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23rd April 2018

It's a conundrum faced by every reader at some point - ditch a book that you are just not enjoying, or see it through with grim determination until the bitter end. A new poll suggests that many of us are unwilling to give up on a book, no matter how much we are struggling, while...

20th April 2018

Gibraltarian Lance Corporal of Horse James Ballantine, the senior mounted Kettledrummer of the Household Cavalry Band formed of the Blues and Royals and Lifeguard, yesterday formed part of the horse mounted guard of honour during the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. He was riding the new Blues and Royals Drumhorse currently in...

19th April 2018

Plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds could be banned from sale in England under plans being set out by Theresa May. The Prime Minister said plastic waste was "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world" and the UK was taking a lead in tackling the problem. A consultation on banning the disposable...

19th April 2018

Heads of state, high commissioners and foreign ministers have begun arriving at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Queen's opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). A spectacle of pomp and pageantry is being staged to welcome the dignitaries, with a guard of honour and flag bearers displaying the flags of the Commonwealth's 53...

19th April 2018

Royal Gibraltar Regiment Junior Soldier (JS) Travis Martis recently conducted a tandem parachute jump to raise money for charity. JS Martis, who is just 17-years old, is currently attending the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate. In order to qualify for the jump, he had to raise £300 for the Army Benevolent Fund. The jump,...

18th April 2018

Local diver Shaun Matthew Yeo came up close and personal with the feared Portuguese Man O’War off the Western side of the Rock near Rosia Bay recently. The diving instructor took dramatic images showing the creature’s gas-filled sail on the surface and its stinging tentacles stretching for metres below. The creature caught by the wide...

17th April 2018

The Prime Minister Theresa May will pledge cash with the aim of helping children spend 12 years in school when she gives a speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London on Tuesday. In front of an audience expected to include Microsoft founder, philanthropist and anti-malaria campaigner Bill Gates, she is also...

17th April 2018

Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday extolled the benefits of free trade among Commonwealth countries, seeking new sources of commerce as Britain looks to finalise divorce terms with its current biggest trading partner, the European Union. Mrs May is looking to win the support of the Commonwealth, a network of mostly former British colonies, for future...

16th April 2018

Prince Harry has revealed Meghan Markle is "hugely excited" to be joining him in his Commonwealth work as he paid tribute to the Queen's service to the Family of Nations. Harry described how the woman he will marry in just over a month would be by his side in his new role as Commonwealth Youth...

12th April 2018

The Gibraltar Government and GSD Opposition clashed yesterday over the new Zone 2 parking scheme. The scheme, which came into effect earlier this month, has drawn flak from frustrated local drivers who are unable to park in town even when there is ample space available. In a statement the GSD said: “It is a sad...

10th April 2018

A programme aimed at tackling childhood obesity levels was launched at the John Mackintosh Square last Saturday. The Children, Healthy and Active Multi-agency Programme [CHAMP] saw different departments and charities including Public Health, the Youth Service and the Gibraltar Cardiac Association come together in a bid to reduce childhood obesity on the Rock. Currently one...

7th April 2018

Prince Charles might not have the god-like status of his father Prince Philip on Vanuatu, but he was given an honour all of his own on a visit to the island. Donning a grass skirt and a white garland, the heir to the throne was made a high chief in a colourful ceremony on Saturday....

5th April 2018

The first loggerhead turtle of the year to wash up dead on our shores arrived over the long Easter weekend, with Marine Biologist Lewis Stagnetto from the Nautilus Project on the scene as soon as a call came in. Based on the shell measurements taken by Mr Stagnetto of 66cm the Loggerhead was a young...

5th April 2018

The Commonwealth Games have the potential to connect people of different backgrounds despite them being "half a world away", the Prince of Wales said yesterday as he opened the 21st Commonwealth Games event on behalf of The Queen. Charles read the monarch's message to launch the tournament at the Carrera Stadium on Australia's Gold Coast...

2nd April 2018

At least five migrants died and another six are missing after their small boat capsized in rough seas in the Strait of Gibraltar on Sunday, according to Salvamento Marítimo, Spain’s maritime rescue agency. The sole survivor of the tragedy told his Spanish rescuers that as many as 12 people were travelling on the boat, which...

31st March 2018

With just a year to go to Brexit, a fractured political landscape is littered with challenges and risks – but opportunities too. In Cubist artwork, a familiar object is analysed in close detail before being broken up and reassembled in abstracted form that might, at first blush, appear unrecognisable. Instead of depicting a model or...

29th March 2018

Exasperated members of the Development and Planning Commission subjected the Minister for Sport, Steven Linares, to a grilling yesterday over the student accommodation blocks at Europa Point, which are currently under construction. “If no changes can be made, why bring it to DPC?” was one of the questions posed. Members raised a variety of concerns...

27th March 2018

The Gibraltar Government has said GSD Leader Keith Azopardi needs to be careful that his Brexit commentary does not undermine the wider interests of Gibraltar. This comes amid a row between Government and Opposition over the former’s Brexit strategy as well as repeated calls from the GSD for the people of Gibraltar should be informed...

23rd March 2018

It was 2005 and I found myself in Mumbai. I had only been in India for a few weeks and I was still grappling with a bad case of culture shock. One evening I attended a function at the British Deputy High Commission and I was introduced to a British Asian guy. We were talking...

22nd March 2018

Mark Hamill, the Hollywood legend best known for his role as Luke Skywalker, opened Gibraltar’s new Skywalk tourist attraction yesterday morning, ‘cutting’ a ribbon on the glass platform with a lightsaber. Flanked by two Stormtroopers from the Boogie Storm dance troupe, Mr Hamill declared: “May the Force be with the Skywalk.” The image of Luke...

20th March 2018

Air terminal staff rehearsed their response to an incident in which an aircraft experiences a minor fire on landing. The training exercise was designed to familiarise relevant staff with passenger evacuation procedures with a further aim being to allow departments and agencies an opportunity to review and update their procedures in dealing with an immobilised...

16th March 2018

The Minister for Tourism, Gilbert Licudi ,will once again introduce the Gibraltar Lecture at this year’s FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival on Saturday 17th March. The lecture is being delivered by barrister and television presenter Baroness Helena Kennedy, who will talk about her life and her passion for human rights. Baroness Kennedy is one of...

15th March 2018

The Gibraltar Contingency Council met yesterday afternoon in order to review security and civil contingency matters, maintaining the current threat level at ‘substantial’. The meeting was co-chaired by the Governor Lieutenant General Edward Davis and the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia, deputising for the Chief Minister. The current ‘substantial’ threat level means an attack...

12th March 2018

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has dismissed claims that people crossing the Irish border would have to pre-register after Brexit. Speaking from the US, where he is conducting a series of St Patrick's Day engagements, the Taoiseach said: "No, it is not a solution that we envisage." Mr Varadkar was responding to questions about a...

9th March 2018

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Gibraltar in the House of Commons said yesterday it was “appalled” at statements made by former Europe Minister Lord Hain on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Today carried ample coverage of Gibraltar yesterday, including live broadcasts from the Rock and an interview with Lord Hain, who once again referred...

8th March 2018

Students from Bayside and the Gibraltar College joined Westside pupils in their lunch hall yesterday morning to mark International Women’s Day and discuss gender equality. At the event, the Minister for Equality and currently acting Chief Minister, Samantha Sacramento, addressed the students. In addition, a student from each of the schools gave a presentation and...

2nd March 2018

‘Every time a building is destroyed, you know that your memories are also being destroyed … and that a part of you will have gone with it.’ Sometimes, when I think about how much Gibraltar has changed in the last thirty or forty years, I feel a little like the narrator of Grant Gee’s wonderful...

28th February 2018

Michael Owen, one of England’s greatest ever strikers, paid his first visit to the Rock yesterday as he joined employees of locally-based gaming firm BetVictor for a lively Q&A session at the World Trade Center. Mr Owen, who has played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle and Manchester United as well as the England national team,...

24th February 2018

The passing of ‘exceptional’ former AACR Health Minister, Aurelio Montegriffo, was marked with heartfelt condolences from members of parliament yesterday. The family of the late Mr Montegriffo attended the opening of Parliament where members underscored his “revolutionary” work in the field of health. Mr Montegriffo died last Sunday, aged 97, and was a founder member...

21st February 2018

The outline planning permission for the Devil’s Tongue project on Queensway has been deferred following yesterday’s meeting of the Development and Planning Commission. The deferment was at the request of the developer Hepta Ltd wanting to carry out further work based on the feedback received. Two members from the project’s architects from 1508 London were...