Port barges moved in to start pumping out all fuel oil, diesel and lube oil on Sep tember 1. The tocoastalpushedgovernmentallitsagenciesworktirelessly to monitor the situation and skim as much oil as possible from the surface of the Algeciraswater.port sent its larger Salva mento Maritimo boats to the scene, working alongside the Gibraltar port authorities to remove oil and prevent the spill slipping out of control. The government brought in Oil Spill Response Limited experts to coordi nate the disaster response. From the beginning some oil had leaked out into the Mediterranean Sea bypassing the primary and secondary booms placed around the ship. Despite the brave attempts to stem the spill, some oil reached Gibraltar’s and Spain’s beaches, staining rocks and hurting wildlife. Authorities flew red flags on all its beaches as strong westerly winds ties, as well as seagulls blackened by the spill, according to their social me dia Thesite.worst hit areas were Sandy Bay, Rosia Bay and Little Bay. But authorities noticed thick black oil around World Heritage Site Gorham’s Cave at Europa Point and La Linea closed its own beaches to deal with the Portspill.barges have now removed most of the oil and diesel from the OS 35 ship wreck. Hit Nautilus Project volunteers discovered that the endangered Ribbed Mediter ranean Limpet had been especially hit by the Maritimespill.authorities quickly moved in to restore the booms that had been moved by the wind, once again pro tecting bathing areas. But the environmental impact could remain for years, activists said. “We are concerned the worst-case sce nario could now be before us and feel saddened and angry for our environ ment,” said an Environmental Support Group (ESG) spokesman.
ENVIRONMENTAL groups have de cried one of Gibraltar’s worst ever nat ural disasters after a ship beached off Catalan Bay started to shed its oil on to local beaches and damage marine life. Oil seeped out from the stricken OS 35 bulk carrier soon after it was forced on to the sandbanks when it hit another ship, the ADAM LNG when it left the bay on the night of August 29.
Gibraltar’s government has since blamed the captain of the ship for the Policetragedy.arrested the skipper after he al
FREE P RESSLIVEThe The localONLYRock’sfreepaper O GIBRALTAR Vol. 6 Issue 181 www.theolivepress.es September 7th - September 20th 2022 Tel: 952 147 834 See pages 14 & 16X + +THE www.theskydoctor.cominfo@theskydoctor.comtel:TVSATELLITEIPTV,ALSOSTREAMINGIDEALINTERNET4GDOCTORSKYALLAREASCOVEREDUNLIMITEDFORTV(0034)952763840 ibraltar National DayG ww.theolivepress.es Celebrating BACK TO IT’S BEST T celebrate goingFlagsPATRIOTIC:areup
Opinion Page 6 CLEAN UP: Volunteers SPILL: Booms were deployed to contain the oil Wildlife danger With our Gibraltar National Day special pullout inside GET READY TO PARTY!
“We hope recovery efforts are as suc cessful as possible in limiting the spread and removal of oil –even though, as is well established, traces of this contamination will remain in the environment for some time to come.”
Enviromental worries as sea collision left ship leaking oil while authorities scrambled to stop the flow
Gibraltar’s port acted quickly, ordering the 178-metre Tuvalu-registered ship to beach in shallow water to prevent it breaking up in deeper water making it impossible to save.
By John Culatto fanned the oil in their direc tion and moved booms designed to protect them. On land, volun teers for local sea life charity The Nautilus Project worked hard to check common bathing areas and clean the oil off rocks where Theypossible. found heavy oil stains on rocks and jet
An independent investigation is now underway into the collision. On August 31, authorities declared the collision and beaching of the ship a Major Incident after the ship started to break up and its crew was evacuated. At this point, the port was closed down to fully attend all resources to the emergency. Under difficult circumstances, divers managed to patch up most of the oil leaks and stop the flooding of the en gine room.
legedly disobeyed a direct order from the port and carried on sailing to his destination in the Netherlands despite having a 10-metre gash in its hull.
For further information call: Gibraltar Tourist Board +350 200 74950 Or to download a brochure go to: www.visitgibraltar.gi
Machete madness
A GIBRALTAR man who swung a machete at police of ficers before fleeing has been jailed for six months. Ziade Attou, 36, of Paradise Ramp, has now been released after serving 15 weeks of his 24 week sentence. Police officers first spotted Attou with the machete in his waistband by the bus stop op posite Police Barracks at 8pm on May 14. Two officers challenged him and told him to stand back. He ignored the order and in stead swung the machete at them. The officers responded by spraying him with a stun spray called Captor. Attou then tried to escape on foot while swinging the ma chete at one of the two police officers. A minute later, the cops brought him to the ground, removed the machete from his hands and took the crim inal into custody. After a check-up at Saint Ber nard’s Hospital he spat in the face of the cops as they took him back to his cell. Attou pleaded guilty to charges of assault on police through spitting and assault to prevent Magistratesarrest.gave Attou no further punishment for ob structing or assaulting police. “I’m extremely proud of the way my officers responded to this incident on the day. Risk “The video shows how our officers put their lives at risk to help keep Gibraltar safe,” Commissioner of Police Rich ard Ullger said. “Carrying weapons like this will not be tolerated on our streets and we will use all the resources available to bring offenders to justice in a robust manner.”
#VISITGIBRALTAR
JAILEDTHIEFSHOP
Coke to order
AT least 130 Jesuit priests have been accused of committing sexual abuse against children between 1927 and 2012 in TheSpain.ElPais newspaper, as part of its ongoing probe into paedophilia within the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, reported there were at least 160 vic tims who suffered at the hands of the Jesuit abuse
HEALTH chiefs in Gi braltar invited the public to talk with se nior GHA managers on planned changes to the health service on Sep tember 13. Cadet visit INDIAN training sailing boat INS Tangini paid a visit to the Rock with 25 sea cadet officers aboard to train with the Royal Navy.
PROUD STREET PARTIESHeritageBRITISH Darts, Backgammon Championships Phoenician Empire CalentitaTHE ROCK The Moorish Castle Pillars of Hercules 100000 NeanderthalYEARSSettlementsJazz
A MAN who twice walked out of a Main Street shop with a total of over £1,500 of designer clothing has been jailed for 16 weeks. Romanian national Chirez Memet, 20, pleaded guilty to theft and attempted theft after he was caught out on CCTV footage. On the first occasion, Me met took the clothing to the changing room, re moved the security tags and walked out of the shop with the goods in his back Staffpack. later discovered the theft after looking at secu rity videos. Recognised The next day Memet was at it again, but this time shop workers recognised him. While he was removing the tags in the changing room, they called the Royal Gi braltar Police. Two police officers nabbed him as he left the booth. They found £720 of de signer clothing in his back pack and their security tags in his pocket. Police officers arrested him and took him into police cells at New Mole House.
WATERPORT Day Cen tre organised a ‘Verbena’ evening out for about 100 elderly people with dinner, live music, danc ing and singing at the Calpe Rowing Club re cently. Memory lane
GIBRALTAR Deputy Chief Minister Jo seph Garcia received a group from the Commission of Unit ed States Battle Mon uments to talk about the American War Memorial on Line Wall HealthRoad.talks
By John Culatto
CRIMEwww.theolivepress.es September 7th - September 20th 20222 NEWS IN BRIEF
SHOT DOWN itLivingup
TheJesuits.paper said that the Jesuit who faced the largest number of complaints was Barcelona-born priest Emilio Benedetti. He worked in several Jesuit schools and died in 2019. Benedetti's was accused of committing sexual abuse against at least 13 victims between 1969 and 1973 but no action was taken against him. El Pais said the number of Jesuits ac cused of sexual abuse accounts for 15.4% of the total number of Roman Catholic figures accused of paedophilia and ha rassment through its contacts with read ers and victims.
Six months jail sentence for assault on police
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting. Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world. Bring hearts, minds and soulswww.visitgibraltar.gi With a UNESCO world heritage site offering 120,000 years of human history and only short drive from the Costa del Sol, enjoy the warmth of the British Gibraltarians and splash out VAT-free in Sterling. Gibraltar. Sun, sea and history served with a very British twist. A year of Cultur e ibraltar
THE body of a missing Spanish man has been found in Los Montes de Malaga with gunshot wound to the head. The Policia Nacional are searching for a hunter who has been recently spotted in the area where the body was found. Since the discovery, it has been estab lished that the corpse is that of a 21-yearold Spanish man, David, who had been reported missing by his family members on Monday afternoon, August 29.
A 42-year-old man accused of running a cocaine delivery service has been arrest ed in ClientsEstepona.wouldorder by phone, with the man willing to deliver the drug 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In an attempt to keep police off his tail he would change cars frequently and arrange to meet customers in different places. A search of his house found 30 grammes of cocaine.
AS holiday seasons go it doesn’t get much better for the White WhileIsle. the infamous closing parties approach, dozens of global superstars have been partying on the island. These include Oscar-winning of Queen Anne, in The Favourite has been renting a villa with her husband Ed OthersSinclair.recently staying include ac tress Margot Robbie, model Cara Delevigne and Emma Watson, who is understood to have recently bought a home on the island. The Harry Potter star has been spot ted three times eating in Santa Gertru dis this year, as well as playing padel tennis and horse-riding in the north of the island.
Hard times “She’s been into our restaurant three times over the last six months,” re vealed a waiter at il Buco. “And getting Olivia Colman was the icing on the cake. We were all very excited.”
NEWS September 7th - September 20th 2022 info@estucointeriors.com, www.estucointeriors.com, +34 952 810 633 ESTUCO INTERIORS Centro Plaza 56-57, Avda. Manolete s/n, 29660 Nueva Andalucia KIM BenefitsCLARKConsultancyIfyousufferfrom... • Mobility problems • Pain / Breathlessness • Falls / Stumbles Or you need... • Help washingwith/dressing • Supervision FOR ADVICE OR TO BOOK A CONSULTATION call 950 169 729 or 663 297 www.ukbenefitsinspain.com568 You could be entitled to extra income by claiming UK sickness/disability benefits while living in Spain OLIVE PRESS IBIZA SUMMER ROUNDUP
The Six Senses hotel itself has been making huge waves since opening last year, near Portinatx. Costing from €1,000 a night, it has kept the hoi polloi well at bay and seen an amazing lineup of Hollywood stars allegedly staying this summer, includ ing Richard Gere, Will Smith and Anto nio WhileBanderas.thehotel doesn't comment on its guests a source told the Olive Press that ‘so many big names have been in on the quiet this summer’.
Clubs Meanwhile leading DJs Carl Cox, David Guetta and Sacha have been regulars this summer, at the various famous clubs, along with Calvin Har ris, who recently bought a farm on the Butisland.the most exciting DJ has to be actor Idris Elba, who has had a regular slot alongside Guetta at Hi Ibiza all summer.
ClarkeJonCREDITS:PIC
SPOTTED: Actor Daniel Mays
Celeb fest for White Island as Ibiza approaches its annual closing parties this month, writes Olive Press editor Jon Clarke
Others spotted on the island this sum mer are James Blunt and Jade Jagger, who both have homes in Ibiza. Meanwhile Sienna Miller, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and supermodel Adwoa Aboah were spotted at a 30th birthday party for Cara Delevigne in August.
One of the most exciting spots by the Olive Press this month was the star of Netflix’ 10-part drama White Lines, Daniel Mays. Mays, 44, was seen having dinner with his wife and son at a beachside star wife and various other basketball Afriends.friend told the Olive Press he was having ‘an amazing break’ after he toasted his marriage with champagne on the stunning dining terrace of HaSa lon Therestaurant.pairlooked stunning in black, as they were serenaded by a flamenco group with dancers. As part of their so-called Wade World Tour 2022, the group hired the su peryacht, the Wellesley, which costs €230,000-a-week to rent. The yacht, which comes with 12 crew, has been taking the couple and friends around the three other Balearic islands since mid-August. The Olive Press pictured it off Formen tera, with a giant slide inflated on its side.
STARS IN TOWN: From left, Colman, Robbie, Ronaldo, Watson, Jagger, Blunt, Elba and Delevingne taverna on Talamanca beach, near Ibiza Town. It was the most fitting of visits, having played the role of Ibiza DJ Marcus, who is going through hard times while di vorcing his model wife Anna, played by Angela Griffin. A regular visitor to the island since the series aired in 2020, he was immediately recognis able with his wife, makeup artist Louise Burton. The Olive Press also bumped into former NBA star Dwayne Wade as he celebrated his eighth wedding an niversary to actress Gabrielle Union with around 20 friends at the island’s current hip pest hotel Six Senses. The ex-Miami Heat leg end was spending a week in the Balearic is lands with his Hollywood his children Beatrice and William, splashed the cash at the island’s most expensive nightclub. VIP tables cost from €2,500 to €3,500, while rooms in the adjacent hotel start at €802 a night. The world’s most expensive restau rant, SubliMotion, set up next door at the Hard Rock Hotel, costs guests from €1,500 each. The 20-course tasting menu, created by Paco Roncero, at least comes with champagne and wines. actress Olivia Colman, who has been enjoying a week with her family in the north of the island. The Olive Press can reveal that the British moth er-of-three has been out at Be nirras’ famous hippie beach, as well as eating at a hip Italian joint in Santa forActressscoopedColman,Gertrudis.48,whotheBestawardherportrayal
ATHLETES AND A-LISTERS
He said they also included big-name footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Zla tan Ibrahimovic, who was also filmed dancing at Pacha at a Seth Troxler night in August.
FILMED: NBA star Dwayne Wade is followed by his own film crew everywhere HE’S known for his tactical maneuvering.ButMichael Gove’s latenight moves have been tak en to a new level in Ibiza this summer. The ex-Tory minister was seen jumping about on the dancefloor of Ibiza’s hip pest club. He made up from his recent sacking from Boris Johnson’s government with a high ener gy evening at Ushuaïa Beach club.The 55-year-old, who has been on holiday with In a spin!
A-BLAZING
VICTORIA: Not amused
GIB’S A CITY Queen Victoria gave the Rock the honour, but no one noticed This fact was overlooked and Gibraltar was not part of the official UK cities list. Both UK Prime Minister Bo ris Johnson and Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picar do saluted the correction. The outgoing UK leader said it was ‘excellent’ that the Rock should get such a ‘huge accolade’ that highlighted its ‘history and dynamism’. For his part, Picardo told the BBC he was pleased ‘that this has finally been taken on board by the UK Govern Thement.’Gibraltar Chief Minister explained the reason for the omission to be accidental. “Really it’s a question of somebody not having com piled the list accurately,” he Hesaid.added: “Gibraltar has of ficially been referred to as a city in all official documenta tion in the period since 1842.” Gibraltar is called a city in both drafts of the constitution in 1967, and more recently, in “There2006. is little practical sig nificance but there is a huge ly symbolic significance as our relationship with Britain is stronger than it ever has been,” Picardo concluded.
THE Gibraltar Government has completed an extensive res toration of the ‘City Under Siege’ exhibition on the Upper Rock. The face-lift highlights military graffiti at the building which dates back to the early 18th Century and includes 11 new interpretation panels for visitors. Located in one of the first ever buildings erected by the Brit ish on Willis Road, it is popular for locals and tourists alike. “One of the most striking features of the exhibit are the graffiti markings that are abundant in all the exterior walls around the centre courtyard,” said a government spokes man. “The majority of the surviving graffiti date from the 1730s to the 1760s, with the oldest dated to 1726, a period in which the Garrison saw no military action and Gibraltar became a relatively easy but tedious posting for regiments serving Workersoverseas. placed a new cannon and military objects at the Theysite. refurbished mannequins and added the new interpre tation panels about how the first British settlers handled living in a Mediterranean fortress.
WINNER: A-blaze canoe
LizTrussting No end to EU talks
NEWSwww.theolivepress.es September 7th - September 20th 20224
MYSTERIOUS lights in the sky left Malaga residents puz zled this week. Reports of ‘an unusual celes tial phenomena’ and a ‘ghost ly apparition’ flooded social media as two intense spot lights slowly crossed the ear ly morning sky, startling star gazers and early birds alike. However, far from an alien encounter, the huge spot lights were actually part of a SpaceX rocket that had been launched that night.
JUDGE: Miss Gib inspects boats
CREATIVE boat builders took to the sea at the Ocean Village Marina to win some fabulous prizes at the annual Charity Cardboard Boat Race. The event turned out to be lots of fun for young and old while raising mon ey for St John’s Ambulance, Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group, and the GBC Open Day. “Each year we encourage the lo cal community to get together with friends, colleagues and families and enter a cardboard boat, the crazier the better!” said an Ocean Village spokes Theperson.‘A-blaze’ cardboard canoe from Specialist Medical Clinic was the se nior winner of the event. Jake and Miley Piri took the junior prize with ‘Jami’ while the overseas air cadets grabbed the hilarious ‘Most Titanic Sinking’ prize with their ‘Hur Thericane’.boat race, which is sponsored by local businesses, is part of the Nation al Day programme of events. SUCCESS
UFO solved
THE Chief Minister of Gibral tar has congratulated Liz Truss on being named UK Prime Minister calling her ‘a great friend’ of the Rock. Fabian Picardo sent his ‘warm est congratulations’ to the win ner of the Conservative Party selection process to replace Boris Johnson at the top job. “Liz has always been a great friend of Gibraltar and has worked very closely with us during her time as Internation al Trade Secretary and Foreign Secretary,” said Picardo in a “Asstatement.International Trade Sec retary, Liz was instrumental in delivering trade deals for Gibraltar and as Foreign Sec retary we have worked very closely together on all issues not least on the negotiations for a UK/EU Treaty on Gibral tar’s future relationship with the EU,” he added. Gibraltar’s Chief Minister said he had also written to Johnson ‘to thank him for the person al support he and his cabinet colleagues have shown for Gi braltar throughout his time in office’. ‘CONSTANT and unrelent ing’ work to secure an EU treaty for Gibraltar between the UK, EU and Spain has continued throughout the summer, Chief Minister Fabi an Picardo has said. He was in Cordoba with Deputy Chief Minister Jo seph Garcia to continue the meetings, which he indicated would not reach a close any time soon. The meetings followed on from the New Year’s Eve agreement between the Eu ropean Union, Spain and the United Kingdom. It laid a roadmap for talks which have now gone on for a year and eight months, in terrupted by the COVID-19 “Thepandemic.work is constant and un relenting and occurs daily by telephone, email, WhatsApp, video conferences and in per son meetings,” said Picardo. “It has not abated through the summer months as we try to finalise matters as soon as “Workpossible.on the proposed trea ty therefore continues, with more formal rounds to be announced shortly starting in September, and as soon as we are able to announce areas of progress or agreement, we will do so,” he added. The Gibraltar Government clarification of the meetings in Cordoba followed an arti cle that appeared on a Span ish news site. It carried a photograph of Picardo and his aides saying that they had had ‘unknown meetings’ in the Andalucian Acity.YOUNG person from Gi braltar will get the chance to speak to the UK Youth Par liament at the House of Com mons on November 4, the government announced it is organising an essay competi tion to select the lucky young person who will speak about ‘the most important issue affecting young people in Gi braltar,’ a spokesman said. Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia, a keen historian, will pick the winner from the es says sent to him. The competition is open to anyone from 11 to 18-yearsTheold. essay competition winner will be able to fly to London with an accompanying adult and address the UK Youth Parliament from the House of Commons dispatch box.
RESTORED: City under Siegedsiegetruths
By John Culatto
livensCommonsup
THE UK has finally rec ognised Gibraltar as a city as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 180 years after the fact was omitted from official Despitelists. missing out on this year’s competition to be one of 39 towns to become a city, National Archives research revealed that Queen Victoria had awarded Gibraltar city status in 1842.
EMERGENCY: Tackling the tunnel blaze
A toddler has been killed after being struck on the head by a hailstone when storms hit Catalunya. The 20-month old died after being rushed into the Josep Trueta hospital in Girona. A woman was also admitted into hospital with the child and was being treated for her injuries, according to Catalunya Radio. Hailstone
“Theremoved.removal of this debris will begin tomorrow with the TSD expecting this oper ation to take approximately three days to complete,” it Atadded.the same time, the gov ernment will continue to import non-potable water by sea to a bowser at Mid Har bours Industrial Park. “Members of the public are encouraged to use this water for any non-essential activity as this will alleviate pressure from the AquaGib network,” the government added. Authorities re-opened the Europa Pool and allowed marinas to use freshwater at the end of August. The relaxation of the restric tions came after the tunnel fire that knocked out the saltwater and power supply to the Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants that provide the Rock with water. Plant A temporary RO plant brought from Italy finally helped local water compa ny AquaGib get the sort of freshwater producing power it needed to increase stock levels.
suckersLittle
Sad stats
NEWSwww.theolivepress.es September 7th - September 20th 2022 5
SOME 400 tonnes of debris from the Power’s Drive Tun nel will have to be removed, according to geological ex perts. This is where the fire that caused this summer’s water crisis started. Local company AquaGib said water levels are now getting back to normal with restrictions on high consum ers to end shortly. It kept restrictions in place for some time as it supplied the Ministry of Defence with water after the military had a problem with one of its Butpumps.that issue has now been resolved and reservoirs con tinue to fill up.
According to a Gibraltar Government statement, geo technical experts found that the Power’s Drive Tunnel ‘remains largely unaffected with most of the damage be ing localised to the area of the fire’. “The geological report shows that, in some areas, there has been rockfall of up to 2.5 me tres,” said the government. “This has resulted in ap proximately 400 tonnes of debris being required to be A GROUP from Gibraltar found out how to make par liaments more accountable at an annual meeting of Com monwealth countries in Hali fax, MinisterCanada.for Justice, Equality, Public Standards and Regula tions, Samantha Sacramento headed the visiting group, along with Leader of the Op position Keith Azopardi. The theme of this year’s Com monwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) was ‘Acces sible, Accountable and Strong Parliaments: the Cornerstone of Democracy and Essential for Development’. Steps “The workshops aimed to look at how steps could be taken to tackle important day to day economic or en vironmental challenges, sustainability, development, mental health, disabilities, making parliaments ac cessible to innovation and increasing accountabili ty as well at looking at the particular challenges faced by small jurisdictions,” the Gibraltar Commonwealth Association (GCA) said in a GCAstatement.members also attended the Small Branches Confer ence, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarian Conference (CWPC) and a meeting for Mediterranean members.
By John Culatto peoplethe
But rockfalls in Power’s Drive Tunnel need to be removed
tragedyWater relief
A SPECIES of mutant mos quito that is resistant to in secticides has been discov ered in Spain and 12 other European countries. Experts have warned that the strain of Tiger mosqui toes can spread illnesses like dengue, zika and chiku ngunya.
ONE person killed themselves every 14 hours in Andalucia during 2020, according to the SomeJunta. 793 people died as a consequence of suicide, mak ing it the second biggest cause of death for 15 to 25-year-olds. And for every person who takes their own life, there are 20 who try, warned the World Health Organisation Spain registered 3,941 sui cides in 2020 which is the highest number since official data became available. The most affected regions in Andalucia are Jaen, Granada and Cordoba. The 024 suicide helpline that was launched on May 10 of this year, has already regis tered 40,000 calls, with a dai ly average of 300. People can also call Samari tans in Spain between 10am and 10pm on FREEPHONE 900 525 100 for confidential service in English or pat@samaritansinspain.comemail
For
Communication is disrupted: Tons of volcanic ash is still being removed, and rebuild ing and re-routing work con tinues on roads. Some areas remain closed to the public because of the dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmo sphere, such as the once popular beach destination Puerto Naos. Few evacuees used the of ficial hotel and shelter ac commodation, most camping out with family and friends. And, although a number have since been allocated pre fabricated houses or apart ments, the majority still are. As Javier Salinero of the vol cano victims’ pressure group Tierra Bonita explains: “The island economy has col
Calculating the cost THE oil spill resulting from the collision of the OS 35 with the ADAM LNG is now turning out to be one of the biggest natural disasters in Gibraltar’s recent history. On the other hand, authorities must be praised for reacting quickly to a complicated and developing situation. To be able to pump out the fuel oil, diesel and lubricant oil was a difficult task, which required careful planning and a technical expert approach. But within the week authorities were able to remove all the fuel, helped by calm waters. It could have been a lot worse if a Levante storm had hit at the time, making the precarious situation a lot trickier. While it seems from reports that the blame lay firmly on the captain’s shoulders, Gibraltar is still feeling its after-effects. It brings back memories of the MV New Flame, which sank off Europa Point after a collision with an oil tanker in August Fuel2007.was pumped out within a week before the ship broke apart. Luckily, on that occasion there was no significant oil spill, although the rough weather made salvage attempts even Thistougher.time around the oil spill came a lot faster, making it more difficult to contain, especially with the limited re sources on the Rock and the surrounding area. Despite this, Spain’s help, to leave politics aside for a bit, was good to see. Tugs from Algeciras port were soon in Gibraltar waters, and they seemed to work well to scoop up the oil and lay down booms under local port guidance. But oil still got through because no system is perfect. Gibraltar will now have to get used to those pollutants in the sea for a few years to come. From soiled seagulls to blackened rocks, the impact of be ing a big shipping port will harm the quality of the seawater and stem biosphere recovery. Deeper down, dissolved oil particles mix with the seawater, poisoning the water and stifling the breeding of fish stocks, dolphins and sea birds. At a time when the environment was returning to some semblance of the teeming life there was in the past thanks to government efforts, this disaster is difficult to take.
The 53,600pumpedvolcanoouttonnesofsulphurdioxideaday
Shortly after 3pm on September 19th, 2021, there was a huge volcanic eruption in La Palma, the Canary Islands, that was to last for three months. Barbara Belt witnessed the volcano in action and says, one year on, the recovery process is far from over T HERE are two volca noes on La Palma, a small island, just 47 km in length, at the northwestern end of the Ca nary Islands. It was Cumbre Vieja in the south that erupt ed, shooting out lava for 85 Bydays.the end of it, nearly 3,000 buildings and 74 km of road were buried in lava, and 370 hectares of farmland destroyed. Some 7,000 is landers were evacuated from their homes. Damage has been estimated at €900 mil Seismologistslion. saw seismic activity cordsPalmaeruptioningmostvolcanoyetbeforeissuedwarningsanddramatically,increasingwaseruptionweredaysitblew,lastyear’s–thedamagvolcaniconLasincerebegan–caught people by Fissuressurprise.suddenly opened on the southwest flank. The first magma formed two slow-moving lava flows. Then eight new vents blew, produc ing flows that fanned out fast like the fingers of an open hand, covering one of the most fertile banana planta tions in the Canaries. Lava, with a temperature in excess of 1000 degrees, wiped out everything in its path. It was impossible to predict where new vents would blow. Some evacuation warnings left people with as little as 15 minutes to get out. Shocked local residents es caped with their goats, chick ens, cows, sheep, cats, dogs, beehives and whatever they managed to load onto trucks as the lava fast approached. Tourists were evacuated to ForTenerife.the next three months, lava bombs, and fountains of lava shot into the air. Ash plumes (one 7.5 km tall) rained ash over the island. At its peak, the volcano pumped out 53,600 tonnes of sulphur dioxide a day, the noxious gases travelling as far as the Caribbean and Germa ny. When the lava reached the sea, it created a fajana (coastal shelf) so big the is land maps had to be redrawn. The volcano was erybody’sphraseever’mas25.ondeclaredofficiallyoverDecember‘BestChristpresentwastheonevlips.
I live on neighbouring La Gomera, and first went to cover the story on September 21st, writes Barbara Belt (right). The ferry, full of Canarian firefighters and members of the Military Emergencies Unit, docked at the port of La Palma’s capital, Santa Cruz, in the east. Two hours later I was driving on the west coast, towards the red glow in the sky. Then there it was! Roaring, spectacular, belching flames, lava and ash. I nearly came off the Lookingroad!one way, I could see banana plantations all the way to the sea, and the oth er, an ancient volcano shooting lava thousands of metres into the air. The noise was ex traordinary. I got covered in volcanic dust, as did my car, and there was a heavy smell of sulphur dioxide in the air. The press were allowed into the Exclusion Zones that had already been hit, as well as the areas about to be hit, which was worse. There was so much sadness and shock. You can’t just watch that level of panic, so I did what little I could to help. After 48 hours at the volcano, arriving back at Santa Cruz was like arriving back from a war zone. Was this the same island? Of course there was panic here too. Only the 1,500m high ridge and prevailing winds were keeping it safe.Itwas impossible not to be awestruck by the extraordinary spectacle, by human in significance against nature’s power, but the plight of the Palmeros killed any sense of thrill.
NEWS FEATUREwww.theolivepress.es6 HEAD OFFICE Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva NEWSDESK: 0034 951 273 575 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es DISTRIBUTIONENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month. Deposito Legal MA 834-2017 AWARDS Best expat paper in 2016Spain-2020 Best2020English language publication in Google2012Andalucia-2022NewsInitiativegivestheOlivePressasubstantialgrant. PUBLISHER / EDITOR Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es John JorgeCulattoHinojosa jorge@theolivepress.es
REMEMBERING THE DESTRUCTION
But whole villages were de stroyed, as were churches, schools, medical centres, in dustrial areas, roads, bridg es, fruit plantations, cem eteries, irrigation systems, electricity lines and water pipes. Hundreds of animals had died. A thousand hect ares of previously fertile land lay under solidified lava flows. There was just one fa tality: a roof collapsed under a man as he attempted to clear ash off it inside the ex clusion zone. The islanders’ livelihoods were destroyed, too. And one year on, serious problems re main.
Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info
UR Digital Editor Fiona Govan is bidding a sad farewell to the Olive Press and its readers. We are sorry to see the former Daily Tele graph staffer head off to tackle new chal lenges - she has left big boots to fill. But thankfully we have found the man to do just that.
AFTER VOLCANOTHE lapsed. On this small island we depend on each other and everyone is affected. Now there’s no news people think normal life has returned, but many are still without homes and incomes. Prospects are poor. Application processes for official help are very com plex and urgently need sim on mental clearlyhappened“It’stefaníapsychologiststopped”,thetripledforrise:continueshealthto“RequestshelphavesinceeruptionsaysEsMartín.over.Whatisvisible, and now there’s a real sense of incre dulity, coupled with rocketing incidences of severe depres Sosion.”why is the situation so bad? One important, seldom mentioned, reason is that, ac cording to the Canary Islands government figures, 1,600 buildings were lost. Coperni cus satellite data places the number at 2,988. The main problem with compensation, whichever figure is correct, lies in the islands’ planning regulation peculiarities. Many of the buried buildings were family homes, com plete with outbuildings, fruit orchards, livestock pens and plantations. Some even had planningtheIslands,inmongallyBuildinghouses.registeredwerepools.swimmingButfewlegallyasilleisacompracticetheCanarygivenrestrictivelaws.
Many buildingsburiedwerefamilyhomes,completewithoutbuildings O
Theplifying”.toll
Sixgovernment.hundred flats, prefabri cated and wooden homes have been commissioned. Over 100 have been pro vided and, Canary Islands housing minister Sebastian Franquis expects the re maining accommodation to be installed this month. But this is half of what’s needed even by the most conservative estimate.
Meanwhile, many families are leaving the island. Speaking last month, on his tenth visit to La Palma since the eruption, Pedro Sanchez, was keen to emphasise that help was on its way, saying that the Spanish government was also redoubling its ef forts to “reduce bureaucracy and speed up procedures”. Bid
Simon Hunter moved to Madrid in 2000 and has been working in journalism practi cally since he ar Fromrived. 2005 to 2006 he edited magazineEnglish-languagethe InMa drid, which was aimed at tourists and locals alike, as well as contribut ing to guide books such as Time Out and in-flight magazines for airlines such as easyJet. In late 2006 he joined the team at the EL PAÍS En glish Edition, where he became editor in 2014. During his time at Spain’s biggest-selling paper he oversaw the transition of the English Edition from print to fully digital, hosted podcasts and Facebook live broadcasts, and helped grow the monthly audi ence figures from the low hundreds of thousands to more than a million during the coronavirus pandemic. When EL PAÍS took the decision to no longer cover Spain stories in English - sticking to a more interna tional theme - he decided it was time to move on. He is now working as a full-time freelance journalist, contributing to The Times, La Sexta and Foods and Wines from Spain, among others, as well as enjoying a side gig as a voice-over artist (he is the voice in English who tells you to ‘mind the gap’ on Spain’s low-cost high-speed AVLO trains). “I’m thrilled to have joined the team at the Olive Press so that I can con tinue to bring all of the great stories and fea tures from Spain to an English-speaking audi ence,” Simon said. “I’ve been endlessly fascinat ed by this country ever since I arrived and I look forward to sharing that obsession with the readers. There is huge potential for online sto ries from Spain, and that is where I will be
The president drew attention to the €418 million financial aid already mobilised by the government, the €15 million to cover losses in the banana industry, and the support in the form of ERTEs (extended until the end of the year).
5- Breaking: hull of stranded os 35 bulk carrier breaks in two off Gibraltar’s Catalan bay threatening a major oil spill
Sanchez also announced the installation of a €3 million system monitoring, measur ing and controlling emis sions of toxic gases, and he stressed more help was on the way: “In these five years of government, the Canary Is lands will receive almost 60% more economic resources than in the last five years”.
People need houses and town halls frequently turn a blind Volcanoeye. victim compensa tion money has so far only been automatically paid out to those whose houses were legally registered. The rest must undertake a ‘ridiculous ly long claims procedure with no guarantee of success’, ac cording to Tierra Bonita.
WELCOME TO THE OLIVE PRESS focusing my efforts.” And we are more than happy to welcome him aboard!FIONA: Wishing you all the best for the future
The money’s there, but pay ing it out is painfully slow. However, the president of La Palma’s island council, Mari ano Hernandez Zapata, told the Olive Press that public administrators will now be working with orthophotos and satellite imagery ‘in or der to facilitate realistic val uations of houses destroyed, so that fair insurance com pensation is received, to gether with simplified ac cess to the compensation,’ which, he added, amounts to a maximum of €60,000 from the Spanish govern ment and up to €30,000 from the Canary Islands
2- Explainer: What you need to know about Spain’s free rail travel scheme from September 3- Beware: Spain might be hit by a hurricane, american experts warned 4- Rafa Nadal’s pregnant wife admitted into hospital with minor complications
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
1- British gang arrested on Spain’s Ibiza in the country’s biggest ever pink cocaine swoop with over 500000 in cash seized
LITTERGLASS
Green MattersBy Martin Tye
● Putin’s Russia is using its oil and gas as a weapon of war. Europe is struggling to wean itself off Rus sian production quickly enough. (Not that Russia is really con cerned about losing its European custom. China and India and oth ers will fill the void. )
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638 145 664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es
● Governments throughout Europe failed to invest in renewable en TIME TO SWITCH ergy production during the last decade to be able to cope with cur rent demand. ● Climate change has added to the problem. ● Droughts throughout the world have resulted in less Hydroelectric ity being produced.
● We have entered an era of global competition to secure energy sup plies. More countries are compet ing to buy a limited resource. Pric es only go up.
Study to irrigate reforestation with water collected from the air study is exploring how it can be used on the mainland. Public company Gesplan, which manages the project, plans to test the method in maritime areas around Barce lona and the El Bruc munici pality in northern Catalunya, which was devastated by fire in 2015.
GREENwww.theolivepress.es September 7th - September 20th 20228 +34 951 120 830 | gogreen@mariposaenergia.es | www.mariposaenergia.es 100% Certified Green Energy Reduce your energy bill Switch to our 100% Green Energy Save even more money with our solar PV panel installations! Generate your own electricity Solar PV Panels Simply send us a recent bill & we will calculate how much you can save. Get a quote today Contact us today
How long before one Kilowatt of electricity costs €1?
● Rising energy costs ● Rising fuel costs ● Restricted food supply of basic ne cessities (Ukraine war) The impact of people going hungry and cold will have a massive effect on health services that are still recover ing from Covid, lack of staff and insuf ficient funding. What about here in Spain? We all moan about our bills. Well… you ain’t seen nothing yet! Currently, the impact of electricity increases is being softened through Government support. All this is only temporary. Will IVA re main reduced forever? I very much doubt it. Will the electricity tax remain reduced from 5.11% to 0. 5%? Spain and Portugal managed to ne gotiate a temporary cap on the price of gas with the European Union. We are four months into a 12-month mea sure.
AS Spain starts its recovery from a series of wildfires, the drought it finds itself locked into could be a major obstacle to Butregeneration.atrialbeing held in the Canary Islands could help parched coastal regions re grow forests where there is little to no rainfall. The EU-backed Life Nieblas project is experimenting with collecting and condensing fog to help individual saplings grow without the need for conventional watering. The project, which is based in Gran Canaria as well as in Portugal on the Iberian penin sula, is using fog collectors to improve degraded landscapes and fuel forvailinglocatedwhichAlthoughreforestation.suchcollectors,consistofplasticmeshinthepathoftheprewind,havebeenusedyears,theprojectisde signed to improve their effi ciency and effectiveness. The technology is simple – as fog blows through the mesh, water droplets form and then fall into containers at the base of the structure. While the technique is well suited to the Canaries, it is not quite so effective in the less humid Mediterranean, but the
An easy answer is to say that it is just supply and demand that is pushing the cost However,up.the causes of the exponen tial rise in the cost of electricity run deeper.
It’s the same fearful feeling now when you open your electricity bill. Why has electricity become so expensive?
If you look at the OMI website image (left) it paints an ominous picture. The average wholesale cost of elec tricity in Spain in July was €143 a TheMWh.forecast for October is €219 per ButMWh.look at the October prices for our neighbours (where there is no gas cap) France…. €601 per MWh !!! And Germany…. €455 per MWh . In the UK, Ofgem reported recently that the average annual bill in Jan uary 2023 would be £5,386. In the Summer of 2021 this figure stood at In£1,087.parts of Sweden, they are already Wethere.are on the same trajectory. It is time to look at your consumption habits and go renewable wherever you can. It’s a lot cheaper to produce your own electricity than to buy it.
Drying up
SPANISH reservoirs fell by a further 0.9% in just a week to 35.9% capacity. According to recent data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITE CO), there is currently a total of 20,174 cubic hectometres of water in Thisstorage.is9,251 cubic metres less than the average for the week over the past 10 years and 3,651 cubic hectome tres (18%) less than the same time in 2021.
THE thought that electricity could soon cost €1 a Kilowatt is Wefrightening.neverthought fuel would be €1 a litre. Now it’s €2 a litre. Less than a year ago we didn’t stand on a petrol station forecourt watching the cost of filling our tanks with dread. Now we do.
Foggy idea
● And the wind has not blown as much this year, resulting in less wind turbine production. Fuel Poverty This is a term not greatly discussed in recent years in the developed world. Now it’s all over the media. Lower income families are having to make difficult choices. Eat or be warm. Throughout the world, we are witness ing an increase in civil unrest. The main cause is inflation. The main contributing factors to infla tion are:
MORE than 1,000 one li tre beer bottles have been collected in one weekend by environmental activ ists in a natural space in Gerena, Sevilla. It is believed that all of the bottles had been dumped in the area this summer by lazy and irre sponsible litterers. The bottles would have contaminated the area for over 4000 years, the time taken for glass to decompose, had they not been collected.
ibraltar National DayG www.theolivepress.es September 2022 Celebrating BACK TO ITS BEST
FUN: For all the family - even the furry ones 1992, the celebration marks the identity and indepen dence of Gibraltar and gives residents the chance to come together as one.
festivities
T HE hottest date on Gi braltar’s annual calen dar is September 10, when it celebrates its historic National Day. This year, the Rock marks its 55th anniversary as a self-governing British territo ry, and thousands of revellers will flock to its public and pri vate spaces to commemorate this grand occasion. The festivities, returning in full force after the Covid pan demic, will be held in Case mates Square, John Mackintosh Square and Governor’s Parade. A tradition started in Continues overleaf
Plenty to celebrate For Gibraltar, the date of Sep tember 10 signifies several historic moments. The most important is the 1967 sovereignty referendum, where residents were asked to vote whether they wanted to go under the sovereignty of
Getting ready to party after pandemic restrictions spoiled 2 years’
PROUD: Gibraltarians have made their voice heard through a referendum and continue to do so every National Day, while below, special events are planned
WHAT RESULTA From front tiple sites and the residents don their national colours of red and white for fun family activities and a rousing public rally. On top of that, the Rock’s private venues host their own special events in commemoration of Na tional Day. Emilia Hazellsmith of Ocean Village, a thriving part of the
ibraltar National DayG2 Spain or remain with the UK, but with self-governed institutions. The result came out 100% in favour of remaining with Great Britain. National Day is also a celebration of self-determination for Gibral tar, which has its own parliament of 17 elected members. Back in 1992, acting chief minister, Joe Bossano, visited the UN to ask if he could form the Self Determination for Gibraltar Group (SDGG). At the time, this new group was headed by Dennis Matthews, a member of the Integration with Britain Party. The pair soon ramped up support for their initiative. As part of their campaign to gain the eyes, hearts and minds of the Gibraltarians, they held the first National Day at John Mackintosh Square (the Piazza) on 10 Septem ber 1992. At the time, the idea was to commemorate the 25th anniver sary of the 1967 sovereignty refer endum – they could not have seen the phenomenal growth and popu larity of the event they had created! Coincidentally, the date also marks the day when the Gibraltar Legis lative Council became responsible for internal affairs in 1964, giving plenty to celebrate, all on one day. The inaugural run of National Day on in 1992 was so successful that the attending crowd could not fit into the square! After that first year, the Gibraltar government stepped in to help or ganise the event, provide some funding for the occasion, and declared September 10 a public holiday. In 1993, the venue was changed to the larger Grand Case mates Square and, in 1998, to the naval Today,ground.thecelebration runs at mul
Steamer Pie MakerHalogen Oven Slow Cooker Gibraltars Best Stocked Cookshop 46 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 75188 Email: biagibraltar@gmail.com Facebook: GibraltarBIA For all your Christmas cooking needs& practical gifts Christmas Trees & ARRIVINGDecorationsSOON Est. 1946 LTDB I A
John Culatto of the Olive Press examines how his overGibraltarnativehaschangedthepast40years
RICHARD
Rock’s social scene, says: “National Day is an all-day event with music, dancing and great food and drinks – not to be missed, especially in Ocean Village. where live music and fun is the order of the day!” As is tradition, the official National Day celebrations start with a chil dren’s fancy dress competition on Main Street, followed by a street party in John Mackintosh Square. In the private sector, many of the Rock’s bars and restaurants have organised their very own celebra tions, starting with breakfast par ties and continuing all day long with various offers on food, drink and entertainment.
During the Reconquista, in 711 A.D., the Moors conquered Gi braltar. The current name originates from Arabic – Jabal Tariq, which means ‘mount of Tariq’. When the Moors were expelled from Spain in 1462, it fell under Spanish rule.
September 20223 THE WORST OF TIMES THE BEST OF TIMES
The intriguing history of Gibraltar
The day’s main attraction is the Freedom of the City ceremony, where the mayor reads the Gibral tar National Day Declaration to the gathered crowd.
Tony Blair, driven by the pragmatism of having a stronger ally in the EU and the supposed woke The way that was repulsed with a referendum to remain British has been strengthened even more in our own day and Brexit,age.a real disaster for a place that voted by a ma jority of 96% to stay in the EU, has allowed the Rock to feed into the nationalistic sentiment and ask for more UK Chiefsupport.Minister Fabian Picardo has done his level best to stay ahead of the game, however hard it might be. Standing up to the big guns, he has almost single-hand edly put Gibraltar on the political map. And let us not forget his predecessor as leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party, Sir Joe TheBossano.parliamentarian of half a century – who walks down the street gently reassuring locals that he is working to make the best future possible – founded National Day in 1992 as Chief Minister from 1988 to 1996. He changed the whole political landscape, bringing in free university education for even the poorest in society, expanding the land area of Gibraltar with an ambitious reclamation project and bringing in new business. Thanks to this drive, Gibraltar now has most of the tools necessary to stand on its own. Far from beggars at the table, its economy provides high er wages than the international norm while still beefing up its resistance to Spain’s more conservative elements. Nationalism in Gibraltar’s vision is not a desire to sug gest that its people are superior to any another race, but that it has a voice, expressed by a specific group that is defined by its experience, commonality and diversity. As a separate people to Spain it wants to have a say in its own future, be cause 300 years of history have defined it differently. And in a decolonized world it no longer wants to be the political football of the Thispowerful.istheessence of Gibraltar National Day as we know it now and some thing the Rock continues to strive for by its very nature.
The official entertainment also in cludes live music, aerial displays and family activities although, this year, there won’t be a fireworks Aheaddisplay.of the big day, the SDGG has been inviting residents to sign the National Day Banner, which is an expression of unity for inhab itants of the Rock. After being signed by thousands of people, via a stall in Casemates Square from 5-8 September, it will be dis played on the National Day stage on September 10. A6.8km limestone rock, Gibraltar is considered a special place by its 32,000 residents. The Rock combines a close relationship with the UK with the best of the Mediterranean climate and lifestyle. It was an important naval base during both the Napoleonic Wars and WWII, as it controlled the narrow entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea, known as the Gibraltar Strait, which is just 14.3km wide. To this day, half of global seaborne trade passes through the Strait. Going back in history, Gibraltar has been populated by many significant tribes and peoples. At Gorham’s Cave, there is evidence of Neanderthal habita tion, with stone tools and animal bones. The island also shows evidence of Neolithic inhabitants, followed by Carthaginians and Romans, who called Gibraltar ‘Mons Calpe’, after one of the pillars of Hercules. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Gibraltar was cap tured by the Vandals and became part of the Visigotic Kingdom of Hispania for 400 years.
AN AUDIENCE WITH RICHARD BUTTIGIEG OF SDGG
During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704, Anglo-Dutch armies conquered Gibraltar on behalf of a claim made to the Spanish crown by their ruling Habsburg family. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht handed the Rock to Great Britain – for keeps. Despite a couple of unsuccessful siege attempts by Spain, the Rock did not return to Spanish sovereignty, and the idea of Spanish rule was rejected by Gibraltarians in the referendum of September 10, 1967. Over the centuries, Gibraltar has attracted inhabitants with Italian, Portuguese, Maltese, Jewish and French origin, as well as Brits. In 2002, Gibraltar was designated as a British Overseas Terri tory, which it remains to this day. It has, in August 2022, been recognised by the UK as a city. The present economy of Gibraltar is largely based on tourism, online gambling, financial services and the supply of maritime fuel. It has its own airport and seaports. The inhabitants speak a mixture of Spanish, English and local dialect called Llanito.
The principles of territorial integrity seemed to push hard against self-deter mination like an unstoppable force. And throughout the world, we see similar tendencies. From Ukraine to Taiwan, Western Sahara to the Basque country, people who define themselves as fundamen tally different to their larger neighbours are having their rights violated or at least threatened. Gibraltar is no different. As Chief Minister from 1996 to 2011, Peter Caruana re sisted the former colonial power’s desire to forge a joint sovereignty deal with Spain during the early noughties.
Buttigieg of SelfDetermination for GibraltarGroup (SDGG) talks to theOlive Press about Gibraltar’sbig day and emphasises the important political aspect beyond the jovialHecelebration.says:“National Day is the mostimportant function that the SDGGorganises. It’s a day for families tohave fun and join in the manyevents that take place but, firstand foremost, it is a political rallyto remind everyone that Gibraltar and the Gibraltarians havean undeniable and inalienableright to self-determination.“That we should be the solearbiters of our destiny andthat no one should imposeanything on us. “It is a day when we try toemphasise issues such asour unique national identity and, in my view, theimportance of having aunited front against thosewho may seek to undermine our right to self-deterHemination.”adds:“The event start ed 30 years ago and has grown tobecome a week-long festivity withall sorts of cultural and social eventstaking place. From art and windowshop dressing competitions to concerts and performances, and thepolitical rally itself, we aim to providesomething for everyone. We createdifferent ways for the community toengage and experience a sense ofpride and being part of the Gibraltarian community.”He continues: “Something simple, such as getting as manyGibraltarians as possible to signa banner which we display onthe day, is a way of showing unity. Every year, weobtain several thousand signatures which, in acommunity the size ofGibraltar, shows thewide support the eventattracts. And when yousee Casemates Squareand Main Street full of thousands of people,proudly wearing our redand white colours, itmakes all the hard work worthwhile.”
GIBRALTAR has come a long way in the past 40 years and seeing it turn into the diplomatic bastion of strength it is today gives be leaguered people everywhere hope that the bigger powers do not always have to get their way. Now, let’s get this straight – Gibraltarians are used to having their backs against the wall. Ever since the Franco years, the Spanish diplomatic machinery has been finely tuned to depict the Rock as a colony, an anachronism that needed to return to Spanish possession.
CAPTURE: of Gibraltar by the British
Time to party
The Ivy Sports Bar & American Grill
Sunny side up! This venue is host ing a National Day brunch from 1pm to 4pm, with live music, children’s entertainment, a welcome drink, buffet, carving station and a happy hour with a DJ in La Sala from 4pm to 7pm. The cost is £44 per person (£17.50 for 4 to 12-year-olds). Book at: bookings@sunborngibraltar.com Café Fresco
Wagamama At this family favourite restaurant, with a spend of £60 or more, chil dren eat for free on the big day. And, with every main dessert purchased, you’ll receive a free Mochi, which comes in coconut, cacao, mango, vanilla and green tea flavours. Book ings: 200 44182.
ON National Day, Gibraltar’s thriving Ocean Village is adding to the celebrations by serving up a range of entertainment, music, and food throughout the day. Only a nine-minute stroll from Gi braltar International Airport and the frontier, Ocean Village Marina offers over 20 vibrant ocean front restaurants and bars, with expansive views across the Mediterranean Sea. To celebrate September 10, these venues are spoiling guests for choice by offering everything from breakfast parties, with full English brekky, to late-night cocktails, DJs and dancing. The emphasis is on fun for the whole family, with something to meet every budget and taste. Guests are literally spoilt for choice, with venues offering everything from breakfast parties, with full En glish brekky, to late-night cocktails, DJs and dancing. The emphasis is on fun for the whole family, with something to meet every budget and taste.
The Eatalian Guests will receive a free Cola, Fan ta or Moretti or Peroni beer when they buy two square pizzas. Book ings: +350 200 766 36 / +350 560 038 58, eatalian.gib@yahoo.com
The Arena Sports Cafe Zapping from 90s to the 80s, The Arena is hosting a live mu sic performance from renowned U2 tribute act, The Fly . This great cover band will be supported by The Blue Sky Duo . The event runs from 2pm until late. Bookings are via 200 76666 or bookings@are nasportscafe.com Las Iguanas Las Iguanas is known for serving a slice of South America in Gibraltar. For the big day, its terrace is hosting Aurelio Vargas on percussion and Lev violin artist from 7pm until 11 pm, followed by DJ Wayne until late. Call 200 500 92 to book.
In the heart of the marina, Café Fresco is hosting its first National Day event with full English break fasts, served from 8am until 8pm, along with fresh burgers and salads and tapas. Guests can enjoy live music and drinks offers on beers, ‘tinto de verano’ and more. Book ings: jehan@cafefresco.gi Bridge Bar & Grill
The Yard
Known to be upbeat, this venue is planning a day of celebrations, with its signature American-style food for families and an offer of 2 for 1 on cocktails and mocktails. Guests can enjoy the party atmosphere, with music and dancing in the sun. Book ings: 200 66446.
The spirit of celebration is truly bub bling over at The Yard! Its National Day Boozy Brunch runs from 10am, costs £29.95, and offers two hours of unlimited prosecco combined with a tasty brunch plate. In the eve ning, this is followed by the National Day Boozy Disco from 6pm, costing £34.95 per person, and again with two hours of unlimited prosecco, as well as three tasty tapas. Live en tertainment will be provided by DJ Minister (Robbie Ballantine) playing old school disco and groovy house, accompanied by live saxophonist, Alex Grosu. The music will continue until late. Bookings: hello@theyard. gi or 200 79767.
The bustling Ivy invites revellers to step straight into the mood at its breakfast party, starting from 9am. The menu includes full English breakfast, muffins and 50s dinner specials, as well as live coverage of the day’s events on HD TVs. Guests can enjoy music and an outdoor terrace. Call 20068222 to reserve your breakfast. From 5pm, The Ivy notches up the mood with its National Day Retro party of 90s music, spun by DJ Kultur and DJ Dani. Relive the tunes from the Na tional Day carpa! This is a ticket-only event, with limited tickets available from www.buytickets.gi National Day at Thi Vietnamese If delicious Asian food is your desire, this restaurant is hosting an ‘all you can eat’ buffet for £17.95, from 1pm until 7pm. Bookings: +350 200 67777
O’Reilly’s Irish Pub Irish venues know how to celebrate, and O’Reilly’s is kicking off the day with a family breakfast buffet from 9.30am, costing from £9.95, followed by a traditional roast carvery from 12.30pm. The carvery costs from £12.95 for two courses and £15.95 for three courses, while under 10s eat for £9.95. Bookings: 200 67888 or reception@casinogib.ltd Sunborn Gibraltar
ibraltar National DayG4 What’s on at Ocean Village for National Day
WWW.OCEANVILLAGE.GI ENJOY NATIONAL DAY AT RESTAURANTS & BARS OPEN ALL DAY! LIVE MUSIC TINTO,GREATBUBBLES&BEERDANCINGDJSFOOD 10TH SEPTEMBER OCEAN VILLAGE MARINA, GIBRALTAR anuncio_olive_press_01sept.indd 1 1/9/22 17:40
ibraltar National DayG6 WORD!THESPREAD
- Gibraltar’s low tax rates centivesgovernmentandinhave made the Rock an online gam bling paradise. The industry, constituting as much as 25% of the country’s GDP, has been named one of the four major pillars of the lo cal economy by the merce.ofChamberbraltarGiCom
5uproadofffornedaytethinkhighways.busiestthethroughrunwayporttionalInternaGibraltar-Airhasathatcutsoneofterritory’s4-laneIfyouthecommuyoutakeeveryisbad,imagihavingtowaitaplanetotakeorlandforthetoopenbackagain.
10Spaininthe15thcenturytheytookrefugeintheBritishterritory,andnowmakeup2%oftheRock’scensus.
makeoneGibraltarofthe
7-
2-
3
- Gibraltar is home to the Barbary macaque, a species of monkeys that have been ce lebrated for years. From 1915 to 1991, the British army and the Gibraltar Regiment named, fed, and controlled the monkey population. Some of these detail-oriented records taken by the so-called Keeper of the Apes were published in the Gibraltar Chronicle. One such announce ment reads: “Rock Apes. Births: To Phyllis, wife of Tony, at the Upper Rock, on 30th June 1942— a child. Both doing well.”
10 facts that coolest places
8- There are over 150 caves in side the Rock, the most well known of which is St. Michael’s Cave. A twisting maze of limestone, the cave was created from a steady drip of water that ero ded the stone over time. St. Michael’s Cave is the most visited cave of Gi braltar’s Rock.
4 - Despite its five kilometre length and one kilo metre width, the Rock boasts 52 kilometres of bombproof underground tunnels. Fearing a Ger man invasion during WWII, Gibraltarians built nearly an entire city below ground, complete with elec tric generators, telephone lines, bakeries, and hospitals.
6- For nearly 300 years, Gibraltar was the sole home to the Jewish community in the Iberian Peninsula. Once numbering in the thousands across the peninsula, after their expulsion from 9- Gibraltar is the setting for two of the James Bond movies, and is the shocking backdrop for Bond’s famous burial at sea scene in You Only Live Twice.
1- English is the official language of Gibraltar, but many Gibraltarians also speak Llanito, a mix of An dalucian Spanish, British English, and traces of Genoese, Maltese, and WordsPortuguese.likechakaru, for bouncer or a ‘chucker-out’, chinga, for chewing gum, or juva, for vacuum cleaner, pay homage to both Spa nish and English origins.
The pastel homes, doors with archways, and green shutters of Gibraltar--not particularly Andalucian or Victorian British in nature--might transport you to the north of Italy. For a reason: in 18th century Gibraltar, 34% of its population was from Ge noa, and today this lasting influence can be seen in its architecture and the distinctly Italian surnames of its citizens.
on the planet
On March 20th, 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono on the Rock of Gibraltar. The iconic couple ini tially wished to get married in Paris or at sea. Howe ver, due to the difference in their nationalities, there would be a delay in having a ceremony in any place but Gibraltar, where Lennon’s British citizenship would allow them to marry immediately.
PATRIOTISM
SHOW: Will feature GAMPA started by Christian Santos (right)
The(GAMPA).energetic
BOSSANO: Third from right, taking the stage in years past
101
T
The frontier with Spain finally reopened1980in the British in the civil service. Bossano, a keen Marxist, formed the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Par ty which went on to form the gov ernment between 1988 and 1996. The charismatic pint-sized leader revolutionised the economy, stop ping its reliance on the Ministry of Defence and making it into a finance centre. He also consolidated the Gibral tarian identity by creating Nation al Day in 1992 after a visit to the United Nations. The UN has consistently denied this collection of people, under pressure from Spanish diplomacy. Despite this, and run by the alandheldPoliticalidentity.thewhite,carnivalDay(SDGG),forSelf-DeterminationGibraltarGroupNationalbecameafestiveofredandcelebratingRock’suniquerallieswerewithBritishMPsevenregionseparatistsfrom
HE message of Gibraltar ian unity against diversity has been thundered to its people on National Day for nearly 30 years. This September 10, that same fighting spirit and togetherness will continue to endure. Now, you might wonder how a place so small, almost a town by British population standards, could ever have a feeling of na Well,tionhood.this feeling comes from years of struggle against much more powerful forces that have shaped it into what it is today. First, a bit of history might be im portant to understand the feeling of Gibraltarnationality.was captured in 1704 by British and Dutch forces. Fortress It was never intended to be any thing but a fortress but over the years workers came from all over the Mediterranean to help out at the then colony. The thriving civilian population during the peaceful em pire years of the 19th Century al ways hoped to be something more than just second class citizens. As a result many fought in World War Two, becoming heroes in their own right. The Association for the Advance ment of Civil Rights (AACR) was born during that time and it went on to lead Gibraltar into a bright new future. The 1967 referendum saw Gibral tar vote to remain British and the people were granted a new con stitution which gave them more rights under the Crown. Even when fascist dictator Fran co closed the frontier, the fight for more rights continued. Under trade union leader, Joe Bossano, they managed to clinch parity - the same wages for Gibraltarians as its former glory. Now, after Brexit, it is more import ant than ever to have that national Notunity.content with the greater au tonomy given by the 2006 consti tution, Gibraltar now wants more say over its own future, espe cially after 96% vot ed to remain in the EU during the 2016 isseparatethismightAlthoughreferendum.COVID-19havecutoffgrowingsenseofidentity,itclearthattheRock faces new challenges. It will surely meet them with the same ‘never say die’ attitude that has made it what it is today. With its Chief Minister Fabian Picardo at the helm, Gibraltar has always sought to fight for the good of all its people at every level and will continue to do so in the spirit of National Day. Over the years workers came from all over the Med to make a new home
EX-LEADER:RockJoeBossano
THE cream of Gibraltar’s entertainers will warm up the public for the political speeches of Na tional Day. The Variety Show programme will start at 10.30am with performances by six different award-winning dance studios located within the Rock’s territory. They will be joined on stage by the youth choir of the Gibraltar Academy of Music and the Performing Arts singing is certain to enliven even the dullest hearts.
Cream rising to the top
Spain which affirmed the same decision not to cede to Spanish pressure on September 10, 1967. Since then, that date has become a celebration of everything Gibraltar. Although it ebbed somewhat during 16 years when the social democrats came to power, the re turn of Joe Bossano’s GSLP with the Liberals in 2011 saw it regain
GAMPA was started by former mayor Christian San tos, a former singer himself, who wanted to develop the musical talents within the community. After the political rally, which will probably include speeches by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and oth er prominent leaders, there will be more entertain ment.Aselection of musicians will band together to play some family favourites and popular chart hits throughout the evening. The sun will shine and beer will flow with punt ers sure to dream in red and white by the end of the evening.
September 20227
REOPENING:
John Culatto examines why National Day is so important to people on the
TALENTED: Stylos Dance Studios
A JEWEL of Span ish military history has been rescued from an illegal in ternet auction. The item, is be lieved to be the oldest iron sword known to date in Spain, dating from the early Iron Age, and had been put up for sale on the in ternet for an initial price of €1,200. The historic gem was located by the Guardia Civil last De cember as part of the ‘Pandora’ operation to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property on the Internet. The seller, a resident of Villanueva de la Fuente who was unaware of its significance, agreed to hand over the weap on for experts to authenticate. Technicians from the Min istry of Culture of the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha were in charge of its analysis and confirmed that it was indeed ‘an exceptional’ and ‘unique’ piece. The sword was made with the wrought iron technique in the seventh century.
Free access was available afterwards to the munici pal showers, with council
Start your journey as a live-in carer today! Earn up to £866 per week Flexible pay options Free food, accommodation and travel Free Blue Light discount card Become a live-in carer in the UK To find out more, please email thespanishrecruitment@helpinghands.co.ukOpportunitiesforthosewithrighttoworkintheUKandthoselookingforsponsorshipApplyonline helpinghands.co.uk/jobs Career development
LA CULTURA September 7th - September 20th 2022 9 OP QUICK CROSSWORD All solutions are on page 14 Across 6 Prickly seed vessel 7(4)Accentuated (8) 9 He, she and it (8) 10 National wealth let ters (1,1,1) 11 Socially ill at ease 14(4-9)Where races com mence (8,5) 17 Enemy (3) 18 In mourning (8) 19 Ballistic weapons 20(8) Young cow (4) Down 1 Body fuel (8) 2 Voltage changers 3(12)Mock (6) 4 Hard outer layers 5(6)Rope fibre (4) 8 Import (12) 12 Woman of habit (3) 13 In an inconsistent way (8) 15 Way to buy cheaply 16(2,4)Showy (6) 17 Free from bias (4)SUDOKUOP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ripe for a g d time BUÑOL’S La Tomatina celebrated its belated 75th anniversary last week after a two-year break caused by the Covid pandemic. An estimated 20,000 peo ple bought €12 tickets to allow them to take part in the world-famous tomato Somefight. 130 tons of Valen cia-grown tomatoes were brought in for the battle which is traditionally held on the last Wednesday of TheAugust.hour-long celebration saw participants wearing swimming goggles to pro tect their eyes while their clothes were left covered in tomato pulp.
By Alex Trelinski cleaners joining forces with residents to hose down the rivers of tomato juice. The event has been clas sified as a Festival of In ternational Interest for 20 Ityears.started by accident in 1945 when a Buñol parade saw young people squeez ing among the crowd to get a good view of some ‘giants’ walking the streets One of the parade partici pants was shoved over and lost his temper, trying to take it out on everybody. The crowd was not im pressed by his overreac tion and grabbed toma toes from a vegetable stall, which they threw at him resulting in the seeds of La Tomatina being sown.
Lost Military Jewel
SONGWRITER Craig David will per form at Puente Romano Tennis club in Marbella on September 15 at 8pm. The other artists appearing are Trev is, Black Desert Malik and Cello CraigFemme.David has sold over 15 million records in different countries and will sing the most well-known songs from his repertoire. Tickets cost approximately €50 and can be booked by calling: 952 82 09 00 or emailing: puenteromano.comevents@
CRAIG DAVID IN TOWN
Tomato battle resumed after Covid break
The first big event of the next two weeks will be the ECB’s interest rate decision. Markets expect another 50-bp rate rise, though a 75-bp move could be on the cards. If the ECB de livers another hawkish surprise, the single currency could climb. The following week, the Bank of England (BoE) will also convene to de cide on monetary policy. The current consensus is that the British cen tral bank will opt for another half-point hike, although there are some significant data releases ahead of the decision that could affect it. An expected contraction in UK GDP in July could put pressure on Ster ling, and also dampen expectations for a larger BoE rate rise. We also have the all-important UK labour market overview and the latest inflation rate reading. If the UK jobs market remains strong and inflation continues to climb, the pound could strengthen ahead of the BoE Asidemeeting.fromthe size of the coming interest rate rise, GBP investors will also pay attention to the BoE’s accompanying statement. Last month, the bank forecast a UK recession, causing Sterling to slump despite a 50-bp rate hike. Could an increasingly downbeat outlook see the pound fall even lower? All the while, GBP/EUR will continue to be influenced by UK politics and the eurozone gas crisis. These two factors will inject the currency pair with increased uncertainty, potentially leading to some choppy trade.
GET READY TO PAY Road toll €1.4weighedoptionsupinmillionstudy
INFLATION in Spain stood at 10.4% in August - a 0.4% drop on July’s rate according to the National Institute of Statistics. The figure is better than a market forecast of 10.9%. The reduction is mainly down to falls in fuel prices offsetting rises in food, electricity, and hospitality. Core inflation, which does not include food and energy pric es, rose to 6.4% in August compared to 6.1% the previous month. Economy Minister, Nadia Calvino, said: “Inflation has start ed to ease and it should continue slowing in the coming months.” She added that the government had helped to con tain price rises.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?
cashGownprobe
Towards the end of August, Sterling initially rose higher against the single currency. The euro came under pressure as Russia’s Gaz prom announced a pause in gas supplies via the Nord Stream pipe line, pushing European energy prices to new record highs. In addition, the flash PMIs for August showed stronger results for the UK than the eurozone, thereby lifting the pound euro exchange Laterrate. that week, EUR regained its losses amid reports that some European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers will push for a 75-ba sis-point interest rate rise at the bank’s next policy meeting. Meanwhile, Ofgem announced the new energy price cap for UK households, confirming an 80% hike. This stoked fears about the country’s cost-of-living crisis, with economists warning that many people will be unable to afford bills. In August’s final week, the pound fell further after Goldman Sachs forecast a five-quarter recession in the UK and warned that inflation could hit 22%. At the same time, the euro rallied as the EU prepared an ‘emergen cy intervention’ in energy markets, prompting a sharp pullback in gas prices. Hotter-than-expected Eurozone inflation added to EUR’s upside as September rolled around, again raising expectations for a stronger rate hike from the ECB, while the UK’s deteriorating economic out look kept GBP under pressure.
By Alex Trelinski
THE European Public Pros ecutor will investigate why Spain’s Health Ministry grossly overpaid for Chinese disposable PPE gowns during the early stages of the pan Somedemic. 500,000 disposable gowns were bought at 60 times above market val ue from the Weihai Textile Group using EU funds, while much cheaper local options were rejected.
SPAIN’S government has commissioned studies on how to introduce a nationwide road toll system from 2024. The measure is in return for receiving EU Covid recovery grants worth €70 billion. Spain has been under pres sure to fall in line with other EU member states like France, Germany and Portugal where widespread toll road charging is the norm. The General Directorate of Highways (DGT) has hired consultancy firm Ineco to pro duce nine reports for a new highways financing scheme. Ineco will get paid €1.4 mil lion for 10 months work. The reports will look at whether charges should only apply to state highways or be extend ed to regional roads, or even every road. They will also review charge lev els which will seek not to harm the most financially vulnerable. Also under scrutiny will be exactly what kind of payment system will be used. The two options seem to be that either motorists will pay a fixed sum each year to give them unlimited travel or tolls will be charged on a ‘per use’ Becausebasis. of so little time re maining, it is believed the fixed charge system will be implemented initially with each car having a sticker on it, similar to that for an ITV test. That will allow more technol ogy to be installed to bring ‘per use’ charging. Opponents say the state of the economy means it’s not the right time to introduce such a measure.
Slight easing
GBP/EUR exchange rate hits two-month low as UK stumbles towards recession THE pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate fell to a near twomonth low through the second half of August as the UK’s increasingly dire economic outlook pushed the pound lower. Over the last fortnight, GBP/EUR briefly touched €1.188 be fore falling steadily to hit lows of €1.155.
Charged Prosecutors Laura Pellon and Olga Muñoz will probe wheth er there was any embezzle ment of European funds. The Chinese company charged €16.70 per PPE gown but two Spanish companies, who did not win the contract, offered prices of just €0.32 and €0.27 per gown. The Health Ministry spent €10.1 million on the Chinese deal as opposed to either €139,000 or €163,000 on the Spanish options.
PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY
This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that three-cent gap between €1.18 and €1.15 translates to a €6,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against Servicesyou.like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need Atthem.Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.
BUSINESS10 September 7thSeptember 20th 2022 Mollina, Malaga 4 bed, 3 bath Build: 151m2 PROPERTY OF THE WEEK This lovely property is accessed by a private track that leads directly to the front of the property which has a private garage and room for street parking. The main entrance opens to a pretty courtyard with grapevine and established planting that leads you around to the private pool area. TH5230 169.000€ EXCLUSIVE Mollina Office +34 952 741 Calleinfo@inlandandalucia.com525delaVilla14,29532Mollina,Malagawww.inlandandalucia.com Discover hassle-fre currency transfers WANT TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY ON YOUR CURRENCY TRANSFERS? CALL, EMAIL OR VISIT US IN BRANCH! Avd.ESTEPONAEspaña, nº 10, Local 5, Estepona, Málaga, PlazaMARBELLAestepona@currenciesdirect.com29680delasOrquídeas,CalleOrquídea, Local 5, Nueva Andalucía, Marbella, Málaga, 29660 Avda.FUENGIROLA+34marbella@currenciesdirect.com952906581AlcaldeClementeDíaz Ruíz s/n, Urb. Puebla Lucía, Edificio Leo, Local 1, Fuengirola, Málaga, AvenidaBENALMADENA+34fuengirola@currenciesdirect.com29640952906581AntonioMachado,Edificio Diana I Local Benalmádena13, Costa, Málaga, CalleNERJA+34benalmadena@currenciesdirect.com29630952906581AntonioFerrandisChanquete1, Local 1A, Nerja, Málaga, +34nerja@currenciesdirect.com29780952906581 SLUMP LOOMS
By Jorge Hinojosa
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 7th - September 20th 2022 11
FREE TICKETSTRAIN
But only if you can work out how to use them…
Fleet renewalSPAIN’S Air Europa is to receive 15 long and short-haul aircraft in a major fleet modernisation programme. The airline will get five Boeing 787-9s and 10 737 Max 8s under a lease deal with Ire land’s AerCap, with the jets delivered be tween 2024 and 2026. The carrier will become the first operator in Spain to use the 737 Max. Air Europa is the country’s third largest airline after Iberia and Vueling, with its headquarters in Mallorca. It flies to 130 destinations domestically, within Europe, and further afield to the Americas and North Africa. Air Europa’s fleet modernisation follows a tightening of its links with IAG - owners of British Airways and Iberia - which has converted a loan into a 20% share of Air Europa.
IAG had previously intended a full acquisi tion of the carrier, but ran into difficulties with competition regulators including the European Union. Air Europa CEO, Richard Clark, said: “The deal reinforces our strat egy of unifying the fleet around the most modern, efficient, and sustainable models in the industry.”
The ticket scheme is avail able on routes offered by Cercanías, Rodalies, and Media Distancia (lo cal and scheduledaThethecificgettanciaHowever,canias.differentgersThedistancehighjourneys)medium-distancebutnotonthespeedAVEorlongAlviaservices.ticketallowspassentogetoffandonatstationsforCerforMediaDisitismandatorytoonandoffatthespestationschosenwhenticketwaspurchased.‘Avant’servicesoffer50%discountfortrainsbetweenSep
tember 1 and December For31. commuter discounts, users will have to use their ticket at least 16 times be tween September and De cember and then they will be refunded the discount at the end of the year. Visit Tickets are non-transfer Youable. will need to either visit Renfe’s website or download the Renfe APP and register as a user or go in person to the train Ticketsstation. will be issued with a QR code that can be scanned in and out of sta Renfetions. advise passengers to arrive earlier at the station and to avoid peak times.
Buzz off FLIGHTS were delayed or diverted at Madrid’s Adolfo Suarez Barajas Airport after drones were detected flying Sevenoverhead.flights sched uled to land in Madrid were diverted to other Spanish airports, ac cording to airports op erator GuardiaAENA.Civil have launched an investi gation to track down those responsible for piloting the drones. As well as these dis ruptions caused, the airport was affected by Ryanair, EasyJet and Iberia Express strikes.
HAPPY: The band in Gib
THE German Air Force Band have been in Gibraltar play ing, rehearsing and sightsee ing. The Luftwaffenmusikkorps, normally based in Munster in northern Germany is made six ensembles, from classic trios, brass quintet, jazz ensemble and a function band. On this occasion only 11 band members visited the Rock. As well as playing in Germany, the band performs in concerts around the world including Canada, UK, USA and Oman. “It is great to be able to play in Gibraltar and alongside my good friend the Bandmaster Tom Rundle-Wood,” German Air Force Band Director of Music, Captain Reckling said. “We met back in 2019 and or ganised a concert in London with the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra at the Guards WhileChapel.”on the Rock, they played with the Band and Corps of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, taking the lead at a concert in the King’s Chapel.
tonesSoothing
A SCHEME to give free rail travel has been brought in - but boy, is it complicat Ited. was announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as a way to limit the impact of rising infla tion and the cost of living crisis and started on Sep tember 1 and will run until December 31. The tickets are available to anyone, both resident and non-resident, but they must register and pay a deposit for a travel card. And the deal is not valid for a single or round-trip ticket, so is best for com muters as it offers repeat ed journeys, with users travelling to and from the same station in order to get the discounts.
The fact you can go no further, except by boat, has helped keep the place un spoilt and full of character. For a quick visit, it’s easiest to think of Sanlucar as having three distinct areas: historic Barrio Alto, up the hill; Plaza del Cabildo flanked by bars in the middle; and Bajo de Guia and the Tobeach.keep things stress-free, use the underground car park close to Cabildo (on Avenida Calzada Duquesa Isabel).
Friday You’ve arrived in Spain’s foodie cap ital: celebrate with a feast of fish. At Casa Bigote by the water on buzzing street, Bajo de Guia, you’ll find the widest possible choice of them, from the classic bright red Sanlucar lan goustines to the likes of wedge sole (acedias), flounder, bream and red mullet done every which way. A house special, cazuela de huevos a la mari nera – stew of eggs, prawns and lan goustines is my favourite. El Espejo, a stylish restaurant with a patio inside an historical building in Barrio Alto (Calle Caballeros 11), has what’s arguably the most sophisticat ed menu around. Three courses (for example: wild red tuna tartare and ajoblanco, calamari stuffed with black pudding, and a gooey chocolate cou lant) will set you back a little over €40 a head: excellent value for food this good. Book ahead. Where to stay? For unique, quirky ac commodation try either Hotel Posada de Palacio (Calle Caballeros 9) or Ho tel Palacio de los Guzmanes, virtually opposite (Plaza Condes de Niebla). Both date back to the 15th centu ry and have inner courtyards, large rooms with old tiles and antiques. The second also has a lovely café and ma ture gardens, and is handy for a guid ed tour of the main part of the Pala cio de los Guzmanes, preserved as a museum (Sundays 10.30am, 11am & 12pm, otherwise it’s Wednesdays 11am & 12am). Two boutique hostels within tottering distance of Plaza del Cabildo provide light-filled, contemporary chic ac commodation, along with personal attention: La Casa Sanlucar (Calle Ancha 84) and, quite literally around the corner, Casa de las Especias (Cal le Regina 44) – a labour of love by a group of people who got together and renovated an old building during the pandemic.
HISTORY: Moorish arch
DINING CAPITAL
The Cadiz seaside gem of Sanlucar is the perfect early Autumn weekend escape as its food scene booms, writes Sorrel Downer
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 7th - September 20th 2022
VOTED Gastronomy Capital of Spain 2022, Sanlucar de Bar rameda is rightly famous for its fabulous fish and seafood, but the town has more to offer than a top Itslunch.sherry bodegas, castles and palac es, a busy calendar of cultural events, centuries of history and a calm beach for strolling along, all bathed in the uniquely translucent Costa de la Luz light, merit a longer stay. An hour south of Sevilla, near Cadiz, the town sits on the shore of the Gua dalquivir estuary, overlooking the re gion’s famous Donana National Park.
ATTRACTIONS: Horse racing on the beach and views of the town Continues on next page
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 7th - September 20th 2022 13
Saturday
Sanlucar is one corner of the cel ebrated sherry triangle (along with Jerez and El Puerto de Santa Maria) and the source of all manzanilla Start the day learning all about it at CIMA, an interpretation centre under the gothic stone arches on Cuesta de Belen. Its website ( cima sanlucar.es) has details on visiting 18 Sanlucar bodegas – always best to check before rocking up. Wander through the market, housed in a bright white ecclesias tical-looking 18th century building beside it, and pause for toast at Tartessos Bar (Calle Carmen Viejo 2). Agui and his team are masters at inventing revolutionary toast top pings (the Arenque-pate, smoked fish, onion and caramelised sugar is a perennial favourite). Sanlucar’s gourmet offerings come in all forms for all Suitablybudgets.refreshed, hike up the hill to Barrio Alto, a dense cluster of palaces and convents, and the high white walls of bodegas that were convents but now belong to the mighty wine producers, Barbadillo. Even the town hall is a palace – a pink and ochre striped one. The for mer summer residence of the dukes of Monpensier, it stands among the fig trees, palms, fountains and kum quats of slightly exotic, visitable bo
tanical gardens. Turn left at the town hall and follow a narrow street that soon becomes Calle Luis de Egui laz, against the direction of travel. All churches in Cadiz are good places to visit if you are hot or religious, but our Lady of the O is exceptional. The facade dates back to the 14th century and is quite plain, but the stone carving, and inside, the chapels, silver, gold and art are breathtaking. The Castillo de Santiago, further along, has the look of a giant toy fort and is the biggest in Cadiz, with cannons and costumes on display, and splendid views from the tower. (Open 10am - 2pm last entry & 5pm -7pm last Finally,entry).the Barbadillo bodega ( barbadillo. com/visitas-bodegas-barbadillo ), where you can amble through the museum, enjoy an educational tour and taste four wines, before tipsily buying more than intended in the shop. There are seven scheduled tours in Spanish on Saturdays, but only one, at 11am, in En Navigatingglish. the opening hours can be a pala ver, so consider leaving it to the experts. The Tourist Information Office, on Calzada Duquesa Isabel, has information on lo cal companies that offer tours combing attractions with sherry tastings, some taking place in the cool of the evening. But if your evening is free, join the throng in Plaza del Cabildo. The square with its fountain and palms is the best known of many better hidden plazas , and a bus tling, convivial spot for a couple of glasses of cold crisp manzanilla sherry and hot crisp tor tillitas de camarones You can visit five good bars within a few pac es, but be sure to include the upmarket tra ditional Barbiana for papas aliñas , and Casa Balbino, which has been serving up a huge selection of exceptional fish and seafood tapas to lucky locals and visiting stars of screen, peñas and bullrings since 1939. For a SanlucarSundaytraditionallunch,style,ithastobea plate of fish
TRY THE WINE
TheOlivePress-256x170-CAR-4.indd 1 2/8/18 17:01
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 7th - September 20th 2022 sonderwell.co.uk 11-15 St Mary at Hill, London, EC3R 8EE LIVE IN SPAIN WORK IN THE UK EARN UP TO PER WEEK INTERESTED?£980 CALL OR EMAIL US! 07599 111347 jayne.vale@sonderwell.co.uk OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 6 Burr, 7 Stressed, 9 Pronouns, 10 G D P, 11 Self-conscious, 14 Starting lines, 17 Foe, 18 Bereaved, 19 Missiles, 20 Calf. Down: 1 Nutrient, 2 Transformers, 3 Pseudo, 4 Crusts, 5 Hemp, 8 Significance, 12 Nun, 13 Unevenly, 15 In bulk, 16 Garish, 17 Fair.
EARN CASH WHEN YOU RECOMMEND US Línea Directa’s Expat2Expat programme means that whenever an existing customer recommends someone, both the policyholder and the friend are rewarded with €30 in cash, when that person takes out any policy. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to €300 in cash per year. Simply ask your friend to call and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of the next premium. See terms and conditions at lineadirecta.com
Trends come and go but Linea Directa is always top of the charts...
BACK in the 60s young people laughed at public transport by donning hotpants, shades and roller skates to glide on down to the local corner shop for some bread. And in the 70s personal hygiene went out the window when young men began growing those greasy lamb-chop sideburns that were to frame their face for the next decade. Then in the 80s young women eschewed French fashion trends by wearing leotards, legwarmers and getting scrunchy mullet haircuts to boogie-on-down to their local newsagents in the pouring rain. Now in the 2020s, 9 out of 10 Línea Directa customers get the same satisfaction and rec ommend their car, bike and home insurance Allpolicies.customer service and documentation is in English, their claims service is fast and effi cient, you can get quick, no obligation quotes over the phone, and their easy payment op tions help spread the cost of premiums.
CASTLE: and Bodegas Call their English-speaking customer service staff on 952-14-78-34 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com
*Fully comprehensive offer valid for new customers only. Guarantee subject to cover, repair atapproved garage, and courtesy vehicle availability. Subject to conditions. Offer ends 30/11/18.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
From previous page Sunday Time for the beach! It’s just a 10-minute walk from the centre, and inevitably, whatever route you take to the sea, the river and restaurants of Bajo de Guia will be to your right, and lots of sandy beach, 50 metres wide with boats, moored and bobbing in the shallows, to your left. Chiringuitos offer loungers and shades for hire, as well as good fried fish. If you’re hungry, don’t want to stray far from the beach, but fan cy something more – well, gastro, head to Doña Calma Gastrobar (Cal le Director Julián Cerdán) for lan goustine or tuna tacos and octopus empanadilla However, for a traditional Sunday lunch, Sanlucar style, it has to be a plate of fish in Bajo de Guia. Restau rants run the length of the pedes trian riverfront, their tables packed close together overlooking the estuary beach. The choice is over whelming, so watch what the people next to you order and have that. If you wonder what the white sand natural paradise is on the opposite bank, it’s Doñana National Park. The Real Fernando makes the crossing, stopping for an hour before returning. Tickets and informa tion on longer visits are available from the Fabrica de Hielo Visitor Centre at the start of the strip.
DEDICATED TO EXPATS Línea Directa has been providing comprehen sive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 25 years. With over 3 million customers nationwide, Línea Directa makes sure you get the best possible price for the insurance you really need.
EVERYTHING IS IN ENGLISH Their Roadside Assistance team speaks En glish and will quickly help you with your on ward journey. If you urgently need a duplicate set of keys for your motorcycle, then their English-speaking customer service will sort it out. And should you require Home Assistance to set up your new Wi-Fi connection, then En glish speaking technical staff will set up a visit.
TM 902 123 282
newsdesk@theolivepress.es IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION OR A QUOTATION, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF MY OFFICES, EMAILWWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NETINFO@JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NETORVISITTHEWEBSITE
over cash to
By Jorge Hinojosa
OVER the past few months, there has been an upheav al regarding funeral plans in the UK. Every week, it would appear that there was a new company provid ing plans. Most of these companies have now disap peared due to the new regulations for funeral plan providers in the UK, as they are now regulated by the FCA. However, due to these changes, and after a considerable amount of research, I decided to provide my clients with a Spanish-regulated funeral plan company, which has been providing funeral plans in Spain for many years, and is ful ly registered and regulated by both the Spanish authorities and the DGS. Why choose a funeral plan? Especially for the Expats and their families, funerals can be a very stressful and complicated experience. When you pur chase a funeral plan, you are making the whole process far easier and less stressful for your loved ones. Prices are fixed, with either full payment or with a small deposit, and a payment schedule over 60 months which is interest-free. There is no medical required, no health restric tions and no limit on age. In Spain, the funeral usually happens very quickly after death, which can be frightening and daunting for your family members to deal with. I cannot understand why you would not organise this, to help your loved ones at this very difficult Onetime.phone call and the plan goes into operation. There is a choice of three plans, and all the documentation required is included. If you decide that a funeral plan is not for you, you must make sure that your wishes are known, money is available immediately and that at least one of your loved ones has an NIE number. In line with Spanish law, direct cremation usually takes place 24-72 hours after death and prolonging this will incur extra mortuary expenses. Death is always traumatic and exhausting – why make it even harder for those left behind?
Take the test HEALTH authorities are oversee ing the withdrawal from the mar ket of three batches of Ardo Frozen Fruitberry Mix due to the presence of Hepatitis A. These are batches 586 2213 (best be fore date 10-11-2024) and 586 22131 (best before 11-11-2024) in 1 kilo packs; and batch 586 22131 (best be fore 31-05-2024) of 2.5 kilos. Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the suspected batches. The mix, which came from Bel gium, has been distributed in An Dodgy fruitberry dalucia, the Baleares, Catalunya, Murcia, Valencia and the Basque Country.
FAKE DOG SHELTERS
pay
never
the
you the name
money
at a
food and deliver it yourself.
NEVER hand individuals asking for to for vets bills. Instead, and address of the vets dog If you are living dog shelter address is registered. Fake dog shelters will give and address of their vets nor with authorities.
register your name and address
HEALTH 15September 7thSeptember 20th 2022
make sure your name and
COMBINED Covid/flu self di agnostic tests are starting to be pushed out to chemists. They will allow people to see if they are infected with Covid-19, Influenza type A or Influenza type B . Since the start of the month Covid cases have been falling, but there are still people dying and getting seriously ill from the disease. Official advice is to take a Covid test if you are suffering from symptoms, but some people don’t do so as they assume they have a cold or the flu. This is partly because some of the most severe Covid symp toms, such as a complete loss of smell, are not so prevalent now. Other symptoms such as con gestion, headaches, sore throats and a cough are easily confused with those of a cold or the flu. The new test costs €2.94.
Scare headlines by UK tabloids dismissed HEADLINES in British tab loids warning holidaymakers about a plague of bloodsucking bed bugs at hotels across Spain have been dismissed - and the blame put on tourists them Theselves.reports claimed that popu lar tourist destinations includ ing Costa Blanca, the Baleares and the Canary Islands were infested with the insects and putting holiday makers at risk. The Olive Press got on the case to find out the truth. Jorge Galvan, director of the Spanish Association of Envi ronmental Health (ANECPLA) confirmed that this year was a particularly bad one for bed bugs but explained that this was a global problem and not just a Spanish one. “The increase of bed bugs is not only affecting Spain, but it is also affecting every country,” he “Thesaid.main reason why there are more bed bugs is because of climate change and the in crease of temperatures,” he Inadded.fact, he warned that it may be the tourists themselves that are the problem, because they are transporting the bugs across borders in their clothes and luggage. Hotels “It’s quite possible there are more bed bugs in the UK than in Spain and that they are brought over to hotels here by the guests themselves,” he said. A spokesman for the Alicante hotels association told the Olive Press: “This information is to tally false, we haven’t received any reports of bed bugs in any of the hotels of Alicante. “It is the first time this year that I have heard about bed bugs,” he Likewise,added. the Spanish health ministry has not issued any warnings regarding bed bugs in hotels across Spain.
FUNERAL SOLUTION Are there funeral plans with no age restrictions?
DON’T LET IT BUG YOU
Dear Jennifer:
and pay them directly. ALWAYS buy
ask for the name
Faithful pooch barked for 6 hours to attract attention after owner fell down well
Virility “It was common to place them on the facades of hous es or represented on small amulets worn by soldiers as a symbol of virility, but not of such a size as the one found now,” explained Andres Roldan from the Museum of Nueva Carteya and the pro fessor leading the excavation “Weproject.are consulting the bibli ography and, at the moment, we have not found one of such dimensions,” he said. The relief carved on a lime stone block measures close to half a metre in length and is thought to have formed a cor nerstone of a tower on a large building crowning the hill of the Roman settlement. search uncovered 175 grams of co caine and a precision scale in addi tion to €7,360.
A GIANT phallic carving un covered by archaeologists at a site in Cordoba is believed to be one of the largest such finds dating from the Roman Althoughworld. depictions of the penis were a common theme used to represent fertility, bring luck and ward off the evil eye, the team digging at the Nueva Carteya site believe this particular relief carving is something more unusual.
Whale watch OVER 90 whales have been recorded in sight ings off the Denia coast since May. Around 100 volunteers have partic ipated in the Cape Fin whale project spotting the mammals at sea or from viewpoints.
shockedShell
A YOUNG dog who was res cued at just 15 days old has re turned the favour by saving his master’s life one year on. Joaquin Gallardo was exhaust ed and on the verge of giving up after he fell down a well and left floating for six-and-a-half hours in an isolated part of Rincon de la Victoria (Malaga). His cries for help had gone un heard during the ordeal – but his faithful dog Tanka refused to leave his master. It was Tanka’s incessant bark ing that finally raised the alarm, when two young wom en in a distant house decided to investigate the commotion. They were guided by the barking to a patch of isolated ground and By Dilip Kuner and the young man was finally hauled to safety suffering no more than a few bruises. to plunge into the unprotected well, losing his phone in the Forprocess.the next six-and-a-half hours Tanka kept barking. Gal lardo said: “She barked so much that police told me the dog was a wreck from exhaustion.” Favour It was a year ago that Gallar do had found Tanka on waste ground. She was barely 15 days old and very neglected. He rescued, nursed and cared for her and now Tanka has managed to return the favour.
Size matterdoes
FREE P RESSLIVEThe The localONLYRock’sfreepaper O GIBRALTAR Vol. 6 Issue 181 www.theolivepress.es September 7th - September 20th 2022We use recycled paper REREREuseducecycle *Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services. 952 147 834 TheOlivePress-256x170-MP0622.indd 1 6/6/22 10:43 WORDSFINAL Well done!
A LARGE Sulcata tortoise has been rescued from the Pudio River in Sevilla with police taking the endan gered species to the sta tion for a bite to eat before handing it over to a reserve.
Bad luck A MAN restoring a prop erty in Galicia has found €24,000 worth of old peseta banknotes stuffed in Nesquik bottles but they are worthless as the deadline for exchanging them for euros passed in February.
thefallenGallardotheTankaIronically,wasreasonhaddownwellinthe first place. He had been chatting to his mum via WhatsApp when the pooch ran off after a cat. Gallardo fol lowed, only heard the yells of HeGallardo.was stuck in the 10-metre deep well, with no footing and grimly staying afloat. They called the police BEST PALS: Joaquin and Tanka SNOW JOKE A GANDIA man sold cocaine which he had hidden in his Covid mask. The 59-year-old Spaniard drew the attention of police who decided to watch him in action. Officers spotted several people ap proaching him in the street and en gaging in a brief conversation. They saw him remove his mask each time and noted an exchange of items. He was arrested and a home
