A meal out with a friend ended on an appalling note for a young woman in Gibraltar after she found a racist insult written on her restaurant receipt. Her mother shared a photograph of the message online, prompting an angry response from residents and questions about how it had been allowed to appear on a customer’s bill.

The words, written in Spanish, read: ‘Moro de mierda vuelve a tu pais’, a deeply offensive insult telling a Moroccan person to go back to their country. The mother explained that her daughter had visited the restaurant with a friend a couple of days earlier. She said the family would not be returning to the establishment. 

Restaurant’s explanation sparks further criticism

The incident quickly drew attention on social media, with commenters questioning whether the restaurant had taken sufficient action and whether the matter should be reported to the Royal Gibraltar Police.

The restaurant, identified as Chatzz, subsequently issued a statement describing the message as an ‘in-joke’ between two members of staff. It said the employee responsible had been dismissed. That explanation has not convinced everyone. Several people questioned how a remark of that nature could be dismissed as a private joke when it had ended up on a customer’s receipt. Others wanted to know why only one member of staff had lost their job if two employees had been involved.

Customers threaten to boycott restaurant

The reaction has also reached beyond the original post, with some people saying they will no longer eat at Chatzz or other restaurants operated by the same group. One commenter said their family would be avoiding the establishment after reading the company’s explanation. Another questioned whether the employee responsible might simply be moved to a different restaurant within the group. Others called on the customer to report the incident to the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP), while several demanded a fuller apology from the business.

There were also calls for customers to check their receipts before leaving the restaurant, with people concerned that the incident might not be an isolated occurrence. However, there is no evidence that similar messages have appeared on other customers’ bills. One particularly disturbing comment speculated about whether the daughter’s food could have been interfered with. No evidence has been provided to support that suggestion, and it remains speculation rather than an allegation established by the customer.

Questions remain over the company’s response

The incident has put the restaurant’s handling of the matter under scrutiny, particularly its description of the message as an internal joke. Even if the words were originally exchanged between colleagues, they appeared on a customer’s receipt and were seen by someone who had no part in the alleged joke. The daughter and her friend were customers, not participants in the exchange.

The mother’s decision to share the receipt has also prompted wider discussion about racism and the treatment of people of Moroccan and North African origin in Gibraltar. For the family involved, the response is straightforward: they will not be returning to Chatzz. Whether the company’s explanation and the dismissal of one employee will be enough to reassure other customers remains to be seen. The restaurant has been approached for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received

Somewhere in Fuengirola, a coupon that cost only €2 is now worth €35,000. Anyone who bought a ONCE coupon in the town on Thursday has good reason to check their numbers.

Silvia Sanchez sold the winning coupon

Silvia Sanchez, a ONCE seller, sold the ticket worth €35,000 from the Cupon Diario (daily coupon) draw held on Thursday, October 29. ONCE announced the result on social media and congratulated both Silvia and the ticket holder.

How the Cupon Diario works

Draws take place every Monday to Thursday from 9:25pm. Players choose a five-digit number, and each draw offers 49 prizes of €35,000 to those who match all five digits, while the top prize of €500,000 goes to the five-digit number that also matches the winning series. Prizes at this level turn up regularly across Spain, since each draw offers so many of them.

Players can add an optional extra called La Paga (literally “the wage”). If the series number matches as well, it pays €3,000 a month for 25 years on top of the €35,000.

Where the money goes

ONCE is Spain’s organisation for blind and visually impaired people, and its lottery sellers work in towns and cities across the country. Many sellers are people with disabilities, and money from ticket sales helps fund ONCE’s support services. Every coupon sold supports that work while also giving buyers the chance to win a prize.

Not the first win for Fuengirola

It is not the first time Fuengirola has featured in ONCE’s recent run of good fortune. In July, a local resident won €1 million on a Mega Millonario scratchcard bought from seller Jose Manuel Campos, known as Josele, in Plaza de la Hispanidad near the fairground. Earlier the same month, a Fuengirola seller handed out a €1.5 million Sueldazo jackpot, part of a €1.82 million haul for the town

What to do next

Bought a coupon in Fuengirola on Thursday? Check the number against the results—the winning five-digit number was 61177. Congratulations to Silvia, and to whoever is holding the winning ticket.

Viewers across Spain who flick to Clan, BeMad or Atreseries next week may find them in a different spot, or not showing up properly, as the national channels are shuffled to make room for a brand new free station. The fix takes a few minutes and doesn’t need a new television.

Households will need to retune on Thursday November 5

Households across Spain are being told to run a fresh channel search on Thursday November 5, with the Government recommending viewers do it from 8am, once overnight technical work has finished. The changes are the first phase of Spain’s move to a new broadcasting standard called DVB-T2, the technology behind ultra-high-definition (UHD) free-to-air TV. Only one of the national multiplexes (the bundles of channels sent out together), known as RGE2, switches over this time, while all the others carry on as they are.

There’s no need to do anything before 8am on the day. Broadcasters have been running information campaigns since Monday October 5, and a second phase, which will make UHD the standard across national, regional and local channels, will only follow once enough households own compatible equipment. No date has been set for that yet.

Clan, DKISS, Atreseries and BeMad are among the channels on the move

The Government’s own retuning guide names Clan, DKISS, Atreseries and BeMad among the channels that change place, with Spanish press reports adding Boing as Mediaset reorders its channels. Clan’s move comes first, in the early hours of Tuesday November 3, when it joins one of the RTVE (Spain’s public broadcaster) multiplexes.

None of them are leaving Spanish television, and the official guidance says viewers won’t lose any channels. However, after the reshuffle a channel may sit under a different number, turn up further down the list, or not show properly until the television has searched again. Anyone with pay-TV from Movistar Plus+, Orange TV, DIGI or Vodafone TV doesn’t need to do anything, as those platforms update their own channel lists.

A new free channel, La Séptima, launches the same day

Joining the line-up is La Séptima, a new national free-to-air channel that starts broadcasting in high definition on Thursday November 5. It will share a multiplex with DKISS, so it’s one more reason to retune. The licence was awarded in May to a company called Servicios Integrados Entretenimiento Televisivo, and journalist Javier Ruiz, who has left RTVE, is lined up as its presenter and editorial director. 

Like every other channel, it won’t appear on a television until the search has been run, so viewers who skip the retune simply won’t find it. 

You won’t need a new television or aerial

For anyone wondering ‘do I have to buy a new telly?’, the answer from the Government is no. There are no changes needed to aerials, shared building installations, amplifiers or cabling, and no installer is required just to keep watching. Most channels stay in HD, and televisions without DVB-T2 will keep receiving every channel that’s still on the current system. Newer sets are likely to cope anyway, as every television sold in Spain since the National Technical Plan for TDT (digital terrestrial television) was approved in March 2025 has to be able to receive UHD.

The only catch is the new UHD (sometimes called 4K) versions of La 1, La 2, Antena 3 and Telecinco. To watch those, a television or set-top box must handle both DVB-T2 and a video format called HEVC, and a 4K screen on its own isn’t enough. Each of those channels is also broadcast in HD with the same programmes, so nobody misses out.

How to retune your television in Spain

The menus differ between brands, but the steps are much the same. Press Menu, Home or Settings on the remote, then look for a section called Channels, Broadcast, Installation, Setup or Tuning. 

Choose automatic channel search (Búsqueda automática or Sintonización automática), picking Antenna if the television asks for the signal type. Then leave the television switched on until the search finishes, as turning it off halfway can leave the list incomplete. 

When it’s done, save the changes and check that every channel is there. The list may come back in a different order, often alphabetical, but most televisions let you move channels around using an Edit channels or Sort channels option.

If something is still missing, ask your community of owners or building administrator, or call Televisión Digital, the Government’s helpline, on 901 20 10 04.