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February 14th - February 27th 2018
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The Rock’s original community newspaper
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Vol. 3 Issue 64 www.gibraltarolivepress.com February 14th - February 27th 2018
GUERRERO: In the dock
Campo de Colombia
Wasn’t me THE alleged lynchpin in Spain’s biggest ever political fraud claims he made SIX previous confessions up. Former Junta employment boss Francisco Guerrero insists he did not personally gain from the ERE scandal, that saw up to a billion euros embezzled over a decade. He claims he only gave details of the so-called ‘reptile fund’ that he allegedly oversaw, after police put considerable pressure on him.
THE Campo de Gibraltar is becoming the ‘Colombia of Spain’, Spanish police have warned. According to Spain’s United Police Union (SUP), young people in areas like La Linea are idolising Pablo Escobar (right) and becoming increasingly involved in the drug trade. The SUP added that the area was in danger of becoming like Galicia in the 1980s, when it was overrun by
Embezzlement
Guerrero is facing eight years in prison for embezzling €65 million of money from the €647 million emergency public fund that he managed between 1999 and 2008. The money had been set aside to support struggling Andalucian businesses. Instead, Guerrero allegedly awarded fake grants to companies registered in the names of more than 100 of his family members, friends and fellow PSOE politicians. His driver, Juan Francisco Trujillo - nicknamed the ‘cocaine chauffeur’ - claims he set up bogus shell companies to receive public money to spend on ‘cocaine, parties and drinks’. He is also accused of sending ‘retirement money’ to his mother-in-law and the mother of his driver for companies that never existed. On one day alone, Guerrero Continues on Page 4
Deceased SEE PAGE 4
Life sentences for choosing to terminate a pregnancy ‘must come to an end’ EXCLUSIVE By Joe Wallen
THE Government has refused to consider changing a law, which is forcing women to travel abroad for abortions. It comes after a woman’s group launched an appeal to overturn the ‘draconian’ law, which is the strictest in Europe. Currently, any Gibraltarian plus anyone assisting - faces LIFE imprisonment for terminating a pregnancy. Under Section 16 of the 2011 Crime Act a pregnant woman ‘who, with intent to procure her own miscarriage… is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.’ The Gibraltar Women’s Association believes it is now time to change the law. The group claims to know of many women who have suffered physical and mental health problems after being
gangsters and drug lords and was used as an entry point to Europe for Colombian cocaine. It comes after 20 masked men successfully stormed a hospital in La Linea to rescue their drug boss from police custody last week. And just a few days ago, a police car was purposefully smashed into by a ‘hitman’ who was hired to intercept a Turn to Page 2
Abort the law
forced to travel to Spain for poor quality operations. The women then return to
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the Rock, keeping their terminations secret and not seeking further medical care over fears news of their abortion will spread. Coming on the 100th anniversary of British women first being able to vote, its members believe it is forcing many women to have abortions in Spain, or worse, undertake backstreet treatments on the Rock. “Migrants and refugees are particularly vulnerable as they are unable to attain visas to go to Spain,” said spokeswoman Anne-Marie Struggles, 51. She and her colleague Tamsin Suarez are now fighting to reverse the law and raise awareness of the issue with the UN. It comes after they discovered that only three other countries in Europe (Poland, Ireland and Malta) ban abortion and all are in talks with the UN to
PRO CHOICE: Suarez (left) and Struggles decriminalise the act. very conservative place. Ireland is also about to hold The pair say they want to sepa referendum on the issue in arate religion from the state May. and allow women the final say “We however are the only na- on their bodies. tion in Europe who the UN “The Catholic church lobby on are not working with,” Suarez abortion as they did against said. gay marriage a couple of years “They might think we have the ago. It is wrong.” same laws as the UK but in The assocation is now set to fact we are very different.” write to the UN to plead it Suarez and Struggles are ve- opens dialogue with the Gihement their group is pro- braltarian government over choice, not pro-abortion per the issue. se. It will also present its findings They believe it should be up to to the government. a woman to decide what to do When contacted this week the with her body. government refused to sup“The criminalisation of abor- port any reform of the law. tion leads to discrimination “Abortion other than in cerand infringes on women’s tain, defined, medically certidignity,” Struggles told the Gi- fied circumstances, is illegal braltar Olive Press. under Gibraltar law,” a gov“We’ve gone back 100 years ernment spokesman told the on this issue!” Gibraltar Olive Press. “The “There is a lack of women’s Cabinet has not considered rights in Gibraltar and it’s a changing this policy.”
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Bedding down EIGHTEEN new beds have been made available at the John Mackintosh Home for Gibraltarians suffering from dementia.
Sex offences GIBRALTARIAN, Jarod Louis Mifsud, 21 has appeared in court charged with three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16.
Stub it out PETER Macias, of Laguna Estate, has appeared at the Magistrates’ Court accused of illegally transporting 100,000 cigarettes.
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Stories and features in this edition of Gibraltar’s original community newspaper
February 14th - February 27th 2018
‘Like a scene from Narcos’ TWO Spanish policemen have been injured after their car was deliberately smashed into to disrupt a highspeed chase. The Guardia Civil agents were chasing a car allegedly filled with drugs in La Linea when a ‘hitman’ rammed into their car. The police said it was ‘like a scene from Narcos’, the hit Netflix series chronicling the life of notorious drug baron Pablo Escobar.
Infamous drug-trafficker finally snared again in Algeciras ONE of Spain’s most notorious criminals has been arrested in Algeciras after a nationwide police hunt. José Ramón Prado Bugallo, 62, known as Sito Miñanco, is accused of running a drug-trafficking operation from South America to Spain while under house arrest. A total of 40 people were detained in raids across Andalucia, Madrid and Galicia with two police officers shot and wounded in the operation. Sito Miñanco’s daughter Rosa María Prado Pouso was among those arrested. In 2004, the Spaniard was jailed for 16 years after being convicted of running an international cocaine
“A car driven by a hitman drove head on into the police car,” a Guardia Civil spokesman said. The suspected vehicle was able to get away while the ‘hitman’ was arrested. It came the day after 20 masked men successfully stormed La Linea hospital to rescue their ‘drug boss’ from the hands of the police. Police said the two events show that ‘the drug lords continue to make the Gibraltar campo a lawless area.’
“The Ministry of the Interior are doing nothing to solve the root problem, only patching the situation to comply with public opinion,” the spokesman added. He insisted both the Guardia Civil and Nacional Police felt abandoned in the fight against dangerous criminals who do not mind putting their lives in danger and that of the agents if they manage to save their drug load.’
SHOCKING: Rammed police car
Back behind bars
trafficking organisation. However, since mid-2014 he was allowed to leave jail from Monday to Thursday under a semi-freedom scheme - allowing him to
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work at a car park. “He had moved thousands of kilos of cocaine again, he wanted to feel like he did in his younger years,” a police source said. Authorities were on the trail of Sito Miñanco for two years but found it difficult to gather enough evidence amid concerns he had corrupted certain officials. He also had a Telefonica employee on his payroll who warned him when his phone was being tapped and a tax inspector who helped him launder money through property. Nevertheless, a seizure of 3,800 kilos of cocaine found on a boat travelling from Barbados in October was traced back to Sito Miñanco. His high profile arrest is a timely one for police in the Campo, who have been
From Page 1
Colombia zone
high-speed drug chase in what was described as ‘like a scene from Narcos’ - the hit Netflix series chronicling the career of Escobar (see story above). A spokesman for the union said: “We need specialised personnel in citizen security capable of dealing effectively with these dangerous situations. “There’s clearly a lack of security in La Linea and it’s down to the fact that we don’t have sufficient personnel to tackle drug traffickers. “The increasingly high profile drug trafficking that we have in this area lies at the root of the problem. “We are seeing an average of 10 launches come in daily loaded with 1,000 or 2,000 kilos of drugs. “All we are asking is for the government to make available the necessary resources to face up to this scourge which is invading us more and more.” “This is a city in the hands of delinquents and we can’t allow that. “It’s becoming like a small Colombian Andalucia.”
Gotcha’ Grima MIÑANCO: Arrested
accused of letting the drug trade in the region spiral out of control.
Upper Town trouble A HUGE stash of drugs has been discovered at a home in the Upper Town following a police raid. Two people were arrested after officers unearthed around 29g of cocaine and 432g of cannabis resin, as well as scales and other drugs paraphernalia. A 31-year-old male, who lives in the property, has been arrested on suspicion of drug dealing. Another 20-year-old male, who arrived at the home during the search, has also been arrested. He was found with 10g of cannabis resin on him and police believe he was trying to purchase more drugs. The investigation continues.
A GIBRALTARIAN man has been convicted of five separate drugs offences. Michael Grima, 45, of Coehlo House, was charged with two counts of possessing a drug, two counts of possession with intent to supply and one count of importing a drug. He will be sentenced on February 23. Grima has also been charged with a number of different traffic offences, for which he has already been sentenced. He will be disqualified from driving for 12 months and has been handed a onemonth suspended prison sentence, which will be active for six months.
News
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Kylie’s coming
Mistress Morgan
BETH Morgan appeared to be refusing to let her alleged dismissal from Coronation Street get to her as she relaxed by the pool in Spain. The 22-year-old actress, who played a lapdancer on Corrie, is rumoured to be joining soap Hollyoaks instead. Morgan was supposedly fired after leaking details of an upcoming storyline from Coronation Street. The rising star regularly posts scantily clad snaps of herself on her social media, with the most risque saved for a pay-to-view site.
February 14th - February 27th 2018
KYLIE Minogue will be performing in Spain as part of her European tour, it has been announced. The pint size singer is to play at the Bikini Club in Barcelona on March 16. The tour precedes the release of her new album Golden which is planned to drop on April 16. She said: “I’m so excited to perform songs from my new album Golden in these iconic European clubs. “Each of these venues is very special and - just as I found making the new album in Nashville to be so energising - these shows will be new, intimate and fun. “I just can’t wait to bring these new songs to life and MINOGUE: Coming to town of course, throw in a few surprises for my fans.”
ON SHOW: Bikini Beth
Place in the sun
Birthday boy REAL Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has celebrated turning 33 with an underwater-themed birthday cake. The forward posted a photo of him holding the cake on social media, alongside the caption ‘33! Thank you for all your birthday messages.’ Ever the athlete, Ronaldo marked his big day by enjoying a legs workout in the gym and treating himself to a pair of new white Nike trainers adorned with gold ticks.
Glory
It has been quite the year for the Portuguese player. Ronaldo overtook Jimmy Greaves as the all-time top scorer in the leading five European leagues, as well as winning his fifth Ballon d’Or and fifth FIFA Player of the Year. He also led Real Madrid to their first La Liga title since 2012 and Champions League glory.
Since starting Voices of Gibraltar we have had a phenomenal response from residents on the Rock! We return this issue with two new voices about issues that matter to them
AN American reality TV show is looking for expats who want to reveal the secrets of life on the Costa del Sol. Mediterranean Life, by satellite TV channel, HGTV is lifting the lid on life on the coast and currently casting for a new series - similar to House Hunters International. Every episode tells a different story with different people, also featuring their estate agents who are helping them buy or rent a property. The website says: “We are looking for energetic individuals, couples and families
New reality TV show to shed light on the glamourous lives of homeowners on the Costa del Sol
NEW: Expat homes on TV who are passionate about their search for a new home
Fighting fit CONTROVERSIAL boxer Tyson Fury has been training at a gym in Marbella as he plots his comeback in the ring. Fury, 29, a former World Heavyweight champion, has not boxed for more than two years after relinquishing his titles in 2016. He gave up his titles after testing positive for cocaine, also revealing that he had been suffering from depression. Fury shared a video of himself training on social media, comparing his speed to that of a sports car. “Oh my god, am I really that fast @usainbolt @ferrari @lamborghini @f1,” he wrote.
Dream chaser Lauren Lavagna, 21, Make up artist
V G of
RONALDO: Legend at 33
“Never lose focus on what you really want in life, as it will be hard and it will take time. “You will have moments where you feel like giving up because you will feel that you aren’t good enough, or maybe because it’s taking too long to get to where you want to be, but be patient and keep working on what you love. “The problem is that we are all so used to how society says we should live our lives, working 9-6 in a job that just brings stress and waiting for Friday to come. “Society tells us to live a life we don’t enjoy and sadly we live that life because it’s comfortable. “We all have a passion, and once you find it, follow your heart. “Work doing what you love and you won’t have to work another day in your life.”
in Mediterranean Europe. “We’re always on the lookout for upbeat personalities and interesting stories.” The focus is on expats from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and will be broadcast to Americans and later to the rest of the world. Barbara Kaczmarczyk who heads up casting for the show said the aim of Mediterranean Life is to encourage others to make the move. “We hope to show that everyone can make a courageous decision and move from their homeland to the place from their dreams to rest, to live in a better climate, to work, or just to start a new life in a different environment,” she told the Olive Press. “The Costa del Sol is one of the places considered as a paradise.” Filming is set to begin on March 12 and if you're interested then email mediterraneanlifecasting@tvn.pl with all your details.
HOLIDAY HUNS: Chyna and Danielle (inset)
Love is in the air LOVE Island pals Danielle Sellers and Chyna Ellis have been spotted frolicking on the beach in Spain while on a girls’ holiday. The pair took a dip in the sea and played some volleyball as they took a break from the current cold weather in the UK. Chyna, who is currently starring in ITV show the Ibiza Weekender alongside on-off flame Jordan Davies, bonded with Danielle in the Summer when the girls entered Love Island via the Casa Amor villa. Chyna infamously kissed the show’s winner Kem Cetinay which caused conflict in the house.
Voices of Gibraltar Fashion frenzy Raygan Martinez, 23, Communications Manager “I work for Costa Admin Solutions as a Communications & Recruitment Manager but I am also the Director of RA Productions, so my life is quite a busy one. “It is really rewarding however when my boss says ‘we have got a new client’ or someone says ‘your productions are fantastic, I can’t wait until the next one. “Fashion has been a passion of mine since as long as I can remember and my aim with RA Productions is to give opportunities for young people ro develop their skills whether it is in modelling, hair and makeup or even photography. “RA Productions gives specialized and qualified courses in hair and makeup, fashion styling, catwalking, interview skills and on much more and it has given me the opportunity to meet with a lot of people with the same interests and also to expand my knowledge of the fashion world.”
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news
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Prize park Sierra de las Nieves in Malaga has been given the green light from the government to become the third national park in Andalucia.
Liquid gold Six Spanish olive oils have been voted among the 20 best in the world at the Flos Olei Awards.
ERE case From Page 1
€1.3 million to acquaintances. The former director protested his innocence this week as he made his first appearance in court. He argued that he was only following orders and therefore wasn’t accountable for his actions. The court must now decide whether Guerrero made the payments alone or whether he acted on the behalf of others. A total of 22 leading politicians are facing trial, including two former Junta bosses, Manuel Chaves and Jose Antonio Grinan.
Bring him home! Olive Press appeal sees thousands donated to bring arrested Royal Gib Regiment soldier back from Thailand
A BRITISH expat soldier being held in Thailand has raised almost half of his repatriation costs following an Olive Press online appeal. Adam Williams, who lives in Cadiz, had a nervous breakdown after he was assaulted and robbed over Christmas, while on holiday with friends in Phuket. Incredibly, the 30-year-old, who just finished 10 years service in the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, was chained to a hospital bed and then moved to jail under arrest, where he has been for over a month.
Assault
Since the Olive Press exclusively reported on the case, more than €8,000 has been donated by expats and Brits to help his cause. In an appeal his parents, also expats in Cadiz, told the paper: “Adam had a great time
ADAM WILLIAMS: Banged up abroad however, with Christmas approaching, his friends decided to return to the UK. Adam stayed in Thailand on his own. “It wasn’t long after Adam’s friends left that he was robbed of all his possessions and assaulted by persons un-
Read all about it
Deceased T
February 14th - February 27th 2018
stops publishing
he Gibraltar Olive Press has some new distribution points this issue after the demise of the only other free, independent newspaper in Gibraltar, Gib Live. In an amicable arrangement, the owners of the recently-shut newspaper have donated their collection of stands in key locations on the Rock. In return, the Olive Press is offering all Gib Live clients special rates to continue marketing to the enclave and the surrounding area. We vow to Gib Live clients a better quality read as well as a better delivered publication. Indeed, from this issue we will be publishing more newspapers to make up any shortfall. The owners have declined to offer any official comment on the closure, but are believed to have parted on good terms with the majority of their clients.
We wish Kevin and his team all the best for the future. Come and visit our office on Main Street or contact us on +34 951 27 35 75 or +447983573336 if you have any questions on marketing.
known to him. “The assailants were never caught, but our son was taken by the police, hospitalised for treatment of injuries and later moved to jail on remand – we don’t know why. “Having been assaulted, robbed, arrested, and incarcerated in a foreign country, with no understanding of the language, Adam understandably suffered a mental breakdown. “We are desperate to get our son home. The Thailand Medical services have quoted £20,000 for a medical repatriation where he would be
accompanied by a doctor. “We ask for you to contribute anything you can to help us bring Adam home.” Friend and fellow soldier James Warden told the Olive Press: “Adam is a likeable character and was a popular member of the rifle company.” The Foreign Office confirmed: “We are assisting a British man and his family following his hospitalisation and arrest in Thailand.” You can donate here: https://www.gofundme. com/bxrw3s-help-bringadam-home
Handbag-snatcher jailed
On hand A SPECIALIST head and neck surgeon is working temporarily at St Bernard's Hospital, offering treatments otherwise only available in the UK. Jonathan Bernstein, who undertakes both NHS and private practice at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, is undertaking a series of procedures on the Rock.
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who stole a pensioner’s handbag has been jailed. Jason Santos was sentenced to 18 weeks behind bars and 200 hours of community service for theft at the Magistrates Court. In October 2016, Santos stole £100 in cash from a pizzeria's register and in the same month stole ten £10 top-up cards from a supermarket. His third offence, described by magistrate Charles Pitto as 'disgraceful and disgusting', involved stealing an elderly woman's handbag. It contained her phone and camera as well as hundreds of euros.
BROUGHT IN: Teachers
Lessons learnt SOME 50 teachers have been drafted in to help the design process at Bayside and Westside schools. The Education Ministry has held consultation meetings with all department heads and they in turn are consulting their teams ‘at grass roots level’. The move is all part of the government’s new policy of involving professionals at all levels in its controversial New Schools Project program. It comes after a bitter row escalated between the government and the teachers assocation (GTA), based on claims that 99% of teachers were ‘unhappy’ with the program.
Concerns
The new policy has seen the design team meet over four days with all the departmental heads of Westside and Bayside schools. They have been discussing the detailed designs of ‘each of the specialist rooms’. A working group of teachers from both schools is being set up to look into the detail of the requirements for the general classrooms. Meanwhile designs for the reconstruction of Notre Dame and St Anne’s Schools have entered the final stages. Demolition of the Notre Dame school in Laguna Estate is due to start in March with construction of the new school starting in April. Assessment of requirements is now stepping up on the new St Martin’s, Bishop Fitzgerald and Governor’s Meadow schools, which will be located in the area currently occupied by Westside. The Chief Minister and the Minister for Education will also be visiting the schools to discuss concerns and clarify issues.
Better together A CROSS–BORDER group has been formed to combat criminal activity in both Spain and Gibraltar. The SDGG Forum aims to increase cross–border communication and intelligence sharing. It will involve professionals from half a dozen groups.
Drugs battle FABIAN Picardo has chaired the first meeting of an organisation aiming to eradicate the misuse of drugs in Gibraltar. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will meet monthly at No 6.
“The misuse of drugs affects our society at every level and it can have far-reaching effects on our families – indeed it can destroy people’s lives,” Picardo said.
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Chasing
www.gibraltarolivepress.com The Rock’s only investigative
local newspaper
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Gibraltar Olive Press represents the local and expatriate communities working or living on the Rock with 10,000 copies distributed fortnightly.
OPINION
Spain’s political landscape has seen scandal upon scandal since it left dictatorship behind more than thirty years ago, and 2018 is packed full of them
Tobacco docks Due to the Rock’s location it should come as no surprise that tobacco smuggling is rife. Recent statistics show that in 2017, 17,966 tobacco cartons were seized, 244 more than the previous year - so the trend looks good. While some may say that by posting on social media the GSD scored some political points, others may feel that current safeguards do not go far enough. The opposition say current operations are returning to the ‘Bad Old Days’ but were there really ‘Good Old Days’ in the past considering the record number of cartons being seized today. What we can be sure about is by moving HM Customs HQ to the waterfront, smugglers will think twice about illegally transporting tobacco.
Abortion angst THE topic of abortion has once again hit headlines in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Women’s Association has pledged its support of ridding the Rock of what it believes to be an outdated law - sentencing women to life imprisonment if they terminate a pregnancy. The government has responded by refusing to consider changing the law. At the Gibraltar Olive Press we know that legislation on the Rock is the responsibility of the Gibraltarian government. However, it does seem illogical and self-defeating for women who need abortions to still be able to obtain them - but by crossing into Spain instead. This unnecessarily puts women at risk and can leave them isolated on their return. We hope the government and advocacy groups can sit down and discuss the issue, settling on an outcome which puts affected women first. Publisher/ Editor
Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es
Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 News editor
SALES: sales@theolivepress.es Admin (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es
Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es
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reporters Joe Wallen joe@theolivepress.es Jed Neill jed@theolivepress.es Designer James Partington design@theolivepress.es
Maria Angeles Vázquez mangeles@theolivepress.es Admin and account assistant Distribution Graham Warters distribution@theolivepress.es
Clarke Media Ltd. Registration number: 113878 Suite 2B, 143 Main Street, Gibraltar Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A. Desposito legal 834-2017
AWARDS
2016/2017 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.
2012 - 2017
Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.
February 14th - February 27th 2018
By Jed Neill
W
HEN Spain’s first free election took place in 1977 after 41 years of dictatorship, many thought a new dawn had spread across the country. Bringing it up to speed with European values of what democracy entailed, Spanish politics underwent a dramatic rebirth. But for some, old habits die hard, and political corruption in Spain has since stolen the headlines and unnervingly it is still considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. In 2017, the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) Spain claimed 41st position in the global rankings, sharing the place with Brunei and Costa Rica with a total corruption cost of €203 billion. We looked at the nine biggest corruption cases to be aware of this year.
Punica case Being underway since 2014, the Punica trial in Madrid is looking into 12 town halls, all of them run by the PP, and their involvement in a bid-rigging scheme that awarded up to €300 million in public contracts. Last year 12 people were arrested under Operation Lezo which investigated corruption at the Madrid regional water utility company Canal de Isabel II. This led to the resignation of former head of Madrid government Esperanza Aguirre and the arrest of her right-hand man, Ignacio González. Former advisor, Javier Lopez has since been spotted arriving at the Audiencia Nacional Court.
AGUIRRE :
Forced to
step dow
n
UNDER FIRE:
Rajoy’s PP
Gurtel case Mariano Rajoy became the first sitting prime minister to appear as a witness in a Spanish court as key figures in his Partido Popular are charged with fixing public contracts worth €350 million. The case, which began in 2009 is centred on Francisco Correa, a businessman who enjoyed being called Don Vito in reference to the Marlon Brando character in The Godfather. He is accused of paying bribes to party officials between 1999 and 2006 in return for contracts to carry out public works. Involving 37 politicians and business people in kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. This year will focus on the Valencian branch of the PP and the trial starts January 15 at the National Court.
ERE case
An acronym for ‘expedientes de regulación de empleo’ the trial will examine alleged corrupt practices and embezzlement of funds under the socialist Junta in Andalucia between 2001 to 2010. Among those accused are two former Junta presidents, Manuel Chaves and Jose Antonio Grinan, as well as 20 former officials including six ex-ministers. The case was brought to public attention after irregularities were found concerning the granting of subsidies to struggling businesses to pay redundancy fees and early retirement packages. It is expected to go on for several months in 2018.
CHA
pects
RUMBLING ON: ERE sus
The Astapa case Estepona mayor Antonio Barrientos is accused of financial irregularities during his tenure between 2003 to 2008. Court documents reveal that under his stewardship there were three different accounting systems: one for declared finances, a second for covering donations, sponsorships and other favourable payments, and a third for personal
na mayor Barrientos
IN HOT WATER: Estepo
gifts to town hall officials, amounting to a fraud of €40 million. Judge Jesus Torres has been carrying the investigation since 2006 and within that time four suspects have died with 94 people under criminal investigation.
Feature
corruption www.gibraltarolivepress.com
Barcelona concert hall Having dominated most of Catalunya’s democratic era in the noughties, the now-defunct Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya (CDC) has been found guilty of taking millions of euros in bribes in exchange for public work contracts. Building firm Ferrovial paid officials €6.6 million in bribes from 1999 to 2009 through the Palau de la Musica - a concert hall. Former CDC treasurer Daniel Osacar got four years and was fined €3.7 million, former Palau director, Felix Millet got 10 years and a €4.1 million fine and his deputy Jordi Montull got seven years and a €2.9 million fine. In the runup to the Catalan referendum they changed their name twice and now exist as the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) - the same one that holds a slim majority in the Catalan parliament.
Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es February 14th - FebruaryAnd 27th our2018 site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.
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Cursach SACKED: Daniel Osacar
ARGED: Enrique Crespo
KINGPIN: Tolo Cursach
Mallorca’s nightlife King, Bartolome ‘Tolo’ Cursach spent 33 years allegedly bribing, threatening, coercing and mingling with the islands elite. This all came to an end in February 2017 when he was arrested along with Bartolomé Sbert and charged with 16 counts of corrupt practices with Tolo himself facing 80 years in jail. It is estimated €300 million went missing in one fouryear period as he bought allegiances and paid off officials as his portfolio of 30 nightclubs became goto temples of fun. The trial continues to roll on, with two prostitutes recently confirming a madame’s statement that a room in one of his night clubs was used for sex-parties to pay-off politicians.
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Noos case stina NOOS: Cri
and Diego
Torres
Emarsa case
Brugal case
This year will also see the judgment in the Emarsa case in Valencia, the investigation into the Emarsa company that managed the Pinedo wastewater treatment plant. The PP, which controlled the company until 2010 liquidated it only to find a financial hole of €17 million. An investigation followed and prosecutors found the company had paid €40 million to allied companies, and millions were spent on lavish expenses and huge salary bonuses paid to PP officials. Among the 24 defendants charged the two main defendants are former mayor of Manises, Enrique Crespo and Emarsa president, Esteban Cuesta.
An investigation that started in 2006 into the alleged bribes between public officials and Orihuela waste contracts, worth millions of euros in Alicante that were favourable to millionaire businessman Angel Fenoll. Deliberations will start February 19 with 34 people under the spotlight and counting, including two former mayors of the PP, José Manuel Medina and Monica Lorente, and seven other councilors of the same party. The prosecutor is asking for a jail sentence of 37 years for Angel Fenoll, twelve years for José Manuel Medina and eight for Monica Lorente.
The hus ban d of In fan t a of Spain, Cri s t i n a de B orbón an d l eader of n onp rof i t foun dat i on Noos Instit ute, In aki Urdan ag ri n , t hen Duke of Pal ma de Mal l orca an d business p ar t n er D i eg o Torres have been ac cus ed of embezzl i n g €6 mi l l ion for s p or t i n g even t s , an d mon ey launderi n g . Cri s t i n a was cl eared of all charg es by t he Pal ma cour t while Urdan g ari n has been al l owed to l i ve i n S wi t zerl an d s o l on g as he p res en t s hi ms el f to S p an i sh au t hori t i es on t he f i r s t day of ever y mon t h. The l i s t of t hos e t hat were p ai d of f con t i n ues to g row and as of 2016 s tood at 18 p eop l e inc ludi n g s p or t s s t ar s an d comp any director s . The cas e i s l i kel y to be ap p eal ed to t he S up reme c o ur t whos e f i n al j udg emen t coul d take mon t hs .
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Letter
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Dear OP,
Reality check ernment The problem is that Gibraltar’s Gover, they have backed themselves into a corn of things. think that Gibraltar is the centre the opportake will n Spai that is ty The reali cally from tunity to isolate Gibraltar economi ticians any trade deal, and Gibraltar’s poli t to do. have absolutely no plan as to wha n is the A reasonable compromise with Spai only way forward. after GiThis can be done either before or cy. rupt bank tar’s bral oric of Mr The nationalistic twaddle and rhet the dinon food put to g goin not Picardo is a large ner table. If the UK public knew that in public proportion of Gibraltarians lived to them housing which typically is charged increase at £50 per month, and the first rentlemented, in 34 years [3%] has just been imp as to who they might start to ask questions we support ld shou why and are le peop these them.
Manolo G, San Roque
The Gibraltar Olive Press would like to issue the following correction in our article ‘Fabian Picardo tells the Olive Press about the bright side of Brexit’ which was published on February 4. We incorrectly made the following statement: “Aside from his delight in seeing Farage backtrack, pro-Europe Picardo enjoyed recalling his earliest ‘political’ memory – his grandfather telling him how he had driven in President Eisenhower’s motorcycle escort when the American leader made his historic visit to Spain in 1959." Instead, the Chief Minister’s earliest memory was his father working as a dispatch rider for General Eisenhower’s Operation Torch HQ in Gibraltar in 1942-3.
LETTERS
February 14th - February 27th 2018
WELL DONE FABIAN! Our readers react to our exclusive interview with Fabian Picardo on Brexit, ‘Fabian Picardo tells the Olive Press about the bright side of Brexit’ - Issue 63
A step ahead
Bravo Fabian
Gibraltar demonstrates that, unlike Brexiteers, they can actually read and thus understand their constitution. I await, with some quiet confidence, that Scotland will join the fray when May’s madcap compromise proposals are fully fleshed out. Cameron was sacked for incompetence by his party’s elite. Quietly but with immediate effect. What will they do to May do you think? Mind you, Corbyn is doing everything he can to make sure he is passed a totally toxic chalice when his chance comes (if ever). What I want to know is: Are all our senior politicians suffering from a death wish?
Gibraltar should look out for its own interests, well done Fabian. I still don’t see why evolved regions can’t remain in the EU in the UK’s place. If, for example, Scotland voted to the leave the EU, it would have to do so by leaving the UK, then leaving the EU. Why is it any different when England votes to leave?
Mark Grappa, London
Uncertain future? Well done Gibraltar. Arguably, your future lays within Europe. Choosing to get out of the single market and customs union will grate on your economic and social prosperity. I recall virtually the whole territory voted Remain bar 26 people.
Beurre de Karite, Malaga
Emily Sanders, Powys
Remain rebels I’m British and English and I have no desire to go over the cliff edge. I voted Remain. I know that a majority in England voted for Brexit, but please don’t tar us all with the same brush. We’re not all rabid English nationalists and I certainly am TO TOWN not. According to the figures 13,266,966 (46.6%) of us in England TO TO WN voted for Remain. Still, I’ll agree that Brexit is madness.
OCEAN MA
Richard Holman, Worcester
Has anything piqued your interest in this week’s Gibraltar Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@theolivepress.es or alternatively message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GibraltarOlivePress or Twitter @olivepress
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Art attack FOR GIB YOUTH Work entered cannot have been submitted previously, with the exception of non-winning contributions for the 2017 Spring Visual Arts Competition and 2017 International Art Competition. The best piece will receive The Ministry of Culture Prize and £1,000.
G
i b r a l t a r International Dance Festival, Feb 14 to 17
There will also be Alwani Foundation Awards awarded for the best pieces of work from school years 9 to 11 and 12 to 13. The closing date for applications is February 16. Entries will be exhibited at John Mackintosh Hall from February 27 to March 9.
Checkmate!
The Olive Press
Levon Aronian TOP for news in Spain! and Pia UNITY: Together Gib Cramling triumph at Tradewise Chess Festival
Equality matters
A DEBATE has been held to explore how gender equality can be achieved in Gibraltar. Chaired by MP Marlene Hassan-Nahon and her Together Gibraltar civil platform, the evening acted as an opportunity to gather and then relay the opinions of Gibraltarians to parliament.
Welcoming
Speeches were given by feminist activist Conchita Triay, Tamsin Suarez of the Gibraltar Women’s Association and Nyree Turnock, of pressure group ‘No Means No’. “These issues have been high on the agenda in recent months, and we believe it is important these ideas are expressed and debated locally, in person, and in an atmosphere that is friendly and welcoming,” HassanNahon said.
Don’t Miss it! BUDDING Miss Gibraltars have less than a month to get their application in to be crowned the new queen of the Rock. The application process for the highly-anticipated Miss Gibraltar 2018 opened on February 5. It will close at noon on February 24. Candidates must be aged between 17 and 25, with the first ten contestants to sign up receiving a £400 bonus. Entry forms can be collected from John Mack-
GIBRALTAR’S chess festival can truly claim to be the ‘best in the world’ after another week of world class play. Armenian Levon Aronian triumphed in the men’s Masters category at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, after first drawing with American Hikaru Nakamura in Round 10. Aronian was then able to secure victory by beating Richard Rapport and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave through the nail-biting playoff system. “It’s an honour,” said Aronian , who received a £25,000 cash prize.
MASTERMIND: Aronian’s winning moves “The tiebreaks were tough for me, it took me some time to get used to them but I pulled through. The women’s Masters was won by Sweden’s Pia Cramling, 54, who last took the crown in Gibraltar back in 2004. “I’m overwhelmed, surprised and very, very happy,” Cramling said. “I’ve been coming here for so many years and this is my favourite place to play.
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BE ‘APPY! BUDDING artists are invited to submit their work for a number of competitions aiming to discover Gibraltar’s next Paul Cosquieri (pic right). Applicants must be aged between 13 and 24 and can enter a maximum of three paintings or drawings and two sculptures. Download our app now and begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go.
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“I’ve had quite a tough time over the past few years in Gibraltar and I certainly didn’t do anything special when I was here last year.”
The talk of the tournament, however, was 14-year-old Spaniard Lance Henderson de la Fuente. Not satisfied with winning the Junior prize, he also beat last year’s women’s Masters champion Ju Wenjun in an exhibition match. The Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia praised the high standard of competition in a speech. He also pledged his government’s commitment to the tournament, revealing it would be taking over sponsorship of a re-branded ‘Gibraltar International Chess Festival’ until 2021.
THE festival will showcase a selection of Gibraltar’s best dancers, performing across varied categories and styles. Tickets are available for £8-10 for shows at John Mackintosh Hall.
Y
oung Musicians Festival, Feb 20 to 24
AN array of local and international young musicians will compete for a number of awards, including Local Young Musician of the Year. To enter, contact Gibraltar Cultural Services.
T
om Duncan: Romans, Moors and Christians: Andalucia and its Golden Age, Feb 21
THE latest Art Society Talk will see academic Tom Duncan deliver a lecture on how different civilisations, such as the Romans and Arabs, have left their mark on the Iberian peninsula. The talk will take place in the O’Callaghan Elliot Hotel and tickets cost £12.
Culture vulture THE newly appointed CEO of Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) has said he is determined to protect the Rock’s heritage. Seamus Byrne has taken over the role following the retirement of Yvette Zarb Bensusan. He has extensive experience working for the GCS, having previously acted as its Events Director and also as the PA to the Mayor. “Culture has been a very integral part of my life since an early age,” Byrne told the Gibraltar Olive Press. “I will continue to work hard to ensure we create a cultural development and education product that will create the cultural heritage and youth leaders of tomorrow. “We need to invest in young people, promote our multiculturalism and our cultural heritage, maintain our cultural facilities and invest in new ones too. QUEEN: Jodie Garcia “I also want to work hard to try and bring culture in parity with intosh Square, where the sports.”
contest will also take place on June 30. The winner of the pageant will have the honour of representing the Rock at the Miss World Pageant, while also bagging £2,000 and a £3,500 clothing allowance.
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Tobacco smuggling is ‘not going back to bad old days’ despite GSD claims THE Government has dismissed opposition claims that tobacco smuggling is returning to the ‘Bad Old Days’. Leader Fabian Picardo insisted it was hypocritical to slam the government after a video was put on social media showing broad daylight smuggling at Eastern Beach. GSD MP Trevor Hammond uploaded the video of the smuggling operation near Waterport Terraces and claimed four boats were sometimes operating at the same time.
Eradicated
“Whilst my government is only too aware that smuggling has not yet been totally eradicated, we have greatly increased the number of customs officials,” insisted Picardo. “We have also introduced new legislation and, as a result, witnessed an increase in the amount of tobacco seized and the number of people arrested for smuggling.” He insisted later on the day in question 600 cases of tobacco had been seized at
SMUGGLERS: At the scene
Smoke, but no fire Eastern Beach. He also released statistics to show that when the GSD was last in power, 11,672 cartons were seized in 2009 and 9,870 in 2010. This could be contrasted with the GSLP’s current efforts with 17,690 cartons confiscated in 2016 and 17,966 in 2017. In 2010, 16 people were arrested by HM Customs, compared with 87 people by the current regime in 2016. The government criticised
Hammond for sharing the footage on social media but not reporting it to the police. “We will continue our 24/7 fight against smuggling and Mr Hammond’s twenty second clip of footage will, in no way discredit our police,” vowed Picardo, who also revealed that HM Customs’ headquarters will soon relocate to the waterfront in Waterport Terraces to act as a deterrent. Hammond responded to
Dastis delight THE Spanish foreign minister has vowed not to use Brexit as an excuse to restrict day-to-day life in Gibraltar. Alfonso Dastis also confirmed that Spain will not hamper the Rock’s Spanish workforce from crossing the border. The comments from Dastis have eased worries that Madrid will use Brexit to gain more authority over the Rock. “Nothing will change after Britain leaves,” Dastis said. “People will be able to keep living in one place and working in another. BRITISH business leaders have “We don’t have the warned Theresa May that their ‘paintention of making tience is wearing thin’ over her indelife difficult for peocision on Brexit. ple or closing any In an open letter to the UK prime barriers or compliminister, the British Chamber of cating mobility. Commerce demanded May give an However, Dastis indication of Britain’s future reladid say there were tionship with the EU. several small isThe organisation argued that cursues to resolve rent uncertainty was causing rewith the UK over duced economic growth and putting Gibraltar. off investors. He highlighted “The BCC has refrained from enterthe future of Giing into the noisy political debate on braltar’s airport as the shape of the final settlement in one, as it is techrecent weeks,” the letter read. nically built on a “We have instead emphasised the piece of land beneed for answers to the many practween Spain and tical questions businesses now face. Gibraltar. “Yet, businesses need those elected Dastis said it to govern our country to make choicwould only be fair es - and to deliver a clear, unequivofor Spain to have cal statement of intent.” joint use of the faIt continued: “The perception cility. among businesses on the ground, He also said that large and small alike, is one of conthe Gibraltarian tinued division. authorities must “Even amongst the many optimistic, be more active in future-oriented firms - those who ‘exchanging tax see opportunity in change - patience information’ with is wearing thin.” Spain.
Time to deliver
HAMMOND: Action call
the government on social media, arguing his post had successfully risen awareness of an important problem. “The government is sensitive on issue of tobacco, not surprising considering GSLP past record, glad a bit of pressure has led to action,” he wrote.
Sovereignty fears SPAIN ‘could attempt’ to blackmail Gibraltar into accepting joint sovereignty. Deputy Dr Joseph Garcia believes it could happen during the Brexit transition phase, jeopardizing negotiations. He made the claim as he visited Brussels for several days of meetings with key members of the European Parliament and Commission. “What we don’t want to be in a position of, is where Spain gives us a price of joint sovereignty for maintaining a relationship with the European Union,” Garcia said.
Prepared
“We are just not prepared to pay the price… We are not prepared to pay a price for normality.” His comments have come after Gibraltarian officials complained that Michael Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, had not met with them despite speaking with representatives from the other devolved regions of the UK. “I think it’s because Spain does not want us to go around spreading our message,” Garcia suggested. His warning came after a senior official from the Spanish government told the press it was ‘not in a hurry’ when it came to deciding its position on Gibraltar.
A
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www.theolivepress.es www.gibraltarolivepress.com ll about
February 15th - February 28th February 14th - February 27th2017 2018
ll about Manilva, Sabinillas Manilva, Sabinillas and and Puerto de la Duquesa Duquesa
Vol. 11 Issue 259 Vol. 12 Issue 285
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Born to be wild
17 11
O
Puerto de la Duquesa,
February - February 28th 2017 February 14th15th - February 27th 2018
Gone fishin’
®
Manilva’s laidback vibe is founded on fish and wine and that authentic flavour is still something to savour, writes Jed Neill
I
TS rock pools full of tiny darting fish recall British seaside holidays of old while fishing boats still compete with sunloungers for space on the beach. Manilva is quite unlike your average Costa resort. Even in swanky Duquesa marina, you sense the history of a town whose first health tourist was Julius Caesar. And when you tuck into the shellfish - Duquesa’s speciality - you realise the locals know something about fish. In Roman times, Manilva was to garum (a paste, like GenNATURAL WONDERS: Sights on Manilva’s beaches include a shopping line of drying squids, while (inset) kids play on one of the many rocky coves tleman’s Relish, that was all theoutside rage inofRome) Jerez TS hidden craggy coves fringed with wild grasses and flowers owe Indeed on many weekends July andwhat August, you can practisherry.and a good number have great more to Cornwall’s rugged coastline than Spain’s Costa del Sol. cally have the beaches is to to yourself… But these are the attractive protected natural beaches of Manilva, a chiringuitos to eat on. The town’s roots in fish saltstill you runfind deep - and place you to explore true haven for nature lovers. Worlds away from the heavily commerOn one beach at Punta ing Chullera, the perfect stillwhile see at theanother remains of cialised sands of nearby Mijas or Fuengirola, four kilometres of golden rock pools and dive into can the sea, a handful of tourists playas areCATCH being kept wildDAY: as anAn ecological reserve. OF THE eel in the rocky Manilva shallows to the half dozen of unspoilt beaches, that lie below the main N340 sunbathe next to a group of squids drying on a line. Continues on Page 16 Endangered western snowy plovers, chameleons and rare species of coastal road. But the beaches are just one of the natural draws of Manilva, which is dune plants are among the flora and fauna in renaissance here since “These are some of the best beaches on the Costa del Sol and some broadly split into three areas; beach-front Sabinillas, port-side Duquesa of the least known,” explains Bish Witkowski, owner of local Castles the conservation zone was created in 2011. Continues on next page BRUNOS Unsurprisingly, eagle-eyed tourists are also beginning to be drawn estate agency.
I
Chloe Glover discovers the raw natural beauty of the Costa del Sol’s wild west
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From Page 15
the old salting basins today. Brits have moved in by the basinfull too, but this extreme westerly end of the Costa del Sol has a charm that’s more laid-back and dressed casual than its big Costa neighbours. And it offers up some of the best views of the Med. In particular, with soaring vistas of the Rock of Gibraltar. For yachties swish Duquesa, lodged on the coast like a white gull, can become home for as little as €55 a day in high-season. That’s nearly half the price tag of
Full of friendly Europeans, you’re sure to bump into someone who speaks your lingo dropping anchor in Marbella. Full of Europeans from all walks of life, you’re sure to bump into someone who speaks your language. Walking around the port I meet John Jackson, a 73-year-old Scotsman, counting the fish in the shallows, watching them eat breadcrumbs as they flip on the surface. “I think the port is very nice. It is well maintained and friendly and safe too,” the former business
PARTY TIME: Manilva is full of carnivals and parades all year round
IN DUQUESA consultant told the Olive Press. Since moving to Duquesa in 2012, he reckons the tourist trade is as strong as its ever been. “But if you want to be into the Spanish culture you should move inland to get away from the expat areas,” he adds. And with
Manilva’s foothills looking close enough to touch, that’s easily done. Beyond the hustle and bustle of Duquesa’s waterfront restaurants, San Luis de Sabinillas offers another take on coastal living with its collection of ‘chiringuitos’
where the salt sea air is flavoured with the aroma of ‘pescaitos fritos’. These informal ‘beach restaurants’ are perfect for soaking up sea views and the local vibe in shorts and flip flops. On Sundays the famous Rastro de
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February 14th - February 27th 2018
WILD WEST: Walking out from Manilva you reach some stunning green countryside
Sabinillas ups the tempo, a local pleasure port, it adds a touch of flea market with an international authenticity he appreciates. If resting on your well-earned reappeal. Held weekly at the fairground off tirement laurels sounds too tame, the Camino de los Banos de la head for the rugged hills of MaHedionda, it’s a bargain hunter’s nilva which open like a fan along paradise stretched across 300 several walking and off-road stalls piled with jewel-coloured trails. fruit and veg, antiques, local These capillaries are ever more deeply etched into handicrafts and second the landscape by the hand designer wear. coast’s growing number Running further west of biking and walking the other side of enthusiasts who enjoy Duquesa, the coastline the trip into nature. just gets wilder and Sybarites should less and less dealso make a veloped. pilgrimage to Here, you will Manilva vilfind an exlage which tensive natraces its ture zone d o m i of golden n a n c e beaches back to e d g e d 1 6 t h with wild century grasses vineyards and flowf a m e d ers. throughThe Punta out the Chullera world for area is a their sweet rock pool potmoscatel wines. terer’s paradise The story of its and offers the thriving wine indusoccasional curious try is beautifully told at sight such as squid LOCALS: the Nilva Wine Museum hanging on washing Celebrate with and you can take a lines to dry. vineyard tour. This is where Belgian the Virgen del While meandering biker Robert Vermeulen Carmen, the through a tangle of winds down ‘to do nothpatron saint of vines I bump into Dave ing’ but enjoy his retirefishermen and and Nicki who only ment. sailors, on an come here now for oldThe 68-year-old makes annual outing time’s sake. the journey to the that attracts Having run their own beach from his Casaproperty business for thousands res pueblo apartment 15 years on the Costa by motorbike to take of locals and de la Luz, they came long walks and soak up expats to to Manilva to open up some rays. Sabinillas shop and capitalise on “I think the coastline is seafront each the throngs of holidayjust beautiful,” he says, year home buyers eyeing up looking hot in his leaththe area. er biker’s jacket as the The 2007 economic sun comes out. crash changed that and The local fisherman their business suffered. still have a place in the community, he tells me, pointing “People stopped coming, even out the numerous vessels parked the Brits,” recalls Nicki. Despite a tainted experience, the in front of the promenade. Next to the gin palaces bobbing couple say that Manilva is back at anchor in Duquesa’s tourist in business and shows no sign of
HISTORIC: By the Roman baths and (top right) treading for wine
slowing down, with ‘more Brits here now then there have been in previous years’. Nearby, on the border with Casares, you will find one of the true secrets of the Costa del Sol, the Roman baths of Hedionda, which will stop you in your tracks: the cloudy blue pools under arched brickwork allow you to relax Roman-style.
This medicinal sulphur spring flowing out of limestone is said to cure a whole host of ailments, including sunburn. Julius Caesar is one of many to have taken advantage of its healing properties, and came to Manilva to cure a nasty skin infection. Apparently, it worked!
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poor have seen their wealth BE ‘APPY! share decrease QUALITY: Gib insurance by 17% since 2007
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Business
February 14th - February 27th 2018
By Joe Wallen Download our app now and SPAIN’S economic revival has actually left the poorest begin enjoying the best Spanish in society worse off, new figA GIBRALTARIAN news on theinsurer go. has won a major accolade at a ures reveal. leading industry awards bash Between 2007 and 2016 the poorest 10% saw their share in London. World Wide Internet Insur- of national income decrease ance Services (WWIIS) took by 17%, according to a rehome the Travel Insurance port by Oxfam Intermón. Provider of the Year prize But the study found that the for its ‘Cedar Tree Insurance’ richest 10% saw their share brand, at the Moneyfacts rise by 5%. The Olive Press Awards. It also came runner up in the Best ClaimsTOP Service Award in Spain! for news with its ‘Cover for You’ service. The annual Moneyfacts Awards celebrate financial services firms with excellent products and outstanding service. “We try and put customers at the centre of what we do and we always innovate with the latest technology to suit them,” said Neil Wright of WWIIS. “For example, 99% of all our sales are online and so we have just introduced an app which holds customers policy details and allows you to make a claim off your phone.”
What revival? SALARIES: Work less
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The increase in wealth disparity has partly been put down to wages remaining stagnant despite big business performing well. The report also found that the costs of paying workers’ wages had remained the same from 2007 to 2016, meaning the annual salary received by a
GIBRALTAR is joining forces with a seaside town in Cadiz to boost tourism across the region. Authorities from the Rock met their counterparts from Chiclana de la Frontera to create a joint plan of action. It follows a visit to the Rock by the mayor of Chiclana, Jose Maria Romero, last year. The two authorities will also work together on boosting culture, sport and protecting the environment. Chiclana, just south of Cadiz city, is famous for its long beaches, such as the 6km long Playa de la Barrosa.
26-year-old is worth on average 33% less today than a decade ago. Meanwhile, the profits of companies in Spain grew by 200% in 2016 alone. “The revival mainly favours executives and companies, while at the same time they are reducing their wage costs,” said Lara Contreras of Oxfam. Vigilance “In order to make the recovery more inclusive there must be an improvement of the minimum wage in Spain and more vigilance over tax evasion from companies.” Oxfam Intermón will present its findings to the Spanish authorities in Barcelona in a bid to draw attention to the issue. Combating income disparity was also one of the key subjects discussed at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Final frontier TWO Spanish unions, the GCCA and Gibraltar police will sign an agreement to create a new forum, to represent law enforcement workers on both sides of the frontier.
Go east GIBRALTAR will hold meetings in Beijing to discuss Gibraltar’s involvement in the ‘one belt one road’ initiative.
All aboard A HIGH-SPEED cheap train between Madrid and Barcelona is to be launched next year.
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lockhead
By Christopher Cousins of Igniteratings.com
Market manipulation 101 In the third article of his informative series, Chris Cousins of Ignite Ratings explains how a cryptocurrency trader today can influence the market… while also staying anonymous
S
preading rumours, one coffeehouse at a time, was surely a slow way to reach large numbers of traders and it was virtually impossible to remain anonymous. Today, the clever manipulator has several means of influencing opinion and staying anonymous, which is the danger we see in crypto. It happens fast, and its the last ones in that end up holding the bag.
Step three: Time, you must make sure the rumour spreads fast in order to get the pump going and exit. The longer you wait the higher the risk the lie will be exposed. In crypto, the most honest ICOs tend to be those that show their cards for a while prior to raising, but they also happen to be those that raise the least - which is a clear issue in the market now.
Its usually done like this:
Step four: FOMO — make sure those that hear the rumour are motivated to act NOW, by limited offer or time sensitivity. TO THE MOON, limited time offer — 24 hours only...LAMBOS! Whatever.
Step one: Gain access to a large number of potential investors, as cheaply as possible. This is achieved easily with various social media tools — especially anonymous platforms. Simply join a bunch of groups and, appearing to be a influencer, give some good advice and build up trust. Many ICO marketers exist who are more than happy to take a fee to assist!!! Regardless of the quality of the ICO itself.
And its pretty much rinse and repeat, again and again, until you are found out and have to make a new alias, easy enough. And thats how it goes. The reality is that we exist in an era where technology should be able to facilitate honest, structured, realtime and scalable investor intelligence. Quality projects receive the attention they deserve, while the losers should be washed out in the street. Unfortunately, I can tell you that, in crypto, the more you spend on marketing the better your result will be, this might simply be due to increased awareness, but how can you tell it from manipulation? See more at www.igniteratings.com
KNOW HOW: Cousins
Step two: Scale, make sure the rumour is duplicated over and over to many different groups. Again, achieved by building a network of influencers/manipulators, they usually tend to know each other. Some traders will surely make money on the pump or dump. Timothy Sykes built an entire training program around shorting over-hyped penny stocks.
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FINTECH
February 14thFebruary - February 27th 2018 14th - February 27th
GLOBAL Crypto capital
GIBRALTAR has been hailed the cryptocurrency ‘capital of the world’ by experts from the US. Staff from fintech firm Crypto Traders Pro visited the Rock to deliver a seminar at the World Trade Center, covering topics such as market volatility and useful tip-offs. The group explained they spoke in Gibraltar in the wake of the DLT regulation implemented on January 1.
Legislation governing token use is expected to be completed this month LEGISLATION governing the exchange of tokenised digital assets is being finalised by the Gibraltarian government and the Gibraltarian Financial Services Commission (GFSC). The government had announced that its position on tokenised digital assets, known as tokens, would be concluded by this month. Tokenised digital assets are created when physical or intellectual assets are traded online. They typically use distributed ledger technology (DLT), meaning any exchange is anonymous and incorruptible. “This government successfully delivered DLT Regulations that came into effect in early January 2018,” said Minister of Financial Services, Albert Isola. “I announced last year that
“Gibraltar is portrayed as the cryptocurrency capital of the world,” said Matthew John of Crypto Traders Pro. “It’s awesome to see this country leading the world by supporting this revolutionary technology. “Our seminar showed the basics of trading, the high risks associated with this activity, some of the tools we use every day and how we are able to consistently profit in these markets.”
A token gesture MONEY MAN: Isola we would introduce complimentary yet distinct legislation covering token sales and have asked the GFSC to complete this work-stream at the earliest opportunity. “We remain fully committed to ensuring that we protect consumers and the reputation of our jurisdiction. “In addition, we are also con-
scious of providing safeguards to those firms that have chosen Gibraltar as their home.” The government has indicated that regulation will cover the promotion, sale and distribution of all tokens by people connected with Gibraltar. It will also cover ‘secondary market activities related to tokens’ and the provision of investment advice related to the token industry. It is hoped the rules will detect and prevent financial crime associated with DLT, such as money laundering and terrorist financing. A bill is expected to be considered by Parliament in the second quarter of 2018.
A new dawn is coming to the world of conventional lending Instant loans secured against crypto assets
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Mogul’s Marbella TV debut
PAGE III
Tivoli world makeover
PAGE V A dedicated Spanish architect has spent more than 30 years turning a rundown cement factory into his perfect home and office space Page XI
BAD PRACTICE I T is a practice that most property professionals had hoped was a thing of the past. But Olive Press Property can reveal that the ethically questionable practice of charging buyers as well as sellers is rearing its head again on the Costa del Sol. According to sources, at least two agents in the Marbella area have recently stung their buyers with bills of up to 5%. The so called ‘finder’s fees’ are in addition from taking commission from the seller. “It’s disgusting,” said Terra Meridiana’s Adam Neale, “I have nothing wrong with finder’s fees if you agree it with the client beforehand, but I have heard from several buyers that certain agents are adding a 5% fee with no prior warning. “It’s bad ethics and gives agents on the Costa del Sol a bad name.” Mike Smith, Chairman of Marbella-based First Choice Spain, agreed that charging potential buyers such fees was ‘ob-
EXCLUSIVE: Agents unite as some ‘bad apples’ are slapping finders fees on buyers without warning
scene’, especially when you consider they already have very high purchase taxes which are often in excess of 10%. “We as agents are paid by the sellers and we never charge a fee to a buyer,” he said, “On the whole our industry works very well as it is, without the need to start charging such high additional fees to buyers. We should be encouraging them to invest here!” Ben Bateman of Holmes in Sotogrande added he was aware of the practice happening ‘in a few cases’. “It is totally unethical and gives our business a bad reputation for sharp practices,” he said.
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“I have no objection to agents operating with a finder’s fee, but I do object when these so called buyers bill both sides without declaring from the outset that they will be doing so.” He added: “When unscrupulous agents abuse the system by adding extra amounts, the whole industry suffers. “Beware of this sharp practise.” Legal expert Antonio Flores added that such practises can be deemed illegal. “It is not illegal to have your commission built into the price, with the agreement of the vendor,” he told the Olive Press. The problem is when an agent adds a commission on top but does not tell the buyer or seller. “This happens when the agent is the middle man and the parties are not in touch via their lawyers. This is actually a criminal offence.”
Granada’s new eco-village
PAGE XIV
Andalucia’s highest towns
PAGE XVII
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STRUGGLING TO SELL YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY? Behind on your mortgage payments and need assistance?
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February 14th - February 27th 2018
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February 14th - February 27th 2018
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Villas & Fincas is urgently looking for Quality Properties for clients Country Villas – Beach Villas – Equestrian Vineyards – Olive Farms – Cortijos In the area of: Casares, Estepona, Inland Sotogrande, Gaucin, Ronda, Jimena, El Cuarton, Tarifa, Vejer de la Frontera, Caños de Meca, Atlanterra, Zahara de los Atunes or large cortijos inland Andalucia COUGHING UP: Raphael (left) ordered to pay; his brothers are now out on bail (centre and right)
Marrache property blow Raphael Marrache has been successfully sued for £1.1 million he received from his family’s property portfolio
THE liquidators of collapsed legal firm Marrache & Co have successfully sued Raphael Marrache over money he allegedly received from selling property to his brothers. Marrache will have to hand over the £1.1 million he supposedly received from Benjamin, Isaac and Solomon for his share of a Main Street prop-
erty portfolio they had inherited from their parents. It is thought that Raphael received the money between 2004 and 2010. When the judgement was handed down by Judge Liam Yeats, Raphael responded with an angry outburst. Raphael, who represented himself in court, rejected the claim that he
Hall of fame ROLL up! Roll up! The derelict Ragged Staff Magazine building could soon be brought back to life as an entertainment venue. An application has been submitted to exhibit classic vehicles at the venue, alongside a hall of fame featuring the best of Gibraltar’s musical and theatrical history. The construction of a new combined stage and seating area has also been proposed by the developers. It is hoped the venue will become a leading tourism destination on the Rock.
had received the money from his brothers for the property. Instead he claimed that the money was a monthly salary that he had earned working for Marrache & Co. The liquidator’s case relied on a ledger that Benjamin, Isaac and Solomon kept of Raphael’s expenses in order to keep track of parts of his inheritance they had assumed. The Marrache brothers criminal trial in 2013/2014 was the longest in the Rock’s legal history, lasting ten months. The three brothers were found guilty of conspiring to defraud dozens of victim out of £27 million. In front of a packed courtroom, Benjamin, Solomon and Isaac Marrache were sentenced to 11 years, seven years and seven years respectively. During the trial, the judge dismissed the jury due to fears that they had been subject to ‘tampering’ from the Marrache brothers. However, despite a major public uproar all three brothers have since been released on parole after serving just a third of their sentences.
From Russia with love ESTEPONA town hall has released land for construction of the Costa del Sol’s first purpose-built Russian Orthodox church. Decked out in traditional onion-domed architecture, the building will also have a cultural centre next to it in the Arroyo de las Canas area. Charitable organisation, Fundación Iniciativa Orthodox Rusa, is funding and coordinating the project which is
expected to cost €1.1 million, mainly donations, and has 18 months once to complete the building licence is granted. Rusa says building plans ‘are urgently being finished’ to meet this strict timetable. “We are doing all we can to implement the project,” said a statement from the foundation. Once completed, it will be only the third Russian Orthodox church in Spain. HOLY MOLY: Church in Estepona
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sponse has been fantastic,” Lynn told the Olive Press. Dubliner Montgomery says the Costa del Sol has it all. “Everything from the weather, the people and lifestyle is a dream. “I absolutely love it and you couldn’t pay me www.gibraltarolivepress.com to go back to Ireland,” she admits proudly.
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Can’t sleep?
How you may have a common disorder and not even know MOST of us need six to eight hours of sleep per other factors than these should be considered for a night to feel refreshed however some people feel poor night’s sleep. Disruption of sleep is extremely continually tired, no matter how many hours they detrimental to our daily lives and results in poor spend in bed. You may be surprised to hear that concentration, slow thinking and poor memory. these symptoms may not necessarily be the result Studies have shown that this can result in more acof an enthusiastic lifestyle. cidents in the work place and OSA sufferers have a Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a common three-fold increased risk of having a car accident. Asier, 2016 under-diagnosed condition which results in insufUntreated OSA is also associated with an increased ficient quality deep sleep whilst you are apparently risk of a number of other medical conditions such ‘asleep’ in bed. The disorder is characterized by as hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, a frequent desire for heart failure and cardiac rhythm abnormalities naps, morning headaches, irritability, insomnia, which may lead to premature death. Diagnosis of poor memory and concentration and arises from the condition involves a simple subjective mediobstruction and collapse of the air passages during cal assessment which allows potential sufferers ‘sleep’. In turn this leads to complete to be graded against the Epworth cessation of breathing for periods of Sleepiness Scale. Combined with 10 seconds or more (Apnoea) durovernight non-invasive measureing which time no air can pass to ment of blood oxygen levels this is the lungs. Low blood oxygen levels a simple reliable way of identifying result in the sufferer coming out of the condition, all within the comfort deep (restful) sleep and into a more of your own bedroom. The mainstay shallow (un-restful) level of sleep. The of treatment involves the nocturnal cycle of events can repeat itself many use of a small portable machine Thecompletely Steps Programme times during the night, dewhich blows humidified air into stroying normal sleep patterns and in some severe the lungs during sleep (CPAP) which prevents the programmesa clear thus maintaining 5 from collapsingFlexible 1cases, sufferers2can wake up3 completely.4In less airways severe cases airways are only partially obstructed passage for air to enter the lungs. This ensures and whilst airflow may only fall to 50% of normal that sufferers remain in deep sleep for much lonStabilisation and maintenance (hypopnoea) this also significantly disrupts the ger periods during the night and wake refreshed level of sleep. Most sufferers experience a mixture in the morning ready to face the challenges of the One-to-one support of both apnoea and hypopnoea whilst they are day. Most people who suffer from OSA do not re“asleep”. alise they have the condition and can blame their It is estimated that OSA affects up to 4% of the gen- symptoms on the pressures of work and their Balanced nutrition eral population with men suffering more commonly social lives. Indeed the fatigue of untreated OSA than women in the under 50 yr age group. Obesity can lead to problems at work and within the famWide range of flavours is a major risk factor for OSA with 70% of obese ily. Ironically bed partners of individuals with OSA *Cambridge Plan shake, soup, porridge or barcondition which worsens peopleWeight experiencing the may also experience similar fatigue and irritation © ‘The Cambridge Steps Programme’ is registered and owned by Cambridge Manufacturing Co. ltd. in severity as the BMI increases. More shockingly, symptoms because of sleep interruption despite only 10% of people with OSA are currently receiv- being completely well! Treatment not only reduces ing treatment. Whilst Benjamin Franklin may have Weight the risk of complications arising from the condition Cambridge Plan been right when he said ‘fatigue is the best pillow’, but also ensures a much happier, fully awake and Calle Baptista i Ramos El Campello, no matter how Joan good the mattressBaset and pillow are 10, enjoyable working andAlicante family life. 03560
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Hospital beds have been made available to all patients in need, while no operations have been cancelled despite the increased workload WHILE the NHS has suffered its worst winter crisis in recent history, the Gibraltar Health Authority has been lauded for its own emergency health care provision. A surge in influenza cases over the Christmas period saw 500 people admitted to St Bernard’s Hospital between December 22 and December 27 alone. Everyone who arrived at hospital over the winter period was provided with a bed until they had fully recovered. In the UK many hospitals have been unable to provide even one spare bed for a sick patient since the middle of November. They have responded by ‘boarding’ patients onto trolleys and leaving them in corridors to receive treatment.
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ST BENARD’S: Bucking the NHS trend “I would like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all GHA staff for their professionalism and dedication in meeting this
Stroke of luck AN innovative treatment designed to prevent strokes is now available at a hospital in the Campo. The Hospital Quirónsalud Campo de Gibraltar in Cadiz has announced it will be carrying out revolutionary transcarotid artery revascularisation (TCAR) procedures for those at risk. The TCAR operation prevents obstructions in the carotid arteries, which supply oxygenrich blood to the brain. It is thought that blockages in the carotid arteries cause up to one third of strokes. TCAR procedures are also far
less invasive than other open surgery alternatives, which means the likelihood of a surgical accident is much lower. “TCAR is an alternative, clinically proven, less invasive and safer than the usual open surgery methods such as endarterectomy,” said Dr Ruben Rodriguez of the Hospital Quirónsalud. “It is also very important that high-risk patients undergo ultrasound screening programs to prevent a possible cerebrovascular accident, since it has been demonstrated that approximately 80% of carotid cases could be prevented.”
winter’s increased demand,” said Neil Costa, Health Minister. “They truly represent the best of Gibraltar and are a credit to their profession.” The GHA also confirmed that despite the increased workload for medical professionals over Christmas and New Year, no operations had to be cancelled. In the UK, an estimated 50,000 non-essential operations were cancelled in January alone due to one of the ‘worst flu seasons they had faced in decades’. The government has warned that the ban on non-urgent surgeries could also be extended to February 2018. “My amazing bed management team at the GHA have been working extremely hard over the last few months to plan for the winter surge in hospital admissions and I am happy to announce that beds have always become available to cater for patients,” said Costa.
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Favourite export THE BBC has revealed its most popular shows in foreign countries. In Spain, it isn’t Blue Planet or the Great British Bake Off that tops the list but Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes. It turns out the Spaniards love his takes on their traditional food and look to him for inspiration on their cooking. The series, sees the British restaurateur tour the
PLASTICS: Sea pollution
Last straw MORE British businesses have removed plastic drinking straws from their establishments. Marriott International, London City Airport and Eurostar are the latest firms to ditch the plastic straw, following in the footsteps of All Bar One, JD Wetherspoon, Costa Coffee and Wagamamas. Their decision came after environmentalists expressed concerns over the amount of plastic waste in the sea. “The speed at which leading businesses are ditching plastic straws shows throwaway plastic is quickly losing its social licence,” said Greenpeace UK campaigner, Louise Edge.
Alternatives
“Straws are among the worst examples of the useonce-and-bin plastic threatening our oceans. “They can do real harm to marine life, whether they get stuck up a turtle’s nose or in a fish’s mouth. “In most cases, we can simply do without straws, and, whenever they’re genuinely needed, there are good alternatives made of less harmful materials.” In Gibraltar, the Nautilus Project, headed by Lewis and Melanie Stagnetto, has launched a campaign #PawsOffStraws. It’s aim is to encourage local businesses to replace plastic straws with sustainable alternatives, such as paper.
NAUTILUS: Team effort
Mediterranean, sampling and cooking local specialities. His Spanish dishes included salt cod fritters inspired by Barcelona’s La Boqueria market, and Mallorcan-style chicken with sobrasada sausage. His recipes met the Spaniards’ approval – the same of cannot be said for Jamie Oliver, who caused outrage in 2016 when he shared a paella recipe that combined chicken thighs and chorizo.
TOP DOG: Rick Stein
More than able Groundbreaking new restaurant ran by 100% disabled staff
THE first haut cuisine restaurant in the world to employ an all-disabled team has opened in Jerez. Universo Santi on the El Altillo estate, farmland owned by the founder of the Gonzalez Byass sherry dynasty, has been launched by the Accessible Universe Foundation. Named after chef Santi Santamaria, the first Catalan chef to be awarded three Michelin stars, the restaurant will build on his gastronomic technique of ‘minimal manipulation’ of local produce to highlight the flavours in season. Trainee chef Alejandro Luque, 21, from Malaga, who has Down’s Syndrome, told the Olive Press: “I have learnt independence from being here. I have learnt how to buy things from the shops, cook, iron and clean.” The kitchen equipment was transferred piece by piece from Santamaria’s Barcelona restaurant, taking a total of 14 trips and covering a distance of 14,000km. Gloria Bazan, 27, who is
YES WE CAN: Gaining independence
a social worker at the restaurant and has cerebral palsy said: “Working allows us to be and feel like a complete person.” “It is important to normalise disabilities as we are people the same as others in society.” Although still in its infancy the project aims to provide a platform for staff training, to then allow workers to be placed in roles throughout the service industry, ensuring lifelong employment and independence.
Crypto cultivation A GIBRALTARIAN company has become the first in the world to ship food paid for by Bitcoin. The Prime Shipping Foundation moved 3,000 tonnes of wheat from Rostov-na-Donu in Russia to Samsun in Turkey. The foundation is a joint enterprise between Rockbased Quorum Capital and the shipbroker Interchart. “Most of the world’s freight is currently registered offshore,” said a spokesman from Prime Shipping Foundation. “The flexibility of these jurisdictions creates a good foundation for the development and the potential switch away from the classical banking system to a much more simpler payment system.”
February 14th - February 27th 2018
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Jon Clarke (left) took his family on a surf safari in north Brazil, a surprisingly short hop from Spain
T’S a Brazilian beach version of the Grand National, except these are fishing boats, not horses. The teams start at the top of the sands and bit by bit edge their way down to the shoreline using an ancient roll-and-shunt method with two large rolling pins. It takes about half an hour and the race ebbs and flows, as each wooden ‘jangada’ temporarily nudges ahead by a nose or two. Finally, the boats are disgorged into the briny and off they go in search of fish. Very much part of the colour of the perfect beach holiday in northern Brazil, the boats are said to date back to the ancient Greeks, and legend has it that Ulysses sailed in a jangada in The Odyssey. These fishing communities are the lifeblood of Ceara, Brazil’s poorest region, suffering from aching poverty particularly in its dry interior, not to mention its capital Fortaleza, which is largely a place to avoid, according to most guide books. But either side of Fortaleza you will find hundreds of miles of amazing beaches, largely virgin and little exploited by modern western tourism. Apart from a steady stream of surfers and kitesurfers, most visitors to Brazil head further south, taking in trips to Rio de Janeiro and its nearby resorts. More’s the pity, the region boasting 3000 hours of sun a year, temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees and a constant breeze to keep you cool. The real joy of Ceara though is how easy it is to get to. While most parts of South America take half a day to get to, this jutting out north-western corner of the continent is just over seven hours away by air. In other words, perfectly doable with kids. Going via Lisbon with TAP, we arrived early evening in Fortaleza and were comfortably installed in our first abode - a charming beachside villa in the village of Taiba - by 8.30pm local time. Being a badger’s tail from the equator it was still around 25 degrees, but incredibly mosquitoes and other annoyances were remarkably thin on the ground. This supposedly changes during the rainy season from January to March so be warned. Our home for the Christmas week, we woke up to the perfect set of gently breaking ‘rights’ and raced downstairs to rent boards from the local surf pro, Toniu, who charged us just 300 reales (about 80 euros) for the week and threw in daily lessons for the kids, Alfie, 9, and Maia, 12. We were soon out carving up the wonderful beach break, forgetting that 10am in Brazil is practically midday heat and the mercury was already hitting 30. After a two-hour session we retired to the shade and spent the rest of the day playing cards and reading, rehydrating with the best natural drink on the planet...coconut juice. Delicious as it is healthy, when served cold a coconut is almost a substitute for a cold sherry or beer (and certainly more acceptable at morning time). After a week of relaxing, reading and surfing, we were ready for the next part of our trip... and headed 30 minutes north for, um, another
We stayed in a hut in the heart of the jungle close to the park and woke to a family of monkeys swinging outside four days of relaxing, reading and surfing, this time in the better known resort of Paracuru. Another famous wave (with a legendary kitesurf lagoon just up the coast), the big surprise, yet again, was how few Europeans we saw. Our Polish hotel owner summed the place up as a ‘sleeping giant’ in tourist terms and explained how it is all set to change over the next few years with a huge planned refurbishment of Fortaleza airport (it was recently bought by German conglomerate Fraport AG) and a string of new direct flights coming in from Europe. Paracuru was distinctly younger and hipper than Taiba and had a real party vibe about it. It was truly rocking for New Year, but the days either side saw groups of teenagers partying on the beach, playing volleyball and football until dusk. A ribbon of beach cafes place their tables literally on the sand and there were some lovely walks in either direction, past dozens of coves in one direction and the other, the largest sand dunes in the world! The trajectory of our holiday was mostly a gentle 300km meander up the coast to the pot of gold, known as Jericoacoara, one of south America’s hippest resort.
February 14th - February 27th 2018
Don’t miss this wave SURF BUMS: In Jeri and (right) dunes in paracuru
Food and drink
Brazil has a great variety of traditional foods and its style is a combination of key ingredients brought by different cultures that landed here. It all started with the colonisation by the Portuguese in the 16th century, while the Italians brought pasta, the Spanish empanadillas, the Arabs spiha and kibbeh and the Chinese and Japanese another range of dishes. The country has a string of Michelin starred restaurants, but they are all sadly in Rio and Sao Paolo and outside of the big two, it is hard to get a grasp of where exactly one should eat. Local knowledge and pot luck seem to be the rules of the road. Drinks-wise, we bought half a dozen bottles of French and Portuguese plonk at the airport. But we hardly needed to bother, as the local supermarket had a surprisingly decent selection of whites and reds from Chile and Argentina (Brazil being generally one to avoid on the wine front). And then of course there is Cachaça (pronounced Ca-shasa) the amazing local spirit that goes into the famous Brazilian cocktail Caipirinhas, alongside sugar, limes and ice.
Monkeys But, before our final push north west, we decided to take a trip inland to visit some monkeys. The three-hour drive to Ubajara, Brazil’s smallest national park, took us through stunning scenery and some of Brazil’s harshest land, due to low rainfall and poor soils. There is remarkably little written about the Ubajara area, which once
MAGIC: Making caipirinhas in Jeri
featured in the Lonely Planet, but somehow got airbrushed out a few years ago, for inexplicable reasons. We stayed in a hut in the heart of the jungle close to the park and woke to a family of monkeys swinging outside, looking decidedly envious of the breakfast that had been brought to our door. The park itself was a letdown. It turned out you could only visit in set groups at three different times of the morning and this, in our case, meant nearly 20 people, the vast majority in flip flops, and almost certainly never having visited a park before. It was excruciating, to say the
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BOAT RACE: Jangadas head out to sea
VISTA: In Ubajara and (inset) monkeys, while (right) fish in Paracuru
least. Our next abode, the stunning Posada Sitio Ipe in the nearby village of Vicoso do Ceara, made up for it. While nobody spoke English, (none of the staff could in fact remember an English visitor) it was both laid back and a touch colonial, rather like the nearby town. From here we were a short two hour drive north to Jericoacoara, the biggest surprise of our trip by far.
Tum and Jeri Arriving in ‘Jeri’ is all part of the fun. For this pretty seaside village is entirely surrounded by sand dunes and being a national park, can only be reached by official vehicles. It is just as well, as without such rules the place would be swamped, given the cult status it has garnered since being ‘officially discovered’ by the Washington Post in 1987… and being dubbed the ‘world’s best beach’ by the Lonely Planet in 2004. The once sleepy spot, which only got electricity in 1998, is now an enchanting mesh of style and charm, a photographer’s dream full of colourful shops and restaurants and the sort of beautiful people you find in places like Ibiza or Tarifa. Few places in the world have the wow factor like Jeri. And much of its charm lies in the fact it has maintained its sandy streets (there’s no tarmac), it has a strict rule on street-lighting, and also charges a pretty steep, five-dollara-day tourist tax (under 12s are free), which goes towards maintaining the local environment. Not being easy to get to also helps, so the recent arrival of a local airport, with short connecting flights from Fortaleza, is of some concern. Currently, getting there, involves dropping your car around 20kms away in the rather humdrum town of Jijoca and contracting a local
4x4. That is, unless, like many arrivals you come straight up the coast on an off-road adventure from Fortaleza which takes from three to four hours (we did that on the way back to the airport, more of which later). What is so refreshing about Jeri is the huge mix of nationalities, the variety of places to eat (there’s plenty of sushi, Peruvian, Italian, etc etc) and the stylish places to stay. It’s popular with the French, which always helps, and there is a real sense of activity here (pic left). Everybody, it seems, is practicing one sport or another. There is surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, surf canoeing, each discipline given rules on where to practice - not that everyone adheres to it. Then there are some fabulous walks along the coast, and at the very least up the nearby massive dune to watch the sunset, which is said to be one of the best in Brazil. We really got a sense of what a hip spot it was by simply visiting the rooftop terrace of our hotel, Hurricane Gardens, at dusk, where DJs, fire-eaters and dancers kept a very urbane Sao Paulo/Riostyle crowd bumping and grinding until around 10pm. It was here that we met the only English tourists of the holiday. One, a fashion photographer based out of New York, another, an online publisher from London...and the last, a multi-millionaire marketing boss, who planned David Cameron’s first successful election campaign. It says it all. All that was to remain was the journey back… and that turned out to be perhaps the best adventure of all. This kicked off at 9am when knowlegeable Canadian expat Jeff Stone rolled up in a very robust-looking VW Amorok. In bundled all the bags, plus the kids and off we went down the beach en route for our 10pm flight home. A fabulous day spent mostly charging down virgin beaches, crossing creeks and rivers in a variety of original craft, we saw plenty of nature, rare birds and ended up eating supper in an upmarket restaurant in Fortaleza, before Jeff dropped us at the airport in plenty of time. Contact Jeff at info@cumbuco-car-rental.com.
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It’s raining Renaults Move over into the slow lane for the world’s largest student road rally
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ON’T be too quick to utter the F-word – as in F for Froggie, excuse my French – if you find yourself being cut up by a convoy of souped-up Renault 4Ls headed for the coast this weekend. We’re talking a pandemic of dinky French hatchbacks plastered with sponsorship stickers, travelling along the high-
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ROAD TRIP: Drive for a good cause
ways and byways of Spain in a contest to find the shortest route to Marrakesh. It sounds like an accident waiting to happen - 3,000 college kids co-piloting 1,500 versions of a car that went out of production 25 years ago! But with an epic two days of off-roading in the Sahara ahead of them, they’re not about to do anything daft at a Spanish round-
Winter is Coming…
ore aptly and with apologies to all you 'Game of Thrones' fans out there - Winter has absolutely come. It’s been the most biting cold snap that I can remember in a long time, with the boffins at the Spanish Metrological Agency, AEMET, reporting that lows have been between 3ºC and 6ºC - below what’s considered normal for this time of the year. It even snowed on the beach in Barcelona and I’m surprised that Carles Puigdemont didn’t blame that as some sort of underhand tactic by Madrid, ‘freezing out’ an independent Catalonia. Living on a lake at the bottom of a valley on the edge of the Sierra de las Nieves – I found out why it was called so during my first winter at the Casita - I am used to the cold. My mother was born in Glasgow, my father hails from the Rhondda (the Welsh one, not
the one with the gorge) and I was born in the bad lands of North Staffordshire – a place whose most famous exports are Wedgewood, Armitage Shanks and, erm, Robbie Williams, so I am no ‘soft southerner’. This fact was witnessed when I decided to take a January birthday plunge in the lake last year, even though La Concha had a light blanket of snow. I set a new world record for fastest unaided exit from a body of water and my screams could be heard from Ceuta. The shock was such that I had two small bumps on my head, due to certain sections of my undercarriage retracting at great speed. I even learnt a new phrase ‘¡hace un frío que pela’ – to be cold enough to to freeze the balls off a brass monkey – and I went by the name of Brass Monkey Brown for a few days afterwards. But, as the great Billy Connolly once pointed
out, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, there’s just inappropriate clothing’. So I now venture out of the bedroom wearing most of the scarves, beanies, jumpers, gloves, gillets boots and snoods (2018 is the year of the snood at my place) that I received for my birthday, as well as my Moroccan style hooded dressing gown and, if she doesn’t move fast enough, the cat. I have also toyed with the idea of hooking up the ‘butano’ heater behind me at a safe distance via a harness. The overall effect is Scott of the Antarctic meets a Java scavenger from ‘Star Wars’, but if it keeps me warm, dry and alive as I shuffle around making the first coffee of the day in the impromptu deep freeze that is my kitchen (I don’t need a fridge. I just leave the milk on the terrace overnight), ‘Ice Ice Baby’ on heavy repeat in my internal jukebox, then I’m happy to semi hibernate until the spring!
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about. After months of training and tuning up for the world’s largest student road rally, the driving isn’t half bad and it’s all in a good cause. Honk your appreciation for the Raiders of the 4LTrophy. They’re on a mercy mission to deliver vital educational supplies to Morocco’s desert children and yes, that probably was a school desk you saw wedged into the back seat. Every February for the last 20 years they’ve roared into our neighbourhood to stock up for their humanitarian escapade, denuding the shelves of Carrefour faster than a plague of locusts can demolish a Texas cornfield. But they certainly bring a smile to the faces of bar owners in touriststarved Algeciras, where they muster for one night only before disappearing in a cloud of carbon offset exhaust fumes across the Gibraltar Strait. So don’t even think of catching a ferry to Tangier this weekend. The challenging 10-day, 6,000 kilometre rally from Biarritz to Marrakesh with only a compass and road book is a right of passage in France, open to any student aged 18 to 28 with a clean driving licence,
access to a Renault 4L and between €5,000 and €10,000 to spare – the estimated cost of taking part per car, hence the sponsorship stickers. Teams travel in pairs along a check-pointed route through Morocco with a support team of mechanics, marshals and doctors and official bivouacs at night but competitors are also expected to help each other out of the sinking sand and the campfire camaraderie is part of the fun. Journey’s end is rewarded with a hot shower at a fourstar hotel, a slapup gala dinner with new-found friends and the knowledge of having made a difference to the lives of the Sahara’s children. Last year, as well as delivering 80 tons of learning equipment, they raised over €75,000 to help the Enfants Du Desert charity open five new schools. Whether you plan to give them a wide swerve or turn up to cheer them on, you can track their progress on www.4ltrophy.com But if you do find yourself at the wrong end of a Renault 4L tailback, make sure that V sign is the right way round!
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Gibraltar will announce the Download our app now and winners of its begin enjoying the best Spanish news on the go. Sports Awards NORRIE: Spirited effort on March 20
Over and out
It was a year to remember for Gibraltarian sport. Among a whole host of successes, the Gibraltarian men’s U21 football team scored the Rock’s first competitive victory GREAT Britain has lost to in the sport by beating MacedoCELEBRATING: Rock’s leading athletes from 2017 The Olive Spain in the Davis Cup despite niaPress 1-0. the efforts of its young, unfan- Not to be outdone by their male than Patron, a pistol shooter, PDC events. cied team. counterparts, have been nominated for the “My dream would be playing TOP for news in Spain! the Gibraltarian Spain was the clear favourite women’s netball team ended Senior Individual award. at the world championships for the contest as matches were the year at their highest world Competing for the Senior which is the biggest tournaplayed on clay, its players’ pre- ranking of all time. Team accolade are the Rifle ment in darts along with the top ferred surface. To honour the success of the Prone Pair IG of Wayne Piri GB was also without former Rock’s high achievers, GBC and Enrique Bonifacio, the world number one Andy Mur- will be holding their annual Senior Men’s National Hockey ray and Australian Open semi- Sports Awards at Grand BatSquad, the Men’s Senior Basfinalist Kyle Edmund due to tery House on March 20. ketball Team, the Special injury. Four accolades will be handed Olympics Winter Games 22-year-old Cameron Norrie out, voted for by the general Team, the Clay Abt Pair stepped up and defeated world public and a panel of local IG of Harry Murphy and top-20 player Roberto Bautista sports journalists and exTom Sawyer and Europa perts. FC. They are the Senior In the Junior IndividIndividual, Senior ual category there is Team, Junior IndiSachin Gupta, an vidual and Junior ice skater, Craig Team awards. Dalliano, a The general darts player, public are Emma Bosio, invited to a rhythmic vote via telegymnast, Matt SPAIN: Winners phone, with lines Savitz, a swimAgut, despite being ranked open until midmer and Sebastian outside the world’s top 100, night on February Desoisa, a golfer. giving GB an unlikely lead. 28. “It’s a privilege However, losses for Liam There will also be a to be nominated Broady and then Jamie Mur- Lifetime Achievefor the junior inray and Dominic Inglot in the ment Award, aldividual sports doubles meant Spain opened though the recipient awards,” Galliano up a 2-1 lead. of this award will be told the GibralNorrie then narrowly suc- decided exclusively by tar Olive Press. cumbed to Albert Ramos-Vi- the panel. “My aspiration ñolas in four sets, sealing GB’s Harvey Dixon, a for the fuBOSIO: Up for fate. 1500m runner, Tom Sawture is to The result means that GB will yer, a clay target shooter, junior award continue to now face a play off in Septem- Samuel Santos, an alpine work hard ber, which they must win to skier, Chris Walker, a triathlete, on my training so that I may be remain in the top tier of Davis Matt Coulthard, a firefighting able to move my way up to parCup competition. combat challenger and Jonaticipate in the World Cup and
Flying high THE 2018 World Cup may still be several months away but Nigeria has scored an early victory. The Super Eagles have been awarded the honour of having the best kit in the competition after fans on social media went crazy for their green Nike retroinspired top and matching bucket hats.
players!” Emma Bosio was equally as delighted to have been nominated. “It is such a great honour to be nominated for the GBC Sports Awards, especially with the high level of sporting achievement within Gibraltar,” she told the Gibraltar Olive Press. “It’s such a good feeling knowing that my hard work over the past year has been recognised and has paid off.” Lastly, the Junior Team award will go to one of the Youth Darts Selection, the GFA U12 Denmark Squad, GASA Youth & CG Squad, the Calpe Rowing team and the Rhythmic Gymnastics Squad.
Sanchez suspended MANCHESTER United’s new marquee signing Alexis Sanchez has been handed a 16-month suspended jail sentence for tax fraud. The sentence means Sanchez will avoid going on trial in Spain over unpaid taxes from image rights deals in 2012 and 2013, while he played for Barcelona. The Spanish government has alleged the Chilean owes £886,000. Sanchez is the latest in a long line of footballers accused of evading tax from image rights deals signed during their time in Spain.
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Young voices
Elizabeth in cruise control
GIBRALTAR will be represented at the Commonwealth Youth Parliament for the first time when it meets in Jersey later in the month.
THE Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has visited Gibraltar for the first time. The boat docked at the deep-water berth alongside the Western Arm before sailing off again on Monday. Its weekend stopover allowed the crew some valuable shore leave and the chance to pick up supplies before it recommences drills at sea. The ship received a full escort into port from the Royal Navy’s Gibraltar Squadron, the Gibraltar Defence Police and the Royal Gibraltar Police. Costing £3.1 billion to construct, HMS Queen Elizabeth is the Royal Navy’s largest ever warship, 280m in length, weighing 65,000 tonnes and with a 700-strong crew.
In the money A £1 Gibraltar coin with Neanderthal skull pattern has sold for a £5,000 on eBay
Plain sailing SPANISH vessels have sailed into Gibraltar ian waters, breaching UN rules more than 1,200 times in the last three years. MotorA4.pdf 1 02/10/2012 09:24:08
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No face of an angel
Hard cheese Corrupt Spanish police face jail for taking bribes including wine and cheese
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A PAIR of Spanish cops have been sentenced to two years behind bars after accepting cheese and wine as bribes. The Guardia Civil officers accepted countless bribes in return for turning a blind eye to traffic offences, including letting a man off for not wearing a seatbelt by accepting two bottles of wine and some ma-
ture cheese. The pair are now also facing a €4,300 fine. The crooked duo also had an arrangement with haulage firms, where they would stop lorry drivers and hit them with fake sanctions before forcing their company bosses to pay €200 per month to avoid official punishment. They also tipped off drivers of when and where there would be police patrols in a Whatsapp group. Five businessmen have also b e e n charged for accepti n g bribes.
Girl power GIBRALTAR’S brainy ladies have secured sixth place at the UK’s CyberCenturion competition. The competition, which sees teams of four aged between 12 to 18 tackle cryptic codes and cybersecurity puzzles, is now in its fourth year. The girls from Westside school showed they were a cut above the rest and were the only allgirls group out of 500 teams inside the top 10. The next closest all girls group came in at 34th place. The National Finals of CyberCenturion will take place in early March 2018 in London with 10 teams battling it out for prizes and the accolade of CyberCenturion champion 2018.
A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been fined for photoshopping his face onto a statue of Christ in Jaen. Daniel Serrano put his face complete with a ring through the septum - onto that of Christ and posted it on his Instagram site. The Hermandad de La Amargura de Jaén filed a criminal complaint after he refused to remove it. A court in Jaen found Serrano guilt of an ‘offence against religious sentiment’ and ordered him to pay a fine of €480.
‘Negro’ dog found A MISSING woman’s dog has sparked a race row on social media. Rebecca Macias was dubbed ‘racist’ by Twitter users after she asked for help to find her black dog, named ‘Negro’. Rebecca named the dog after the colour of his fur, black (negro), but most of her replies on Twitter were criticising his ‘racist’ name. “You definitely aren’t gonna find that dog now with a name like that,” one user wrote. Another said: “I understand his name is ‘black’, but you REALLY should’ve picked a different name.” Most people argued that the word is not a slur because it is literally the word for black. Negro was found within two days.