Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all our readers
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Vol. 6 Issue 163
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December 15th - January 11th 2022
All the fun of the slopes 2021 - 2022
A Sierra Nevada
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Nothing beats a weekend in the Costa del Ski, writes Jon Clarke
the magical architecture And if you fancy a change, Alhambra, why the Sierra Nevada of Spain’s most visited monument, the of the T’S not hard to work out Europe's top skiing is only half an hour away, while the beaches is often dubbed ‘southern beckon in an hour. nearby Costa Tropical sunbathe resort’. in the Alps this week The famous adage of ‘ski in the morning, and it’s While you’ll be shivering lunch is very much game on Pyrenees, I’m eating and it’s foggy in the the top of Spain’s second in the afternoon’ many times. the Sibeen tried and tested in bright sunshine near interests me. I like visiting usu- But none of that the sport, but also the food and highest mountain. the Sierra Nevada is for It’s mid-December and and a few of the regulars erra Nevada watchthe people. ally warm during the day while everyone looks There is simply nothing more amazing than drive are actually skiing in t-shirts, on the skyline as you ing the resort appear Malaga or tanned. washed down with an from around Spain (or fly over to land in that Even better, my light lunch, to just over €10…and Gibraltar). Mulhacen obligatory caña, comes up the slopes! peaks of Veleta and as far as is at a restaurant halfway not the number of ki- The snow-capped miles around (in fact of can be seen for 120 miles as the crow flies) and “Here we sell the weather, Luis Hernandez, boss gone Grazalema, somesteep, often single-carriageway to lometres,” explains Juan the prices have hardly winding up the EOE ski school. “And any drive in the country. the top is as exciting asout with timeless views and up for years.” This is a wonderful day
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Continues on Page 2
GIBRALTAR authorities urge caution with socialising in the run up to Christmas as 13 cases of Omicron are confirmed on the Rock. The first probable case was detected on December 9 and two subsequent cases were linked as close contacts to the initial case. Two more cases were confirmed on Monday and then a further eight on Tuesday. A government spokesman said: “We are urging people to exercise caution now that 13 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Gibraltar. “People are urged to be sensible, take up the offer of a booster shot, and reduce social mixing in the run up to Christmas in order to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant within our community.”
Vigilant
The Director of Public Health, Helen Carter, said: “It is extremely important for people to remain vigilant. I urge people to wear masks in enclosed and crowded places, practice social distancing where possible, and continue to wash their hands. These are known practices that will help us reduce the curb of this variant” She insisted that the best defence against the new variant was a booster jab. “Early analysis suggests that the booster shot prevents about 75% of people from getting any COVID-19 symptoms which relieves pressure from our health care systems and protects the most vulnerable within our community,” she said. “It is now clear that the Omicron variant is spreading throughout our community. We must remain cautious now, to avoid further restrictions in the run up to Christmas”, Picardo said. “The only way we can combat this variant is to get your booster shot this week. The GHA has set up the mammoth task of vaccinating as many people as possible.
the sierra
Festive joy as Gib businessman funds humanitarian mission to rescue 92 people from Afghanistan By Fiona Govan
HE is one of Gibraltar’s best known businessmen with a string of property businesses along the Costa del Sol and the local World Trade Centre. But Gregory Butcher is now set to become known as the man behind a daring mercy mission that saved nearly 100 people from war-torn Afghanistan. The keen animal rights activist part-funded an operation to evacuate 92 people from imminent danger at the hands of the Taliban. In the audacious mission, dubbed Operation Magic Carpet, he helped to get the charity workers and their families across the border to safety in Pakistan. The group of Afghanis from ani-
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MAGIC MISSION SNOW TREKKING: Across
Omicron 13
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mal welfare charity Mayhew London - whose patron is Megan Markle - had worked alongside coalition forces before the American-led withdrawal in August. The Mayhew Afghanistan project was registered as an NGO in Kabul in 2016 and the team of locally-trained vets captured, neutered and vaccinated over 20,000 dogs.
Mission But their mission came to a sudden end when all international troops pulled out alongside the US, leaving the staff and their families in danger. “They were desperate to leave and were without any hope of doing so, so we teamed up with other kind RESCUED: Charity workers were moved to people to get a total of 92 saftey from volatile Afghanistan people out of Afghanistan,” explained Butcher, who part-funded in Mijas and Alcaidesa, added that seen Afghanistan spiral into escalatthe mission. corporations, like his, have a spe- ing violence and economic collapse. “They were all at risk of retribution cific ‘humanitarian and sustainable But the group saved - including 33 at the hands of the Taliban and development’ role to play in society. children and several newborn baneeded to be rescued as well.” The complex and dangerous ex- bies - were taken to temporary acThe developer behind Ocean Village traction took over two months to commodation in Islamabad on Deand various projects along the coast complete, during a period which has cember 8.