Gibraltar Today

Around 200 people took part in a demonstration in town yesterday calling for more to be done to support those with special educational needs and disabilities. Under the banner "We Are One Voice", they called for the remaining sections of the Disability Act to be enacted and closer alignment with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Fortress House is set to be redeveloped to accommodate a cultural and social hub. Architect Ruth Massias Greenburg told us there would be a strong emphasis on making it a child-friendly place and the Minister for Heritage John Cortes said it has the potential to be something special for Gibraltar, the likes of which cannot be found in nearby Spain.

And, award winning play ‘Signed, Me’ by the Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts has been selected for the UK National Drama Festival. Jonathan Scott spoke to co-writer, Hannah Mifsud and 12-year-old actor, Leon Galia.

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It was exactly 10 years ago today that Gibraltar joined European football’s governing body.

Speaking to GBC moments after we became the 54th member of UEFA, the Gibraltar Football Association’s president at the time, Gareth Latin, said it was an incredible moment, after 14 years of hard work. It was a memorable day for football players and fans on the Rock.

A decade later, the current GFA president, Michael Llamas told GBC it has been a steep learning curve and mistakes have been made along the way - but he believes football on the Rock is in good health. He said the draw against Bulgaria and going up to division C in the Nations League were two of the highlights for the men's national team in recent years.

Mr Llamas said the GFA is investing more in youth football, but acknowledged it is of some concern that more of Gibraltar's talented young players are playing in Spain, saying more would need to be done to keep youth in Gibraltar.

On building a new category 4 stadium, he said the capacity was just one of many considerations that is being looked at in the round. He said "the project is evolving".

Mr Llamas said he fully understands the disappointment of those involved in women’s football at the decision not to send the women’s national team to the Nations League, but said the decision was based for sporting reasons. And he said he is speaking to the Chairwoman of the English FA, Debbie Hewitt, about a partnership that will benefit youth football and women’s football.

Speaking at a celebratory dinner at the Mons Calpe Suite at the top of the Rock to mark the 10th anniversary, the Chief Minister said his Government entirely supports women’s football and is sure that any decision that has been made has sought to "enhance" women’s football. He said he expects good things from them, predicting their matches could become “event better” than the men’s.

Fabian Picardo said as long as he is Chief Minister, the Government will be committed to delivering a stadium for the GFA at Victoria. He said discussions continue and the process is being refined, expressing the hope that eventually the whole community will be able to support the new stadium project.

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How well do we look after people with special needs? Zeiviak Bear and Victoria Bula shared their concerns as parents of children with special needs.

Jonathan Scott was also joined by the winners of the Young Enterprise competition: Param Nagrani, Karenza Daswani, Emily Moir & Isabella Debenham. They told us about their Gibraltar-themed card game.

And, we celebrated 20 years of the Gibraltar Rhythmic Gymnastics Association with Head Coach Sally Holmes, Former President Jeanine Goldwin and coach Pia Alvarez.

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The Financial Intelligence Unit processed 3,503 reports in 2022 after receiving 3,942 the previous year. Over the past 2 years, the vast majority of reports on suspicious activity came from gaming – around 83%. 11% came from DLT providers in 2021, this went down to 8% in 2022. Money laundering was the most common suspected criminality (85% in 2022) followed by fraud (10% in 2022). Jonathan Scott spoke to the GFIU Director Edgar Lopez.

The Joint Pensioners' Convention of Gibraltar was formed with the aim of helping to improve the lives of pensioners in the community. It's comprised of four groups - the Senior Citizen's Association, Unite the Union, the NASUWT and the Gibraltar General and Clerical Association. It is headed by Charlie Bishop, who told us what to expect.

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Does Gibraltar give a good impression to visitors?

Horticulturalist and garden designer Albert James Freyone has clear views on the topic. Spoiler alert: he thinks we can do better.

And, giving children their first eye test. Orthoptist Michelle Brown traveled to Guatemala on a charity mission with a team of eye professionals working at Moorfields Eye hospital.

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The Development and Planning Commission’s latest meeting on Thursday morning gave the green light to the redevelopment of Fortress House. Kevin Ruiz told Jonathan Scott it will include a Cultural and Social Hub. 

The Jewish community has celebrated a Coronation Service for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. We heard from the Jewish community’s president, James Levy and also to its unofficial historian, Mesod Bellilo.

Thursday was International Museum Day. Director of the Gibraltar National Museum, Prof Clive Finlayson spoke to us about this year's theme "Museums, Sustainability and Well-being”. They’ll have their traditional Open Day on Saturday.

And, we talked to Harry Fairchild, the UK's no.1 table tennis player with Down Syndrome. Harry was joined in the studio by his mum Lyndsey and the local support group’s Annette Zammit.

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The World Health Organisation says Antimicrobial Resistance is one of the top 10 global public health threats.

Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. Misuse and overuse of these drugs are the main drivers of this problem.

I admit when I first heard the term ‘antibiotic resistance’, I thought it referred to people who were using antibiotics too much and were themselves becoming resistant to the antibiotics. But that is NOT what we’re talking about.

Antimicrobial resistance means that germs… bacteria, fungi, viruses… develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.

What can we do about that?

A question for Dr Leon Leanse, a Gibraltarian who has been carrying out research in Boston, America… and is now a Senior Research Associate at the University of Gibraltar.

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There have been lots of conversations around anxiety in Gibraltar this week. It’s normal to feel anxious sometimes; it’s how we respond to feeling stressed and can help us stay alert. But it can be a problem if it affects your ability to live your life. The charity Clubhouse had an event this morning to mark mental health awareness week and our reporter Christina Cortes was there.

Special Olympics Gibraltar will be sending a team of 27 athletes to the World Games in Berlin next month. Special Olympics Chief Executive Annie Risso, Assistant head of Delegation, Michael Mauro and golfer Julian de Las Heras joined us.

And, two world-class Austrian artists spoke to us about colours in music and how every live performance is unique and feeds off the audience. Baritone Paul Armin Edelmann and pianist Markus Vorzellner were in Gibraltar to perform at the Convent Ballroom in a song recital organised by the Philharmonic Society. 

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A Dementia Co-ordinator has been appointed, as part of a new national dementia strategy. Karen Truman will lead the five year plan. The former clinical nurse manager will work with a Dementia Steering Group, which will be in direct contact with service users and their families. Our reporter Iain Triay Clarence told us the news was warmly welcomed by the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society.

The strike by Unite members at Morrisons has now passed the 100 day mark. How are those striking feeling? What are the prospects of resolving the pay dispute with the supermarket? Unite's Christian Duo and Roger Cabral were in the studio…

And, did you know you could potentially save someone's life by signing up to a stem cell register? Gabriella Olivero joined us to share her experiences of donating her stem cells. 

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Together Gibraltar is worried about the cleanliness of our streets… or the lack thereof. The party's Nicholas Calamaro joined us.

On ME awareness day, Sarah Cumming spoke bravely about her disabling illness.

And, we looked ahead to Radio Gibraltar's Eurovision Party with presenter and Eurovision enthusiast Michael Beltran.

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