Gibraltar Government plans 1500 flats

895 flats already allocated

Watergardens, Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR  -- With all flats at Mons Calpe Mews and Beach View Terraces now allocated, the government has said it is planning two further housing projects; the first opposite Watergardens and the second on the Eastside reclamation. In late 2011, the GSLP-Liberals promised the electorate they would provide hundreds of new homes at affordable prices if elected. Construction for their first two housing schemes is well underway and a total of 895 flats have already been allocated, including 477 three bedroom flats and 312 two bedroom flats. The housing waiting list guided allocation, with priority given to those on the list at the time of the last general election.

New York Times publishes article on La Almoraima sale

• "The government has learned nothing from the property bubble"
• La Almoraima stands in contrast to Marbella and the Costa del Sol

CASTELLAR -- The New York Times has been running a Sunday series on public lands all over the world. Last Sunday, the 16th, it published a whole page on the sale of La Almoraima titled 'In Public Land Sale, Not All of Spain Is Buying', the first couple of paragraphs say, "La Almoraima, a farming estate at the edge of a nature reserve, is prized by environmentalists. Home to one of Europe’s largest cork forests, it is a rare place where deer and boar roam wild within sight of the Rock of Gibraltar. The Spanish government, which owns the land, wants to sell it for as much as 300 million euros, or about $376 million, pitching it as a perfect spot for a luxury resort, including a five-star hotel, a small airport, two golf courses and a polo grounds." It's a very interesting article with a few factual errors (to be expected, alas), all of which you can read HERE. It's always a good idea to hear other opinions ... I might change mine, though probably not about this. 

They use a naked woman to promote fruit

Tweet emitted by Cinco al Día

MADRID -- A non-profit organization, Cinco al Día (Five a Day), sent out a Tweet showing how they were painting a naked woman at the international Fruit Attraction exhibition last week. The painted model paraded around the 26,000 m2 exhibition hall, Ifema, to the astonishment (delight?) of visitors and most of the representatives of over 800 international exhibitors. Cinco al Día, which has received considerable support from the government and the EU in the past, was soon under fire from several women's organizations, understandably. There have been plenty of comments on the social media, even a petition to the Ministry of Agriculture. This Ministry claimed to know nothing about the intention of Cinco al Día, and called it 'abhorrent'.