Olive Press Gibraltar - Issue 186

Brussels barter

A NEW round of negotiations be tween the UK and the EU on a post-Brexit treaty on Gibraltar has taken place in Brussels.

Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia travelled to London to prepare for the latest round of talks. Despite the subject of the talks re maining secret, the two leaders have been intensifying their lobbying of the Conservative party for support over the last few months.

It comes as press reporters intensify their speculation on what is going on behind closed doors.

The British embassy recently de nied an EFE report suggesting that Spain was delaying its recognition of British licences barring a favourable deal on Gibraltar.

Rock leaders have been trying to keep the British side satisfied with its demands about a total disconnec tion from the EU.

Pressure

“I see no future role for the Europe an Court of Justice,” Boris Johnson said last year in answer to a question on Gibraltar.

The former Prime Minister’s reply represented a real obstacle for the Rock’s hopes to forge an agreement with the EU.

It remains to be seen whether Sunak’s more practical economic approach will benefit or hinder Gibraltar.

Picardo, however, rubber-stamped the appointment of James Cleverly as Foreign Secretary, giving further hope of achieving the much coveted EU treaty.

Originally appointed to the role in the short-lived premiership of Lizz Truss, Sunak gave the Foreign Sec retary a second bite of the cherry even after he supported Boris John son’s return to the top job.

If all sides sign the treaty this year, it could see Gibraltar remove its fron tier, allowing free access to the Rock for the first time in a Schengen style arrangement.

The alternative would be a no-deal scenario with a hard EU border on Gibraltar’s doorstep, leading to long delays coming into and out of the British overseas territory.

A POLICE trainee has been hailed a hero after his quick thinking saved the life of a four-year-old girl who had stopped breathing.

Ivan, 25, was on duty at La Linea’s local police station when a desperate father stormed in holding the limp body of his young daughter.

Realising that her life was slipping away and every second counted, Ivan tried to reopen her airways but to no response. He then laid her on the floor and began desperate attempts at PCR to revive the child.

The actions of pumping her chest and breathing into her mouth went on for four

And breathe! Cop saves child

agonising minutes accompanied by an en croaching sense of hopelessness. But all of a sudden, to the delight of the father and the assembled officers, Maria opened her eyes and began to cough.

Heroic

"I could only think about what I was do ing, but I was convinced she would come round,” Ivan, from Malaga, said after wards. As she clearly had a fever she was quick

ly rushed to the nearby La Linea hospital, where she remained under observation to determine what caused the episode.

The father later returned to the police sta tion to embrace Ivan in a giant bear hug for saving his daughter’s life.

Ivan comes from a cop family, with both his father and uncle serving, one in the National Police and the other in the Local Police, in Fuengirola.

The modest hero has brushed aside ac claim for his actions, declaring: “All that matters is that she gets well.”

ATOMIC IDEAS

Gib ‘partners’ with nuclear superyacht project

A

is planning to build an atomic su peryacht that will use the Rock as a base to help save the world from climate change.

Earth 300 will have 22 floating labs housed in a cutting-edge 13-storey ‘science sphere’ where 165 of the world’s best scientists will have the facilities to conduct research in machine learning, robotics, ar tificial intelligence and real-time data processing. It will also have the first-ever quantum computer at sea. The plan is to use the ship to research environmental issues.

Aaron Olivera of Earth 300 said he had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gibraltar government to use the Rock as ‘a living lab’.

He wants to develop Gibraltar as a centre of excellence to fight climate change which could then help the British territory be part of the $1.5 trillion blue economy.

The MoU is for one year and will

By

come at no cost to the government. “I see Gibraltar with the potential of becoming a global innovation hub for forward thinking scientists, seeing the birth of activities on the Rock such as genetic engineering and even rocket science,” Olivera

said.

He said that he dreams of Gibraltar ‘ulti mately becom ing a worldwide exporter of sci entific intelli gence’.

Minister for the Environment John Cortes said the world needed scien tists in politics to tackle the cli mate crisis. “Until we have

scientists – people who actually understand how the world works, taking the decisions and not just advising on the decisions, we will not be able to make a significant difference,” Cortes said.

Innovative

As an environmentalist cam paigner for over two decades,

Cortes has revolutionised Gibral tar’s approach to sustainability, putting his faith in projects like Earth 300.

“I had no hesitation in supporting Aaron’s project – the new tech niques, new initiatives, new di mensions, thinking well outside the box, bringing people together from across the world with this aim in mind. Because we need innova

tion,” he added.

The blue economy is ded icated to researching and protecting marine life and its connection with marine transport, waste manage ment and tourism.

Earth 300 was first launched at the famed Clifford Pier in Singapore in March 2021.

PIONEERING Gibraltarian

INNOVATION HUB: A superyacht designed to use Gibraltar as a base

John Culatto

Kicking off - World Cup is round the corner, see page

Thin blue line

A TOTAL of 16 new re cruits, 13 from the Roy al Gibraltar Police and three with the Gibraltar Defence Police are get ting trained up to start service soon.

Writers talk

LOCAL authors gave talks, workshops and lectures to over 1,000 students, adults and aspiring writers during Gi braltar Literature week recently.

Musical recital

GIBRALTAR mayor Christian Santos host ed a recital at the City Hall where he present ed Parasol Foundation scholarships to promis ing music students.

Poetic win

REBECCA Calderon was the overall winner at the Rock’s annual po etry competition, with her work ‘Elizabeth Newnam’s Lodger’.

A MAN who fled police on a motorcycle through Gibraltar’s town centre streets escaped a prison sentence after plead ing guilty to dangerous driving.

Magistrates sentenced Ian Williams, 20, of Moorish Castle Estate, to 80 hours of unpaid work.

He received no further punishment for failing to stop, having no insurance and driving without a licence after pleading

HIGH STREET CHASE

guilty.

Officers had seen Williams committing a traffic offence while riding a motor bike close to Trafalgar Roundabout last September.

Police ordered him to stop but he ig nored them.

Instead, Williams kept on going down Main Street with police on his tail, si rens blaring. He then turned up King’s Yard Lane and tried to dangerously overtake a car which he crashed into, causing damage to two parked vehicles.

Spiking ordeal

Drugging fears as five arrested during dramatic rescue of ‘detained’ women in Marbella apartment

By Alex Trelinski

The 16-year-old victim was discovered naked in bed by police who also rescued a semi-naked 20-year-old Lithuanian woman. Both women are thought to have been sexually assault ed after being drugged at a

nearby bar in Puerto Banus. Cops arrested five men in the dramatic operation in which a 20-year-old British man broke an ankle when he jumped from a first floor

A MAN who drove his car at three times the alcohol limit got a £500 fine and lost his licence for 22 months in Gibraltar.

Yoilet Batista Leyva, 39, of Queen sway, pleaded guilty to Failing to Supply a Specimen at the Magis trates Court.

Police officers first tried to move Batist Leyva from the Small Boats Marina after he members of the public complained he was drink ing a bottle of rum and bothering them.

window as he tried to flee. Police found a machine gun and a machete in the apartment.

An Irishman, a Moroccan, an Iranian and an underage Finnish citizen were also de tained. The alert had been raised when the young vic tim phoned a friend to tell

NO BLOW

The Cuban national left soon after at about midnight. But officers then saw him climb into a car and drive away from Coaling Island. They stopped him on Waterport Road where they tested him. Police officers breathalysed him and he was found to have over three times the alcohol limit in his blood.

them she was being held against her will.

When police rushed to the flat, ear ly on Sunday morning, the gang would not open the door and one officer was injured as the door was broken

down.

Inside the property, police discovered the British teen ager in bed and said to be ‘very scared’. The Lithuanian victim was in a ‘very disorientated’ state.

Three of the men tried to es cape by jumping out of the window, including the Brit ish man.

Finnish

Fortunately additional police were able to round them up near the Ocean Club.

The 17-year-old Finnish boy claimed not to know anybody and could not explain what he was doing there.

The victims were taken to hospital and said they could not remember anything after leaving a bar until they came round in the apartment.

Nazi faces jail

A NEO-NAZI who claims there is a plan to ‘destroy the white race’ and that Europe is being ‘invaded’ by immi grants is facing three years in prison.

Malaga’s Provincial Court is hearing how Pedro Varela, (pictured) 65, incited racial hatred on digital platforms.

Varela, who has prior convic tions for justification of geno cide, is also being sued for other racist and homophobic behaviour at public events, including at a 2017 Malaga conference.

According to the public pros ecutor, Varela has made claims that the white race is superior and that multicul turalism weakens Spain. The case was brought against Varela - who has been in pris on for printing and selling copies of Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf - after state ments were made on two pro grammes.

In one he claimed that Afri can people were an inferior race and for them to survive whites needed to disappear.

A BRITISH teenager has been rescued from a Costa del Sol apartment after she made a desperate plea for help via her phone.

THE last time Mark Goldstein was in Malaga, he was forced to make a decision that would mean life or death.

Forty years ago the American tourist was one of 381 peo ple trapped inside a burning plane that had failed its takeoff, crossed the runway and smashed into an open field.

Goldstein, 24 years old at the time, found the plane’s exit, but it was on fire.

“It was either jump through the flames or be burned alive,” he said.

The Arizona resident jumped 12 feet off the right wing of the burning plane to safety, and just moments later the aircraft exploded a second time.

No one else made it out alive af ter that second explosion.

Speaking exclusively to the Ol ive Press Goldstein, now 65 years old, revealed he is set to retire to Malaga.

It’ll be the first time he has re turned to the Andalucian port city since that fateful day.

On the morning of September 13, 1982, a Spantax flight had flown from Madrid to Malaga, and later that day was bound for New York.

But flight BX995 never made it into the sky.

The plane was hurtling down the landing strip at about 130 mph with 1,295 metres of the runway left when the plane be gan to dip upwards for take-off.

But the captain felt a strong vi bration - it was caused by pieces of tread from the wheel beneath the nose of the plane detaching.

The vibration was so fierce the captain thought he would be unable to control the plane mid-air, so aborted the take-off.

At that point Goldstein said he heard a loud explosion and looked out the window to see flames shooting out from the belly of the plane.

“I shouted out: ‘brace, we are going to crash!’ and sure enough we went right off the runway,” he said.

The plane collided with a con crete building and smashed through the metal fence of the

CARRY-ON

By Anthony Piovesan

airport, crossing the N-340 highway and striking at least three vehicles.

The aircraft then smashed into a greenhouse and burst into flames in an open field.

“The cabin filled immediate ly with this black smoke and fire, you couldn’t see in front of you,” Goldstein continued.

“I remember jumping over rows of seats and then I found an exit, but there was no chute - it was on fire.”

Goldstein then realised his best friend Gayle wasn’t by his side.

“I thought ‘oh my God how am I going to get off the plane without her’, she’s like a sister to me,” he said.

“I went back and found her, grabbed her arm and just threw her over the rows of chairs until we found the exit again.

“I heard a lady scream, ‘save my baby’, and someone grabbed an infant from a woman and jumped out of the plane.”

Goldstein made sure Gayle jumped first, and then he fol lowed, leaping 12 feet through the flames and off the right wing of the plane, into the field below.

“It was either that or die,” he said.

Goldstein and Gayle coughed up black soot from all of the smoke inhalation.

He said there was ‘absolute chaos’ surrounding the plane.

As he looked at the aircraft and could see black smoke billowing from the engines.

“Our two other friends, Alan

and Mindy, came out shortly after us and then we just ran away from the plane to a safe distance,” Goldstein said.

“Sure enough there was a sec ond explosion and I didn’t see many people come out of the aircraft after that.”

Goldstein said emergency ser vices arrived and took the in jured away to Malaga Hospital.

“They put my friend in a wheel chair and just started slapping triage numbers onto us,” he said.

Goldstein only suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his right arm, but his friend Gayle suffered a broken toe. They then got taken to a hotel where Goldstein was reunited with his two other friends, who were miraculously uninjured. Some 12 hours later they were on a flight headed home.

“It’s ironic that I’ll be living in Malaga now,” Goldstein said.

SPAIN’S WORST AIR DISASTERS

1. Tenerife airport disaster: March 27, 1977. Two Boeing 747 jets collided on the runway at Los Ro deos Airport. KLM flight 4805 started take-off while Pan Am flight 1736 was still on the runway. 583 people died.

2. Avianca flight 011: No vember 26, 1983. Inter national flight scheduled from Frankfurt via Paris,

“It will be a weird experience when I am back, but I’ve closed that chapter.

“Despite that unfortunate event I think Spain is a place we will enjoy - it’s a place that is very attractive.”

Goldstein plans to retire from his job in customer service next year and relocate to Spain with his husband Peter.

Explored

It is something he has explored extensively over the past few months, launching a podcast in August this year, Where Do Gays Retire?

He said the podcast was aimed at helping members of the LGBTQ+ community find a safe and affordable retirement destination.

Three air crew and 47 passen gers died in the plane crash, in what is one of Spain’s most shocking air disasters.

Madrid and Caracas to Bogota. Crashed upon landing 12km south of Madrid airport. 181 peo ple were killed.

3. Spantax flight 275 (above): December 3, 1972. The plane crashed while tak ing off from Tenerife-Norte Los Rodeos Airport. 155 people died.

World stage

MALAGA will host the Davis Cup finals later this month, where eight countries will face-off in the fa mous knock-out format.

After playing the group stages at four different cities around Europe in September, the losers were weeded out and the top two teams in each group progressed: Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Croatia, Cana da, Australia and the United States.

Spain is looking to capture its seventh Davis Cup victory at the tournament which starts on November 22, but they’ll be without World number one Carlos Alcaraz (pictured).

The 19-year-old, the youngest ever men’s world number one player, suffered a stomach muscle injury in his last match against Holger Rune in the quarter finals of the Paris Masters.

Rafael Nadal, current world number two, was also not named in the side.

BAD WEEK

IT was a bad week for former Barcelona play er Gerard Pique and pop-star ex Shakira. While the famous duo managed to hammer out a custody deal over their children, Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7, after a mammoth 12-hour negotiation session, other things did not go according to plan.

A court committed Colombian singer Shakira for trial in a tax evasion case after she refused to take a deal.

Prosecu tors are

calling for an eightyear jail sentence and a €23.8 million fine if she is found guilty.

And days later Pique was sent off against Osasuna in his final ever match without even making it onto the field. He was on the bench when he launched an expletive-laden rant at the referee following a teammate’s red card, and was promptly shown one him self.

EXCLUSIVE: Forty years after surviving a horrific plane crash in Malaga that claimed 50 lives a survivor is returning to the scene to live

SURVIVED: Mark at the time

NOW: Mark today

Moped madness

TWO mopeds smashed into each other on Line Wall Road, leaving a man serious ly injured and closing down one of Gibraltar’s main ar teries for over an hour.

The accident occurred near Capurro’s garage, a stretch of road in the city centre where mopeds tend to reach higher speeds, especially when overtaking.

Ambulances rushed a se riously wounded man to hospital, while a woman left the collision virtually un scathed.

Police closed Line Wall Road from the British War Memorial to the round about at the top of Case mates Hill to deal with the fallout.

Cenotaph Boss

SIR Joe Bossano was in London to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remem brance Sunday to represent Gibraltar among leaders from other overseas terri tories.

The eldest Rock parliamen tarian was in the British capital to remember the 20 million who died during the First World War between the allies and Germany.

Over three million soldiers perished in the trenches that stretched across West

A 21-SHOT Royal Salute marked the birth day of King Charles III on Monday during a short ceremony on the Rock.

Gibraltar Governor Sir David Steel was the In specting Officer at Thomson’s Battery on the day hosted by The Headquarters Company. The salute lasted just over three minutes as officers and veterans of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment stood to attention.

After the volley, the governor gave a short address to gun crews.

Steel, along with the Chief Minister and Commander British Forces, then went into Grand Battery House to present two paintings and Regimental Silver to mark the occasion.

ern Europe and saw very lit tle territorial gains on either side from start to finish.

Bossano stood solemnly with other representatives of British Overseas Territo ries and Crown Dependen cies, before kneeling at the Cenotaph and placing his wreath of poppies.

After the event, he told the Olive Press what it was like to be part of the momentous occasion.

“It was impressive to see the meticulous attention to ev

Royal birthday

no said.

“It was a tribute to the Brit ain of the empire on which the sun never set that ev eryone from the king, current and for mer prime ministers and lead ers of com monwealth countries

moved like clockwork.

“It was also a significant day to mark the 40th anniversa ry of the liberation of Falk lands.”

The Minister for Econom ic Development, who was born before the start of the Second World War, has spent more than half a cen tury as a parliamentarian on the Rock.

A similar ceremony took place in Gibraltar led by Governor Sir David Steel with Picardo alongside him. Steel read the Bidding be fore veterans and dignitar ies observed a two minute silence followed by a salut ing gun and the sounding of the Last Post.

RUNNERS sprinted to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar to mark the climax of a trans-con tinental race that spanned three countries.

The Eurafrica Trail took in Morocco and Spain in its first two legs of racing, ending with a time trial from Casemates Square to O’Hara’s Battery in its third stage.

It started with a half marathon from the Moroccan village of Belyounech on the Mediterra nean Sea.

Rock running Trumpet triumph

WORLD-LEADING trumpet er Pacho Flores will play his second concert at the Con vent Ballroom in Gibraltar tonight.

He will play alongside ac complished guitarist Jesus ‘Pingüino’ González, who has regularly performed with top musicians in both classical and pop music.

“We are delighted to welcome back world-leading trumpet er Pacho Flores to Gibraltar after his acclaimed perfor mance in 2019,” Chairman of the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Ernest Gomez said.

Tickets are priced at £22 and are available on buytickets. gi with £10 tickets for senior citizens.

ery detail and the timing of it so that each person knew what they had to do,” Bossa

Sir Joe represents Gib at London Cenotaph while Gib marks Remembrance Sunday

BOOM TIME Painting life

PORT workers replaced the oil barrier around the sunken ship off the Gibraltar coast after the most recent Levante storm passed without inci dent.

Workers restored the boom around the still intact OS 35 bulk carrier as a precau tion against further oil spills, even though most of the fuel has been extracted from the stricken vessel.

The ship sank at the end of August spilling oil onto local beaches and causing some environmental damage to the area.

Although broken in two, the controlled sinking of the ship to the seafloor has kept it from disintegrating further.

Owners and insurers have un til May to remove the wreck from its current location 700 metres off Catalan Bay.

Olive Press talks to prize winning Gib

artist

A LOCAL painter who won second prize at the Gibraltar International Art Exhibition has opened up about working outdoors and his plans for the future.

Sebastian Rodriguez was the highest placed local artist at the annual competition, as Jerez-born Fermin Garcia Villaescusa pipped him to first prize.

Rodriguez told the Olive Press he painted ‘Jimera De Libar Plein Air’ while in the Andalucian town and finished it at home.

“I enjoy painting life,” Rodri guez said. “I like it more these

Torching tribute

GIBRALTAR marked 80 years since Opera tion Torch, when British and US forces retook North Africa from Nazi Germany, with a unique exhibition.

The Gibraltar National Archives helped set up the exhibition from its own material at Orange Bastion, next to the American War Memorial on Line Wall Road. General Eisenhower, who later became US president, commanded Opera tion Torch from deep inside Rock tunnels. The exhibition will now run until November 23.

days, as I want to spend more time in nature.

“I feel it’s an area which I could have more of in my dayto day-life so it works for me to paint there.

“The plein air approach is dif ferent to studio work, especial ly as one needs to be very quick before the light changes.”

He is now looking forward to an art project with Patri zia Imossi called Exploring Dreamscapes.

“The idea is one of collabo ration, pairing dreamers and artists to create works of art,” Rodriguez explained.

“I am excited about how it will encourage people to share their dreams and how

their narrative will in turn challenge artists to create new works with inevitably new approaches.

“In my case, for example, I have always done representa tional art so this will force me to work differently.”

Inspiration

Another local artist, Gavin Keith Garcia won third prize with ‘Mother and Child (The Embrace)’. Bathsheba Peralta took the Best Gibraltar Theme prize with her ‘Rosia’.

The Mario Finlayson Prize for best young artist went to Nao mi Duarte with ‘Dabuti, 92’.

Radiation rehearsal

AUTHORITIES told residents of Gibraltar not to ‘take any action’ when they heard evacuation alarms going off around the Rock.

The alarms around the Naval Base were part of a joint exercise between the local government and the UK’s Min istry of Defence to be ready for a radiation leak accident. Held every three years, the real-time radiation rehears al pulled together emergency services from civilian and military authorities.

Government and police coordination groups directed the exercise on November 10.

“It is hugely important to continue with these exercises as this is an opportunity to learn if and how our plans can be improved,” Minister for Civil Contingencies Sa mantha Sacramento said.

“Gibraltar can never be too prepared even in the ex tremely unlikely event of a radiation emergency.”

TALENTED: Sebastian’s prize winning picture

Outside the box

CLIMATE change is really starting to have an impact on our daily lives after an autumn that felt like spring right across Europe.

As far north as Germany, the unseasonably warm weather saw people in T-shirts walking down the street.

In Gibraltar, people were still going swimming in mid-November.

While this might sound like a rather favourable effect of the climate shift, meteorologists are already fearing what could happen this winter.

Floods and wildfires have increased over the last few years, with reservoirs across Spain emptying out to record levels.

While activists do their level best to get the attention of global leaders, successive UN reports show our car bon footprint has continued to grow.

This is why projects like Earth 300 are so important. Even if they do not succeed in the end, science has to be given a fighting chance to reverse the 2 degree global warming many fear is now inevitable.

Aaron Olivera’s project to build the biggest su peryacht ever powered by a zero carbon molten salt nuclear power plant that has not even been built yet might sound a bit far-fetched.

But as environmentalist minister John Cortes said, the world needs people with ‘new initiatives’ that are ‘well outside the box’ if we are going to tackle a situa tion that seems out of control.

The irreconcilable truth is that capitalism is averse to cutting down consumption.

We call that a recession and that is clearly the antith esis of our collective governments’ goals.

While green economies might offer some hope, these changes are being slowed down by conservative par ties driven by incumbent fossil fuel lobbies.

Sadly, by the time we realise that economics must go out of the window if we are to save civilization, it will probably be too late.

Better luck this time!

THIS Sunday - November 20 - marks the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

While rightly surrounded in contro versy for many reasons, Spain will make their debut against Costa Rica in Group E next Wednesday, while England play on Monday.

The betting odds are in and the experts have given football fans a list of clear favourites to win the trophy. Brazil is a strong favour ite, but look out for Argentina, Belgium, France (the 2018 winners), England and Spain to field strong, com petitive teams.

Of course, there are al ways unpredictable sur prises. But few have been more vivid than Spain’s experience during the tourna ment co-hosted by South Korea and Japan in 2002.

Here is how it unfolded…

The 2002 Spanish team was a favourite to go deep into the World Cup competition and the players were determined to rectify their disappointing early elimination from the previous 1998 competition.

The Spanish team was not made of many big individual

egos but rather one unit with a single-minded destiny - that of bringing the cup to Spain for the first time.

Although Spanish teams had always had a strong record in international competi tion (including the Europe an Championships and the Olympics) the ultimate prize had continually eluded them.

The 2002 team was led by a 33-year-old goalie named Santiago Cañizares (left). He was no stranger to international competition having represented Spain in two previous World Cups and three European Championships.

Peter Schmeichel, the legendary Manchester United goalie and part of the BBC TV team that year, regarded Santiago as ‘the finest goalkeeper in world football’. Strong praise indeed. However, on the last day of training while shower ing Cañizares slipped, dropped a bot tle of aftershave and severed a ten don in his foot with the glass shards. Spain would enter the 2002 World Cup without the best goalkeeper on the plane.

This proved to be a prelude to a string of bad luck - or perhaps something else, as we shall see - that would follow this Spanish team over the next few weeks. The strange events really began with

KICKSTARTER

multiple controversies in the Round of 16 clash between host nation South Korea and Italy.

The European press described it as ‘a steady flow of unpunished fouls’ by the Koreans coupled with ‘an unbelievable litany of refereeing errors’.

Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno (more about him later) somehow tolerated the over-aggressive pressing game by Korea, while sending Italian superstar Frances co Totti off for a questionable ‘diving’ call.

Later, Moreno wrongly disallowed the po tential winning goal for offside and the Koreans’ eventual 2-1 victory did not sit well and the Italian team and press went rightly apoplectic!

TODAY the Spanish and Scots may appear to be operating in different footballing spheres. But did you know that it was a Scotsman who got the ball rolling, literally, for football in Spain?

Dr William Alexander Mackay, born the youngest of nine children in Lybster, near Ab erdeen, in 1860, has long been credited as the man who introduced football to Spain. Mackay’s contribution to Spanish football is little-known in the UK, but in a tiny corner of Andalucia, he remains a much venerated figure.

A year after graduating from Edinburgh Uni versity with a degree in medicine, Mackay was sent to Huelva to work as a doctor for the Rio Tinto mining company, in Minas de Riotinto.

He was clearly cut from different cloth to

most: While Sangria and a siesta were the favoured afternoon pastimes for his friends and colleagues, Mackay, who had played for Edinburgh University when they won the East of Scotland Shield in 1883, set about converting them to the beautiful game.

Aside from his official duties, Mackay would work for free on Thursdays treating all the sick and injured who arrived at the nearby port city.

In order to keep the Rio Tinto workforce physically fit, as well as provide quality lei sure time, Mackay organised football and cricket events.

The sports club was originally for Rio Tinto workers only, but by 1889, it had grown to become Spain’s very first amateur football club. Today’s team lineup is filled with suit

In 1909, King Alfonso XIII awarded him the so-called Great White Cross for his services to medicine.

Some six years later, Mackay returned the honour by offering the king the title of hon orary president of the club.

HOME:

played

ably hispanic surnames but in 1890, when the club played their first away game in Sevilla, the XI was largely a British affair: Al cock, Yates, Wakelin, Du clos, Coto, Kirk, Daniels, Curtis, Gibbon and Smith. Mackay, who was also helping to build a new hos pital for the city, was laud ed as the founder of foot ball in Spain, and locals praised him for helping to put the small port city, with its population of just 150,000, on the map.

Today the club is known as RC Recreativo de Huelva and for the last 130 years has nurtured the talents of many major players, including Antonio Valencia, Santi Cazorla, Antonio Núñez, Daniel Guiza and Florent Sinama Pongolle.

Mackay was an idealist who believed in the pure amateur form of sport. Unfortunately for his club, other teams in Spain were be coming professional outfits and Recreativo could not keep up with the big spenders.

But in a surprising twist of fate, Recreati vo de Huelva rose far above the amateur ranks of its past to achieve one of the great est – and most surprising – moments of football history.

In December 2006, the team crushed Real Madrid with a 3-0 win at the Bernabeu.

How a Scottish doctor, some miners and a kickabout in a field ignited Spain’s passion for the beautiful game in 1880

The Velodrome stadium where Rio Tinto

As the World Cup looms, Jack Gaioni recalls the misfortunes of the 2002 Spanish team - and how a crooked ref later went to prison for heroin smuggling!

AFTERSHAVE: Knocked goalie Cañizares out, while Totti (above) was sent off

The headlines were brutal. “Italy thrown out of a dirty World Cup where referees and linesmen are used as hitmen,” report ed The Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Eventually FIFA agreed to a probe admit ting: “As a result of a number of controver sies, FIFA has decided to launch an inves tigation.” Four days later that plot would only thicken…

The record shows that South Korea would go on to knock out Spain, 5-3, during a penalty shootout in the quarter finals. If only it was that simple. Egyptian refer

ee

Bizarrely, when Javi De Pedro floated a free kick off a South Korean defender into the net it was mysteriously disallowed.

A second disallowed goal, a decision even more shocking than the first, came two minutes into extra time.

The linesmen flagged that the ball had gone out of bounds though the replays clearly proved otherwise.

Spain’s Ivan Helguera, who had to be physically pulled away from the referee, claimed: “What happened was robbery…everyone saw two perfectly good goals. If Spain didn’t win it is because they didn’t want us to win.”

The Spanish press was be yond indignant. ‘ROBBED’ was the Marca headline. ‘The officials are the thieves of dreams’.

Meanwhile Diario AS , claimed: “We did not deserve this - not the Spanish - nor any lovers of football”.

The European press once again was liv id. Respected pundit Paul Hayward at the Telegraph wrote: “This tournament has descended into a farce.”

He went on to rail against FIFA’s decision to select referees from minor footballing na tions unaccustomed to the highest level of competition, labelling it ‘anti-meritocratic’.

The Argentinian daily La Nation called the tournament the ‘biggest scandal in World Cup history’ and wanted the tournament declared ‘null and void’.

In both Italy and Spain, the prevailing opinion was that the match was ‘rigged or fixed’ in order to keep the host nation in the tournament.

Favouritism would justify FIFA’s grand ambition of expanding the sport into Asia (China being the biggest prize).

But that was 20 years ago. Going into this year’s Cup, we must remember that some of this year’s 2022 squad were just infants (or were not even born).

Blaming the refereeing offi cials has never been a good strategy. As the saying goes: “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”

Thankfully, the 2002 deba cle was the exception rather than the rule. It is anticipated that this year’s World Cup will draw over one million spectators in at tendance to the 64 matches.

The competition will reach a global inhome television audience of over three billion (yes billion!) people.

The World Cup is a much-anticipated occa sion for fans everywhere to gather and cel ebrate community, culture and competition. My only advice to players and fans might be to avoid showering with a glass bottle of af tershave next to you!

Back to the future

THE Olive Press team has decades of news experi ence under their belts.

Some even started in the days of ‘hot metal’, bashing out stories via ancient typewriters (be low) on flimsy paper with a carbon sheet to get a copy for the sub editors (ED: note to youngsters: that’s what a ‘carbon copy’ means!)

It is fair to say the world of news has moved on since then!

First came computers, which helped speed up the pro duction process, then came the internet revolution.

Now we can offer our readers many more stories on our website than we ever could in our printed papers.

Yes, 20-plus a day, with over 30,000 of you already regis tered to receive them.

And we are not stopping there. We are con stantly embrac ing change, always looking to the latest forms of media to get our stories out to new readers.

Be it Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, we have tens of thousands of followers on social media - and - like it or not - these platforms are a big part of our future.

One young man, teenager Alfie Clarke, is helping us make a name for ourselves in the ‘kids’ world’ of TikTok videos.

For us old hacks it seems remarkable that in just a couple of months his TikTok posts have got well over a quarter of a million views.

But his videos are not just informative, they take on board the good old fashioned news values we learned back in the day.

Hence, his maps of recent snowfalls around Spain at the weekend, have had 70,000 views, while his post on nationwide energy use, has had 16,000 so far.

It is a stunning achievement and doesn’t just help our global reach, but also gets youngsters engaged with a range of interesting topics and news each week.

It also shows the Olive Press is continually looking to the future with new tech nology - and with the young blood we have on board, that future looks good.

Want to engage with our million-plus visitors a month?

Please get in touch at sales@theolivepress.es

As for Mackay, he moved back to the UK just three years after Huelva city council appointed him as an Adopted Son of the City in July 1923.

In poor health at the time, Mackay chose to retire to Heathmount Farm, near Tain, in Scotland where he lived until his death in 1927.

It’s not the most exciting of Andalucian cities, but if you are ever kicking about in Huelva, you can actually stay at the Ho tel Colon in the centre of the city, where Mackay once lived.

Make sure to rummage in the minibar and make a toast to Señor Mackay, the British Don of Spanish football.

● Ultimately, Brazil would win the 2002 World Cup making them the first and only country to have won the World Cup five times.

● Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno (right) was arrested in 2010 in New York for trying to smuggle six kilograms of heroin hidden in his underwear. He would serve two-and-a-half years in prison.

David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo were part of a Madrid line-up humbled by Recreativo in the shock tri umph.

WINNERS: The early Huelva teams where multiple cup holders including the Seamen’s trophy

Gamal Al-Gandhour wrongly disallowed two goals and had a litany of incorrect off side calls - some called from just 15 me tres away.

FURY: At two Spanish disallowed goals, leading to corruption claims of match fixing

● Santiago Cañizares would recover from his severed tendon enough to play a few more years with Valencia CF.By 2010 Cañizares, the great competitor, suc cessfully changed sports. He competed for the first time in a scoring event for the Spanish Rally Championship driving a Suzuki. In 2017, he earned his first victory winning The Rally de Ceramica driving a Porsche 997.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pundit Hayward wrote: “This tournament has descended into a farce.”

Countryside law looms

THE final regulations of a new coun tryside construction law are about to be published.

They have been on the drawing board for a year, since the Junta approved the new LISTA law in December 2021.

The law will allow the building of more homes in the countryside under strict cri teria and conditions.

“It should spell good news and, yes, it will bring change,” explained countryside spe cialist Anita Schmidt, at Villas and Fincas, based in Casares.

“We don’t want overbuilding in the coun try, but it will mean many Spanish families may finally be able to do something with their grandparents’ land, and that will mean it being better maintained, so less risk of fire.

“It will also bring life back to some of the forgotten villages, the ones suffering from depopulation.

“And of course, foreigners with patience and perseverance may be able to find the right plot to build their dream home again.”

But she added nothing had been finalized yet and it ‘wouldn’t surprise’ her if it will take another year before local town halls have figured out how to handle these new regulations.

The new law means the PGOM town plans of various coastal resorts and in land towns can now finally be completed.

Marbella could be one of the first to bene fit as the mayor Angeles Munoz met with officials from the Junta in Sevilla last week to ratify a plan passed in September.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

By Jon Clarke

ONLY one village made it into Spain’s Most Beautiful list this year.

Puentedey, in Burgos, was the only place selected for the prestigious network, which counts 105 villages around Spain and its islands.

While 22 applied, only Puentedey met the strict criteria to join the as sociation, Los Pueblos Mas Bonitos de España, which was set up in 2011.

The village, which dates back to the 14th century, is built on a natural 15-metre high stone bridge, formed over millions of years and with the river Nela running through it.

It got its name, Puentedey, meaning ‘Bridge of God’ from this natural for mation.

OnlyPuentedey-‘Bridgeof God’-madeitintothisyear’slist of Spain’sMostBeautifulvillages

Getoutyour fur coats

By Cristina Hodgson

THE coldest village in Spain is in sunny Andalucia. While the icy waters around Galicia’s Cies Islands make Pontevedra decidedly chilly and the so-called ‘cold triangle’ in Teruel brings the tempera tures right down in Calamocha, the ic iest place in Spain is Dilar, in Granada. While the province becomes a veritable frying pan in summer, when the winter sets in, sub-zero temperatures become the norm around Dilar just south of Granada. Sitting on the western slopes of the Si erra Nevada, at an altitude of 878 me tres above sea level, it positively shivers come Christmas.

The settlement, an hour from Burgos city, has a population of just 48, and is known for its nearly intact Romantic architecture.

Its San Pelayo church (on top of the bridge, above) is a charm ing mix of Romantic and Gothic styles, while the nearby Palacio de Brizuela (left) dates back to the 14th century with two towers add ed in the 15th century.

The 105 villages in the Los Pueblos Bonitos group, all are under 15,000 in population and have perfectly pre served historic cores, as well as an

‘architectural or natural heritage’. While only one village made it in 2022, a record 11 places, including Genal guacil, in Malaga and Banos de la En cina, in Jaen, made the list in 2021.

Tourism

The potential rewards for the villages are huge, with the promotion they get globally from being members and the huge growth in tourism it brings. Some of the Olive Press favourites in clude Setenil de las Bodegas, in Cadiz, El Castell de Guadalest, on the Costa Blanca and Alcudia in Mallorca.

But no worries for its 2,000 residents who always have warm coasts at the ready, for when the mercury regularly drops to between -9ºC and -12ºC. And they don’t mind with their direct access to the nearby Natural Park and location next to the Rio Dilar, making it an ideal place for rural tourism.

Other chilly locations in Andalucia, include nearby Viznar, just north of Granada, Aroche, in Huelva and Velez Blanco, in Almeria.

Around Spain Molina de Aragon (in Guadalajara), Reinosa (in Cantabria) and Cerler (in Huesca) all see regular sub-zero temperatures

IN the wake of the disastrous Covid-19 Pan demic, the ‘normal’ way of life was interrupted. Government restrictions on social interaction and travel meant that the hotel industry had to reinvent the hospitality sector in order to adapt to the changes in market demand and operational management.

The emphasis was put on ensuring the health and safety of all customers and providing a safe environment for holiday makers.

The properties are a stone’s throw from Central Main Street and will provide a substantial devel opment with basement and six upper floors and a total build area in excess of 2,900 m2.

LAST 8 REMAINING VILLAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION –

At the same time, Gibraltar has seen a decline in the number of hotel beds, with established hotels such as Continental Hotel, Queens Ho tel, and now the renowned Caleta Palace Hotel demolished for redevelopment into residential schemes.

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.

This has added to the under supply of existing hotels and bed space in Gibraltar and has inev itably led to a sharp increase in the demand for serviced apartments for short term holiday lets. There is currently a market gap for BnB accom modation, which is much needed in Gibraltar, to avoid the situation of Summer 2021, when de mand for rooms exceeded availability.

Projects are now focusing on locating hotels back into the city centre with all its amenities to bring back tourism to the heart of town.

It is estimated that there are on average only 650 hotel beds available in Gibraltar and this short age has led to more demand for short term holi day apartment lettings.

UNITS REMAIN

With a couple of exceptions, most hotel projects under way in Gibraltar are small scale at around 20 keys.

There is nothing else that provides for a city cen tre hotel in the way that the Parade Hotel Devel opment does.

This well-planned project has full planning per mission to provide a hotel over two freehold prop erties.

The scheme has been under planning for around two years in order to carefully perfect the concept that is now ready for development.

The hotel design and concept provides confer ence and meeting areas in the heart of town, lush double, and executive double hotel suitesall with lavish ensuite bathrooms - special needs suites, balconies, with bright and airy rooms fea turing gallery height ceilings and views overlook ing the Garrison Library Gardens and Governor’s Parade.

The hotel suites at every level are serviced by corridors peering into the central courtyard with covered Atrium where quaint seating areas are at ground level for the restaurant and other com mercial amenities.

Demand

There are plans for bars, restaurants, basement cinema, conference meeting rooms, a rooftop pool, gymnasium and sun decked terraces. Given that the demand for hotel rooms is still high with average occupancy rates around 60-70% all year round and almost 100% during peak sea son, now is the time to take such an investment opportunity forward which is ready to go.

The properties are also currently under town planning applications with an alternative scheme for residential apartments that could be serviced apartments.

These will follow the same concept as the hotel and include the same amenities but with apart ments which can be held by the same operator or sold piecemeal under a Hotel Operational Management structure.

This would attract particularly good returns for investors seeking rental returns on property investment.

For more details on the Hotel Development Scheme please contact BFA Estate Agents - Mark Francis - Director MRICS on (+350) 200 71131 or speak with one of our agents.

NATURAL SELECTION: The village is built over the River Nela arch

Dirty dozen

Estate agents warned to be on their guard against money launderers

GIBRALTAR is clamping down on estate agents that sell properties using suspect cash in a drive to stamp out money laundering and ter rorist financing.

The Rock’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) updated its guidance for real estate com panies after issuing eight fines of up to £11,500.

It is now processing anoth

By John Culatto

er six fines that could rise to £15,000 for those that do not meet the obligations of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2015 and Sanctions Act 2019.

The tougher approach fol lows international criticism of Gibraltar’s approach to crooked investors.

Grand Cru Andaluz

AGRICULTURE and natural building materials are the main sectors behind the three richest people in Andalucia.

The Forbes’ Rich List has revealed Spain’s top 100 earners, with the three biggest fortunes in Andalucia in the hands of the brothers Eduardo and Francisco Martinez-Cosentino (with about €500 million each) and Santiago Domecq Bohorquez (who is worth €450 million).

The Martinez-Cosentino brothers are the leaders of the Cosentino group, which started in the marble sec tor and today has brands focused on surfaces for ar chitecture and design such as Silestone, Scalea, Sen sa, Eco, Prexury and Dekton. Meanwhile, Santiago Domecq Bohorquez has made part of his fortune thanks to the breeding of fighting bulls, a sector to which his family has been linked for several generations.

The OFT provides a 41-page document on property sell ers’ responsibilities under Gibraltar’s relevant money laundering and sanctions laws.

Real estate agents have to carry out risk assessments of their own businesses’ at tractiveness to money laun derers.

Risks

They have to appoint a mon ey laundering officer who understands the risks and can screen potential property buyers for sanctions or finan cial crimes.

Although the Rock is no lon ger considered a tax haven, it is an easy target for crooked foreign investors who wish to pump money into off-plan developments.

Property prices in Gibral tar have continued to rise throughout the years with a one-bedroom flat fetching as much as £300,000.

Focus on inflation

GBP/EUR exchange rate slumps as BoE forecasts a two-year UK recession

THE pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate fell sharply through the first two weeks of November as it became increasingly apparent that the UK economy has entered a recession. Over the last fortnight, GBP/EUR traded between highs of €1.166 and lows of €1.131. The pair ended up wavering below €1.14, posting significant losses.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

The pound euro exchange rate took a tumble as we moved into November as the afterglow of Rishi Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister faded away.

Instead, GBP investors became increasingly focused on the UK’s dire economic outlook. On Halloween, declines in both mortgage approvals and credit card borrowing added to fears of a downturn in the UK.

The euro’s gains against the pound were capped, however, amid similar concerns about the Eurozone economy. The bloc’s final man ufacturing PMI revealed a larger-than-expected contraction.

Sterling then nosedived on Thursday after the Bank of England (BoE) delivered a grim analysis of the UK economy. According to the British central bank, the UK has already entered a recession which could last two years – the longest period of negative growth on record. Meanwhile, the euro enjoyed its negative correlation to a weaken ing US dollar and hawkish comments from European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde.

The following week, the pound euro exchange rate initially bounced back. GBP attracted some dip-buying while Russia-Ukraine worries weighed on EUR.

Alas, Sterling’s recovery was short-lived. Downbeat news from large UK business – falling profits, asset sales, and insolvencies – once again raised fears for the country’s economy.

Meanwhile, the ECB’s downbeat assessment of the Eurozone econ omy in its latest Economic Bulletin weighed on EUR.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Looking ahead, some high-impact data for both the Eurozone and the UK could cause significant movement in the pound euro pair. In mid-November we have the latest UK labour market report. Although Britain is likely now

in recession, the jobs market remains strong. If the unemployment rate remains close to a near 50-year low, Sterling could catch a tail wind.

UK and Eurozone inflation will also be in focus. If price pressures continue to rise, expectations of more interest rate hikes could boost their respective currencies.

The UK government’s fiscal statement also promises to be a huge event on the economic calendar. With PM Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set to impose more austerity measures on the country to fill a fiscal hole blown into the budget by Liz Truss, worries about a worsening recession outlook could hurt Sterling.

That said, if the PM and Chancellor are able to restore the UK’s fi nancial stability and deliver a plan for growth, GBP could rally. Either way, we could witness some volatility.

The next day, an expected decline in UK retail sales could see Ster ling fall further.

The following week brings the flash PMI surveys for November, both for the Eurozone and the UK. GBP and EUR investors will be watch ing the results closely. Any evidence of recession could infuse more volatility into the pairing.

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 €1.16 and €1.13 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 differ ent 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 you.

Services like rate alerts and daily upNovember 16th - November 29th 2022s make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Cur rencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to pro vide 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.

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

Dressed to kill

THE scourge of mosquito bites could become a thing of the past thanks to the creation of a new clothing range by a Barcelona busi nesswoman.

Silvia Oviedo’s StingBye products include an adult t-shirt at €25 plus trousers and leggings as well as clothes for children. The range is impregnated with an insect repellant, which is effective against mosquitoes as well as lice, bed ticks, fleas, and mites.

Clever

The repellent effect lasts for more than 100 wash es. StingBye has also pro duced an additive that can be put into a washing ma chine to offer protection for existing cloth ing and will stay effective for at least 20 washes. Despite 20% of business coming from Spain, the main de mand for the clothes and addi tives is coming from South America.

Lactose-free victory

A MADRID nursing home resident has won a court case which forces centre managers to give her lac tose-free food.

Beatriz Cano, 72, has been in the home in the Usera district home since 2010 but was diagnosed with lactose intolerance the fol lowing year, “There was no way they

gave me a menu that my condition demanded,” said Beatrix. She had several meetings with the centre’s bosses but, as the court said, she ‘was given a com pletely inadequate diet’.

Her only concession, after a long battle, was to have her own fridge containing lactose-free products.

Beatrix recounted that staff

as sured her that some meals would be fine for her but that wasn't the case as she broke out in hives and oth er ailments.

A Madrid government spokesman said they would ‘abide by the court’s decision’.

variant

THE new Covid variant that is taking over in Spain has unofficially been given the delightful moniker of ‘hell hound’ by social media users. It is certainly easier to re member than its official designation - technically referring to two separate Omicron subvariants - as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1.

Spanish health minis ter Carolina Darias said that while ‘Hellhound’ currently only accounts for 2.7% of Covid cases in Spain, it is expected to be come the dominant strain in the coming weeks.

Hellhound’ already ac counts for 25% of cases in France, 10% of new infec tions in Belgium and has ticked up to 5% in Italy.

Drag me to hell

Dear Jennifer:

BE SECURE

Tailor-made insurance policies ensure you have the right cover

AS a company, Liberty Seguros, one of Spain’s largest in surance companies, offers two excellent types of policies, National and Expat, for two very different markets

Jennifer Cunningham Insurances is an Expat agent and I am very proud to work with Liberty with policies that have been designed specifically for the expat living in Spain – so the policies provided are more in line with what we are used to and give us a wider range of benefits than provided on the national policies.

Yes, of course they can be a little more expensive, as there are so many add-on options and additional benefits.

These policies are available in various languages, including En glish and Liberty provide English speaking services, wherever possible. This stops you struggling to understand and purchase an insurance policy in Spanish. My company provides further support for you with a Claims Administrator to assist you with the claims process and I also have a Renewals Department, unlike many other companies who just do automatic renewals.

My Renewals ladies will contact you each year with details and costs of your policy and should you need any amendments or updates to the policy, Renewals will be able to assist.

By Walter Finch

The European Centre of Disease Control (ECDC) issued a report on Octo ber 20 claiming that the two sub variants will account for more than 50% of cases in Europe at the on set of winter due to its resis

tance to the existing vaccines. The subvariants garnered their terrifying name from German Twitter users who named it ‘Cerberus’, based on expert forecasts of how it would spread across the continent.

They likened it to the ma ny-headed guard dog of hell who stops the denizens of the underworld from escaping.

Warning

Symptoms include a sore throat, a cough, general malaise, voice loss, diar rhoea, and a runny nose.

Preliminary data suggests that ‘Hellhound’ is 10% more contagious than pre vious incarnations of the vi rus, but no more severe.

Liberty provides a comprehensive range of insurance products including, car, house, pet, commercial, community, life, accident and marine.

The house policy in particular is extremely special and can be tailor-made for your particular requirements, with a selection of add-ons, one of which is accidental damage covering both your home and your garden, with a certain amount allocated for your garden and much more.

My company policy, with regards to vehicles, is to ensure all the seats have adequate cover. Should the worst happen, this gives more help and support to everyone in the vehicle and protects the driver/owner against claims from the passengers, which could go on for years if a passenger is badly injured.

The life policies are available and can be adapted for your own needs, from small policies to cover funeral costs, to full life poli cies and mortgage protection policies.

And don’t forget Jennifer Cunningham Insurances can also offer health insurance, travel insurance, and both funeral insurance and prepaid funeral plans.

‘Hellhound’: The ‘delightfullynamed’ new Covid

XMAS ON THE ROCK

DO THE JINGLE BELL ROCK

Gibraltar has a very unique take on the Christmas season

WHEN Bobby Helms first released ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ 65 years ago, he could easily have been talking about Gibraltar, where Christmas is in the air right through to the day itself.

The festive atmosphere around the Rock is second to none, with its dis tinct mix of Britishness combined with its Mediterranean climate. Throw into this unique mix some of your time-honoured shops like Marks and Sparks, your favourite

pub grub from old Blighty and en tertainment for all the family down its streets and you have a winter holiday destination that will make you feel at home with its own pe culiar twist.

Crusty the Snowman might not be a feature, but neither will the cold be a problem.

The Rock’s sub-tropical climes will make you grin from ear to ear as you shop around marvelling at du ty-free prices below the coloured Christmas lights that adorn its

START feeling festive at Ocean Village! It is the ideal destination to get you into the spirit of the season… whether you’re with kids, family, or friends. With international restaurants and bars overlooking the marina, our venues offer perfect cosy indoor and outdoor dining experiences.

Our Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on Thurs day, December 1, starting with Live Music from 4pm, Carol singing at 5pm by St Anne’s Upper Primary School Choir and Magical Disney Hide ‘N Seek from 5.30pm (£5 per child) to raise money for GBC Open Day. Enquire now on disneymag ic@oceanvillage.gi Plus… Street Food, Mulled Wine & Mince Pies!

Santa Claus is also coming to Ocean Village! Come and have tea with Santa in his Grotto on December 18 from 11.30 to 3.30pm at Café Fresco . This includes a photo with San ta and a chocolate gift per child. Enquiries: santasgrotto@ oceanvillage.gi Sunday, December 18 is also World Cup Final Day! Enjoy live music with Musicians Association of Gibraltar outside Café Fresco from 12 midday till 3.30pm, with the live screen ing kicking off at 4pm.

By John Culatto

winding streets.

Jolly

In between shopping, treat yourself to a pint of lager over fish and chips that is even fresher than in the UK, often having been caught that day.

XMAS ON THE ROCK

what’s on Fun facts

Gibraltarians pride themselves on being friendly and welcoming so do not hesitate to speak to the locals either.

You will learn about what makes the season special for them as Brits from different roots.

There will be regular festive enter tainment too, kicking off with the Festival of Lights on November 18.

Featuring the Gibraltar Scout Group, St Bernard’s School and Gi braltar youth choirs, you can hear the carols that remind you of your childhood.

On March 20th, 1969, John Len non married Yoko Ono on the Rock of Gibraltar. The iconic cou ple initially wished to get married in Paris or at sea. However, due to the difference in their nation alities, 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.

The entertainment will be the pre lude to the Christmas lights being switched on across the Rock, a magical moment for all to see at 7.30pm.

After the show, why not whisk off to Ocean Village, where you can lounge in the luxurious marina set ting while sipping your favourite brew.

You can dine out at some exotic

World first

Gibraltar International Airport has a runway that cuts through one of the territory’s busiest 4-lane highways. If you think the commute you take every day is bad, imagine having to wait for a plane to take off or land for the road to open back up again.

restaurants here too, offering very British food, global cuisine or re gional delicacies.

If you are feeling like treating your self, why not go for a first class din

GIBRALTAR became the first country to print stamps bear ing the mark of Charles III in a special Christmas edition.

The set, called ‘12 days of Christmas’ after the 18th Century British festive carol, features typical presents given during this season.

The stamps were designed by Stephen Perera and printed on high-quality gummed paper.

The stamp set is available at the Philatelic Shop on 104 Main Street or online via gibraltar-stamps.com.

“We are honoured and proud to become the first country to issue a set of stamps with His Majesty’s Royal Cypher,” Min ister for Portal Services Vijay Daryanani said.

ner at the Sunborn five star hotel. The static ship is the main attrac tion of the stylish Ocean Village complex, complete with its own top deck restaurant where you can eat

in style. Cap off an amazing day of shopping with a refresh ing cocktail or champagne after a satisfying din ner with exclusive waiter service.

Perched above the marina complex with the Rock on one side and the setting sun on the other, you could be forgiven for forgetting about your worries, even if for just a second. Then you can party the night away in the Sunborn’s own hip casino or drift out to see what the rest of Ocean Village has to offer. All in all, Gibraltar has a special package for every visitor, so why not try something different this Christmas and do the Jingle Bell Rock!

FINAL WORDS

REuse REduce REcycle

Cops and geckos

A NEIGHBOUR called police on a man in Elda (Alicante) because a gecko had taken up res idence on his balcony. He has complained of a waste of police resourc es after cops sent in ani mal protection.

Wrong trip

A TRAVEL agency got Spain’s capital and a Turkish city mixed up, leading to a group of Russian tourists ending up in Mardin as opposed to Madrid when the wrong flight was booked.

Kick starter

MAYOR of Madrid Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida managed to boot a ball into the face of a pho tographer - the third time he has hit people at an honorary kick off.

Schlong arm of the law

THE days of dressing up like a giant penis and walking down the streets of a Spanish city could be doomed under new proposals put forward by the local council.

Other public activities to be banned in Malaga’s draft legis lation include walking around in just underwear, going com pletely naked, and wielding giant inflatable sex dolls.

It is part of a drive to tame un ruly stag and hen parties that have come to dominate the city’s nightlife scene.

By Walter Finch

The proposals will comple ment already-existing laws that prohibit anti-social be haviour, such as peeing in public, impromptu boozy street gatherings and shouting or using megaphones at night. The moves are part of a drive to encourage a ‘high quality’ form of tourism to Malaga, which saw over three million visitors to its airport in the third quarter of 2022 alone.

A MAN who hid an illegal gun from the po lice by stuffing it down his boxer shorts end ed up in hospital after he shot his penis.

The wounded Alicante man, 22, had a crim inal record for various crimes and spotted police officers waving down cars in the town. In his haste to hide his gun, he inadvertent ly blasted a point-blank shot into his penis.

Rather than seeking immediate medical at tention, he eluded a patrol car and headed

As the gateway to much of the south of Spain for internation al travellers, the convenience

DICK MOVE

home.

As he continued to bleed out and suffer in tense pain, his family took him to Elda Hos pital. A four-hour reconstructive surgery was performed on what was left of his penis.

As soon as he was wheeled out of the operat ing room, police arrested him.

of accessibility tends to attract the stag party crowd.

This is especially so since fel low Andalucian cities such as Granada and Sevilla are far less friendly to this form of tourism and already have sim ilar statutes on the books.

Those who violate the pro posed legislation would first be warned that they are break ing the law by being dressed as a penis.

And if they carry on regard less, they are liable to be slapped with a €750 fine.

ANIMAL rights party PACMA has shared a bizarre video of a naked hunter with a dead partridge dangling from his privates.

The man is shown wearing just boots, socks and gloves, and brandishing a shotgun. From the weapon are hung a number of dead partridges, as well as one hanging from his err, other weapon.

The man goes on a rant shout ing: “Don’t ever stop this, let the system continue, so we can catch partridges!”

What’s in a name

A COURT has banned a couple from naming their child Hazia, which in Basque means ‘seed’ but has the double meaning of ‘semen’.

The family has pledged to ‘fight to the last’ to see their daugh ter’s name on official docu ments as Hazia rather than the court ordered name of Zia.

Some 96 citizens in Spain have the first name Semen. They are Ukrainians and the name is a phonetic translation.

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