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January 20th - February
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Buying or selling property
Mega-fusion Don’t let the banks cash
EXCLUSIVE: Peter Hain buys stunning Estepona villa
PAGE 15
Spain’s property comeback continues as 240m mega-fusion sees Zagaleta buy the Valderrama group, writes Iona Napier
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Who bagged top prize at the World Travel Awards?
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Buying or selling property
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Who bagged top prize at the World Travel Awards?
T is set to become one of the most exclusive golf development projects in Europe. The purchase of emblematic Valderrama golf course by Marbella development company Zagaleta is the fusing of two prestigious Spanish giants. A new megaproject, taking ares of rolling virgin hillside,in 200 hectnear the famous golf course, is the perfect sign that the Spanish property market is truly flourishing again. A very Zagaleta, just outside Marbella, interestis Spain’s most luxurious residential development, ing fusion counting Hugh Grant and the mayor of of two Moscow among its residents, togrande-based Valderrama while Sofamous hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup as well brands. as the now defunct Volvo Masters. Developers Zagaleta Limited, based in London, have purchased group, including the golf the Valderrama course, as well as the new land in neighbouring Castellar municipality. In an exciting deal, said million, Zagaleta has to be worth €40 It is landlord of Valderrama become the new Golf Club, until at surely least 2050. win win Alongside the deal, Zagaleta is to invest a further €200 million for the creating a new complex - dubbed Valderamma coast. 2 - with a second championship course, hotel and high-end housing. Local agent Ben Bateman, of Holmes itself, Sotogrande described the deal as ‘a very area.” it’s very exciting news for the whole interesting fusion of two famous brands.’ Fellow agent Adam Neale The agent, who has known for some time and even about the sale ridiana added: “It is surely of Terra Meshown potential coast. win win for the clients around the course, added: “The “You quality of Zagaleta is integral here, and work are going to get a whole new netgiven the new ownership of high-end clients looking of Sotogrande Security there.” is set to be a major factor in the
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MARKET BY NUMBERS: Don’t miss our first property pull-out of the year Visit our showroom and see our seasonal offers celebrating a healthy market both here and across the border. From Page 13
development, while quality tion will also be paramount. of construcAt Zagaleta, in Benahavis, near Marbella, homes currently start from around €3 million.
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Blockhead! By Tom Powell
World Trade Center erects its final storey
Contact our Marbella
Avda De Manolete, Centro Plaza Local 12-13, Nueva Andalucia, 29660, Marbella, Malaga
Don’t let the banks cash
THE QUEST FOR A NEW CALPE HOUSE - PAGES 6-7
Top-quality brands join forces
Seven
and even President Putin The project will unfold of Russia. cade, and La Zagaletaover the next degroup has expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Real Club Valderrama, privacy and exclusivity thatto preserve the the brand has built up over many years to become a European landmark.
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AN artificial reef helping to regenerate vital fish stocks in the Bay of Gibraltar could be forcibly removed by Spain. The line of concrete blocks which aims to stop Spanish fishermen from trawling the area, has been raised in Parliament in Madrid. In his first act as a newly-elected MP, Algeciras mayor Jose Ignacio Landaluce demanded the removal of Gibraltar’s artificial reef, which he insists is located in Spanish waters. The 56-year-old insisted it was harming the local fishing industry, despite the area now ‘exploding with life’ in particular with a huge growth of tuna, bream, octopus and triggerfish. In his first demand since becoming an MP for Cadiz with 172,475 votes, Landaluce insisted he would fight to protect the local fishing fleet. “The colony (Gibraltar) should remove the blocks it threw into waters belonging to Spain,” he reiterated. The 70 concrete blocks dropped in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters in 2013 caused furious protests from Spanish fishermen who claimed the artificial reef was damaging fishing. It led to right-wing group
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Algeciras mayor demands removal of Rock’s environmentally-popular concrete reef as Spanish fisherman is charged with theft of a block
NIGHT-MAYOR: Landaluce uses MP platform to reignite reef row and (right) Guardia Civil divers inspect concrete blocks after they were installed in 2013 ‘Fundación para la Defensa de la Nación Española’ stealing a concrete block from the reef in June 2014. And now, the former head of a La Linea fishing guild has been charged over his involvement in the theft. Boat owner Leoncio Fernandez, 70, appeared at New Mole House last week following his arrest in October, despite initially claiming he would not bother turning up.
“I do not know anything about that block,” he insisted, before contradicting himself and saying: “It is true that I was there, but my boat was not used.” Fernandez’s bail was set at €3,300 and he will attend a hearing in April. Gibraltar’s environment department meanwhile insisted its decision to block the area had been vindicated and that the reef was ‘exploding with
life’ in particular with octopuses and triggerfish. The move was part of the UK’s attempt to help bolster fish stocks globally. Landaluce has long been unpopular in Gibraltar because of his repeated comments in the media concerning disputed waters in the Bay of Gibraltar, which he calls the ‘Bay of Algeciras’.
Opinion Page 6
Corner set to fly in THE boyfriend of missing expat Lisa Brown (both above) will return to Spain to be questioned by police. Liverpudlian Simon Corner will fly into Malaga this week to ‘clear his name’, according to his legal representative. Corner - aka Dean Woods - sparked suspicion after fleeing Spain days after Lisa’s disappearance in November. Police have appealed for Corner, 33, to return to Spain to face ‘unanswered questions’ ever since. Olive Press sources have claimed he is either in Thailand or Portugal and that he is being sought by a number of local criminal gangs.
Jailed
The Liverpudlian - who was jailed for three months in Gibraltar for possession of a weapon last year - is now set to meet Guardia Civil officers in Algeciras this week. His legal contact Jason Coghlan, of JaCogLaw, is coordinating the meeting. “There has been a relentless campaign against our client ever since Lisa Brown broke contact with her friends and family and was declared a missing person,” said Coghlan, who studied the law while serving a 12-year sentence for armed robbery in Alhaurin prison. “Simon assures me he is totally innocent of any wrongdoing and to date there is no evidence that anything untoward has taken place.” A Find Lisa Facebook group, run by her sister Helen Jordan, has raised over £6,000.
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January 20th - February 6th 2016
Fag four held FOUR Gibraltarians suspected of smuggling cigarettes have been arrested after a high-speed car chase. The men, aged between 18 and 37, were detained along with two Spaniards as police discovered 120,000 cigarettes. The RGP also raided a home in Ocean Heights and seized a Spanish-registered car. Five of the men were released on police bail. One, Paul Parody, of Willow Lodge Montagu Gardens, was charged with dangerous driving, Flying high obstructing police and possession of a commercial quantity of cigarettes without a licence.
Flights of fancy. Page 7
Is this the coolest man to ever get a New Year’s honour?
A 50-year-old man has been charged with five drug offences at the Magistrate’s Court. John Chidgey was charged with possession of cannabis resin, amphetamine sulphate, herbal cannabis and MDMA. He pleaded guilty to all changes and will be sentenced on February 8.
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Death on the Rock demand
LONDON and Gibraltar have been brought closer together after Monarch announced its new Gatwick-Gibraltar route. Starting in May this year, there will be four flights with a total of 1,392 seats between the two airports every week. The new link is expected to bring another 30,000 visitors to the Rock next year. Monarch already flies to three other destinations from Gibraltar - Luton, Manchester and Birmingham. Tourism Minister Samantha Sacramento: “This is exciting news. It serves to strengthen the very strong ties and commitment that Monarch has to the Rock. “All in all, the new services represent an approximate 25% growth for next year.”
Drug dealer snuffed out
CRIME NEWS
Rock stars. Page 11
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS
Family of IRA man shot dead in Gibraltar planning legal action over non-disclosure of government files
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Flashback! 2015 Round-up Pages 15 - 18 ROLL-CALL: (From left) Leon de Roeck, Jonathan Lutwyche, Elisha Lang, Kaiser Chief’s Ricky Wilson, CM Fabian Picardo and Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill
Controversy after UK government withholds vital 1988 IRA ‘Death on the Rock’ files
By Tom Powell
IN THE DARK
KILLED: IRA members McCann, Farrell and Savage (from left)
By Tom Powell Archives. a month public by the National the The documentary, aired slammed Another significant omission is the the This includes those concerning a terrorist atde- after the shootings, was CRUCIAL government files on operation in which the SAS was al- by Margaret Thatcher’s government Lockerbie bombing, an above Scotland in controversial shooting of three susin ployed to the Rock to prevent out- as inaccurate sensationalism at the tack on a plane were killed. pected IRA terrorists in Gibraltar which 270 people leged IRA plot to plant a bomb time. 1988 have been withheld. Daily Mail columnist Stephen side the Convent. Then Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Glover described the holding back The files should have been made Three IRA volunteers, Sean Savage, to postpone public through the UK National Ar- Daniel McCann and Mairead Far- Howe had attempted twice of government files as ‘profoundly chives this week under the recently rell were shot at the petrol station the airing of the programme unsatisfactory’. avail. no to many files how told amended 20 year rule. “We are not on Winston Churchill Avenue. A year ago, the UK Cabinet Office have been held back, or why, and However, a cabinet spokesman blamed of Their deaths made major headlines released 500 files from 1985 and are given no timetable as to when ‘administrative changes’ as a result after an ITV documentary titled Death 58 files covering decreasing the classified period from on the Rock suggested they were shot 1986. This year, just they will be published,” he said. the period 1986-88 have been made 30 to 20 years for a continuing non- unlawfully without warning. “Instead of greater transdisclosure of some documents. parency, there is confusion and apparent obfuscation. It is very difficult to believe this is not deliberate,” he added. It comes as a UK government commission is investigating changing the Freehuge dom of Information Act. THE SAS shootings provoked The legislation, introduced controversy at the time. reported by Tony Blair although later The IRA volunteers were pound bomb described as his ‘biggest reto have planted a 500 Place, gret’, allows journalists or in a car near No6 Convent the changany member of the public ready to detonate during access to information held ing of the guard ceremony. walked they as shot were by public authorities. All three Churchill The commision has been towards Spain on Winston claiming they Avenue, with officers widely criticised in the press thus and were acting suspiciouslyin danger. as an attack on transparbelieved their lives were ency. hours it was government However, within 24 been no car Meanwhile, revealed there had files which were declassified had been bomb and that all three have revealed that Thatcher shot. when unarmed to them feared Spain would invade A car apparently connected in MarbelGibraltar during the Falkwas found two days later But delands War and even sent la, containing explosives. RAF back-up to the Rock. ruling all three had
Death on the Rock
spite an inquest European been lawfully killed, the in 1995 that Court of Justice ruledviolated their the SAS soldiers had fundamental right to life.
Thatcher feared Gib invasion. Page 4 CONTROVERSIAL: The SAS
shot the trio on Winston Churchill
Avenue
Opinion. Page 6
OUR STORY: Last issue
Lord let-off CRIMINAL proceedings against Lord Janner have been dropped because of his death. The former Labour politician and Freeman of the City of Gibraltar, stood accused of 22 sexual offences against boys dating back to the 1960s. Lord Janner, who suffered from dementia in later life, died in December aged 87.
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THE father of an IRA member shot dead in Gibraltar is taking legal action to force the UK government to release secret documents on the killings. It comes as fresh controversy has broken out over 1988’s Death on the Rock saga, in which three suspected IRA terrorists were killed by the SAS while walking unarmed. The deaths of Sean Savage, Daniel McCann and Mairead Farrell made headlines after an ITV documentary titled Death on the Rock suggested they were shot unlawfully without warning. The programme, aired a month after the shootings, was slammed by Margaret Thatcher’s government as inaccurate sensationalism at the time. Crucial government files on the case have remained secret despite a new 20-year ruling insisting they had to be released from the UK National
CONTROVERSIAL: Trio were shot at petrol station Archives this month. A cabinet spokesman blamed ‘administrative changes’ as a result of decreasing the classified period from 30 to 20 years for a continuing nondisclosure of some documents. However, many including the father of McCann, believe there may be an ulterior motive for not releasing the files. Mr McCann has written a letter to Secretary of State Theresa Villiers and two other
senior cabinet ministers who were government advisors in 1988, demanding to know why these classified documents are being kept secret. The matter now looks to be heading to Belfast’s courts, and solicitor Paddy Murray believes legal action is the ‘only way’ to get disclosure. “I think this is an attempt by this government, which is obsessed with national security, to restrict access of information to families,” he said.
VAULT: Blown open
Basil’s brush with the law HE is the missing link from what has been described as the ‘heist of the century’. Known as ‘Basil’ he is the last of the gang of thieves behind the €31 million Hatton Garden robbery to be yet apprehended. While six members of the ageing gang are awaiting trial for the infamous heist last year, one of the so-called masterminds, has fled abroad. Police have now revealed they believe Basil, who has red hair, is hiding out on the Costa del Sol, where the gang had planned to move. However, investigators admit they have little other information about ‘Basil’. The crooks - who were caught after boasting about their heist in a London pub - drew on experiences from two crimes which several members were involved in: the £26 million Brink’s Mat gold heist and the £6 million Security Express cash robbery. They had links to powerful gangsters, from the Kray twins to the violent Adams crime syndicate.
Tagged and bagged COSTA del Sol conman Nigel Goldman has been handed a 12-month suspended sentence and placed under house curfew. The convicted fraudster - aka Howard del Monte - cannot leave his home after 8pm and will also have to wear an electronic tag, after being sentenced at Reading Crown Court on two counts of fraud. While describing him as a ‘completely dishonest character’, the judge took pity
Don’t call back! ROYAL Gibraltar Police have issued a warning about a new text message scam. Victims are receiving texts asking them to ‘call back urgently’ from a number with a Gambian country code. But calling the number means victims are put on hold, while being charged a premium international call rate. The RGP warned that similar scams are also circulating, such as text messages announcing lottery or prize wins, and tax or VAT rebates.
on the ageing fraudster, 58, and didn’t send him to prison after he presented medical evidence claiming to be suffering from diabetes, lymphedema and depression. However, under the sentence, which has been suspended for 15 months, he has to make a schedule of his assets to repay his victims and has been forced to surrender his passport.
Now living in Notrees care home for the elderly in Kintbury, Berkshire, he needs ‘to have his leg drained’ twice a day and is living under the watchful eye of the local police. The disgraced conman was found to have defrauded online shoppers out of more than £7,650 in an eBay scam. One of the victims described the sentence as ‘far too light’ and added he would be ‘keeping a very close eye on him’ to stop him from committing further crimes. “He is a disgusting character, who is not a great advert for a life of crime,” the victim told the Olive Press. He added: ‘That said, he is finished now. He is coming up to 60 years old and will never be able to commit another fraud. “The authorities and myself are keeping a very close eye on him.” Goldman meanwhile failed to attend a court appearance in Marbella last week surrounding a massive Ponzi-type scheme in Spain. He had been ordered to attend the ‘investigations hearing’ on January 5 and is now likely to be issued with a warrant for his arrest. Dozens of expat victims claim to have lost up to £2.3million in a series of elaborate investment END OF THE scams. ROAD: A young Goldman (inset) The hearing was rapidly organised after Spanish weband more site El Confidencial poured recently in scorn on how it could have taken over two years to Marbella with even get an initial hearing James Hewitt for the victims.
NEWS
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Rock ‘n’ Roll into 2016
Simply Med
A COSTA del Sol fortress will be holding back the years for Simply Red this summer.Mick Hucknall’s legendary soulsters head to Fuengirola’s Sohail Castle for a spectacular concert on August 18.The land around t h e 1,000-year-old castle will be transformed, with a giant stage, seating and a VIP area. Fans of the band’s many hits, including Money’s Too Tight to Mention and Holding Back the Years, will be able to sit on the grassy slopes with the Mediterranean in the background.
Brit fest MUSIC fans’ summer just hit a sweet note with the announcement of Territorios Sevilla 2016’s first confirmed artists. Liverpool trio The Wombats, whose single Let’s Dance to Joy Division won an NME award in 2008, will headline the event on May 20. Legendary group The Tindersticks is another confirmed act, with lead singer Stuart Staples’ distinctive style drawing comparisons with 60s crooner Scott Walker. Murcia rockers Neuman will also play at the festival, now in its 19th year.
January 20th - February 6th 2016
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Andalucia Adams BRYAN Adams is playing a series of concerts in Spain this month. The Canadian rock star’s European tour opens in Granada on January 22.Multimillion selling Adams will play further dates in Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona before the end of January. He released his most recent album, ‘Get Up’, last October.
How much is that doggie? More to come from pooch who went viral with numerical masterpiece By Rob Horgan A NUMERICAL pooch has hit international headlines after stunning viewers with his knowledge of numbers. Gibraltar pet Slush went viral on social media after his owner Morris Figueras taught him to bark from one to 10. In a stunning performance the Airedale Terrier is able to bark according to numbers. So far his video - which can be seen on our new website www.gibraltarolivepress. com - has received around one million views in total. His owner told the Olive Press that he is ‘shocked’ by the public’s reaction and has now promised ‘even greater
Ashes to ashes STAR PAW-FORMANCE: Slush and Figueras things to come’. “I’m keeping the ace up my sleeve for now,” he said. “Slush
can also add and subtract.” He added: “I originally started just as a way to play
Cat call gets louder A PETITION demanding the urgent construction of a cat shelter has garnered nearly 1,000 signatures. Save Gibraltar Street Cats, a registered charity, wants the government to construct a sanc-
tuary to provide care, protection and treatment for the Rock’s street cat population. The charity’s aim is to carry out a TNR (trap/ neuter/return) programme in order to help control the cat population and find homes for kittens. Its petition is simple and to the point: “For our work to continue and benefit the community THEY were the biggest celebrity couple to move to the Costa we urgently require a del Sol in years. shelter.” But now Jessica Knowles will be left doing her own DIY after So far around 900 people splitting from her BBC presenter husband Nick Knowles. have signed the petition. The couple have announced their separation after just three One, Susan Wink, wrote: years of marriage. “Since we started Save It comes after the DIY SOS presenter, 53, moved to a five-bedGibraltar Street Cats I’ve room home in Sotogrande with his 28-year-old wife Jessica been able to witness the and their baby Edwin, in May hard and sad lives our last year. street cats live. Making the snap decision “I’ve gone back home based on his health, following after visiting some locaa burst artery due to stress, tions crying and feeling things have clearly not been absolutely powerless beall plain sailing. cause I couldn’t do any“It is with sadness that we anthing more for them... nounce we are separating,” having a sanctuary would read a statement. give these wonderful “Our focus continues to be the creatures a decent life.” happiness of our son Eddie,” The petition can be found they added. on change.org.
A Marriage SOS!
around with the kids. It took lots of patience but has been a great deal of fun.”
GIBRALTAR is preparing to hold a special commemoration for musical legend David Bowie. The Rock on the Rock venue will host the Tribute to David Bowie on February 12, using local talent. Melissa Hales, the Tears of Joy Choir and Kirsty Vincent will pay homage to the British icon, who died on January 11 after an 18-month battle with cancer. Singers will perform over 20 of his greatest hits with Bowiestyle face painting for fans on the night. All proceeds raised on the night, organised by chairman Allan Alman, will go towards cancer research.
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NEWS
January 20th - February 6th 2016
NEWS IN BRIEF
War of words A SYMPOSIUM about the Spanish Civil War’s effects on Gibraltar on February 17 will feature historians Gareth Stockey, Chris Grocott and a video recording from professor Paul Preston, author of The Spanish Holocaust.
Cancer call CANCER Research UK attended a local committee meeting in Gibraltar for the first time in January to support Rock fundraising efforts.
Police power THE RGP has boosted its number of firearms officers in the wake of the increased global terrorist threat, with ‘considerable expense’ spent according to Police Commissioner Eddie Yome.
Art works MINISTER Samantha Sacramento unveiled the Milan Art Project Exhibition, featuring 60 paintings from painters from St Bernadette’s Resource Centre and Dr. Giraldi Home, at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery.
Green group slams ‘unregulated’ waste removal deal between Gibraltar and Spain UP to a million tonnes of allegedly hazardous waste has been transported from Gibraltar to a landfill site on the Costa del Sol. Spanish green group Verdemar has slammed an agreement between the Junta and Gibraltar, which allows the British enclave to use an unused quarry in Estepona to get rid of waste from construction sites on the Rock.
Hazardous
Verdemar spokesman Antonio Munoz has criticised the Junta for making the agreement, while blasting Gibraltar officials for abusing the terms. The agreement allows 500,000 tonnes of hazardous waste - much of it coming from a tunnel being dug under the runway - and 330,100 tonnes of non-hazardous waste to be disposed of. However Munoz claims that it is not being properly monitored and up to 30 trucks a day are leaving Gibraltar carrying waste with no re-
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Digging the dirt! By Rob Horgan strictions or regulations. “There needs to be rigorous scrutiny,” Munoz said. “At the moment there is no form of regulation, the waste is not treated or tested before it is disposed of. “The Junta has no way of knowing what material or how much of it is being
transported from Gibraltar.” Munoz’s concerns relate, in particular, to the removal of waste on the eastern side of Gibraltar, including materials removed in the excavation of the airport tunnel. Gibraltar government has so far not commented on the allegations, although sources insisted ‘no rules were being broken’.
WASTE: Disposal problem
Infection scare over A FILIPINO seaman who died in Gibraltar has tested positive for Malaria. The sailor had initially caused concern, after social media reported he might be carrying something more serious. However he was treated as a potential infection risk immediately after being dropped off from his Greek vessel and all necessary safety protocols were taken. The Health Authority collected samples which were tested in the UK and only Malaria came back as positive.
Marine life BRITISH soldiers have carried out daring helicopter maneuvers off the Gibraltar coast. Royal Marines practised ascending from winches attached to two Merlin Mk3 helicopters from Naval Air Squadron on January 15. The marines from Zulu company, were training as part of Operational Conversion Flight to familiarise themselves with the Merlin Mk3.
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OPINION Reef rage IT was meant to be an environmental saviour, regenerating marine life in the Bay of Gibraltar. But as always, politics got in the way. The artificial reef has by all accounts been a great success - ie helping bring back sealife - but constant remarks from Spanish politicians who refuse to accept the Rock’s right to territorial waters have somewhat taken the shine off. It’s like trying to get a message across to an old man who’s been deaf for decades; Gibraltar is not going to simply give in and hand itself over to Spain! Algeciras mayor Landaluce needs to give up and save his blushes, the reef is here to stay. But the grief needn’t be.
Oil for what? THE proposal to develop an Iranian oil refinery in Algeciras will rightly cause a stir on both sides of the border. There is no doubt that it would bring jobs to the Campo de Gibraltar, however the environmental impact cannot be overlooked. Algeciras is already one of Europe’s most polluted places and a new oil refinery is only going to make matters worse. Government ministers may argue about the economic benefits in the short-term, but in the long run this project will only damage Algeciras’ reputation as an industrial hotspot engulfed in a cloud of toxic smog.
London light CHARITY begins at home, the old saying goes. And for thousands of Gibraltarians, Calpe House has been their ‘home from home’ during distressing times. This London hub for Gibraltar patients was funded by the generosity of Rock residents almost 30 years ago. As Albert Poggio, the director of Gibraltar House reminds us, everyone has illness at some point. Calpe House offers a helping hand to those Gibraltarians in need.
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or admin@theolivepress.es or sales@theolivepress.es 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 on a Wednesday. Luke Stewart Media S.L - CIF: B91664029 (+34) 951 273 575 Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5 Calle Espinosa 1 Edificio centro comercial El Duque, planta primera, 29692 San Luis de Sabinillas, Manilva Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A. Editor: Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 Tom Powell tom@theolivepress.es Rob Horgan rob@theolivepress.es Iona Napier
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For 25 years, Gibraltarian patients referred to London by the Gibraltar Health Authority have been provided with free accommodation in Calpe House. Now the Rock’s UK government representative Albert Poggio tells Joe Duggan about the quest for new premises
A
STONE’S throw from Kensington Gardens, on the side of a fivestorey house, a sign welcomes visitors: “Calpe House: Gibraltar’s Home From Home In London.” For more than 30 years, this warm greeting has comforted thousands of vulnerable Gibraltarians travelling to London for urgent hospital treatment. But space in the building at 47a Princes Square is limited to 12 families. And after buying three new London properties, Calpe House Charitable Trust’s fundraising campaign now aims to raise £5 million for refurbishments so it can continue to accommodate Gibraltarians during difficult times. Albert Poggio (above) OBE, Director of Gibraltar House in London, is vice-chairman of the trust. Instrumental in setting up Calpe House, he recalls what spurred him into action. “Thirty years ago, a good friend of mine came to London as a patient to see a consultant,” he says. “He was told he had cancer of the mouth.
He was staying in a B & B, which was in very bad condition. He returned to the B & B with that terrible news and had to stay in London for another week. “He lived through that misery not knowing anybody and couldn’t share his grief with anybody.” Deeply moved by his friend’s plight, Poggio, who counts Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair among his friends, met with other prominent Gibraltarians to discuss what they could do. A campaign was launched to raise money for a London base where Gibraltarians can stay. People back home dug deep to help while commercial support came from the business community. One building developer even donated a Westside apartment to raffle. Joe Bossano’s government promised to donate a pound for every pound generated. “Gibraltarians are very generous,” says Mr Poggio. “There are lots of charities there. We got all the charities together and they ceased their activities for one year to join our campaign. It was truly a community project.”
More than £360,000 was raised for the Princes Square building, a stone’s throw from Kensington Gardens. Since opening its doors, over 6,000 patients have recovered at Calpe House. Hundreds are referred by the Gibraltar Health Authority each year, with cancer victims, people recovering from cardiac operations and kidney transplants among those who stay. “One of the benefits of Calpe House is it offers therapy,” says Poggio. “We have someone from Gibraltar who can impart any bad news. The patients will talk about this for about 10 minutes then, being Gibraltarians, they will start talking about home. “At Calpe House, they do not have to sit there on their own.” The loneliness of the displaced Gibraltarian is something Poggio knows only too well. Born in Northern Ireland after being evacuated during the war, he was sent from Gibraltar to London by his parents to continue his education when he was 12 years old. After studying at City of London Polytechnic, he set up the Gibraltar Group in 1965 to assist the flow of fellow expats arriving in London. “Having to live through Franco’s blockade of Gibraltar, a lot of people couldn’t stand it,” he remembers.
Under pressure
Pablo Iglesias’ reputation at stake after damaging allegations
P
ODEMOS leader Pablo Iglesias’ may spend his debut debate in Congress defending himself. The allegations, outlined in a police investigation, purportedly conclude he received millions of euros from Iran in payments made through third-party countries. The explosive charges were revealed last week by the news portal El Confidencial, which published parts of the report compiled by the Spanish National Police Economic and Financial Crimes Unit (UDEF) last November. The findings have allegedly been turned over to prosecutors to determine whether charges should be brought against Iglesias and others in Podemos. Even though Iglesias may enjoy parliamentary immunity, the seriousness of the alleged crimes – dealing
with the Iranian government while international sanctions were still in placed – could lead to wider implications. Spain’s Law of Parties, introduced to keep radical pro-Basque independence groups, such as Batasuna, from being legalised, specif ically demands that all political organisations that want to register as legal groupings must show they have no connections to te r ro ri s m activities. Iran had been o n
international lists as one of the countries that sponsored terrorism. According to the scheme, Iran, with the help of Venezuela, set up HispanTV – a Spanish-language news network in Latin America. Iglesias had been invited to conduct a series of programmes. The money he received, an alleged €13 million, was transferred to him in Spain via third-party countries. Iran reportedly used HispanTV to help up-and-coming leftist groups such a s
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Patient approach FEATURE
MA
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MADRIDS MATTER
Podemos to fnance their campaigns, El Confidencial reported. The information was passed along to Spanish authorities by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Iglesias has not publicly responded to the charges, but the leaders of the PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos have said that he will have to answer to the allegations in Congress when it holds its first debates. Still in its infant stages, the investigation has scared off many inside the Socialist Party from joining any pacts with Podemos. Iglesias’ anti-austerity grouping has made certain offers in the past few days to Pedro Sánchez, who is under pressure himself to stay away from Podemos. But the ball is in his court.
FEATURE
www.gibraltarolivepress.com
January 20th - February 6th 2016
Calpe House in figures - 1991 Calpe House opens - £5 million campaign in Prince’s Square, London
to refurbish new premises
- £360,000 raised
- 38 new en suite rooms at
- £1 to £1 Gibraltar
- £2 sought from each
during the campaign to buy Calpe House
government pledge to match every pound raised in the campaign
new Norfolk Square premises for patients Gibraltarian as a monthly donation to the Calpe House Trust
- 6,000
HISTORIC: Original house
“They decided to emigrate to London. I set up the Gibraltar Group to help people with accommodation and jobs.” Poggio’s tireless efforts on behalf of the Rock also led to the first chartered flights between London and Gibraltar. In the early 1970s, he helped raise money for the first Gibraltar House on Westminster’s Northumberland Avenue. “It was more of a social centre,” he recalls. And with Gibraltarians in need once more, Poggio is putting his efforts into the campaign to refurbish Calpe House’s three new premises in Norfolk Square. The listed buildings were procured following a chance meeting in the Caribbean last Christmas. “I was walking along the sea front and I bumped into the same man three times.
plus patients have stayed at Calpe House
“He said he was a property developer in central London,” he said. “He told me, ‘I think I have the ideal property for you’.” Westminster Council approved planning permission at the first attempt. The £8.5 million Norfolk Square buildings, which were used to house medical staff from Paddington’s St Mary’s hospital, are now being converted into 38 ensuite rooms. “This new facility will have a beautiful lounge and will be a meeting place for Gibraltarians in London,” says Poggio. “We paid £650,000 for the original Calpe House, which we will now sell for £7-8 million.” The campaign to raise £5 million for the refurbishments is now in full swing. Opposition leader Daniel Feetham is do-
nating a month’s parliamentary salary, which he will present in February to Poggio, who adds that ‘any money the Miss Gibraltar candidates raise is going to go towards Calpe House’. Charitable events are planned throughout the year, and Gibraltarians are being asked to set up a standing order to donate £2 every month towards the refurbishment costs. “Everybody has illness at some time,” says Poggio. And with Gibraltarians famed for their charitable donations, it is hoped the new Calpe House will continue to provide a home from home for them in London.
Information on how to donate is available at the Calpe House website www.calpehouse.org
SAFE HAVEN: New Calpe House premises
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10
January 20th - February 6th 2016
NEWS IN BRIEF
Doctor honoured A CAMPO de Gibraltar doctor, Angel Gomez Pascua, who works at Quiron hospital as head of urology, has been named Spain’s best specialist in his field at the Doctoralia Awards 2015.
www.theolivepress.es
CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR
Tarifa saved!
Arty show A NEW museum exhibition has opened at Museo Cruz Herrera de La Linea celebrating the eponymous artist’s work.
Hash haul TWO suspected drug smugglers have been arrested after they were allegedly seen dragging bundles of hash from the sea in Tarifa.
Park strife VANDALS have struck again at the Parque Princesa Sofía in La Linea after the windows of the boat situated in the park were smashed.
UNSPOILT: Valdevaqueros beach and (inset) map of planned development
Market forces A NEW weekly artisan market is coming to La Linea. The Artisan and Secondhand Market run by charity Hogar Betania will take place every Sunday from 9.30am to 2.00pm in the town centre at Plaza Farinas . There will be stalls selling arts and crafts, antiques and secondhand goods, and food stallholders are encouraged to join. There is no charge for stallholders. Hogar Betania is a homeless charity and crisis centre based in La Linea. For more info call 626 826 866 or 619 935 650.
IT was one of the most barbaric and badly-planned developments of the last decade. A scheme to build thousands of homes alongside a virgin beach in Tarifa has finally been outlawed for good. In a massive victory for the environment, the town hall-supported Valdevaqueros project has been officially turned down by the European Commission. A letter from Brussels’ environment chief to Verdemar-Ecologistas en Accion confirmed no development projects would be permitted for the pristine Costa de la Luz beach. The Junta has already insisted that the development should be scrapped, with all ‘natural spaces’ on Andalucia’s coastline needing to be protected at all costs. The definitive answer is a triumph for Verdemar, which has campaigned continually against the scheme for over four years. The Olive Press also backed the campaign, even splashing on Tarifa’s mayor’s attacking ‘expat troublemakers’ who he claimed were behind the sinking project.
Roll out the barrel By Joe Duggan CONTROVERSY surrounds the proposal to open an Iranian oil refinery in Algeciras. Green groups are likely to oppose the development, that would cause more pollution to the Campo area and could be sensitive politically. It comes after government minister Jose Manuel GarciaMargallo confirmed he had held talks with Iran over the refinery. In a carefully worded statement, issued after sanctions were lifted this weekend, he said: “The refinery would create jobs in the Campo de Gibraltar, which was one of my concerns. “We’ve been ready to do that in the past with Rosneft, but talks with the Russian com-
Algeciras could be site for massive new Iran-backed oil refinery, confirms Spanish minister
INDUSTRIAL: Pollution in Algeciras pany were discontinued as a result of sanctions. “But Iranian investment can fill the void left and create jobs.” The reported deal comes as world leaders lifted sanctions on Iran’s oil in exchange for
Strumming up tourism LANDMARKS celebrating one of Spain’s most beloved flamenco stars are helping promote the Campo de Gibraltar at Madrid’s famous travel fair Fitur. Algeciras’ new ‘Paco de Lucia route’ guides visitors through some of the places most closely linked to the singer, who died in 2014. The fair, taking place from January 20-24, will also highlight Algeciras’ bird-of-prey viewing site, Birding.
ICONIC: Singer Paco de Lucia
the regime hauling back its nuclear programme. Iran wants to invest in a Spanish facility, which would produce 200,000 barrels a day, according to the state-run National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company.
WhatsApp pervert arrested A 60-YEAR-OLD man accused of coercing two underage girls into sexual intimacy has been arrested. The girls’ parents first raised concerns after discovering WhatsApp messages of a sexual nature on their daughters’ phones from an unknown sender. The San Roque man had obtained the girls’ numbers from an online social networking site. Police found that the man, now in prison while awaiting trial, had been investigated for similar crimes last year.
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LETTERS
January 20th - February 6th 2016
POTTED POINTERS EMERGENCIES Police 199 Medical service 190 Fire 190 EURO EXCHANGE RATES 1 euro is worth 1.09 American dollars 0.77 British pounds 1.59 Canadian dollars 7.46 Danish kroner 8.50 H Kong dollars 9.70 Norwegian kroner 1.57 Singapore dollars ANDALUCIA RESERVOIR LEVELS This week: 60.49% Same week last year: 77.29% Same week in 2005: 56.88% AIRPORTS Gibraltar 00350 22073026 Granada-Jaen 958 245 200 Jerez - 956 150 000 Malaga - 952 048 844* *For English press 9 Sevilla - 954 449 000
Bravo afterall Looking back, it’s hard to understand why the shooting of three IRA terrorists caused so much controversy (In the Dark, issue 9). After all, they weren’t coming to Gibraltar on holiday, were they? If a bomb had gone off, innocent people would have lost their lives or been badly injured. This happened time after time in Northern Ireland and London during The Troubles. So bravo to the SAS for protecting the public and shooting them. So what if they were unarmed? The IRA certainly didn’t take prisoners. As was shown a couple of weeks later when those two soldiers were lynched at a Republican funeral in Belfast. Colin McDaid, La Linea
Pet problem I WAS shocked to read about the man who crushed a donkey by sitting on it (Donkey squasher in court, issue 9). But the one good thing to come from this incident is that it will remind people there is still a serious problem with the maltreatment of animals in Spain. I hope the refugio del burritos continues its great work, and that people are kind enough to donate and
www.gibraltarolivepress.com
Huge fangs
DEAR OP,
HELLO Olive Press team! We just wanted to wish you all a very happy new year! Here is a picture of our 18-year-old rescue dog Fang. He was feeling left out while we were reading your paper so he decided to join in! Despite his advanced dog years, Fang is an avid ‘reader’ of your paper, as we all are.
Alexandra Warren, Tracie and Fang, Mijas Costa
help them in their battle to save donkeys from pain and torture. Nicola Blackman, Tarifa
Hand up
I think it’s fantastic how in such a short time our small town and diverse community has pulled together in the way that it has for Cris (Helping hand, Issue 9) especially considering the time of the year it is when everybody is stretched to their financial limits. I think it’s an important example of what can be achieved when a community works together and what makes it all that little bit more special is that the operation was a success. My congratulations to Cris, his family and the people of Manilva. Dean Tyler Shelton, Councillor, Manilva Town Hall
Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es And our site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.
olive press online
October 2015
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Come together SPAIN was on the brink of going the same way as Greece a few years ago and it took some very unpopular economic policies to get it back on the right track (Political chaos continues, Issue 9). Spain’s recovery is still very weak and their unemployment rate is still far too high and yes, there is much more work to do and it is far from perfect. But what was the alternative? If they had taken a different route, they would have gone the same way as Greece and been in an even bigger mess.
Jane Garrett, Axarquia
Good luck SPAIN now has Europe’s fastest growing economy (Political chaos continues, Issue 230). The real estate market has stabilised and is recovering strongly. Spanish banks were rated number one in Europe following the ECB tests. Even ‘official’ unemployment is finally starting to improve, not to mention the ever strong grey labour market. And incredibly, the once humiliated Spain now leads European GDP, surpassing even that of Germany. One can only hope that the unprecedented economic momentum of the last several years from hugely successful policies will be enough to overcome the disastrous consequences of the child-like promises of rainbows and money trees?
Rubicon Cross, Malaga Letters should be emailed to letters@ theolivepress.es. The writer’s name and address should be provided. Opinions are not necessarily those of the Editor.
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Midtown on track to becoming the Rock’s shining light
Page 19
Don’t let the banks cash in!
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PERFECT MATCH: Zagaleta (top) meets Valderrama (below)
I
T is set to become one of the most exclusive golf development projects in Europe. The purchase of emblematic Valderrama golf course by Marbella development company Zagaleta is the fusing of two prestigious Spanish giants. A new megaproject, taking in 200 hectares of rolling virgin hillside, near the famous golf course, is the perfect sign that the Spanish property market is truly flourishing again. Zagaleta, just outside Marbella, is Spain’s most luxurious residential development, counting Hugh Grant and the mayor of Moscow among its residents, while Sotogrande-based Valderrama hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup as well as the now defunct Volvo Masters. Developers Zagaleta Limited, based in London, have purchased the Valderrama group, including the golf course, as well as the new land in neighbouring Castellar municipality. In an exciting deal, said to be worth €40 million, Zagaleta has become the new landlord of Valderrama Golf Club, until at least 2050. Alongside the deal, Zagaleta is to invest a further €200 million creating a new complex - dubbed Valderamma 2 - with a second championship course, hotel and high-end housing. Local agent Ben Bateman, of Holmes Sotogrande described the deal as ‘a very interesting fusion of two famous brands.’ The agent, who has known about the sale for some time and even shown potential clients around the course, added: “The quality of Zagaleta is integral here, and given the new ownership of Sotogrande
‘‘
A very interesting fusion of two famous brands.
Ben Bateman, Holmes Sotogrande
“
It is surely win win for the coast.
Adam Neale, Terra Meridiana
“
Page 16
Tel: +34 951 203 986 costadelsol@hifx.co.uk
“
Property experts debate key issues ahead of big year
Put us to the test. See if HiFX could save you time and money.
Spain’s property comeback continues as 240m mega-fusion sees Zagaleta buy the Valderrama group, writes Iona Napier
Page 15
Page 15
Enjoy bank beating exchange rates.
Mega-fusion
Hotel development for sale on site of Risso Bakery
World Trade Center taking shape with final storey up
January 20th - February 6th 2016
Buying or selling property in Spain?
itself, it’s very exciting news for the whole area.” Fellow agent Adam Neale of Terra Meridiana added: “It is surely win win for the coast. “You are going to get a whole new network of high-end clients looking there.” Security is set to be a major factor in the
development, while quality of construction will also be paramount. At Zagaleta, in Benahavis, near Marbella, homes currently start from around €3 million. An incredibly secretive place, once owned by arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, its owners are said to have included Rod Stewart
and even President Putin of Russia. The project will unfold over the next decade, and La Zagaleta group has expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Real Club Valderrama, to preserve the privacy and exclusivity that the brand has built up over many years to become a European landmark.
Buying or selling property in Spain?
Enjoy bank beating exchange rates. Put us to the test. See if HiFX could save you time and money.
HiFX Europe Limited Sucursal en España is a branch of HiFX Europe Limited. HiFX Europe Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009, registration 462444, for the provision of payment services.
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14
Property
www.theolivepress.es
January 20th - February 6th 2016
Leaving the crisis Siren sounds behind
Spanish Property Insight’s Mark Stucklin looks back at 2015 as the year that restarted Spain’s property market
WITH its Turkish hammam and spa, ornate colonnades and garden statues it is the very definition of opulence. Sitting in 20 hectares of wooded parkland near Sotogrande, stunning Las Sirenas also counts a cinema room, gym, playroom, tennis court and a six car garage. Comprising four buildings and an incredible 24 bedrooms, all recently refurbished, this is one palatial home perfect for a large, extended family. An outdoor and indoor pool are complemented by the spa, with a hot room, warm room and cold room, all guaranteed to make even the most stressed out executive relax. The grounds are amazing and the six acres of formal garden are inspired by Spain’s cultural past, with a distinctly Moorish feel. A walk around the grounds or a trip to the hidden grotto located by the main building is the perfect place to let your imagination run wild. For more information visit www.castlesestateagency.com
W
ITH one month to go before the full year figures are in, it’s already clear that 2015 was the year the Spanish property market bounced back to life after seven years of crisis. There were 25,979 home sales inscribed in the Property Register in November (not counting subsidised housing), up 15% year-on-year, and much higher than the 4% growth in sales recorded in October, suggesting that the market expan-
sion is back on track for now. On an annualised basis, home sales increased every month in the year to November, with an average monthly growth of 12%, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). In the first 11 months of the year, there were 293,100 home sales, up 11% on the same period in 2014, when the market bottomed out.
New vs. resale
Once again the market growth in November came from the resale business, up 33% year-on-year, compared to a 28% decline in new home sales. Resales now make up 80% of the market, down from parity at the start of 2014. The home building business in Spain is slowly coming back to life, but this trend of growing resales and declining new home sales will continue for some time to come.
Regional markets
Out of a selection of regions most relevant to foreign investors, Barcelona enjoyed the highest growth in sales in the first 11 months of last year, up 20% compared to the same period in 2014, followed by Valencia (+15%) and Cadiz (+15%).
House prices
Spanish home sales were clearly up last year, but the picture was less clear when it came to house prices. The latest data shows prices more or less stabilised in 2015. Figures from Tinsa, a leading appraisal company, says the average price rose 1% last year, while the asking price index from Idealista shows the average price down 2%. Location made a big differ-
ence, with prices rising the most in Barcelona (+8.7%), but hardly budging in Valencia, up just 0.6% in the year.
Looking ahead
The trends in home sales, mortgage lending and house prices all look positive for the year ahead, especially in prime city areas and resort towns in coastal areas. It is likely that sales and prices will continue to increase in those areas, with new home building making a comeback as well. However, risks remain, especially in areas that depend more on local demand, as the Spanish economic recovery still looks fragile, and political uncertainty is now part of the mix since a recent general election failed to deliver a working majority to any party. Foreign demand could be affected by a weaker pound taking the wind out of the British market, or by clouds gathering over the global economy. On the other hand, the increasing perception of risks around the world could work in Spain’s favour, making it look like a safer bet for tourists and second-home investors. Mark Stucklin runs www.spanishpropertyinsight.com, a property information website.
Property
www.theolivepress.es
January 20th - February 6th 2016
SPANISH PROPERTY NEWS IN BRIEF
Fortress Icon taking shape transfer THE seventh and final storey of Gibraltar’s World Trade Center is almost in place. Set to be the Rock’s new worldclass business hub, the shape of the iconic building is already unmissable to anyone entering Gibraltar. Consisting of 15,158 metressquared of super-premium of-
THE former naval headquarters at Rosia Bay have been handed over to the government under a recently-signed land agreement. Fortress Headquarters, once one of the most sensitive military sites in Gibraltar, and a warehousing block had become surplus to defence requirements. Therefore, the transfer was agreed under Lands Agreement 2015 and signed by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Commander of the British Forces, Commodore Ian McGhie. “The transfer of the surplus warehousing at the Naval Base and the future transfer of the Rosia facility will provide great opportunities for further economic development for Gibraltar,” said Picardo. “This is a very good deal for our community.” www.th
Property
up Expat salesman ties home ‘unheard-of ’ nine e... sales on the bounc and he could be in for a tenth! EXCLUSIVE By Rob Horgan
is aiming to make AN Englishman 10 out of 10. it an unprecedented footsteps of PreFollowing in the an Jamie mier League marksm Andalucia’s very Vardy, is Inland Paul Barnett. own sharp shooter unprecedented After bagging an sales in a nine straight property be the envy of row, Barnett will across Andaestate agent bosses make it a perlucia. And he could imminent fect 10 with a decision l purchase on yet another potentia
November 26th
l so happy Properties making Pau Client Name 1. Francisco & Antonia & Thomas 2. Sean, Caroline 3. Trudi 4. Tony & Louise 5. Victor & Cheryl 6. Murial 7. Jeff & Chrissie 8. Mark & Lorraine 9. Pillar & Jesus 10.? Peter & Patricia
Town, Region
Type
Townhouse Cortijo Villa Townhouse Villa Townhouse Townhouse Villa Villa Townhouse
area. in the inland Malaga Govier said in His boss Graham of company his 15 years in charge no one agent has Inland Andalucia to Barnett’s curever come close
JUAN YOUR AVERAGE
a Spanish home is the average dream and drawbridges, and set in a modest 120m2. da FORGET turrets with a garage survey demande s in a European four-bedroom affair, 64% of Spaniard required green spaces While a massive prioritised a terrace and 47% garage, just half their ideal home in shoeboxes, withfor a larger 211m2. nearby. live to happier are Brits meanwhile while the average Portuguese opted survey res, the RE/MAX measuring 80m2, favour five bedroom Europeans, in general, vealed.
Price
€ 75,000 Malaga € 87,000 Fuente de Perda, € 185,000 Iznajar, Cordoba € 79,000 Puente Genil, Cordoba € 125,000 Encinas Reales, Cordoba Lora de Estepa, Sevilla , Malaga € 45,500 € 36,000 Villanueva de Algaidas Sevilla e, € 32,000 Casarich € 139,000 Marchena, Sevilla Sevilla e, Casarich Pending Malaga Molina,
- December 9th
19
Four in a fortnight!
NEWS IN BRIEF
Quarter pounderby
prices rose SPANISH house quarter of 2015, 6.6% in the third transactions takwith over 92,000 ing the highest ing place, representquarters. result of the last 10
Renters buoyed e
continu TENANTS in Spainwith rentto get a good deal, slide. A 1% al costs on the in Ocyear-on-year decline 31 straight tober represents in the months of decline rental sector.
Payment plan
mortgage THE average Spanishwith 75% of costs €760 a month, terms set over loan repayment g to bank 30 years, accordin Goldman Sachs.
“ H e d o e s rent streak. able feat,” Govier things the “It is an unbeliev “A one-inway, told the Olive Press. conver- proper to know three viewings-to-sales good busi- gets buyers the sion ratio is deemed nine on the spin and doesn’t ness, so to tie upof. any is truly unheard heady days of the use to sign “Not even in the come near tricks up. them Costa boom did anyone deserves to that. in the property “He suc“I think a pick upof foreign buyers his and I’m market, a return the improved cess to Spain along with we have in- sure with all commisonline viewing system contributed to the sions coming troduced have all in he will have his success.” let’s not takeisanyHe added: “But him. Paul one- a pretty good from away thing a real old-fash Christmas.” of the good guys, ioned salesman.
Holiday homes
€9.2 billionSPANIARDS haves overseas, half worth of propertie the UK, France, of which are in . Germany and Portugal
Retail therapy
ent firm REAL estate investm launched a AEW Europe hasfund aimed European retailto €800 milat investing up cities, includlion in top tier ing Madrid.
ONE of Andalucia’s sharpest real estate salesmen has proved that an incredible Autumn selling streak was no fluke. Inland Andalucia’s in form-agent Paul Barnett - who sold nine properties in a row from September - has started the new year with a bang, completing four sales in a fortnight. And boss of his Mollina-based agency, Graham Govier, insists his form shows no signs of stopping.
“To have already bagged four sales this year shows real dedication,” he told the Olive Press. “It would take something special to eclipse the nine in a row, but you never know with Paul. “He puts the hours in and is rewarded for it. “While other agents went skiing or on holiday, Paul has kept at it.” For the record he has sold three town houses in Mollina, and one in Marchena, Sevilla province.
Out of this world FORGET Ocean Village, there’s an ice-cool new property destination which doesn’t have a postcode, let alone an electricity grid, water supply or road network. And there is one other issue, it is not on earth, but high up in the sky. Yes, you can now buy an asteroid, the kind whizzing around the sun at 25km/second. US President Barack Obama has passed a law which recognises the right to own asteroids, encouraging the commercial exploration of space resources. “This is the single greatest recognition of property rights in history,” said Eric Anderson, Co-Chairman of company, Planetary Resources. “This legislation establishes the same framework that cre-
At last
HIGH AND MIGHTY: World Trade Center
Fresh opportunity
On cloud nine! eolivepress.es
fice space, Pete Burgess, head of sales and marketing, said: “The World Trade Center has been discussed in Gibraltar since 2010 and there was initial skepticism. “However, this has now been completely replaced with genuine excitement as the building has turned from a concept into a reality.”
GREAT LOCATION: Hotel development in town centre
ASTEROID PROPERTY: Obama’s landmark law ated the great economies of history, and will encourage the sustained development of space.” Experts predict the landmark
Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act will be looked back on as establishing a ‘permanent foothold in space’.
15
Hotel development for sale on former Risso Bakery site A HOTEL development is up for sale on the site of the controversially demolished Risso Bakery. The 50-bedroom development, complete with lounge bar, restaurant and terrace, has a reserve price of £4 million. The site has been a source of much controversy, stemming from the Gibraltar Heritage Trust’s opposition to developer Threepwood’s initial plans to demolish the 200-year-old building. Now described as a ‘unique opportunity to acquire this freehold hotel development’,
the project has full planning permission and developed construction drawings. Project Manager Peter Darrant, operating on behalf of Threepwood, said that one firm offer had been received but the closing date was not until the end of February. In September, the Development and Planning Commission rejected a further application for an extra 25-room extension. For more information and to make on offer, contact peter. darrant@gmail.com or 0044 783 772 9229
MARBELLA is finally close to resolving its urban planning crisis by adapting the 1986 PGOU plan, following months of uncertainty over the legality of more than 10,000 homes.
Beach bid A PRESTIGIOUS beachside plot in Manilva being auctioned off with an asking price of €4.8m has so far only received a bid of €150,000.
Squat out A MASSIVE police operation has successfully evicted 70 squatters from an abandoned Marbella urbanisation.
Growing up JUST 20% of under 30-year-olds in Spain live away from their parents, a survey has revealed.
On the rise THE average price of housing in Spain rose by 1% last year.
16
Property
A new Olive Press Property Observatory has analysed what’s hot in property for 2016. Our panel of experts looked at key issues that continue to affect the market this year, writes Joe Duggan
A year of growth, and more Arabs and US buyers T
HE inaugural Olive Press Property Observatory drew together some of the Costa Del Sol’s most respected real estate experts to discuss the market and make forecasts for 2016. With the Costa del Sol’s property market continuing to grow, our panel of experts, including agents, surveyors and lawyers identified trends for 2016 and predicted possible pitfalls. Among the topics discussed were price
rises, nationalities buying, corruption, town planning, PGOU issues, the fusion of Zagaleta and Sotogrande’s Valderrama golf course and the Olive Press’ very own kickbacks campaign. On the panel this month were: Alex Radford from My Lawyer in Spain, Marbella agent Kristina Szekely, Scott Marshall from Properties Spain, Adam Neale from Terra Meridiana, mortgage expert Tancrede de Pola and Campbell Ferguson of Survey Spain.
WHEN BRANDS COLLIDE: Zagaleta and (inset) Valderrama
PRICES UP FOR 2016 Property growth to continue Prices up in Marbella driven by Madrid and Barcelona
2015 saw growth of 5% or more in the Marbella and Benahavis areas and prices started going up in the second half of the year. The trend will continue in 2016.
AR: A recent survey said average house prices
in Spain have increased 2.9% between December 2014 and December 2015, and by 1.1 % in the last six months. That’s across Spain, driven magnificently by Madrid and Barcelona and it’s positive. Generally, across the board, prices have stopped falling. They are definitely going up in Marbella.
KS: I think prices are going up, but not very fast. Above all, they stabilised in 2015 and it became the year when people stopped asking me ‘When will the crisis stop?’. In the latter part of 2015,
prices started to go up. This will continue in 2016.
TDP: Yes, I agree, with prime areas on the Costa del Sol beginning to see distinct shortages of supply it was only inevitable that prices would go up and we definitely saw evidence of this during 2015.
SM: I definitely saw growth of between five and
10% last year and I expect more of the same this year
KS: My figures were similar for sure.
SPECIALISTS: (From left) Radford (AR), Szekely (KS), Marshall (SM), Neale (AN), De Pola (TDP) and Ferguson (CF)
PANEL: Olive Press publisher Jon Clarke with some of the experts
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January 20th - February 6th 2016
17
ZAGALETA FUSION WITH VALDERRAMA - Excellent news for Sotogrande - Zagaleta looking to future - Initial issues for nearby areas during construction AN: It’s fantastic and great for Sotogrande.
You are going to get a whole new network of high-end clients looking there, hopefully. It is surely win/win for the coast.
AN: I think it’s pretty brave of them. They have
still got land to develop in the second phase of Zagaleta, so this is a big departure. That said they have had a very good last two years.
AR: I think it’’s very positive news. I agree with
Adam, they are looking for more growth down the line, when they’ve sold all their properties. There are only so many people who can buy multi-million villas up there. Will they do it cheaper or similar prices?
AD: The concept of Zagaleta is quite unique. There are country estates that you can’t really regulate anywhere. Madronal doesn’t really have the security, with five different entrances. AR: Valderrama having the golf heritage is very good.
CF: One issue though is that it will blight areas
near the construction for a few years and add competition for sellers of existing properties.
GROWTH AREAS AND TRENDS - Marbella to continue growth, while further west and Axarquia to also grow - Exchange rates to affect 2016 trends - Modern properties in demand
HANDY TIPS: Debate rages for Adam Neale (left) and Alex Radford
OLIVE PRESS KICKBACK CAMPAIGN - The Olive Press campaign has been a success - Backhanders from Urbanisation Administrators and Presidents a problem - Corruption needs to be stamped out The Olive Press launched a campaign to highlight the practice of lawyers giving estate agents backhanders of up to 20% for working on conveyance deals.
AR: I think the Olive Press
campaign is great. It’s an unfair practice that needs to be stamped out.
GROWTH: Nerja (pictured) and the Axarquia will grow in 2016
TDP: We have noticed that a
lot of the new building is taking place in the prime areas of the Costa del Sol so, on that basis, you would expect very good growth in the areas surrounding Marbella.
CF: Yes definitely… and all the way to and including Sabinillas (Manilva).
SM: If I was a builder I would
go to Axarquia.
AR: Yes, the Axarquia. Nerja
want to be in Marbella, near Banus, and there’s no land left.
KS: I think modern properties
area is also prime property. It’s the Marbella of the East.
are still very much in demand.
AN: Marbella is a brand that
SM: There is always a scare
sells around the world; Estepona isn’t. Benahavis isn’t. The problem is that brand has been tarnished to a certain extent by the PGOU ruling and that is going to cause problems. People
with people who want to build from scratch. There is always a horror story in Spain. My clients generally prefer to buy something that is brand new but already there.
KS: I agree, and always make a point of saying we don’t want money from architects, or lawyers, or anyone. I won’t take money from these people. It’s their job and they have to do a good job and that’s the end of the story. AR: I went to see an estate
agent and he showed me a pile of lawyers card is and said, ‘Would you give us commission?’ I said ‘no’ and he said,’That’s your card at the bottom then’ and put it there’. I walked out. The agency still exists.
CF: You need to also look at
backhanders from building contractors to lawyers, agents and especially urbanisation
administrators and presidents. Also FX, insurance, advertising companies. It’s only bad if it’s not declared to the end client who is paying for the work.
AN: I’m not a fan of regulation but in this case it is about regulation. You need to create a level playing field. It needs to be stamped out.
NATIONALITY TRENDS
AN: I think with Russians, they want to buy but they can’t. We have certainly had a big increase in French buyers, and the Scandinavian market is huge. The French buy here because of the tax regime in their country I believe and because its so much cheaper than the south of France.
- Russian investment down - Arab investment up - US and European investment to remain steady
KS: There is also still a lot of turmoil in the Arab world and they like the idea of of a home in Spain to come to. For this reason I think the Middle Eastern market will get stronger and stronger.
Geopolitical issues such as oil prices, terrorism and a fluctuating world economy have a significant impact on Costa del Sol buyers.
SM: Yes, we have also seen growth from the Middle East and it will continue to be strong. And where I have seen a massive increase - the third or fourth biggest in number of buyers - is the UAE.
TDP: Norwegians have big buyers until 2014,
CF: I agree. Marbella has long had a Saudi link,
due to their wealthy, oil-based economy. Last year, with the oil price collapse, they were largely replaced with Swedes, Danish and Finns. The market from the USA, Canada, the Gulf States and Kuwait remains strong.
KS: I agree. I think America will be a growth area because American funds are buying up big property developments here. One American I have been dealing with is going to take a house in Granada for a year. Quite a few more are sniffing around. AR: The Russians are certainly drying up due to problems with the Ukraine war.
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so there is Sunni interest, but little from Shia. But it only takes one major terrorist incident and all buyers will have second thoughts.
AN: The British market is also definitely going to remain strong. It has been growing very nicely SM: Yes, that is definitely the case. AR: In terms of British buyers, I don’t think Brex-
it (the UK leaving the EU) will make a blind bit of difference so long as the euro remains weak, the property market should consolidate. What really pushed the market last year has been the exchange rate and prices hitting the bottom.
18
Property
Lorraine Laguea, Director of NP Estates, reveals her golden tips for selling a property
S
ELLING a property or a home can seem like a daunting task, especially in today’s market, but it doesn’t have to be. Don’t focus solely on the establishment at hand but consider selling the lifestyle as part of the package‚ particularly if your potential market might be to high-end buyers. Customers aren’t just choosing a house when they purchase, they’re also buying into the surrounding area and its amenities. Those new to the area especially will be keen to know what there is to do, outside and inside the property. You have to accentuate key assets such as the lighting system, music system, kitchens, views and external areas. In order to sell your property you must appeal to as wide a market as possible, find out if there is potential to expand or extend the property and capitalise on such areas by exciting buyers
www.theolivepress.es
The market sadly waits for no-one!
with the notion of what could be. An obvious example would be an increase in the number of bedrooms. Another great way to fully realise the potential is to have a local surveyor examine the property beforehand. Paul Gibson of Gibson Gale explains: “It is important to see if it is possible to enlarge rooms, increase the number of bedrooms or even extend into base-
Sandy certificate A CERTIFICATE of fitness has been awarded to the newly built Sand Dune House. Residents are now set to start moving into the estate, at Beach View Terraces, by the end of January. Housing Minister Samantha Sacramento said: “I am extremely pleased that the residents of Sand Dune House will be able to celebrate by beginning to move into their new homes. “I am confident that they will share my satisfaction with the high quality of the finished Beach View Terraces estate.”
ments and attics as values are based on floor area, the larger the useable area the higher the value!”. Meanwhile, the quality of the photographs is of the utmost importance. Get the photography done when the light is right for the interiors. For south-facing properties, make the most of the evening light, with the sunset creeping in, as this could make for an eye-catching aesthetic photograph. Making the interior look immaculate and redecorate if required. A show house might not be entirely necessary but a smart comfortable and welcoming family home is essential. Keep things as natural and homely as possible so that potential buyers can quickly immerse themselves in their surroundings and imagine themselves living there. That is the aim after all. The agent will be the key to the sale. Appoint a good local agent whom you trust and like. Don’t make your choice
E IV S LU C EX
Queensway Quay 4 Bedrooms | 3 Bathrooms Penthouse
£1,500,000
Property Ref: NPGIQQ1106 The Old Bank, 17-21 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar, P.O. Box 1418 T: +350 200 48532 F: +350 200 62050 E: info@npestates.com www.npestates.com
January 20th - February 6th 2016
based on flattery (such as a high guide price) or savings (a low commission), as you get what you pay for! Setting the right guide price is integral to a good sale. There are buyers around as mortgage rates are favourable at present, but there aren’t very many of them and they are price sensitive, so be realistic with the guide price and you might end up pleasantly surprised. Finally, be prepared to ensure a quick sale. Find a reputable lawyer who will act on your behalf as soon as you have a sale agreed and ensure that he/she is armed with all relevant documentation; this will assist in a swift exchange of contracts which is the most important thing for a buyer in today’s market. There’s no need to wait until spring as the traditional seasonal marketplace has dissipated. Rather than leaving the house ‘in the bottom drawer’ dur-
IN THE KNOW: Lorraine at NP Estates
ing the winter months, keep your property active, online and open to viewings. To begin your journey contact NP Estates. We’re ready to assist you with our expert knowledge of Gibraltar’s everchanging property market.
NP ESTATES The Old Bank, 17-21 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar 00350 200 48532 info@npestates.com www.npestates.com
Property
January 20th - February 6th 2016
19
Live, work, play … the city way T
HE regeneration of Gibraltar as a modern, European hub is well on track thanks to the Americaninspired Midtown development. Buyers have been rushing from across the globe to snap up units in the exclusive enclave which will see 120 sophisticated apartments perched above stylish shops and restaurants. Work began on the first phase last July, and it is due to be completed by August 2017. Within the four residential buildings – Lexington, Burlington, Arlington and Providence – there will be 91 apartments and six penthouses, including a rooftop swimming pool and gardens. In a further building, Madison, there will be 7,000 metres-squared of office space over 12 floors and a total of 1000 metres-squared streetlevel commercial space. The site has already seen the construction of a muchneeded multi-storey car park with 700 spaces created to alleviate the Rock’s perennial parking problem.
Prestigious Midtown development attracting global attention
AMERICAN STYLE: Midtown development
But the best is yet to come for Midtown, with the overall development designed to enhance the area for the whole community, with the inclu-
sion of selected shops, restaurants and a green park. Marketing coordinator Naomi Quigley has revealed that the name Midtown is more than
just a reference to its ideal central location. It is also an homage to the original Midtown in Manhattan, New York, hence the stateside theme to the 4.3 acre project; Boston and Lincoln will be constructed in phases two and three. “In giving Midtown a full identity, we wanted to move away from the usual well-used military and sea references and reflect on something of where we are now and our next evolution as a country and a community,” she said. “The New England towns that the various areas of the development are named after not only make for great sounding addresses, but also hold a deeper meaning. “The pilgrims were brave, entrepreneurial individuals that sought freedom and independence and we too are a frontier community with a people determined to forge their own destiny and secure freedom of choice.” For more information visit www.midtown.gi
Artist impression.
Boston
A magnificent arrangement of 1, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom apartments & spectacular penthouses in a city central setting
Private parking with situational access to apartment
ÂŁ395k
PENN
FROM
Floor 4, 5, 6 & 7
Luxury floors, fixtures & fittings
WC 3.10 m2
ÂŁ585k
HUNTER
FROM
Floor 9, 10, 11 & 12
En-suite 5.80 m2
Bedroom 1 19.20 m2
Hall
Hall 12.30 m2
6.30 m2
Bedroom 21.90 m2
En-suite 5.00 m2
Kitchen 8.50 m
2
Rooftop pool deck & private gardens
Bathroom 5.00 m2
Bedroom 2 18.30 m2
Living & Dining 36.80 m2
24 hour concierge
Kitchen 8.40 m2
Balcony 16.76 m2
Ethical, sustainable construction for future generations
Balcony 16.76 m2
Living & Dining 38.40 m2
Advanced integral security
CONTACT: MIDTOWN DEVELOPMENT +350 200 43511 | info@midtown.gi
Skillfully designed to provide a contemporary, sustainable hub of residential, corporate, commercial buildings and amenities, Midtown stretches across 4.3 acres in the very heart of Gibraltar and delivers the ultimate standard in city living, working & playing.
Disclaimer This layout is for marketing purposes only and does not constitute an offer or contract of any kind but is for general guidance and information purposes only and should therefore not be relied on as containing statements or representations of fact. Accordingly all statements and particulars evidenced herein are made without responsibility or warranty on the part of the vendor, lessor and/or their agents and it is incumbent on any prospective purchaser/lessee to satisfy themselves as to their accuracy. The vendors reserve the right to amend and/or withdraw the same at any time without notice.
21
www.gibraltarolivepress.com
Top Dollar Wizard of Aus NEWS IN BRIEF
Top earners
THE government has revealed its ministers salaries, with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo earning £129,145 annually and all other ministers taking home £98,883.
A GIBRALTAR gaming company has hit the big time in Australia. Lottoland won a landmark five-year licence to offer betting services down under, opening up a huge new market. The decision means Australians can now enter foreign lotteries, whereas previously they had to travel abroad to buy a ticket. It comes in a great month for Lottoland, as 35,000 people seized the opportunity to register with the firm ahead of this month’s US Powerball draw, which had a recordbreaking €1.47 billion jackpot.
Gaming firm makes huge break-through down under
“Australia’s lotteries industry is ripe for a revolution,” said Lottoland’s Australian chief executive Luke Brill. “We’re doing a similar thing to the lotteries industry as Uber is doing to the taxi industry.” Lottoland hopes to cash in on the millions of Australians who buy weekly Lotto tickets and capitalise on billions in lottery revenue.
Port pride
GIBRALTAR Port enjoyed a bumper 2015 with cruise ship numbers up 13% and superyacht visits up by 60%.
Bitcoin boom A LACK of trust within the banking sector is fuelling Spain’s digital currency market, with Barcelona-based bitcoin company installing 20 bitcoin ATM machines across the country.
Fashion war SPAIN’S major retailers went head-to-head in the January sales, with Inditex making the most sales, Primark in second and H&M third. OUTSTANDING: Gibraltar’s border team
Rock solid borders
GIBRALTAR’S Borders and Coastguard Agency has been awarded for its ‘outstanding’ border management. The agency won the Excellence in Border Management Award at the fourth BORDER-
POL World Congress in The Hague. It was commended for its ‘outstanding vision, dedication and commitment to progressive border security and traveller management, at a time of rising challenges in this strategic part of the world’. Chief Executive of the Borders and Coastguard Agency, Andrew Bonfante, said: “This truly is the most excellent news for the Agency and, inTHE Gibraltar Stock Exchange has begun 2016 by expanddeed, Gibraltar. ing its financial services business within the EU. “It is a just reward for and inGSX, which initially only listed Open Ended Funds, now ternational recognition of the includes Debt Securities and Close-Ended Funds. hard work every one of my ofIt is also permitted to list EU passporting rights for fund ficers has put in over the past managers, Insurance Linked Securities and Prospectus four years as we’ve strived to drafting and approval, as well as new listing codes and supachieve the standard and levporting documents. el of professionalism we enjoy “We have seen strong demand for debt-related financing today; a journey that has not solutions in a number of sectors including asset managin any way been easy.” ers looking for an alternative path to Europe using fundBORDERPOL is a global orbacked debt securities,” said Nick Cowan, GSX managing ganisation consisting of bordirector. der and security experts established in 2003.
Stock rising
What’s up, dock?
The Odyssey THE latest star-studded visitor to Gibraltar’s port was this fine vessel - Golden Odyssey. The 124-metre long superyacht belongs to Saudi Arabian prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul Azziz. The hefty boat, weighing in at 7,600 tons, was built by prestigious German shipbuilding company Lurssen Yachts. And the owner, the eldest son of the late Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Azziz, is a friend of the earth, having founded the non-profit Living Oceans Foundation in 2000.
22
Top Dollar
Taxing times
HomeINS-A4.pdf 1 06/06/2013 15:34:32
THOUSANDS of British expats could lose tax credits for up to four years under plans by David Cameron. The British Prime Minister is reported to be offering the deal in exchange for a ban on EU migrants claiming inwork benefits in the UK. Cameron’s plans to limit inwork benefits to migrants are the most complicated measures in his plans to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels ahead of next year’s referendum on EU membership British workers who had lived out of the UK for four years would be affected by his propsals. People who would normally expect to top up low wages through tax credits once they return to the UK would be restricted from doing so. Tax credits are due to be replaced by universal credit before chancellor George Osborne’s proposal for a ‘national living wage’ of £9 an hour is introduced by 2020.
22
World’s biggest TV and film streaming service lands in Gib
22 January 20th - February 6th 2016
Licence to chill
TV Junkies in Gibraltar are rejoicing with the news that Netflix is now available on the Rock.
The world’s leading internet TV service has launched in more than 130 new countries around the world. For one monthly price, users will be able to enjoy everything from blockbuster films to television series and documentaries, including Netflix originals such as ‘Orange is the New Black’. The service went live THE Headmaster of Gibraltar’s new priduring a speech by vate school has landed on the Rock, and he’s CEO Reed Hastings. brought the uniform with him. “You are witnessing Peter Watts will open Prior Park School the birth of a new to students this September. global internet TV In the meantime, he will be busy network,” he said. recruiting teaching staff, working The firm, which on curricular timetables, overseelaunched in 2007, ing the refurbishment of the old also added Arabic, Sacred Heart School site and, of Korean and Simplicourse, getting to know pupils fied and Traditional and parents. Chinese to the 17 lanHe has also unveiled the uniguages it already supform, which is a white blouse, ports. navy skirt and navy jacket for
Headmaster arrives
girls, with boys wearing white shirts with navy trousers and blazers. For more information visit: www.priorparkgibraltar.com
For more information and for prices visit www.netflix. com
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HE title of this post infers the existence of a type of residential rental contract that lasts 11 months, no more but no less. And to a certain extent, if you had just landed in certain parts of Spain and you’d met up with property professionals (real estate agents mostly) there would be no reason to not believe that an 11-month contract – short term or holiday rental- is distinct from a 1-year plus contract in the long term. At the same time, there appears to be an informal network of non-legal practitioners who are routinely consulted by people with legal problems and have, by reiteration, created parallel pseudo laws (and even case law) that, quite simply, do not exist in real life. And the 11-month contract is one ‘legislative’ creation of these Costa lawmakers. The following bullet points will help understand the current situation with urban rental contracts: · There are only two types of urban rental contracts: residential rental contracts and nonresidential rental contracts (which includes short term/ holiday lets, commercial, etc.).
Tenancy agreements in Spain: the 11-month property rental contract · Duration of residential rental contracts can be freely agreed between the parties. If the agreed term is below 3 years, the contract will be automatically extended on expiration of contract term unless the tenant submits notice of termination of contract with at least 30 days. · The above rule is mandatory and cannot be waived by the parties by private
agreement. · Many residential rental contracts are disguised as short term, and consequently many short term contracts will be treated as residential by the Courts. · The Spanish Supreme Court has stated that irrespective of the name given to the contract or the term agreed by the parties, if the tenant had a requirement for a habitual and family domicile to take care of his/her permanent and essential needs (and that of the family), the contract will be deemed residential and therefore the 3-year rule will apply. · Likewise, the short-term nature of the contract refers to not the duration but to the reason and purpose of occupation of the property, it being determined by its brevity. · Means to prove that a short term contract is in reality a residential one are, for example, the tenant(s) having a job wherever he/she lives or running a company, children’s school enrollment, registration with the Town Hall (‘empadronamiento’) etc.
Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.es
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24
la cultura
January 20th - February 6th 2016
Beauty call
ROLE MODELS: Hannah Bado and (right) Kaiane Aldorino
THE hunt for the next Miss Gibraltar is on. Budding beauty queens can now sign up for the 2016 pageant, scheduled for June 4. The event will be produced by Stage One for the Ministry of Culture and held at the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Candidates hoping to follow in the footsteps of recent winners Hannah Bado and Shyanne Azzopardi must be aged between 17 and 25. The winner will receive £2,000 cash, a clothing allowance of £3,500 and entry to Miss World, which the Rock’s 2009 Miss Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino, famously won. The runner-up wins £1,000 cash, £500 clothing allowance and Miss International entrance, while third place gets £500 cash, £500 clothing allowance and entrance to Miss Supranational 2016. Entry forms, available from the John Mackintosh Hall at 308 Main Street, must be submitted by February 12.
Musical mission THE Band and Corps of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment are on a mission to inspire the next generation of musicians. Brass and woodwind students from the Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts were recently treated to a masterclass. They were given a detailed history of military music by Bandmaster Matt Simons as well as a live performance. Now the Royal Gibraltar Regiment is hosting its next community open evening on Tuesday 23 February. Simons said: “It was a pleasure to both perform for and rehearse with the students. “We want to support and nurture musicians of all ages and abilities within Gibraltar and one of the ways that we can achieve this is through our community open evenings.”
Rock hosting own version of TED Talks GIBRALTAR’S passionate brainboxes are set to appear in the Rock’s own version of TED talks. A varied programme of 13 speakers from the community have been asked to deliver 15-minute talks as part of GibTalks. Hosted by Gibraltar Cultural Services alongside director and teacher Julian Felice, the event will be held at John Mackintosh Hall on Saturday
We need to talk
February 13. The inspiration is the highly successful TED (Technology,
Entertainment, Design) talks, delivered at a global set of pro bono conferences.
POPULAR: TED talks
A new chapter BUDDING authors are being invited to enter a short story competition, part of the annual Spring Festival. Open to all Gibraltar residents, entrants may submit one piece of work before March 21. The overall winner will receive £300, while there will be additional prizes of a £50 voucher and a pen for each category winner. The categories are school years four to seven, eight to 11, 12 to 13 and adults. Entry forms are available from Gibraltar Cultural Services at John Mackintosh Hall, the Department of Education, the Gibraltar College and all schools, as well as online.
Among those speaking are Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, playwright Rebecca Faller and lawyer Fabian Vinet. There will also be four voluntary speakers from the public, discussing a subject close to their heart for 10 minutes. “The aim is to focus on the anecdotal, the personal and the light-hearted as opposed to heavy-going academics and agendas,” a spokesman said.
Spring fest logo battle A COMPETITION is underway to select a logo for the Gibraltar Spring Festival 2016. Organised by the Ministry of Culture, the fete consists of dance shows, art exhibitions, theatre and the ‘Calentita’ food festival over three weeks in May and June. The logo competition is open to all ages, and entrants can submit up to two original works in A4 size on paper or card. A prize of £300 is on offer for the winning design, which must be simple, suitable for printing on posters, flyers and tickets and must contain the words ‘Gibraltar Spring Festival 2016’. Entry forms and full conditions are available from The Gibraltar Cultural Services, John Mackintosh Hall, where works may be handed in from 9.30am to 7.30pm, Monday to Friday. The closing date for entries is Monday March 14.
Loss of a great friend GIBRALTAR is mourning the death of a great ally, Sir Albert McQuarrie (pictured). Sir Albert, who led the opposition to the 1981 British Nationality Bill designed to prevent Gibraltarians becoming British citizens, died peacefully in his sleep aged 98. He was also the founding chairman
of the first All Party Parliamentary Group for Gibraltar and received the Freedom of the City on the group’s behalf in 1982. The government expressed sadness at the news, with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo stating Gibraltar had lost a ‘great friend’. Even in his later years he travelled down to London from his home in Scotland for the annual Gibraltar Day.
la cultura The EU could learn a lot from the Iberian peninsula’s smallest residents writes Jack Gaioni
W
25 January 20th - February 6th 2016
Bugs life
HILE the European Union was busy beginning the daunting process of drawing up its constitution in 2002, scientists down the road in Spain were about to discover an incredible super colony of ants. These were two unrelated and disparate events on the surface. However, there are links to be drawn which could go a long way to improving EU relations. The Swiss scientists discovered a ‘supercolony’ of ants that stretches for 6,000 kilometres, mostly along the Iberian coastline. It is populated by hundreds of billions of ants and has been labelled ‘the largest cooperative biological unit’ ever discovered. It is believed that this species of ants (Linepithema humile) was introduced to Europe about 80 years ago on imported plants from Argentina. Over the past few decades, the Argentine ant has dominated over the 20 or so indigenous species on Iberian soil. Argentine ants in their home country are particularly belligerent and will fight rival ants from different colonies to the death. However, Swiss researchers discovered that ants from opposite ends of the colony (often thousands of kilometres apart) did not show aggressive tendencies toward one another. Rather, they recognised themselves as members of the same colony, despite their great distance, dissimilar physical characteristics and different environments. Equally remarkable, this altruistic behavior resulted in an extremely high level of social organisation. Visiting ants and established members within the colony collectively
what’s on
P
eter Pan Pantomime, January 21-30
The Trafalgar Theatre Group presents the timeless classic about the boy who never grew up. At Inces Hall Theatre. Tel: +350 54008582 or 20065410
G
ibraltar Junior International Chess Festival, January 25- February 4
The junior edition of the prestigious annual event takes place at the Caleta Hotel in Catalan Bay. Info: www.gibraltarchesscongress. com/junior/ SETTING AN EXAMPLE: Argentine ants could teach Rajoy, Cameron and Merkel (right, from top) a thing or two searched for food, mated, nurtured their young and assumed complicated hierarchical work tasks. Entomologists offer a few theories for this phenomenon. One explanation is that the entire super colony arose from a very small number of ‘founders’, resulting in the ants acknowledging something inherently common within their DNA. This is known as the ‘kinship selection theory’, whereby altruistic behavior occurs between ‘related’ individuals. A more likely theory is that the Iberian Peninsula is a ‘bonanza habitat’ – the plentiful food and lack of natural enemies precluding the ants’ need to defend territory by fighting unrelated ants. Instead, genes that recognised others as ‘nest mates’ tended not be
bellicose but rather devoted their energies to the creation of efficient, highly-developed social systems. While Swiss researchers studied the Iberian ant super colony, authors of the European Union’s constitution were imagining a more developed cooperative of vastly diverse peoples. The free movements of citizens, the pooling of natural resources and the creation of efficient political, cultural and economic systems are all stated goals within the European Constitution. Providing for an element of security and territorial cohesion and a type of ‘European interdependency’ are common values sought by the EU. Are these not precisely the very same attributes proven successful by the Iberian ant super colony? Might Eurosceptics and EU supporters alike learn a thing or two from these remarkable insects?
A
ffordable Art Show, until February 19
Free exhibition presented by the Fine Arts Association at the Fine Arts Gallery at Casemates Square. Tel: +350 20052126
C
ollectors Fair 2016, January 30
Antiques, hand-crafted items, Gibraltar memorabilia, stamps and coins are among items on sale at St Andrews Church with proceeds going to the Church’s Restoration Fund. Tel 540 23 166
C lassifieds
26
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Columnists
27 January 20th - February 6th 2016
Wishful shrinking
New Year fitness fads are for ‘losers’ and I don’t mean weight… writes Belinda Beckett
I
T’S the same old bah humbug every January. No sooner than you’ve scoffed the last sweetie in your Christmas tin of Quality Street than everyone you meet is on about getting back into shape. I am in shape. Round is a shape. So count calories, cut carbs, monitor your glycemic index or become a martyr to macrobiotics if you must. Just keep it to yourself. Dieting – whether scientifically by blood type or esoterically by star sign – is a fool’s game, unless you are a published ‘health guru’ churning out diet books by the dozen
and living - quite literally - off the fat of the land. But their advice should be taken with an unhealthily large pinch of salt. Even if half of Hollywood is endorsing it, no-one’s going to persuade me to don a wartime gas mask for a more heightened hypoxic workout, or down a beaker of bentonite clay for breakfast (a substance also contained in cat litter that swells in the stomach to curb hunger pangs). Then there’s the Cookie Diet, still huge DIETING: A fool’s game Stateside (as, no doubt, are many of its exponents). Rocket science it ain’t. On six cookies and one 300-calorie meal per day, who’s NOT going to lose weight and come out in spots from the low nutritional content? As for the fat-burning KEN Diet (Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition), it involves eating nothing at all. Victims are intubated and have to walk round with an electric pump and two litres daily supply of liquid protein. Fine, but can going out in public wearing a nose drip ever be considered a good look? The harsh truth is that over a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, the average female will actually gain 215 pounds for the 120 she sheds while expending 700 sterling pounds a year on diet books/spinning classes/ sports equipment she’ll have lost interest in by March. Hands up if, like me, you use PARTY TIME: But hedonistic Giles is feeling nostalgic this year your cross trainer as an indoor clothes dryer. So this January, forget weighing lettuce leaves and give your TURNED 48 this month and when you’ve lived house, who insisted that we partake of her own tummy muscles a workout with the kind of life that has mainly featured es- her own flavoured vodkas. a good belly laugh at my Top capades in Marbella and London that have The next morning the garden resembled a crash Five Fatuous Fitness Fads: involved epic late nights, enraged bouncers, an- site – bodies and furniture were spread over a large noyed bar tenders and long-suffering girlfriends, area and I woke up in the hedge. It wasn’t the first The Thigh Master the fact I made it past 26 is a minor miracle, but it time and I doubt it will be the last… caused me to reflect on my innings thus far. Of course, if you are crashing with friends who have Two pieces of metal tube bent The main change that I’ve noticed so far is that children and arrive late and/or ‘over refreshed’ they in a loop, connected with a hinge that you squeeze beI’m a classic case of the mind being willing but are likely to extract a subtle revenge. the body being weak. In the 80s, I was able to Such as putting you on the sofa bed in the kid- tween your legs to tone thighs. party until the dawn broke over Ipanema Palace dies’ playroom thus ensuring that you are woken Be careful it doesn’t fly out and - a club that, like my youth in Marbella, is now from your slumbers by a four-year-old jamming an knock the cat unconscious. long gone – grab a couple of hours sleep and eggie soldier in your ear while her two year-old still be able to hit the beach at Tramps that after- brother expertly sets the DVD to full volume and Stiletto noon. Now it takes an effort to crawl to the sofa, blasts you with the first five minutes of Ice Age. fumble for the remote and let something easy on At this point mammoths, sabre tooth tigers and the Calisthenics the brain wash over me. rest of the prehistoric herd are not the only thing Trash the Nikes and don your And if an evening of clubbing is enough to tire me that I wish were extinct and ‘Wicked Uncle Giles’ is best Jimmy Choos for a highheel workout. You’ll improve out, don’t even think of any sporting activity. The quickly sent staggering towards the taxi rank. main problem with sport is that everyone over 34 Then of course, there is the small problem that you balance and strengthen core is described as a veteran, whose legs are ‘not what still think that you are 17. This can lead to some em- muscles if you don’t fall flat on your face. they were’ I’m still pleased with my legs, thank you, barrassing, ‘oldest swinger in town moments’. but in a subtle change of sporting options, I’ve found myself loitering around golf shops. Eat Yourself Slim... Remember After all, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle and Nick While you stuff your face at the My classic came at the 20th anniversary of CoFaldo are all in their 50s, so I’m a comparative dinner table with the 1.5-pound media. As a young lounge lizard in the 80s I had, youngster. Knife and Fork Lift - a weighted Another sad fact of life is the amount of money I of course, been to the opening night. Standing cutlery set that makes every at the bar, I was treating a young lady to my full forkful a trial of strength. spend as I get older. Granted when I was 17 we used to buy a crate schmooze routine, when she remarked that she of 24 San Miguels, drag it down to Puerto Ba- didn’t remember the opening of Comedia. “Yes” I nus and sit opposite Sinatra’s, but I remember said, flashing my best George Clooney grin “It was Sauna Suits Connect with your inner Migoing out with 2,000 pesetas in my pocket, and a pretty wild evening, wasn’t it?” carousing through the Puerto Deportivo in Mar- “No,” she replied. “I don’t remember it because chelin man in a rubber workout suit. You’ll squeak like a bella, usually ending up in Joe’s Bar in Banus, at the time I was three years old.” and still having 500 ptas left to get me back The crashing and burning sound after that reply whoopee cushion but no pain, no gain. to the family home in Nueva Andalucia. Now it was my youth flying out of the window… seems that I can’t even break into a sweat for Even worse is if your friends have 20-year-old nannies, au pairs or nieces. Then you find your- The Shake Weight less than €200. Also, all of your friends are getting married and self desperately trying to appear a sort of hip, Ray Upper Body Ban wearing Svengali-like figure that has been are having babies. This, of course, makes crashing over at friends’ there and done that. They, of course, think that Workout you are a manically grinning weirdo who doesn’t A phallic-shaped dumbbell with houses more than a little difficult. In my twenties the cry ‘everyone back to mine’ know who Dizzie Rascal is, and keeps going on a thrusting action so hilariously suggestive, the infomercial would result in half the bar getting takeouts and about how he used to go to the gym. decamping back to someone’s villa to carry on But with age comes wisdom, and as I head to- clips went viral on YouTube. the party. Sleeping arrangements were simple – wards 50 I am struck by the sage observation The manufacturers were also you slept where you fell. At one memorable occa- that I’m finally turning into the kind of person my laughing – all the way to the bank. sion we went back to a Hungarian foodie friend’s parents warned me about…
Birthday blues
Time to reflect for a Marbella forty-something
I
- June www.gibraltarolivepress.com the OliveOlive PressPress JuneJune 11th -11th June 24th 24th 2015 28 2015 28 www.theolivepress.es www.gibraltarolivepress.com 28 www.gibraltarolivepress.com 28 the Gibraltar
January 6th - January 19th 2016
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FOOD & DRINK
28 28
From water to wine 19th century water tank transformed into fine wine shop DURING the 19th century, almost every house in Gibraltar had an underground water tank to store rain collecting from the roof. In fact, it was a legal requirement introduced by then Lieutenant-Governor, Sir George Don. Now, one of those tanks has been brought back to life as a fine wine shop and cellar. Sacarello’s coffee shop and
Winter warmers THERE is no such thing as the January blues at La Sala on the Sunborn this month. Instead, the restaurant has dropped the prices of all its classics. On top of that, there is also a new range of ‘winter warmers’ designed to fight off the winter chill. The January discount is available from Thursday to January. For more information visit www.lasalagibraltar.com
Perfect pudding ONE of Spain’s most beloved tapas dishes has made a surprise appearance on the world’s ‘superfoods’ list. Morcilla - or black pudding - is being lauded for its nutritional value and has been included on a list of superfoods by British nutritionist MuscleFood. Loaded with protein, potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as being practically carb free, morcilla is expected to fly off the shelves in 2016. It is also rich in iron and zinc two minerals frequently missing from modern diets.
restaurant, located within a 19th century Merchant House in Irish Town, has taken the highly unusual step of recovering the tank, and named it ‘La Cisterna’. The cistern is accessed by a spiral staircase, which was designed by architect John Langdon. Patrick Sacarello, the third generation of the eponymous coffee business in the Merchant House, said: “The project has exceeded my expectations. “Visitors can enjoy a special experience as they see for themselves the solution that Gibraltar devised for its water problems in the early 19th century. “There are special resonances in this space, as it was designed and built by the Gibraltarian architect Giovanni Maria Boschetti, who is credited with devising the signature form of town architecture for Gibraltar.” The original tank would have been whitewashed, with a hatch in the arched roof to allow samples to be taken from the tank for testing at the Public Health Laboratory. Part of this hatch is still visible. La Cisterna is free to visit during Sacarello’s normal opening hours.
WELCOME: Patrick Sacarello in La Cisterna
Cheap as chips HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to Spain this year will pay some of the lowest prices in the world, a new survey shows. The Costa Del Sol was rated as 2015’s fourth-best value for food, drink and other holiday essentials. The Post Office Travel Money report visited 46 countries around the world. The shopping basket consisted of a cup of coffee, a bottle of local beer, a can of Coca-Cola, a glass of wine, a bottle of mineral water, suncream, a packet of Marlboro cigarettes and a three-course evening meal for two with house wine. An average Costa del Sol coffee cost €1.25 and a bottle of local beer coming in at €2.08. The gap between prices on the Costa Del Sol and the cheapest destination has risen from €1.28 last year to €7.72. Portugal’s Algarve was the least expensive resort, with an average cost of €37.68.
COFFEE SHOP & RESTAURANT
FULLY AIR CONDITIONED FREE WIFI AVAILABLE
Try Our “Just Roasted” Family Coffee from the Oldest Coffee Shop in Town Varied Lunch & Snack Menu · Salad & Quiche Bar Regional Specials & Pasta · Home-made Cakes · Afternoon Teas Busy Local Atmosphere & Arts Venue. All in a converted 19th Century Merchant’s House on the “Old Commercial Street”
57 Irish Town · Gibraltar
T. +350 200 70625 /Sacarellos-Coffee-shop
www.sacarellosgibraltar.com
FOOD & DRINK with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
29
Organic food paradise at Spain’s American embassy defies US fast food stereotypes, writes Iona Napier
Fit for an ambassador
F
ORGET deep-fried Dunkin’ Donuts. Forget McNuggets and, whatever you do, forget the iconic Big Mac. Because even though the residents of the US Embassy in Madrid are fiercely American, fast-food stereotypes from across the pond are nowhere to be seen. Instead, an organic paradise of farmgrown, home-cooked, ‘zero-kilometre’ ‘slow food’ are on the menu.
Here, an abundance of vegetable patch-grown organic tomatoes, spinach and celery reign while cans are nowhere to be seen. And Massachusetts-born Ambassador, James Costos, aims to lead by example, eating produce grown in the small garden of the Paseo de la Castellana property, as well as growing organic vegetables in an allotment on the outskirts of Madrid. Costos, 52, and his long-term part-
FOODIES: (From left) Ambassador Costos, Carolina Herrera junior and chef Hogan
ner, decorator and designer Michael Smith, 51, who designed the Obamas’ private quarters and several others in the White house, live in an elegantly decorated space far from the fleshpots of Madrid. Together, they are a new face for America in Spain, attempting to foster good relationships in an informal, personable way. A case in point is that even the biggest political names that visit will meet Greco, one of their rescue dogs. Costos wants to promote the message that the US is undergoing a huge dietary transformation, impacting all areas of life, insisting that it is no longer a fast-food-nourished nation. And the figures stack up: whereas just one third of Spaniards eat organic, ecological food, the figure is a staggering 81% in the USA. An accomplice in the ambassadorial quest is head chef, Byron Hogan, whose mother is from Cordoba. Hogan, with his ginger beard and piercing blue eyes, admits the organic life is not as easy as it seems, but that fostering the organic tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, herbs and other vegetables in central Madrid is immensely rewarding. The embassy also rents a 20m2 plot on the Montecarmelo Foundation
AT HOME: Costos and Smith farm on the outskirts of Madrid , part of the Carmen Pardo-Valcarce foundation, where the vegetables are grown by disabled students. The chard, celery and endives that arrive on the embassy’s doorstep are therefore in season, 100% natural, and ethically sound. “We try to cook as organically as we can,” says chef Hogan. “My favourite foods are salmorejo and rabo de toro, and key concepts in my kitchen are slow food and zero kilometre food: eating more local, healthy, slow, low environmental impact food.” The chef, who has visited all of Spain’s autonomous communities, some several times. And from Murcian artichokes to Cordoban olive oil, he brings the best from different regions to enrich the Embassy. “We can’t really say we cook ‘American cuisine’ here at all,” jokes Costos, who was raised by Greek immigrants and was a senior executive at HBO be-
Tapas on tour FISH and chip Fridays may be in danger, with tapas on the rise in Britain. Spanish food is predicted to be a big hit in 2016, with market experts predicting more tapas bars will pop up throughout the year. And Londoners are said to be the keenest tapas consumers in the UK, according to British consumer group The Big Hospitality.
Pay and display DISPLAYING a food product’s nutritional information is no longer voluntary. A new law has been introduced to provide supermarket shoppers with greater information about what they are eating. Information required includes calorie count, ingredients, information on allergens and the source of the product.
Wining on THE price of wine exported from Spain was the second lowest among EU countries in 2014 after Bulgaria, according to a recent report. The European Commission study showed Spanish plonk prices cost on average €1.83 a litre for sales to non-EU countries and €0.91 for those in the EU. Spain also led the field during the same period for the most vino sold abroad, at almost a third of the total.
fore becoming ambassador. “In reality, American food is Italian, Greek, Asian, Hispanic... They are the cuisines of the melting pot that makes up the immigrant country that is the USA.” Chef Hogan laments how the world see’s American food merely as fast food, insisting that the ecological and organic markets are growing exponentially, ‘even more than in Spain’. Although the ambassador is not a vegetarian per se, meat is not a daily fixture. Ambassador Costos prefers the term ‘flexitarian’, as a fierce defender of animal rights. From Madrid schoolchildren touring the embassy to see the art, to entertaining Carolina Herrera (pictured) or hosting Junior Masterchef, the embassy is a hive of welcome positivity and learning. The healthy approach to food is just another way this modern-minded ambassador is leading by example.
sport
30
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January 20th - February 6th 2016
Nathan gets nod
Tarifa-based world champion Liam Whaley aims to take kitesurfing to the next level
e l a Wh ime t a of
CHAMP: Smith
Ready to rumble MGM-Marbella’s Liam Smith looks set to defend his boxing world super-welterweight belt against former British olympian Amir Khan. Khan has been out of action since last April but has been offered a shot against WBO world champion Smith by promoter Frank Warren. If Khan accepts, it will be the first time he has stepped up to fight at 154lb - seven pounds heavier than at any other point in his career. Smith won his title after beating John Thompson in October before successfully defending it against Jimmy Kelly two months later.
HARD-WORKER: Liam trains six times a week at his home in Tarifa
EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
KITESURFING world champion Liam Whaley is fixed on repeating his success in 2016. The 18-year-old won his first
LEADING THE WAY: Lincoln Red Imps
freestyle title in December to make it a double triumph for Spain, with his friend and occasional training partner Gisela Pulido conquering the women’s category. But Tarifa-based Liam, who was born in Ibiza to an English father and a Dutch mother, is keen to build on his win and fine-tune his extraordinary talent. “I worked very hard for this title and I had quite high expectations. I was training in Australia in January and February and had learned quite a lot of new tricks,” Liam told the Olive Press. “When I won the first two events I knew I was on the right track. I definitely want to compete and train to defend my title this year. But I also want to learn new tricks that nobody has ever done before.” Liam’s appetite for kitesurfing was first stoked at the age of eight and he had his first
lesson in Tarifa. His prodigious talent led his father to take him out of school at the age of 11 to train in Brazil for a month. The family eventually relocated to Europe’s wind capital, Tarifa, when Liam was 13. “Brazil was an amazing place to kite,” he says. “But Tarifa is a better place to train. The wind is always between 25 and 40 knots and the lagoon is the perfect place for kiting. “Here in Tarifa, I try to kite five or six times a week.” Such commitment and dedication to your craft is vital for young kitesurfers, Liam explains. “You have to start from the very bottom and learn basic tricks,” he says. “You should also video yourself, then watch it back and correct yourself.” And with 2016’s new season beckoning, the media’s camera lens will be firmly fixed on Liam’s soaring figure.
GIBRALTARIAN hockey referee Nathan Stagno has been shortlisted for the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Umpire of the Year. Stagno, who officiated at the London 2012 Olympics, is one of three referees nominated for the prestigious award. Congratulating Stagno, Minister for Sport Steven Linares said: “Being on a shortlist of three for such an award in an International Federation of such prestige as the FIH once again speaks volumes of his hard work and dedication. “He has been a leading light for local hockey for a long time and this recognition is just another in a long line of well-deserved accolades.”
Pawn stars THE 2016 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival gets underway from January 25 to February 4 at the Caleta Hotel. The world-famous tournament brings together chess legends like Vishy Anand and Hikaru Nakamura to do battle for a £185,000 prize. The tournament will feature 10 rounds, 249 players, including 93 grandmasters and is split into three tournaments - Masters, Challengers and Amateurs.
Imps double up Winds of change
JOSEPH Chipolina and Kyle Casciaro scored a brace each as Lincoln Red Imps beat St Joseph’s 4-0 in the Gibraltar Premier Division. Chipolina scored after three minutes before Casciaro doubled the lead on 39 minutes. A Chipolina penalty after half-time put Red
Imps out of reach and Casciaro’s late second sealed a win that keeps the champions six points clear at the top. Joselinho’s first-half double helped Europa stroll to a 3-0 win over Angels and left them in second place. Guillermo Rodan bagged his side’s third from the spot in the 51st minute. Aaron Duran and Cristian Toncheff helped themselves to a goal each in Manchester 62’s 2-0 win over Britannia. Duran’s mazy 75-yard run ended with a fantastic finish to open the scoring and TonGIB Phoenix FC defeated Moroccan Athletic on cheff made sure of the points penalties to claim the Senior Futsal Tournament by dispatching a smart shot at the Tercentenary Sports Hall . past Britannia keeper Louie Maccabi Benchwarmer were victorious in the U21 Barnfather at the death. Futsal Tournament after beating Rock 54 FC 2-0 A Santos hat-trick buried Giin the final. braltar United as Lynx helped The crop of promising young talent will be hoping themselves to a 3-1 win. to force their way into Gibraltar’s national team, Robert Montovio hit a consowho recently scored a Rock first by making their lation strike in the 87th minFIFA Futsal World Cup debut. ute as United slumped.
Futsal fans thrilled
THE second half of the Gaelic football season kicked off in spectacular fashion, with all three sides still in the title race. The Costa Gaels produced back-to-back wins against hosts Gibraltar Gaels and Eire Og Seville to keep their title hopes alive. Meanwhile a high-scoring game between the Sevillian outfit and Gibraltar, saw the hosts come out victors and sent them top of the table with two more rounds of fixtures to be played. Six points behind both Gibraltar and Seville at the start of the day, the Marbella-based side put in two spirited performances to claw themselves back into title contention. Shutting the back door, the Costa Gaels conceded just one goal the whole day. The next round of fixtures will take place in
Marbella, before the final round of games in Sevilla.
Scores: Gibraltar Gaels 4-7 (19) vs Eire Og Seville 4-3 (15) Gibraltar Gaels 1-6 (9) vs Costa Gaels 2-11 (17) Costa Gaels 1-10 (13) vs Eire Og Seville 0-8 (8)
Table: Gibraltar Gales: 10 pts Eire Og Seville: 8pts Costa Gaels: 6pts
If you have a sports story, contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call 0034 951 273 575
sport
31 January 20th - February 6th 2016
Sir Bobby Robson Arguably Britain’s most successful overseas manager and beloved by the entire footballing word, Robson won the Copa del Rey and European Cup Winners’ Cup while at Barcelona. During his Nou Camp tenure he also helped nurture a young translator who went on to become a half decent manager too. His name was Jose Mourinho.
HELPING HAND: Robson and translator Mourinho
Moyes failed, Neville’s failing and now the other Neville wants a go… There was a time when bolshy British managers were actually La Liga’s most valuable commodity, writes Tom Powell
Brits in the dug-out I
T’S a tough life being a British football manager these days. The big clubs – Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool et al – seem determined to pluck their bosses from continental leagues, preferring Juans to Johns and Joses to Joes. Meanwhile, poor old gum-chewing, tracksuited coaches such as West Brom’s Tony
Pulis and Sunderland’s Sam Allardyce wonder why they are doomed to careers fighting relegation battles. But it wasn’t always like this. There was an era not too long ago when those same big clubs were nervously living in fear of Europe’s elite coming along and swiping the best British managers. It’s almost laughable to imagine the likes
Terry Venables Successful spells at Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers saw Barcelona come calling for Venables in 1984. ‘El Tel’, as many still affectionately refer to him, was a resounding success during his three-year tenure, guiding the Catalan giants to their first league title in 11 years and also securing the league cup. His winning formula involved bringing British strikers Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes on board.
ess
BARCA BOSS: El Tel was a great succ
of ‘Allardicci’ and ‘Pulisio’ in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona, suited and booted, speaking the lingo and heroes in the eyes of fans. But Bobby Robson did it at Barcelona, as did John Toshack at Real Madrid, then there was ‘El Tel’ Venables, and the list goes on. And it appears Spain’s football clubs aren’t ready to give up on British managers just yet. Real Sociedad took a punt on former Manchester United boss David Moyes, albeit an unsuccessful one. And last month, Gary Neville was given his first managerial job at Valencia, with whom he is still searching for a first league win. Now his brother Phil, assistant at Valencia, has said he loves Spain and wants to manage in La Liga too, no matter what. Given the successes of Robson and Co, perhaps Phil could have the future he desires in La Liga management, and maybe – just maybe – David Moyes will return to the Iberian Peninsula and show everyone just what an ‘exito’ he can be! In the meantime, let’s take a trip down memory lane and marvel at how highly regarded British managers who once ruled in Spain. Are we about to see the same thing happen again?
Howard Kendall On the field, results didn’t go as well as Englishman Kendall had planned during his two and a half years at Athletic Bilbao. But the Everton legend’s death last year was equally mourned in Bilbao, because of the great impression he made on the club, fans and city. Quite simply, he loved Bilbao and Bilbao loved him.
John Toshack The Welshman managed Real Sociedad not once, not twice, but three times, although he is best remembered for a further two separate stints at Real Madrid. He steered Los Blancos to the league title in 1990, and is still revered in the country to the extent that he is often linked to vacant managerial posts to this day.
Chris Coleman Clearly Moyes didn’t take enough advice from Coleman during his ill-fated Real Sociedad tenure, because the current Wales boss enjoyed great success there in 2007. A stunning record of 12 wins from 21 games saw his side fly up the Segunda Division table, but he unfortunately resigned in January 2008 after a fall-out with the club’s president.
Save the date
FINAL WORDS
THE National Day Bank holiday has been moved forward a week to September 5, and will now come directly after the Gibraltar Music Festival weekend.
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olive press Vol. 1 Issue 10 www.gibraltarolivepress.com
SPAIN has been chosen as the number one country for expat happiness in a survey of 30,000 Brits living across the world.
January 20th - February 6th 2016
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Monkey business
Big spenders A TOTAL of €23.54 billion was spent on prostitution in Spain last year, second only to China - €67.27 billion – in the world rankings.
Covering Gibraltar in 2016 with over 20,000 papers each month
CHEEKY CHAPS: (From left) Brian Gomila, Minister John Cortes and monkey
RIP El Zambo HE dressed up as a woman for the funniest fairground ride since the age of 14. Now the star of Gibraltar fair’s Tren de la Escoba has passed away at the age of 58. Tributes have poured in for the performer, known as El Zambo (left), who delighted crowds at the annual fair for the past 15 years. Seamus Byrne, director of events at Gibraltar Cultural Services, said: “He will be very missed at our local Fair...RIP ZAMBO!!”
IT’S long been said that the most mischievous Barbary Macaques are beginning to come down into the town and cause problems. But Main Street on Saturday was something else. A giant Macaque could be seen pestering locals and teasing tourists… but it wasn’t after their food, rather their attention for a moment or two. As part of the Department of the Environment and Climate Change’s Barbary Macaque Awareness Campaign, an awareness day was held at the Piazza. Brian Gomila of Monkey Talk - Gibraltar was also on hand carrying out a monkey survey in order to assist the department’s ongoing efforts to better understand the public’s attitude towards the Rock’s most famous residents.
Where’s our Gov? Mystery over Governor’s arrival
A DEBATE is rumbling over the impending arrival of Gibraltar’s new Governor. It comes after the boat he was set to arrive on this Wednesday emerged in the port five days early without him apparently onboard. Now speculation is growing that Lieutenant-General Edward Davis could have
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On the final strait! THE fastest man to swim the Straits of Gibraltar is donning his wet-suit yet again. Brit Bernie Stone will take to the shark-infested waters in the Cook Strait off New Zealand in a bid to conquer all the world’s major straits. Stone became the fastest man to swim the Strait of Gibraltar in 2010 when he recorded a time of 3 hours and 51 minutes. He has had to wait on a three-year waiting list to take on the 16km Cook Strait and hopes to do it in under 10 hours.
INCOMING: Davis arrived early via different means. Some have even been suggesting the Governor is hiding below deck of the 16,000-tonne RFA Mounts Bay. He is set to take over from temporary-Governor Alison MacMillan, following the resignation of Lord James Dutton in September.
GET YOUR ROCKS ON! SEX addicts on the Costa del Sol finally have a way to kick the habit. A new Sex Addicts Anonymous group, the first in Spain outside Madrid and Barcelona, has been launched. It provides a 12-step programme for recovery from sexual thoughts and behaviours. One group member, Steve, told the Olive Press: “Sex addiction takes many forms and often leads to very serious consequences, such as marriage breakdowns, unemployment, imprisonment and even suicide.
Sex
“Many of our members find that they lose control of their sex lives, and often don’t realise until it’s too late. “My own sex addiction drove me to despair, but I just thought I was highly-sexed…I didn’t realise that my disease had a name.” SAA meets once a week in San Pedro, with members from the entire community, regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation. Interest in SAA has wildly increased over the last five years, with the news of Tiger Woods’ serial infidelity in 2009 seen as a major turning point. “Make no mistake, this is an epidemic waiting to happen,” added Steve. For more information, call the confidential line on 652 055 819 or visit at www.saarecovery.org
Quick getaway GIBRALTAR’S gaelic footballers attempted the quickest getaway possible after a weekend tournament on the Rock. AN RAF chinook helicopter was enlisted to transport the stars away from the ground, in order to avoid the baying teenage crowd waiting outside for autographs. Unfortunately, soldiers soon intervened and put an end to the daring escape.