Olive Press Gibraltar Issue 190

Feeling positive

THE Gibraltar Government is ‘very optimistic’ that the UK, EU and Spain will sign a ‘safe and secure treaty’ after its leaders met in Madrid for talks.

It comes after Chief Minister Fabian Picardo led a delegation including Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia and Attorney-General Michael Llamas to the Spanish capital.

Llamas is now set to head to London to take part in the next formal round of negotiations with the EU, with the other pair joining on a video link.

“The Government remains fully committed to a positive, safe and secure treaty for Gibraltar and is very optimistic that such a treaty will be agreed,” a spokesman told the Olive Press.

The latest round of talks come as a prominent Spanish think-tank advised Madrid to sign a deal ‘as soon as possible’.

Fluid

The Elcano Royal Institute released its annual ‘Spain in the world’ report last week signed by 34 co-authors.

The institute said that as a ‘key partner of the UK in many trade sectors’ an agreement would be in its favour and if hard borders came in it would threaten ‘10,000 Spanish jobs’.

“Spain has too close a relationship with the UK and needs fluid trade, stable investment and a cooperative relationship with Gibraltar,” the report added.

Spain’s Foreign Minister said his government was ‘very close to a deal’ with the UK at last week’s Davos economic forum.

Jose Manuel Albares added the UK was acting with ‘a constructive spirit’ suggesting the two-year wait for an EU treaty could be coming to an end.

Picardo meanwhile told GBC the details of the draft treaty were ‘mind-blowing’.

TUNNEL TO FREEDOM

A PRISONER who painstakingly tunnelled a hole to escape his cell each night and wander the streets of Gibraltar was only given away after he was spotted by someone from the Rock’s parole board.

The incredible story - straight from The Shawshank Redemption, a film released the year before - only recently came to light in the memoirs of Superintendent John Field, whose career in the Royal Gibraltar Police spans 30 years.

It was one hot night in the summer of 1996, after officers had arrived at the old Moorish Castle Prison, that they found a prisoner had painstakingly dug an escape hole through his cell wall.

Rather cunningly, the hole was hid-

By Walter Finch

den by a poster, allowing the man to escape every evening when he would roam Gibraltar freely, cavorting with locals and pinching what wasn’t his before returning to his cell early the next morning.

A young and wide-eyed Superintendent Field had been dispatched to investigate the mysterious case of the night-time wanderer.

The daring impersonator of Andy Dufresne - Stephen King’s character in Shawshank who spent 20 years tunnelling out of his own cell - was eventually rumbled after a number of jaunts in the clean air of temporary freedom.

As Field recalls in his book, Subbuteo, Bonsai and Catching the Bad Guys: “I remember getting a call from the acting Superintendent of the Prison, Daniel Agius. “I went to the prison and he showed me this massive hole in the wall,” he explained in an interview to

UNBELIEVABLE: A prisoner scurried out of his hole each night with John Hill inspecting and (below) across three decades

promote the book.

“The prisoner had been removing clay and cement and was going out at night, before returning and distributing alcohol and all the stuff he was stealing.

“Someone on his parole board even thought he saw him out one evening, which of course he denied.

“He covered the hole with a map of

the world like in The Shawshank Redemption. It went undetected for a good time until eventually we realised what was happening and he was interviewed, charged and convicted.”

This is just one of Field’s more interesting cases in a career that has spanned over three decades – making him the second longest serving officer

in the RGP after the Commissioner, Richard Ullger. A former plumber, he joined the RGP in March 1992 at the age of 21 and is soon about to retire.

“I was the youngest officer in the force when I joined. And now I’m about to leave, I’ll be one of the oldest!” he joked.

Real life Shawshank: RGP officer recalls the incredible story of the prisoner who tunnelled a hole out of his cell and wandered Gibraltar each night

NEWS IN BRIEF THE family of a missing expat mother feared murdered in Spain have released balloons to remember her on her 40th birthday.

Quiet respect

GIBRALTAR Chief Minister Fabian Picardo will hold a one-minute’s silence to observe Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27.

At work

ALL industrial action by Gibraltar’s Information Technology and Logistics Department has now ended after the government tackled their main issues.

Deadline

MAYOR of Gibraltar

Christian Santos has reminded the public to send in their nominations for the Mayor’s Awards before the deadline of February 3.

Art call

THE Ministry of Culture is calling out to artists who would be interested in a new cultural hub offering cheap studio spaces with facilities for print-making and ceramics.

Birthday tears

There are still no answers to what happened to Lisa Brown (inset), who went missing in November, 2015.

The prime suspect meanwhile, has escaped from jail and is still at large.

Dean Woods, aka Simon Corner, was on day release from Sudbury prison, when he absconded and did not return.

A JURY in Gibraltar has found four Spanish men caught with £11 million of hashish in local waters NOT guilty of importing the illegal drug. The four had, however, earlier pleaded guilty to being in possession of the two tons of cannabis resin, for which they could go to prison for up to five years.

Chief Justice Anthony Dudley also found them not guilty of importing the illegal 12-metre RHIB they were travelling on.

Campo residents Francisco Javier Rocca Caballo, Francisco Andres Fernandez Sanchez, Juan Manuel Rivera Montero and Juan Carlos Guitterez Exposito have already spent 17 months behind bars.

The 40-year-old yacht dealer was just two years into a 12-year stretch for his involvement in an €9 million cocaine ring. Woods has long been suspected of being behind the disappearance of his ex-partner Lisa, who lived near Sotogrande. He was quizzed by cops after Lisa, from Scotland, failed to collect her eight-yearold son from school in Guadiaro.

“This isn’t the day we wanted for her,” her sister Helen told the Olive Press having released the balloons near Glasgow on Friday. “We will never be able to properly honour Lisa while the prime suspect remains on the run. Lisa isn't at peace - she’s dumped somewhere so how can she possibly be at peace.”

SMUGGLERS CLEARED

Spaniards caught with multi million pound hash haul in Gibraltar waters walk free from court

By John Culatto

They damaged a Customs boat in 2021 as they tried to flee before being arrested.

SALVAGE crews have started to remove the cargo of metal poles from the stricken bulk carrier beached on Gibraltar shores.

A Koole tug and barge managed to strip away the cranes to get access to Cargo Hold 3 of the OS 35 shipwreck.

At the same time, help is on the way from northern Europe.

Koole tug 31 and towing barge

K10030 finally managed to leave

GBC News reported how prosecutor Christian Rocca told the jury the operation had been carefully planned and executed.

Rocca claimed they knew they

Chop shop ship

Brest port where they had spent the last few weeks sheltering from poor weather.

The OS 35 hit another ship and ran aground 700 metres from Catalan Bay village on the eastern side of the Rock in late August.

The Port Authority has set a May 30 deadline to remove the wreck.

Backup plan

GIBRALTAR is looking to cut red tape to attract a greater range of companies if talks between the UK, EU and Spain fail to agree on an EU treaty.

Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia said the government is looking at ‘alternative business models and opportunities’ in the event of a No Negotiated Outcome (NNO).

He co-chaired a meeting with Director General for Europe at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Julian Braithwaite on the subject.

Progress

had crossed into British Gibraltar’s territorial waters. But defence lawyer Christopher Finch managed to convince the jury that much larger forces had exploited the accused for their own ends. He argued that there needed to be intent to import the drugs and the boat to Gibraltar.

Acquitted

Otherwise, Finch said a court could view a sailing boat passing through the bay as an importation. The Supreme Court’s nine person jury then acquitted the defendants of drug smuggling charges.

The UK and Gibraltar governments said they were ‘pleased’ with the progress made since the last NNO meeting in December.

“All sides in the negotiations are committed to working intensively to conclude a UK-EU Treaty,” Garcia said. “This will help secure future prosperity for both Gibraltar and the surrounding region.

“However, in the event that this is not possible, it is important at the same time to prepare for the alternative as much as we can.”

SHE has lived through two world wars, a bloody civil war, the Spanish Flu pandemic that killed millions and even pulled through unscathed when she caught Covid. Now Maria Branyas Morera has taken the title of the oldest living person at the ripe age of 115.

Maria, who lives in Catalunya, has inherited the accolade

Revenge is a dish best served hot for Shakira...but beware of your supercool ex

WHEN the Spanish tabloids’ golden couple Gerard Pique and Shakira split up, it seemed that everything was being settled amicably.

The Colombian songstress released a song, Monoto ny, whose lyrics and video conveyed heartbreak. But barely two months later, the dominant emotion in new track Session 53 is undiluted vengeance.

She takes aim at the ex Bar celona and Spain footballer and his new girlfriend Clara Chia and lets fly with both barrels.

The devastating lyrics include lines such as: ‘I was out of your league, that’s why you’re with someone just like you.’

And she follows up with ‘You left me with your mum as a neighbour, the press at my door and a debt with Hacienda’.

The latter is a reference to Shakira’s ongoing

THE GREAT SURVIVOR

following the death of French nun Lucile Randon, who was 118 when she recently died in her sleep in a nursing home in her native Toulon.

Maria was born on April 4, 1907 in San Francisco. She returned to Spain in 1914 with the rest of her Catalan family, and has been living in the Tura d’Olot senior home for several years.

In 2020, she contracted Covid-19 at the age of 113, but overcame the illness. The second oldest person in the world currently is Fusa Tatsumi from Japan, who is also 115.

Musical vengeance

SCORN: Shakira’s new song but Pique doesn’t seem to mind

By Simon Hunter

battles with the Spanish Tax Agency, which is taking her to court on allegations that she evaded €14.5 million in taxes by claiming she was not living in Spain.

But some of the most barbed lines of the song are reserved for Pique’s girlfriend, with

(Very) Material Girl

DUST down your wallets, Madonna is coming to Spain. The American superstar has announced she will make an appearance at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi on November 1 as part of her Celebrations world tour. But fans had better be prepared to pay for the privilege of seeing her perform - a VIP deal will cost €900 plus a €120 handling charge for The Immaculate Package, or €400 plus a €53 handling charge for the Gold Circle Early Entry Package.

Normal tickets cost an eye-watering €300 plus €40 handling charge for the best spots. The cheapest are a more manageable €40 plus €5.50 (binoculars not included).

Flamenco fashion

IF you are looking to update your flamenco look for this year’s ferias, head for Sevilla.

The 28th edition of International Flamenco Fashion Week (SIMOF) takes place in the Andalucian city from January 26 to 29, at the Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES). More than 1,800 costumes from over 90 flamenco fashion design houses will be shown in 54 catwalk parades, with a total 50,000 spectators expected.

Shakira singing ‘You swapped a Ferrari for a Twingo, you swapped a Rolex for a Casio’.

Pique himself seems to have taken the attack in good heart - a few days after the song’s release he turned up at an event driving a Twingo and wearing a Casio watch.

End

The relationship between Shakira and Pique came to an end in June, and when the custody agreement over their two sons, Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7, was announced in November, that was the definitive end to their 12-year relationship. Shakira is due to move from Barcelona to Miami with her children, while Pique has been granted generous visitation rights.

YOUNG: Maria (left) with family

Cop watch

BRITISH Forces Gibraltar has brought over UK inspectors to write a report about the Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) for the first time in its 85 year history.

The Rock’s secondary police force after the Royal Gibraltar Police had already sent information and preparatory documents to the inspectorate before their arrival.

The Ministry of Defence, which is in charge of the GDP, commissioned the inspection.

GDP Chief of Police Rob Allen said: “This inspection represents a significant milestone in the evolution and development of the GDP.

“I welcome this opportunity to highlight the capabilities and professionalism of the force.”

The force has a marine unit and dog section, and works with the drugs intelligence unit on the Rock.

Numbering around 100 locally-based officers, it is the equivalent of the Ministry of Defence Police in the UK.

Spanglish study

A SPANISH university has invited people from Gibraltar to help them study how bilingual brains work and give a lecture on their research.

The study came as academics from the University of Valladolid Language Acquisition Lab (UVAVAL) visited Gibraltar for the second time.

They are focusing on the combined use of English and Spanish in the community.

As part of the visit, academic Raquel Fernandez Fuertes from Valladolid University gave a lecture called ‘Bilingualism from the outside and from the inside’.

Opinion Page 6

DEMENTIA FRIENDS

THE Ministry of Transport is the latest government department to become a ‘Dementia Friend’ as the Rock strives to make the community more aware of this cruel disease.

Government ministers became ‘Dementia Friends’ collectively in September after World Alzheimer’s Day and other departments have followed suit since then.

Minister for Transport Paul Balban said: “It was then that I realised the importance of being aware of dementia and began looking at how we could assist this very worthy cause within the Ministry of Transport’s relevant departments.”

Balban spoke at the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society (GADS) seminar led by the group’s chairperson Daphne Alcantara.

Classy move

A WEALTHY company foundation that has its roots on the Rock will make sure Gibraltar residents have access to top classical music for the rest of the year.

CO2 EMISSIONS from road and air transport in Gibraltar during 2020, the first pandemic year, was less than half that of 2019, a government study has revealed.

The amount of carbon dioxide released from road and air transport went down by 51% and 55% respectively compared to the year before, the 2020 Greenhouse Gas Inventory showed.

Far less fuel was imported during 2019 and the lockdown grounded flights during 2020, the government said. Planes only contributed 5%

FRESH AIR

Carbon

emissions

plunged during pandemic with figures dubbed ‘encouraging’

By John Culatto

of the total emissions, while road transport was 11.4% of the CO2 released.

The Government said that the opening of the new natu-

A NEW Gibraltar government plan will ‘make cycling and walking the natural choices for short journeys’ by creating new bicycle routes and improving walking areas.

Minister for Transport Paul Balban said the Active Travel Strategy would make streets safer and more comfortable for cyclists and pedestrians.

He said it was ‘an evolving document’ that was a key part of the Sus-

ral gas power station caused carbon dioxide released from the power plant to drop by 13% from 2019 and 35% since 2015. But energy creation still accounted for 44.4% of total CO2 pollution.

Walk or cycle

tainable Traffic and Transport Plan (STTPP) of March 2017. It would include specifically marked cycle routes and bike parking. The strategy details ambitious plans to make Gibraltar a ‘15-minute city’ where residents can fulfil all their working, shopping, health and education needs by cycling or walking.

The figures showed that ‘manageable’ CO2 pollution only went down by 12% compared to 2019, despite the lengthy lockdown. Local boats created a surprising 28.2% of the

44% of emissions from transportation recorded in 2020. Emissions from rubbish went down by 9% during the period too. Minister for Climate Change and the Environment John Cortes said the figures were ‘encouraging’.

“When the 2021 inventory is ready we will be able to see more clearly how much of this reduction is real and how much was an artifact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Cortes said.

“Judging by the separate air quality trends we published recently, while it is likely that emissions in 2021 will be up on 2020, I suspect that they will still be below previous years.”

The Kishin Alwani Foundation, one of the Rock’s leading charities, has entered into a partnership with the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society. The Alwani family set up in Gibraltar in 1923, developing a number of businesses which have contributed to the community economy since then. By starting the Kishin Alwani Foundation in 1988, it gave back some of its profits to the community. It has since funded Cancer Relief, Women’s Aid, Calpe House and sporting and cultural activities on the Rock. Gibraltar Philharmonic Society chairman Ernest Gomez thanked the foundation for its ‘generous financial sponsorship’.

XMAS: concert with Jonathan Tetelman

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

Too much of

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

Bilingual business

IF there is something that Spain envies and admires about Gibraltarians, it is the way they can speak English and Spanish without hardly batting an eye-lid. While Spain still struggles to get their children to speak the most important language in the world, many residents of the world-famous Rock have learnt them both from an early age. Their fluency often startles Spanish people.

One second they are speaking like any other Andalucian, and the next they turn around to a family member speaking very much Queen’s English.

But Gibraltarians usage of both languages has taken an interesting shift during the last century

Before Franco closed the frontier in 1969, most working class people spoke Spanish for all their daily needs.

A few more privileged folk learnt to speak the English of their colonial masters for prestige and social class. Rich parents sent their children to boarding schools who returned with a public schoolboy accent that would make Prince Harry blush.

But after the border closed, more parents started to turn away from Spanish.

English became the only language which had any future and the UK was the only possible escape from the Mediterranean Alcatraz.

This push toward English, intensified with the arrival of satellite TV, easily outdoing the influence of the Spanish channels of the area, made kids much more monolingual.

Nowadays, even with the frontier open, people estimate only about half the children of the Rock speak Spanish at all.

This is a shocking statistic considering Gibraltar’s geographical position on the southern tip of Spain.

So it is no surprise the University of Valladolid is carrying out a study of bilingualism on the Rock. But they might be disappointed with the youngest generation.

Their inability to learn Spanish is not only a surprising reality but an affront to all.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Anthony Piovesan anthony@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

ETIAS

TRAVEL TRIBULATION

Confusion reigns over new ETIAS visa requirements for Brits entering Spain

By Walter Finch

NEW travel requirements for entering Spain have sparked confusion over who it affects and when they actually start.

The introduction of the new ETIAS regime, as it is known, will complicate the visa-free entry to the EU Brits have enjoyed since freedom of movement ended in 2020.

Initially it was feared the system came in this month, prompting confusion among travellers about what they needed to comply with.

But last week, the EU confirmed that ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) would not come into effect until ‘later in the year’.

Initially insisting May, the European Commission’s Department for Migration and Home Affairs now states it will not start until November.

Permission

IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was a game-changer.

The village of Godelleta was rightfully proud when it was selected in 2016 as the trial site for an innovative sun-powered system to pump and distribute water for irrigation.

The local agricultural community witnessed some remarkable improvements and, with water being used more efficiently, the citrus, olive, and vine yields improved and job opportunities increased as a result. Thanks to batteries, the pump systems were able to operate at night and even on cloudy days, and, by reducing the village’s reliance on non-renewable energy sources, carbon emissions were reduced. It was a win-win scenario . . . until now.

The electricity powers a control panel and pump, sunk into a water source, which could be anything from a river to a well.

Water is then transported along a ditch or pipe, or, in Godelleta’s case, an ancient system of acequias (canals) first installed by the Moors.

The plan is to increase the number of solar panels to 91,000

The delivery is preset depending on irrigation requirements – it might be drip method, full flow or half flow, for example. A timer, and water pressure, level and volume, can also be preset. Godelleta is perched on the flat table of land above the citrus farms some 40km from the city of Valencia, and below the olive groves and vineyards on the higher land to the west towards Cuenca.

The dynamics of a solar pumping system are both pioneering and simple. Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight into electricity.

The town’s farmers are able to produce the crops grown in both areas (oranges comprise 40% of the total, grapes another 40%, the rest dominated by olives and persimmon), and the solar extraction system has been able to handle the varying irrigation requirements. For the most part, the community has been happy with it, and proud to be a

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Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva

So for the time being, Brits are still allowed to enter any European Schengen area country with just their passport for up to three months within any six month period.

In November however, travellers will have to apply for special permission to enter the EU before boarding the plane or boat.

For a fee of €7, travellers will undergo a form of security check that will monitor irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors to Schengen states.

The background check will be automated against EU information systems for borders and security and, it’s claimed, authorisation will be issued within minutes for most. As such, holidaymakers who forget to apply for an ETIAS - or aren’t even aware of it - will technically be able to apply while waiting to board the aeroplane.

However, if additional checks are required, this could take up to 96 hours, making it sensible to apply well in advance.

It’s important to stress that expat residents of Spain will not be required to hold an ETIAS, although it will be advisable to have residency documents to hand when boarding.

Once an ETIAS is acquired, it will be valid for three years, saving travellers the hassle of having to apply each and every time they travel.

A total of 60 countries will be subject to the new ETIAS regime, including the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Largest ever haul of baby eels, worth quarter of a million euros, puts fish smuggling under the microscope

By Dilip Kuner

THE recent arrest of two men trying to smuggle 190 kilos of baby eels (known as elvers or anguilla) through the port of Algeciras has once more thrown the spotlight of this unusual but highly lucrative illegal trade. Border agents were shocked to find coolboxes filled with the live baby glass eels - 192 kilos of them, worth an astounding €250,000 - in a car coming from Tangier.

It was the largest haul of the critically endangered species since their import was banned into the EU in 2010.

But their high value for the Asian market has encouraged a rise in criminal gangs flying them to the Far East. Many end up in China to be fattened and then sold on to other countries including Japan where they are a highly prized delicacy.

Spain - itself a major breeding ground for the glass eel - has become a hub for the illegal trade, with elvers ‘harvested’ from across Europe and Africa sent here for onward shipment to Asia.

The eels are carried by ‘mules’ on scheduled flights in specially adapted checked-in suitcases. It may sound like a crazy amateurish scheme, but the trade is worth millions.

The Olive Press has previ-

ously reported on the vast profits, with one man convicted of smuggling an estimated €62 million worth of baby eels from Spain to East Asia via the UK.

Gilbert Khoo (pictured bragging about his wealth by showing two gold bars), 67, from Surrey, was found guilty of six offences relating to the illegal importation.

UK Border Force officers found the European glass eels, concealed under a load of chilled fish at Heathrow Airport.

The live consignment, weighing around 200 kilos, had been transported from Spain to the UK in 2017 en route to Hong Kong. The creatures have since been returned to the wild.

As the ‘industrialisation’ of solar power becomes ever more controversial, Jack Gaioni looks at how one small farming community was grateful for the installation that helped them pump water round the fields more efficiently – until the company announced plans to expand it tenfold

Good health A

WHILE most Spanish supermarket chains stock a range of vegetarian and vegan products, one of the world’s cruelest luxury foods is now turning into an ethical, imitation product for discerning shoppers.

This latest foodie invention is a vegan foie gras, called Fuah, and it’s literally flying off the shelves.

Real foie gras is made from duck or goose liver and is controversial because the birds are usually tube-fed more than they would usually eat, to fatten their liver before slaughter.

In the UK, King Charles is reportedly banning the cruel product from royal estates, while California and New York also want to ban it.

In these more socially aware times, it is simply not something to serve visitors or friends concerned about animal welfare.

The vegan version is made by a start-up company in Madrid called Hello Foods and uses coconut oil, beetroot extract and lentil flour to create its

The company worked on the recipe for more than a year, revising it an incredible 800 times, it claims.

Within 12 hours of launch last month, the first 5,000 units sold out across Spain. When 30,000 more were distributed, these were also snapped up.

FAUX GRAS!

The Olive Press gets a thumbs up for the latest ethical meat substitute to hit the market, writes Jo Chipchase

The product can be bought in specialist stores, online, and in Alcampo. The cost is €5.99 online and €8.99 in Alcampo.

In an Olive Press taste test at Bar Piki, in Canar, near Granada, over a dozen expats and Spanish gave it a thumbs up. Indeed, everyone who tried it liked it, and one young Spaniard was so enthusiastic he immediately bought some online.

“I really enjoyed the taste although I’ve never tried the real thing, it was super tasty and had a really nice creamy texture,” said fashion designer Freya Rogers, from Orgiva.

“From an animal abuse point of view, this provides a good, cruelty free option.”

Maria Jose Moreno, added: “It’s years since I had real foie gras, but I remember the flavour well – creamy and tasty and this is just as nice.”

Executive Health

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Sorrell Badger, from Lanjaron, added: “I am pleasantly surprised. It is creamy and delicious and you get an attractive glass jar to keep when you’re finished.”

The only negative is it being unsuitable for people with nut or gluten allergies, so be sure to read the label first.

Sleep to defeat old age

THE vast majority of people are not doing enough to ward off dementia in later life.

A feared consequence of ageing the number of people expected to suffer from dementia is only set to rise.

Already an estimated 55 million people suffer from it, with more than 60% living in low and middle income countries.

As the proportion of older people increases in nearly every country, this figure is expected to rise to 78 million in 2030 and then 139 million by 2050, according to the WHO.

To remedy the problem Alzheimer’s Research UK has composed a new 12-step checklist to help avoid getting the condition.

The number one factor on the checklist is to get at least seven hours of sleep a night. This is the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, providing the most benefit for cognitive and mental health.

By Anthony Piovesan

Step two is to regularly challenge the brain - this could involve anything from frequently doing puzzles, or playing crosswords to learning a new language.

Third is to stay socially active, while the fourth step is to maintain mental well-being.

The fifth and sixth steps recommend people look after their hearing and eat a balanced diet. Staying physically active comes next, while quitting smoking also helps.

The ninth step is drinking responsibly, while number 10 is keeping a healthy level of cholesterol.

To achieve this, eat oats, barley and other whole grains, as well as beans, eggplant and okra, nuts, vegetable oils, apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits.

The final two steps are maintaining healthy blood pressure and

SLUMBER ISSUES

A SURVEY called ‘Sleep and Well-being’ claims 54% of people in Spain have mood swings caused by a lack of sleep.

It found that 39% of the population endure either poor or very poor quality sleep on a daily basis.

The research was jointly carried out by the Monica Duart Sleep Foundation and Castellon’s Jaume I University.

Sleep problems are hitting the whole of the population, regardless of age, with 36% of those surveyed admitting to daytime drowsiness.

“These research results are further evidence of the importance of sleep,” said Monica Duart.

“The lack of rest affects all parts of our lives from mental health to work performance,” she added.

Collaboration between the Sleep Foundation and the university started last year.

They are now both promoting rest and well-being, in addition to raising general awareness of sleeping problems.

Over the next year, further analysis will be made over sleep quality and its implications on health.

YOUR HEALTH

VITAL: A good seven hours solid sleep as a minimum

managing diabetes. Although age is the strongest known risk factor for dementia, it is not an inevitable consequence of biological ageing.

Trials

It also does not exclusively affect older people - young onset dementia occurs when symptoms develop before the age of 65 and ac-

ESSENTIAL CHECK

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THE Kraken COVID-19 variant is on the Rock and could create a new wave of the pandemic, Gibraltar's health authority warned.

But the variant that is racing through the USA was not responsible for December’s surge of cases, Public Health Gibraltar said in a statement.

This checkup takes 2-3

• Survey with the doctor about your previous

• Clinical examination by

• Essential Blood,

• MRI Thorax and normal MRI Abdomen, including all organs and MRI Pelvis, including all organs and extra scans

It added that although the Kraken variant was able to evade natural and acquired immunity from vaccines, ‘there is no indication it causes more severe disease or deaths’. Scientists believe Kraken, which is related to Omicron, is the most contagious coronavirus variant yet. For now, the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) did not want to overreact, instead choosing to ‘monitor the development of this strain,’ it said in a statement.

“The recommendation is to continue with the current level of enhanced response,” the GHA said.

• Follow up Consultation

Treatment and control at the clinic of newly discovered

Testing

• Written summary of findings

“Mask wearing will still be required within St Bernard’s Hospital (SBH) and Elderly Residential Services (ERS).

“Walk-in vaccine clinics are available at SBH every afternoon from 1pm to 4pm.”

counts for 9% of cases worldwide.

There is currently no cure for dementia.

There are anti-dementia medicines and disease-modifying therapies, but they have limited efficacy and are primarily labelled for Alzherimer’s disease.

There are, however, numerous new treatments in various stages of clinical trials.

DID you bring any leftover Roscon de Reyes cake into the office this January… or a pile of sweets picked up by your kids in the Three Kings parade? Then you could be guilty of encouraging a habit as bad as passive smoking, according to experts.

Professor Susan Jebb, chairwoman of the UK’s Food Standards Agency, said while it is a choice to eat sweet treats - as it was a choice to enter ‘smoky pubs’ - people can help each other by providing a ‘supportive environment’.

“We all like to think we’re rational, intelligent, educated people who make informed choices the whole time, and we undervalue the impact of the environment,” she said.

“If nobody brought cakes into the office, I would not eat cakes during the day, but because people do bring cakes in, I eat them. Now, OK, I have made a choice, but people were making a choice to go into a smoky pub.

The GHA still recommends testing for anyone with COVID-19 symptoms.

CONTACT

Executive Health Marbella – Ctra. N-340, Km. tel: +34 670 674 246 info@executivehealth.es

“We want to reassure the public that this is expected as we continue to move through the pandemic,” Director of Public Health Helen Carter said. “We must keep testing, and even if you test negative, please stay at home if you have symptoms of high fever, and do not visit your loved ones at SBH and ERS”.

Cake up call

“With smoking, after a very long time we have got to a place where we understand that individuals have to make some effort but that we can make their efforts more successful by having a supportive environment.

“We still don’t feel like that about food.”

Professor Jebb also insisted on restrictions on junk food adverts.

“The businesses with the most money have the biggest influence on people’s behaviour.”

A 2019 study found over 40% of Spanish children aged six to nine were over their recommended weight.

Last year, the Spanish government announced plans to ban influencers from advertising junk food to children.

Plus another 11 great tips to avoid joining the 55 million people currently with dementia

DOWN TO A TEA

Seven healthy cuppas you should be supping this year

THE Brits love their cups of tea, but when they’re full of sugar and fattening dairy milk, the health benefits don’t exactly spill over.

But tea can also be the cup that cures so check out our concoction of healthy brews. They not only have the power to help your heart, liver and bodily functions, they’ll also stop you from dunking calorific bickies.

2. Black

This is one of the most highly-caffeinated varieties of tea, with about 40 milligrams of caffeine per cup.

Black tea also contains thearubigins and theaflavins, two types of antioxidants that have been linked to lower cholesterol levels.

Plus, drinking three or more cups of black tea a day can cut your risk of stroke by 21 percent.

1. Oolong

For a post-fes tive detox, this is just your cup of tea, activating enzymes that cut down triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood. One study showed that women who consumed oolong tea burned a slightly larg er amount of fat than those who drank only water.

More than just a fat burner, it also contains niacin which helps detoxify the body, and an tioxidants that can prevent tooth decay.

3. White

With its many proven health bene fits, this is the ultimate multi-task er of teas.

Much like green tea, it contains catechin which may help fight cancer and cardiovascular disease. Drinking white tea might also reduce the risk of cancer recurrence for breast cancer survivors, according to the American Cancer Society.

4. Green

The best superfoods to add to your diet in 2023 for that New Year New You feeling

WE’VE all heard about how good probiotics are for our gut. Thanks to the fermentation process, Sauerkraut is one of the most probiotic-rich food available for digestive well-being.

Inflammation in the gut can lead to a range of problems such as decreased immunity, poor skin and, according to a number of studies, mood swings and mental health issues. Sauerkraut - which originated in China more than 2,000 years ago - is a strong probiotic including vitamins B6, C, K, iron, and protein. It also boosts metabolism and contains fibre which keeps you regular and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

6. Lemon ginger

Ginger has an active ingredient called zingiber, while lemon contains the immune-boosting compounds pectin and limonene. This epic duo makes lemon ginger tea an effective weapon against bacterial infections. One study shows that it can even kill the bacteria linked to salmonella!

Green tea is an excellent source of catechins, another type of antioxidant.

A subgroup of this compound known as EGCG has been studied for its potential role in preventing cancer and heart disease. One study showed that drinking one cup of green tea per day could decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by 10 percent.

5. Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea is a commonly-used natural compound that fights illnesses such as the common cold and other respiratory infections. One study showed that consuming echinacea in tea or lozenge form over a fourmonth period helped to prevent infections.

7. Chamomile

An ancient natural remedy with many health benefits. Research shows that the antioxidants in chamomile tea may help stunt the growth of cancer cells and prevent diabetes side effects such as loss of vision, nerve damage and kidney damage. Unlike the teas mentioned above, this brew is made from the flow ers of the chamomile plant.

BERRIES are highly nutritious and low in calories, containing several vitamins and minerals but who knew strawberries were so high in vitamin C? Just one cup of the summer favourite provides a whopping 150% of the recommended daily intake.

Berries

The darker the berry, the more nutrients. Blueberries are one superfood that all nutritionists agree are a diet staple, providing fibre-rich carbs which aid digestion and weight management. The blue fruit contains at least 15 different types of potent antioxidants that protect virtually every system in the body. Antioxidants prevent or delay damage to cells, tissues and muscles and are key in aiding cardiovascular and cerebral health and exercise recovery.

THE Indian ‘saffron’ has been hailed as a ‘wonder spice’ by medical experts for its anti-inflammatory benefits. But that’s not all. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, aids chronic pain, immunity and heart health and has anti-cancer properties. Sprinkle it in curries, add it to fresh juices or take it in supplement form.

Turmeric

GOOD news for expats, the Spanish favourite garlic is high on the superfood list because it is packed with allicin, a phytochemical which has numerous medicinal properties. It is also brilliant for fighting off most kinds of bad bacteria, viruses and fungi. So next time you have a cold, don’t reach for the Lemsip, stock up on cloves of the strong stuff. Experts say it’s best eaten raw but if cooking it, under 10 minutes is optimum time. Rub a clove on your toast in the morning (take breath pills to work) and enjoy it as pan con tomate, the traditional Andalucian breakfast.

Bone broth

For anyone suffering with digestive problems, such as IBS, bone broth could be a brilliant addition to your diet this year.

As well as being high in calcium, magnesium and collagen, it aids digestion and heals gut inflammation, due to its high content of amino acids (such as cystine, histidine and glycine).

It also packs plenty of collagen which gives skin elasticity and keeps joints healthy to prevent arthritis.

ALONG-TIME UK favourite, wild salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and much lower in toxins than farmed salmon. Omega 3 is important as it reduces the risk of heart disease, while lowering cholesterol levels. It has also been linked to improved cognitive function and could help reduce risks for depression.

Wild salmon

It’s additionally loaded with B vitamins and amino acids which will reward you with glowing skin and good energy levels.

WELLBEING FIRST

TROOPERS

A new luxurious health club and spa about to open in Gibraltar is promising facilities and treatments

to get anywhere else on the Rock

Sauna | Jacuzzi | Cold Plunge Pool | Hammam Steam Room Showers |

Leafy greens

Suite | SOTHYS Treatment Suite

NUTRIENT-DENSE and low in calories - it’s not hard to see why health experts love leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, rocket and chard. They’re packed with benefits including vitamins A, C and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and fibre.

Kale has become the holy grail of superfoods but it’s not just a millennial fad. It’s one of the best detox foods you should incorporate in your diet this year. Studies have found that it helps prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease by lowering cholesterol and promoting liver and digestive health.

E1,

Garlic

GIBRALTAR’s leading Health Club provider, Infinity Group, is about to open a new £3 million health club and spa.

The new spa and wellbeing club, called E1 Spa and Wellness, promises to ‘bring together the health club and wellbeing experience providing a unique location with the widest range of facilities of any of the health clubs or spas in Gibraltar’.

Gibraltar

CEO James McCann said that E1 Spa and Wellness will be popular with people who want to have the very best facilities available to work out and relax.

“People are investing more in their health and wellbeing than ever before and this new club and spa will deliver an unrivalled experience,” he said.

E1 Spa & Wellness will be based at the new E1 building on Devils Tower Road and will open in late February.

Special features include a 22m indoor swimming pool, a hammam steam room, sauna and cold plunge pool, sensory showers, plus a state-of-the-art fitness suite.

The three treatment suites will offer Sothys of Paris treatments. “The Parisian spa treatment brand is really well renowned and we’re really excited to be bringing it to Gibraltar - it’s all about massage rituals,

beautiful facials and top quality skincare products,” McCann said.

“We’re seeing a growing trend in health, fitness and wellbeing which is exactly what E1 is all about. Members will have not only a boutique gym to workout in, but superb spa facilities for swimming and enjoying the therapeutic benefits of the sauna and hammam to the invigorating cold plunge pool. An oasis of tranquillity that members can escape to whenever they want.”

Exclusive

The spa and wellness centre will be exclusive to a limited number of members, but open spa to day guests.

Membership is launching this week with special benefits and significant discounts if you join as a founder member. It’s operated by Infinity Group which runs Atlantic, Ocean and Sunborn Health Clubs and Spas in Gibraltar.

More details can be found online at www.E1spa.gi or via telephone on +350 560 02039

FOUNDERNOWAVAILABLEMEMBERSHIP

you’ll be unable

A significant check-up, taking you through the most essential MRI scans and tests for early cancer detection

ESSENTIAL CHECK UP - JUST 1645 €

(With an additional 10% discount when mentioning the Olive Press)

Taking the strain

New train route will take 48,000 lorries off the road

SPAIN is to get a new rail ‘superhighway’ aimed at taking 48,000 lorries off the roads. At the moment just 5% of goods are moved by train, compared to the European average of 20%.

But that is set to change as a new rail service between Algeciras and Zaragoza is put into action.

The public-private project will see a 1,074-kilometre route operating between the city in Cadiz province, which is home to the country’s main port, and the capital of Aragon, which is set to become a national hub for logistics.

At the moment, the vast majority of goods arriving in Algeciras are hauled away by lorries. The new rail link will take 48,000 lorries off the roads annually on the routes north from the Anda-

From oil to biofuel

AN old oil refinery in Huelva has been converted to produce biofuels, capable of reducing CO2 emissions by 90%.

Cepsa says that the upgraded facility is now capable of producing a sustainable diesel fuel, called hydrobiodiesel, from vegetable oil, vegetable waste and animal fats not intended for human consumption (sandach).

The plant was originally made to remove sulphur from mineral oil.

By Simon Hunter

lucian port. This is expected to dramatically decrease pollution: the forecast is a reduction of 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

The plan is for three services to run daily in each direction. Each train will have capacity for 30 wagons, which will be loaded with shipping containers. The Spanish Cabinet has authorised contracts worth

€45.5 million to refurbish signage on two new routes of the conventional rail network, to prepare them for this new train highway. The lines between Ariza and

Calatayud, and Guadalajara and Ariza, will be the first to get a spruce up. The total investment for the project is expected to run to €85 million.

FARM TO FUEL

OIL giant Repsol is joining forces with agricultural organisation ASAJA to transform agricultural and livestock waste into renewable fuels. They will pool their expertise to search for ways to improve the management of agricultural and livestock by-products in rural and sparsely populated areas where logistics can be a major obstacle. Repsol will analyse the potential to use farming waste and slurry as raw materials to make renewable fuels.

And on the flip side, Repsol will examine the possibility of reuse of by-products from the refining industry as fertilisers to increase agricultural yield and productivity.

Berta Cabello, Repsol’s Director of Renewable Fuels, explained: “Agriculture and livestock are key sectors in Spain. At Repsol, we are working with them to develop the rural economy and transform the by-products of this activity into renewable and circular fuels and materials, which in turn can be reused in the sector.”

Net Zero by 2050….at what cost?

THE question in the headline is easy to answer…. a lot! There is much talk in the media about ‘Net Zero’.

Simply put, this is that when CO2 emissions and CO2 removals are equally balanced, we reach the Utopian state of Net Zero.

It’s simple science. The world is warming to dangerous levels pri-

marily because of CO2 emissions. Last year estimates from the United Nations indicated that emissions exceeded 35 billion tonnes. The amount being removed was less than 10% of this total.

Getting to Net Zero is a massive global challenge.

Currently nearly all the world’s CO2 removal occurs through natural pro-

cesses.

That’s primarily trees and plants taking the CO2 from the air and then soil absorbing it. There are limits to how much mother nature can do. Even with increasing the amount of planting that has been promised (and when

it comes to promises on environmental action they are consistently broken) it still only amounts to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 removal.

THE SOLUTION IS TECHNOLOGY

To reduce and restrict the rise in global temperatures enormous amounts of money have to be invested. Developing new technologies does not come cheaply. Many of these solutions are being developed:

● Carbon capture

● Incorporating CO2 capture into biomass based electricity generation

● Developing specially treated charcoal (Biochar) that locks in carbon

So, there are options. And there’s the rub. Developed nations contin-

ue to talk the talk, and not walk the walk.

My own view is that there is a danger here with the talk of expensive solutions.

All this does is delay and defer the urgently needed action required to minimise the use of fossil fuels.

To date, emissions from fossil fuels have yet to start a downward trend. The facts speak for themselves.

When you look at the hard evidence, there can be only one conclusion…. we are failing to remove the threat for future generations.

Green Matters By Martin Tye

BIOCHAR: A method of locking carbon away

TRADE: Algeciras is Spain’s main port

STARS: of the show

Historic China

SPAIN will be the first place in the world to host an exhibition on the legacy of China's Qin and Han dynasties, after the communist country relaxed pandemic restrictions.

Alicante’s Archaeological Museum will host the display of over 150 items from March until January next year.

All exhibits have been loaned by nine Chinese mu seums.

Highlights will include nine warrior statues dug up in archaeological sites and an original terracotta horse. Alicante Provincial Coun cil's Julia Parra said: “The exhibition will become one of Spain's biggest cultural events of the year and will attract visitors from across the country.”

More-Rock abroad

Gibraltar artists are making friends in Tangiers

VARIOUS artists from Gibraltar will be exhibiting their work in Tangier throughout February as part of the Rock’s cultural exchange with its Moroccan neighbour.

The Ministry of Culture had planned this second phase of the project for 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic put it on ice at the last minute.

The JM Memorial Foundation and Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS), will set up the exhibition at Tangier’s Gallery Kent that often showcases contemporary art. The exhibition will run for three weeks

By John Culatto

from February 2.

The artists taking part include Chris-Anne Alcantara, Paul Cosquieri, Shane Dalmedo, Ermelinda Duarte, Jane Langdon, Mark Montovio, Bathsheba Peralta, Gino Sanguinetti and Willa Vasquez.

Cultural

“I am delighted that Gibraltar Cultural Services, as part of its cultural development drive, have managed, together with the JM Memorial Foundation, to secure the participation of artists and musicians in Tangier and

Gibraltar for the occasion,” Minister for Culture John Cortes said. “This exchange, which sadly could not go ahead in 2020,

EUROVISION TIME

BENIDORM will once again host the search to find Spain’s Eurovision Song Contest entry at the end of the month.

Benidorm Fest 2023 will stage the semi-finals on January 31 and February 2 at the Palacio de Deportes with the grand final on February 4.

Tickets for all three nights were sold out within minutes of going on sale, with the event screened by TVE.

Some 18 singers and groups will fight it out to represent Spain in Liverpool this May. After years of lacklustre entries, Spain moved to a festival format in Benidorm last year. The winner was SloMo sung by Chanel, which finished a very respectable third in Turin.

EYE OF THE STORM

A SPECIAL Ukranian art exhibition will be hosted in Madrid at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum.

The exhibit In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s can also be visited through a virtual tour. Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Anastasia Bondar said one of the most important tasks for culture is to open national art to the whole world.

will be of tremendous benefit to both artistic communities.

“It will be the gateway for future cultural exchanges with other small nations and neighbouring towns.” The exchange will include a lecture on the Gibraltar National Art Gallery and artists on show at the City Hall.

Moroccan musicians will combine with Adrian Pisarello and Liam Byrne to launch a song together.

The Gibraltar Sea Scouts Pipe and Drums Band will give a performance as part of the exchange.

“Exhibitions like this aim to show our art, unknown to the West, which embodies the difficult path of self-determination of Ukrainians, and on the other hand, prove the belonging and synchronization of Ukrainian art with the European context of those times,” she added. For more information, visit: www.museothyssen.org

SETTING UP: Artists will be in Tangiers

Trade boom

A whopping £4.7 billion has been generated from trade in goods and services between Gibraltar and the UK in the year to June 2022.

The figure released by the UK’s Department for International Trade was an increase of £890 million compared to the previous year.

Of the total, £2.6 billion came from trade from the UK to Gibraltar and £2.1 billion was generated the opposite way.

The top five goods Gibraltar physically imported from the UK were refined oil (£143.8m); cars (£64.7m); ships (£59.3m); medicinal and pharmaceutical products (£18m), and telecommunications and sound equipment (£7.4m).

Gibraltar imported the most from The West Midlands in the UK.

The Gibraltar government said the figure was an indicator that trade was booming since the Covid-19 pandemic.

ACCUSATIONS that the big four accounting firms were making their Spanish employees work 84 hour weeks triggered simultaneous surprise inspections by Spain’s labour ministry. The Madrid offices of PwC, KPMG, EY and Deloitte received visits from

App lined up to give Gib’s zoo a boost

IT might not be able to get the parrot to do the talking, but a new phone app could revolutionise the way visitors experience Gibraltar’s little-known, pint-sized zoo.

Jessica Leaper, manager at the Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park (AWCP), said the app, created by a UK startup, will make it easier to visit and support the project.

The AWCP started as a wildlife conservation park in the 1990s made up of exotic animals confiscated from passing ships, unwanted exotic pets or

QUANTUM LEAP

THE first trial of ultra speedy 25G PON technology has successfully been trialled in Spain on Telefonica’s existing fibre network, Nokia announced. The trial demonstrated nose-bleed-inducing speeds of 20 gigabits per second - around 60 times faster than current high-speed internet. Such speeds are considered necessary for some cutting edge cloud computing technology, as well as future applications such as Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse. Unfortunately 25G is not a five order jump in technology for 5G mobile networks; the two are separate technologies - 25G refers to home broadband.

Doesn’t add up

government inspectors investigating potentially abusive practices. The ministry said it was concerned about compliance with both labour

and social security law at the consulting giants. The big four host 20,000 employees in their Madrid skyscrapers, many of whom are new graduates eager to get their accounting accreditation and a big name company on their CV.

MONKEYING AROUND

By John Culatto

endangered species. It opened to the public in 2003 and is one of the smallest zoos in the world.

Leaper’s main challenges when she took over the zoo were modernisation and funding. She wanted to increase visitor numbers by making it easier to find the park and keep them coming back for more.

During last June’s BIAZA conference, she found out about app-maker n-gage, which had previously developed an app for Northumberland Zoo. She said she was ‘blown away’ by how easy it would make it for her to run the wildlife park.

Leaper ordered the smartphone app for the AWCP and straight away saw new possibilities open up.

“Now that we have implemented the app, we are going

INMATES: at the zoo will be even more accessible

to be looking to build on our school and education offerings and campaigns,” she said.

“We will also see how our corporate supporters can play a more meaningful role in what we do and where they can benefit too.”

Leaper now believes she will be able to focus on more conservation issues and get influencers on-board.

She will also be able to create QR codes to inform visitors as

CASH HAPPY

THE number of bankers in Spain who earn more than €1 million a year grew 73% to 221 just after the pandemic.

This is compared to the figure of 128 in 2020, according to figures just published by the European Banking Authority (EBA).

The list shows that Spain is fourth in Europe when it comes to the highest number of bankers with salaries over the million-euro mark, only below Germany (589), France (371) and Italy (351). What’s more, a Spanish banker received the highest salary in the entire European Union in 2021, with a total of €14.67 million for the year.

Salary

they walk through the zoo.

“Jess is now able to attract younger digital-savvy people into the park to help,” Bryan Hoare, CEO of n-gage.io added.

Ideal

“It’s an ideal place for young volunteers to at once develop skills and become more aware of the physical world around them.”

The average salary for million-earning bankers in the country was €2.16 million, compared to the European average of €1.8 million. In its analysis, the EBA pointed to the effect that the variable component of bankers’ salaries has on the yearly figures, meaning that when these lenders have a good year, pay can rise considerably.

Factors that had an influence on strong performance in 2021 include the lifting of many of the restrictions put in place the year before due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the relocation of staff due to Brexit and inflation.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Expensive ham

A SPANISH tourist in Australia barely had one leg in the country before he was sent back under beefed-up biosecurity laws over failing to declare ham and cheese in his luggage.

The 20-year-old man had his visa cancelled and was fined $3,300 for carrying more than one kilogram of undeclared pork and cheese. He was stopped at Perth Airport when 275 grams of pancetta, 665g of cured ham and about 300g of goat cheese in his luggage.

The Australian government had recently announced a beefing up of penalties for people caught with banned items to stop diseases and pests from entering Australia.

Positive picture

Bumper year for tourism as cash flows in

TOURIST industry body Exceltur says that the sector has ‘totally recovered’ after the Covid pandemic and has predicted a bumper year for revenues.

Exceltur’s Tourism Outlook report says the sector’s GDP reached €159 billion in 2022 - up 1.4% on the previous year and 4.7% on 2018.

The report adds that 61% of economic growth in Spain last year was down to tourism.

Exceltur says the first quarter of 2022 was

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 1 Abbas, 4 Sell-out, 8 Circa, 9 Bambino, 10 Spaniel, 11 Tenth, 12 Ran dry, 14 Adepts, 18 Motif, 20 Objects, 22 Opening, 23 Heave, 24 Yearned, 25 Diets

Down: 1 Accuser, 2 Bargain, 3 Swami, 4 Subtle, 5

Limited, 6 Onion, 7 Tooth, 13 Ruffian, 15 Package, 16 Sisters, 17 Forged, 18 Moody, 19 Theta, 21 Jihad

By Alex Trelinski

marked by higher energy prices and problems with supplies due to the war in Ukraine, as well as the Omicron Covid variant, but that from April there was a travel recovery, especially in the leisure, meetings and congresses sectors.

The body believes that accumulated demand and the desire to travel have overcome the adverse effects on personal income

caused by inflation. Exceltur expects consolidation of an upward trend throughout 2023, and a return to normality in international mobility, especially that of Asian travellers to Spain, plus the loyal Latin American market. A special focus has been put on Mexican trade, which rose by 80% last year.

Boosted

The report pointed out that a big increase in domestic tourism activity boosted the sector as the foreign visitor market continued to recover.

As for profitability, Exceltur said: “Business results will continue to be impacted by the still

Snow King

KING Felipe VI has spent the weekend skiing in Sierra Nevada.

high energy and borrowing costs, inflation and increases in salary costs.”

RECORD BREAKERS

ANDALUCIA received

30.8 million tourists in 2022 and expects 2023 to be a record-break- ing Figuresyear.point at an in- flux of 33 million tour- ists to southern Spain throughout this year. The optimistic data was revealed by the Junta’s Juan Marin, at Fitur 2023, Spain’s big International Tourism Fair.

The King travelled to Granada’s ski resort accompanied by his security team and a group of friends.

Felipe arrived on Saturday on a private visit, and was spotted wearing dark sunglasses having a drink on the terrace of the Lodge hotel. He then spent Sunday skiing with some friends in the Sierra Nevada resort, which has now opened Loma de Dilar and other ski lifts reaching 47 skiable kilometres, before stopping for lunch at the Alcazaba restaurant in Borreguiles (pictured). His timing was good - last Wednesday a 15cm snowfall forced the closure of the resort but it had reopened in time for the King’s visit with conditions described as perfect.

HOLIDAY REPRESENTATIVE, COSTA DE LA LUZ

Vintage Travel, a leading UK holiday company for villas with private pools, is seeking a dedicated Holiday Representative to be based in the Vejer de la Frontera area.

Responsibilities will include visiting clients at their holiday homes in the Vejer area, providing telephone support to those staying in some other areas of Andalucia, supplying detailed information about the area, answering queries, and liaising with property owners and suppliers to ensure that houses are well prepared and ready for the arrival of clients.

The role will involve approximately 20 hours per week, March – October, and will require occasional travel to other areas of Andalucia.

Applicants must own a car, live within 30 minutes of Vejer, speak fluent Spanish and English, have a passion for customer service and an abundance of local knowledge. Please apply in writing only with your CV and a covering letter introducing yourself to Caroline Ashworth: caroline@vintagetravel.co.uk, www.vintagetravel.co.uk

REuse REduce REcycle

Big pussy

A ‘big cat’ reported to be a ‘Siberian Tiger’ terrorising residents in Cadiz has turned out to be a household pussy, police report after days of surveillance.

Rotten plot

POLICE in Cordoba who arrested a gang which hid drugs inside fake tomatoes and used trucks to transport them to France, have seized 22,370kg of cannabis resin.

Maya gold

PABLO Picasso’s portrait of his toddler daughter Maya in 1938 is expected to fetch between €15 million and €20 million at an upcoming Sotheby’s auction in London.

P LIVE RESS The O

A POLICEMAN has been suspended for moonlighting as a porn actor.

The cop in Sevilla had appealed against the six month unpaid suspension to the High Court in Madrid, protesting that he was unpaid for his starring roles.

But judges decided that he received ‘indirect benefits’ and threw out the appeal.

The Directorate General of the Police had imposed the suspension after it found the National Police officer had been advertising his extra-curricular activities on social media.

Police bosses decided this was ‘detrimental to the image of the force’.

DIRTY COP

By Dilip Kuner

The court ruled in its written judgement that ‘he advertised himself on social networks using a pseudonym as a pornographic actor.

“He was totally recognisable in several photos that he posted, some of which had a high sexual content.”

In addition, the officer provided contact details for hiring, as he apparently acted in ‘specialised rooms’, perform-

Bosom buddies

HABITUAL rows at a Spanish public swimming pool about women going topless might finally be settled after the town hall gave the practice its blessing. Previously the law in Cordoba was vague on the issue, resulting in frequent poolside blow outs between those who object to seeing breasts in public versus those who do not. What’s more, the Municipal Sports Institute has floated the idea of dedicated times for naturists to indulge in full-frontal nudity.

Policeman who stripped off to star in porn movies suspended

ing live pornographic shows and making videos.

The officer, who was stationed in the Macarena district police station, appealed the suspension claiming that the pro file he managed on social networks as a porn actor ‘was private, not open to the public’ and that he did not charge anything, ‘but did it as a hobby’. His image rights were assigned to the production compa ny and the police officer did not know if the company de manded payment for access to the con tent.

In a written sub mission to the court

No speaky English

his lawyer said: “He never worked as a professional, only as an amateur, without charging for image rights or identifying himself as a police officer and without using his own name.”

The policeman’s now ex-partner, who starred with him, told investigating internal affairs officers that she was paid €300 per scene, although the male ‘stars’ usually did not get paid. Judges decided that the officer would have indirectly benefited by ‘sharing expenses’ and that the scenes would not have been possible without him.

A WOMAN thought her foster dog was not obeying her demands because it was disobedient, but it turns out the pooch only understood Spanish.

Ariana Giampietro, 26, had been looking after American Pitbull pup Monty for about a week but he wouldn’t ‘sit’ when she asked him to in English.

When she asked the shelter she fostered him from, she then discovered he had previously lived on a farm with a Spanish family, and only understood Spanish words. Giampietro, an adoption case manager for children in care, from Florida then looked up the Spanish words for ‘down’ and ‘let’s go’ and when saying them aloud discovered how obedient Monty could be. She is now teaching him English words so he can become bilingual before he moves in with his new English-speaking adoptive family.