: Shark head ornament takes pride of place dren do here in the summer months? My two boys don’t start school for another 12 weeks, we’ve just moved here from France and they need to find some form of activity apart from exercising their wrists on the Xbox.” I smile and lean forward, fuelled by too much cheap wine. The person sitting

across from me is a complete stranger but I hear my voice engage before my brain has time to complain. “I’m also a new wife in the sun. I think I may have an idea…” Follow our further adventures at www.anewwifeinthesun.com

The prince of Puerto Banus As the coast is rocked with the shock death of well-known businessman Marco Yaqout, Giles Brown pays tribute to his friend of 10 years

From Gibraltar to Nerja on 106 fm and worldwide on www.radiomix106.com Radio with borders! Facebook @mix106fm The only English funeral director covering Spain and all its islands. Funeral care Spain is a company dedicated to providing quality services and help at a time when you need it the most. We speak your language and realise the importance that a caring, dignified and unique service can play in the grieving process. We work with all major insurance companies.

HE news flashed across my social media I’ve known Marco for over 10 years. As a busifeed and I barely raised an eyebrow. ness partner of the massively successful group Spanish press were reporting the murder that runs TIBU nightclub, Lineker’s and Portside, of a 49-year-old Spaniard who had busi- Babilonia and Bijou, as well as many other popunesses in Puerto Banus, gunned down outside lar establishments, he was an instantly recognihis house in the early hours. Police were quoted sable figure in Banus. Marco was one of the earsaying that the killing was a suspected ‘settling liest and most loyal supporters of Hot Marbella of scores’. Magazine, which I edit. ‘Here we go again’, I thought to myself, scanning While some in Banus act as if they are in a real the report and making notes for a post in my blog life version of The Sopranos, Marco was always later that day, ‘another baby gangster getting approachable and great fun. He loved the Marwhat was coming to him’. bella lifestyle - complete with luxury cars and I didn’t really think too much about it until a friend designer clothes - but he was a shrewd businesscalled. “This shooting in San Pedro,” he said, “I man, as more than a decade at the very top of think it might be Marco.” I told him that I would the Banus bar and nightlife scene proved. check my contacts and see what I could find out. Behind the extroverted, party-loving exterior was A text message came back minutes later. It was a person who took time out to talk to everyone, Marco. “F**k,” I said under my breath. testament to the outpouring of social media tribAs a Marbella based journalutes that have flooded in since ist for the past 20 years, I have the news. Even my barber told written about every aspect of me about the time Marco sat life in this colourful, cosmopoliand talked with him when he tan, and often chaotic town - the was just in his teens. good, the bad and the someI last saw Marco when I was times very ugly. I have occasioneating in a frontline restaurant ally worked with international with friends, he drove past, top TV and radio reporting on crime down in the Bentley, shades on stories, including gang feuds, (of course), saw our group and shootings and drug busts, and stopped to shoot the breeze. He even contributed to the Marseemed genuinely pleased to bella chapter of Dutch book, see us and drove off with that World of Crime. In the past year big smile of his, busy taking a my blog, Planet Marbella, has call, off to another meeting. reported on a marked increase That’s how I’ll remember him. in violent crime. Rest well Marco. Your friends But it all seemed abstract, the already miss you. victims two-dimensional. You really were the prince of Until this. Puerto Banus. SLAIN: Marco Yaqout

www.funeralspain.com 24 Hour Emergency helpline: 660 659 857 or 654 056 653 Office hours (8am - 6pm) 951 909 264

“No Worries, Just Memories”

SPORT

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Big lad CHAMPIONSHIP side Blackburn Rovers have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old Louie Annesley from Gibraltar club Lincoln Red Imps. The London-born centre-back began his career at Chelsea, and in October helped Gibraltar to a first ever competitive victory. Rovers’ new man was subbed on late in the tie to help carry the Rock to a 1-0 win over Armenia in the Nations League. At 6ft 4ins the young defender will be one of the tallest players in Championship history after Middlesbrough’s Aden Flint who towers at 6ft 5½ins. Manager Tony Mowbray has brought in Annesley in a bid to address the Lancashire club’s poor goal difference of -4, despite sitting in 10th with 40 points.

BOXER: Mansouri

No glove lost BRITISH Super Welterweight champion Navid Mansouri has confirmed he will fight Jorge Fortera of Spain on the Costa del Sol. The mouthwatering clash for the IBF Intercontinental Championship title takes place at the Sports Centre of San Pedro Marbella on February 16. Eurosport TV are broadcasting the fight, which is expected to attract 2,000 on the night. The Englishman has an impressive 19 victories, one defeat and two nulls under his belt, and is matched by the Spaniard’s 18 victories, one defeat and one null. Another five professional fights provide the warm up, including a tasty encounter between English cruiserweight boxer Joe Sheriff and Spaniard Alvaro Terrero. Sheriff, who has a record of 12 victories and one defeat should have it easy against Granadaborn Terrero, who has just three victories and nine defeats.

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Grand Slammed Nadal crushed by rival Djokovic in Australian Open final

RAFAEL Nadal has had his Grand Slams lead over world number one Novak Djokovic cut to just two, after losing the Australian Open final in straight sets. The Serb defeated the Spaniard 6-3 6-2 6-3 at Melbourne Park to claim a record 7th title in the competition. The historic win marks Djokovic’s 15th Grand Slam victory and sees him move within five of Roger Federer, who has 20 and just two of Nadal on 17. “I don’t say I have been destroyed,” said Nadal after the defeat. He added: “I have been playing against a player that was at the highest level possible, in my opinion.” Nadal now looks ahead to the French Open in May, where he is known as the ‘king of clay’ for his record 11 singles titles in the Grand Slam at Roland

Garros. Djokovic will be looking to steal the title from Nadal, after a blistering run of form saw him clinch his third successive major in Melbourne. Reflecting on his stunning performance he said: “The first thing I’m going to do is recharge my batteries and obviously then, you know, have time to reflect.” The match in Melbourne lasted two hours and four minutes as Djokovic crushed his old rival with 34 winners and just nine unforced errors. The 53rd on-tour meeting between the pair is a repeat of their 2012 final that was the longest grand slam title match in history at five hours and 53 minutes.

Search for Sala POLICE have called off searches for Premier League player Emiliano Sala after the plane he was on vanished over the English Channel. The 28-year-old Argentine, who began his career in Spain had joined Cardiff City in a record transfer of €17m. But after the forward said goodbye to his teammates at French side Nantes and flew to Wales his flight disappeared near

CAPTION

Guernsey. Sala’s family have launched a private rescue effort, with crowdfunding reaching €350,000, including a €30,000 donation from PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.

23 23

January 30th - February 12th 2019

Hockey days THE British hockey team have left their mark on Spain after producing a stunning comeback to win 6-5 in Valencia. Spain were 3-1 up inside nine minutes, with GB’s Adam Dixon getting on the scoresheet, before the hosts went into halftime with a 4-2 advantage. After the break Mark Gleghorne, Phil Roper and David Condon were among the goals for GB, while Dixon grabbed a second. A late Spain goal was not enough to beat GB and goalscorer Dixon said: “We knew we needed to grind the result out.” The match was the first of the International Hockey Federation Pro League, a new system, which acts as qualifying for the World Cup and Olympics.

All you need is

‘Bringing music to your ears, and Gibraltar to your screen’

January/February on GBC TV includes: ‘Wednesday Comedy: Mixology’ ‘A Life Abroad’ ‘Vicky’s Natural Kitchen’ ‘Viewpoint’ ‘City Pulse’ GBC TELEVISION

RADIO GIBRALTAR

GBC ONLINE

Available on: Gibraltar Freeview & Online

91.3, 92.6 & 100.5FM 1458AM, DAB+, Gibraltar Freeview & Online

GBC TV Live GBC TV Player Radio Gibraltar Live Radio Gibraltar On Demand Latest local news

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

The Rock’s only free and local paper

FREE Advertise here for as little as as £75 per issue

Employment surge

FINAL WORDS

SPAIN ended 2018 with its highest employment record since 2006 by creating 566,200 new positions mostly in the public sector.

Welling up ECOLOGISTAS en Accion estimates that 60% of Malaga wells are illegal, revealed following the rescue operation for little Julen who fell in an open well in Totalan.

Refugees welcome SPAIN saw a recordbreaking 56,500 people apply for asylum status in 2018, with Venezuelan applicants making up some 40%, the UN has revealed.

Vol. 4 Issue 89 www.gibraltarolivepress.com January 30th - February 12th 2019

Stone returned A MAN dressed as a unicorn has been arrested on suspicion of robbery. The 20-year-old Spaniard, whose identity has not been revealed, broke into a Malaga computer shop wearing a hooded dressing gown emulating the mythical creature. Police confirmed the man, who has now been

It comes after an art detective discovered the Visigoth sculptures covered in mould and leaves at the back of the British lord’s estate.

Uni-crook arrested, took a dozen mobile phones and €700 in cash. He has since been linked to another eight robberies in the city, after breaking windows

www.rcgtreeservices.com rockscampogardens@gmail.com

Quixotic park

Stolen ancient artefacts are found decaying in British aristocrat’s back garden A BRITISH aristocrat has been forced to return a series of priceless 7th century Spanish treasures he was using as garden ornaments.

January 30th - February 12th 2019

PRICELESS: Visigoth treasure Dutch historian Arthur Brand found them at the unnamed aristocrat’s land, having spent eight years tracing them around Europe. The limestone sculptures, engraved with Catholic saints, were stolen from a medieval church in Burgos in 2004. "The thieves wanted to sell them and make a lot of money, but soon found such heritage was extremely difficult to sell," Brand said. "So, they decided to sell them as garden ornaments." According to police, the 50kg pieces were bought a few

years ago by the aristocrat, who was ‘entirely unaware’ of their background. It is believed the aristocrat spent just €58,000 apiece for the ‘priceless’ works, which are worth millions. "It is incredible that these priceless 1,300-year-old artifacts made for the Spanish sun were in their garden, exposed to the English rain," said Brand. The artifacts were returned to the Spanish embassy in London on January 21 and will be returned to the Santa Maria de Lara church, in Burgos, later this year.

A SPANISH guerilla, an Arabic king and Spain’s most famous writer are the inspiration behind an unusual theme park set to open near Toledo. Set to open to the public in 2021, it will feature characters as varied as Don Quixote, King Fernando VI and Al Ma-mun, the caliph who inspired the book 1,001 nights, also known as Arabian Knights. A French company has been joined by La Caixa bank to help fund the massive €242 million project, which will look at Spanish characters through history. Puy Du Fou, the French company behind the project, believes the new attraction will create some 2,500 jobs. The park at finca Zurraquin is expected to be similar to a French park, near Nantes, owned by the company, which features the Three Musketeers, Merlin and King Arthur.