Gibraltar Today

With the Gibraltar Netball Youth World Cup in full swing, our sports reporter Jose Mari Ruiz gave us a roundup of how the games are going, sharing news that both Zambia and Sri Lanka have withdrawn from the tournament due to visa issues. He also told us news of other sports events from over the weekend.

The Gibraltar Triathlon 2025 is just around the corner, taking place Sunday 5th October. The event will be raising funds for the GBC Open Day and are encouraging teams to get creative with their team names. Triathlete Chris Walker explained why.

According to Clubhouse one in four people experience a mental health condition in any given year. As many of us spend more time in the office than at home, the charity has launched a course on “Empowering Managers". Mental Health First Aid Instructor for Clubhouse Maryanne Nacimiento, Clubhouse member Tim Benson and People Director from Bassadone Nicole Stevens, told us more about the course.

And, summer may be over but there’s lots to look forward to over the coming months as Gibraltar Cultural Services has announced its Autumn programme. There are around 20 art, literature and Christmas events lined up. We spoke to Jodie Ferrar Barcio and Naomi Duarte from GCS. 

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Viewpoint was back on our screens last night after a break. There were heated exchanges around the Principal Auditor’s Report, as well as discussions on Tuesday’s powercut, with both the former Opposition Leader Daniel Feetham and former Government Minister Neil Costa agreeing that there could be a case for negligence on the part of SDE Limited. We caught up with the show’s host Ros Astengo.

The Netball Youth World Cup is here! The opening ceremony kicks off this evening, with coverage live on GBC Television. Gibraltar's first game will be tomorrow morning at 10am, against the Cook Islands, which is sold out! We spoke to coach Janice Moreno and player Anna Howard.

Our sports reporter Jose Mari Ruiz also spoke about a meeting held last night to discuss a complete revamp of youth basketball, a big moment for rowers Leslie Grech and Enrique Briones, and how Gibraltar’s darts team is gearing up for the WDF World Cup in South Korea.

Marking the 40th anniversary of the complete opening of the Frontier, Theatre Makers are putting on a new play called In the Still of the Night. Performances at the World War II Tunnels from 14th-16th October. Jackie Villa, Anne Balestrino Reyes and Katie Reyes from Theatre Makers were in the studio.

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A new exhibition marking 40 years since the full reopening of the land frontier with Spain opened Monday at the John Macintosh Hall. Curated by the National Archives, it reflects on the 16-year blockade imposed by Franco’s regime and the political tensions that shaped its eventual reopening in February 1985. Gerry Wood is the Archivist and has led the team preparing it.

ViewPoint is back on GBC Television tonight and starts off strong with a strong panel, as we approach the midway point of the GSLP/Liberals' 4th term in government. We spoke to the programme’s host Ros Astengo.

Melon Diesel are back! They were in the studio to announce that they’ll be playing in Malaga and Madrid soon but will also have a concert in Gibraltar in February. Band members Dylan Ferro, Danny Bugeja and Dani Fa explained that ticket sales will be through their new website.

And, British Forces Gibraltar are hosting an open day, offering military displays, boat rides, and family entertainment. And it’s free to enter! Squadron Leader David Walker has been busy preparing for the event.

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We begin with a discussion of yesterday’s seven-hour blackout with our reporters Ros Astengo and Jonathan Sacramento. Topics covered include the cause of the outage, its impact on local and business owners, and how the Government is considering legal action and new laws to hold contractors accountable.

But the majority of today’s episode features a catch up with Dominique Searle, the former Director of Gibraltar House in London, who retired a few weeks ago. He led Gibraltar’s UK office for almost a decade and was previously the Editor of the Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper. 

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On today's episode of Gibraltar Today it's a busy one!

Our news editor Cristine Vasquez will tell us about the launch of a new Dementia Assessment Unit.

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A power cut affects all of The Rock.

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A guide for new mums navigating postpartum and parenthood has been created.

We speak to Natalia Nunez and Becky Garro, who together launched the 'Empower Mama Edit’. 

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For the first time, Startup Grind Gibraltar is offering a £5000 cash prize.

The £5k prize will go to the winners of the “Build Local, Think Global” End of Year Pitch Battle 2025. 

Denise Matthews and Ethan Mancera join us. 

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It's Clean up the World this Saturday...

It will be Gibraltar's 20th edition. Organiser of Clean Up the World, Janet Howitt, joins us. 

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And, on Thursday, Afterhours Project will present its newest album, Sum of All Fears, in a live concert at the Ince's Hall. 

Trevor Guilliano & Antho Rocco tell us what to expect.

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The Government and Unite the Union have confirmed that an independent review into the GHA’s Critical Care Unit has been completed, but the full report will not be made public. Christina Cortes has been following the story.

We discuss the former Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Margallo, comments in the ABC newspaper today, where he explained why he is not happy with the Gibraltar treaty.

Gibraltar stamps, history and culture will be celebrated at the Garrison Library. Stamps help us to send stuff internationally. And they're great collectors' items! Tomorrow marks the start of Three Days of Philately - an event at the Garrison Library. Richard Garcia told us more.

The Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association is playing in the Spanish basketball competitions after a long break. They're starting with 5 teams: Under 18 boys, Under 16 boys and girls, Under 14 boys and girls. We spoke to Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association’s President John Goncalves.

Our sports reporter Jose Mari Ruiz told us about the traditional Caleta Regatta and how the football season kicked off for St Josephs and Lincoln Red Imps. He also looked ahead to the Netball Youth World Cup in a few days’ time.

And Gibraltar is going to take part in a global wellness event this weekend. Over 10,000 wellness platforms around the world will be celebrating and here on the Rock, and the MBS Centre has organised a two day schedule, including yoga, mindfulness and mindset workshops. We spoke to Monique Grambow from MBS Wellness Centre.

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Father Charles Azzopardi is the Roman Catholic Church’s new Bishop in Gibraltar. He takes over from Bishop Carmel Zammit, who - in keeping with Canon Law - was obliged to send in his resignation when he turned 75 last year. The Newsroom's Christina Cortes covered the press conference at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned. 

In King Charles III’s National Day letter this year, he praised Gibraltar's 25 year environment plan, which “places sustainable development goals at the heart of creating a greener, more sustainable and low-carbon Gibraltar." Environment Minister John Cortes gave us his reaction to the King’s words.

A Public Sector Pay and Industrial Relations Framework Agreement was signed yesterday by the Government, Unite the Union, the GGCA, the Police Federation, and the NASUWT. The teachers' union says that its long-standing call to review the £50,000 pension cap will be considered. We had NASUWT President, Clive Barton in the studio.

In sports Jose Mari Ruiz spoke about GFA’s second Euro qualifier against Czechia, gave a roundup of the fixtures, and looked ahead to the traditional Caleta regatta later this evening.

And, each September mental health charity GibSams recognises Suicide Prevention Month as a time to raise awareness, spark conversations, and show support. As part of the initiative the community has been encouraged to wear green today. We spoke to the charity's Brenda Cuby and Vivian Benatar. 

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On today’s episode, we reflect on National Day. Iain Triay Clarence was reporting in town for GBC, we caught up with him in the studio to share his highlights from yesterday.

Marine conservation charity, the Nautilus Project, says it's humbled to receive recognition from King Charles for its work on the Gibraltar Seagrass Restoration Project in his National Day letter this year. We spoke to Marine biologist Lewis Stagnetto.

Gibraltar will be hosting the European Championships of Maintain Bike Eliminator Races in a couple weeks, in collaboration with the European Cycling Union. We spoke to Karl Soleci, one of the main organisers, and Giles Cerisola who'll be participating at the event. 

What did you think of the drone display last night? It seems to have divided opinion. Unfortunately the signal for the GBC coverage suffered, leaving many disappointed. We discussed the opinions from some of our listeners, and are pleased to confirm that the full drone display is now available on our website.

How was your National Day? For Malcolm Blagg, the day is always a chance to celebrate community. Malcolm goes out of his way to make sure those around him at El Quarri have a great day. So much so that he was presented with a special award yesterday from Quarri regulars.

And a scooter club from Pontefract in Yorkshire embarked on a charity ride to Gibraltar with their arrival coinciding with National Day. The Elm Valley Scooter Club is raising money for local charity Bosom Buddies Cancer Trust. Patrick Mulhern, Dean Howarth and John Wesbroom and Dean Smith from the club came down to the studio.

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Today’s episode of Gibraltar Today was recorded live from Casemates, looking ahead to the National Day celebrations tomorrow.

With the political rally, packed beaches, a drone display and more, it’s a busy day for the Royal Gibraltar Police Superintendent. Head of Operations Division Paul Chipolina told us how they have planned ahead for National Day.

LOL Productions’ “Gibraltastic” is a comedy celebrating llanito culture and language, and the play is even set on National Day! Charlie Bishop and Jesse Hansen, of LOL Productions, are thrilled that the show will be part of the National Day coverage.

Kelly-Anne Borge, cohost of the Radio Gibraltar Breakfast Show, told us that after working at GBC for over 16 years, she still feels that it is an absolute privilege to work in Casemates and be part of the National Day celebrations.

We had live updates from Jose Mari Ruiz on the U21s match against Czechia in Europa Point, and also look back at the World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands last night.

Gibraltar Cultural Services have been busy working on not just National Day, but for the many events in the leadup as well such as the Cultural Awards. Davina Barbara from GCS told us how important it is to celebrate llanitos and their contributions to local culture and art.

Llanito tenor Nathan Payas gave a beautiful rendition of the national anthem at the world cup qualifier yesterday, and described it as a very special moment of civic pride. He’ll also be on the stage tomorrow in Casemates and gave us a taste of what he’ll be performing.

The live entertainment from Casemates will form part of GBC’s National Day coverage; our News Editor Christine Vasquez told us what we can expect from Gibraltar’s local broadcaster tomorrow.

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This September is Dementia Awareness Month, and this year's theme is: “Ask about Dementia, Ask about Alzheimer’s”. We had Dementia Coordinator Karen Truman and the Gibraltar Alzheimer's & Dementia Society's Jeanette Ochello in the studio.

Gibraltar takes on the Faroe Islands tonight at the Europa Point Stadium. The World Cup Qualifier will be the first time a major tournament qualifier is played on the Rock since 2019. Our Sports Reporter Jose Mari Ruiz will be covering the match this evening.

The Gibraltar Classical Music Society will be opening its 2025/2026 season with a Recital by Nicholas Martin & Lora Dimitrova. Tenor Nicholas Martin returns to Gibraltar after 25 years with internationally acclaimed pianist Lora Dimitrova and unite for an unforgettable recital of Argentinian tangos, Latin American & Spanish songs.

A conference on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging is taking place tomorrow organised by Rock Learning. Keynote speakers are travelling to Gibraltar especially, including Director of Ethical Gambling Forum Adrian Sladdin. We spoke to him along with Jo Abergel from Rock Learning.

And, leisure Cinemas is bringing the magic of cinema outdoors at the Alameda Open Air Theatre. Their first outdoor screening will be 'Times of Closure' tomorrow night. Amy and Odette Benatar from Leisure Cinemas told us more.

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