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Licence delays ‘nothing to do with Gib’
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THE British ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, has denied the delay in reaching a post-Brexit deal on driving licence exchange has anything to do with the Gibraltar border negotiations. He insisted this during a meeting with a pressure group trying to help the thousands of British residents who have been unable to drive since May 1. The ambassador was ‘extremely clear’ that the delay to talks is not linked to ‘wider negotiations’ about the future relationship between Gibraltar and Spain. This was later confirmed to the Olive Press by two other sources with knowledge of the meeting. According to the group’s account of the talks, Elliott said that there were ‘two technical issues’ still to be resolved. Speculation has been rife among the victims that Gibraltar was the source of the delay in the talks with Spain, long contesting the sovereignty of the Rock. Gibraltar-issued licences continue to be allowed for use in Spain until EU treaty negotiations conclude at least.
See page 14
Vol. 6 Issue 185 www.theolivepress.es November 2nd - November 15th 2022
A BRITISH woman who was told she had six hours to live while on holiday in Spain is finally set to undergo a rare double hand transplant. Kim Smith lost all of her limbs after she contracted sepsis following a common urinary tract infection while on holiday five years ago this month. The 61-year-old is near the top of a waiting list for hand transplant surgery, which will ‘make her life better again’. “I’ve just got on with my life and stayed strong and positive for so long, it’s been the only way,” she told the Olive Press. “After my transplant, I’ll be able to drive again and do more things - life will get better again.” Kim had fallen ill while she and her husband Steve, from Milton Keynes, were on holiday on the Costa Blanca in November 2017. They had plans to spend Christmas there, but one day while visiting the historic town of Sax she felt a pang of pain in her lower back. Thinking it was a urine infection she went to nearby Elda Hospital and pointed at her back, telling doctors ‘pain here’. “In hindsight I should have said I had an infection because they just x-rayed my back and sent me away telling me I had no breaks or fractures,” she explained.
EXCLUSIVE By Anthony Piovesan
The next day she went to see another doctor, who did a test for a urine infection and, after confirming it, prescribed her with a course of antibiotics. But that night at 4am she was in so much pain she was rushed to hospital again, where doctors told her husband she ‘only had six hours to live’. she then spent half a year in recovery. “For six months I was just in bed, I couldn’t move,” she recalled. “I had to learn how to sit up and use my muscles again. It was awful.” She is now near the top of a waiting list for a double hand transplant at Leeds General Infirmary, the only hospital in the UK that can perform the surgery. The former hairdresser says she misses her hands most of all, and looks forward to cooking, sewing and driving again after the operation. Kim hopes by speaking out she will be an inspirational voice for others who have also been impacted by sepsis. “Everyone always tells me I’m so strong and positive and so I encourage those people to be the same - It’s the only way to get through,” she concluded.
KIM: Still smiling through it all
Chaos looms
PEOPLE can expect ‘long border delays, extending to several hours’ when going between Gibraltar and Spain if there is no EU treaty. They will be caused by the need for ‘systematic’ and ‘thorough’ controls on everyone crossing, should an agreement not be reached, the Gibraltar government has warned. With delays worsening considerably at peak times, it advises
Warning of long border delays as companies told to prepare ahead in case of no deal agreement By John Culatto
companies with large numbers of workers commuting from Spain to plan ahead. The details were explained in a warning released in case of a No Negotiated Outcome THE SKY (NNO). DOCTOR Talks on an EU treaty beALL AREAS tween Britain, COVERED Spain and the EU have so-far 4G UNLIMITED rolled through nine rounds of INTERNET extensive negotiation with IDEAL FOR more to come. STREAMING TV “If we don’t get ALSO this solved by Christmas I fear IPTV, SATELLITE TV
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the worst as elections are looming in Spain next year and this will become a real hot potato,” revealed a senior business source. Gibraltar relies on a fluid frontier for a large part of its economy, including tourism, online gaming and banking services. “These controls include the systematic electronic scanning and stamping of passports, checks with respect to the number of days spent in the Schengen Area and enquiries which could lead to deeper interrogations by border guards,” the government announced. The Rock’s authorities add that while they have put in place ‘traffic management plans’ to soften the impact… it is unknown if the Spanish will do the same to ease any potential problems “Whether the Spanish decide to amplify facilities or streamline traffic flows to reduce delays, are
matters for the Spanish authorities,” the statement explained. “It would be prudent for businesses to identify staff members who live across the border and consult them on their day-to-day commutes. “For instance, planning for staggered shift patterns so that not all staff members are required to cross the border during peak times or the introduction of more flexible working hours.”
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See pages 11 & 16
TM
Exodus
Politicians fear that no deal could lead to a mass exodus of businesses from the Rock as many of their workers live in Spain. A possible solution could be with coaches getting quicker access into and out of Gibraltar. The Interbus Agreement, as it is known, could still apply to the Rock if agreed by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport. The transfer of meat from the UK would be a problem for Gibraltar in the event of no deal. This would have to be shipped to Gibraltar via ferry from Algeciras using the new facilities built at the local port last year.