OLIVE PRESS
The
October 5th - October 18th 2022
INVADE THE EMBASSY this may be linked to the future of Gibraltar is atrocious. “We are real people with real lives and not pawns in some political game.” Negotiations over the movement of workers and trade across the Spain-Gibraltar border are now in their second year and are bogged down in legal issues. A Facebook group titled ‘Invasion of the British embassy in Madrid’ has pencilled in October 13 for a protest outside the embassy in northern Madrid. The victims, who will mostly come by bus or train, are urging expats from all over Spain to turn out
to support them. They have been writing dozens of letters to their MPs back in the UK and politicians in Spain, as well as backing the Olive Press U-Turn campaign we launched in June. So far demands to Spain’s DGT traffic authority have gone unanswered, while the British embassy itself has limited its responses to the video updates by ambassador Hugh Elliott. Despite announcing in July that the ‘main text’ of the deal had been agreed, Elliot’s latest message has dashed any hopes that a solution is near. He admits there are a couple of ‘complex’ issues.
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FIND: At Vanguard cave
HUNDREDS of angry expats are threatening to ‘invade’ the British embassy next week. They are converging from all over Spain in a protest to demand action over their inability to drive here due to Brexit changes. The group - including mostly long term residents - are furious the British and Spanish governments seem unable to strike the most basic deal. Meanwhile, expats in almost every other European country have been given the right to swap their licences for local ones. “It is totally unfair and really disgusting that Spanish residents are being trapped in a game that has nothing to do with our ability to drive,” said Scott Rattray, who lives in Lloret de Mar. “All the other countries managed to not treat their foreign residents like this.” Another victim, Tom Kington, based in rural Valencia, added: “The fact there is speculation that
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THE remains of an ancient osprey dating back 60,000 years have been discovered on the Rock. The specimen found in Vanguard Cave are believed to be the oldest ever found in the Iberian peninsular. Madrid’s Museum of the Sciences expert, Antonio Sanchez Marco, identified the specimen during digs organised by the Gibraltar Museum. Vanguard Cave is part of the Gorham’s Cave UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ospreys used to nest on the Rock until they were scared off by military activity during World War II. “The historical breeding site of the osprey is known from the detailed records and photographs of Victorian and Edwardian naturalists based on the Rock,” a spokesman for the Heritage Ministry said. The bird was found on a ledge above the cave, close to Monkey’s Cave. Ospreys still visit the Rock during migration, and are regularly spotted by local birdwatchers. Minister for Heritage and the Environment John Cortes said: “An artificial osprey nest with a decoy was placed near the site several years ago. “While nesting on the Rock is unlikely in the near future, we will continue to hope that one day they will return.”
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COUGH UP!
WORK GOES ON: Clean-up operations at sea and onshore
THE owners of the shipwrecked OS35 have been ordered to repay all costs of the oil clean-up and salvage operation. And the wreckage must be fully removed from its location off Catalan Bay by May 30 next year, Captain of Gibraltar Port John
Ship owners told to cover all costs of OS35 cleanup operation and given deadline to move wreck
Ghio has insisted. The wreck meanwhile survived another Levante storm as it awaits its final removal from its watery grave. THE SKY The authorities continued DOCTOR to remove oil from beaches ALL AREAS caused after the COVERED ship broke up in shallow water 4G UNLIMITED off the Gibraltar coast following INTERNET a mid-sea colliIDEAL FOR sion in August. STREAMING TV Ghio issued his orders to ALSO the shipowners IPTV, insisting they SATELLITE TV
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must take extra protection of the marine environment. The company will then invite a contractor with a proven track record to remove the wreck. This is expected to take around six months to complete. “While the precise methodology for the removal has not yet been established, this preliminary schedule is an important development in the operation,” Ghio said. “It confirms the intentions of the owners and their insurers to comply with the deadline and conditions specified in the Wreck Removal Notice.” According to the government, div-
ers found and removed ‘oil pockets’ trapped within the frame of the hull after recent storms. Tugs meanwhile repaired the booms surrounding the ship and at local beaches that have managed to keep the oil from spreading further. Clean up crews mainly focused on Seven Sisters beach, which bore the brunt of the recent storm-induced spill.
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They also removed tar balls from Catalan Bay and Eastern Beach, which were reportedly stinking with oil. Divers then patched up leaks from the shipwreck that had appeared after the first storm. “The oil that is escaping the vessel is likely to be unpumpable residues that remained in Tank 1 or the surrounding pipework,” a government spokesman said. As the urgency of the situation subsided, the Port has now returned to normal operations, including refuelling.