Road to Gibraltar cut off in La Línea to demand unpaid wages for Town Hall staff

There were problems with access to Gibraltar on Wednesday as union representatives in La Línea restarted protests to demand the unpaid wages of Town Hall staff, ending the truce which had been in place for the town’s feria.The road to Gibraltar was closed for around an hour as the protesters set up a barricade of burning tyres.Unions say they are owed an average of 6,000 € each. José Porras Naranjo from the UGT union said they had been forced to take this action because the situation for some of the staff is so serious that they have had to ask for help from the Catholic Church charity Cáritas.He commented to El Mundo newspaper that, ‘although we know that a large part of the problem is inherited’, from the previous local government, ‘if we reach the end of the month without being paid it...

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Gibraltar’s Main Street was a hive of activity on Tuesday as two cruise ships carrying over 7,000 passengers arrived in the Rock.

They enjoyed Rock tours and sightseeing, but it was on Main Street that their presence in Gibraltar was most noticed. All through the day until mid-afternoon, Gibraltar’s pedestrian artery was teeming with visitors.Cruise visits represent an important area of Gibraltar’s economy. Altogether there are 190 cruise calls scheduled this year, an increase of 8% on 2010 with 330,000 passengers. A total of 172 calls have so far been booked for 2012 with an estimatedtotal of 320,000 passengers.“The cruise sector of our tourism industry is doing well and is the result of many years hard work,” said Joe Holliday, Minister for Enterprise, during his recent budget speech to Parliament.The Gibraltar Government will this year invest in extending and refurbishing the cruise terminal, as well as beautifying...

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The Civil Guard maritime force on patrol in the Strait of Gibraltar seized more than one ton of cannabis this week after boarding a fishing boat which was intercepted on the open sea off Almería province.

The Civil Guard maritime force on patrol in the Strait of Gibraltar seized more than one ton of cannabis this week after boarding a fishing boat which was intercepted on the open sea off Almería province.The two crew, who Europa Press reports are both from El Ejido, were arrested.Monday’s swoop came after the Guardia’s ocean-going patrol boat, the Río Miño, spotted a semi-rigid boat travelling without lights some 20 miles off the coast of Almería, shortly after which a fishing boat was seen approaching it from the shore. The Río Miño then launched one of the two smaller boats it carries on board, which managed to intercept the fishing boat. The...

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Morocco military plane crash kills 78

Seventy-eight people were killed when a Moroccan military aircraft crashed into a mountain in the south of the country, the army says.The army said three other people were severely wounded in the crash, in what is thought to be one of Morocco's deadliest air disasters in years.The C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed near Guelmim, just north of the disputed Western Sahara territory.Officials have blamed the accident on poor weather."Above all, it was the fog and bad weather conditions that are believed to be behind this accident. But for the moment, we don't have enough information," AFP news agency quoted an official from the interior ministry as saying.A local resident told Reuters news agency there was thick fog at the time of the crash.The plane was travelling from Dakhla, in the Western Sahara,...

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Full Tilt pro obtains dismissal from lawsuit

Phil Gordon, a professional poker player and member of Team Full Tilt, has obtained a voluntary dismissal from the class action suit brought against the company and multiple individuals on 30 June.According to a statement from his legal representatives, Los Angeles-based firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (GDC), Gordon “never participated in any management decisions or operational roles at Full Tilt.”The firm also revealed that Gordon is the only individual to have obtained such a dismissal, and the case against a further 12 members of Team Full Tilt, plus indicted founders Ray Bitar and Nelson Burtnick and multiple ‘John Does’ and companies...

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Douglas Hall celebrates wedding in Gibraltar

Famous North East faces can be spotted at the wedding of the property millionaire to Louise Roberts.Douglas’s dad and mam Sir John Hall and Lady Hall were there along with former Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd.Freddy’s brother Bruce Shepherd was also at the wedding on the Rock.Douglas, 52 and 34-year-old Louise, tied the knot at the King’s Chapel, a military garrison church, followed by a reception party at the members only club run by Louise.One guest said: “It was a really lovely day with Sir John welcoming Louise into the family during a speech at the reception.“The party went on until about 2am at the club.”Louise, who grew up...

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British Secretary of State visits Gibraltar

Liam Fix says the Spanish 'incursions' in British territorial waters are 'not justified nor tolerable'. The British Secretary of State for Defence, Liam Fox, has said that the Spanish ‘incursions’ in the British territorial waters of Gibraltar ‘are not justified nor tolerable’.He made his comments during a visit to the Rock on Saturday, and said that such distractions were not needed right in the middle of the Libya mission.Liam Fox was referring to incidents over the past year with the Guardia Civil on the one hand, and the Gibraltar police and the British Navy on the other, during persecutions in the waters round rock.‘This type of behaviour at the level it is occurring is not acceptable’, he said, and underlined that the solution has to be found in the political sphere.Gibraltar First Minister,...

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Magistrates Court yesterday refused Isaac Marrache permission to travel to New York

The Magistrates Court yesterday refused Isaac Marrache permission to travel to New York to be with his wife, who is due to begin treatment for breast cancer within days.Mr Marrache, who together with his two brothers is accused of a multi-million pound fraud, is currently on bail but is banned from leaving Gibraltar. Last week his lawyers applied to vary his bail conditions and allow him to be with his wife through the treatment and help her look after their children.Mr Marrache had been separated from his family for 15 months with devastating effect, the court was told.Last week defence barrister Jonathan Goldberg, QC, countered prosecution fears that Mr Marrache would abscond, highlighting that the defendant had returned voluntarily to Gibraltar last year to face the charges against...

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Jim Barber jumped into the Mediterranean at the southern tip of Spain at Tarifa and swam across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. Then he turned around and swam back.

Jim Barber went for a swim last week off the coast of Spain.He went to Africa -- and back.Barber jumped into the Mediterranean at the southern tip of Spain at Tarifa and swam across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. Then he turned around and swam back.In doing so, he became the ninth person and first American to accomplish the feat. He also did so in world record time: 7 hours, 49 minutes. That was 6 minutes faster than the previous best. He covered about 21 miles.Ho-hum. It was no big deal for the 51-year-old ultra endurance swimmer from Zionsville who had previously swam the English Channel, navigated the 281/2 miles around Manhattan Island and swam the Catalina Channel off the coast of California."The first three hours was a piece of cake,'' said Barber, who added that long open-water...

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Gibraltar coastguard plan 'inadmissible

The Partido Popular has criticised Gibraltar’s wish to establish a new coastguard service.The idea was put forward by the Gibraltar First Minister, Peter Caruana, of creating a new service ‘charged with defending and protecting the waters which the colony considers theirs’. P.P. National Deputy, José Ignacio Landaluce, sees that as an attempt to create a frontier, and he plans to ask questions in Madrid to see what the Spanish Government’s position is on the matter which he considers to be ‘inadmissible’.Meanwhile José Ignacio Landaluce, also said that he rejected the announcement from the U.K. that they will be appealing to the European Court against the ruling which has rejected Gibraltar’s appeal over the new environmental maritime region for the ‘Eastern Strait’, which gives Spain environmental...

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The UK is challenging the right of Spain to manage a stretch of water surrounding Gibraltar

The UK has been locked in conflict with the Spanish government over the stretch of water for over two years, after it discovered that the European Commission (EC) had agreed the area could be listed as a Spanish conservation zone or “Site of Community Importance” (SCI).The responsibility for maintaining an SCI, which includes carrying out regular assessments to help protect it from environmental threat, is usually only granted to states which own the area in question. This particular stretch however, known as Estrecho Oriental, overlaps both the coordinates of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) and an existing UK SCI, the Southern Waters...

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'Mad' Frankie Fraser grandson arrested in Gibraltar

The grandson of the former London gangland enforcer "Mad" Frankie Fraser has been arrested in Gibraltar over an alleged drug-smuggling plot.Anthony Fraser, 39, was on a list of 10 wanted individuals, thought to be in Spain, published in February.Crimestoppers said he had given himself up on Monday afternoon and the process to extradite him to the UK would begin.He is suspected of being involved in importing two tonnes of cannabis to the UK from the Netherlands in 2009.The arrest was made in relation to a joint Serious Organised Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police investigation.He was the sixth person to be arrested from the batch of 10 suspected criminals revealed under Operation Captura.Mr Fraser disappeared after cannabis with a street value of £5m was discovered at a storage unit in Grays,...

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Appeal over Gibraltar waters ruling

The Government is to appeal against a European General Court decision to give Spain new rights to the waters around Gibraltar, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.The European Union (EU) has allowed Spain to designate much of the sea surrounding the Rock of Gibraltar as a special environmental zone, to be maintained by the country.But the UK has warned that the ruling could have a "detrimental environmental or economic impact" on the British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW).In a written statement to MPs, Mr Hague said: "Following extensive consultation and on the basis of legal advice, the UK will be appealing against the court's decision."The Government has a clear responsibility to uphold the UK's position over the waters around Gibraltar. I want to reassure the people of Gibraltar...

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Gibraltar's much improved beaches and beach parking facilities are in full swing as the summer season with its soaring temperatures

continues its slow and relaxed rhythm enjoyed by bathers young and old alike. Above, a panoramic view of Eastern Beach taken yesterday afternoon.Gibraltar Government is investigating complaints by members of the public that Catalan Bay has been affected by inordinate amounts of dust which was becoming an annoyance to bathers.Works to remedy this problem will begin today after beach hours and will take a few days to complete. No inconvenience to bathers is expected.A Government spokesman said: "There has been some public concern expressed about the dustiness of the sand at Catalan Bay. This sand has been analysed and the result shows that the chemical composition of the sand at Catalan Bay is what naturally exists in this part of the world. "There is no contamination or other chemical...

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crackdown on offshore gambling companies that operate in the UK has been launched by the government in a move that is expected to clear the way for a tax grab by the Treasury.

John Penrose, the minister for tourism and heritage at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), said the plan would protect consumers and close a loophole giving web-based gambling companies an unfair advantage over British firms by insisting that all businesses operating in Britain are regulated by the Gambling Commission.Penrose said: "These proposals are an important measure to help address concerns about problem gambling and to bridge a regulatory gap by ensuring British consumers enjoy consistent standards of protection, no matter which online gambling site they visit."However, Vaughan Lewis, a leisure analyst at Morgan Stanley, added: "The government has to be careful, as you can't change the law just to raise taxes. But while the proposals claim to be driven by a desire for...

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Armed raider dressed as ELVIS holds up bookmakers

A Ladbrokes worker could be excused for feeling lonesome tonight after she was held up at gunpoint by a robber disguised as Elvis Presley, complete with fake sideburns and Aviator-style gold-rimmed sunglasses.He wisely did not attempt to copy Elvis' showy trademark gold jumpsuit, instead opting for slightly less conspicuous clothing - but he proved as telegenic as the original, and was clearly caught on the shop's CCTV.While the robber managed to get away with more than £400, this was hardly a haul fit for the King, and would not do much to fuel Elvis' lavish lifestyle.Jailhouse Rock: Brighton police are trying to track down this versatile thiefInvestigators believe the thief was the same man who robbed a William Hill betting shop last Thursday wearing a huge fake bushy grey beard.The suspect,...

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Tote owner Betfred in row over unpaid bets awaiting the findings of an inquiry by Gibraltar's betting regulator.

Fred Done, whose Betfred bookie won the race for the Tote with a £265m bid, is continuing to resist paying five punters who placed bets showing profits of £823,000 with its Gibraltar-based online wing, Betfred.com.It has declared the bets void – even though it has paid out on wagers placed by UK punters in its 840 betting shops.Four of the five individuals are related to Mr Curley, 70, who has a long track record in stinging the bookies with gambles on horses trained at his small Newmarket yard.Mr Done is refusing to pay after Mr Curley masterminded an ambitious gamble on four horses in May last year, linked in trebles and an accumulator. Agapanthus won at Brighton, Savaronola at Wolverhampton and Jeu De Roseau – racing after an absence of 742 days – came up the hill at Towcester.Only the...

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Betfair to buy back £50m shares months after its flotation

Betfair, the struggling betting group, has unveiled one of the swiftest share buybacks in City memory as it disclosed its first full-year results as a public company.The betting exchange said it planned to re-purchase £50m shares from investors just nine months after its flotation, which has subsequently seen the company shed 41% of its value after a series of underwhelming announcements, regulatory concerns and management departures.Share buybacks are a popular tactic for mature businesses and are typically employed when companies cannot think of efficient ways of deploying spare cash. However, Betfair was sold to investors in October as a company that had strong growth opportunities. When asked if the management had run out of ideas about how to grow, finance director Stephen Morana insisted:...

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