Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 16 - 22 September 2021 Issue 1889

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The people’s paper Issue No. 1889 16 - 22 Sept 2021

ELCHE City Hall expects its income to increase by €9 million to €211 million in 2022. Next year’s outgoings have been calculated at €207 million, said Finance councillor Patrica Macia, who announced more spending on Elche’s services and associations. The local government also revealed that for the first six months of 2022 it intends to waive the charge made to bars, cafes and restaurants whose terrace tables occupy public property.

PROUD ELCHE Photo credit: Elche city hall

Looking ahead

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Palace repairs REHABILITATING Orihuela’s city hall building, the Marques de Arneva palace, began last week and will take six months to complete. The historic 18th century building, which is now almost empty, suffered substantially during the storms of September 2019 when several rooms were flooded, affecting installations and, in some places, causing structural damage.

The cost of the €794,902 repairs will be split equally between city hall and the Territorial Policies ministry.

Spaced out LESS than a month before Torrevieja’s Health district reverts to the public sector, Generalitat negotiators cannot use the hospital. Concha Andres, the regional government’s Healthcare Efficiency and Technology chief, recently apologised for meeting the Spanish media at a hotel. The Health district concessionary Ribera Salud had refused to provide space at any of their premises where the Generalitat team of approximately 20 officials could negotiate the October handover, Andres said.

Turn to page 4 » REJECTING HOMOPHOBIA: Elche’s mayor and Equality councillor supported the city’s collectives.

FREE • GRATIS

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16 - 22 September 2021

NEWS

No kidding Segura rivermouth cleared

CONCERNED members of the public contacted Torrevieja’s Local Police after spotting a young white goat wandering near Los Balcones.

By the time officers arrived, the goat had left the road and they found it eating the flowers in a nearby garden.

“The goat was very docile and let us catch it and take it to the municipal animal shelter, waiting to be collected by its owner.”

THE Confederación Hidrografica del Segura (CHS) is spending more than €500,000 on upkeep of the mouth of the River Segura in Guardamar.

This involves ensuring that the old riverbed near the mouth of

the Segura in Guardamar is clear of debris and able to drain floodwater in the event of torrential rain and flooding.

The former riverbed is now a canal that collects excess irrigation water from agricultural land

Puig seeks Andalucia alliance

NADIA CALVIÑO, Economy minister and vice‐president of the Span‐ ish government, recently visited Valencia.

Speaking after meeting the regional president Ximo Puig, Calviño was asked if the central government regarded as a priority the re‐ form which the Generalitat insists is a matter of urgency.

“The priority is recovery,” the vice‐president replied.

“It will be necessary to tackle regional funding when the time is right for reaching a satisfactory agreement,” she continued, while de‐ clining to fix a definite date.

Despite its size, the Valencian Community is at the bottom of the funding list, receiving €2,582 per inhabitant ‐ behind Murcia and An‐ dalucia with €2,679 ‐ compared with the national average of €2,785 per head.

Ximo Puig and Andalucia’s regional president Juanma Moreno, who belongs to the Partido Popular, will join forces in requesting a different funding system.

“The PSOE governs in Valencia but we both agree that we are un‐ derfunded,” Moreno said.

The Generalitat considers that Valencia’s problems and Andalu‐ cia’s might not be exactly the same but they are similar and Puig will be travelling to meet Moreno in Sevilla later this month.

and has two sluice gates that connect it to the river itself.

These are normally kept closed, explained Mario Urrea, the CHS’s president, but are opened during “extraordinary” weather conditions, he said.

Thanks to investment on the part of the CHS, this section of the river will be able to play its part in preventing floods at the Segura rivermouth, as its capacity

for draining surface water has greatly improved since the September 2019 storms, Urrea said.

Between August 2020 and August 2021 the CHS has also cleared the floating barrier at the Segura rivermouth on 11 occasion, eliminating plastics, glass and other rubbish brought downstream from agricultural areas.

Green and sustainable

PILAR DE LA HORADADA has three charging stations for electric vehicles in front of the Polideportivo sports ground.

With two rapid charging points and a semi‐rapid double station, four cars can charge simultaneously with certified green energy, 24 hours a day, pointed out Pilar’s mayor Jose Maria Perez.

“This project is the result of an agreement between the town hall and Iberdrola to fight climate change and encourage sustainability,” the mayor said as he visited the charging stations accompanied by Belen Sanchez and Pedro Miguel Moya, respective councillors for Tourism and the Environ‐ ment.

Iberdrola supplied the equipment and installed the charging stations, Perez explained, while the town hall provided the land .

“We chose this location as it has a considerable traffic each day and there is room for more charging stations if needed in the future,” he said.

26%

Over a quarter of Americans, 26 per cent, report that they are online ‘almost constantly’.

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NIBS EXTRA Hate crimes HATE crimes dropped nationwide from 1,706 offences in 2019 to 1,401 in 2020, a fall that was not noticeable in Alicante Province where they increased by 30 per cent. Police here handled 37 hate crimes last year, an average of three cases a month, leading to 11 arrests.

Mild tremor A TWO MAGNITUDE earth tremor was registered last Sunday off Santa Pola, the area’s fourth since September 1. The section of coast between the Vega Baja and Alicante City has seen 22 of the 56 Alicante Province earthquakes that Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN) has registered this year.

Only option DEMOLITION began on Rafal’s Sindicato Agricola building that was handed over to the town hall at the beginning of this year. Built in 1927, it was in such bad condition that the Public Works department has decided to raze the building and replace it with a car park.

Long run LOS MONTESINOS Town Hall is organising the first edition of the Montesinos Endurance race, which will be run on October 30. The three categories will last six, 12 or 24 hours with participants running over a circular course of 1.5 kilometres in the Avenida de Riegos de Levante.

Student digs ELCHE’S mayor Carlos Martinez handed over the keys of the municipally-owned Altabix building to the rector of Miguel Hernandez University for conversion into a hall of residence. The building has been ceded for an initial period of 12 years, with the option of extending this to 75 years.

Bug alert THE Asaja agricultural union announced that the plague of cotonet (mealybugs) which has attacked citrus fruit trees and is affecting crops in the provinces of Valencia and Castellon has now been detected in the Vega Baja. This could easily spread unless storage crates are thoroughly disinfected, Asaja warned.

16 - 22 September 2021

Plastic waste management COINCIDING with the anniversary of the September 2019 storms, Pi‐ lar de la Horadada’s agricultural growers were asked to recycle un‐ wanted plastic. A recent mayoral decree was expressly aimed at the area’s polytunnels which occupy 500 hectares of Pilar land, 90 per cent of which grow peppers for ex‐ port. The remainder produces flowers. The town hall commu‐ nique pointed out that the green‐ houses’ heavy‐duty plastic needs renewing approximately every three years. If thrown away, the plastic ‐ together with hundreds of

Photo credit: Elche city hall

PILAR GREENHOUSES: 500 hectares of local land are devoted to agriculture. metres of unwanted drip‐irrigation tubing ‐ blocks streambeds and storm drains, increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding, Pilar’s mayor Jose Maria Perez pointed out. This is usually carried out at the end of

Traffic lights for problem crossing TRAFFIC lights will be installed at the Torrevieja pedestri‐ an crossing where two people lost their lives in August.

Traffic and Public Safety councillor, Federico Alarcon, confirmed to the Spanish media that the decision was made in response to the outcry in the San Roque neigh‐ bourhood where the accident occurred.

Another person was run over by a hit‐and‐run driver at the same crossing in Avenida Desiderio Rodriguez the day after the two Madrid tourists were killed.

Traffic lights were the only way to prevent further acci‐ dents, the San Roque residents insisted, especially as the August tragedy was not the first, they pointed out.

A pedestrian was killed at the same crossing in 2014 and although residents petitioned for traffic lights at the time, no further steps have been taken until now.

the growing season, when there is more likelihood of the torrential rains brought by the Gota Fria or the infamous Upper‐level Isolated Depression (DANA).

“Plastic waste management has

Pied Piper not required PSOE opposition councillors in Santa Pola claimed that there were “plagues of rats” in some parts of the town.

According to reports in the Spanish media, the party had been receiving complaints for some time from residents and business‐owners affected by their presence.

A PSOE spokesman main‐ tained that the town hall was aware of these complaints, but added that the local gov‐

Peaceful changeover MAYORS from municipalities belonging to the Torrevieja Health district recently attended a meeting to learn more about the October deprivatisation.

Officials from the regional government’s Health depart‐ ment explained the changes that will take place on October 16 when Ribera Salud’s conces‐ sion to run the Health district ex‐

pires. They were also introduced to Pilar Santos, who will be in charge of the Health district when this reverts to the public sector under the control of the regional Health department.

All employees at the hospital and in health centres will remain in their jobs and there would be no variation in the timetables for appointments and medical

programmes, the mayors were told.

The Generalitat officials also assured them that the regional government was committed to making more investments to improve medical attention, take on more personnel and provide more specialists both at the hos‐ pital and district’s primary care centres.

Clandestine waste storage FOUR warehouses on a Crevillent industrial es‐ tate have been used to store toxic waste.

National Police officers attached to the Gen‐ eralitat initially homed in on the site after de‐ tecting unusual comings and goings at a ware‐ house with no known industrial activity.

Assisted by officers from Seprona, the Guardia Civil’s environmental protection unit, they searched four warehouses and found they were irregularly storing waste from other indus‐ tries.

been well‐managed ever since the municipality began greenhouse production at the beginning of the 80s,” Perez told the Spanish me‐ dia.

“Nearly all of the waste is elimi‐ nated, but not all of it,” the mayor admitted.

Perez, who grew flowers com‐ mercially until he took over as Pilar mayor after the 2019 local elec‐ tions, warned that the Local Police, who kept watch year‐round to prevent robberies, would be on hand to ensure compliance with the town hall decree.

The units covering an area of 17,000 square metres contained asbestos‐heavy fibrocement, discarded tyres and bales of used clothes. There were also drums of used oil and lubricants as well as dyes, paint, paint thinners and glue used for textile and footwear manufacturing.

Many of the drums and containers were damaged or broken with their contents seeping all over the floor, creating a fire risk as well as an environmental hazard, a police communique revealed.

ernment appeared to be ig‐ noring them and was not at‐ taching enough importance to the serious problem.

Santa Pola’s Health council‐ lor Gela Roche replied that the PSOE claims were far from reality.

“Lokimica, the company engaged to control and exter‐ minate vermin is taking ac‐ tion year‐round, with a timetable of operations, alerts and increased activity in the areas where rats have been spotted,” Roche insist‐ ed.

The company had carried out rat‐extermination cam‐ paigns between February and March and again between June and July.

“The next is scheduled for October and November,” the councillor said.

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Time to listen ORIHUELA City mayor, Emilio Bascuñana, maintained that two years after the storms of September 2019, nothing has changed.

“I can’t erase the memory of that ill‐fated Thursday, September 12, from my mind,” he declared.

“I cannot forget and nor should I, because Orihuela don’t deserve that,” Bas‐ cuñana continued. The may‐ or also admitted that he could not hide his present concerns as the ‘gota fria’ season approached, with the prospect of torrential rain and disastrous flooding.

Orihuela needed the ad‐ ministrations to carry out ur‐ gent, immediate work to en‐ sure that, once and for all, infrastructure was put in place to prevent a repetition of the 2019 tragedy, Bas‐ cuñana said. He also lament‐ ed that promised aid from the regional and central gov‐ ernments had not arrived.

The city had still to recover homes, crops, shops, the in‐ dustrial estate, the Oriol oc‐ cupational centre and the CRIS rehabilitation and social integration centre, the mayor pointed out. All he asked, Bascuñana said, was for the regional and national author‐ ities to keep their promises.

“It’s all the same to us, whatever name they give the plans,” he declared. “They have presented many ‐ too many I’d say ‐ but all without budgets or naming dates.”

“Orihuela has to be lis‐ tened to,” the mayor de‐ clared.

and finally...

BUSES for jabs. The Generalitat provided transport for 105,626 people to attend vaccination centres in Alicante City and Elche between April and July.

Coaches took residents not on the usual bus routes to the Ciudad de la Luz centre in Alicante City and the IFA trade fair installation in Elche.

The regional government had wanted to ensure that all of the local population had “easy, comfortable and safe access” to the anti‐Covid vaccine, Transport chief Arcadi España said. June saw the most demand for trans‐ port, when 36,082 people used the system, followed by July (34,451), May (29,411) and April (6,582).

The Alicante‐Ciudad de la Luz connection was the most‐used, ferrying a total of 72,471 people.

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16 - 22 September 2021

from Front page »

Building a free society ELCHE streets reflected all the colours of the rainbow as the city celebrated Elx Orgullosa (Elche Pride) 2021.

City mayor Carlos Gonzalez and Equality, Social Rights and Inclu‐ sive Policies councillor Mariano Valera joined the procession that be‐ gan in Plaça dels Ageps and ended in Plaça de Baix.

Although the atmosphere was festive, there was also rejection of the increased violence towards the LGTBI community which was re‐ ferred to in the manifesto read out by the Elche singer‐songwriter Alba Reche. As well as calling for comprehensive Trans and LGTBI laws at state level, the manifesto denounced the “worrying homo‐ phobic drift” that has developed in recent months.

“There is still a long way to go before the total inclusion of the LGTBI community can be guaranteed,” the manifesto maintained.

“In a complicated situation with homophobic outbreaks in the rest of the country, Elche sets an example of tolerance towards its residents of all ages,” the mayor stressed, after thanking Alba Reche and all those taking part in the event.

“Respecting diversity signifies building a free society, a municipali‐ ty where all can live together peacefully and safely,” Gonzalez said.

Mariano Valero was equally firm in rejecting the current epidemic of homophobia. “We have to stop it by shouting ever‐louder that they can’t stop us,” he declared.

Alicante girls help troubled bather A TRAGEDY was averted in Tarragona on September 9 when a 50‐year‐old man was rescued by fellow bathers in Cala Jovera, near Tamarit beach on the border between Tarragona and Altafulla. The man was unconscious but breathing when he was brought ashore by quick‐ thinking bathers who quickly stabilised him. Among those who came to the rescue were a groups of friends from Ali‐ cante who had recently fin‐ ished working as lifeguards at Torrevieja waterpark.

Rescue services arrived to relieve the bathers and the man was transferred to the Santa Tecla hospital in a less serious condition after regain‐ ing consciousness.

The man was not the only bather rescued that after‐ noon. A woman and an 11‐ year‐old boy were also treated on the beach after lifeguards helped them out of the sea.

The woman suffered from dizziness and anxiety, while the child had minor bruising.

Both were given the all clear at the scene.

The lifeguards at nearby Tamarit beach were alerted to the incident, which occurred at the small cove which has no surveillance and can experi‐ ence dangerous currents. They travelled by land and jet‐ski to attend to the bathers.

The emergency medical services, the Local Police and the fire brigade were also mo‐ bilised as a precaution.

NEWS

South Pacific STUDIO32 Musical Theatre Com‐ pany are pleased to announce that rehearsals for their next produc‐ tion are well in advance. The plot centres on an American Naval Nurse, Ensign Nellie Forbush who has been stationed on a South Pa‐ cific Island during the Second World War. Nellie falls in love with a middle‐aged expatriate French plantation owner but struggles to accept his mixed‐race children.

The musical has many memo‐ rable songs like, ‘Nothing Like a Dame’, ‘Wash that man right outa my hair’ and the show’s signature tune, ‘Some Enchanted evening’.

The character Nellie Forbush, is being played by Bev McEwan (pic‐ tured) who is a seasoned performer with Studio 32 having played vari‐ ous roles in previous productions in‐ cluding Mabel Normand in Mack and Mabel.

BEV: Plays Nellie Forbush.

The show will be staged at San Fulgencio’s Cardenal Belluga The‐ atre between Wednesday Novem‐ ber 24 and Saturday November 27 with the performances starting at 7.30pm.

Reserved seating tickets are now on sale, priced at €10 and can be obtained by emailing tickets@stu diothirtytwo.org or by calling Philip on 602 617 848.

U3A Torrevieja WEDNESDAY September 8, was the first major event of the year that the Torrevieja U3A were able to hold following the pandemic. Over 60 members attended the Vistabella Golf Club for the delayed summer party. The weather was still good and the venue provided a lovely view of the sunset over the golf course. A pleas‐ ant evening was enjoyed by all by starting with a nice three‐ course meal which was then followed by entertainment provided for the remainder of the evening by the popular lo‐ cal vocalist/guitarist Woody.

On Friday September 24, the groups fair will be held at Los Angeles Bar in Torrevieja where visitors, as well as existing mem‐ bers, will be able to meet up with the various group leaders and chat about what the groups can provide. Non‐mem‐ bers can join up for forthcoming events that the group will be providing.

The next social event for the members is the Murder Mys‐ tery evening comprising a play and meal that is being held at Ciudad Quesada on October 1.

Full details of all upcoming events and information on the groups, can be found by any‐ one by visiting our website tor reviejau3a.org.

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16 - 22 September 2021

Sanchez electricity promise Spain will have lower prices.

PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez has promised electricity bills will average out by the end of the year.

“When 2021 is over, con‐ sumers will have paid the same for electricity as

Negotiations ended RYANAIR has announced that its negotiations with Boeing for a MAX10 order, to follow its current deliveries for 210 B737‐8200 ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft, have ended without any agreement on pricing.

Ryanair will take delivery of over 200 B737 ‘Gamechanger’ air‐ craft over the next five years from 2021 to 2025. These deliveries will see Ryanair’s fleet grow to over 600 aircraft capable of carrying over 200 million guests per year.

Ryanair and Boeing have been in discussions about a large fol‐ low up order for Boeing MAX10 aircraft over the past 10 months.

But last week it became clear that the pricing gap between the partners could not be closed and both sides have agreed to cease negotiations.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said, “We are disappointed we could‐ n’t reach agreement. Boeing have a more optimistic outlook on air‐ craft pricing than we do, and we have a disciplined track record of not paying high prices.

“We have a more than sufficient order pipeline to allow us to grow strongly over the next five years and enable Ryanair to capi‐ talise on the extraordinary growth opportunities that are emerging all over Europe as the Continent recovers from the Covid pandem‐ ic,” he added.

they did in 2018,” he said.

“The government is tak‐ ing charge of the concern among citizens. And we are working on a plan to reach a concrete commitment.

By the end of 2021 Spaniards will look back and see that they have paid a similar and compa‐ rable amount on their elec‐ tricity bills as they did in 2018,” he added.

Sanchez continued: “It is important to clarify in this debate that one thing is the progress of the whole‐ sale price in the market and another is your elec‐ tricity bill. We pay our bills

monthly. What doesn’t make sense is to look at the debate on a daily basis, because we don’t pay our bills daily. What the gov‐ ernment can do is to cush‐ ion the changes in that wholesale price. First, with structural reforms, and with a solid commitment to renewable energies ‐ not just due to issues of climate change, but also because they are cheaper.

“The electricity future markets are already saying that, thanks to renewables, Spain will have lower prices than France or Ger‐ many in 2022 and 2023.”

and finally...

AROUND 200 couples got married at a mass wedding in Lima, Peru with brides and grooms seen dressed up and sitting in rows waiting to get wed.

Musicians played the couples in on their way to the venue dur‐ ing a parade, before they later got married at a mass ceremony.

Photographers captured the couples following the wedding, with brides and grooms aged from the young to the elderly.

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16 - 22 September 2021

NEWS

Cabin bag rule confusion UK workplace pension THE new luggage policy for easyJet passengers is reported‐ ly causing confusion among people across the UK. The most recent case involved a traveller at Edinburgh Airport.

The man who claimed to have been caught out by the

new baggage rule said the air‐ port charged him an extra £24 because the two‐inch wheels on his bag meant that it was too big to store in the cabin.

The passenger, who has not been named, insisted he had not a problem with this type

of bag before.

The new policy was intro‐ duced by easyJet in February 2021 in an attempt to reduce queuing times and ensure trav‐ ellers have a place to store their luggage in the overhead lockers. The rule states that travellers can bring one free bag on board but it must fit un‐ der the seat in front of them and be no bigger than 45x36x20cm (including any handles or wheels). Previously, travellers could bring a larger bag with maximum dimensions of 56x45x25cm, which could be stored in the overhead locker.

The airline’s chief commer‐ cial and customer officer, Robert Carey, previously stat‐ ed: “Our new policy will im‐ prove boarding and punctuality for everyone, as well as giving our customers certainty of what they will have with them onboard.” Yet, eight months later, confusion still reigns at the check‐in desk.

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NEW figures released show how the overall use of the Pen‐ sions Regulator’s automatic en‐ rolment enforcement (AE) powers are back to pre‐pan‐ demic levels following neces‐ sary measures introduced last spring to support UK employers through the early months of the crisis.

TPR’s latest compliance and enforcement bulletin comes as the regulator warns employers not to neglect their workplace pension duties as the economy recovers.

The bulletin shows the total use of AE powers between Jan‐ uary and June 2021 increased to 77,032 compared to 41,398 for July to December 2020. For comparison, the total use of powers in the six‐month period before the pandemic (October 2019 to March 2020) was 73,164.

Throughout the pandemic, compliance with the law has re‐ mained high, including maintain‐

McDonald’s sells 75 burgers per second.

ing pension contributions. Mea‐ sures were introduced last March to ensure struggling em‐ ployers were not unduly fined.

However, TPR has continued to closely monitor compliance and use its powers where necessary to ensure employers remain on track.

TPR’s bulletin comes as new

statistics from the Department of Work and Pensions on work‐ place pension participation show trends in pension contri‐ butions have remained relative‐ ly stable over the Covid‐19 peri‐ od. Employee contribution rates reduced slightly in early 2020 but have since returned to pre‐ pandemic levels.

Catalonia nightclub request ejected THE High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has once again reject‐ ed a request to open up nightlife in the region, arguing that the epidemiological data is “still unfavourable.” This, in addition to hospital pressure, has led them to conclude that the right to life and health must take precedence over economic interests.

In a new appeal, the Catalan Federation of Associations of Restoration and Music Activities (FECASARM), had requested pre‐ cautionary measures against the resolution of the Catalan execu‐ tive that had set the closing hours of venues as 00.30am, along with the closure of all nightlife venues that do not have an out‐ door space available.

According to the contentious administrative chamber of the TSJC: “The existence of risks to public health arising from the pan‐ demic is evident,” and that, “the public interest to be protected is undoubtedly greater than the interests invoked by the appellants of the leisure sector.”

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16 - 22 September 2021

Medals for heroes THE Queen is set to present medals to the ‘heroes’ who helped with the Afghanistan evacuations in the upcoming New Year’s Honours list.

According to reports, Number 10 has approved the plans, which will honour the heroes who helped with the air evacua‐ tions. Operation Pitting saw around 15,000 people evacuat‐ ed in the space of only a few weeks, and involved over 160 flights.

One source commented that:

“The PM is fully behind the idea, it will finally put a bit of honour in what’s been a pretty dishon‐ ourable system lately.”

August saw an end to the 20‐ year long military intervention in Afghanistan as soldiers left the country. The Prince of Wales re‐ cently praised the British Parachute Regiment for their outstanding work in the evacua‐ tion.

He said: “You are not only an outstanding credit to the Parachute Regiment but also to

this country, which, without doubt, is more fortunate than it can know in having such dedi‐ cated and courageous people as yourselves ready to step for‐ ward at such a crucial time of need, I could not be more proud of you.” The Duke of Sussex served two tours in Afghanistan and previously spoke of his time there: “One minute you’re in bed asleep, six and a half min‐ utes later you’re speaking to someone on the ground being shot at.”

mined that his wife was not the girl’s biological mother.

The girl was just 15 at the time, but she became determined to find out the truth, which led to an in‐ vestigation by the La Rioja Ministry of Health. They determined that there was only one other baby with similar characteristics that could have been ex‐ changed by accident and on the same date.

The young woman, who is now 19 years old, is claiming compensation of more than €3 million for moral damages. However, the Ministry is offering her just over €200,000 because it considers that the incident was human error and not unlawful.

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More Covid-19 waves unlikely FERNANDO SIMON, the direc‐ tor of the Centre for the Coordi‐ nation of Health Alerts and Emergencies, said it is unlikely that Spain will have more large waves of Covid‐19. Speaking on Thursday September 9, he ex‐ plained: “there may be a sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth wave, but they will not be like the pre‐ vious ones.” Simon made these statements to the media before presenting at the congress of the Spanish Society of Epidemi‐ ology (SEE) in Leon.

Simon insisted that until ev‐

eryone in Spain is vaccinated, the coronavirus will not end. He also highlighted the importance of a global cooperation, stating: “Spain is important, but it is not the navel of the world.” Yet, he also gave a positive message, claiming: “Spain right now is very favourable, and this makes it possible, little by little, to nor‐ malise the situation.” He also conformed the government is working to develop a new public health agency, but could not confirm if he would be the direc‐ tor or even apply for the role.

Logroño birth switch shock THE extraordinary story of two baby girls who were switched at birth at a hospital in Logroño, La Rioja in 2002 has come to light. The babies were born five hours apart, both underweight, and placed into incubators. They were later removed and handed to the wrong parents. The incident oc‐ curred at the now‐closed Hospital San Millan de Logroño.

The mix‐up was discovered in 2017 when the grandmother of one girl filed a lawsuit against the father accusing him of neglect. During the DNA test‐ ing that followed, it was discovered that the man was not the biological father. A further test deter‐

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SIMON: A booster dose is under discussion.

Regarding a third booster dose, Fernando Simon said the matter was under discussion.

On the topic of vaccinating chil‐ dren under the age of 12, he said the results of clinical trials and authorisations from the reg‐ ulatory agencies would be known soon.

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16 - 22 September 2021

Expats share thoughts on British monarchy EXPATS in Spain have been shar‐ ing their thoughts on the future of the British monarchy after one writer claimed the royal family could be gone in two generations.

In its Sunday debate on September 12, the Euro Weekly News asked readers whether they thought the royal family was a worthy institution or an outdated relic, and replies showed a mixture of feelings. One reader, Stephen Proctor, said: “Not a fan of them personally for a number of rea‐ sons, but England is a monarchy at its heart and soul, so they will be around for a while yet.”

Another reader, Linda McGarry, told the EWN: “They are a waste of space.”

Author Hilary Mantel had claimed that she thought the British monarchy would only last another two generations.

She said: “It’s very hard to un‐ derstand the thinking behind the monarchy in the modern world when people are just seen as celebrities.”

NEWS

Spain recovers air capacity T H E number of seats scheduled by airlines on international flights to Spain for the months of September and October reached 14,196,367 seats according to data on air capacity released by Turespaña. The figure is equal to 70 per cent of the same period in 2019 and practically triple that of the same months last year.

Reyes Maroto, the Min‐ ister for Industry, Trade and Tourism noted: “At the end of the summer season, Spain is regaining greater stability in inter‐ national flight schedules, which contributes to the gradual consolidation of the recovery of tourism.”

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He added the figures were, “a result of the se‐ curity offered by our country, with one of the highest global percent‐ ages of polulation vacci‐ nated against Covid‐19, over 72 per cent, as well as the confidence that Spain offers to tourists.”

In August, according to Eurocontrol data, Spain recovered three quarters of the air traffic it had in the same month of 2019, another record year in terms of international tourist arrivals.

Spain’s records are thus above the European average, which in August recovered 71 per cent of the air traffic of the same month in 2019.

For the past thousand years, Earth’s population has grown 22 times bigger.

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16 - 22 September 2021

Travel companies & global warming AS travel companies across the world begin to reopen to travellers, Euro Weekly News readers have said that they think these com-

panies should also do more to reduce global warming.

Of the readers who replied to the E W N on the issue, 100 per cent said they thought travel companies should be doing more for the environment.

O ne reader, B rian R ae, said: “the sea and rainforests… are crucial to life.”

Earlier this year, on Earth D ay, companies including Insight Vacations signed up to an environmental pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, and to source 50 per cent of power from renewable sources by 2025.

Meanwhile, travel company Hopper also announced it will donate treeplanting funds for every booking it receives, planting up to four trees for every booking.

The company said it plans to plant around six million trees around the world this year.

Spaniards rated among happiest Europeans SPANIARDS are among the happiest Euro‐ peans when they are with family and friends, but also rank as some of the most critical of their politicians, according to European Union statistics.

In addition to the normal indicators used by the EU such as living standards and GDP, a new wider range of statistics has allowed a Euro‐ pean well‐being map to be drawn up.

Spaniards have stood out in a positive way due to their satisfaction with their personal lives, but were among the most damning of their politicians.

People in Europe can now compare their own country to others using a tool developed

by Eurostat and published on its website. This provides a range of data such as how safe peo‐ ple feel when they walk alone at night, income

SPANIARDS: Are satisfied with their lives. levels and how often people see their friends.

It is also possible to look up how much faith people have in their government.

Spaniards rank highly in their regard for fam‐ ily and friends and also for life expectancy. On a more negative side, results revealed signifi‐ cant differences between rich and poor and a high level of cynicism in national institutions.

Scotland battles climate change COMMUNITIES across Scot‐ land will battle against climate change as part of Scotland’s COP26 community engage‐ ment programme which aims to encourage communities to join the fight against climate change.

In November, Glasgow wel‐ comes the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, COP26. It is hoped that com‐ munities who have not en‐ gaged previously in tackling cli‐ mate change will be encouraged to join the effort.

According to the govern‐ ment: “The scheme also in‐ cludes activities for young peo‐ ple, including schools and youth groups such as the guide and scout movements, to help ensure young people from all backgrounds can participate.”

NEWS

Spain electric hits new high THE average price of electricity in the wholesale market started the week with a new record of €154.16 per megawatt/hour (MWh), exceeding the figure from last week. The first two weeks of September already had the highest ever prices in the wholesale market.

Prices have continued to set new records through the sum‐ mer. Given these new historical records, the Council of Ministers is expected to take measures to fulfil Spanish President Pedro Sánchez’s promise that this year the average electricity bill will not be more than in 2018.

The package of measures the executive is preparing includes new tax cuts. Among the pro‐ posals is a way of reducing to a minimum the tax on power gen‐ eration, which accounts for just over 5 per cent of the electricity bill of domestic consumers.

Everything so far rumoured by government ministers also in‐ dicates that the VAT reduction from 21 to 10 per cent that has been in force since June will be extended for at least another quarter.

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NEWS

Telecoms league tables revealed OFCOM has published the latest league tables on the complaints received about the UK’s major home phone, broadband, mobile and subscription TV firms.

The quarterly report reveals

1/3

the number of complaints made to Ofcom between January and March this year about telecoms and pay-TV providers with a market share over 1.5 per cent.

It covered the third UK-wide

One-third of adults still sleep with a comfort object.

Easing off THE Euro Weekly News has asked its readers whether they think Spain should begin easing its Covid restrictions after it emerged that the country had left the ´high risk´ level. In total, 63.9 per cent of readers said they thought that Spain has had restrictions for long enough and that they should be eased.

A further 34.4 per cent said they felt it was too soon. According to a Spanish Health Ministry report released on Thursday, September 9, the 14-day cumulative number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants now stands at 140.43, having fallen below the high-risk level of 150 for the first time since July 1.

On a national level, the figures are also at medium risk in terms of the ICUs, with less than 14 per cent occupation

by Covid-19 patients, and low in regular wards, with less than 5 per cent occupation due to the disease.

lockdown, when millions of people were required to work from home and many schoolchildren had their studies moved online.

Overall, complaints about mobile services remained broadly stable. However, broadband and landline complaints hit a three-year high and complaints about pay-TV services also increased in the quarter.

This was largely driven by Virgin Media, which was the most complained-about broadband, landline and pay-TV provider and also the most complainedabout mobile operator, along with Three. Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE generated the fewest mobile complaints, while Sky and EE were also the least complained-about broadband and landline providers. Sky also attracted the fewest complaints for pay TV. Ofcom’s Consumer Protection Director, Fergal Farragher, said: “We have been clear to providers that we expect performance to now return to at least the levels we saw before the pandemic hit - or even better.”

NEWS

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SOME British expats living in Spain must leave the coun‐ try within 15 days or risk be‐ ing classed as living there il‐ legally, according to legal documents. The order from Spain’s Immigration Office was given to Brits who had their residency applications rejected.

The document read: “You will be advised that, unless you have a qualifying docu‐ ment to stay in Spain, you must leave the Spanish terri‐ tory within 15 days from the notification of this resolu‐ tion, unless exceptional cir‐ cumstances occur and you justify that you have suffi‐ cient means, in which case you may extend your stay up to a maximum of 90 days.”

Staying longer than the 15 days is considered a “serious offence” by the Spanish au‐ thorities and can lead to fines of up to €10,000. It could also mean expulsion from Spain and a potential ban from the Schengen area for six months to five years.

Anne Hernandez, head of citizens help group Brexpats in Spain, said: “Applications are being rejected on the grounds of insufficient evi‐

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British expats face expulsion dence of legally residing in Spain before 2021, such as a town hall certificate, medical insurance or other proof.”

If an expat’s residency is

rejected in Spain, it is possi‐ ble to appeal against the de‐ cision. However, correct doc‐ umentation must be provided.

and finally...

FREE holiday Covid‐19 tests. Holiday giant, On the Beach, is restarting holiday packages with free Covid‐19 tests for British travellers jetting off to Spain and Greece to enjoy the last of the summer sunshine.

All bookings to Spain and Greece made before Septem‐ ber 30 for departure in 2021 will qualify for the free tests.

The holiday company has collaborated with testing provider Collinson. Tests will be automatically ordered fol‐ lowing the customers’ holiday bookings, and delivered at least 48 hours prior to departure.

One antigen test must be taken on holiday before return to the UK and one PCR test must be taken on or before day two following arrival back in the UK. Company CEO, Simon Cooper, said the “time is now right” to restart holidays after they had “carefully moni‐ tored the ongoing travel updates, the data at home and in key destinations, and the sentiment among our cus‐ tomers.”

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Royal Family documentary ON September 22, for the first time on television, more than a dozen members of the Royal Family, including Prince Harry, will offer their personal thoughts and reflec‐ tions as they pay a historic trib‐ ute to the extraordinary life of His Roy‐ al Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh.

All the children PRINCE PHILIP: A historic tribute.

GUARDIA CIVIL officers in Granada Province caught a 59‐year‐old man as he was in the process of trying to dump his dead dog that he had earlier hanged.

The perpetrator was surprised on August 11 when a patrol from Pinos Puente barracks intercepted the van he was driving. After identifying him, they searched the vehicle and found a lifeless greyhound dog in the loading area, with apparent signs of abuse, and a rope

of the Queen and the Duke, along with their adult grandchildren and other members of the Royal Fam‐ ily, have agreed to take part in this unique portrait of the longest‐serving consort in royal history. The Queen, however, is not interviewed. Nor is Meghan Markle.

Originally conceived to mark Prince Philip’s 100th birthday, this landmark BBC documentary features interviews filmed both before and after the Duke’s death in April. The documentary‐makers have been inside Buckingham Palace to meet the Duke’s long‐ serving staff and to capture his study, private office and library, exactly as they were during his seven decades at the heart of royal life.

“There are poignant recollections, plenty of hu‐ mour and numerous fresh insights into the charac‐ ter and legacy of this royal pioneer,” the BBC said.

“With special access to the Queen’s private cine‐ film collection, this film is an unrivalled portrait of a man with a unique place in royal history by those who knew him best,” the corporation added.

Animal Abuse with a slip knot around the neck that presum‐ ably caused its death.

Although the dog lacked a microchip, the investigator recognised that the animal be‐ longed to the man, and from that moment, the Environmental Police team of the Nature Protection Service of the Granada Guardia

NEWS

Cadiz asks for tourist tax CADIZ City Council is study‐ ing the possibility of asking the Junta de Andalucia to implement a tourist tax for the area’s hotels.

This tax is already in force in Catalonia and Mallorca, and now in Cadiz the local government is studying the measure in its Strategic Tourism Plan. The tax is nor‐ mally used by councils to put money into the devel‐ opment of tourism in their own locality, improving its infrastructures or acting on the historical culture.

The council has said it will now hold a meeting to ap‐ prove the plan.

Civil (Seprona) took charge of the animal, and launched an investigation into its death.

After the post‐mortem of the dog, a veteri‐ narian certified that he had been dead for several hours by the time the officers found him, and that the cause of its death was hang‐ ing. After confirming the violent death of the greyhound, investigators brought the owner of the dog to court for an alleged crime of ani‐ mal abuse.

NO TIME: The ITV was nine years out of date.

Driver Neglects ITV POLICE in Navarra were stunned to discover a driver they stopped had not carried out a Technical Inspection (ITV) on his vehicle since May 31, 2012.

When quizzed, the man’s classic response was: “I’ve had no time.”

Even the officers couldn’t re‐ sist seeing the funny side of the situation and took to Twitter to post an image showing the re‐ sults of their vehicle search. They joked he might forget to ITV the car for a week, but that after nine years he should have noticed the lapse.

The man was stopped in Ollo‐ ki, Navarra although his car was registered in Sevilla. In his de‐ fence, he did have the car in‐ sured, but was fined the compul‐ sory €200 for not having the ITV. The tweet prompted a lot of humorous replies from Twitter users, most commenting on how smart the driver was, that he was fined €200 but had not paid for any ITV since 2012, potentially saving up to €250 at the higher rate of €50 per test.

Others users noted he could save even more by paying the fine early at a €100 reduction.

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NEWS

Serious accident cover up

GUARDIA CIVIL officers in the La Rioja municipality of Autol have arrested a 49‐year‐old business‐ man of Moroccan nationality, on suspicion of conducting an alleged crime against workers’ rights, and another of neglecting to help an injured person.

The detainee allegedly took ad‐ vantage of the irregular situation and the economic need of citizens of Moroccan and Algerian origin, offering them work on farms,how‐ ever he restricted all their funda‐ mental rights in terms of accom‐ modation, working hours, salary, extraordinary payments, holidays or medical leave.

On April 1, the Guardia Civil’s 062 received several calls alerting

Evidence was removed. them to the overturning of a mo‐ tocultor and that its driver was trapped under the trailer. The in‐ vestigation determined that the arrested businessman had gone to the scene of the accident, but did not help the victim, he deliberately removed all the evidence that could incriminate or relate to him.

His statement was soon taken

THE Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, has partici‐ pated in the first multilateral coordination meeting on Afghanistan. Minister Albares stressed that the international community’s objective must be to en‐ sure that the people listed by the different nations can leave the country quickly and safely through co‐ ordination between partners and allies. He also high‐ lighted the need for humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable stating: “The more united we are, the more impact we will have.”

Held remotely, the conference focused on four ar‐

apart after investigators found a video in which the victim is seen working and driving the rototiller on one of the farms that the busi‐ nessman had rented, where, in‐ vestigators had taken statements from other citizens of Maghreb and Algerian origin who were ex‐ ploited and mistreated at work by this unscrupulous businessman.

A call for unity eas: free movement, counter‐terrorism cooperation, humanitarian assistance and diplomatic issues.

Foreign Ministers from the United States, Aus‐ tralia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan participated as well as the Secretary General of NATO, and representatives of the European Union and the United Nations.

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NEWS

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16 - 22 September 2021

British Airways UK expansion BRITISH AIRWAYS is extending three of its newest domestic routes this winter. The routes, all from Belfast, and flying to Ex‐ eter, Glasgow and Leeds, will continue to link Northern Ire‐ land with key UK cities following a popular summer of domestic travel.

In addition, customers will al‐ so be able to book direct flights from Belfast to Birmingham up to three times a day as the airline further extends its UK travel net‐ work. Booking has already opened for travel between Octo‐ ber 31, 2021 and March 26, 2022.

It is hoped the routes will con‐ tinue to support vital business and leisure links between North‐ ern Ireland and the mainland.

The number of flights to Exeter, Glasgow and Leeds will increase compared to the summer sea‐ son with four, 13 and 10 a week respectively.

Tom Stoddart, Managing Di‐ rector of BA CityFlyer which op‐ erates the routes, said: “This year has shown how much cus‐ tomers want to stay connected with the rest of the UK. We’re responding to the customer de‐

mand we saw over the last few months by extending some of

our newest UK routes from Belfast City Airport.”

Spain supplies New Zealand vaccines

SPAIN has supplied New Zealand with 250,000 extra vaccine doses in a bid to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The purchase of the Pfizer doses was confirmed on Thursday September 9 by New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

The vaccines had already left Madrid when the announcement was made and will allow New Zealand’s vaccination programme to continue at its expected speed, while the country waits for larger supplies of vaccines to arrive.

Spain’s pre‐existing relationships with New Zealand were one of a number of factors why the country was chosen to supply the surplus doses. The vaccines also match the existing source of batches used in New Zealand.

Ardern has commented on the importance of being vaccinated saying: “If everyone who can be vaccinated is vaccinated, you are po‐ tentially saving the life of someone who can’t be.”

and finally...

COWS airlifted. Cows in Switzerland have been airlifted to the bot‐ tom of their meadows in the Alps to take part in a parade.

Around 10 cows were taken by helicopter with farmers using ropes to bring them safely onto the ground before they were moved onwards by vehicle.

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NEWS

Spain’s Airbus boost

MILITARY AIRCRAFT: Deal approved to build 56 new planes.

A €2.1 MILLION contract to build 56 C-295 military transport aircraft in Spain and India has been announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence.

The Indian government approved the deal with the European aircraft manufacturer, which will see 16 planes built in Spain and the rest manufactured in India. Airbus is one the world’s leading manufacturers of military transport aircraft and has two sites in the

province of Sevilla at San Pablo and Tablada.

Authorities revealed that the 16 Spanishmade aircraft will be delivered ready to fly ‘within 48 months of signing the contract,’ while the l o c a l T AT A c o n s o r t i u m ‘will manufacture 40 aircraft in India within 10 years’ of the formalisation of the agreement.

It will be the first time a private company has manufactured military aircraft in India, a milestone that is being cele-

brated by the Indian government. The process forms part of the ‘Made in India’ initiative and will boost the country’s aerospace ecosystem, as a large number of the parts will be manufactured on Indian soil. The deal also highlights how S pain remains a key industrial base for A irbus which continues to produce commercial and military aircraft as well as helicopters and space components on the peninsula.

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NEWS

Spain and Portugal cooperate THE Minister for Work and Social Economy, Yolanda Diaz, has reinforced her commitment to the S ocial Economy in the P ortuguese city of Coimbra, through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the field of Social Economy with her Portuguese counterpart, Minister Ana Mendes.

It is a proposal “that puts people at the centre, even more so in the current context of recovery after the serious health, social and economic crisis of Covid-19,” said Díaz in the framework of the Iberian Social Economy Summit.

“We have the opportunity to build a different world and the Social Economy, with its

THE new Export Control Regula‐ tion entered into force on September 9, tightening con‐ trols on trade in dual‐use items ‐ civilian goods and technologies with possible military or security use ‐ while enhancing the EU’s capacity to protect human rights and support secure supply chains for strategic items.

Executive Vice‐President and Commissioner for EU Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, said, “We need to better respond to emerging threats in an increas‐ ingly volatile world. That means

AGREEMENT: Between the two ministers. values of equality, social cohesion and improved working conditions, gives us the path, the ideas and the possibility to do so,” she said.

EU export control getting a better grip on dual‐use technologies, including cyber‐ surveillance technologies that can be misused for human rights violations. Thanks to these new EU rules, the EU countries will now also work even more close‐ ly amongst themselves and with allies on potential security risks arising from biotech, Artificial In‐ telligence and other emerging technologies. We will also team up to ensure a level playing field

for companies, for example, in the context of the new EU‐US Trade and Technology Council.”

The new framework allows the EU to take a number of im‐ portant actions to pool expertise and tackle particular challenges, notably in relation to cyber‐ surveillance, where due dili‐ gence guidelines are in prepara‐ tion, but also emerging dual‐use technologies such as advanced computing.

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Spain’s hottest town EVERY summer, the 9,300 inhabitants of Montoro in Cordoba are condemned to the highest temperatures in all of Spain. Ther‐ mometers regularly read 45°C and in 2021 peaked at 47.2°C, breaking the previous record of 47°C set in 2017, according to the Spanish meteorological department AEMET. As well as bearing the honour of being Spain’s hottest town, Montoro is distin‐ guished by a rich historical past, with Iberi‐ an remains found nearby, dating the settle‐ ment back to at least 4,500 BC. Like many Spanish towns, Montoro has been dominat‐ ed by Romans, Visigoths and Muslims over the centuries. Some believe the true origin of the town dates back to a Greek colony.

The town’s title ‘Very Noble, Loyal and Patriotic’ was earned during the war of in‐ dependence. After learning of the outrages

MONTORO: Has a rich historic past. of the Napoleonic troops in Cordoba, the lo‐ cals adopted a strategy of welcoming French soldiers with open arms before slay‐ ing as many as possible.

The locals are still welcoming today, but don’t worry, the only heat you will feel is from the scorching summer sun.

NEWS

Facebook smart glasses FACEBOOK has launched its long‐ru‐ moured smart glasses, built in partner‐ ship with Ray‐Ban. Marketed as Ray‐ Ban Stories, they will be available in 20 variations, including the classic Wayfarer design.

Users can operate the two built‐in cameras by pressing a button on the temple. The device has the capability of snapping a 2592 x 1944 pixel photo‐ graph, or recording 30 seconds of video.

A ‘Hey Facebook’ voice command can also operate the cameras.

Once an image or video has been captured, it can be shared onto Face‐ book, Instagram, and other social media networks using a new app called Face‐ book View and can operate for up to six hours a day, for three days when fully charged.

Fifth wave decline THE fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic continued to de‐ cline according to for data from many of Spain’s autonomous communities. The vaccination programme in Spain is progress‐ ing well across nearly the entire country.

Andalucia is making good progress with the vaccination pro‐ gramme and so far more than 12 million doses of the various vaccines have been given. This means health authorities have used over 90 per cent of the vaccines received. In Andalucia alone, over six million people are now fully vaccinated.

In Catalonia, the figures on September 12 fell from nearly 1,000 positive cases the previous day to just 620 new cases. Ze‐ ro deaths were reported in the previous 24 hours, but 700 peo‐ ple still remained in hospital due to the virus.

Andalucia also began to vaccinate immunocompromised pa‐ tients with a booster jab. It is expected that across Andalucia over 13,000 patients will fall into this category. It is preferred that the booster vaccine is the same make as that which was originally given. This move is part of the updated vaccination strategy approved by the Public Health Commission on Wednesday September 8.

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Phil Collin’s health admission

E I G H T I ES pop icon Phil Collins went on B B C Breakfast on Thursday September 9 to talk frankly about his declining health, saying he can “barely hold a drumstick.”

The Genesis singer has been suffering with health issues for 15 years, including nerve problems caused by a damaged vertebrae in his neck.

Collins talked about how his health has restricted his ability to perform and prevented him from joining his son on stage playing the drums. Yet, he is carrying on with his tour.

“I’m kind of physically challenged which is very frustrating because I’d love to be playing up there with my son,” he said.

When asked: “Are you able to do any drumming at all these days?” He replied, “ N o. N o, I would love to but, you know, I mean I can barely hold a stick with this hand.” The iconic singer was then re-

Talked about his health. minded: “You said that this tour is putting it to bed.” Collins replied,

“We’re all men of our age, and I think to some extent, it probably is putting it to bed.”

T he singer had surgery in April 2009, following an injury sustained during the 2007 Genesis tour and lost feeling in his fingers.

In 2010, he battled depression and considered suicide. However, he said he didn’t go through with it because of his children.

and finally...

EASYJET autumn flight sale. Low‐cost airline, easyJet, has put its autumn flights on sale across Europe. Nearly 100k flights went live on the company’s website on September 9, serving over 127 des‐ tinations across Europe and providing over one million low‐fare seats.

The sale gave early‐bird customers the opportunity to book a much‐needed getaway or be reunited with friends or family. The launch included 72,709 flights to and from the UK, departing be‐ tween October 2021 and September 2022.

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, explained: “We have some very special prices we hope passengers will take ad‐ vantage of. Our autumn sale will offer our customers in the UK more opportunities to reunite with friends and family across Eu‐ rope.”

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NEWS

Michael Schumacher

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S wife Corinna said the seven‐ times world F1 champion is “here but different” as he bat‐ tles to recover from brain injury caused by a skiing accident in 2013.

His intensely private family have guarded him from the me‐ dia since but agreed to cooperate with Netflix in a documentary which was due to air on Septem‐ ber 15 “Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here, different, but here,” Corinna said. “He still shows me how strong he is every day. We’re together. We live to‐ gether at home. We do therapy.

SCHUMACHER: Recovering from a brain injury.

We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable.

“We’re trying to carry on as a

family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. We’d always made it through his races safely,” Corinna says in the film.

“Which is why I was certain he had a few guardian angels keep‐ ing an eye out for him. I don’t know if it’s just a kind of protec‐ tive wall that you put up yourself or if it’s because you’re in a way naive, but it simply never oc‐ curred to me that anything could ever happen to Michael.

“I never blamed God for why this happened now. It [the acci‐ dent] was just really bad luck, all the bad luck anyone could ever have in their life,” she added.

Queen’s lucky streak

THE Queen’s lucky streak with the horses con‐ tinues. So far this year her prize money has reached more than £460,000. Her Majesty’s most recent win came at Kempton Park on September 13. The victory brought her total to 30 wins during the current flat racing season, her most successful years.

The flat racing season continues into the au‐

tumn, giving the Queen plenty of opportunities to up her score and prize winnings. If you in‐ clude wins over the jumps, her current total is 32. The Queen’s last big winning streak came in in 2019 when her horses were first past the post on 29 occasions. She has already sur‐ passed her best ever year which was back in 1998.

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DiCaprio’s Diamond factory LEONARDO DICAPRIO’S diamond factory is set to bring 300 jobs to Extremadura. The Hollywood actor starred in the film ‘Blood Diamond’ in 2006, and subsequently became an activist against the way diamond mining was carried out

in Africa, using semi-slavery to fund armed conflicts.

As a result, he decided to invest in the Diamond Foundry, a Silicon Valley company that produces Synthetic diamonds.

Trains for Europe THE Secretary of State for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Isabel Pardo de Vera, welcomed at the Principe Pio station in Madrid the Connecting Europe Express, in what is a celebration of trains in the European Year of the Railway.

She said she is confident that the investment commit‐ ment of Europe and Spain in this means of transport will allow a new centre of Mobility, reaching a second Golden Age of the railway.

“Connecting Europe Express is a symbol that represents the values and objectives pursued by the European Union since its creation. A free, educated, united and connected Europe, a cohesive Europe and a green and sustainable Europe,” said Pardo de Vera in reference to this initiative, adding that railways are also exceptionally safe and allow people and companies to connect all over the Union through the increasingly wide, coherent and coordinated Trans‐European Transport Network.

the gem synthetically.

In a recent interview, cofounder Martin Roscheisen, explained the reasoning behind the company’s decision to open a 30,000m² facility in the Extremaduran municipality of Trujillo: “The availability of solar energy is quite high, and we want our foundry to be powered by renewable energies.”

This new factory will be located on the Arroyo Caballo industrial estate and will be equipped with plasma reactors which will operate 24 hours a day, along with a 120megawatt solar power plant and storage infrastructure producing 60 megawatts of power.

Mr Roscheisen emphasised that the factory will not only be used for jewellery. The diamonds have other industrial purposes and a fraction of the production will also go to the so-called mid-tier diamond industry, driven by large buyers in India that serve the rest of the industries which need diamonds, including jewellery.

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Afghan interpreters

Paris pedestrians

DANISH newspaper Berlingske has discovered that the Danish Government has secretly paid the UK the equivalent of five years of social benefits for accepting 23 interpreters (which it shared with British Forces in Afghanistan) into Britain, but by June had accepted just five former interpreters itself.

A SURVEY by a pedestrian group has damned Paris with its 15,000 e-scooters on the prowl and nearly one million cyclists as ‘mediocre’ when assessing ease of walking in the capital and marked it 8.07 out of 20 for pedestrian safety and comfort.

THE NETHERLANDS Health minister ill

NORWAY Biden blast

CARETAKER Minister of Health and Sport, Tamara van Ark has ironically resigned on health grounds as she announced on Twitter that she had been trying to recover from chronic neck problems, but has not regained her health sufficiently to return to work.

THE Norwegian Government doesn’t agree with US President Joe Biden that the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan last month was the “extraordinary success” that he claimed. Indeed, Foreign Minister Ine Erik Søreide suggests more “humility” from NATO about how it spent the past 20 years.

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Mobility week

Water is ours

AS part of the annual mobility week events, Brussels will ban the majority of two, three and four-wheel private vehicles from its streets on Sunday September 19, so the public transport company MIVB has confirmed that its entire bus, tram and underground Metro railway network will be free of charge.

WITH 89,000 signatures, a citizens’ petition entitled ‘Water is ours’ which demands that Finland’s water supply is not privatised has been unanimously approved by the Finnish Parliament and is the first to be unanimously approved by MPs, although two previous initiatives did find favour.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

Nurses strike

Google Doodle

HUNDREDS of nurses have gone on strike for better conditions in Berlin’s Charité and Vivantes hospitals, which are part of the public health service. They will accept emergency admissions, but some 1,500 hospitals beds will remain empty and the majority of appointments have been cancelled.

SWEDISH DJ Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii who killed himself in 2018 was the recent subject of a Google Doodle (set to his Wake Me Up track) which was unveiled ahead of the performer’s birthday which happened to coincide with this year’s National Suicide Prevention Week.

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Production falls INDUSTRIAL production in Spain fell in July for a second consecutive month, due it appears to an ongoing shortage of raw materials or components. June and July each saw a drop of 1.1 per cent in production, although the year-to-date figures are still up on 2020.

Covid tests CONSIDERING the flack that members of the British Government have received for perceived cronyism over Covid matters it probably isn’t surprising that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said that the Government needs to apply tougher standards to its list of approved Covid travel test providers.

Carolina Herrera SPANISH perfume company Puig which purchased the Carolina Herrera fashion brand in the late 1980s is seeing significant growth in sales of the CH handbag range throughout Europe and Latin America by offering high quality product at affordable prices supported by competitive positioning.

Pingdemic THE UK economy is still 2.1 per cent below its pre-pandemic peak, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as it revealed that in July growth was a measly 0.1 per cent. This is partially because of the ‘pingdemic’ with so many people told to self-isolate.

5G continued expansion SPAIN was one of the earliest adopters of the 5G network, but expansion has slowed due to the pandemic. Currently Vodafone, Orange, Masmovil, and Telefonica all offer limited 5G contracts and a disagreement over pricing of new bandwidth between the regulator and operators saw a further delay.

An auction in July of this year saw the government earn around €1 billion, even though Masmovil decided not to bid as it was in takeover talks. Now it appears another bandwidth will be offered either later this year or early next.

30

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 16 - 22 September 2021

£2.2 billion

(€2.5 billion) is the amount that the 888 Group has paid to take over the European arm of the William Hill betting company.

Rumours about EG Group THERE are rumours con‐ cerning the future of UK based EG Group owned by the Issa Brothers who took over ASDA supermarkets for £6.8 billion (€7.8 bil‐ lion).

The EG Group is now one of the largest indepen‐ dent owners of petrol sta‐ tions in the world and was only formed in 2001 when the brothers purchased a single petrol station in Manchester.

By 2015 when a minority shareholding was taken by British private equity com‐ pany TDR the business was valued at more than £1 bil‐ lion (€1.15 billion).

Since then, the two par‐ ties worked together to take over the ASDA super‐ market chain from Wal‐ mart of the USA, but the UK Competition and Mar‐ kets Authority was unhap‐ py with the fact that the EG Group and ASDA owned so

LEGALLY SPEAKING

How to elect president?

I’m president of my community of 75 owners, for the second time. My concern is that Spanish law only allows for nomination of the next president if that person agrees to accept. Unfortunately, 80 per cent of the owners aren’t here all of the time. The owners who are here all of the time are unwilling players.

1) Could we put all of the names in a hat, and keep drawing until we get a full time resident?

2) Could I call an EGA, to request a ballot, to assign presidency to one of the full time resident owners?

many petrol stations.

The new owners offered to sell about 5 per cent of the ASDA sites in order to stall any major delay and ironically, it still looks as if the purchaser could be the EG Group.

Just a few days ago, it was announced that fol‐ lowing a successful trial at five of the EG petrol sta‐ tions, it was anticipated that more than 200 conve‐ nience stores branded AS‐

DA on the move would be opened and that ASDA would act as a wholesaler to supply them with goods.

Now, a report from Bloomberg in North Ameri‐ ca suggests that the ‘con‐ sortium’ is considering plac‐ ing EG Group on the stock market with an estimated value of £10.8 billion (€12.4 billion) which would show a very tidy return for the bil‐ lionaire brothers and their partners.

Inform the DGT

DAVID SEARL

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

SPAIN’S La Liga moves into the digital age with football collector cards which can only be obtained and kept online.

For decades, companies around the world have been making fortunes out of the production of collector cards depicting famous sportsmen.

In the UK and Europe, the most popular have been footballers whilst in the USA it’s baseball and American

ON September 10, two directors of the Bank of England (BOE) Prudent Regulation Authority wrote to the chief executives of British banks and buildings soci‐ eties reminding them of their obligations.

This stemmed from the near collapse of the Co‐Operative Bank and in 2019, the Bank of England told these financial insti‐ tutions that they should supply the BOE on a regular basis.

The Bank required a number of reports containing informa‐ tion on their assets, capital and operations to allow for checks on any evidence of risk of desta‐ bilisation.

Having obtained independent reviews on a number of these fi‐ nancial institutions, the BOE in‐ dicated in its letter that it was disappointed to find that a num‐ ber of reports did not accurately or reliably show the institutions’ real position.

Startup Olé Provide proof of death.

S M (Costa Blanca)

Yes to both your ideas.

Note that a member YOU AND THE LAW who wants to refuse IN SPAIN election as president must give valid reasons for his refusal and he may be called before a judge who can rule to accept or reject them.

Now we have several options. Many Spanish communi‐ ties simply take it in turns to be president. In your case a member’s turn would only come up every 75 years. To miti‐ gate the absentee owner situation, you could vote to em‐ power a resident vice president with all powers needed in a suddden emergency.

Prudent regulation

IF a person dies and has a vehicle which will no longer be used you will also need to inform the General Traffic Depart‐ ment (DGT) if you want to take it out of circulation. If you de‐ cide to definitively take it out of circulation, it will be taken to the scrapyard. The DGT should inform the local town hall so they no longer charge you road tax, but be prepared to pro‐ vide proof the person has died. They may still get a bill, if, for example, the deceased normally paid their road tax in May and they pass away in February, they will be billed as normal, but you can go to the town hall to get them to return the money for the period during which the car was not used.

Generally, only the direct heirs (spouse or children) of the deceased can take their car off the road, unless another heir is named. In any case, all heirs must agree for this to be done.

www.goldenleavesinternational.com enquiries@goldenleaves.com Facebook: goldenleavesspain

Digital collector cards football which are the most in de‐ mand and some rare cards have fetched significant amounts in the collector market.

Now it’s time to move into the digi‐ tal age and Spain is leading the way as La Liga has entered into an agree‐

ment with French fantasy football company Sorare to allow collectors and fans to build digital card collec‐ tions online using the firm’s blockchain‐powered platform.

These are described as collectible digital assets created in small quanti‐

WITH tech startups becom‐ ing increasingly more popu‐ lar and valuable, there was even more reason for new companies to take part in the seventh edition of Start‐ up Olé which was held in Salamanca from September 6 to 10.

The first two days were held online and the last three saw several hundred key investors consider whether there were any new businesses that they could invest in.

There were ‘pitch compe‐ titions’, networking cocktails and face to face meetings at a time when the Spanish Government has made a commitment to promoting and investing in new tech‐ nology. ties, whose ownership is verifiable through blockchain technology.

Under the agreement, fans will be able to trade the cards of players for Spanish top and second‐tier league clubs, according to a La Liga press re‐ lease.

Part of the money earned will be distributed to clubs in Spain and La Liga is the first major national league to agree to sign up with the company.

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

16 - 22 September 2021

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

LONDON - FTSE 100

See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES S EPTEMBER 13

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.305,00 Abrdn 259,75 Admiral Group 3.536,0 Anglo American 3.086,5 Antofagasta 1.461,20 Ashtead Group 5.852,0 Associated British Foods 1.925,7 AstraZeneca 8.217,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 636,80 Avast 586,20 Aveva 4.005,0 Aviva 410,75 B&M European Value Retail 587,20 BAE Systems 551,20 Bank VTB DRC 1,384 Barclays 183,17 Barratt Developments 697,60 Berkeley 4.673,0 BHP Group 2.089,00 BP 299,25 British American Tobacco 2.666,5 British Land Company 521,60 BT Group 160,45 Bunzl 2.586,0 Burberry Group 1.913,0 Carnival 1.507,0 Centrica 50,84 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.459,5 Compass 1.444,50 CRH 3.770,9 Croda Intl 9.238,0 DCC 6.220,0 Diageo 3.542,2 DS Smith 460,20 EasyJet 584,80 Experian 3.344,0 Ferguson 10.645,0 Flutter Entertainment 14.610,0 Fresnillo 838,40 GlaxoSmithKline 1.429,60 Glencore 340,30 Halma 3.073,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.462,50 Hikma Pharma 2.532,00 HSBC 378,75 IAG 145,82 Imperial Brands 1.543,50 Informa 530,00 InterContinental 4.557,0 Intermediate Capital 2.220,00

CHANGE(P) 1.308,00 260,10 3.536,0 3.104,5 1.465,00 5.868,0 1.979,5 8.221,0 645,40 590,60 4.059,0 411,80 592,40 554,80 1,386 183,70 697,60 4.680,0 2.096,50 299,50 2.667,5 522,20 160,65 2.587,0 1.935,0 1.513,6 51,06 2.480,0 1.453,50 3.771,0 9.248,0 6.222,0 3.543,2 464,10 595,00 3.361,0 10.660,0 14.665,0 844,00 1.431,20 341,45 3.083,0 1.465,50 2.546,00 380,85 146,72 1.543,50 531,80 4.572,0 2.273,00

% CHG. 1.297,50 258,00 3.500,0 3.065,0 1.449,00 5.814,0 1.891,7 8.175,0 635,00 584,00 3.998,0 405,00 585,80 548,60 1,370 181,30 686,00 4.605,0 2.073,50 297,00 2.630,5 518,00 158,45 2.569,0 1.909,5 1.488,8 49,85 2.454,0 1.436,00 3.715,0 9.168,0 6.164,0 3.515,6 458,10 553,00 3.328,0 10.595,0 14.460,0 828,20 1.424,60 336,00 3.061,0 1.451,64 2.518,00 376,85 142,00 1.529,50 527,00 4.535,0 2.197,00

NET VOL 144,49K 772,82K 56,90K 627,82K 137,31K 84,95K 130,50K 222,81K 278,49K 389,74K 60,75K 1,94M 291,28K 1,79M 227,44K 7,21M 364,08K 44,80K 651,26K 4,85M 705,65K 337,05K 2,96M 32,46K 108,69K 145,24K 4,58M 157,75K 454,68K 89,94K 21,54K 22,82K 46,34K 440,79K 5,39M 285,31K 24,14K 22,25K 97,76K 801,95K 12,99M 69,99K 26,45K 29,81K 3,60M 9,94M 156,48K 252,54K 43,29K 76,28K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Intertek ITV J Sainsbury Johnson Matthey Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Banking London Stock Exchange Meggitt Melrose Industries Mondi National Grid NatWest Group Next Norilskiy Nikel ADR Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentokil Rightmove Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Rosneft DRC Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell B Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Smith & Nephew Smiths Group Spirax-Sarco Engineering SSE St. James’s Place Standard Chartered Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP

5.464,0 111,95 294,60 2.867,0 705,02 279,40 43,41 8.160,0 731,80 180,20 1.998,00 960,30 210,70 7.836,0 33,63 1.884,00 2.796,0 643,20 1.494,50 5.744,0 2.199,00 594,60 741,20 5.264,0 109,99 7,49 1.438,2 1.437,50 1.444,8 746,60 1.628,00 17,77 3.804,0 1.398,53 1.269,00 2.835,0 1.348,49 1.435,50 16.450,0 1.635,50 1.651,00 446,20 171,65 256,03 290,85 3.989,5 1.062,50 118,00 3.270,0 978,80

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.492,0 112,80 296,70 2.867,0 705,80 280,10 43,47 8.178,0 735,60 180,70 2.023,00 961,50 210,80 7.966,0 33,68 1.917,00 2.800,0 644,60 1.499,50 5.744,0 2.199,00 597,60 753,60 5.279,0 110,86 7,50 1.439,8 1.439,75 1.446,8 747,80 1.628,00 17,89 3.873,0 1.399,00 1.274,00 2.835,0 1.350,00 1.445,00 16.595,0 1.638,50 1.655,00 447,70 171,60 256,35 293,00 3.990,5 1.062,00 118,14 3.292,0 980,20

5.434,0 111,25 294,20 2.823,0 697,20 275,90 42,85 8.122,0 730,00 176,30 1.977,00 939,90 208,10 7.772,0 33,31 1.867,00 2.747,0 633,20 1.474,50 5.678,0 2.185,00 594,40 738,00 5.226,0 109,20 7,38 1.421,4 1.423,00 1.425,0 742,40 1.616,00 17,68 3.792,0 1.385,60 1.262,00 2.807,0 1.343,38 1.425,50 16.430,0 1.613,50 1.643,00 442,70 168,80 254,35 288,20 3.960,0 1.048,50 116,75 3.257,0 972,40

28,49K 958,40K 555,54K 52,63K 120,92K 1,22M 30,51M 77,22K 400,88K 1,00M 277,06K 1,23M 2,08M 100,02K 9,73K 142,80K 133,80K 463,44K 502,08K 120,58K 274,26K 277,59K 368,10K 386,32K 5,23M 84,12K 805,07K 356,59K 1,79M 540,98K 2,48K 430,10K 29,62K 423,52K 262,44K 57,59K 54,24K 52,25K 8,08K 338,21K 126,87K 2,01M 1,02M 1,65M 187,97K 446,60K 256,49K 1,48M 55,87K 395,96K

1.17206

0.85175

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.17754 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.665 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0877 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.188

currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES S EPTEMBER 13

COMPANY 3M Alphabet C Amazon.com Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Facebook Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com Tesla UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 184,55 2.838,4 3.469,15 213,75 148,97 210,30 205,01 96,07 57,89 55,61 378,69 403,48 331,95 222,37 137,02 53,84 166,97 157,36 239,18 73,45 295,71 163,59 144,13 257,20 736,27 403,91 54,23 224,91 145,89 184,12

CHANGE CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 187,23 184,50 2,21M 2.920,4 2.834,8 1,63M 3.508,45 3.462,91 2,37M 216,99 213,55 2,20M 155,48 148,70 140,09M 215,89 210,12 6,85M 207,88 204,82 2,54M 97,70 95,89 10,41M 58,95 57,82 13,51M 56,13 55,51 10,55M 383,79 378,26 11,07M 409,79 403,16 1,94M 335,23 331,45 3,14M 225,19 222,21 2,34M 139,37 137,00 3,95M 54,98 53,81 20,09M 169,09 166,87 6,68M 160,72 157,22 8,11M 241,32 239,04 2,01M 74,21 73,12 11,04M 299,92 295,38 19,56M 165,66 163,44 4,20M 144,46 143,32 5,69M 261,59 256,50 5,23M 762,61 734,52 14,91M 416,00 402,59 3,79M 54,67 54,22 15,85M 230,04 224,82 6,70M 147,24 145,43 5,24M 187,10 184,01 5,47M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES S EPTEMBER 13

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Danaher Corp. 5% Mand. Pfd. Series B 2.96% NVR Inc. 0.66% Penumbra Inc. 3.96% Danaher Corp. 4.75% Mandatory Conv. Pfd. 0.42% Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Cl A 1.15% Mettler-Toledo International Inc. 0.58% Deckers Outdoor Corp.

2.24% NorthShore Global Uranium Mining ETF 10.85% U.S. Bancorp Dep. Pfd. (Rep. 1/1000 Interest 0.51% Inspire Medical Systems Inc. 2.00% Boston Beer Co. Cl A 0.84%

25.07K 15.81K 215.84K 3.28K 126.52K 101.77K 260.61K 1.05M 524 197.36K 461.39K

Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A RH Shopify Inc. Cl A Humana Inc. Markel Corp.

Anthem Inc. RingCentral Inc. Cl A Teleflex Inc. UBS AG FI Enhanced Large Cap Growth ETN Credit Suisse FI Large Cap Growth Enhanced Bill.com Holdings Inc.

-0.55% -4.21% -1.33% -3.63% -1.20% -3.75% -5.69% -3.37% -1.57% -1.54% -4.10%

940 801.92K 502.41K 1.28M 24.88K 1.9M 2.7M 289.98K 253 242 1.47M

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Taking prudent measures

CARLOS CUERPO: Recently appointed as Secretary General of the Treasury.

AS has previously been observed, the Spanish Government has lost a number of senior Civil Servants particularly in the area of Finance.

Most recently, Carlos Cuerpo was appointed as Secretary Gen‐ eral of the Treasury and Interna‐ tional Financing to replace Carlos San Basilio who moved to the Eu‐ ropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Now as the European Central Bank (ECB) appears ready to re‐ duce the amount of Government Bonds that it purchases to sup‐ port the borrowing of countries like Spain, it is his job to ensure that there is no panic in the bond market or the economy.

Happily, he announced via Twitter that a new Green Bond was oversubscribed by a mar‐ gin of times 12 and raised €5 billion without the need for sig‐

nificant ECB support.

What he and the Spanish Gov‐ ernment must hope however is that the ECB doesn’t simply ‘turn off the financial tap’ but reduces support on a planned and steady basis.

The European Central Bank started the pandemic emergency purchase programme, or PEPP, in March 2020 and it allows the ECB to purchase different types of as‐ sets in financial markets.

By doing this, the prices of those assets go up and, by exten‐ sion, market interest rates go down. All of this supports the economy by making borrowing cheaper for people, businesses and governments.

Spain has been a major benefi‐ ciary of PEPP but recognises that this support cannot go on forever and is currently in the process of

Takeover grounded EASYJET has rejected the unwelcome takeover bid which it says undervalues the airline despite huge losses caused by the pandemic.

In order to protect its position, it plans to raise more money both by way of a new loan and also by a call on shareholders for £1.2 billion (€1.4 billion) which will also help it to accelerate its recovery plan.

An unconfirmed report from Bloomberg suggests that the predator is Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air. Clearly, it is in easyJet’s best interests to see the skies opening up again so that it can start to recover some of its lost income as soon as possible. easyJet has rejected a takeover approach and announced plans to raise £1.2 billion from shareholders to help its recovery from the pandemic.

getting ready by extending matu‐ rities on bonds and introducing fiscal policies which are aimed at reducing the need to borrow.

BUSINESS EXTRA Four-day week SPANISH clothing retailer Desigual is to ballot its 500 plus office staff in Barcelona to see whether they would like to reduce their working week. The offer is to spend three days at the office and one day working remotely in return for a 6.5 per cent drop in salary.

Going down BRITAIN has been in the top 10 of suppliers to Germany since 1950, but figures for the first half of 2021 released by the German Government show that imports from the UK are down by just under €16 billion which suggests that it will drop to 11th place.

HBO Max HBO Max, the new streaming service from Warner Media, comes to Spain on October 26 and will replace HBO España. It brings together all of the major Warner brands in one place and it will develop new Spanish language product in time.

16 - 22 September 2021

EWN 33

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

16 - 22 September 2021

Order of the day

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT HOMOPHOBIA is now rife. Racism is rampant and public frustration almost at saturation point. Why? Because these titles have been concocted to discourage the frank discussion of either subject.

The conception is subversive but quite brilliant. Have no doubt, when this piece goes out I will probably be accused of both.

Well I could care less. One of the most frequent observations I receive from readers I meet up with is that they peruse this blurb because I discuss opinions they are not allowed to! Not allowed to? How offensive is that?

The woke and PC brigade can now do just about anything they choose ‐ and the public are afraid to even talk about it! Lives and culture are being changed forever, by minorities that wield such power it appears they can not only ruin reputations, but also devastate law abiding citizen’s livelihoods with impunity.

It only takes one woke to be at the head of a department or company (or University!) and with the threat of dismissal or worse, they can basically control the politics, opinions and even thinking of their subordinates. All they

SPEAKING OUT: The public are afraid to talk about anything they chose. need to do is report any adverse ‘findings’ to a fellow woker high up in law or politics and the target of their vitriol can suddenly find themselves at best on benefits and at worst in the dock. People are petrified to

voice their true opinions in case they lose everything. Personally I think it is already too late.

I recently read of a decision to rethink the advertising of certain shampoos

because it could be offensive to bald people! If it wasn’t all so dangerous it would be comical. Well unfortunately it’s not funny at all. The clear thinking majority are now being manipulated in ways that

FEATURE

would have brought as a smile to the lips of MaoTse Tung himself. Any organsation that disagrees with these cancel culturists, or tries to bring their wholly unacceptable practices into the public domain (ie the scores of heavily guarded hotels now accommodating thousands of illegal immigrants, all paid for by the British tax payer!) is immediately vilified and pilloried in concerted attacks from all sides.

In fact one such operation has had all their requests for political status ignored or denied for years. This of course means the public are not even being given the opportunity to cast a vote in their direction. When you consider that Screaming Lord Such and his monster Raving Looney Party were actually granted this status, you get some idea of how afraid the lefties are of giving a voice to anyone who endeavours to bring some common sense into the equation.

Democracy is dead.

Gagging or destroying any opposition is now the order of the day.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

36 EWN

16 - 22 September 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

MORE OF MY PET PEEVE NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS

Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

WELL, where to start with all the clichés of TV shows? How about characters getting out of taxis and not paying; running through street markets knocking over vegetable stalls; going to pubs where the barman is al‐ ways drying a glass with a tea towel; order‐ ing ‘a beer’ and not specifying which one; never watching the road when driving and presenters knocking on doors with: “Let’s see if he’s in.” Of course he is. Would they be broadcasting it otherwise?

As for detective/cop shows, the person be‐ ing questioned inevitably ends the interview saying: “Are we done here?” Do you really believe anyone ever says that when being questioned in a murder investigation? Again, no one in real life says: “I’ll see you out” when a guest/visitor/detective is about to leave the house. But they say it endlessly in films.

Weirdly, too, even the most competent de‐

TV CLICHÉS: Going to a pub where the barman is tective seems to have to respond to a killer asking for a few moments alone with “Yes, of course.” Or a late‐night telephone call to dis‐ cuss an urgent matter with “Come to my of‐ fice tonight.” However smart, they never seem to learn...

Plus people drinking tea or coffee from

Nora Johnson’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily rep

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

S OF THE SMALL SCREEN realise that EVERYTHING on TV is fake on one level or another (most celeb ‘game shows’, for instance, are scripted) unless we want to see camera/sound/continuity people and others. Basically, they’re all trying to make TV reasonably realistic within the limits of pro‐ duction.

Finally, on a completely different note, many thanks to all of you who’ve purchased my just‐published thriller, ‘The Sentinel’, now available in audiobook format narrated as be‐ fore by my good friend Rayner Bourton who created the role of ‘Rocky’ in the original Lon‐ don production of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’.

Happy reading and viewing!

always drying a glass. cups that are quite clearly empty and carrying supposedly heavy suitcases that are equally empty. Want to make a suitcase look heavy?

Put something in it! But that would be asking for an H&S injury claim. “Ooh me back, gu‐ v’nor.”

The problem for viewers like us is we fail to

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Be‐ trayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Ap‐ ple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer chari‐ ty.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

presentative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

16 - 22 September 2021

EWN 37

THURSDAY 16/09 FRIDAY 17/09 SATURDAY 18/09 SUNDAY 19/09 MONDAY 20/09 TUESDAY 21/09 WEDNESDAY 22/09

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BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Celebrity MasterChef Patrick Kielty: Northern Ireland, The Union and Me BBC News at Ten

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Question of Sport EastEnders Would I Lie to You? Celebrity MasterChef The Cleaner BBC News at Ten

5:15pm

BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Wall Pointless Celebrities The Hit List Strictly Special Strictly Come Dancing Casualty BBC News Weather

3:00pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 Countryfile Antiques Roadshow Vigil BBC News BBC London News; Weather

5:15pm 6:10pm 8:00pm

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 EastEnders Football's Broken Dreams - Panorama Silent Witness BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather Nowhere to Run: Abused by Our Coach

7:30pm 8:00pm

Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Holby City My Family Silent Witness BBC News at Ten

5:30pm

Party Political Broadcast by the Liberal Democrats RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 The Repair Shop Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather

5:30pm

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40 EWN

16 - 22 September 2021

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FEATURE

I love a bit of caring customer service MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION

Views of a Grumpy Old Man I’M back. It’s been a tough couple of months culminating in a short trip to England to see off Patti’s mum who, at the age of 94, sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t been to the UK for two years and haven’t lived there for 17 years and after this trip I won’t be rushing back anytime soon. It’s ridiculously expensive for everything. A coffee was £4 and a packet of ciggies £13! They also have some crazy charges for driving.

The ULEZ operates 24/7 with a £12.50 daily charge for vehicles that do not meet the required emissions standards that need to go into or cross the zone. This means if you drive every day, you would need to pay £4,550 annually. This isn’t even trying to get in and out of Central London; there is another charge for that. This is for popping out locally in the London suburbs. The government would never get away with that here.

Then there was the PCR testing nonsense. I had to have a test before I went which I’m fine with. Then you have to book

a day two test - fine too - and day eight (unvaccinated only) and pay for them in advance and quarantine. This is where it gets silly. Firstly, I’m not there for eight days so I only need the day two test, but you can’t book that on its own. You have to pay for the day eight one too. Then there is the grey area which is if you have the day two test and it’s negative can you use it to fly back to Spain less than 72 hours later?

We were only there for four days. I called the company that we booked the test with and spoke to someone in their customer service department and asked if they would credit the day eight test. They weren’t interested and suggested I take it up with the government. I pointed out that I paid their company not the government and he said that wasn’t his problem and wasn’t prepared to discuss it anymore and that was that. I do love a bit of caring customer service. It’s an absolute con.

This company is taking thousands of people’s money for day eight tests which they are not using. So many people are going to the UK from Spain for less than a week and aren’t vaccinated for many health reasons but are unfairly being penalised.

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

DAVID WORBOYS ‘GUYS AND DOLLS’ was a musical which opened on Broadway in 1953 and became a film. Its title recognised that Guys were men and Dolls were women. They were attracted to each other by their differences as deter‐ mined by a single Y chromosome. And those differences in 1953 were very marked.

The term ‘you guys’ is now used for people in general, as if there is no longer any distinction. This raises a question.

How long will it be before the male species of the human race, in terms of appearance, characteristics and man‐ nerisms, is virtually indistinguishable from the female?

In 1953, only women wore make‐up, perfume, ear‐rings, necklaces and styled long hair. They dressed in feminine blouses and skirts or full‐length dresses, stockings and high‐heeled shoes. No jeans and very few trousers. Only Dolls had ponytails and older ones had little granny buns. Tattoos were for sailors and fairground artists. And a majority of women ran the home and reared the children while their husbands worked.

16 - 22 September 2021

GUYS AND DOLLS

IN 1953: When Guys were men and Dolls were women.

Fashion models and air hostesses were elegant, attractive women.

Guys wore jackets, trousers and hats or caps and were beginning to use after‐ shave lotions. Moustaches were com‐ mon, but beards were rarer, as men looked masculine enough without them. The ‘clean‐cut look’ with short‐ back‐and‐sides haircuts had no need for

Alice bands or bandanas. Only men drove buses and practised sports such as football, cricket and boxing. Firefight‐ ers, postmen, airline pilots and street cleaners (or road sweepers) were al‐ most exclusively men.

Most educated men respected the ‘gentle sex’ by opening doors for them and offering their seats on public trans‐

port. They raised their hats as a mark of respect in the streets and even stood up when a woman entered the room.

Before free‐love became widely practised in the ‘60s, women were more chaste and a man’s approach was therefore more restrained. De‐ layed gratification was accepted and so there was more mystery about

EWN 41

the opposite sex.

A partner was a business associate or somebody we did the quickstep with. A man’s cohabitant was his wife, fiancée, mistress or girlfriend. Not his partner.

Today there is a growing market for make‐up and jewellery for men and they are beginning to wear lipstick and eye make‐up. Some shave their bodies.

Women are increasingly sporting mas‐ culine hair‐dos (exemplified by sports presenter Okka Gundel) and unisex clothing.

Possibly because of stress or depres‐ sion, there is already evidence of a di‐ minishing interest in sex in the 21st cen‐ tury, especially in the west. Given that the sexes used to be attracted by their differences, this is hardly surprising.

It doesn’t seem to matter much what sex we are anymore. In the same way, the three ethnic classifications of race may eventually be indistinguishable through more adventurous procreation, travel and immigration. The human species may in time all look alike ‐ a kind of transgender and ethnically single race.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

David Worboys’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

THE BIN OF SHAME ETC! Hi Leapy, Having just read your last four articles, I wish you were a British politician and could air your thoughts to millions of voters who would agree with your every word! You’re never afraid of telling the truth, which is what Britain badly needs!

Regards, W Ramos

From our Facebook

180 days in Spain online group As a regular, long-term visitor to the Costa del Sol I am an avid reader of Euro Weekly News and have found it invaluable in keeping up with current local affairs and locating tradesmen and businesses via the classified advertising section.

As the current, much curtailed, tourist season draws to an end and your business advertisers face the prospect of lean winter months ahead, I felt you might be interested to hear of a recently formed online group which is dedicated to improving the current 90 in 180 days restrictions now placed BRITISH POLITICIANS: They need Leapy to tell the truth. on British visitors and which will deprive local businesses of much-needed custom throughout the low season.

British property owners and long-term visitors are now trying to This is causing real problems for the thousands of British owraise awareness amongst Spanish business owners and local poners of Spanish property along with those who choose Spain as liticians of the unnecessary problems they are now facing and butheir temporary winter homes. Both groups do not come to Spain siness cards are currently being distributed all along the coast and to work, therefore do not deprive Spaniards of much-needed emin the Balearics. ployment, they come here to SPEND... in restaurants, bars, superIf you require any further details of the online group (180 days markets and just about any other retail outlet you can think of. in Spain) and its activities or would like to be put in touch with its By sticking rigidly to the terms of the Schengen Agreement, founder, Mr Andrew Hesselden, please let me know. whilst not legally obliged to do so, Spain is depriving its small buMeantime, I look forward to enjoying many more editions of sinesses of much-needed income from British visitors, whilst your newspaper. neighbouring countries such as Portugal are actively taking steps to relax the rules and allow greater flexibility to the British and in A Gawan doing so attract revenue that would otherwise come to Spain.

The current situation is a confusing mess with southern European countries applying different standards and the UK allowing Europeans 180 days visa-free travel to Britain and Northern IreGood day Leapy. land, whilst the obvious solution is for us all to be able to visit Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4 on 10/09/21. each other’s countries for up to 180 days without using up our I watched part of the above programme a short time ago and Schengen allowance of 90 days. was astonished that there was not one single Caucasian celebrity The losers in all of this are the British, who are no longer able in the line-up. Whose idea of diversity is this? to visit their Spanish homes at will, and the Spanish who are loRegards, sing income by the restriction of time the British are allowed to coP Gidney me here to Spain (and spend money).

Diversity

KINDNESS OF STRANGERS AS the majority of the world mourned those who tragically lost their lives on 9/11 20 years ago, stories continue to come out concerning the dedication of the emergency services during that time.

All of these heroes, both living and sadly departed deserve every iota of praise that is applied to them and those responsible, whilst probably believing that they were striking a blow for so called freedom, were nothing more than terrorist scum.

Looking closer to home, the past few days saw an incredible inferno on the Costa del Sol with some-

CORRECTIONS

OUR VIEW

thing like 45 kilometres of land burned and it is believed that more than one fire was started deliberately. It is hoped that the perpetrator/s will be caught and severely punished if this is true.

In the meantime, it has been so impressive to see how the local community, many of them expatriates from across Europe, have rallied round to offer help and support for those who were evacuated from their homes.

Across local social media were numerous offers of accommodation in safe areas, not only for families but for pets as well and one kind

person said that they could house horses or donkeys if needs be.

Collective Calling, the Marbella charity got together a gang of cleaners who would be ready to assist in cleaning any property that was covered in ash and one or more people went to local beaches and spelled out the word Gracias for firefighter pilots of aeroplanes and helicopters to see as they flew overhead.

Finally, everyone has mourned the death of experienced firefighter Carlos Martínez Haro from Almeria who was tragically killed when the fire blew back on him.

CARLOS MARTINEZ: Lost his life fighting the Sierra Bermeja blaze.

Yolanda Cano RIP you gave you life to save others, what a brave person.

Keith Boyce RIP Carlos, who gave his life in the protection of others.

Beryl Rees-Smith How sad for this young man and sad for his family, friends and work colleagues... RIP Carlos fly high you have earned your wings ...

Hilary Robinson How sad. Rest peacefully Carlos and thank you for your service to your people. Condolences to his family and friends.

Patricia Gray We so often underestimate the bravery of our firefighters, but now and then we are reminded of how they risk their lives in carrying out their job... Our thoughts and deepest sympathy must be with his family and friends... a very brave man.

Mary Kavanagh Kirby Rest in peace Carlos. Condolences to your family and friends.

Vic Parker RIP Carlos your life was cut short saving lives of others, a true hero. X

Susan Trowman RIP, so sad my thoughts are with your family.

At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

www.euroweeklynews.com • 16 - 22 September 2021

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48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

16 - 22 September 2021

HAVING poor posture can lead to back problems, and most of us are guilty of sitting incorrectly at our desks at work or in home offices.

More than ever before, a large proportion of us are living seden‐ tary lifestyles and spending more time sitting in front of computers or laptops. And if we haven’t perfect‐ ed our posture from the outset, this can result in back issues.

Sit up straight The first thing to do is review the desk space and office chair.

Set your keyboard to be in front of you when typing and leave a gap of around four to six inches be‐ tween the front of the desk and the keyboard. If there is too little space

between the desk edge, extra pres‐ sure may be put on joints and back muscles. Slouching should be avoided as this increases tension in the muscles.

Leading physiotherapists advise sitting up straight by imagining a piece of string pulling you up from the top of the head, pulling the stomach in and drawing the shoul‐ ders back at the same time.

Keeping active and exercising can help to treat back pain if you al‐ ready have it, and help prevent it in the long run. This is due to the fact exercise stretches and strengthens the muscles in the back, helping to reduce the risk of flare‐ups of pain.

Low intensity activities such as swimming, walking, yoga and Pi‐ lates are advised as opposed to strenuous sports.

You should also look at your di‐ et, as carrying extra weight can add pressure to the back, and it’s a good idea to add supplements to keep joints healthy and mobile.

As well as regular exercise, 15 minutes of stretching on a daily ba‐ sis strengthens abdominal muscles which can help prevent back prob‐ lems.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Walnuts good for the heart EATING about half a cup of walnuts every day for two years modestly lowered levels of low‐ density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as ‘bad cholesterol,’ and reduced the number of to‐ tal LDL particles and small LDL particles in healthy, older adults, according to research.

Healthy older adults who ate a handful of wal‐ nuts, about half a cup, a day for two years mod‐ estly lowered their level of low‐density lipopro‐ tein or LDL cholesterol levels.

Consuming wal‐

nuts daily also reduced the number of LDL parti‐ cles, a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk.

Walnuts are a rich source of omega‐3 fatty acids (alpha‐linolenic acid), which have been shown to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascu‐ lar health.

“Prior studies have shown that nuts in general, and walnuts in particular, are associated with lower rates of heart disease and stroke. One of the reasons is that they lower LDL‐cholesterol lev‐ els, and now we have another reason: they im‐ prove the quality of LDL particles,” said study co‐ author Emilio Ros, MD, PhD, director of the Lipid Clinic at the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona in Spain.

“LDL particles come in various sizes. Research has shown that small, dense LDL particles are more often associated with atherosclerosis, the plaque or fatty deposits that build up in the arter‐ ies. Our study goes beyond LDL cholesterol levels to get a complete picture of all of the lipoproteins and the impact of eating walnuts daily on their potential to improve cardiovascular risk.”

WALNUTS: Have a beneficial effect.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

Light-to-moderate coffee drinking associated with health benefits UP to three cups of coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of stroke and fatal heart disease.

“To our knowledge, this is the largest study to systematically as‐ sess the cardiovascular effects of regular coffee consumption in a population without diagnosed heart disease,” said study author Dr Judit Simon, of the Heart and Vascular Centre, Semmelweis Uni‐ versity, Budapest, Hungary.

“Our results suggest that regular coffee consumption is safe, as even high daily intake was not as‐ sociated with adverse cardiovascu‐ lar outcomes and all‐cause mortal‐ ity after a follow‐up of 10 to 15 years,” she continued. “Moreover, 0.5 to three cups of coffee per day was independently associated with lower risks of stroke, death from cardiovascular disease, and death from any cause.”

This study investigated the asso‐ ciation between usual coffee in‐

take and incident heart attack, stroke and death. The study in‐ cluded 468,629 participants of the UK Biobank with no signs of heart disease at the time of recruitment.

The average age was 56.2 years and 55.8 per cent were women.

Dr Simon said, “The imaging analysis indicated that compared with participants who did not drink coffee regularly, daily con‐ sumers had healthier sized and better functioning hearts. This was consistent with reversing the detrimental effects of ageing on the heart.

“Our findings suggest that cof‐ fee consumption of up to three cups per day is associated with favourable cardiovascular out‐ comes. While further studies are needed to explain the underlying mechanisms, the observed bene‐ fits might be partly explained by positive alterations in cardiac structure and function.”

16 - 22 September 2021

EWN 49

Complicated world of creams MANY leading skin experts claim that terms used by cosmetic firms such as ‘hypoallergenic’ and ‘der‐ matologist‐recommended’ are of‐ ten just marketing tools.

But when it comes to sensitive skin, they do recommend mois‐ turisers without fragrance or aller‐ gic ingredients.

A study of the 100 best‐selling whole body moisturisers found that not only did prices vary by 9,400 per cent, but 95 per cent of the products claiming to be der‐ matologist‐recommended had at least one ingredient that could cause an allergy.

Of the hypoallergenic varieties, 83 per cent contained a substance on the allergen list of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG).

The most common potential al‐ lergy‐causing ingredients were fragrance mix and a preserva‐ tive known as paraben mix.

So what sort of cream should people with sensitive skin use.

Dermatologists suggest using a moisturiser free of additives, fragrances and per‐ fume. But even this is not 100 per

cent reliable.

Out of those claiming to be fra‐ grance‐free, around 45 per cent had at least one ingredient that was a fragrance cross‐reactor and could irritate the skin. One mois‐ turiser labelled ‘natural’ had the highest number of potentially al‐ lergenic ingredients from the NACDG list.

Researchers pointed out that many of the most affordable mois‐ turisers, such as co‐ conut oil or pure shea but‐ ter, have no al‐ lergens.

While lotions are the most pop‐ ular mois‐ turisers, derma‐

tologists recommend ointments for skin which is really dry.

Lotions contain water, so they apparently evaporate quickly on the skin and then don’t do any‐ thing useful. Petroleum jelly is said to the favourite, it may be greasy, but gets top marks for protecting the skin.

VARIETY: It can be difficult knowing which moisturiser is more suitable than another.

50 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

16 - 22 September 2021

LETTER FROM

CANARIES

DEAR reader, we’re through August and on the home straight into cooler times.

Hopefully. Who really knows, in this interesting new weather? My partner, back in California after his USA passport got the EU thumbs down, gives nightly reports of raging fires, abandoned towns and flooding. Is this divine retri‐ bution for Trump’s climate change de‐ nial?

News that by 2050 chunks of Spanish coastline’ll be under water and the Ca‐ naries arid, due to the Trade Winds that keep us cool ‘diminishing’, can’t be blamed solely on Trump, comforting though scapegoats are.

My latest grandson’s now three weeks old. The other little dears are three and six. By 2050, I’ll be long gone, but what about them? What about all the world’s kids? Can anybody explain why political correctness andhealth & safety are obsessions, whilst we still wantonly trash the planet? We worry about perfect kids’ car seats and traffic accidents, then continue to ignore the mega‐accident being imposed on their

FEATURE

It’s getting cooler now LIFE GOES ON: An endless stream of Africans arrive, if they’re lucky.

whole future well‐being and planet?

Meanwhile, life goes on. The end‐ less stream of Africans arriving, if they’re lucky, continues. The casual‐ ties are horrific. So far this year, 7,000 have made it, amongst them 2,666 minors. Ninety‐six per cent of the 2,170 who didn’t make it had a watery

grave. Their bodies were never recov‐ ered.

At the other extreme of the wealth scale, the Atlantic between Africa and the Canaries is in the news with the in‐ stallation of a submarine Canalink cable connecting us and Morocco to main‐ land Spain, providing ultra fast, fibre op‐ tic communication.

“Worldwide, there are more than a million kms of submarine cable already functioning, 3,500 of which belong to this company,” explains Canalink CEO Carlos Suarez. Tenerife’s island Cabildo and Vodafone are 50/50 owners of the

new 2Africa connection Submarine cables are apparently un‐ der ‘permanent shark attack, causing recurring damage’. Do sharks know something we don’t? Of prime concern, however, is security and protection against military or terrorist attack, given our increasing dependence on cable‐ connected data processing centres. An attack, or failure, could paralyse a coun‐ try’s vital communication systems.

You’ve perhaps heard about the Royal Navy’s proposed Multi Role Ocean Surveillance ship, in service in 2024 to ‘ protect undersea critical na‐

tional infrastructure’.

Will crews of such surveillance ships commissioned to protect our new sub‐ marine cable close their eyes as Africans drift past on small boats, I wonder?

More science and high tech news: the world’s largest robotic telescope (NRT) is to be sited at La Palma’s Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory, fruit of collaboration between Oviedo Universi‐ ty, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Ca‐ narias and Liverpool’s John Moores Uni‐ versity, which will invest £4 million in the project.

Ending on a Covid note, check your genetic ancestry, dear readers of Euro‐ pean ancestry. Should your OAS1‐3 genes be of Neandertal haplotype, re‐ lax. You’re less susceptible to a severe reaction.

A last, and ingenuous, question: how can our species, blessed with such inge‐ nuity and inventiveness, not trouble it‐ self to protect its extraordinary, endan‐ gered natural environment as priority?

Barbara Belt. barbarabelt@gmail.com

Barbara Belt’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

SOCIAL SCENE

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Torrevieja fairs

THE Torrevieja U3A has an‐ nounced it will be holding two fairs to raise money f o r c h a r i t y a n d t o i n t r o‐ duce new members to the organisation.

The U3A is inviting any‐ one interested in meeting new people and learning about the organisation and joining to come to the Los Angeles Bar and Restaurant in Torrevieja on September 24 at 11am and see what the Torrevieja U3A has to offer its members.

The annual Groups Fair will be open to everybody, including non‐members, to visit. You can meet and have a friendly chat with some of the many group leaders that will be in at‐ tendance. You will be able to find out all about what the Torrevieja U3A have to offer members.

The Torrevieja U3A will also be holding a Crafts Fair on November 10 at the Los Angeles Bar and Restaurant in Torrevieja from 11am to

TWO FAIRS: The events will be raising funds for charity.

3pm. This will be open to everybody to visit or to rent a table to show off and sell your wares. The cost is a one‐off payment of €5 per table. All proceeds from the hiring costs will be donated to the Torrevieja Stroke As‐ sociation.

Fo r f u l l e r d e t a i l s o n times, and renting, please contact torreviejau3asocial team@gmail.com.

Both of the above events

are open to everybody re‐ gardless of whether you are a U3A member or not, so why not come along.

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n about the U3A, visit www.torreviejau3a.org and read about what they are and what they are doing for their membership. In addi‐ tion you will be able to read all about some of the forth‐ coming events that are be‐ ing organised.

16 - 22 September 2021

EWN 51

PETS

52

SPONSORED BY

www.euroweeklynews.com • 16 - 22 September 2021

Pet-sitters for your favourite dogs IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐ sitters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philos‐ ophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on Hous‐ eSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house.sit advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permit‐ ting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

Dogs are smart creatures and need stimulation as well as care.

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter…

HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐

sitter while we were away in Canada and we were delighted with the care and attention that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person.

Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa

Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com.

DOGS are much more intelligent than cats, according to a new study in the scientific journal ‘Fron‐ tiers in Neuroanatomy.’

Dogs apparently have 530 mil‐ lion cortical neurons, the brain cells which are linked to intelligence, while cats only have 250 million.

One of the scientists who con‐ ducted the study, Dr Suzana Hercu‐ lano‐Houzel, developed the method used to accurately deter‐

Advertising Feature

Osteoarthritis in Cats is more Common than we think DIAGNOSING osteoarthritis in cats is difficult even for experienced veterinarians because cats, unlike most dogs, can tolerate bone and joint problems.

Also exploration of cats is difficult because the veteri‐ narian cannot observe his gait due to they normally don’t move in the consultation room and sometimes cats do not allow their limbs to be felt. Commonly the lameness is not a clinical sign reported by the owners.

Weight loss, loss of appetite, depression, change in general attitude, poor grooming habits, urination or defe‐ cation outside the litter pan, and inability to jump on and off objects could be signs of pain in cats. X‐rays are im‐ portant. Forty per cent of cats have clinical signs of os‐ teoarthritis, but only 13 per cent of affected cats are diag‐ nosed.

Treatment options for cats with osteoarthritis are limit‐ ed. Unfortunately, no veterinary NSAIDs are currently ap‐ proved for safe, long‐term control of osteoarthritis pain in cats.

Weight loss for overweight cats, increased exercise, and environmental accommodations, providing soft bed‐ ding helps. There is currently an injectable treatment based on monoclonal antibodies that relieves feline os‐ teoarthritis pain for a month.

Jose Rial, veterinarian AVEPA Accredited Veterinarian in Traumatology and Orthopaedics.

In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante C/Los Arcos 23 Ciudad Quesada, Rojales. Tel: 609 779 109

How smart is your pet? mine the number of neurons in dif‐ ferent brains and used it to discern how smart some animals actually are.

She revealed the research sug‐ gests that dogs are able to process more complicated thought proce‐ dures and live a more varied, flexi‐ ble life than cats. The study also

looked at a wide range of animals such as lions, hyenas, mongooses and bears.

It was assumed that meat‐eat‐ ing mammals would have more cortical neurons compared to plant‐eating mammals with the same sized brain, as hunting re‐ quires more intelligence. However, it turned out that the bigger the brain did not necessarily mean the smarter the animal as bears were revealed to have roughly the same amount of cortical neurons as cats even though they have much big‐ ger brains.

Scientists came to the conclu‐ sion this was because brains take up a lot of energy, so brawnier ani‐ mals can’t afford to expend any ex‐ tra energy needed by muscles.

54 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

16 - 22 September 2021

FEATURE

GO LOCAL BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS urged its readers to support local businesses in the com‐ munity by going local now that the lockdown has ended and for your all your shop‐ ping this year, instead of feeding online giants and su‐ perstores.

We challenge you to redis‐ cover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengro‐ cers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent business‐ es in your area.

Now that the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic appears to be under control, it is a good idea to try and support many local busi‐ nesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect services they can oper‐ ate, especially if you are un‐ able to get out due to health reasons or any other restric‐ tions. The joy of shopping lo‐ cal means that independent businesses can help support the local community.

Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is actually going.

By shopping at an indepen‐ dent store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your com‐ munity by making a small ges‐

ture and shopping in this way.

Many local stores support local charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actu‐ ally much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous gen‐ erations and support not just the current owner but the generation before.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of eu‐ ros spent there are support‐ ing someone’s dream and am‐ bition, and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an independent store and compete with the multinational and chains.

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butch‐ er and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us re‐ vive that community spirit and get to know our neigh‐ bours again.

You could also consider purchasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, think‐ ing outside the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas.

Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a lo‐

cal studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an online study course for someone looking to change their career path.

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐ paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry, give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times.

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays lo‐ cal, and it strengthens the lo‐ cal economy in two ways.

First, buying local keeps mon‐ ey circulating within the local economy.

Studies have shown that lo‐ cal businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and invest in their employees.

Data shows that local retail‐ ers return 52 per cent of their revenue back into the local economy, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers.

Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For exam‐ ple, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn pre‐ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employ‐ ees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour‐ hood hardware store. This ex‐ ample illustrates how the re‐ circulation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and com‐ munities. Buying local also fu‐ els new employment and job opportunities for people with‐ in our community.

Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more employees over time. A fantastic exam‐ ple of how to support your lo‐ cal community is with a Chari‐ ty Gift certificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause.

Just remember to still fol‐ low the latest government ad‐ vice and any guidance busi‐ nesses have to keep everyone safe in the future.

SERVICES

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AIR CONDITIONING

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

APPLIANCE REPAIRS

16 - 22 September 2021 ELECTRICAL

BLINDS

BOILERS

BUILDERS

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AUCTIONS

ALARMS

CLEANING

BALUSTRADES

DRAINS

GATES CONSTRUCTION

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GRILLS

MOBILITY

ENERGY

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16 - 22 September 2021

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LOCKSMITHS

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

SERVICES

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

PLUMBERS

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

POOLS

POOL MAINTENANCE

16 - 22 September 2021

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58 EWN

16 - 22 September 2021

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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SERVICES

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16 - 22 September 2021

TV & SATELLITE

EWN 59

WINDOW TINTING

INSURANCE

STORAGE

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BUILDING SERVICES J & J PAINTERS. Inside outside - clean - fast - low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (290728)

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CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. Englishspeaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia.

Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. w w w. a a - c o s t a b l a n c a . o r g (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer.

Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(10006) FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca?

There are various Lodges meetings up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477)

CARS WANTED

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HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456) INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11:00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorrevieja.org (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangeli calchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH 1359. The association supports the welfare needs of ex-members of the RAF and their dependents. We also provide a social hub for members by

16 - 22 September 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY

monthly events. To fund Welfare we raise money through the Wings Appeal. New members are very welcome. To find out more contact Chairman Tony at tony.elaine.cuenta@ gmail .com For Welfare contact Bill or Pauline on 0034 634 389 983 or email rafacbpresi dent2@gmail.com. For general information on RAFA visit www.rafa.org.uk.. (238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be.

If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branch es.britishlegion.org.uk/branch es/orihuela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.ori huelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch.

For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.sec retary@rbl.community ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details Hon Sec 692 938 664.

(10004) ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455)

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STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesupportgroup@hotmail .com, website: torreviejas trokesupport.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support.

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THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.aca costablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465) THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188.

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Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)

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MUSIC TUITION PIANO, Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (290217)

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62 EWN

16 - 22 September 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

MOTORING

DGT warns about lending your car!

MANY people lend their car to a family member, a rela‐ tive, or a friend, there is no law against this, as long as that person has a valid driv‐ ing licence and the terms of the vehicle’s insurance poli‐ cy allow another driver in such a circumstance.

However, as the Direc‐ torate‐General for Traffic (DGT) is quick to point out, any traffic fines committed by the person borrowing your vehicle will automati‐ cally be under your name, and so they recommend that to avoid this scenario, the owner of the vehicle should always notify the au‐ thorities of this change of driver, for their own person‐ al benefit as much as any‐ thing.

This procedure, which is free, can be done online,

through the miDGT applica‐ tion, which you can down‐ load into your mobile phone, or, of course, it can be done in person, but this can only be done by the owner of the vehicle, or another person can do it on their behalf, as long as they are authorised to do so, and after which, any traffic fine then issued go to the person whose name has been included as the driver for the specified period of time.

“In this way, the adminis‐ trations, and provided that the regular driver is in‐ formed and gives his con‐ sent, will address him direct‐ ly as a first option, and not the person who appears as the owner of the vehicle. In this way, the driver identifi‐ cation process is avoided, which is mandatory in those

cases in which the owner was not the one who was driving the vehicle at the time of the offence,” states the DGT. Once the period of use of the vehicle by the other per‐ son has been completed, or is about to end, the DGT ad‐ vises the owner of the vehi‐ cle to again inform them of the time and date of the end of the use of the vehicle, un‐ less it has already been pre‐ viously specified.

A ‘regular driver’ is under‐ stood to be one who is going to use the vehicle for contin‐ uous periods of more than 30 days, or in the case of rental vehicles, for rentals of more than three days, and it is essential to have the ex‐ press consent of the regular driver to proceed with their registration.

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

16 - 22 September 2021

EWN 63

Dacia Sandero - a star in the affordable price league ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack WE have all seen new, low price entrants into the car market over the years, but one which is currently mak‐ ing headlines is Dacia. Part of Renault, Dacia was origi‐ nally a Romanian company building models like the Re‐ nault 12 under licence from the French manufacturer in the 1960s. Renault took a majority stake in 1999. Fast forward and we now have a modern, keenly priced, three vehicle range and a new seven‐seater that has just been announced.

Our focus for this test is the Sandero that has recent‐ ly been launched in second‐ generation guise. To say it has moved on is somewhat of an understatement as in both looks and the drive it feels like a more expensive car than is actually the case.

There are cheaper non‐ tactile interior plastics, as one might expect at this

price point, but material trim adorns the fascia, and in Comfort trim as tested the standard equipment list is generous. Keyless entry and start, Bluetooth with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, cruise control, naviga‐ tion, air conditioning and powered door mirrors all come in the price of €13,979/ £11,995. This makes it somewhat of a star in the affordable price league. The Sandero range starts from just €10,482/£8,995 for the Es‐ sential model.

There is just one engine size ‐ 1.0‐litre, three‐cylin‐

der ‐ in three different pow‐ er outputs including an LPG bi‐fuel version. The natural‐ ly aspirated lead‐in engine has just 65 hp, so unless you are purely driving in an ur‐ ban environment it’s proba‐ bly one to avoid. The tur‐ bocharged power unit develops a much more use‐ able 90 hp and the LPG bi‐ fuel 100 hp. A CVT automat‐ ic is offered and manual five and six‐speed gearboxes.

The Sandero looks good and with the 90 hp power unit it drives well and feels perky under acceleration, easily keeping up with traf‐ fic on A‐roads and motor‐

and finally...

THE largest robots in the history of SEAT SA join the more than 2,200 others that work together to build the company’s latest models.

They stand more than two and a half metres tall and are re‐ sponsible for assembling the heaviest parts of the vehicles with millimetric precision. There are two units in the plant, each with a payload capacity of up to 400 kilos and software that enables pre‐ dictive maintenance to be carried out.

ways. There’s the character‐ istic thrum from the three‐ cylinder engine but it really is a refined and smooth drive. My driving week in‐ volved a lengthy journey as well as commuting and the Sandero proved comfortable

and very economical.

When you look across the board, in purely price terms, at the range of cars available to buyers, the Sandero offers keen pricing and the back‐up of a large dealer network plus gener‐

ous equipment.

It’s most definitely trans‐ port, rather than a car en‐ thusiast dream, but nonetheless it’s a car that wholeheartedly deserves the praise that has been di‐ rected its way.

SPORT

64

16 - 22 September 2021

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Fantastic achievement for Raducanu EMMA RADUCANU became the first British tennis player to win a major tennis title in 44 years on Saturday, September 11, after beating the 18‐year‐old Canadian teenager Leyla Fernandez in straight sets, to win the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York.

In front of 24,000 tennis fans in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, 18‐year‐ old Raducanu made double history by being the first British player

since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977 to win a Grand Slam, as well as being the only qualifier to ever win a major tennis tournament, in either the men’s or women’s game.

Speaking just before walking out on the court, Raducanu said, “The time has flown here in New York.

I’ve just been taking it one match at a time and it has got me to the fi‐ nal. I’m going to go out there and enjoy it today. It’s so exciting in my

EMMA: Won the US Open.

Ronaldo’s triumphant return CRISTIANO RONALDO made a magnificent return against Newcastle United to Old Trafford on Saturday, September 11, as the crowd welcomed him back with a thunderous cheer even from the moment he left the team bus, and as he first walked out onto the pitch, but when the Portuguese legend opened the scoring in the 47th minute ‐ 12 years on from his first goal at the iconic stadium ‐ the noise was deafening around the ground.

It was not his most memorable goal as far as tech‐ nique goes, but from a statement point, it was mas‐ sive, after Mason Greenwood’s shot was fumbled by Newcastle keeper Freddie Woodman, Ronaldo had the simplest of tap‐ins.

Javier Manquillo pulled the visitors level on 56 min‐ utes, his first goal for the Magpies since joining from Liverpool, but it was the debutant who latched onto Luke Shaw’s pass to fire through Woodman’s legs for United’s second, after 62 minutes, sending the crowd even wilder.

Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes smashed in the best goal of the match after Paul Pogba had teed him up, curling a magnificent shot from the edge of the box into the top corner of the Newcastle goal after 80 minutes, for 3‐1, with Jesse Lingard, on as a sub, fin‐ ishing the scoring in the 92nd minute, to seal a con‐ vincing win, which to be fair to Steve Bruce’s side, did‐ n’t reflect the way his men had played at times.

second grand slam to be in the fi‐ nal. I can’t really believe it, but I can’t wait to get stuck in. I’m sure the crowd will be great so it will be a really positive experience.”

Picking up a winner’s cheque for £1.8 million (€2.1m), she moves from 150th up to 23rd in the wom‐ en’s rankings, and won the tourna‐ ment without losing a single set, al‐ though the first set was impossible to call as the two girls battled fear‐ lessly, going from deuce back to ad‐ vantage, and then back again to deuce, with some excellent rallies in between, ending the first set with a 6‐4 scoreline.

Fernandez somehow seemed to lose her way in the second set, and the British girl capitalised on some erratic serving from the Canadian to pile on the pressure before ulti‐ mately taking the set 6‐3, and the title of US Open champion.

With an all‐star fan base in her corner, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, Emma Raducana has done Britain proud, and at only 18, who knows what else her career holds in store.

Max Verstappen found guilty MAX VERSTAPPEN will serve a three‐place grid penalty after being found to be the guilty party in the collision that took place between his Red Bull and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton during lap 26 of Sunday’s September 12, Italian GP at Monza.

His punishment for being found ‘predom‐ inantly to blame’ for the incident will be served during the Russian GP that takes place on Sunday, September 26, in Sochi, but the Dutchman stays top of the driver’s table by five points from the British seven‐ time world champion.

In a nasty‐looking crash, the two rivals entered the chicane with neither seeming to wish to yield, resulting in both cars leav‐ ing the track, and Verstappen’s car being launched into the air, with all four wheels off the ground, and coming to rest with its rear end parked on top of the Mercedes, with one tyre actually touching onto Lewis’ crash helmet.

Both drivers have had a continual battle this season, with varying incidents taking place to fire the situation between them, and they were summoned to the stewards to face an inquiry into what had happened, with neither of them apparently wanting to shoulder the blame for the incident.