Gibraltar Olive Press - Issue 83

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Issue 304

November 7th - November 20th 2018

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errania de Ronda

www.theolivepress.es

November 7th - November 20th 2018

Picture perfect Andalucia’s city in the mountains is a hot ticket for world leaders and their wives despite Hemingway’s lukewarm words, writes Elisa Menendez

NICE promenades, good wine, excellent food and nothing to do…’ Thus Ernest Hemingway wrote off the town where he spent numerous holidays drinking the local wine and carousing at corridas, no doubt disappointing many of Ronda’s proud residents with his puzzlingly lacklustre review. Most of today’s travellers - including Britain’s last two prime ministers and an American First Lady - would certainly disagree with him. Ronda has been crowned Andalucia’s third most-visited town and it’s not hard to see why. The so-called ‘City of Dreams’ is a true wanderlust gem and somewhat of a celebrity hang-out. This year alone, Theresa May, Anne Hathaway, Ricky Gervais, Jodie Whittaker, Gordon Ramsay, Kristin Scott Thomas and Spain’s ex-premier Mariano Rajoy have all allegedly visited the stunning mountain town... so say locals in the know.

Obama

Picture by Jon Clarke

Stars from Anne Hathaway to Jodie Whittaker keep visiting Ronda, find out why in our travel supplement inside

Vol. 13

Michelle Obama also made headlines when she visited in 2010, touring the old town and discovering the Moorish dynasty with her daughter Sasha. Celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli went house hunting in the town after falling in love with it in 2009. With its spectacular high sierra setting, leafy parks, cobbled lanes and atmospheric ventas it’s no wonder Ronda has stolen the hearts of so many travellers. Over the centuries a slew of writers have waxed lyrical about its timeless character, stunning views and charming locals. The German poet Rilke baptised it the ‘City of Dreams’, Orson Welles took a shine to its bullfighting scene and

GRAND TOUR-ISTS: Painters tackle the gorge, while (inset) recent visitors Anne Hathaway, Gordon Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker and Ricky Gervais

Continues on Page 18

Live Music every Saturday Night from now till February See our Facebook page for more details 70+ different beers and 27 artesan burgers 10 Nov Karcsi & Jochen - 9pm 17 Nov Zoo - 9pm 24 Nov Blue Stompers Duo - 9pm

Bar Allioli

Plaza San Roque Estación Jimera De Líbar, Jimera De Líbar, Andalucia, Spain

Tel: 606 692 753 / 671 501 054

Est. 1946

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Cookshop, Household Goods, General Hardware, Beach Accessories & more 46 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: +350 200 75188 Email: bia@gibraltar.gi Facebook: GibraltarBIA

Vol. 4 Issue 83 www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 7th - November 20th 2018

They looked the other way THE leaders of Andalucia helped to cover up a system of corruption for at least a decade. A total of 21 senior Junta politicians, including two former leaders, established a hidden system of illegal grants and payments that could add up to over one billion euros. The claims come in the state prosecutors summing up of the system of corruption at the heart of the so-called ERE scandal trial that has rocked Spain. In a damning conclusión to the allegations levelled at the leaders, including ex-presidents Manuel Chaves and José Antonio Grinan, the anti-corruption prosecutor described a decadelong 'opaque system' of bent transactions to friends and family. "They took the conscious decision to look away, to not see more," read a statement at the Sevilla Provincial Court. It added that for 'ten years an opaque system of grants was created' that served the Junta and not the local population. In total, hundreds of millions of euros from Madrid and Brussels were syphoned into a socalled 'reptile fund' which was used to bribe and reward local leaders, businessmen and locals in return for votes and support for the PSOE.

Check out two delicious pork recipes in our serialisation of famed British food writer Fiona Dunlop’s latest cooking book SEE INSIDE

The Rock’s only free local paper

‘You’re killing us!’

Andalucia Junta slammed for failing to tackle pollution after Cadiz revealed to have worst air in Spain and highest cancer rates in Spain

TOXIC: Oil refinery plumes black smoke into the Campo de Gibraltar

E N V I R ON M E N T A L groups are taking legal action against the Andalucia

European trips leaving weekly Transport and removal services

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Junta for ‘failing to tackle toxic air’ in the Campo de Gibraltar.

Ecologistas en Accion has filed a complaint with the Health Ministry, claiming nothing has been done to protect citizens from a rise in air pollutants caused by the expansion of ‘toxic’ industries in the Bay of Algeciras, which sits just a few kilometres from Gibraltar. According to the green group, more than 10,000 tonnes of dangerous pollutants were released into the atmosphere last year. This includes potentially lethal cancer-causing chemical benzene, as well as other fine particles. The writ comes as Cadiz province was officially declared to have the worst air quality in Spain last week. And alarmingly, La Linea, which borders Gibraltar, ranks as the 30th most polluted place in the world in terms of air quality. The shocking stats were

revealed in a damning World Health Organisation report which lists the world’s ‘most contaminated’ towns and cities. Adding salt to the wound, Cadiz also came bottom in the list of Spain’s ‘most sustainable cities’, produced by the Observatory of Sustainability (OMS). Green group Ecologistas en Accion insists the Junta is failing to fulfill its duty to ‘adopt whatever measures are necessary to achieve a high level of protection for people and the environment'.

Failing

It adds that the Sevillabased body is failing to ‘adopt plans to improve air quality and adopt control and inspection measures.’ “It needs to develop a quality control system that ensures consistent

and transparent measurements or estimates of pollutants by law,” said a spokesman. The group says oil refineries and other industries are posing a real threat to public health. A recent study by the Carlos III Health Institute, funded by the Ministry of Health, revealed Cadiz, Sevilla and Huelva to have the highest number of cancer deaths in Spain. San Roque, meanwhile, has one of the highest percentages of lung and bladder cancers in the country, directly linked to air pollution and in particular benzene. The surrounding towns, including the likes of Puerto Real and San Fernando, also have far higher cancer rates than the national average. Opinion page 6

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