GIBRALTAR – From midnight tonight, land border checkpoints between Spain and the British territory of Gibraltar will cease to exist when a historic post-Brexit deal comes into action, ushering in a new era of openness in a world in which tougher border controls are being erected elsewhere.
The mood on the Rock is one of excitement ahead of the removal of the passport controls between the territory and continental Europe, which is expected to allow residents to circumvent the rules that limit Britons to staying only 90 days in every 180 in the European Union.
Gregory Butcher, a major property investor in Gibraltar who moved to the Rock from the UK 30 years ago, said the deal will bring investment opportunities in the low-tax territory.
“This will mean that Gibraltar could become a conduit for [British] investment into Spain,” he said. “British firms are excellent at services including, for example, insurance. Gibraltar does well in insurance but lacks the population of Bermuda, so insurance could create back office jobs in Spain.”
Shorts
Scroll to previous short
Scroll to next short
news
Study reveals the real reason cats groom each other
Caption: A serene close-up portrait of a beautiful ginger tabby cat with striking striped fur, calmly gazing off to the side. This image perfectly captures the elegance, charm, and tranquil nature of domestic cats, making it ideal for pet-related content, lifestyle imagery, or design projects seeking a peaceful and warm aesthetic
Photographer: Anastasiia Voloshko
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
A new study on interactions between domestic cats suggests there may be multiple reasons why cats groom each other.
Grooming is not always friendly
While is has previously been thought that the act of grooming is an attempt to show affection, scientists now believe cats may have an ulterior motive for their incessant licking.
Make sure your cat isn’t suffering in the summer heat (Photo: Shutterstock)
A study conducted by researchers at Ghent University in Belgium suggests grooming can be deployed to annoy or intimidate another cat to obtain an advantage without resorting to violence.
How is grooming used?
Caption: Close up of a woman???s hand stroking a ginger cat???s chin as she lies on her lap and looks away with candid eyes
Photographer: RalucaHotupan
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
The study
The researchers recruited cat owners from 53 households and asked them to film everyday interactions.
When is it friendly?
They found that in friendly grooming encounters, the cats tended to sit or lie close together.
The microchipping scheme aims to reunite owners with lost or stolen pets (Photo: Marcel ter Bekke/Getty)
(Photo: Tatiana Meteleva/Getty).
When is it coercive?
In coercive encounters, one cat might lean over the other, while the cat being groomed might turn its ears backwards.
The expert view
For me, it shows that they are quite elegant in the way they resolve conflict. They could walk over and swat another cat in the face to get the blanket it is lying on. Instead, they lick it a little and fuss around.
Morgane Van Belle, researcher at ghent university
Affection for a beloved pet has immense value (Photo: Rafael Elias/Getty)
news
Why you shouldn’t let your phone battery charge to 100%
Phones can die on you at the most inconvenient times – but this wasn’t always the case (Photo: Getty)
Technology is improving faster than ever, so why don’t phone batteries seem to last as long as they used to?
Why is it so hard to make your phone last the day?
- Smartphones use lithium-ion batteries, the arrival of which 40 years ago was one of the breakthroughs that made mobile phones possible.
- Today’s smartphones still use more or less the same kind of lithium-ion batteries as the first ones, but their efficiency has been increased.
- However, the energy demands our phones make on those batteries has also increased.
How can you save power?
Train Wi-Fi often relies on dodgy mobile data signals (Photo: iStockphoto/Getty)
Turn off Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is particularly power hungry. Turning it off when remote can help save battery life.
Avoid AI features
The increasing use of AI in features like photo processing also drains power.
Caption: Smartphone with a glass speech bubble with the chatbot symbol inside.Chatbot concept. open AI, Artificial Intelligence.
Photographer: Francesco Carta fotografo
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Copyright: Francesco Carta
Caption: A mobile phone in a pink case charging battery by wire. A charging smartphone with cable on a wooden bedside table on a red brick wall backround
Photographer: Marina Demeshko
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Never charge to 100 per cent
Batteries deteriorate when they get hot. Stopping charging before 100 per cent can prevent this.
Watch more from The i Paper
EXCLUSIVE | Could graduates soon pay back less of their student loan? Andy Burnham is being urged to back a plan to raise the student loan repayment threshold from £29,385 to £33,542, meaning some graduates would keep more of their monthly pay. Supporters say it could ease pressure on young people with Plan 2 loans, while critics will want to know how any change would be funded. With Labour support falling among graduates with student debt, student loan reform is becoming a major political test. Tap the link above to read how much graduates could save under the proposal ⬆️ #StudentLoan #StudentDebt #University #Graduation #Graduate #News
politics
Why Netflix and Disney+ subscribers could pay BBC licence fee
Netflix is moving into live TV programming – which means UK subscribers need a TV licence (Getty)
Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix subscribers could be forced to pay the licence fee to avert an “existential threat” to the BBC, the Culture Secretary has proposed.
Here is everything you need to know.
What fees will be imposed?
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has suggested introducing a £180 annual charge on those who watch shows on streaming platforms as a means of securing the BBC’s funding.
Sources indicated that all departments in the BBC would share the pain, with the corporation needing to close up to 2,000 roles (Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty)
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 09, 2026: Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy leaves 10 Downing Street after attending the weekly Cabinet meeting in London, United Kingdom on June 09, 2026. (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Photographer: Wiktor Szymanowicz
Provider: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis
Source: Future Publishing
Copyright: ? 2026 Wiktor Szymanowicz
Nandy told a cross-party select committee that ministers have ruled out a new tax on households or requiring the BBC to show adverts as alternatives.
Why is the charge being suggested?
- Nandy said shows on other streaming services like Netflix are often made with the support of BBC staff and infrastructure.
- She said increasing the number of people who pay would help reduce the cost.
- It is estimated that licence fee evaders and refuseniks cost the BBC more than £1bn a year in lost income.
What was the response from the BBC?
The precise set of rules that require households to be licensed no longer reflect typical audience behaviour among many households in the UK.
In March, the corporation argued that those who watch streaming services should pay the licence fee.
The BBC says the licence fee still commands widespread public support (Getty)
Response from streaming services
Separating essentially what I watch and what I pay for feels like a significant market distortion.
Greg Peters, co-chief executive of Netflix,told the Sunday Times
A lack of transparency over Netflix’s viewing figures was a central issue of this year’s strikes by writers and actors (Photo: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
Caption: LONDON, UK, UNITED KINGDOM – 2019/05/27: Ann Widdecombe elected as a Member of the European Parliament ( MEP) for South West England is seen arriving at the EU election results press conference in Westminster. The newly formed Brexit Party wants the UK to leave the EU without an agreement won 10 of the UK’s 11 regions, gaining 28 seats, more than 32% of the vote across the country and are largest party in nine regions. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Photographer: SOPA Images
Provider: LightRocket via Getty Images
Source: LightRocket
Copyright: ? 2019 SOPA Images
crime
Ann Widdecombe‘s death – a timeline of what we know so far
Former MP and MEP Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries.
After initially saying the incident was not being treated as terrorism, the police investigation is now being led by counter-terrorism officers. Here is a timeline of what we know so far.
Wednesday 8 July
Widdecombe appears on TalkTV in the morning and is due to appear on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show after 1pm. She last sends a message at 12.19pm acknowledging she has received a Zoom link.
Widdecombe does not respond to a message asking her to join the call at 12.48pm, and does not answer further calls.
Explained
2 min read
Explained
5 min read
Thursday 9 July
- Devon and Cornwall Police officers are called to the 78-year-old’s home at around 11.40am by the ambulance service.
- The force later says Widdecombe was found dead inside the property and had sustained “serious injuries”.
- Police add that they believe she was attacked on Wednesday at about 12.30pm, nearly 24 hours before she was found.
OPINION
4 min read
Friday 10 July
- Widdecombe’s death is announced and police say they have launched a murder investigation.
- A 26-year-old white British man is arrested in Newton Abbot on suspicion of the murder of Widdecombe.
Caption: Ann Widdecombe on TalkTV 8 July 2026
Mark Dolan in for Jeremy Kyle | 08-Jul-26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrJQBgf72IA
Police say the case is “not being treated as terrorism” and there was “no information” at this time to suggest it was a “politically-motivated crime”.
Saturday and Sunday
11-12 July
- Police confirm the 26-year-old man has been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation.
- A 28-year-old white British man is arrested in South Yorkshire on suspicion of murder shortly after 9pm on Saturday.
- Police investigating the alleged murder say they “are not looking for anyone else” after the arrest of the 28-year-old, and that there “is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident”.
Monday 13 July
Police say the senior politician’s death is being treated as an act of terrorism and that new information and evidence had come to light during the investigation.
Ann Widdecombe is a former Conservative MP and Cabinet minister. (Photo: David Levenson/Getty Images)
Police presence will remain high in the area of Haytor throughout the weekend where Ann was discovered (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty)
Counter-terrorism officers rearrest the 28-year-old on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and are now leading the probe.
Police could be allowed to hold the suspect for up to 14 days for questioning under terrorism legislation if needed.
news
How new smartwatches could spot sepsis in
at-risk patients
(Photo: Supplied).
NHS England will give patients at risk of deadly sepsis wearable technology to help prevent up to 1,000 deaths a year.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis most commonly develops from a bacterial infection, with symptoms in adults including confusion or slurred speech, uncontrollable shivering, muscle pain and difficulty breathing.
Asia patient woman lying on the bed with saline solution and syringe line on her hand in hospital ward. Emergency and treatment. Healthcare and medical concept – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Caption: E.coli bacteria. Coloured scanning electron micrograph of the rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli. These bacteria are normal inhabitants of the human intestine (also animal intestines) and are usually harmless. Under certain conditions E. coli may increase in number and cause infection. Serotypes of E. coli are responsible for gastroenteritis in children, particularly in tropical countries. In adults it is the cause of ‘traveller’s diarrhoea’; and of 80% of all urinary tract infections. E.coli 0157:H7 can cause additional complications in children and the elderly; renal failure, anaemia, and dehydration especially for children and spontaneous bleeding, organ failure, and mental changes in the elderly. Some of these patients develop permanent disabilities or die. Magnification: x4000 when printed at 10 centimetres wide
Photographer: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO
Provider: Getty Images/Science Photo Libra
Source: Science Photo Library RF
Copyright: Science Photo Library
The UK Sepsis Trust estimates that some 48,000 deaths each year in the UK have sepsis as a factor, with thousands of these cases being preventable.
New measures to fight sepsis
Improved monitoring
NHS England said it will aim to limit preventable deaths from sepsis by 2035 through improved monitoring.
Caption: Vital signs monitor, digital and hospital with EKG machine, electronic and medical equipment to help. Emergency, stats and computer in ICU, clinic and healthcare, life and science with technology
Photographer: Bevan Goldswain
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Copyright: PeopleImages.com – #3016886
Smartwatch Doing EKG Cardiogram On Man’s Wrist During Sleep – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
New technology
The health service will provide wearable devices such as watches or bracelets to monitor those at risk of sepsis.
Preventing deaths
Sepsis causes 4,000 deaths a year in England, with a quarter of these preventable.
The BMA is in a long-running dispute with the Government (Photo: Lynne Cameron/PA)
How will the devices work?
- The devices work by tracking the blood pressure and heart rate of at-risk individuals.
- If a person’s condition deteriorates, their device will flag that they need to be tested for sepsis.
- If sepsis is detected quickly, the chance of survival improves.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Drought proof your garden (Photo: Guido Mieth/Getty/Moment RF)
news
The best ways gardeners can help bees during the heatwave
Gardeners are being urged to take action to support bees, insects and other pollinators that are coming under threat from successive heatwaves.
A warning to gardeners
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has warned that gardens may become less hospitable to pollinators as hot conditions continue and water resources grow increasingly stretched.
Caption: File photo dated 16/7/2018 of flowers being watered from a garden hose. Parched parts of England are facing a hosepipe ban amid very dry conditions and ahead of another predicted heatwave. Southern Water announced the move from Friday for customers in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, while the measure will follow in exactly a week for South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex. Issue date: Friday August 5, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Drought. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Photographer: Gareth Fuller
Provider: PA
Source: PA
A bumble bee passes nectar from her fore legs to hind legs (Photo: National Geographic)
It comes off the back of the UK’s third record-breaking heatwave in just three months, and hosepipe ban announcements for a large part of south-east England.
How does the heat harm pollinators?
- 1Insects such as bumblebees can overheat very quickly and struggle to fly when temperatures soar above 30°C.
- 2Heatwaves take an increasing toll on bees, as plants produce less nectar and fade more quickly.
- 3This also disrupts the larvae of other pollinators, like butterflies, which may not complete their life cycle if host plants dry out.
- 4Pollinators like hoverflies, that rely on aquatic conditions for their larval stage, can be impacted when water sources dry up.
How can you help?
The new Natural History GCSE is under development by OCR (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Grow and maintain a diverse range of long-flowering, pollinator-friendly plants such as Salvia “blue spire”.
Put out a small “bee drinker” water source for pollinators and store rainwater to top up water features.
A garden pond can be a haven for insects (Sarah Lee/GardenWorldImages)
Follow some simple tips for a blooming garden this summer (Photo: Cavan Images/Getty)
Move bee hotels and pots of flowering patio plants into the shade.
politics
All the taxes Andy Burnham could raise or cut
Caption: Andy Burnham, British member of parliament (MP) for Makerfield, delivers a speech at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, Britain, June 29, 2026. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
Photographer: Temilade Adelaja
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Andy Burnham is on track to become the next prime minister in a matter of days, but questions remain over what he will actually do once he’s there – and what his premiership could mean for your finances.
What has Burnham said so far?
Andy Burnham is on course to be prime minister by the end of the month (Photo: PA)
Manifesto pledge
Burnham has said he will stick to Labour’s pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.
Day-to-day spending
He also said he will follow Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules, requiring day-to-day spending to be covered by tax revenue and public debt to fall as a share of the economy.
Caption: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham selling poppies with Royal British Legion veterans at Manchester Piccadilly Station. Picture date: Thursday November 7, 2024.
Photographer: Danny Lawson
Provider: PA
Source: PA Archive
Andy Burnham, holding a copy of the UK Defence Investment Plan during an appearance on the Tonight with Andrew Marr show on LBC (Photo: PA)
Room for improvement
Burnham has also given hints about his priorities, telling LBC there was “some room” for movement on tax.
Burnham’s likely picks
Reducing business rates
Burnham has previously pledged to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues by 20 per cent and raise the threshold before smaller hospitality and retail firms start paying business rates.
Income tax devolution
This would let regional mayors set their own income tax rates for their area. Devolution is already a core part of Burnham’s offer.
Personal allowance
Burnham said he wants his team to “have a proper look” at raising the threshold, allowing people to keep more of their pay before tax kicks in.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Watch more from The i Paper
EXCLUSIVE | Nigel Farage turned down taxpayer-funded security including a bodyguard, car and trained driver last year, @theipaper has learned. The Reform UK leader was offered the protection following police advice on the threats he faced. He had already been receiving publicly-funded security prior to this, and felt that his package had been downgraded. A Reform spokesman suggested Farage needed stronger protection than the leader of the opposition, telling The i Paper he is “the most targeted politician in Britain and the only party leader who actually goes out to meet the public in huge numbers on the campaign trail”. The spokesman also denied that Farage rejected protection, adding: “He declined a downgraded and inadequate package.” Read more at the link above ⬆️ #NigelFarage #Reform #UKPolitics #MPs
How exercise and diet ‘boosts memory in those with dementia risk’
A study found cognition, memory and executive function were all improved by a structured programme of exercise and brain-healthy food.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 2: Pensioners exercise during a fitness class for older people November 2, 2004 in London. The class is part of the government’s National Service Framework for Older People scheme which promotes independence and well-being for older people. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
Photographer: Ian Waldie
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2004 Getty Images
How the study worked
- Participants were deemed to be at risk of developing dementia due to age or factors such as high blood pressure.
- Half completed a two-year programme of exercise sessions four days a week alongside personalised dietary advice.
- Activities were tailored to local culture and included salsa dancing.
- Diets were affordable and easy to source locally.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The story in numbers
1,000 patients
The two-year study included more than 1,000 patients aged 60 to 77 across 11 Latin American countries.
It concluded the exercise, diet and socialising plan followed by half the group generally left them with better memory.
1.4 million
Currently, around 1 million people in the UK have dementia.
Alzheimer’s Society estimates this number will grow to 1.4 million by 2040.
What does this mean?
Researchers said that the findings, published in The Lancet, suggest that “harmonised, non-pharmacological interventions can be implemented across diverse sociocultural settings”.
They added the programme had produced “measurable cognitive benefits in older adults”.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 10: Sian Welby takes part in an art class during her visit to Wandsworth Common Care Home ahead of Care Home Open Week on June 10, 2025 in London, England. The radio DJ regularly campaigns for dementia awareness, having shared her own experiences following her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)
Photographer: Tristan Fewings
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2025 Getty Images
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
He believes the change will bring opportunities “across the gambit of services”, as well as “property companies channelling investment into shopping centres, student housing and hospitals”.
Enquiries from Britons seeking to move to Gibraltar have spiked since the agreement was announced last summer, with its government pausing applications in October to deal with the surge. Estate agents say they have had “hundreds” of people express an interest in buying or renting a property in the territory following the deal.
Many have predicted a rise in tourism, and Butcher says he “would expect to see investment into leisure centres and hotels”.
The wealthy Rock has become a tech hub in recent years and the agreement intends to create a zone of “shared prosperity” so the towns on the Spanish side of the border can benefit.
Tourists walk towards the city centre after crossing the border from Spain, after the European Union and Britain reached an agreement on the status of the overseas territory of Gibraltar (Photo: Jon Nazca/Reuters)
“This deal will lead to much greater closeness,” Butcher said, but he stressed that the tax agreement between the Rock and Spain needed to be recognised internationally as a tax treaty, to avoid the possibility of a Gibraltar company that invests in Spain being taxed in both countries.
“We believe there should be much more cross-border co-operation but this cannot happen yet,” he added.
Greg Dyke, 64, who was born in Gibraltar in 1961, still remembers living trapped behind the frontier. Spanish dictator Francisco Franco ordered its closure over a sovereignty dispute when Dyke was eight, cutting off all communication, halting flights and severing telephone lines. It was not fully reopened until 1985.
Anyone wishing to cross to the other side of the border had to make a day-long journey by sea. “It was really sad to see families having to communicate across the frontier gates from a great distance, show their newborns, send condolences whenever someone died,” said Dyke, a retired shipping chief executive.
“The same thing happened on both sides. Half of the population of La Linea de la Concepción [the town on the other side of the border] had to move away. Our Gibraltar hospital was left without oxygen. Kids like me only knew what a cow looked like through books or TV.”
George Dyke, retired shipping executive who lived through the border’s closure under Franco, says the end of checkpoints heralds a brighter future
Dyke believes the changes to the border will take Gibraltar into a new, brighter future. “It is a great achievement that will present its difficulties, but we will be able to overcome,” he said, adding that he planned to celebrate the deal “in the swimming pool with friends”.
The deal marks the biggest change since Spain first ceded the isthmus to Britain in 1713. The measure of how big a change this is for this tiny outpost of Britannia can be gauged by the rumour that Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, may visit the border to celebrate the deal, another historical first as Spain’s traditional claim to sovereignty over the Rock has meant no serving premier has ever crossed the border.
Sánchez has hailed the arrangements as bringing down “the last wall” inside the European Union, saying they would create a zone of shared prosperity.
Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, has described the agreement as removing “physical barriers of a bygone era of friction” but keeping the “keys to our own front door”.
Gemma Arias-Vasquez, Gibraltar’s health, care and business minister, was born on the Rock. Her mother, Mari-Carmen, and grandmother lived through those tough years when Gibraltarians had to shout messages across the frontier.
“Whilst today is a huge positive step, we will also be thinking of those that lived those difficult years so that we are in the positive position that we are in today,” Arias-Vasquez told The i Paper. “Had they not endured what they endured – and it was hard – we would not be in the position that we are in today.”
Gemma Arias-Vasquez, a Gibraltar minister, called the move ‘a huge positive step’
Most Gibraltarians agree the alternative to the deal signed in June last year and finalised today between Britain and the European Union would have left the Rock with a hard border that would have proved disastrous for both Gibraltar and Spain.
The territory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula, which enjoys its own dialect – llanito, a mix of English and Spanish – depends on over 15,000 Spanish workers making the daily commute from across the border to keep the place going.
The 1,400-foot-tall Rock of Gibraltar looms over everything in the territory, which was the target of a plot by Hitler to seize it during the Second World War. Today, tourists can visit the tunnels burrowed inside the Rock that were part of the extensive plans to defend Gibraltar and its strategically important naval base from the Nazis.
Butcher said Gibraltar had been a “meeting point” with a variety of nationalities moving there. Apart from Gibraltarians and Britons, Chinese, Korean, Poles, Czechs have made their homes there.
Once Gibraltar was a tiny fortress holding out against the aggression of a Spanish dictator; now it seems like a small- if significant – land of opportunity on the shores of the Mediterranean.