On welcoming Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, UK minister for Europe David Lidington reaffirmed the strong bonds with Gibraltar and London's commitment to stand by the people of the Rock, while calling on Spain to implement EU recommendations to reduce border delays.
Britain’s Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband and Clare Moody, Labor candidate for the South West and Gibraltar in the coming European Parliamentary election have confirmed that Labor fully supports self determination for the people of Gibraltar.
The Gibraltar Football Association has announced that UEFA President Michel Platini will visit Gibraltar on Saturday and attend the Rock Cup final.
The Congress of Liberal International, meeting in the Netherlands, has called on the Spanish Government to end the campaign of coercion and economic sanctions against Gibraltar and urged Madrid to return to the Trilateral Forum for Dialogue.
The British Government has again voiced public concern that Spanish actions against Gibraltar are damaging its bilateral relationship with Spain. In a response to a parliamentary question in the House of Commons, Europe Minister David Lidington said Britain was keeping its options open on how to respond to Spain.
A Gibraltarian who served as an officer in the Royal Navy has been appointed as the new chief executive and Captain of the Port of Gibraltar. Bob Sanguinetti, who rose to the rank of Commodore in the British navy, will replace Captain Roy Stanbrook, who resigned from the post earlier this year.
Spain’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs is urging Morocco and Portugal to block the sale of rocks to Gibraltar, according to the online publication El Confidencial. The website reported at the weekend that the ministry headed by Jose Manuel García-Margallo had initiated contacts with “friendly countries” in a bid to stop Gibraltar’s “expansionist” plans.
A fire in the Waterport power station left most of Gibraltar without electricity on Sunday afternoon, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle. Police urged residents in the area to close their windows as thick black smoke billowed from the power station, though no one was injured in the incident.
Spanish government vessels have unlawfully entered British territorial waters around Gibraltar more than 600 times since the start of 2013, according to official figures. There were 496 incursions in 2013 and 112 in the first three months of 2014, the figures disclosed by Foreign Secretary William Hague revealed.
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo met with top officials from Malta this week during a two day visit focused on building links with the island state. The officials included Foreign affairs minister George Vella, Speaker of the Maltese Parliament Angelu Farrugia and Financial Services and Gaming Minister Albert Isola.