Waterport Terraces housing project gets going

The affordable housing project by the government, known as Waterport Terraces, is to finally get off the ground, with a contract signed. "Construction work starts immediately," said the Government yesterday. "Completion is in phases between 18 and 24 months from now."

Prices of the properties on a 100% basis range from £95,000 for 2-bedroom flats to £163,000 for 4-bedroom maisonettes.

Co-ownership (50/50) terms are available except for the maisonettes. Resale restrictions will apply in the case of 50/50 sales to prevent speculation.

Properties at Rosia Court have been selected for allocation, while the Upper Town properties have also been decided upon.

Security exercise in the naval base

There was a 'snap' security exercise in the naval base yesterday. This involved the Gibraltar Services Police.

A spokesperson at British Forces HQ said that the exercise, known as Operation Snapdragon, "is carried out every few weeks and is intended to increase the visibility of security within military areas."

It is further stated that it has not been carried out as a result of any direct threat "but these random security checks are an important deterrent."

GSP officers were at the main gate to the base checking ID cards and passes, and carrying out vehicle searches.

Sgt Mark Wood ran the operation from the GSP headquarters in Rooke. "It is important to show our security stance. We are all actively involved in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Gibraltar women at Moroccan conference

A delegation of the Gibraltar Business Network headed by Maruchi Risso were guests of honour at the Inaugural Conference of the Moroccan Association of Women Entrepreneurs Working for Development ~ l’Association Marocaine des Femmes Entrepreneurs pour le Developpement (AMFED).

Among the principal objectives of AMFED are

· To assist and support in the creation of enterprises directed by women and young people

· To undertake studies and research, and to organise regional and national conferences aimed at assisting small and medium businesses to achieve their socio-economic objectives

· To assist women in rural areas to become literate and financially independent

· To encourage foreign investment in the entrepreneurial projects of Moroccan women and young people

Held at Laayoune the two-day conference was addressed by Moroccan dignitaries and prominent businessmen and women from several major national enterprises and organisations, notably M Hassana Maoulainine, Director of the Regional Investment Centre and M Khaled Berrada, Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Casablanca.

Guest speakers heading similar women’s organisations were Mme Malika Benslimane co-ordinator of AMFED for North Morocco, Sra Marianela Caballero Ramirez representing the Association of Women Managers of the Canary Islands and Mrs Maruchi Risso Chairperson of the Gibraltar Business Network.

Mme Hajbouha Zoubeir, president of the newly inaugurated branch of AMFED and director of a large private school in Laayoune, has accepted an invitation to attend the conference organised by the Gibraltar Business Network to be held in Gibraltar in March 2006.

Call for Gibraltar to be part of Andalucia

A leading Andalusian MP has called for Gibraltar to be part of Andalucia.

Antonio Romero is from the Left-wing 'Izquierda Unida' party.

He has been speaking about reform to the present autonomous region of Andalucia.

He urged that the Gibraltar autonomous community should be incorporated in the territory of Andalucia while "respecting the will and the rights of the Gibraltarians."

Call for Gibraltar gaming site to be made illegal in Spain

There has been a call for two gaming websites, one of which operates from Gibraltar, to be made illegal in Spain.

This is what a Catalan association is demanding - and has already made a complaint before the relevant authorities.

The Gibraltar gaming site is Betandwin.com. Such sites operate through the internet. But the Catalan association ACENCAS wants access to Spanish punters stopped as well as the use of Spanish media to publicise their activities.

Betandwin.com had wanted to sponsor the Barcelona FC club but this fell through, apparently because of the firm's Gibraltar connection.

The claim is that because this website, as well as another in Barbados named Miapuesta.com, are based in offshore centres they do not offer guarantees to punters in Spain's courts should a claim arise.

The complaint adds that such companies are not subject to any Spanish fiscal control nor do they pay Spanish taxes.

It is said that there are in Spain around 100,000 people who bet on internet sites.

It is not clear if other gaming sites are affected.

Unravelled, not the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but why it is 'Loreto' and not 'Loretto'

With the news of the granting of the Freedom of the City to the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, some people asked: And what is this? When told it was to do with the Loreto Nuns (or Loreto Sisters, take your pick), everyone knew what it was all about.

But why is it that 'Loreto' is spelt 'Loretto' in some official websites about the Institute?

Dorothy Prior is writing a book on the history of the Loreto Nuns since their arrival in Gibraltar in 1845. She tells us that in 1821 when Mother Teresa Ball completed her Novitiate at the Bar Convent in York (one of only two convents of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary existing in England at that time) she named her first house in Rathfarnham, Dublin, after the "Holy House at Loreto" in Italy. It was mistakenly spelt with two Ts, presumably because of the Italian pronunciation. Sometime around 1900 the spelling was corrected, and it is now correctly spelt: "Loreto".

The "Holy House at Loreto" was supposed to be the house in Nazareth where Jesus grew up with Mary and Joseph, and which was miraculously (!) transported by angels to Italy. On the night of May 10th 1291 the shepherds of Tersatto, now Yugoslavia, parted company to tend to their flocks. When the sudden appearance of a house that wasn't there the night before occurred, it caused quite a stir. The house was “moved by the angels” on two subsequent occasions until it finally came to rest in Loreto in 1295.

The reason the first Loreto Convent in Ireland was called 'Loreto' is because the house started out with only 3 people - Mother Teresa Ball and her two first companions.

There are many Loreto and IBVM websites around the world. Also some "Lorettos" - which are the ones in Canada and America who kept the old (wrong) spelling .

Dorothy Prior adds: Loreto is the Irish branch of the IBVM (Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary) which was begun by Mary Ward (1585 - 1645) in 1609 in St Omer.

There are other IBVM branches of Mary Ward's original Institute. Just to complicate matters the 'Roman' branch of the IBVM (to which the Bar Convent belongs) have recently changed their name to 'CJ' - 'Congregatio Jesus' - which was the name Mary Ward originally wanted for her Institute, but Pope Urban VIII issued a Bull of Suppression against Mary Ward's fledgling congregation as a risk to the moral and intellectual fragility of women. She was imprisoned as a 'heretic, rebel and schismatic' in 1631, the same year as Galileo was condemned by the same Pope. As the Jesuits were the 'Society of Jesus', she wanted her Institute (which had the Jesuit rule adapted for women) to be the 'Congregation of Jesus'. The Irish branch -Loreto - decided (for the moment, at any rate) to keep the names 'Loreto' and 'IBVM'.

CHILDREN EDUCATED

On the question of how many children obtained the benefit of the nuns' education, her forthcoming book says: “…Catholic education was provided by seven girls' schools under the Loreto Sisters (1,126 children) and six boys' schools (1,136 children) under the Christian Brothers and the Brothers of St. John of God…”

At one time the Loreto nuns were responsible for the education of ALL the girls and ALL the infant boys (under 7s) in Gibraltar. Certainly more than the 700 mentioned recently in the House of Assembly. The Girls’ Comprehensive alone had around 800 children when Sister Aoife Hynes IBVM was appointed its first Head.

Governor denies top intelligence job report

The Governor's office yesterday described as "totally untrue" a report that the Governor was being tipped to take on an anti-terrorist top job in Britain.

A report in The Times said that a "diplomat and former spy chief is the front-runner for a top intelligence post, the holder of which will play a key role in the operations to prevent more suicide bombings in Britain."

It added: Sir Francis Richards is the Governor of Gibraltar and a former head of GCHQ, the government signals intelligence centre. The post he is being linked with is that of chairman of the Cabinet Office Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which provides Tony Blair and his most senior Cabinet colleagues with a “red book” of intelligence each week. Its role is to assess and give early warning of developments likely to affect Britain’s interests.

The report, by the paper's Defence Editor Michael Evans, says that the secret selection process comes after the announcement ten days ago that William Ehrman, who was the incumbent chairman, had been appointed Ambassador to Beijing.

The rumblings behind the scenes

The firm denial by the Governor should put the brakes on the incipient speculation that was already flowing from the report.

There are those who probably see Sir Francis as a strong contender given his intelligence background.

There may be others who see a person of such high standing as sort of 'wasting his time' in Gibraltar when there are more urgent and relatively important jobs in the wings. A case of wasted talent.

Certainly he would have the expertise and know-how to occupy the top job he has been linked with. "This is the best job I ever had," he said when he left as director of the electronic intelligence headquarters GCHQ.

Some might have thought he would welcome a return to a senior position in the world of intelligence.

In The Convent rumour mill it has been said for some time now that Sir Francis has no intention of asking for an extension to the governorship, as apparently he has not been overjoyed with what he has found in Gibraltar. Probably the post is not what he thought it would be!

Such speculation might have also served to further fuel the prospect of his wanting a move - and a move back to the type of work he likes best. A job where he is the boss and his hands are not tied for one reason or another.

If the linkage that has been aired is totally untrue, as The Convent was saying yesterday, such speculation may not be seen as helpful to the post of Governor in a place which is not without security risks.

However, when a paper links someone to such a post it can only be that such a development has been talked about in certain circles in London, whether or not Sir Francis would want it.

In the past, it was a case that being Governor was something of a retirement job but that has changed. It is no longer that clear if this is the end of a career or if the door remains ajar to other possibilities.

Sir Francis and Lady Richards may have found that Gibraltar, with all its in-fighting and political demarcations and sensitivities, is not the place they had thought it would be. But they have certainly been popular and it is well-known that they have endeared themselves to the people here. - JOE GARCIA.

More talks due on MOD situation

More talks on the MOD contractorisation dispute are to follow after a meeting in London yesterday.

Senior officials from Permanent Joint Headquarters (MOD) and the Transport and General Workers Union and Prospect have met in London on a without prejudice basis, said a joint statement.

It added: The meeting was arranged as a follow up to the talks between the Secretary of State for Defence, John Reid, TGWU Deputy Secretary Jack Dromey and Prospect National Secretary Steve Jary when the current position on the outsourcing of facilities management within Gibraltar was raised.

Command Secretary Susan Scholefield led the PJHQ team. HQ Gibraltar Command Secretary Phil Mallion was also present.

She said: “John Reid and the Trades Unions had useful discussions regarding the current position of the outsourcing of facilities management within Gibraltar. Today’s meeting was a natural follow up. The discussions have been very helpful and more detailed work and engagement is to take place.”

Gib scouts at "experience of a lifetime"

A delegation of 12 scouts and 3 leaders from the 3rd Europa Scout Group left on Thursday to attend the European Scout Jamboree - 'Eurojam' which is being held from July 29th to August 10th at Hylands Park in Chelmsford UK. This will be the biggest Scouting event in the UK for the past 50 years, gathering up to 15,000 Scouts and Guides from over 40 countries across the globe.

EuroJam is the biggest Scouting and Guiding Event in Europe for 10 years. It is 12 action-packed days of new challenges and new friends.

There are participants from 57 countries, including all but one from the European Scout Region. With over 10,000 people on-site, the event promises to be the experience of a lifetime for Scouts and Guides from all over Europe and beyond.

Gibraltar boat owners given notice to quit what are their homes

As the construction of Ocean Village gathers momentum, so does the crisis affecting Gibraltar's boat people. There were around 30 at the old Sheppard-Capurro marina which sold out to the developers; now there are only half-a-dozen people living in boats.

The builders have chopped off a pontoon where the yachts were berthed in what is now known as the 'pontoon island'. Boat owners need a dinghy to get to the boats that are their homes.

It was in May when yacht owners were given incipient bad news:

* Within the new few weeks, part of the main pier will be given over to the constructors and a large section will be demolished.

* The pier will thus be cut in two with the westernmost section remaining for berthing - in effect it will become an 'island.'

* Our pier office and toilets will be moved.

Earlier this year, another letter - also from retired Gibraltar Regiment commanding officer Francis Brancato -confirmed that the marina was now under the management of a company called Temporary Berthing Company Ltd: "We have retained the services of Micko Sheppard-Capurro as our consultant on all marina related matters."

The new company "exists to manage the marina while the onshore Ocean Village is constructed."

At the time - that was January - construction work had already begun in what used to be the chandlery building, and soon the onshore area and Pier 'A' was to be taken over by the main contractors as part of the construction site. "Due to health and safety reasons we will also close off access to the marina from Marina Bay and all entry and exit will be through the southern gates at the Waterport side," they were informed.

The following month after "successfully" concluding their discussions with all relevant Government agencies, the owners were told that they would be offered a berthing space by repositioning "most of our pontoons further out into the marina waters, where they will be held in place by anchors and have access to shore via a connection with the Watergardens pontoons."

Power and water would be reprovided as soon as practically possible, as well as ablution facilities etc.

Said Lt Col Brancato: "We can assure you that we are committed to providing the best level of service possible to you as a valued user and looking after your boat."

The next stage included news about the pier being cut in two - in fact it will become an island, the owners were told.

Five days later came the additional news that the main pontoon would be fended off and demolished and that "clients that remain on the 'pontoon island' will need to use a dinghy to gain access on to the pontoon that connects to the Watergardens side. This will be the only access and egress for all boat owners."

The total area of site and marina had been formally handed over to the contractor "and any unauthorised entry could be treated as a trespass."

And last month there was a new programme for the work schedule in the water spaces of the marina "which foresees extensive pile driving and reclamation in the area occupied by your yacht..."

A letter to Mr Neil Stothert of yacht Mariposa said that his contract was being terminated. He was given 28 days to vacate his berth.

The letter added: "We are very sorry to give you this bad news but we have no alternative because the contractors have the legal right to an empty building site, be it ashore or afloat, and their piling programme now has a firm date on it and Government is not prepared to allow us further encroachment into port waters."

Seven boats have been towed to Western Beach, seven have moved elsewhere, two have left Gibraltar and thirteen are left on the 'island', with six to live on.

Said a complainant: "They are throwing British subjects off British territory."

Longer frontier queues expected as Spanish police take action

Spanish police are to take industrial action at the frontier as from today, which could lead to longer-than-usual queues.

The police are to work to rule as they feel let down by the Spanish administration over pending claims. The result is the industrial action, which it is felt will affect those crossing the frontier.

Concern has already been expressed by a La Linea association, Citipeg, who have appealed to the Spanish police that Spanish workers should not be affected by their action.

This is one of those workers associations in La Linea which are forever accusing Gibraltar of 'discrimination, but what they are now doing is asking that there be discrimination in favour of Spanish workers and that the rest should be affected, said Gibraltar sources on hearing the news.

"We ask that there be flexibility in favour of the Spanish workers," said a Citipeg spokesman. "We don't want Spanish workers affected by the police action."

Any action would come at a time when the queues at the frontier are at their worst, given the added traffic that becomes evident in August when more tourists cross the frontier in and out of Gibraltar and, if anything, there is a need for quicker crossings, and not the opposite.

But the Spanish police, who belong to unions, are entitled to take action and they clearly feel that this is the best time to make their protest felt.

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