Olive Press Gibraltar - Issue 184

The

richest architects and

mud

Property Magazine

inside

FRONTIER FRACAS

THE Gibraltar cross-frontier group of business groups and unions has tried to thrash out ‘technical solutions’ for an EU treaty with the British territo ry’s leaders.

In a meeting, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo gave the group’s leaders the latest updates on negotiations be tween the UK and the EU.

During a discussion afterwards, the cross-frontier group put across their view that ‘the priorities and concerns of the citizens of Gibraltar and of the Campo de Gibraltar should come first’ in the EU treaty negotiations.

Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia, who was also at the meeting, have been lobbying UK po litical parties for their support recent ly.“Work should continue to enhance the area of shared prosperity in the region which depends on a fluid bor der,” the meeting participants said in a Gibraltar Government statement.

Negotiations on the EU treaty have continued intensively in both Spain and London nearly two years after Gibraltar signed the New Year’s Eve framework agreement in December 2019.

If a treaty is not signed, Gibraltar’s frontier could become a hard EU border that would significantly hurt trade and the economic stability of the region.

Fresh eyes

Rape victim appeals for new look at crimes that may have involved German Maddie suspect in Spain

POLICE in Spain are being urged to re-open any unsolved rape or child abuse cases that could in volve a foreigner over the past two decades.

It comes after dangerous paedo phile Christian Brueckner was charged with five more serious sex crimes on the Algarve between 2000 and 2017.

The German rapist, who has been named as an official suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, spent long periods of time in Spain.

He criss-crossed the country on ‘dozens of occasions’, frequent ly staying in Granada, as well as Malaga, Almeria and Valencia, from 1995.

Expats and locals are joining an Irish rape victim - allegedly at tacked by Brueckner, 45, in 2004 - who believes there are ‘likely’ many more victims across the Ibe rian Peninsula.

Hazel Behan, 39, told the Olive Press this week: “Given what we know about Brueckner’s past, alongside the crimes he has re cently been charged with, surely it makes sense to revisit all unsolved similar cases in areas where he was known to spend significant

EXCLUSIVE

By Jon Clarke

lengths of time.”

Behan, who was raped as a young holiday rep on the Algarve, is due to face her alleged attacker Bruec kner in a German court in the Spring.

Waving her right to anonymity, the mother-of-three, from Dublin, added: “Victims and their fami lies deserve answers and closure.

If there is any indication that Brueckner could be connected to a crime, then this needs the full at tention of the police and warrants, at the very least, further investiga tion.”

In addition to Behan, prosecutors in Germany have charged Brueck ner with two further rapes, one of a teenage girl, around 15, as well as another woman in her ‘70s or 80s’.

Granada

All three rapes were filmed, after he had attacked and bound the victims. He will also face two charges of assaulting young children as far apart as 2007 and 2017.

The Olive Press revealed in 2020 that Brueckner was a regular vis itor to the Al pujarra region of Granada and stayed for many days at a time. He was cer tainly in the Orgiva area for the Dragon music festival in March 2007

and 2008 and he was a regular visitor ‘until at least 2011’ revealed various former friends.

“He was here on dozens of occa sions in many vehicles, including his Jaguar, the famous VW van and even his giant winnebago,” one confirmed to the paper this week.

“He was mostly coming here to buy and sell drugs, but who knows what else he got up to,” he added.

It was allegedly during a weeklong visit to the Dragon bash in 2008 that he admitted to friends he was involved in the snatching of Maddie, then 3, on the Algarve, in May 2007.

One Orgiva resident, Jo Chip chase, a mother-of-two, is ‘hor rified’ that he could be behind crimes in her area.

Chipchase, who attended the Dragon Festival and other parties at the time, added: “I often took my kids so it is horrifying to think that an international sexual pred ator was mingling among families using the itinerant and largely traveller community to hide with in.

“I was completely unaware of the dark element that was clearly lurking, but it would be a perfect way to mask his sick activities.”

The former PR executive, 50,

added: “I think there should be more cross-border control of sex offenders to protect the public from crimes like this and anything unsolved, involving any potential links to Brueckner must be re opened.”

Mayor of Orgiva, Raul Orellana, told the Olive Press: “I don’t think there are any ‘denuncias’ to cor roborate crimes being committed by him during his time here.”

Charges

Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolt ers, at Braunschweig Court, told the Olive Press Brueckner will face the five charges in ‘the Spring or early summer’.

Wolters, whose department has been probing him over Maddie since 2018, added: “We are also certain that he killed the British toddler.”

He would not speculate on any other crimes he might have com mitted in Spain, but confirmed his

department would investi gate any credible evidence.

The Guardia Civil was not able to provide any infor mation as we went to press.

“We are looking into it, but it will probably take some time,” said a spokesman in Madrid. “We can’t com ment at this stage.”

CHARGES: Brueckner faces five new sex crimes, including rape of Behan (right)

IN BRIEF

Persistence penalised

POLICE arrested a man who allegedly tried to carry out three burglaries and finally broke into one home.

Cruise control TOURISM Minister Vijay Daryanani talked to the UK cruise press when the visit of the Re gent Seven Seas Splendor cruise liner arrived in Gi braltar.

Kitted out

DIGNITARIES attend ed a Laying Up of the Old Colours ceremony where the Gibraltar Regiment put on dis play its uniform in the King’s Chapel.

Biker banned

A COURT banned Lewis Dadaian, 24, from driving for six months after officers caught him speeding and swerving his mo torbike on Queensway.

A MAN who wrote off his car when he crashed into railings while drink driving has lost his licence for 22 months.

Leam Mauro, 43, of Beach View Terrac es, admitted drink driving and Magis trates fined him £1,000.

Mauro was twice the legal limit when driving a Mercedes Benz north along Winston Churchill Avenue at around

Merc writeoff

11.40pm in April this year.

He smashed into metallic railings that line the pavement and wrote off his car, but no-one else was hurt in the accident.

“The collision caused extensive damage to the vehicle and the railings,” said the Royal Gibraltar Police.

Sinking feeling

Money laundering case sees yacht owner plead guilty

A MAN from Gibraltar who admitted to owning a £200,000 yacht police seized in 2020 in a money launder ing investigation could now be facing jail time.

John Spiro Azzopardi, 69, of Crutchetts Ramp, pleaded guilty to Concealing Criminal Property, putting an early end to the trial.

Supreme Court judges acquit ted his daughter, Kyra Azzo pardi, 41, of money launder

By John Culatto

ing after prosecutors offered no evidence.

The landmark case was seen as fruit of cross-border police cooperation with the Guardia Civil.

Other than owning the boat, both defendants were original ly accused of transferring large amounts of money believed to be from criminal activities.

MAFIA BOSS ARREST

ONE of the main bosses from a notorious Italian mafia gang has been arrested on the Costa del Sol. Plain-clothed cops arrested the man while he was leaving his house on a bicycle in Fuengirola. He is allegedly a part of the Calabrian Ndrangheta mafia. He has four European arrest and extradition orders against him for drug trafficking, money laundering, cor ruption and forgery of documents.

“The RGP will look to remove the proceeds of crime away from criminals,” Detective Chief Inspector Tom Tun bridge of the Royal Gibraltar Police’s Economic crime Unit said.

“Pursuing assets from organ ised crime groups is a priority for us.”

The case comes after recent studies by financial crime monitoring groups like Mon eyVal reported that Gibraltar does not do enough to fight money laundering,

“In this case, we’ve seized a £200,000 yacht to show that crime does not pay,” Tun bridge said.

Sentence

“The result also shows that we are effective in tackling money laundering on the Rock, which supports our MoneyVal and Financial Action Task Force evaluation process,” he added.

Supreme Court judges will now sentence Azzopardi on November 7.

PAEDO FOUND GUILTY

A GIBRALTAR court has found a local man guilty of 15 sexual offences against children under 16-years-old.

James Alman, 68, was accused of touching and kissing two girls aged be tween 13 and 15-years-old between 2006 and 2010.

He was a family friend of the victims, the Magis trates Court heard.

The incident first came to light after the allegations were posted online.

Police investigators from the Safeguarding Team took on the case in Janu ary 2019.

Reported

They interviewed Alman and reported him for sum mons at the Magistrate’s Court.

“Following an in-depth investigation by our de tectives, we are pleased to hear that Alman has been found guilty of all 15 charges,” Detective Ser geant Jo Ullger, who leads the RGP’s Safeguarding Team, said.

“We hope this will allow the victims and their fami lies to have some closure.” Magistrates will sentence Alman on November 7.

Dutch reign in Malaga

NETHERLANDS have beaten En gland to be crowned the champions of this year’s Dream11 European Cricket Championships in Malaga. After five-weeks of cricket at the Carta ma Oval the Dutch defeated the reigning champions England under the lights on October 14.

The Dutch were right on top from the start as England were 63/7, until Sam

Pearce made his way to the crease and got his country up to 99, setting exactly 100 for victory.

Strong batting from Boris Gorlee and Ryan Klein left just six required, and Shi rase Rasool punished a full delivery into the legside to finish the game in style.

Spain failed to capitalise on two chances to make it into the all-important final. But the home nation has a lot to be proud

LIV winner

SPANISH golfer Adrian Otae gui has become the first player from the upstart LIV Golf series to win a DP World Tour event.

Valderrama in Sotogrande hosted the Andalucian Mas ters as part of what used to be known as the European Tour.

Otaegui, aged 29, had initial ly been suspended from the DP World Tour and fined £100,000 (€114,000) when he joined the Greg Norman found ed alternative LIV Golf Series.

He appealed to an independent arbiter who stayed the suspen sion, allowing Ortaegui to com pete at Valderrama.

He seized his chance to shoot a tournament record 19-un der 265 total that was six bet ter than runner-up Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren.

of, boasting a win against last year’s champions England and bringing new eyes to the sport.

MATCH ON

Neymar appears in court hours after scoring winning goal

FRESH from scoring the only goal in Paris Saint-Ger man’s match against Mar seille, Brazilian superstar Neymar has headed to a Spanish court.

He arrived in Barcelona on Monday for the first day of his corruption trial, related to his 2013 transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the Catalan capital.

Also present in the Pro vincial Court of Barcelona were other defendants, in cluding his parents and the former presidents of Bar celona Football Club, San dro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu.

They are all accused of ir regularities in the trans fer process that took place nearly a decade ago.

Neymar’s court appearance

Hacked off!

HE may have had a safe pair of hands when he was Spain’s goalkeeper, but former Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas seems to have dropped the ball with a recent tweet.

He posted and then deleted a message say ing: “I hope I’ll be respected: I’m gay.”

And then former Spain teammate Carles Puyol (pictured with Casillas) chipped in with the reply: “It’s time to tell them about us, Iker,” followed by a heart and a kiss emoji.

But then Casillas backtracked, saying his ac count had been hacked, and asked for for giveness from his followers and the LGBT community, leading to a backlash.

The original message is thought to have been a response to speculation that the 41-year-

By Simon Hunter

was a short one after his lawyer requested he be al lowed to leave given that he had been playing just a few hours before.

The judge raised a laugh in the courtroom, when he stated that ‘it is notable that Mr Da Silva was scoring a goal while I was in bed’.

The public prosecutor is de manding a two-year prison sentence for Neymar, while the private prosecution brought by Brazilian inves tor DIS wants five years. DIS, which owned 40% of the player’s sporting rights when he was at Santos, claims that the true cost of the transfer was kept from the company and as a result

TRIAL: Neymar is accused of corruption

it received a lower share. Neymar is not the only high-profile foreign football player to have fallen foul of the law in Spain in recent years. In 2016, then-Barcelona player Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio, were sentenced to 21 months’ jail time for three tax offences.

Sentence

SPANISH teams have dominated the Ballon d’Or with players scooping both top awards in the presti gious competition.

Real Madrid and France’s Karim Benzema was named best men’s footbal ler while Barcelo na and Spain’s Alexia Pute llas took the trophy for best woman.

A Spanish side also claimed the youth crown, with Barce

Home win

lona’s Gavi deemed the best footballer under 21 in 2022.

Robert Lewandowsk of Poland and Barcelona was voted fourth in the main category, but won the best striker of the year award.

Thibaut Courtois for Real Madrid and Belgium was named the finest goalkeeper for the 202122 season.

Dusty drive

A CONVOY of elderly Peugeot 205s and Citroen C15s has been passing through Spain on its way to Morocco for a 3000km rally. Dubbed the Dust Race, it makes entrants en dure the scorching sun, freezing nights in the desert, sand storms and fatigue in what is supposed to be a ‘fun’ event.

old is in a relationship with a woman called Alejandra Onieva.

The incident drew condemnation from sports authorities and rights activists. Puyol also apologised on Twitter for a ‘clumsy joke’.

The Argentine avoided serving any prison time after paying a more than €250,000 fine. Meanwhile, former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo was given a twoyear suspended sentence in 2018 and slapped with a €16.8 million fine for evad ing some €15 million in tax between 2011 and 2014.

Restricted to 205s and C15s, the course covers the Iberi an Peninsula, then heads for the hard tracks of Morocco, into desert dunes and finally finishes in Marrakech.

Vying for glory

POOL and netball teams have competed against internation al opposition in competitions around Europe.

Minister for Sport Steven Lin ares sent the Rock’s ‘warriors’ off with his best wishes for their battles against estab lished nations including En gland and Scotland.

A squad put together by the Gi braltar Pool Association (GPA) took part at the World Black ball Championships in France.

Meanwhile, the senior squad of the Gibraltar Netball Asso ciation travelled to Glasgow to take part in the Europe Netball World Cup qualifiers.

Brexit parallels

UK Minister for Europe on the Rock

UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty struck a parallel be tween support for Gibraltar’s British sovereignty and his vote for Brexit during his visit to the Rock.

Docherty said that he was ‘very pleased’ to be in Gibraltar after his original plans to visit on Na tional Day were postponed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The UK Minister for Europe is heavily involved in talks over an EU treaty with Spain.

“Forge your own destiny,” he told GBC about Gibraltar’s de

By John Culatto

sire to remain British, likening it to his constituents’ support for Brexit.

Ironically, 96% of Gibraltari ans voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 EU referen dum.

“We’re absolutely committed to the double lock. Sovereignty is off the table,” he continued.

“We would never engage in negotiations that were not approved by Gibraltarians in

Constructive, but no U-turn yet

AN angry group of expat motorists who can not legally drive in Spain have had a ‘construc tive’ meeting with the UK ambassador.

While they had originally planned a protest for last week, the four men from an ‘Invasion of the British Embassy’ group aired their griev ances over a cup of tea yesterday.

“We felt we were listened to,” organiser Pascal Siegmund told The Olive Press. “We covered who is affected, the financial impacts, health and wellbeing impacts, challenges with the driving test, police and cost. We questioned the timing and legality of the ban.”

“The ambassador reiterated he believes they are approaching the end of the negotiations,” added Siegmund, who set up the group to highlight the plight of those caught up in the driving licence debacle.

The group agreed that all protests would be

U-T URN N O !W

put on hold until this week’s meeting. Accompanying Pascal were Malaga-based Roger Jenkins, from Wales, Irishman Theo Laverty, who lives in Madrid, and Jokin Mena, who came from San Sebastian.

terms of the process and the outcome.”

Docherty said that he learnt more about the strategic naval base and ‘remarkable things Gibraltarians have achieved in terms of the increase of the GDP per capita’ during his stay.

“I’ve had a really good look at the airport and frontier,” he told GBC.

“The movement of frontier workers and mobility generally

is a really important compo nent of the negotiations.”

As former defence minister and British Army soldier he spoke glowingly of the NATO connec tion with the Rock.

“I’ve got a deep respect and ad miration for the commitment of Gibraltarians, not just in a mil itary sense, but also in the way you’ve formed an amazingly diverse and buoyant economy here,” Docherty said.

TEN Gibraltar Defence Po lice (GDP) officers recently took part in a ‘gruelling’ heavy weapons training course at sea, the UK Min istry of Defence said.

GDP firearms instructors imparted the course over a week after being trained at Portsmouth by Minis try of Defence Police.

all our plansGet TRIPLE DATA!

All with

in Spain, to the UK and other

WRECK STABLE

THE sunken OS 35 shipwreck in Gibraltar is now releasing less oil than before as port workers keep a close eye on the situation until the ship owners arrange to remove it.

The Gibraltar Port Authority (GPA) said workers will be re moving the boom occasional ly before storms and when it gets damaged.

During a recent ‘unexpected swell’, the GPA said ‘only light sheening escaped the vessel’ with it cleaned up be fore reaching beaches.

New face

THE parliament of Gibraltar will get a complete facelift starting in November. New of fice areas on the ground floor, an open glass-panelled recep tion area and an internal lift are all part of the plans. The scheme also includes a small cafe kiosk.

Guns galore

The course was ‘intense and physically demand ing’ according to the MoD statement.

All ten officers passed the course and are now fully qualified in Waterborne Firearms Tactics.

Now with TRIPLE DATA on all our plans until

KEEP ON FIGHTING

THE head of Gibraltar’s push for self-determination be lieves that high level-involve ment in EU Treaty negotia tions shows how the UK and even Spain trusts the Rock’s government to decide its own people’s future.

Chairman of the Self-Deter mination for Gibraltar Group (SDGG) Richard Buttigieg echoed Chief Minister Fabian Picardo’s message about the Rock’s ‘inalienable right to self-determination.’

Despite National Day being cancelled, Gibraltar contin ued its quest for self-determi nation at the United Nations committee on decolonisation recently.

“There is an element of self-determination in the on going talks and all surround

ing issues in the sense that it is Gibraltar through its gov ernment and representatives that is making its own case for what it wants its post-Brexit reality to be,” Buttigieg told the Olive Press.

“This ability to choose what we want ourselves is at the very heart of the SDGG ethos.”

Future

Even while the SDGG awaits the final result of current ne gotiations, the SDGG chair man believes the fight will not end with a deal, or even no deal.

“One must remember that

WE WILL DECIDE

FABIAN Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, stated to the UN that its people would ‘simply not accept’ any dis cussion of its British sovereignty without their consent. He outlined self-determination as the main driving force of Gibraltar’s argument for decolonisation at the UN General Assembly while recalling the desire to negotiate over the EU treaty.

Picardo pointed out that the Committee of 24 has still not visited the Rock, despite various invitations from the gov ernment of Gibraltar to do so.

Gibraltar’s Chief Minister went to New York immediately after the Tory party conference.

He based his statement on the principle of self-determi nation in response to Spain’s territorial integrity claim.

such a right is not exercised once and for all, or indeed only once,” he said.

“The right to self-determina tion is a continuing right in the sense that we must always be in charge of our own future.

“So we can, and should always try, to progress our rights.”

If a deal is reached, the ac tivist believes that Gibraltar might have to look at changes to its 2006 relationship with the UK, as the government has hinted at over the last few years in regard to Brexit.

“It may well be necessary to review our constitution de pending on and if a post-Brex it deal is achieved,” Buttigieg said.

“It will of course be crucial that if there are any consti tutional changes they do not detract from our ability to ex ercise our right to self-deter mination.”

Spain’s official line at United Nations meetings has always been to label Gibraltar a colo ny and not give them a voice.

But the latest EU negotiations seem to have signalled a dif ferent attitude under the cur rent left-wing coalition.

“I think that although the of ficial position is that negotia tions are officially between the UK and Spain, Gibraltar is far from being ignored,” Buttigieg

said.

“Not only is it present in all meetings but, as I understand it, it is Gibraltar’s views and positions that are shaping the discussions and even the mi nutiae of the outcome.”

And he said it is no surprise either considering the ever greater voices of small territo ries across the world to decide their own future.

Taiwan, Basque Country, Catalunya, Western Sahara, Kurdistan and Hong Kong have all pushed their own agendas on the internation al stage, often against much more powerful international forces than their own.

Negotiations

“As more and more countries or territories such as these seek to pursue their own agendas, Gibraltar’s position can be strengthened and it might become more difficult to refute our arguments,” the SDGG chairman said.

“We must therefore continue the fight however frustrated we might sometimes get and however long it takes.

“It is a fight worth fighting – for our sake, in honour of those generations before who gave up so much and for the sake of our children.”

DETERMINED: Buttigieg says Gib should keep charge

Thinking of relocating or starting a business in GIBRALTAR! Look no further…

We can look after all your needs whether you require a hot desk, dedicated desk or an office we can help!

We have over 12 years’ experience in helping to relocate or establishing businesses in Gibraltar.

● Registration for Tax, Si, ETB etc.

● Application of business licenses

● Introductions to accountants, banks, estate agents company/ Property management

For a FREE consultation call Chris on +350 200 66330 or email on chris@gibraltarbusinesscentre.com

SDGG’s Richard Buttigieg tells John Culatto that Gibraltar must keep charge of its own future

Voted top expat paper in Spain

‘It’s right to try’

CHIEF Minister Fabian Picardo’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly and Spain’s desire to keep labelling Gibraltar as a colony shows just how little has changed since Franco’s time.

Even when Gibraltar’s delegation sits opposite Spain’s top negotiators at tables all over Spain and London to sort out a new EU treaty, there is still no love lost be tween the two sides.

It is therefore no wonder that talks for a post-Brex it agreement have continued way past the originally planned six months.

While that time period was inevitably affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiations could soon be head ing into their second year at this rate.

It is also no surprise that people on the Rock are suspi cious of Spanish intentions.

Even former Chief Minister Sir Peter Caruana said that making such an EU deal would involve ‘a price’ for Gi braltar in a GBC interview.

“Nobody gets anything of value for nothing,” he famously told interviewer Jonathan Scott in 2021.

“But the opposite of the prize is suffering the conse quences of a hard Brexit forever,” Caruana added.

It is this reminder that has echoed in local minds for nearly two years.

Continuing speeches at the UN have failed to reach any solution either.

Spain’s diplomatic influence there under the principle of territorial integrity continues to have sway in this envi ronment.

They will also have a greater influence than a UK fraught with internal and external tension and an EU now seem ingly backing this claim.

This is ironic too, considering the EU’s support for Ukraine, but it is the state of partisan geopolitics at this time.

Gibraltar will undoubtedly have to take the talks slow er than ever to make sure they do just enough to get a free-flowing frontier.

Giving more than that could be a dangerous precedent, but as Caruana reminded: ‘it’s right to try’.

NOT ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL

NEWanimal welfare legislation has grabbed the headlines for classing pets as sentient beings - but now the governing PSOE wants to introduce a massive loophole.

The new law considers pets to have feelings and be more like children than objects, in the legal sense and has been passed by Con gress.

Under the concept of mistreating a sentient being, owners who have been convicted of an imal abuse could potentially have the custody of their children denied. The emphasis is sup posed to be on the wellbeing of the animal. But now the PSOE wants to amend the incom

By Jo Chipchase

ing laws to exclude ‘non-pets’ – potentially the most abused category of animals. The ‘non-pets’ category would include dogs used for hunting, sports activities, falconry, and herding, as well as rescue dogs. The inten tion is to provide these animals with ‘specific legislation’, in line with European standards.

Patxi López, parliamentary spokesman for the socialists, said this move is to prevent ‘wrong and ill-intentioned interpretations’ of the new laws. Critics, however, say that the govern

ment has bowed to pressure from hunters and wants to placate voters in rural areas by exempting their dogs. The PSOE’s idea is that ex cluded animals would later come under a specific law, such as a National Game Management Strategy. As a result, the Animal Welfare Act would legislate only for ‘pets that live in a house with their owners’.

Campaign groups, including PACMA, have been protesting about the exemption, with 21 demonstrations so far taking place throughout Spain.

PSOE confirms Orwell’s cynical view on the rights of our four-legged friends as seen from Animal Farm

What will happen next?

The parliamentary processes for the new animal rights laws are grinding onwards. The consultation process initially lasts two weeks, although it can be extended. Lat er, the amendments proposed by Spain’s political parties will be debated. Podemos and some other parties dislike the pro posed amendments about hunting dogs and think these should be withdrawn. Finally, the entire text of the incoming law is voted in Congress and passed to the Senate. If there are no changes, it is ap proved, otherwise, voting happens again in the lower house. The General Director ate for Animal Rights is hopeful that the process will be completed during 2022. Meanwhile, the penal code is being revised to increase the penalties for animal abuse, from a maximum of 18 months in prison to 36. This might fall short of some people’s expectations in a country where 200,000 animals are abandoned annually.

What are the new rules for Spain’s pets?

In the case of domestic pets, the new rules have been receiving a mixed reaction. In coming laws will insist that owners apply for pet DNI cards, rather like our TIEs. To ensure that they know their ‘ patas ’ from their ‘ pulgas ’, new owners will be obliged

LIFE IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED

(ButopenedinSpain’sCabodeGata!)

Alittle-known

fact: John Lennon had terrible eyesight. By to day’s standards he would have been considered legally blind without his glasses.

He was severely myopic, had astigmatism and dyslexia. Op tometrists today call it the Irlen Syndrome. Furthermore, Lennon was self-conscious about this fact and early in his career resisted wearing glasses during performances.

His personal doctor once said: “Without his glasses, the world was blurred and distorted for John. He could see the end of his guitar and frets but not much beyond.”

Another little- known fact: Rolling Stone Magazine once stated that Lennon’s lyrics, his hair and his ‘granny glasses’ were probably the most enduring and iconic trademarks of the late Beatle, John Lennon. What follows is the Spanish backstory of those very granny glasses that were such an enduring part of his public image.

In 1967 John Lennon had a small, non-musical role in the John Les ter movie How I Won the War. Much of the filming of the movie was

done in the Carboneras area of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park.

His role was very minor and, during the shooting, Lennon had a lot of downtime which offered him a welcome respite from his arduous music tours.

Lennon and wife Cynthia joined actor Michael Crawford and wife Gabrielle Lewis in renting the San ta Isabel Villa.

On the set, John enjoyed observing the production of the movie as just another cast member. He could in teract as a normal person for the first time in a long time.

Lennon would later note that he found the rural setting and time-off from the hectic world of rock and

roll to be profoundly restorative.

To prepare for his role, Lennon got a standard haircut which con trasted sharply with his mop-top image. He was also given a pair of ‘standard metal British National Health Service glasses’ - issued free by the NHS.

The round, small lens, metal framed glasses were the farthest thing from being fashionable but, for reasons known only to Lennon, he felt comfortable in Spain, and was not worried about how he looked in these round granny glasses.

They opened his eyes (pun intended) to some of the beauty of the Cabo de Gata area which surrounded him. The Santa Isabel Villa, with its wrought iron gates and lush vegetation, reminded Lennon of the Strawberry Field - a Salvation Army garden near Lennon’s child hood home in Liverpool.

Lennon, perhaps with the newly found vision aided by his NHS sup plied glasses, was inspired to write his classic song Strawberry Fields Forever during his stay in Cabo de Gata.

John Lennon would have been 82 this month and to mark World Sight Day, Jack Gaioni investigates a little known fact about his famous spectacles and their link to Almeria

VISIT: Ringo Starr with Lennon in Almeria, and with Cynthia

NOT SAFE: Even Spanish Waterdogs are at risk

propertySpain’sbest maginEnglish

roperty

BUILDING FORTUNES...

...but where do Spain’s Santiago Calatrava and Spain-based Norman Foster rank in the world’s wealthiest architects?

See Rich by design on page 8 to find out

Modern mud hut - the very latest technology

LIVING LIFE AT THE TOP

MALAGA offers one of the best qualities of life in Spain.

A new survey put the city as sixth out of Spain’s main 15 cities.

It is only beaten by Cordoba in Anda lucia, in the poll by the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU).

Malaga was considered one of the best places to live and work in Spain with praise for its cost of living, en

Malaga,CordobaandSevillaamongthebestplacestoliveinSpain

By Cristina Hodgson

vironmental care and climate.

The city, with a population of 577,405, also fared well for its ‘abundance of leisure facilities and the digital infrastructures available’.

In total, it scored 66 points, with Cordoba only just beating it with 68 points in Andalucia.

The only other southern city to make the top 10 was Sevilla at 10th with 63 points, while Valencia (65) came seventh and Alicante (64) ninth.

Vigo, in Galicia, came top of the list

of top places to live in the survey of 3,000 people in each of the coun try’s most populated locations.

The northern city scored 70 points despite having wet weather on a par with Britain.

Malaga is the fourth sunniest city in Europe and has reasonable air qual

ity, as well as a good airport with great international connections.

Forbes magazine also recently cited it as one of the best cities to live in Europe.

The survey questioned residents’ opinions on mobility, health and edu cation, public safety, the labour mar ket, the cost of living, environment, pollution and urban cleanliness.

RICH BY DESIGN

They are the superstars of the architectural world, their colossal vision matched only by colossal rewards. Quite a few have Spanish links, discovers Dilip Kuner

ARCHITECTURE is an influential career.

The most imaginati ve architects have a keen understanding of the power of their designs.

From single homes to the grandest of public buildings, architecture has a lasting im pact on the way we live, the way we view ourselves and our environments. The visio nary designs can alter peo ple’s moods.

Of course, bad architecture can affect people’s moods negatively and the worst mu nicipal architecture can drag entire towns down, and pro duce living spaces that frame a gloomy introspective view of the world.

But inspired designs can lift the spirits, and for those ar chitects that have the talent to change our vision of life for the better, the rewards can be great. They are showe red with honours, have the respect of their peers, and the very best are extremely wealthy.

Here we take a look at tho se who have made the big bucks with a countdown of the 5 richest architects in the world.

Renzo Piano €25 Million

HAVING a construction worker for a father gave Renzo Piano an interest in all-things-building from a young age.

The 85-year-old Italian’s interest blossomed into an exceptional career as an architect and made him a €25 million fortune – a far cry from his humble roots.

His list of credits is stellar, inclu ding collaborating and designing Hermes Maison in Tokyo (right), The Pompidou Centre in Paris (with Richard Rogers), and the Morgan Library in New York.

Frank Gehry - €100 Million

AT 93-years-old, American Frank Gehry can be viewed as the ‘grandfather’ of all current architects, or maybe a big brother to the octogenarians who share the lime light with him in the top five.

Santiago Calatrava - €100 million

WHILE Renzo Piano is not exactly a pauper, it is those in the top four spots who are really in the big league – and three of them can’t be separated.

Spanish painter, architect and sculptor Santiago Calatrava, 84, is particularly known in architecture for bridges suppor ted by single leaning pylons, and for his railway stations, stadiums, and museums. His work is notable for sculptural forms that often resemble living organisms.

Among the most famous are the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York, Twisting Torso Tower in Sweden, Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Tenerife Audi torium (above).

But his masterpiece is arguably the City of Arts and Scien ces in Valencia, a stunning achievement and testimony to his unique talent.

THE Israeli-Canadian-American Moshe Safdie hit the big time internationally with the stunning Habitat 67 in Montreal (below).

This was an adaptation of his thesis, and the first project of his company Safdie Architects.

He saw it as a way of re-imagi ning urban living and it certain ly caught the imagination of the world’s architects.

Moshe Safdie €100 Million

5 =2=2

His seven decades of work, mostly in Europe and the United States, have helped redefine cityscapes with his unique designs.

A number of his buildings, inclu ding his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His projects include the Ex

perience Music Project in Seattle, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los An geles and the Marques de Riscal winery in La Rioja, Spain. He is also the man behind the Guggenheim Mu seum (pictured) in Bilbao, widely regarded as one of Spain’s most important modern buildings.

The 84-year-old has had nonstop success ever since, with nota ble structures, including the Crys tal Bridges Museum of American Art (below); The National Gallery of Canada; and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust

NO DES RES

But 3D print homes coming

THE

Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya is de veloping the technology to 3D print houses.

But at the moment the final product seems to be more mud hut that des res.

Several postgraduates have combined the ultra-modern technol ogy of 3D printing with the age-old material of clay to come up with a prototype home called TOVA.

Clay is one of the oldest building materials that archaeologists have uncovered. Whether it uses the sun as its hardener or it’s fired in kilns to make bricks, it’s one of the most sustainable ma terials available.

The students combined clay with polymers to be able to use the 3D printer for constructing a house.

Its design is described as ‘functional’, with an insulated ceiling giv ing better temperature control.

The window allows natural light to brighten the space while the walls have ventilation holes for fresh air.

There is also just about enough room to use a foldaway bed.

Lord Norman Foster - €240 Million

HE may have his equals (though very few) when it comes to archi tecture, but in terms of cash, Britain’s Lord Norman Foster (he was made Baron Foster of Thames Bank in July) is in a league of his own. He founded his firm Foster + Partners in 1967 with a remit to create elegant modern buildings from steel and glass.

The 87-year-old’s most notable projects include the Citibank Head quarters located in Hangzhou, China, and, of course, the Gherkin in London. These are just two of hundreds of projects world-wide that he has been involved in over the decades.

He has multiple awards, is still setting trends, and remains in high demand. His work is highly regarded in Spain, and includes the Cepsa tower (right) in Madrid, the Palacio de Congresos of Valencia, Faustino’s Portia de Burgos winery (above), the Collserola com munications tower and the Bilbao metro.

The Norman Foster Foundation in Spainbased in Madrid where his Galician-born wife Elena Ochoa lives - is active in nurturing communi ty architecture that makes an impact on people’s everyday lives.

The sharp increases in the rising costs of inflation is affecting lifes tyles and housing needs as one also considers energy efficiency in their homes.

We have seen an increasing de mand from homeowners seeking larger living areas, open plan and bright layouts, and in particular out door spaces, where one can enjoy freedom within the seclusion of their homes.

The homes themselves are becoming a habitat to cater for all living requi rements all year round and technolo gy now embraces the function, ability and comfort of the ideal home as we move into a modern age of technolo gy and building sustainability.

THE BAY – GIBRALTAR

(OFF PLAN PRICE)

Bedrooms: 3 | Bathrooms:

The North Gorge development, con

17b

Terraced villas also with integral garage, balconies, car port and solarium

NEW DEVELOPMENTS TO COME:

Register with BFA for your VIP listings before launch

• North Gorge - Luxury Eco Friendly Villas within the surrounds of a Natural Sanctuary

The Quarters

Calpe Lodge

Caleta Hotel & Luxury Sea Side Apartment Project

Queens Plaza - Com mercial and Residential Development

THE FERN – GIBRALTAR

(OFF PLAN PRICE)

HIGHER STANDARDS

Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 4

Property development update in Gibraltar with BFA Estate Agents

of the development.

Designed with airtight building cons truction and photo-voltaic technolo gy for the efficient use of sun power for lighting and heating, the proper ties are designed for luxury living within a beautifully natural enclave, sensitive to the environment, waste, water and energy efficiency.

DETAILS

new schools, sporting complexes, roads, airport, public transport, ser vices, and clean energy infrastructu re, all within a vibrant economy with a strong growth in Gross Domestic Product against a low unemploy ment rate.

Investment

NORTH GORGE DEVELOPMENT

both local housing needs and other inward property investment within the private sector.

Gibraltar continues to re-urbanize brownfield sites as well as reclaim new land to provide for the deve lopment of the peninsula, which is experiencing a growing demand for

The fiscal framework provides a se cure platform for investment and op timum returns on capital.

Tel: 00(350) 200 71131

LAST 8 REMAINING VILLAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION – RESERVE YOURS NOW!

Email: info@bfagib.com www.bfagib.com

Continuous economic growth over the last decade has also initiated sig nificant public-sector investment into

This direct investment in public urban renewal has fuelled and motivated private sector investment into proper ty development which is increasingly being delivered to higher standards through competitive tendering.

Mark Francis MRICS - Director BFA

Within the enclave of the natural backdrop of the historic North Gorge of Gibraltar, this development of 48 detached and terraced houses is underway as scheduled following the successful off plan sale of Phase I. The North Gorge development has been shortlisted for a Gibraltar Sustainability Award. Few remaining properties for sale in phase II with prices ranging between £1.450 to £1.895 million.

REMAINING HOUSES – RESERVE YOURS NOW – EMAIL INFO@BFAGIB.COM

REMAINS

NORTH GORGE DEVELOPMENT

LAST 8 REMAINING VILLAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION – RESERVE YOURS NOW!

Within the enclave of the natural backdrop of the historic North Gorge of Gibraltar, this development of 48 detached and terraced houses is underway as scheduled following the successful off plan sale of Phase I. The North Gorge development has been shortlisted for a Gibraltar Sustainability Award. Few remaining properties for sale in phase II with prices ranging between £1.450 to £1.895 million.

THE BUCKTHORN – GIBRALTAR £1,875,000 - £1,895,000 (OFF PLAN PRICE)

Bedrooms: 5 | Bathrooms: 5

Semi-detached 4 storey villa with integral garage, garden, balconies, car port and solarium terrace with jacuzzi. Passenger lift serving all levels including roof.

PROPERTY DETAILS

Interior size: 232m² | Total area: 319m²

Balcony/Roof Terrace: 61m² | Garden/Outdoor Terrace: 26m²

THE BAY – GIBRALTAR £1,450,000 (OFF PLAN PRICE)

Bedrooms: 3 | Bathrooms: 3

Terraced Villas also with integral garage, rear garden, balconies, car port and solarium roof terrace. Passenger lift serving all levels including roof.

PROPERTY DETAILS

Interior size: 160m² | Total area: 254m² Balcony/Roof Terrace: 54m² | Garden/Outdoor Terrace: 40m²

17b The Balcony

Casemates

THE FIG – GIBRALTAR £1,595,000 (OFF PLAN PRICE)

Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 4

Terraced villas also with integral garage, balconies, car port and solarium roof terrace. Passenger lift serving all levels including roof.

PROPERTY DETAILS

Interior size: 180m² | Total area: 280m² Balcony/Roof Terrace: 69m² | Garden/Outdoor Terrace: 31m²

THE FERN – GIBRALTAR £1,795,000 (OFF PLAN PRICE)

Bedrooms: 4 | Bathrooms: 4

Terraced Villa also with integral garage, balconies, car port and solarium roof terrace.

PROPERTY DETAILS

Interior size: 204m² | Total area: 301m² Balcony/Roof Terrace: 78m² | Garden/Outdoor Terrace: 18m²

Tel: 00(350)

Email: info@bfagib.com

to complete online training courses – al though this could be unfortunate for any one who isn’t tech-savvy (the infamous digital divide).

Under the proposed rules animals won’t be able to be sold in pet shops and it won’t be legal to adopt a pet that isn’t micro chipped – for example, to take one that is found wan dering the streets. The cor rect procedure will be to call the authorities to transport the animal to an approved shelter.

This is causing debate –partly because of a prevail ing belief amongst animal lovers that some ‘approved’ shelters euthanise pets that aren’t found homes.

Another rule restricts the reproduction of pets to registered breeders. Owners who aren’t on the kennel register were previ ously limited to a maximum of five pets, al

though this law wasn’t applied before, and won’t be applied retrospectively. It’s clearly going to be difficult to monitor pet owner ship, especially if families register them under multiple names.

Other rules stipulate that pets must be well cared for and treated ‘like a member of the family’. It will be illegal to leave dogs alone for more than 24 hours, leave them in cars, confine them, restrict their movement, mutilate them for aesthetic reasons (such as cropping ears and tails), fail to de-parasite them or remove their faeces, use them for begging, or subject them to excessive work.

You cannot dump them, re lease them permanently into the ‘natural environment’, eat them (!), or put down healthy animals because you no longer want to be their owner. The ‘adequate care’ rule, however, is arguably something

that should apply to all dogs – not just pets.

Spain’s history of animal abuse –the social mores

According to animal rights activists, the problem with Spain’s historic animal abuse problem is down to social mores and this doesn’t have an over night solution.

Linda Raine, of Valle Verde animal rescue in Alumnecar, says there has always been adequate legislation to protect animals but that Spain doesn’t have the right mentali ty behind enforcement.

The Olive Press has heard anecdotal re ports of Seprona’s reluctance to prose cute negligent owners, even repeat offenders.

The situation for Spain’s working dogs

Dogs used for sports, hunting or as ‘breed ers’ are frequently culled by their handlers when their so-called ‘useful life’ is over: these animals are most at risk.

Tanya Grenfell Williams, who has rescued three greyhounds ( galgos ), says: “The hunt ing lobby is very powerful, and the rescue centres have battled for many years with the government and hunters to stop the atrocities, such as digging out dogs’ chips when they are no longer wanted.

“I think the proposal to use EU laws for this sector is to avoid each autonomous com munity passing a watered-down version of the Spanish law. Although I disagree with a distinction between domestic animals and sporting animals, the Galgueros would not comply with the new law and adhering to some EU laws is better than nothing.”

Elizabeth, who ran a dog rescue shelter in Mallorca, adds: “At the end of the hunting season, we routinely found five Podencos hanging from a tree together, dead.”

Luz María Puga Blanco, president of the NoMayapa rescue centre, says: “The law says that pet dogs will be part of the fam ily but hunting dogs are not. What is the difference between one and the other? Ev eryone feels the same; this is the worst of the new law. And the hunters’ dogs are the most abused.

A public education campaign, like for domestic violence

With Seprona realistically unable to moni tor Spain’s vast swathes of ‘campo’, where dog abuse can be hidden from view, own ers need to change for the better. For example, they could sterilise their bitches rather than dumping unwanted puppies into the nearest bin.

Public castration programmes are import ant – such as the one NoMayapa carries out in La Alpujarra, giving owners an afford able option to avoid unwanted litters.

Luz says: “Regarding the new law, we be lieve it’s good that sterilisation is manda tory, but we do not trust this since the chip has been in place for years. This is also mandatory and many people don’t chip their animals.”

Your award-winning global dirt digger

A focus on Olive Press reporter Anthony Piovesan

ANTHONY Piovesan joins the Olive Press all the way from Australia. He moved to Madrid for three months earlier this year to enjoy a sabbatical after the pandemic kept his home country’s border shut for two long years.

But he quickly fell in love with Spain and didn’t want to leave.

What Anthony loves the most, and why he decided to stay here permanently, was the locals.

Journalism is all about people and the stories they can tell you, and Anthony was constantly amazed at the stories the Spanish would tell.

An award-winning jour nalist in Australia for six years before arriving in Spain, he started reporting at a local newspaper in the outback of the region of Victoria.

He then moved back to his home city of Melbourne where he won a Press Club Quill award at the state media awards for a series of stories that ex posed corruption at his local council (see left).

Moving on to be come a political correspondent for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, he proudly held the authorities to ac count during the pandemic, ‘a his toric time when the world need ed truths more than ever be fore’ he insists.

“It’s a privilege to join the Olive Press and con tinue the newspaper’s great work bringing all of the amazing stories from around the country to an English-speaking audience,” Anthony said.

During this time, Rolling Stone Magazine covertly obtained a pho to of Lennon sporting a pair of granny glasses and featured the new image on its November 9, 1967, front cover. Publisher Jann S. Wenner would later describe that cover as: “Incredibly fortu itous and symbolic - prophetic of the future.”

It would be hard to find a photo without at least some form of vari ation of those smaller, round glasses for the rest of Lennon’s days. This past week, October 9 to be exact, would have been John Len non’s 82nd birthday. Next December 8 will mark the 42nd anni versary of his tragic demise.

Undeniably, his presence is still with us: his spirit, his cultural sig nificance and his musical vision. But it is interesting to note that his lyrics from Strawberry Fields Forever (think: “Life is easier with your eyes closed”) was born of his time in Spain - replete with his new NHS issued granny glasses!

R.I.P. John Lennon

For example, we are aware of a harrowing case where two dogs owned by a woman with mental health issues were starved to death on a roof ter race, and all the neigh bours were aware of the situation. The police were informed but did not intervene.

There is also a wellknown case of a horse owner starving several animals without being denounced.

Some critics of the new legislation say that only law-abid ing owners will follow the new rules. Those who always mistreat ed their animals will continue in the same manner.

Perhaps a parallel can be drawn with Spain’s history of domestic violence, and how this problem has been tackled at government level with a zero-tolerance campaign, run ning across every town and village. Without such a campaign, how can we expect the prevailing attitude towards animal abuse, dating back centuries, to change?

One local expat is optimistic. Freya Ruth Rogers of Orgiva says: “The campo men don’t like to be embarrassed, not even over animal abuse. So, if younger generations change their attitude, there is hope.”

Says an anonymous reader: “Thanks to the ‘violencia de genero’ campaign, ‘ machista ’ men, who would previously have thought nothing of hitting their wife or girlfriend, now give it some consideration. Not only could they go to prison for three years over a domestic violence conviction, but it’s considered socially unacceptable amongst their male peers. We need this to be the case with animals.”

Without public education alongside bet ter enforcement, it seems that some of Spain’s dogs will literally be sold – or thrown – down the river.

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

Hispanic day gets underway as Spain celebrates Christopher Columbus first voyage to America

- British tourist dies after fatal 20 metre cliff leap on Spain’s Ibiza

German Madeleine McCann suspect accused of a string of rapes and two child offence charges this week

- Irish rape victim reveals delight at finally seeing Maddie’s suspect Christian Brueckner in court after 18 long years

Fugitive wanted over sexual crime used Malaga hostel as hideout

Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info

ON SET: Lennon takes a break during filming of How I Won the War

HAPPY: This greyhound and podenco (right) are well cared for, but many suffer a grim fate

The problem with the animal abuse problem is down to social mores

POWER PLAN

SPAIN’S new energy con tingency plan has been approved by the Council of Ministers with 73 mea sures to reduce energy consumption.

Ecological Transition min ister, Teresa Ribera said the government will try to cut natural gas consumption by as much as 13.5% in the full period between August and March under the strategy.

The plan promotes self-generated energy and the government will pro vide aid and tax breaks on renewable energy as well as subsidised loans for small businesses investing in en ergy efficiency.

One of the measures calls for a review of all outdoor lighting but does not estab lish any limit on Christmas lights put up by individual municipalities.

There’s also good news for condominium residents - numbering some 1.6 million households - who share a community boiler.

GREEN BUSES

MALAGA is to buy 44 new sustainable buses and is on target to achieve zero emissions by 2030.

They will be put in service between 2022 and 2024 to achieve zero emissions in 2030 as part of the city’s sustainable mobili ty project.

The total investment for incorporating the bus es into the fleet will be €22,960,000.

Scheme to cut energy use with grants and cheap loans approved

By Alex Trelinski

Previous rules meant peo ple in condominium prop erties were not eligible for the regulated TUR gas rate that’s cheaper than free market tariffs. Teresa Ri bera, said a price cut had

been approved, but did not specify how the dis counts would be offered. “It is time to find a solu tion for community boilers, which consume more than 50,000 kilowatt hours per year and, therefore, are outside the regulated rate,” she added.

Free Charly, Flecha & Cris

THREE loggerhead sea turtles rescued by sailors have been released in Huelva.

Some 50 schoolchildren and members of the Rumbo Fijo as sociation participated as the sea creatures were released at Punta Umbria.

The event was part of the ‘SOS Caretta’ project, which prop motes sea turtle rescue by the fishing sector in the Gulf of Ca diz and Strait of Gibraltar.

So far the association has overseen the rescue and release of 33 sea turtles.

The latest release ‘Charly’ and ‘Flecha’, weighed 20 and 35 kilos respectively, were freed. They have both been taken to port by boats of the Cofradía Santo Cristo del Mar.

The third turtle release was ‘Cris’, a small specimen weighing 2.7 kilos, which had been found on Cortadura Beach (Cadiz).

READY FOR THE NEXT ‘COP OUT’?

almost that time of year again when heads of government and their representatives attend the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) to discuss, debate and agree on tangible actions to reduce the impact of climate change.

This year’s conference is to be held in Sharm elSheikh, Egypt.

Replace Sharm with Sham and it will more accu rately reflect the hollow promises and commitments that are about to be announced.

The whole feeling that surrounds this year’s event just feels wrong.

● Egypt has an appalling record on human rights

● The event sponsor is Coca-Cola….. which, to gether with Pepsi, has been branded the largest plastic polluter on the planet!

Coca-Cola uses more than 3 million tonnes of plas tic packaging a year. Its products are found in the oceans and on the beaches of every continent.

Some 99% of plastic is produced from fossil fuels.

The organisation Earth Uprising said: “This action by the COP27 presidency goes against the purpose of the conference.” I agree.

What a difference a year makes

The whole landscape has changed. Last year, the conference was held in Glasgow. The UK government banned fossil fuel companies from sponsoring the event.

When the conference concluded there was an air of optimism. I felt that maybe, just maybe, countries would follow through on their promises. Not so now.

Everyone is blaming the psychopath Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing fallout.

The UK’s actions reflect what other wealthy coun tries are doing.

● The ban on fracking has been lifted

● Up to 100 new licenses look set to be awarded to companies to ramp up exploration of new oil and gas reserves in the North Sea

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg says the new exploration will boost energy security and support skilled jobs. Bla Bla Bla…..earlier this year the gov ernment’s own advisers stated in a report that the best way to ease consumers’ pain from high energy prices was to stop using fossil fuels rather than drill for more.

Greenpeace called it right, saying: ”The govern ment’s energy policy benefits fossil fuel companies, and no one else.”

The embattled, ambivalent new UK prime minister Liz Truss hasn’t announced whether she will attend. She has, however, banned King Charles from going. The last thing she needs at COP27 is a monarch who actually cares passionately for the environ ment.

We are now beginning to hear world leaders talking about not placing the burden of achieving net zero targets on consumers and businesses.

I interpret this as: “Hang the environment – safe guard votes to keep us in office.”

ACTION: Teresa Ribera announces new measures to slash energy use

Green MattersBy Martin Tye

Gibtalks returns

GIBTALKS, the Rock’s own local version of the TED talks, will take place on February 4 at the John Mackintosh Hall theatre.

Gibraltar Cultural Services are teaming up with teach er and playwright Julian Felice to put on 15 minute talks ‘focusing on the anec dotal, the personal and the light-hearted’, a govern ment spokesman said.

He added: “The speakers will represent a cross-sec tion of the community and will help to make up a rich and varied programme.”

There will also be four more general ‘vox pop’ talks of ten minutes each.

Debate

“Speakers will be able to speak about any topics they wish (within par ticular guidelines), all in keeping with the event’s aim to promote debate and discussion among the lo cal community,” added the statement.

The shortlist for the 15 minute slots will be an nounced closer to the date.

Gibtalks is based on the US TED (Technology, En tertainment, Design) talks that have helped mem bers of the public share their experiences with the world.

Classical cavern

THE European Symphony Orchestra is putting on a sensational classical music concert at the iconic St Mi chael’s Cave in the Upper Rock directed by Gibraltar’s own world-renowned con ductor.

The autumn concert prom ises to be one of the best this year with Karel Chichon at the helm, a conductor the New York Times called ‘a genius of the baton’.

“It will be a night of music to remember,” Minister of Culture John Cortes said.

“I am particularly pleased to welcome our own Maestro Karel Chichon back home on this occasion.”

‘Night to remember’ as European Symphony Orchestra lines up Gib date

By John Culatto

Chichon has a successful repertoire, starting off as chief conductor at the Ger man radio philharmonic orchestra of Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern from 2007 to 2011.

After getting an OBE in 2012, he moved to the Ca nary Islands, with the phil harmonic orchestra of Gran Canaria in 2017, where he

Bright future

AN exhibition of young artists from 6 to 18-years-old showed how ‘the future of Gi braltarian art is very bright indeed’, the cul ture minister said.

The paintings now on show at the John Mackintosh Hall are the fruit of art work

shops given to young people by local paint er Giorann Henshaw.

Children pro duced the art as part of the summer sports

remains to this day. At the same time, the Gi braltar-born conductor meddled with opera, con ducting shows in Berlin, Vienna, Munich and New York.

“We were honoured to wel come Maestro Karel Mark Chichon as a guest at our final concert of last season but we have gone one better as he prepares to conduct the European Symphony Orchestra at our Autumn

Concert,” Chairman of the Gibraltar Philharmonic So ciety said.

“We are therefore guaran teed a great evening’s enter tainment with an attractive and diverse programme al ready announced.”

Reasonable

Tickets priced at a very rea sonable £22 are available online at www.buytickets. gi with students and senior citiizens able to get limit ed £10 tickets at the John Mackintosh Hall.

Home sweet home

A LONDON exhibition show casing nine artists from Gi braltar moved to the Rock’s modern art gallery at Mon tagu Bastion. The Gibraltar Exhibition of Modern Arts (GEMA) is host ing the ‘Gibraltar Our Sacred Earth, Our Sense of Place’ event after the Bermondsey exhibition in September.

Gibraltarian artists based in the British capital got togeth er with those who still live on the Rock for the exhibition at the Bermondsey Project Space.

Minister for Culture John Cortes called it the start of a cultural ‘renaissance’ where artists could break into a new audience.

Works of art feature differ ent elements of Gibraltar’s identity, including its culture, history, heritage, people and community.

programme, at the Heritage Trust painting competition and the Gibraltar Exhibition of Modern Art at Montagu in Bloom. Young people chose to copy master artists, paint still life, make portraits and try differ ent methods.

With no parking available at St Michael’s Cave, a shuttle bus service will go from the public market and the Cable Car to the popular tourist site.

THE RIGHT CHOICE

Personalised products and great offers to meet customers’ real needs!

WHEN

it comes to choosing an insur ance policy, price will (of course) be a significant factor, but you really need to consider what you’re going to get for your money.

Are you paying for what you actually need? Will you have the backing of a reputable company that really understands your requirements –and can they offer the right advice on the right product(s) for you?

The insurance market is now more competi tive than ever before, so it’s not surprising that consumers are increasingly looking for more competitive packages that can be tailored to their own circumstances.

LIBERTY SEGUROS understands this, which is why it continues to innovate its range to be able to offer products that can be personalised to suit customers’ real needs.

Furthermore, it regularly offers fantastic deals to not only to new customers but also existing customers to reward their continual loyalty. For example, from now up until 24th November 2022, with LIBERTY SEGUROS existing clients will receive €60 Cashback on each new policy that they take out. New clients can make great

savings too, with €30 Cashback on their first Life, Home or Car policies and €60 Cashback on subsequent new policies thereafter*.

Best of all though, their competitive products now come with more benefits and advantages than ever before!

As an example, all your car’s extras are cov ered as standard, for free, if they have been fitted by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

When it comes to Home policies, for example, you can get compensation for additional wa ter costs due to a broken pipe up to the value of €1,000; and up to €600 per claim/year to help with the unblocking of pipes.

With regard to Life policies, you have the option of taking out Level Term Life Insurance with no premium increase for 10 years, guaranteeing the same death benefit and the same level of payments for the full length of the term.

LIBERTY SEGUROS really does have you cov ered and always has your real needs in mind, so it’s not surprising that it is still the expat’s preferred insurer in Spain.

For the location of your nearest broker/agent, simply visit www.libertyexpatriates.es or

Conditions

minimum premiums

NY HERE WE COME

Costa del Sol recovers direct flight route to New York

THE Costa del Sol will once again have a direct flight con nection to New York.

UNITED Airlines will start flying direct between New York and Malaga as the city deemed the gateway to Spain’s Costa del Sol surges in popularity.

Malaga was among five oth er European cities the major American carrier will fly to as it expands its transatlantic summer flying schedule.

There will be three weekly flights to the American capital

By Anthony Piovesan

from May 31 next year until the end of September, 2023. The new schedule recovers the flight route to New York after Delta Air Lines canceled its direct flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy In ternational Airport (JFK) and Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP).

At the time Delta Air Lines deemed the route was not a business destination to

Mind the Ga-uge

A suburban train network will once again include a stop at El Caminito del Rey in its itinerary.

From the first quarter of 2023 trains that run onthe C-2 Málaga-Álora line will stop at the El Chor ro-Caminito del Rey train station.

The recovery of the train to El Caminito del Rey, a spectacular walkway that has become one of the jewels of Andalucia, is an action that has been in cluded in the General State Budget. A budget that has allocated €225.8 million for investments in Malaga.

Uncertainty reigns

GBP/EUR exchange rate remains volatile amid uncertain UK fiscal outlook

THEpound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate continued to trade with a high levels of volatility at the start of October amid an increasingly uncertain fiscal outlook in the UK. Over the last two weeks, GBP/EUR has traded in a range between €1.15 and €1.12.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

Following the six cent swings we witnessed at the end of Sep tember. Trade in the pound euro exchange rates has been rel atively subdued in comparison, despite the pairing trading in a range of around three cents.

A U-turn from Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng regarding his plans to cut the 45p tax rate for the UK’s highest earners, brought some initial relief to Sterling.

While the reversal still left plenty of concerns over the parts of his mini-budget GBP investors were hopeful the Chancellor may be open to rethink other parts of his fiscal plan.

However, the pound almost immediately relinquished these gains following a warning that the UK’s credit rating could be downgraded after Fitch joined S&P in cutting its outlook for the UK’s credit rating from ‘stable’ to negative’.

Subsequent movement in the pound has remained erratic as the Bank of England stepped up its emergency bond purchas es, but warned that its temporary bond buying programme would end on 14 October as initially planned. While rumours regarding further U-turns from Kwarteng also bolstered Ster ling.

Meanwhile the euro has fluctuated over the past couple of weeks amid fears an escalation of the war in Ukraine will place even more pressure on the Eurozone economy.

The single currency has also been undermined by some un derwhelming Eurozone data as well as concerns over Europe’s energy security.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?

UK fiscal and political uncertainty are likely to see the pound continue to trade with notable volatility over the next couple of weeks.

A key focus for GBP investors will be the publication of Kwarteng’s medium-term fiscal plan at the end of the month.

If this fails to assuage concerns over the government’s tax cut and borrowing plans, Sterling could fall sharply.

A negative response could also raise questions over the future of Liz Truss’s premiership, potentially placing even more pres sure on the pound.

If the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate, then the euro may face an uphill battle. A renewed Russian offensive, fur ther sanctions, or signs that the conflict is spreading beyond Ukraine’s borders could all spell trouble for the single currency.

As we approach the end of October, the focus is likely to switch to the European Central Bank (ECB) as it prepares to deliver its latest interest rate decision.

If the ECB delivers another 75bps rate hike, whilst also signal ling plans to continue raising rates through to at least the end of the year, the euro is likely to strengthen.

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 two-cent gap between €1.15 and €1.12 translates to a €6,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the dis crepancy.

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 ex change rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against you.

Services 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 them.

At 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.

FUENGIROLA

which the carrier could sell its high-yielding seats.

Senior vice-president of glob al network planning and al liances Patrick Quayle said United Airlines expected ‘an other busy summer’ for inter national travel.

Booming

All flights will depart from the airline’s east-coast hub at New York-area’s Newark Lib erty International airport. It comes amid a booming holiday season for the region where tourists spent more money than before the pan demic in Andalucia, accord ing to the Spanish National Institute of Statistics.

Avda. Alcalde Clemente Díaz Ruíz s/n, Urb. Puebla Lucía, Edificio Leo, Local 1, Fuengirola, Málaga,

BENALMADENA

Avenida Antonio Machado, Edificio Diana I Local 13, Benalmádena Costa, Málaga,

NERJA

Calle Antonio Ferrandis Chanquete 1, Local 1A, Nerja, Málaga, 29780 nerja@currenciesdirect.com +34 952 906 581

Lifesaving pill

Elderly patients would live longer if they took a cheap three-in-one daily pill instead of multiple different tablets, a study presented in Barcelona suggests.

The pill - containing as pirin, a statin and a drug to lower blood pressure - reduced deaths from heart disease in at-risk patients by one third compared with conven tional care.

Trial

Doctors told a Europe an Society of Cardiology congress in Barcelona recently that in a tri al, older patients were more likely to adhere to life-saving medication if they had to take only one tablet each day.

The study involved 2,500 patients from seven Eu ropean countries - they had an average age of 76 and had all previously suffered a heart attack.

A MAJOR mass gathering on the Costa del Sol has been linked to the rapid spread of monkeypox in Spain and other countries, ac cording to new research.

A study from GeoSentinel Net work - the data branch for the International Society of Travel Medicine - involved 226 monkey pox cases from 15 countries, 35% of them from Spain.

Of 219 patients whose data was available, 216 reported sexual or close intimate contact in the 21 days before they started to notice

TRANSMISSION ALERT

symptoms.

The study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and adds to previous medical research showed the monkeypox outbreak was pri marily fuelled by sexual contact.

Of 161 patients whose data was available, 37 met their sexual partners at large public gath erings, including Torremolinos Pride, which took place between May 30 and June 4 this year.

Respondents also reported meet ing sexual partners at the Maspal omas Festival on Gran Canaria Island between June 9-19, before symptom onset.

Sexual contact

There have been 7,219 cases of monkeypox in Spain since Janu ary 1 this year - two people have died.

GIFT OF LIFE

Hospital carries out pioneering intestine transplant on one-yearold girl

A SPANISH hospital has suc cessfully performed an intes tine transplant on a toddler in a world first.

The recipient was a one-yearold girl who had been diag

Stubbed out

BARCELONA has issued zero fines for smoking on beach es, despite a ban being in place since July.

The City Hall imposed the ban with potentially fixed pen alty fines of €30 payable for anyone breaking the rules.

Despite the lack of punishment, Councillor for Environ mental Transition Eloi Badia has hailed the initiative a success. He reported that anyone told not to smoke on the beaches has responded respectfully, and has either put out their cigarette or moved off the sand. He added that just 1% of Barcelona beach-goers smoked while on the sand.

Puzzle solutions

Crossword

Across: 1 Detain, 5 Abrupt, 8 Periodic, 9 Lace, 10 Cynic, 11 Reckon, 13 Coy, 14 Pie, 15 Oho, 16 Pseudo, 18 Oscar, 21 Wild, 22 Employee, 23 Insert, 24 Toecap.

Down: 2 Emery, 3 Ability, 4 Nude, 5 Accursed, 6 Relic, 7 Piccolo, 12 Opponent, 13 Cushion, 15 Onshore, 17 Undue, 19 Arena, 20 Spot.

By Simon Hunter

nosed with intestinal failure aged just one month. This is the first time a socalled asystole transplant of the intestine has been per formed.

This means that after doc tors confirm the absence of a heartbeat and breathing functions, the donor’s or gans are artificially preserved through a system known as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).

An intestine is very difficult to preserve after death, given its unique characteristics.

The operation was carried out at the La Paz hospital in Madrid after three years of

PIC CREDIT: EFE

research.

Spain is a world leader in or gan transplants, with more than 102 carried out per million inhabitants in 2021, according to Health Ministry data cited by Reuters. Only the United States exceeds that figure.

As well as the intestine, the young patient, named Emma, also received a new liver, stomach, spleen and pancreas.

She has already been dis charged from hospital and is in ‘perfect’ health at home with her parents, according to a statement from the Ma drid regional government.

La Paz hospital is one of the leading centres in Europe for paediatric transplants.

Of the 3,149 transplants carried out there, 1,754 were for child patients, according to the Madrid regional gov ernment.

Bad medicine

HEALTH bosses in Gibraltar have kicked off a campaign to collect unused medicines from former patients to help save cash and prevent poi soning.

The Gibraltar Health Au thority (GHA) is asking residents to drop off their leftover pills and other pre scriptions at special green bins at pharmacies or health centres in the British terri tory.

It comes after the GHA said it was spending ‘anywhere between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of pounds a year’ on unused medicines.

Data collected from re turned medicines will be used to see which drugs are being oversubscribed.

GPs boost

ALMOST 500 more GP ap pointments will be on offer to patients in Gibraltar at the Primary Care Centre.

The Gibraltar Health Author ity (GHA) will bring in more doctors, nurses and admin staff to help sort out the con stant complaints over the difficulty to find a doctor’s ap pointment.

As part of the shake-up, the GHA introduced a new plan to split the phone service be tween appointments for that day and in advance.

People who feel unwell can make a day appointment from 8am to 11am, while they can get advance appointments for up to four weeks in the future from 11am to 3pm.

WORLD’S FIRST: Asystole transplant patient Emma

REuse REduce REcycle

RESS

Four-legged help

SOME 18 ‘firefighting’ donkeys have started for est fire prevention work for next year’s summer by chomping their way through vegetation in hard to access areas.

Wrong turn

A wheelchair-user has been filmed getting stuck in a stream of Marbella traffic with cars swerv ing round him before a pedestrian pushes him sto safety

Trump chum

FORMER US presi dent Donald Trump supported Vox, as the far-right Spanish par ty celebrated its year ly festival. “I wanna begin by thanking Santiago Abascal for the incredible job that he does,” Trump said.

Turn to the dark side

Man dressed as Darth Vader asks girlfriend to marry him

A MURCIA man channeled the Force to pluck up the courage to ask his girlfriend to marry him in the most bi zarre way.

In a video posted on so cial media the unnamed man emerged from a cof fin garbed in a Darth Vad er costume and singing an Elvis song to his would-be

By Simon Hunter

fiancée.

The offbeat footage, which quickly went viral, included a moment when the man, who had been carried into the scene in the coffin by four other men, held up a chalkboard on which was

Dedicated cheat

A LAW professor at the University of Mal aga has revealed a bizarre way that one of her students tried to cheat in his exams.

Yolanda de Lucchi posted photographs on social media of 11 pens confiscated during an exam several years ago where the can didate had painstakingly etched answers along the barrels in tiny writing.

Yolanda posted: “The criminal procedural law in BIC pens. What art!” “Cheat sheets aren’t what they used to be,”

VIRAL: Darth Vader proposal was a huge hit

written: “I hope she says no”. The soundtrack to the whole

scene was provided by a full band, which played, among other tunes, the Imperial March from the Star Wars saga.

A BABOON surprised residents of Murcia City's Agridulce ur banisation after they spotted it dodging traffic to cross a road. With the Terra Natura theme park in the area, suspicions pointed to it coming from there, but it had actually escaped from a veterinary farm belonging to the University of Murcia. The primate ended up on the roof of a warehouse. It was anaesthetised with a tranquiliser rifle and returned to the farm unharmed.

Short arm of the law

she added. The neat lettering pays testament to the en graving skill of the cheat - but it may well have been easier to simply learn the an swers to start with.

While it was unclear wheth er the woman – who was visibly emotional when presented with the ring –actually said yes, the pair were then seen in the vid eo happily dancing on the back of a flatbed truck to the accompaniment of Abba’s Dancing Queen, played by the band.

News of the dress code for the wedding is yet to emerge.

A LACK of height will no lon ger be an obstacle to budding recruits for Spain’s National Police force.

In a bid to attract more women to the force, the Spanish Cabi net has done away with the 1.65 metre mini mum height for male ap plicants and 1.60 metres for women. The height standards re main for spe cial units.