Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 25 November - 1 December 2021 Issue 1899

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 Issue No. 1899 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

ONE of the big problems facing countries around the world is where best to site solar panels to cause the least disruption and the greatest gathering of energy.

It is very difficult in large urban settings but in India they have come up with the concept of placing roofs of solar panels over the very large networks of irrigation canals which criss cross the country.

Now the Consell de Mallorca has come up with a similar concept but this time is seriously considering building similar roofs, albeit at a greater height, above country roads which will be maintained to a higher standard than before.

Having banned the use of herbicides on these roads some time ago, the Government has spent a year reviewing and analysing the possibility of taking the next step to sustainability, which will therefore be a start to making roads a suitable space for renewable energy, thus giving a respite to the rustic soil, while collaborating with the IBE to lower the cost of electricity on Mallorca.

According to the Council’s feasibility study, the total investment in the plan for Mallorca would be between €100 and €150 million which could be financed by NextGen funds based on the aid published and in future, more lines of finance from the fund.

In addition, it would generate sufficient power for Mallorca of between 100 and 150 MW, the equivalent of the consumption of 30,000 and 45,000 families and could mean a 5 per cent increase in renewable energy in the Balearics, as well as generating a surplus of energy.

The Plan should start to become a reality next year with the placing of solar panels above the Genoa tunnel which gives easy and safe access to install and maintain.

NO GENDER VIOLENCE Credit: Balearic Government

Innovative solar power

MALLORCA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

GOVERNMENT: Supported the commemoration of November 25.

THE Government of the Balearic Islands supported the commemoration of November 25, as Internation‐ al Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

This year the Government proposed that the whole of society be involved in the fight against sexist violence, that neutrality and equidis‐ tance be ended and that ev‐ eryone stand up to this scourge, under the slogan ‘Enough neutrality in the face of sexist violence, Face it!’

The main event was a minute of silence, in front of the Consulate, in memory of all the murdered women, victims of gender‐based vio‐ lence, and in support of all women who suffer this type of violence.

With the memory of the sexist murders of Warda and Elena still in the collective memory, as well as of the 41 murdered women, victims of sexist violence, known since records commenced, the Government reiterated its commitment to prevention, detection and the eradica‐ tion of gender‐based vio‐ lence and reparation for harm to victims.

To fight this scourge and promote its eradication, the Balearic Women’s Institute IBDONA has a total budget for 2022 of €6,733,407, an in‐ crease of 14.9 per cent over last year.

In relation to policies against gender‐based vio‐ lence, €4,349,500 will be allo‐ cated to various programmes and personalised plans will

be made for vulnerable women, so from January 2, 2022, a 24‐hour telephone and telematic care service and face‐to‐face support for deaf women will be incorpo‐ rated at a cost of €775,500.

In the field of prevention, the role of education in schools is essential. Current‐ ly, the Government has 224 co‐education officers in schools and has incorporated the principle of co‐education in 107 schools, with a total of 534 teachers having also joined.

IBDONA will offer an es‐ cort service to hospital for any injured woman and this service will be available 365 days a year, with telephone support and also in person in case a complaint has to be lodged.

FREE • GRATIS

Tourism tax WHEN it was introduced, the sustainable tourism tax was criticised by many who thought that it would result in a drop in the number of visitors and was basically unfair.

The counter argument was that tourists whilst contributing generally to the economy do add additional burdens to the infrastructure of the islands and therefore it is only right that they should pay the tax to keep the islands attractive for visitors and residents alike. There was an understanding that money received from this tax would be used to support agriculture, culture, environment, monuments and social housing alongside other important local needs.

There is now a significant fall out between the Balearic Government and the opposition parties who believe the tax has been effectively hijacked in order to allow for sporting and music events to be financed which have no direct connection with the culture of the islands. The explanation from Government is it needs to reactivate the economy, especially in the autumn and by encouraging stars like Ed Sheeran to take part in the Los 40 Principales awards, the Government was raising international awareness and generating income long term.

2 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

Cancer charity benefits A CANCER charity will still benefit even though Marratxi Council cancelled a solidarity race due to bad weather on November 6. There were 468 registered participants in the eighth Cursa del Siurell who had paid their fees to take part but after cancellation, just 74 decided to request a refund whilst the others were happy to let the money pass to charity.

For this reason, the Marratxi Council was able to make a donation of €2,002 to Aspanob (Association of parents of children with cancer in the Balearic Islands).

Queen Forever Credit: Queen Forever

ROCK MUSIC: A perfect tribute to Queen and tickets are selling fast.

SPANISH tribute band Queen Forever are back on the road after an extended break due to the pandemic and will be appearing at the

Auditorium in Palma on Fri‐ day December 17 at 9.30pm, a year after they originally planned to be in Palma.

Visiting vets

SOME 50 vets from around Spain travelled to Mallorca to take part in a workshop at the Animal Welfare Centre of Son Reus in Palma on November 22. The annual working day centres around the specialty of clinical ethology of the Associ‐ ation of Spanish Veterinarians Specialists in Small Animals (AVEPA). The vets addressed issues such as the problems of separation or reactivity in dogs, welfare in animal shelters, fe‐ line pheromones and the welfare of cats in homes and colonies, key points in allegations of animal abuse and closed with a round table on media and animal behaviour.

They had a good 2019 playing before 6,000 people in Ibiza and getting into the semi‐final of the TV Got Tal‐ ent show, but their main love is touring and this time, they will be celebrating Bohemian Rhapsody.

So, if you have been starved of an evening of rock music, tickets to see Tolo Sanders (Freddie Mercury) Adrián Pujadas (Brian May), Diego Roldán (John Deacon), Haritz Caperochipi (Roger Taylor) and Sebastián Raimundo (Spike Edney) are available from the Auditori‐ um box office at €45 per per‐ son and are selling fast.

NEWS

Garden volunteers HAVING purchased the Can Vallès house for just over €3 million in July, the Deia Council plans to renovate it and eventually use it for different offices, including one for the Local Police.

It came with 1,700 square metres of gardens as well as plenty of parking and the latest decision is to make the gardens safe and attractive in order to open them to visitors.

To this end and in response to requests from local residents, the Council is appealing for adult volunteers to make themselves available to help beautify the area on Saturday, November 27 from 9.30am.

There will be no hazardous duties involved and the Council has employed specialist staff to undertake the more difficult work and to advise volunteers on what tasks should be undertaken.

To register to help in advance, call 659 638 158.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

NIBS EXTRA Early deadline DUE to the holiday on Monday December 6, for edition 1901, due out on Thursday December 9, can all content for advert changes be sent by Tues‐ day November 30 to ad verts@euroweekly news.com.

HMS Queen Elizabeth BRITAIN’S largest warship, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has ar‐ rived in Palma and for the first time in several months, members of its crew and escorting ships are enjoying some shore leave after being confined to the ship during the height of the pandemic.

Late payment IN 1998, the Palma Coun‐ cil commissioned sculp‐ tor Jaume Mir to produce a statue of important his‐ torical figure Joanot Colom and this was erected Palma in 2003. It transpires that the statue was never paid for, so some 18 years late, the Council will pay his heirs €50,000.

New tradition THERE is a new addition to the list contained in the Catalogue of Traditional Foods, as the Traditional Food Commission of the Balearic Islands has ac‐ cepted that ‘bombeta rice’ which is grown around Sa Pobla and Muro is quite specific to the area

Complaint upheld LOW‐COST airline Volotea is to be fined the maxi‐ mum allowed of €4,500 for not complying with a 2020 law which requires a number of different com‐ panies and organisations to offer customers a freephone enquiry num‐ ber following complaints from consumer organisa‐ tion FACUA.

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

Pop-Up Christmas Shop THANKS to the generosity of former landlords there will be a Pop‐Up Christmas Shop for Cala Nova Cancer Chari‐ ty in Palma.

The charity already runs a normal charity shop which celebrated its 10th anniver‐ sary of first opening on November 12 and also has a separate furniture store, but now the new short‐term shop is full of Christmas gifts.

There is a huge selection of children’s books, games, puzzles and toys, especially teddy bears of all different

Credit: ASPANOB Facebook

ASPANOB will benefit from all Christmas shop sales.

sizes, but that’s not all as there are Christmas clothes for children, artificial trees, baubles of all sorts and other

festive decorations.

A huge hamper is also be‐ ing raffled and the proceeds of everything will be given

before Christmas to AS‐ PANOB, the Association for Children with Cancer and their Parents in the Balearic Islands.

More stock is always wel‐ come, so if anyone has any Christmas items to donate to the shop, please take them round to 352 Avenida Joan Miro, San Agustin, 07015 Palma between 10am and 3pm and as it’s just two doors from the traditional charity shop, you can visit there to pick up some bar‐ gains.

New ambulances Elderly lady praised MALLORCA hospitals are to receive 47 new ambulances and other vehicles as part of a €9.2 million project to renew the entire Balearic fleet of medical vehicles and equipment.

All the funding for this purchase which will be completed by 2023 is coming from the European Union Recovery Fund and the fleet will be under the control of Gestió Sanitària i As‐ sistencial de les Illes Balears (GSAIB), a public company.

Overall, the Health Service will see an increase of 12 vehi‐ cles across the islands and the new fleet will comprise 72 properly equipped ambulances and eight vapid intervention vehicles. The new vehicles will have the same basic equip‐ ment as the existing fleet but will of course be newer and contain the latest life‐saving technology and software.

The results of the pandemic have shown the need to have more emergency vehicles available so that the ratio of vehi‐ cles to public need is reduced over the current situation in or‐ der to ensure faster and even more reliable response times generally and more specifically in the event of another emer‐ gency situation.

New remains found NEW remains of five indi‐ viduals have been found in Son Coletes cemetery in Manacor and it is believed they will also be identified as victims of the Civil War. The news was confirmed on November 21 by the re‐ gional secretary, Jesús Jura‐ do, during the start of the programme of guided tours organised by the Vice Presi‐ dency of the Government with the Municipality of Manacor.

The second phase of ex‐ cavations and exhumations at the Son Coletes cemetery

is progressing, as the weather allows and two new graves were discov‐ ered containing the bones of at least five people and the presence of lime sug‐ gests that they were victims of the war.

Although it was initially believed that Son Coletes would not reveal any signs of murder, 11 victims of the Civil War have so far been confirmed among the re‐ mains analysed in the sec‐ ond phase of excavations with all showing clear evi‐ dence of gunshot wounds.

SOCIAL media user and Llucmajor resident Miguel Galvez Ramos has created a post praising an elderly lady on Facebook for filling holes in Llucmajor roads. He explains in his post that she is around 70 years of age and is known as Pepita but unlike many who simply complain about the state of local roads, she does something about them and fills potholes with concrete.

According to Mr Ramos, he has now seen her at four differ‐ ent times pushing a wheelbarrow containing concrete and not only filling in the holes in a number of small rural roads, but al‐ so marking out where the drying concrete is.

Speaking for himself and a number of fellow residents, he thanked Pepita for what she is doing, but feels uncomfortable that an elderly lady is doing the work that should be undertak‐ en by either the local council or the Consell de Mallorca, espe‐ cially as she is giving her time free of charge and even paying for the material.

Emergency exercise THE Mallorca Fire Brigade or‐ ganised an emergency exer‐ cise in the Soller tunnel on the morning of November 22 with all emergency ser‐ vices participating.

The purpose of the drill was to check the coordina‐ tion, response time and se‐ curity of the facilities, espe‐ cially as the tunnel is an enclosed environment where smoke and gasses could collect.

In addition, a serious acci‐ dent with a number of casu‐ alties and damaged vehicles could make it difficult to reach and assist survivors due to the lack of space within the tunnel.

Working alongside the fire

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR US?

Email: newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com or call 951 38 61 61 and ask for the EWN news team.

brigade were representa‐ tives of Palma Council, Soller Local Police, Guardia Civil, SAMU 061, and the Consell de Mallorca, under the coor‐ dination of the 112 service.

This exercise is due to be undertaken on a regular ba‐ sis, although last year it was postponed due to the Covid‐ 19 pandemic and next year the simulation will be under the control of Palma Council.

EWN

3

Palma police officers FOUR new areas of Pal‐ ma will each have two neighbourhood police officers as the council looks to improve safety by increasing the num‐ ber of officers de‐ ployed.

This was announced by councillor for Citizen Security Juana Maria Adrover accompanied

by Commissioner of the Palma Local Police, Bernat Clar on Tuesday November 23 as she ex‐ plained that 20 new of‐ ficers who had com‐ pleted their internships joined the ranks of community police.

This means that with retirements, the overall number of local beat officers has increased from 55 to 59 and more officers are still in train‐ ing who will join the Palma Local Police in due course.

Investment contin‐ ues in obtaining new vehicles and the council is spending in excess of €750,000 to lease four camouflaged vehicles and 11 patrol vehicles with hybrid electric mo‐ tors in accordance with the council’s environ‐ mental police.

In addition, a further €27,000 is to be spent on a selection of new equipment including computers, printers for mobile phones and monitors for use by the Local Police.

and finally...

EXCHANGE programme. The Alcudia Council formal‐ ly welcomed the arrival of students and teachers from Portugal and Slovenia participating in the Eras‐ mus exchange programme at the Can Domenec. Stu‐ dents from the local Port Institute will be travelling to those countries, but on Friday November 19, the visitors and the local students, totalling 24 in all took part in an activity to remove invasive plants from the dune at Alcudia Beach.

4 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

Thrifty Christmas ACCORDING to a survey carried out by collection management company KRUK Spain, 14 per cent of the population said that they do not plan to spend money at Christmas due to their economic situation.

During the weeks leading up to Christmas each year, the number of products and services purchased skyrock‐ ets and many families’ ex‐ penses increase exponen‐ tially.

But according to a recent survey, more than half of the participants (53.3 per cent) have recognised that, although the money they have is sufficient to cover their usual needs, they en‐ counter problems with ma‐ jor expenses such as Christ‐ mas.

Given this situation, 14 per cent of the population surveyed said that they do not intend to spend money at Christmas, as their eco‐ nomic situation is compli‐ cated. Furthermore, a large part of the population ac‐ knowledged that they do not plan for Christmas spending.

Specifically, 21.6 per cent say that they save money just a few weeks before‐ hand to have reserves, but do not plan their spending in advance, and 13.7 per cent look for ways to fi‐ nance their spending when it comes up, but do not plan.

At the other end of the spectrum, 20.9 per cent save months in advance for Christmas costs.

NEWS

Meghan’s dad hits out THE ELLEN SHOW: Meghan spoke about her family life.

MEGHAN MARKLE’S dad called for her to be stripped of her title af‐ ter appearing on The Ellen Show on Novem‐ ber 19.

Only eight months af‐ ter interviewing with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan has appeared on US TV again. She spoke about family life with Harry and time away from the firm.

Women work for free

ACCORDING to the General Workers Union (UGT), Spanish women work 43 days for free between now and Christ‐ mas, effectively because of the wage gap that still exists in Spain. The union which has re‐launched its awareness campaign #YoTrabajoGratis said that the average woman earns 11.9 per cent less than her male counterpart. Put dif‐ ferently, that’s 43 days less pay a year.

The union is keen for the European Union (EU) to adopt a directive on wage transparency and to force countries like Spain to comply with the Remuneration Registry and Salary Audit law. They see this as the only way that the disparity in wages will be overcome. Spain is below the average wage gap according to the

latest data from Eurostat, with the Euro‐ pean average 51 days.

The situation in Spain is improving al‐ beit slowly with the gap down 1.5 per cent in 2019, however there is still a long way to go in competing with coun‐ tries like Luxembourg, where women work free for just five days. According to the union there is an agreement in place: the Minimum Interprofessional Salary.

They do believe, however, that it needs to be maintained, improved, and enforced. Similarly, companies need to comply with the Royal Decree on Remu‐ neration Equality which requires em‐ ployers to tell their workers the reasons for their wage discrimination.

Meghan Markle’s dad was embarrassed about the interview with Ellen Degeneres and believes she should be stripped of her Royal title.

Thomas Markle previ‐ ously worked as a light‐ ing director in Hollywood and helped Meghan when she first started out in the acting busi‐ ness. He said: “She in‐ sulted the Queen, the R o y a l Fa m i l y a n d t h e British people. She made a complete fool of her‐ self and should lose her title.

“I love my daughter, but her performance was ridiculous,” he added.

Thomas did not get a mention in the inter‐ view, stating: “I’m disap‐ pointed she didn’t men‐ tion me. I hooked her up with a director on a show which got her a union card. It’s difficult to get a job without a card so that was crucial.

I paid for the card too.

I’m disappointed all this hasn’t been acknowl‐ edged.”

Change in rules

A NEW rule change proposed by the Home Office could see people stripped of their British citizenship with no warning as the government tries to quietly slip a new clause into the na‐ tionality and borders bill.

Clause 9 ‐ ‘Notice of decision to deprive a person of citizenship’ ‐ exempts the government from having to give notice to a person before they remove British citizenship.

The clause states the gov‐ ernment is free from the need to declare their intention if it is not ‘reasonably practicable’ to do so, or if the move is in the interests of national security, diplomatic relations or other‐ wise in the public interest.

There are already many op‐ posers to the measure who say that scrapping the require‐ ment for notice is draconian.

The vice‐chair of the Insti‐ tute of Race Relations, Frances Webber, said: “This amend‐ ment sends the message that certain citizens, despite being born and brought up in the UK with no other home, remain migrants in this country. Their citizenship, and all their rights, are precarious and contingent.

“It builds on previous mea‐ sures to strip British‐born dual nationals (mostly from ethnic minorities) of citizenship, and do it while they are abroad, measures mainly used against British Muslims.”

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Vets face perfect storm D U R I N G lockdown, the number of pets has soared by over three mil‐ lion in the UK. Vets are struggling and are said to be facing a “perfect storm.” Covid, along with Brexit and an in‐ crease in the number of pets are hitting them hard.

Many veterinary surg‐ eries are struggling to keep up with demand and some have stopped taking on new animal pa‐ tients. People are being encouraged to check if they can register with a vet before adopting a new pet.

Vets wanting to come to the UK have also been hit with new English lan‐ guage requirements.

However, the level of En‐ glish has been lowered for vets entering the livestock sector.

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

EWN

5

New vaccine trials UK travel

THE Hospital Clinico de Valencia is looking for participants to trial the Spanish vaccine against coronavirus. The trial which will start in Decem‐ ber is to test the vaccine developed by the Hipra Laboratory and more specifically to de‐ termine its effectiveness as a third or booster dose for those who have received two Pfizer doses.

The hospital has begun its search for suitable candidates who will be given their first dose of the Hypra vaccine. The vaccine is different to those already in use and is not based on either RNA or adenovirus. Hypra have used recombi‐

A BUTLER BEAGLE named Boone has won the 2021 American Humane Hero Dog award. The therapy dog, who is four years old, is owned by Tanya and Charles Diable. He was one of seven finalists, out of 400 original contestants, the winner of which was chosen by people casting over one million votes online.

The American Humane officials said Boone “lost his legs, but not his hope.” Boone’s story began in the most horrific way, when someone cut off his back legs and left him by the side of the road, but he was rescued and ended up with the Diables, who operate a non‐profit or‐ ganisation by the name of Joey’s Paw. They provide wheelchairs and prosthetics to animals in need.

They’ve raised thousands of dollars to give their devices to animals in need, mainly dogs.

nation technology.

The trial is voluntary and unpaid, although the hospital has said it will provide minimal financial assistance, essentially covering travel expenses to the hospital for the duration of the study. Ap‐ plicants must be over 18 years old, not have had the virus, have received both doses of Pfizer’s vaccine coronavirus, and been vaccinated at least six months ago.

If you want to take part in the trial, you should email the hospital at evacunacovid‐hcv@gva.es with your identification, and confirmation of your vaccinated status.

Hero Beagle Boone the Beagle.

Boone is one of the lucky ones who received their help and he is the face of their group. He is certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and makes visits to many places in his two‐wheeled cart that supports his back end.

update

THE British embassy in Madrid has announced a new UK to Spain travel update that will take effect in time for Christmas this year.

Acknowledging the fact many people had raised concerns about being contacted by NHS Test and Trace while visiting family and friends in Britain this festive season, some changes have been made to the system of self‐isolation.

Previously, even some fully vaccinated peo‐ ple would have to self‐isolate if ‘pinged’ by the NHS app to say they had been in close contact with a person with Covid. This was due to their vaccines being administered out‐ side of the UK and therefore not being includ‐ ed in this particular exemption.

But on Thursday, November 18, the UK gov‐ ernment announced that if people have been fully vaccinated outside of the UK with a recognised vaccine, they will be subject to the same rules as those who has been dosed un‐ der the UK vaccination programme.

This new system will come into force from December 1, so people visiting for Christmas don’t have to worry about having to self‐iso‐ late over their holidays.

6 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

NEWS

Town’s beauty honoured

UNVACCINATED: People cannnot be made to have jabs in Spain.

No lockdown here SPAIN cannot confine the unvaccinated, says a former Supreme Court Justice.

Austria has taken the ex‐ treme measure of locking down people who were not vaccinated against the ongo‐ ing coronavirus pandemic.

According to former Supreme Court Justice Jorge Rodríguez‐Zapata, the same cannot be done in Spain. He commented: “No, it can’t be done here.”

Rodríguez‐Zapata ex‐ plained that the legal frame‐ work for confining unvacci‐ nated people does not exist in Spain. In Spain, people cannot be made to have coronavirus vaccinations. Ac‐ cording to Rodríguez‐Zapata imposing an Austrian style lockdown is not possible in Spain. The legal expert ex‐ plained that: “It would vio‐ late fundamental rights.”

Low vaccination rates in some European countries have forced them to consid‐ er new measures to protect people against the virus. The vaccination rate compared to the rest of Europe is ex‐ tremely low in Austria. This

led the country to confine millions of people.

In Austria, anyone who is not fully vaccinated can only leave the house to do essen‐ tials such as going to work, shopping or for medical rea‐ sons. People could be fined up to €3,600 for failing to comply with the new mea‐ sures.

The possible use of Covid passports to control access to venues is being consid‐ ered again by some au‐ tonomous communities in Spain. This is a controversial measure.

ALBARRACIN, a town in Spain, has been named among the Top 10 most beautiful in Europe. Located in the southwest of the province of Teruel, this charming municipality with its medieval architecture really is a special place.

A recent study by Uswitch, analysed posts on the Instagram and Pinterest social networks to discover which were the most beautiful towns in Europe.

They looked for popularity, presence,

and the number of ‘likes’ achieved by each town. As a result, Albarracin came in 10th position, the only Spanish town on the list. This is not the only recogni‐ tion the town has obtained. Last year, it was chosen by Lonely Planet readers as one of the most beautiful inland towns in Spain.

Strolling through its historic centre with its high walls will take you back to the Middle Ages. You can discover

spectacular views of the town from many of its streets. Enjoy the magnifi‐ cent Plaza Mayor, or the Albarracin Museum, which is the best place to learn about the history of the munici‐ pality.

There are stunning ecclesiastical monuments such as the Cathedral of the Savior, the most emblematic of the city, with its Gothic and Renaissance style, dating back to the 16th century.

First woman president

IN a historic moment on November 19, the USA had a lady in charge for the first time. The mo‐ ment came when Presi‐ dent Joe Biden transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris, making her the first woman President of the USA, so that he could undergo a short medical procedure.

The transfer of power is a routine process in the USA when a sitting President is in‐ capacitated. Biden, who is the USA’s oldest President, was put under anaesthetic for a routine colonoscopy for one hour and 25 minutes, accord‐ ing to the White House.

Biden, who turned 79 the next day, was in good spirits following the procedure and

Flagship store closing in London

HOUSE OF FRASER’S flagship store on Lon‐ don’s Oxford Street is set to close in January 2022. The shop is owned by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.

A spokesperson for the Group comment‐ ed: “It is with regret that we have been served notice by the landlord to close House of Fraser, Oxford Street, following granted planning permission to redevelop the site.

“Since acquiring (House of Fraser) in 2018, despite challenges faced, we have worked collaboratively with the landlord to keep the

store trading three years longer than what was initially proposed by the previous own‐ er.” It is not yet certain how many jobs will be lost when the store closes. Frasers believe that help is needed to help stores stay open and encourage the purchase of retail spaces.

The company commented: “As a business, who is continuing to invest significantly into the British high street, we feel it’s only fair to recognise and request an urgent review of the current archaic business rates, which con‐ tinue to be astonishingly outdated.”

has since resumed his duties.

It’s routine for a vice presi‐ dent to assume presidential powers while the president undergoes a medical proce‐ dure that requires anaesthe‐ sia. Then Vice President Dick Cheney assumed office on more than one occasion un‐ der President George Bush.

Although Harris is not the first woman vice president,

Kamala Harris took the reins.

she is the first woman presi‐ dent. Prior to this there had never been occasion to hand over the reins during the term of a woman Vice President.

and finally...

DRIVERS on a California highway last week had the shock of their lives. The back doors of an ar‐ moured security van shot open and deposited thousands of dollars’ worth of bills across the road, with drivers pulling up and rushing from their cars to grab themselves handfuls of the loose money. Many took to social media platform TikTok showing their hands full of money. Califor‐ nia highway patrol officers were quickly at the scene and started instructing drivers to forget the money and get back into their vehicles.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

EWN

7

Brits import warning Back on the road!

BRITS are warned to ‘pay attention’ to import fees caused by Brexit when shop‐ ping online this Christmas as one woman was hit with a £70 fee.

Since Brexit, people have been hit with new taxes and duties on certain goods coming to and from the UK, causing peo‐ ple to end up spending more than they expected or intended.

One woman from Swansea bought a £250 paddle board online for her hus‐ band’s birthday, without realising the sellers were based in Denmark. When the paddle board arrived, she was hit with a £70 fine in import duties. She said: “This

information was not made clear on the UK website.”

Technology expert David McClelland said buying online is “a mine field.” He said that many companies that are based in the EU appear as though they are UK based, however, people are only noticing because of the fees.

Before the UK left the EU, the only difference with ordering from other EU countries was the delivery time. He added: “There are now these extra charges that people aren’t expecting before you can take delivery of the product.”

Deliveroo leaving Spain DELIVEROO, the home delivery company, con‐ firmed on November 18 that it will leave Spain.

This decision was reached after the com‐ pany consulted with its employees in the coun‐ try. As of November 29, they will cease trading in Spain.

A statement from De‐

liveroo thanked all the restaurants and ‘riders’ for their collaboration.

They said the company was proud to have been a “lifeline” for delivery people during the pan‐ demic. It is believed that a series of compensa‐ tion packages have been agreed upon for both employees and riders.

The company an‐ nounced in July it in‐ tended to leave Spain, after the approval of the so‐called ‘rider law.’

This law would have forced Deliveroo to con‐ vert all their distributors into employees or to subcontract fleets of ‘riders’ to third‐party companies.

THE Spanish government has decided to scrap the visa requirements for UK artists that had been in place since Brexit. The move has been wel‐ comed by the music in‐ dustry, but there are still issues that could affect some tours.

The announcement means that visas will not be required for musicians and their crew when tour‐ ing for less than 90 days.

The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries explained: “We’ve been working closely with the Spanish government to make touring easier ‐ and they’ve just confirmed that musicians no longer need visas to go on short‐ term tours.”

UK Music chief execu‐ tive Jamie Njoku‐Good‐ win commented: “The lifting of visa restrictions by the Spanish govern‐ ment is a hugely welcome move. However, it is im‐ portant to remember that

major issues remain, par‐ ticularly cabotage [the transport of goods or pas‐ sengers between two places in the same coun‐ try by a foreign operator], which makes many tours impossible.

“We will continue to press the case with the government here and with EU nations to re‐ move all the costly and bureaucratic restrictions that remain when it comes to touring the EU.”

8 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

NEWS

NASA’s bed offer €600m solar sale NASA is offering €11,000 for people to stay in bed for two months. The two months will not be easy though, as all daily activities would need to be carried out in bed.

The space agency is

looking into how the body responds to being weightless. The research will be used to help space missions in the fu‐ ture.

This will not be NASA’s first study of bed rest.

Over-60s booster jab ON November 17, Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez, announced Spain will give a third vaccine dose to the over 60s and health workers.

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara togeth‐ er with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdo‐ gan, Sanchez said that “the government is commit‐ ted to continuing with the vaccination without pause.” He referred to his belief that the best rem‐ edy against a rebound in cases is to continue with the vaccination process.

Spain has vaccinated more than 88 per cent of the population over the age of 12 and has of late enjoyed infection rates below those of its neigh‐ bours.

Yet, there are signs that this is beginning to change. Current data shows Spain to be one of the most vaccinated countries in the world with 74,168,369 doses administered and 37,487,833 people vaccinated.

Several years ago along with the German Aerospace Centre, NASA launched its first artifi‐ cial gravity bed rest study. This new study hopes to gain further in‐ sights into how the body responds.

Anyone looking to vol‐ unteer will need to spend 59 days in bed. All daily activities including eating, exercising, dress‐ ing and bathing will need to be carried out in bed.

Bodily responses will be monitored by NASA in‐ cluding participants’ moods, muscle loss and blood pressures.

Applicants must be healthy, between 24 and 55 years old, between 153 and 190cm tall, have a Body Mass Index of 19‐ 30 kg/m2 and be a non‐ smoker. They’ll also need good language skills and be able to trav‐ el to Cologne for the study.

NAVARRAN company STI Norland, the fifth‐largest global manufacturer of structures and solar track‐ ers for photovoltaic solar energy projects has been sold for €600 million. It was bought by US company Ar‐ ray Technologies through the private equity manager Aurica Capital and Amixa Capital. Aurica Capital re‐ portedly entered with a mi‐ nority stake of 41.5 per cent, through its Aurica III fund.

As reported in a state‐ ment, depending on whether the earnings be‐ fore tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for 2021 exceeds €47 million, then another extra pay‐ ment will be due. The clos‐ ing of the transaction is scheduled for the first half of 2022, once the required authorisations are ob‐ tained.

STI Norland, located in Pamplona, was founded back in 1996, and is a pio‐ neer in the development of

Supplying solar panels.

fixed structures for solar panels and trackers. Practi‐ cally all its sales are con‐ ducted outside of Spanish borders. Last year, the com‐ pany reached a sales figure close to €200 million.

Lidl top payers DISCOUNT supermarket Lidl has announced that new em‐ ployees in London will earn £11.30 an hour and those outside the capital will receive £10.10, this is 10p more than previous top payer Morrisons. The entry‐level increases will begin in March 2022.

Staff who are already employed by the supermarket will also have an increase in their wages to £11.40 outside the capital and £12.25 in London, depending on how long they have worked there.

Lidl claims to now be the highest‐paying supermarket in the UK, adding that the increase is in recognition of their hard‐working staff during the health crisis. It comes after a £200 bonus for all frontline workers this year, as well as £150 gift vouchers for all staff in 2020 during the pandemic.

The supermarket has said it does not expect to have to pass the cost of the pay rise onto customers.

STATS

100,000

There are around 100,000 km of blood vessels in the human body.

10 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

NEWS

Imserso trips on sale Gas hits six-year high THE Imserso Social Tourism packages for pensioners will go on sale in mid‐December, with trips starting between January and February 2022.

Originally, these trips should have begun in Octo‐ ber 2021. However, the delay in the publication of the spec‐ ifications, their challenge by the hotel employers Hosbec and Cehat, subsequently re‐ sulted in a precautionary sus‐

pension. Added to this was a complaint between two of the companies that opted to tender for Imserso trips, caus‐ ing the deadlines to be ex‐ tended.

The final award took place on November 2, and with no appeals lodged, letters will begin to be sent to all users after November 22, with the indications and information regarding the marketing of

the trips. Next, the travel agencies will proceed to con‐ tract the services and put the packages on sale, which is scheduled for mid‐December.

This was confirmed by the Minister of Tourism, who pointed out that they do not depend on his Ministry. He did stress that he had been involved in a “very proactive” way to streamline the proce‐ dures of this programme.

Gibraltar cancels Xmas THE British territory of Gibraltar has taken radical measures to prevent a large winter spike in coronavirus cases by cancelling the official festivities for the Christmas period. The move has puzzled many who live in the area as Gibraltar’s vaccination rate is close to 100 per cent.

With almost all of its population fully vaccinated it would seem the authorities could take a calm and measured approach to the festive season.

However, in an official statement, the British enclave has decided to have “the intention to cancel a number of official Christmas celebrations, official receptions and similar gatherings” over the end of the year.

They have put forward an argument that the steady increase of positive cases over the last month is continuing and has gained speed in recent days, stating: “There are 359 active cases of Covid-19 in Gibraltar, 57 new cases today

(November 11), five hospitalisations and a total of 440 in isolation. This partly reflects the high rate of screening tests for residents of Gibraltar, which allows us to detect many more positive cases than elsewhere.

“This means that it is essential for the public to behave in a prudent and reasonable manner bearing in mind that we are still in a global pandemic and people are losing their lives every day all over the world,” the government added.

THE price of natural and bottled gas is rising across the globe which spells un‐ welcome news for con‐ sumers as we head into the winter months.

Butane gas is used to heat many homes in Spain and people will feel the pinch as the price of bot‐ tled gas hits a six‐year high. In Spain alone, around eight million households still use the or‐ ange butane gas cylinders.

Fuel prices have been on the rise for the last few months, and from Novem‐ ber 16 a 12.5‐kilo canister will cost customers 80 cents more, with each con‐ tainer priced at €16.92.

This is an increase of 4.96 per cent and the most ex‐ pensive butane has been since 2016.

Authorities control the cost of the orange cylin‐ ders in Spain which does lead to a price cap on this form of fuel. Even with this in place, the cost has been rising exponentially

for a while now. The cost is revised every two months and will be re‐

evaluated in January. Cus‐ tomers will be hoping for a reduction.

New high-speed train IN a high‐profile presentation at Madrid’s Atocha station on November 17, Spain’s new high‐speed rail service was launched. It will operate under the com‐ mercial brand name of ‘iryo’ and is scheduled to come into service in the latter half of 2022.

The new operator will compete with existing brands Renfe and Ouigo and will offer powerful competition. According to the company, it will man‐ age 30 per cent of the Spanish high‐speed timeta‐ bles, and will connect Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Sevilla, Malaga, Cordoba, and Zaragoza in the first phase.

Sources of ‘iryo’ pointed out they will operate “the only fleet of totally new trains on the market.”

They will be the only trains in the world to have the Environmental Product Declaration (EDP), and are the “most sustainable, fastest and quietest in Eu‐ rope, made with 95 per cent recyclable materials, and saving 80 per cent of carbon dioxide per person and journey.”

STATS

270

Every day, people in the US spend 270 minutes watching television.

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

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

EWN 11

Why retirement planning matters Whether you are nearing retirement or it is several years away, it is never too early to start thinking about how you will finance your golden years. Even if you are already retired, you should regularly review your arrangements to ensure you continue meeting your retirement goals.

Approaching retirement Make sure you are on the right track financially by asking yourself the following questions. There may be steps you can take today to help make your retirement goal a reality.

• Will I be able to afford to retire when I want to?

• What is the best strategy for withdrawing from my business or employment?

• What options do I have for my pensions?

• Will I be able to retain my existing wealth and assets?

• Do I want to spend my retirement abroad?

Let’s say that you plan to retire in Spain within the next few years. You may have concerns

about whether you can afford your preferred lifestyle without

By Cathal Rochford, Partner, Blevins Franks

having to sell existing assets. Perhaps you have a business to sell and are unsure how best to convert your years of hard work into a retirement nest egg. Then there are the complex residence and tax implications of living in a different country.

Here, professional financial advice can prove invaluable, especially with an adviser who understands Spain. They can take a

holistic view of what you have – your savings, investments, assets, pensions – together with what you want – your timeline, income requirements, legacy wishes – and an objective assessment of who you are – your circumstances, goals, risk appetite – to design a personalised retirement plan for you.

Already retired Regular reviews allow you to adapt your strategy to suit your changing circumstances and goals, such as incorporating new family members, addressing health issues or relocating. It enables you to keep up with the ever-changing tax and pensions landscape, including new opportunities that could work in your favour.

Your pension options Pensions are usually the foundations of retirement, so deciding what to do here may be one of life’s most important financial decisions. Pensions are complex and there is more choice than ever, so you need to take care.

You might benefit from consol-

Treasury cashes in

MANY people in Spain have had a bank account for years, stopped using it, for‐ got about it, and never closed it. In the instance, when a customer makes no attempt to cancel the ac‐ count, the Treasury can keep any money that is deposited within.

According to article 18 of Law 33/2003 of the State Patrimony, “The General Ad‐ ministration of the State is responsible for the securi‐ ties, money and other mov‐ able property deposited in the General Depository Fund and in credit entities, securi‐

ties companies or agencies or any other financial enti‐ ties, as well as the balances of current accounts, books of savings, or other similar in‐ struments open in these es‐ tablishments, with respect to which no management has been carried out by the interested parties that im‐ plies the exercise of their property rights within a peri‐ od of 20 years.”

Abandoned accounts nor‐ mally occur when somebody dies, and heirs have no knowledge of the account’s existence. If you are thinking this is probably a rare occur‐

rence, in 2019, according to data, the Ministry of Finance reportedly collected €12.57 million from inactive bank accounts. In 2018 it was €11.13 million, and in 2017, a total of €11.25 million. Be‐ fore the State can ever trans‐ fer money from an aban‐ doned account, the bank must first notify the holder of the situation so that he has the opportunity to avoid the transfer taking place.

The entity sends the notifi‐ cation by registered mail at least three months in ad‐ vance of the account turning 20 years old.

La Palma earthquake record ON November 17, the volcanic island of La Palma registered a staggering 300 earth‐ quakes. The previous two weeks had seen the number of earthquakes drop to below 200 a day. Experts from various scientific bodies are monitoring the situation carefully. They need to see if the increase in earthquakes is isolated or if the volcano’s activity is changing.

The highest number of earthquakes previ‐

ously recorded since the eruption was 271, which occurred on October 24 according to data from the National Geological Institute (IGN).

Most of the quakes registered at a magni‐ tude of between two and three with some earthquakes hitting a magnitude of between three and four. The island was shaken by one quake that was magnitude four.

idating several UK pensions into one to provide a coherent, more cost-effective investment platform for your retirement income, but first establish what would be the most tax-efficient approach for a Spain resident. Receiving pension income in sterling also exposes you to conversion costs and exchange rate risk.

British expatriates have the option of transferring UK pensions to a Qualifying Overseas Pension Scheme. QROPS can unlock advantages such as flexibility to take income in euros and more freedom to pass benefits to chosen heirs. Transferred funds would be protected from further UK lifetime allowance charges.

Transfers an EU-based QROPS by an EU resident are currently tax-free, but transfers outside the EU/EEA invite a 25% UK tax penalty. So far this has not been extended to EU transfers post Brexit.

Take regulated, specialist advice before making pension decisions to protect your benefits and establish the best option for you.

Retiring in Spain If you plan to retire in Spain, review your retirement strategy early. You need to consider your residence status and crossborder tax implications in a post-Brexit world and adapt your estate planning to suit Spain’s different succession rules.

Careful planning is the key to minimising taxation and maximising the available opportunities so you can enjoy the retirement you want for as long as you need. For the best results, take specialist, cross-border advice.

Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; individuals should seek personalised advice.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevins franks.com.

Sole survivor

AN 11‐year‐old girl was the sole survivor of a plane crash in Michigan, US on November 14. Her life was saved thanks to her father, Mike Perdue, holding her tightly in a bear hug. Mr Perdue died in the incident.

Laney Perdue was travelling on a regional airliner with her father and three other peo‐ ple when it crashed at Welke Airport on Beaver Island, Michigan, for reasons current‐ ly unknown.

The girl was found in critical condition and suffered several fractures and had to under‐ go two surgeries, but she is already recover‐ ing satisfactorily, and her life is no longer in danger. Laney has three siblings.

The other deceased were identified as Kate Leese, 35, and Adam Kendall, 37, a cou‐ ple who appeared in a Detroit News article last week talking about their plans to open a

MIKE PERDUE: Saved his daughter’s life.

winery on Beaver Island. The identity of the pilot has not been revealed.

The mother of the girl, Christina Perdue, is‐ sued a statement: “We are heartbroken over the loss of my husband, father, brother, son and friend. He gave the best bear hug, took our daughter and protected her.” Mike Perdue was a real estate agent and co‐own‐ er of Smith Realty Group. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

and finally...

DRINKING tea and coffee may be associated with a lower risk of dementia and strokes. In a recent study, those who drank two ‐ three cups of coffee or three ‐ five cups of tea per day, or a combination of the two, had the lowest incidence of stroke or de‐ mentia. There was roughly a 30 per cent lower risk of each when compared to individu‐ als who did not drink coffee or tea.

12 EWN

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Third place

Great posters

AN annual survey, the English Proficiency Index, conducted by EF Education First, considers the average fluency in English of some 112 countries around the world and this year, Denmark came third with Holland at the top followed by Austria. Sweden and Finland showed in the top 10.

ELECTION posters around the world tend to be quite uninspiring, but this year’s regional elections have brought out some interesting options, with a boxer, a James Bond impersonator, a candidate’s dog with perhaps the most memorable being Janus Boye where the sun faded the J and E!

THE NETHERLANDS Racist rules

Plastic waste

COUNCIL feathers have been ruffled in the Dutch town of Medemblik after an estate agent advertised a property for rent with the proviso that it wasn’t available to foreigners as the council didn’t like them, which local councillors vehemently denied.

AN investigation by environmental organisation Natuur & Milieu has found that despite the commitment made by various supermarkets two years ago to phase out non-recyclable packaging by 2025, two-thirds of the plastic used is still difficult or impossible to recycle.

BELGIUM In Flanders Field

Party people

FOR the first time in three years, a member of the British Royal Family, the Duke of Kent visited West Flanders in Belgium for a special ceremony, the reburial of nine Great War soldiers, with full military honours, six of whom were recently identified.

A BAR in Holland has announced that as new restrictions on gatherings have been imposed, it has hired a room in neighbouring Belgium to hold a planned party and will be bussing around 240 revellers there so that they can still enjoy a night out.

GERMANY Tinder animals

Foul referee

AS was the case in many countries during lockdown, the Germans turned to cats and dogs to entertain and keep them company but as restrictions lifted, many sent them to refuges. Now one in Munich, has created Tinder profiles for seven cats and dogs.

THE German Football Federation is being investigated by public prosecutors over possible tax evasion during the period 2015 to 2020 when it was sponsored by Adidas and may not have declared the value of donations such as balls, shirts and boots.

FRANCE No canoes

Slow down

AFTER receiving requests to stop selling canoes from two Decathlon store managers in Northern France, the company has agreed that this should become policy as they are worried that the canoes are being purchased by immigrants who want to cross to England.

FOLLOWING the death of a pedestrian who was hit by an e-scooter in Paris last June, the authorities have told rental companies that they will have to ensure that a speed limit of 10 kmh is enforced automatically in designated pedestrian areas of the city.

NORWAY Takeover denied

Dead birds

IT was hailed a victory for the little guy as Norway’s competition authority blocked its pending takeover of Sbanken, a small independent online bank by Norway’s biggest bank, DNB and those against the takeover celebrated in the street outside DNB’s headquarters.

IN some countries, small birds are considered a delicacy which is why a group of Italian hunters travelled to Norway, but the purpose of their journey was stymied after a member of the public alerted local police and they were stopped with 2,000 dead frozen birds.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

EWN 13

Advertising Feature

TWO WEEK REVIEW STERLING and the US dollar shared the honours for the last two weeks, strength‐ ening by an average of 1.4% against the major currencies. The dollar made its money in the first week; sterling did so in the week just ended. What they had in common was the likelihood of higher in‐ terest rates, though the timings of such moves will differ.

Last week’s UK output data were disap‐ pointing, with annual increases of 2.8% for manufacturing and 2.9% for industrial pro‐ duction. The BRC’s retail sales data for Oc‐ tober showed an annual increase of only 1.3%.

The disappointment evaporated this week, with inflation at a 10‐year high and unemployment falling to 4.3%. Investors have convinced themselves that the Bank of England will have no option but to in‐ crease Bank Rate in a fortnight’s time.

They convinced themselves of the same thing a month ago, and nothing came of it, but this time they are even more con‐ vinced.

The euro was a little lower, softening by an average of 0.3% and losing two cents to sterling. Most of the data were unremark‐ able but inflation did rise to a 13‐year high of 4.1% in October and economic expecta‐ tions in Germany improved for the first time since May. Everything from the European Central Bank contributed to the notion that it has no intention of tightening monetary policy.

The ECB is even more wedded to the idea of ‘transitory’ inflation than the US Federal Reserve, whose chairman invented the concept.

Investors showed no appreciation for the high euro area inflation reading but they were just as enthusiastic about the US figure as they would later be with the British number. US inflation rose to a 30‐ year high of 6.2%, easily beating the fore‐ cast 5.8%.

The Federal Reserve is unlikely to be bounced into an early rate increase: every‐ thing points to no move until at least mid‐ 2022. However, high inflation and a strong

employment situation do seem to provide the Fed with almost everything it needs to make such a move.

As in the States, Canadian employment and inflation data were far from disap‐ pointing. Investors paid just as little atten‐ tion to strong Canadian job numbers as they did to the US data that appeared at the same time. Unlike with the US dollar, the 18‐year high for Canadian inflation at 4.7% did not help the Loonie because it was exactly in line with analysts’ forecasts.

Australia’s dollar was on average un‐ changed against the majors. It lost one US cent and gave up two and a half cents to sterling. Although investors question the survivability of the Reserve Bank of Aus‐ tralia’s intention to keep interest rates un‐ changed until 2024, the central bank reit‐ erated that line in the minutes of its November policy meeting.

The Australian ecostats were mostly constructive. NAB’s Monthly Business Sur‐ vey found business confidence more than doubling from 10 to 21 as lockdowns end‐

Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca.

She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 • Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com.

mallorca@moneycorp.com. ed. Consumer sentiment also improved.

Employment was a different story, with unemployment rising to 5.2%.

New Zealand’s dollar tied for third place with the Japanese yen, an average of 0.8% ahead of the major currency field. It lost more than a cent to sterling.

The NZ economic data added typically little to the debate. Business NZ’s perfor‐ mance of manufacturing index improved to 54.3, with increased activity fairly evenly spread across the subsectors. The equiva‐ lent measure for the services sector stepped further into contraction at 44.6, leading the report’s authors to surmise that “any bounce in Q4 GDP will be mod‐ est.”

To find out more about suitable solutions, please call us on +44 (0) 207 823 7400 or email partners@moneycorp.com Moneycorp is a trading name of TTT Moneycorp Limited which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Service Regulations 2017 (reference number 308919) for the provision of payment services

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA AVE competition THERE is significant potential competition for Spanish train operator RENFE and French operator Ouigo as a new high speed train company Iryo is launched by Trenitalia and Air Nostrum aiming to capture up to 30 per cent of the AVE rail business.

Bank review HAVING taken over Novo Banco and Bankoa, the Galician based Abanca is now talking with unions about the redundancy of some 370 staff, but this is expected to be rigorously fought as the two banks themselves only employed around 400 people prior to the takeover.

Sterling gain AS UK retail sales rose by a higher than expected 0.8 per cent in October, possibly caused by early Christmas shopping, the news helped sterling to gain momentum against the euro and on November 19 was at its highest rate (1.19) since before the first lockdown.

Permanent jobs THE Spanish Government in the form of Minister of Finance and Public Function, María Jesús Montero has said it wishes to reduce the number of ‘civil servants’ employed on temporary contracts from 30 per cent to 8 per cent by the middle of next year.

Banksy bids SOTHEBY’S auction house in New York moved into accepting bids in cryptocurrency when it sold two artworks by Bristol based anonymous street artist Banksy for 6093 Ethereum which equates to £9 million. The auction on Thursday November 18 was the first in which this cryptocurrency was accepted for bidding and the two artworks Trolley Hunters and Love is in the Air (2006) were popular targets.

This is likely to become a regular option for those attending major auctions in the future although it is unlikely to be followed by small regional auctioneers in the UK.

14

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

STAT OF WEEK

€1 billion

is the amount that the Spanish Government may have to repay to telecoms giant Telefónica in respect of overcharging of corporation tax in 2009 and 2010.

£402 million Tombola takeover FLUTTER ENTERTAINMENT PLC which owns both Paddy Power and Betfair is due to purchase private com‐ pany Tombola for £402 million subject to merger control clearance by the UK Competition and Markets Authority.

Tombola, with teams primarily lo‐ cated in Sunderland and Gibraltar, is a successful bingo‐led gaming company with an emphasis on providing a low staking bingo proposition to what is described as a highly engaged cus‐ tomer base.

Assuming approval is received, the takeover is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2022 and the oper‐

ation has a fully regulated revenue base with over 80 per cent coming from the UK and 16 per cent from Italy and Spain It boasts around 400,000 average monthly players with over 700 em‐ ployees and in its financial year to the end of April 2021 Tombola generated pro forma revenue of £164 million and EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortiza‐ tion) were £38.5 million.

Peter Jackson, Flutter Chief Execu‐ tive, commented: “As the world’s leading online gam‐ bling operator, Flutter is delighted to

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Can they call EGM? Our community wishes to call an EGM to elect a new president. We have not had an AGM for more than two years. The sitting president lives in the UK and passes his instructions for expenditures and other matters directly by email to the administrator. He does not communicate with the committee and refuses to call an AGM. We have 90 members, most of whom live in the UK. Now we have assembled one‐quarter of the members in order to call an EGM. Our concern is whether we can use proxies by email to prove that we have enough members to make one quarter.

K D (Costa Blanca) Yes, you DAVID SEARL can. Prop‐ erly the proxy YOU AND THE LAW forms are on pa‐ IN SPAIN per, signed by the community member in his own hand and submitted to the callers of the meeting. However, because of the Covid restrictions on movement and limitations on at‐ tendance, the authorities now accept forms made by electronic means. Even so you would be wise to em‐ ploy your own lawyer skilled in community matters to make sure all your presentations of the proposed agenda of the meeting are in order and to respond ef‐ fectively to any objections.

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

THE Bank of Spain has been warning for some time about the risk of invest‐ ing in cryptocurrencies and on Novem‐ ber 10, a group of people led by Associ‐ ation of People Affected by Investments by Cryptocurrencies (AA‐ IC) started another court action.

It claims that a company known as Mind Capital based in Madrid and con‐ trolled by the former producer and roulette expert Gonzalo Garcia‐Pelayo

add Tombola, the UK’s premier bingo brand to the Group. Tombola is a busi‐ ness we have long admired for its product expertise, highly recreational customer base and focus on sustain‐ able play. “The brand aligns closely with Flutter’s safer gambling strategy, a key area of focus for us. I am excited to combine Flutter’s digital marketing expertise with Tombola’s operational capabilities within the UK and Ireland division.” Flutter confirmed that it was committed to retaining Tombola as a Sunderland‐based business after it re‐ cently moved into new premises in the city.

The different funeral plans from Golden Leaves THE funeral plan providers at Golden Leaves have been finding the right pre‐paid plan for their clients for years, making sure their wishes are carried out when the time comes.

Chose the right plan.

But what are the funer‐ al plans that Golden Leaves offers?

The Opal Plan This plan is designed for those who just want a simple cremation service and provides a simple funeral service that covers the essential items, including the removal and disposal of the deceased.

The Pearl Plan Offering all the services available within the Opal Plan, with the added benefit of a floral tribute and premium cof‐ fin, the Pearl Plan can give you a funeral similar in content to what you would expect in the UK. The Golden Plan This plan is designed for those who wish to be repatriat‐ ed to a country other than their current country of resi‐ dence.

The Golden Plan offers worldwide repatriation back home to the desired country, and a contribution to a sim‐ ple funeral service in the country of your choice.

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

Cryptocurrency risks has effectively committed alleged crimes of fraud and misappropriation.

According to Mind Capital it created a system which could accurately fore‐ cast movement in cryptocurrency and for several months paid out relatively high returns on investments but even‐ tually advised clients that it could not

return their original investments.

They only offered to return the de‐ posits in hard currency rather than bit‐ coins which investors had been made to pay over and which had increased in value dramatically.

This is the second time that a Span‐ ish cryptocurrency investment compa‐

Importance of Cobalt AS the world moves towards electric cars, manufacturers are facing yet another possi‐ ble supply problem.

Already having to reduce capacity due to the shortage of microchips, the next diffi‐ culty will be the demand for lithium batteries and it is be‐ ing forecast that there could be an annual shortfall of around 5 per cent of the bat‐ teries needed.

These batteries require the metal cobalt as part of the manufacturing process and more than 50 per cent of the world’s cobalt deposits are found in the Democratic Re‐ public of the Congo which is not the most stable of coun‐ tries. Some like Tesla set up their own battery production plants several years ago, but without cobalt, even they could be in trouble.

Avez vous un cuppa?

PG TIPS sold to European in‐ vestors alongside 33 other tea brands owned by Unilever for £4.5 billion.

It seems that Britain is no longer a nation of tea drinkers as more and more people, es‐ pecially the young, turn to cof‐ fee as their breakfast drink of choice.

Alert to this, Unilever which owns such household brands as PG Tips, Brooke Bond and Liptons through its ekaterra subsidiary announced on November 18 the sale to CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII. ekaterra is the world’s lead‐ ing Tea business, which gener‐ ated revenues of around €2 billion in 2020, but Unilever want to invest and develop new brands in areas where they see growth. ny has been accused by investors of fraud, with the first, allegedly unable to repay some €210 million to its many clients.

It appears clear that whilst there are some large potential profits to be made by buying and selling Bitcoins and other similar currencies, there is a significant danger in putting money in an until recently mainly uncontrolled investment vehicle.

16 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 22

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.436,50 Abrdn 256,20 Admiral Group 2.986,0 Anglo American 2.839,0 Antofagasta 1.418,50 Ashtead Group 6.394,0 Associated British Foods 1.927,0 AstraZeneca 8.433,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 737,90 Avast 594,20 Aveva 3.432,0 Aviva 395,69 B&M European Value....

606,00 BAE Systems 566,05 Bank VTB DRC 1,288 Barclays 194,64 Barratt Developments 690,00 Berkeley 4.472,0 BHP Group 1.901,00 BP 327,95 British American Tobacco 2.550,0 British Land Company 532,20 BT Group 165,13 Bunzl 2.873,0 Burberry Group 1.930,0 Carnival 1.409,2 Centrica 65,82 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.478,0 Compass 1.490,50 CRH 3.660,9 Croda Intl 10.075,0 DCC 5.785,0 Diageo 3.904,0 DS Smith 385,90 EasyJet 565,80 Experian 3.422,0 Ferguson 12.100,0 Flutter Entertainment 11.441,7 Fresnillo 951,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.523,51 Glencore 368,10 Halma 3.148,1 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.500,50 Hikma Pharma 2.299,00 HSBC 437,00 IAG 151,97 Imperial Brands 1.599,00 Informa 512,80 InterContinental 4.933,0 Intermediate Capital 2.287,01

CHANGE(P) 1.450,00 256,20 3.006,0 2.860,5 1.436,00 6.396,0 1.932,5 8.552,0 740,40 596,00 3.466,0 397,50 608,80 567,20 1,364 194,80 690,00 4.532,0 1.917,20 331,40 2.557,8 533,20 167,80 2.875,0 1.953,0 1.425,6 67,90 2.489,0 1.496,50 3.676,0 10.140,0 5.876,0 3.919,0 390,30 569,60 3.423,0 12.105,0 11.635,0 959,20 1.533,00 372,05 3.171,0 1.508,50 2.317,00 437,70 153,28 1.601,50 519,60 4.953,0 2.300,00

% CHG. -0,45% +1,15% +0,20% -0,18% +0,71% +1,40% +1,42% -0,54% +0,41% -0,20% -0,20% +0,99% +0,53% +0,18% -4,45% +1,95% +0,79% +0,40% +0,88% +0,43% +0,22% +0,64% +2,77% +1,27% -0,15% +1,22% -2,49% +0,45% +0,74% -0,27% +0,40% -0,31% +0,67% +0,18% +1,91% +0,65% +0,67% -0,87% -0,19% +0,13% -0,36% -0,57% +0,13% -0,04% +1,23% +2,28% +0,95% -0,27% +0,57% +0,13%

NET VOL 270,58K 281,95K 50,23K 806,16K 149,27K 96,89K 197,07K 387,24K 314,55K 357,20K 139,35K 1,67M 306,88K 543,67K 442,08K 6,63M 239,74K 62,58K 999,36K 10,81M 46,87K 300,92K 5,01M 64,32K 97,32K 158,43K 3,95M 50,86K 294,40K 168,84K 20,79K 20,00K 289,08K 176,62K 997,75K 95,21K 46,13K 90,37K 156,21K 821,20K 4,72M 81,50K 56,13K 63,81K 4,32M 10,95M 458,01K 226,15K 37,49K 73,97K

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 AD Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentoki 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

5.244,0 120,17 294,90 2.207,0 749,60 294,00 49,49 6.801,4 742,00 160,65 1.823,00 985,20 224,80 8.314,0 29,26 1.907,78 2.800,3 664,80 1.436,55 6.255,0 2.368,00 631,20 763,60 4.489,5 139,40 7,71 1.604,8 1.604,50 1.605,8 795,00 1.574,00 16,96 3.654,0 1.525,36 1.405,15 2.821,0 1.274,50 1.511,00 16.550,0 1.604,50 1.567,00 455,20 157,70 280,60 214,30 3.848,5 1.063,00 115,69 3.051,0 1.108,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.248,0 120,75 296,00 2.247,0 751,80 294,10 49,55 6.856,0 743,60 160,70 1.842,50 992,70 225,00 8.338,0 30,30 1.921,83 2.804,0 665,20 1.452,00 6.310,0 2.370,00 632,60 772,20 4.499,0 139,74 7,96 1.622,0 1.622,11 1.622,2 801,60 1.581,50 17,64 3.692,0 1.530,16 1.414,50 2.829,0 1.290,42 1.515,50 16.640,0 1.619,00 1.567,00 456,20 158,00 281,50 216,60 3.866,5 1.066,97 116,32 3.072,0 1.110,00

-0,04% -0,44% +0,79% -1,21% +0,81% +0,75% +0,89% +1,43% +0,24% +0,75% -0,11% +0,21% +1,90% +0,48% -2,24% +0,54% +0,50% +0,82% -1,00% +0,11% +0,04% +0,10% 0,00% +0,77% +2,50% -3,89% -0,29% -0,35% -0,27% -0,57% +4,55% -4,12% -0,03% +0,65% +0,18% +0,39% -0,23% +1,04% -0,09% +0,50% +0,90% +0,82% +0,86% +0,59% +2,15% -0,01% +0,62% +1,83% +1,26% +0,59%

24,81K 553,72K 484,80K 131,83K 540,66K 1,76M 22,54M 156,42K 30,88K 841,11K 157,73K 826,06K 2,38M 24,57K 1,08M 300,00K 105,67K 126,10K 594,45K 181,40K 420,72K 150,83K 250,64K 441,59K 2,20M 1,98M 945,38K 938,60K 1,02M 348,45K 6,41K 4,90M 9,51K 437,41K 359,30K 33,84K 308,67K 35,10K 8,03K 188,28K 63,53K 645,53K 1,82M 2,62M 1,07M 484,95K 44,12K 20,38M 141,07K 366,61K

1.19062

0.83914

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.12812 Japan yen (JPY)......................................128.827 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.04741 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43709 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.0364

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 22

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

PRICE 179,23 2.999,10 3.676,57 206,08 160,55 214,13 200,44 111,91 53,25 55,13 387,39 408,69 218,49 116,05 49,52 162,89 160,92 251,95 80,70 345,30 343,11 174,88 146,82 301,17 1.137,06 440,00 50,86 200,86 142,39 154,00

CHANGE 180,81 3.037,0 3.762,15 206,20 161,02 225,33 202,92 113,15 53,69 55,49 390,24 410,10 221,20 116,56 49,73 163,19 162,11 253,32 82,75 352,10 345,10 177,20 148,23 306,00 1.138,72 449,45 51,31 203,50 144,00 155,21

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) +0,26% 2,47M -0,50% 982,79K -0,53% 4,89M +1,01% 3,21M +1,70% 114,94M -5,77% 20,68M -0,49% 2,94M -2,22% 13,50M -0,71% 29,85M -0,51% 15,77M -1,02% 2,59M +0,70% 3,52M -1,00% 2,08M -0,52% 5,33M -0,32% 26,29M +0,30% 7,62M -1,31% 11,36M -0,60% 2,72M -2,83% 17,36M +1,95% 25,75M +0,54% 21,09M +2,06% 6,11M -0,20% 5,27M -0,60% 4,63M +3,71% 21,16M -2,11% 3,52M -0,74% 20,87M -1,21% 17,94M -0,54% 9,32M -1,02% 16,52M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 22

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Aurora Innovation Inc. Wt Greenland Technologies Holding Corp.

Snow Lake Resources Ltd. Jupiter Wellness Inc. Wt Aurora Innovation Inc. Longeveron Inc. Orion Biotech Opportunities Corp. Wt 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. II Wt Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. Cl B Wt Citius Pharmaceuticals Inc. Wt Medicus Sciences Acquisition Corp. Wt

89.60% 89.46% 73.33% 53.56% 51.42% 46.00% 38.61% 37.95% 24.79% 22.98% 22.67%

3.96M 165.91M 24.57M 49.89K 36.79M 102.96M 150 303.1K 12.36K 200 60.44K

-59.71% -57.72% -50.47% -41.97% -41.19% -35.44% -30.17% -30.09% -28.86% -27.06% -25.93%

3.43M 6.28M 66.41K 9.43M 12.17M 4.61K 912.1K 3.38M 2.54K 4.23M 999

Most Declined Advanced Human Imaging Ltd. ADR Connect Biopharma Holdings Ltd. ADR ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. Wt ReTo Eco-Solutions Inc. Flora Growth Corp.

Zimmer Energy Transition Acq. Corp. Wt Dermata Therapeutics Inc. Exicure Inc. Gesher I Acquisition Corp. Wt RedHill Biopharma Ltd. ADR Nova Vision Acquisition Corp. Rt

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBVA launches Turkish take-over

Credit: BBVA Media Centre

BBVA CEO: Onur Genç (right) has an in-depth knowledge of banking in Turkey.

SPANISH bank BBVA has launched a take‐over bid for Turkey’s largest private bank Garanti at an expected cost of €2.25 billion.

If the bid is approved by Turkish Authorities, it will purchase the 50.15 per cent of Garanti that it does not al‐ ready hold and as it is offer‐ ing a 34 per cent premium over average share price, it is confident that sharehold‐ ers will accept the deal.

In the event that not all shareholders do agree, then BBVA will still be able to in‐ crease its stake in the Turk‐ ish bank even without a take‐over.

The Board of BBVA be‐ lieve that Turkey is a good market to invest in and that the long‐term results, should the sale be agreed, will be good for the Spanish bank

and its own shareholders.

BBVA Research estimates that the country’s GDP has a growth potential of 3.5 per cent per annum and it is an important partner for Eu‐ rope as in 2020, 56 per cent of Turkish exports went to this continent.

In addition, it believes that growth opportunities in the banking business are very high as household debt ac‐ counts for 17 per cent of Turkey’s GDP, compared to an average 69 per cent for the European Union.

It is probably no coinci‐ dence that Turkish born Onur Genç, who was ap‐ pointed CEO of BBVA Spain in 2019, had previously worked in Garanti has an in‐ depth knowledge of banking in Turkey and sees that country as a good invest‐

Wooing Zimbabwe THE Spanish Government’s wooing of African countries continues as its Ambassador to Zimbab‐ we Santiago Gómez‐Acerbo paid a courtesy call to the Speaker of Parliament, on November 16.

During the meeting, he explained that al‐ though there are not strong economic links be‐ tween the two countries at the moment, Spain has greatly assisted in the development of the health and education sector in the country.

It looks forward to increasing trade with Zim‐ babwe and to welcoming the Speaker to Madrid shortly as the leader of a delegation to the Inter Parliamentary Union Assembly.

The Ambassador also offered Spain’s assis‐ tance in the development of democracy in Zim‐ babwe.

ment home for the money raised from the sale of a BB‐ VA American subsidiary.

BUSINESS EXTRA Car prices THE Office for National Statistics has highlighted the fact that popular sec‐ ond‐hand cars in the UK are in some cases up to more than 50 per cent higher than they were in 2020 due to the shortage of components which is forcing up new vehicle prices.

Plusvalía tax THE new Spanish Plusvalía tax used to calculate capital gains on the sale of proper‐ ties will be lower for those who purchased prior to 2016 according to a report by the Registry of Tax Advi‐ sory Economists (REAF) which has 6,000 members throughout Spain.

House of Fraser FOR years, the Art deco building at 318 Oxford Street housed the DH Evans department store, but since 2001 it has been the House of Fraser flag‐ ship store. It will close in January for conversion to an office block with shops, a gym and a rooftop restaurant.

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

EWN 17

18 EWN

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I SEE President Biden called for ‘calm’ in the aftermath of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. This was the case of the teenager who shot three demonstrators at a BLM protest march, resulting in the death of two of the victims. The event has gripped America for weeks and has probably been the highest profile trial since the Floyd affair. However, until the not guilty verdict was announced, the British media hardly touched on the case at all. Why? Indisputably because all three victims were white.

For certain, had they been black, the left‐wing media would have covered it from the outset; no doubt gleefully whipping up public furore and swelling the hordes of demonstrators and protesters that would undoubtedly have gathered outside the court throughout the trial. Well, I watched this case from the start and can assure you that there were always only relatively small numbers of demonstrators present and those that did gather appeared peaceful and controlled.

However controversial the result,

www.euroweeklynews.com

Trial reaction

there were no violent demonstrations anywhere. Unnecessarily, and almost unbelievably immediately calling out the National Guard, Biden’s over‐reaction to what did take place was a typical clumsy left‐wing attempt to introduce racism into the equation; making it appear that the fatalities among white victims will instigate public disorder and violent reactions in the same way as if they were black ‐ which of course is utter patronising poppycock.

Had these victims been black, the not guilty verdict would have unquestionably resulted in widespread rioting, looting and uncontrollable mayhem. Grieving relatives would have appeared on camera, surrounded by nodding supporters and assuring the world that their sons were ‘wonderful boys’ and victims of white injustice.

Thousands of BLM demonstrators would have been marching across America, closely followed by cities of the UK and other European countries.

Properties would have been razed to the ground, the cost would be in the billions and no doubt the death toll

would have risen considerably. After the chaos, the whole devastating event would have probably culminated in heavily compensated relatives with statues of the victims cast in bronze outside some town hall or other.

Sometimes it all truly does make you want to give up!

Have you noticed that even the Christmas movies that are beginning to creep up on us also contain strong diversity matter? Someone is certainly going to a great deal of trouble to continue gaslighting the public.

Somewhere in the murky media depths, people are actually being instructed by their leaders to comb the movie archives and come up with those containing favourable diversity subjects.

Heaven help us all.

Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2003@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. Fri. 1pm till 4.

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.

FEATURE

Film Review by Laura Kemp

Streaming now: Bruised B R U I S E D, released on Netflix on November 24, marks Halle Berry’s di‐ rectorial debut as she takes one last shot at re‐ demption in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world.

Berry plays MMA fight‐ er Jackie, and the movie picks up four years on from her humiliating de‐ feat in the ring against Lady Killer, played by professional MMA fight‐ er Valentina Shevchenko.

Jackie gave up her son and turned to alcohol while in an abusive rela‐ tionship with a man who brings her back to fight‐ ing. He takes her to a ‘basement brawl’ where she is spotted by a fight league promoter.

When Jackie’s son Manny, who refuses to talk, unexpectedly re‐en‐ ters her life, she decides to get back in the ring and fight Lady Killer again in one last shot of

redemption.

There are a couple of storylines running along‐ side the main thread: Jackie’s growing relation‐ ship with Manny. Her re‐ lationship with her mother, which reveals she was abused as a youngster. And her rela‐ tionship with seasoned trainer Bobbi Buddhakan Berroa.

Set in the gritty back‐ drop of a rough area of New Jersey, Bruised is a classic story of redemp‐ tion, portrayed by a woman who has been living on her fight or flight instincts. It builds empathy as you root for Jackie and raises tension as the grand finale in the ring nears.

The film is a little cliched and predictable.

However, a wide‐eyed Berry puts in a convinc‐ ing performance as a spent fighter on the comeback trail.

THURSDAY 25/11

5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:40pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

FRIDAY 26/11

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:05pm 9:30pm 10:30pm

TUESDAY 30/11

MONDAY 29/11

SUNDAY 28/011 SATURDAY 27/11

11:00pm 6:20pm 6:30pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 7:10pm 7:55pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:35pm 6:15pm 6:20pm 6:25pm 7:25pm 8:20pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:40pm 9:10pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

WEDNESDAY 01/12

11:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

9:00pm 10:00pm

11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm

The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon MasterChef: The Professionals

7:00pm

BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals Have I Got News for You BBC News at Ten

4:10pm 4:40pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Celebrity Mastermind The Hit List Strictly Special Strictly Come Dancing Michael McIntyre's The Wheel Blankety Blank Casualty

2:15pm

BBC London News; Weather Weather Countryfile Doctor Who: Flux Strictly Come Dancing: The Results Top Gear Showtrial BBC News BBC London News; Weather

1:00pm

BBC London News; Weather The One Show MasterChef: The Professionals EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals The Outlaws BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather

7:00pm

Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Holby City The Bidding Room Who Do You Think You Are? BBC News at Ten

7:30pm 8:00pm

The One Show Delivering Christmas: What's in Store? Panorama The Repair Shop Paddy & Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather

6:15pm 7:00pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:10am

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:30pm

6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:30pm 12:35am

1:45pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 10:55pm 11:20pm 11:30pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Mary Berry - Love to Cook Nadiya's Fast Flavours Surgeons: At the Edge of Life Mock the Week Newsnight Weather

8:00pm

A Vicar's Life The Best Dishes Ever Reindeer Family & Me Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip The Wild Gardener Womanhood Newsnight

9:00pm 10:00pm

Live Snooker: UK Championship Universe Dad's Army The Lakes with Simon Reeve Queen at the BBC Freddie Mercury: The Final Act Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert Snooker: UK Championship

8:00pm 8:10pm

The Hairy Bikers' Comfort Food Live Snooker: UK Championship Flog It! Cornwall: This Fishing Life Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Antiques Roadshow The Lakes with Simon Reeve The Office

8:00pm 8:30pm

Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Villages by the Sea Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge The Princes and the Press Frankie Boyle's New World Order Newsnight

9:00pm

Strictly: It Takes Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Impeachment: American Crime Story What We Do in the Shadows Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Newsnight

8:00pm

Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Walking with Shappi Khorsandi Between the Covers Inside the Christmas Factory Universe Live at the Apollo Newsnight

8:00pm

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 1:15am 2:05am 2:35am

11:00pm 12:00am 12:30am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am

8:40pm 9:40pm 10:30pm 12:00am 12:50am 1:40am 2:10am

9:00pm 11:15pm 12:45am 1:45am 2:45am

10:00pm

11:00pm 11:35pm 12:35am 1:50am

8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:30pm 12:30am 1:30am

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am

The Joy of Painting: Winter Specials Great British Railway Journeys A303: Highway to the Sun Walt Disney All the President's Men Watergate Inside Museums B Catling: Where Does It All Come From? - Arena

4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

TOTP: 1991 Lindisfarne's Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story Folk Hibernia at the BBC Sounds of the Sixties The Old Grey Whistle Test Sings Musicals TOTP: 1991 Lindisfarne's Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story

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

Coast Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age Ancient Invisible Cities Pole to Pole Stieg Larsson's Millennium Chasing the Moon Chasing the Moon Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age Pole to Pole

3:35pm

The Chronicles of Erne Bernadine Evaristo: This Cultural Life An American in Paris: The Musical The Vasulka Effect Kill Your TV: Jim Moir's Weird World of Video Art Ryan Gander: The Idea of Japan Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore

7:50pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Britain's Lost Masterpieces Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain with Simon Sebag Montefiore The Ash Tree Imagine: Chris Ofili - The Caged Bird's Song Antony Gormley Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons Side by Side: The Interview

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

The Joy of Painting: Winter Specials Winter Walks Keeping Up Appearances One Foot in the Grave Dinnerladies Mark Lawson Talks to Richard Wilson Scots in China Scots in China What Do Artists Do All Day?

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

The Joy of Painting: Winter Specials Winter Walks Earth: The Power of the Planet Charley Boorman: Sydney to Tokyo, by Any Means Rise of the Clans Bute: The Scot Who Spent a Welsh Fortune Two Types: The Faces of Britain

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

10:00pm 11:15pm 11:45pm

9:30pm 10:00pm 11:15pm

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:10pm 6:25pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm

10:00pm 11:35pm 11:49pm 11:50pm 1:00am

9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:35pm 11:50pm

9:30pm 10:00pm 11:05pm

ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale The Martin Lewis Money Show Christmas Special I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News ITV News London

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

Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Griff's Great New Zealand Adventure Coronation Street I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News

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

ITV Racing: Live from Newbury Tipping Point: Lucky Stars ITV News and Weather ITV News London An Audience with Adele Moneyball The Chase Celebrity Special I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

The Jonathan Ross Show

5:05pm

ITV News London Sitting on a Fortune Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Celebrity Special I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather Harry's Heroes: Euro Having a Laugh Again!

Shop: Ideal World

2:45pm 3:10pm 3:40pm 4:10pm 5:55pm 7:35pm 8:00pm

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Gino's Italian Family Adventure Coronation Street I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News at Ten and Weather

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

ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Britain's Busiest Motorway Love Your Garden I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London On Assignment

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

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Coronation Street I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News at Ten and Weather

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

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

6:05pm 7:05pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

10:00pm 11:00pm

10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker - The Final Taskmaster Queens of Rap Unapologetic

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Unreported World The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice Gogglebox The Last Leg The Big Narstie Show

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Jamie: Keep Cooking at Christmas Escape to the Chateau at Christmas Channel 4 News Escape from the Taliban: Dispatches Skeletons of the Mary Rose: The New Evidence Britain By Beach Empire State of Mind Parasite

5:15pm

The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Flushed Away Shrek Forever After Channel 4 News Christmas at Warwick Castle Escape to the Chateau Close to Me Gogglebox The Vanishing

6:35pm 7:25pm 7:30pm

A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Food Unwrapped The Truth about Your Chicken: Dispatches Guy's Garage Along for the Ride with David O'Doherty

4:20pm

A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland Stath Lets Flats Gogglebox

4:15pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News George Clarke's Old House, New Home Grand Designs: House of the Year Love Trap First Dates

2:30pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:25am

5:20pm 6:10pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:30pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:25pm 12:25am

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

4:15pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads Great British Gardens: Season by Season with Carol Klein Inside the Tower of London The Great Escape: Capture Casualty 24/7 The Enforcer

5:00am 7:00am 12:30pm

5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads Secrets of the Imperial War Museum Thames at Night with Tony Robinson Hang 'Em High 5 News Update Hang 'Em High 1975: Britain's Biggest 70s Hits

5:30am 7:00am 12:30pm

Entertainment News on 5 Christmas in Vienna Santa Who? 5 News Weekend The Wonderful World of Gold Christmas at Hampton Court The Queen's Worst Year When Saturday Night TV Goes Horribly Wrong

5:00am 7:00am 12:30pm

The Christmas Train 5 News Weekend The Two Ronnies: The Unseen Sketches Victoria Wood: Funny Business Billy Connolly: In His Own Words World's Most Expensive Celeb Break Ups Greatest Ever Movie Blunders

5:30am 7:00am 12:30pm

8:30pm 10:15pm 1:30am 2:10am

Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket Scottish Premiership Live Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live NFL Live NFL Live NBC's FNIA Live NFL

A Little Christmas Charm 5 News at 5 Neighbours Meerkat Manor UK's Strongest Man 2021 Traffic Cops Casualty 24/7 The Abduction of Milly Dowler Police: Hour of Duty

5:30am 7:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:15pm 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am

Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live EFL Sky Sports News Live: NFL Fantasy Live: Total Access Live NFL

Holly & Ivy 5 News at 5 Neighbours Meerkat Manor Secret Life of the Forest Christmas on the Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard Attack on Pearl Harbor: Caught By Surprise Inside the Force: 24/7 Death Wish

8:30am 9:00am

Early Kick-Off Good Morning Sports Fans Good Morning Sports Fans The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Scottish Premiership Live Sky Sports News

The Road Home For Christmas The Christmas House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Meerkat Manor The Gadget Show Police Interceptors Attack on Pearl Harbor: 30 Mins of Hell Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords

8:30am 9:00am

4:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 10:00pm 1:30am 5:30am

4:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am

1:00pm 4:00pm 6:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

3:00pm 5:00pm

10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:15pm

5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 11:15pm 12:00am 1:00am

Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket Live European Tour Golf Live Ladies European Tour Golf Sky Sports News Live NFL Live NFL Live NFL Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket Live European Tour Golf Live Ladies European Tour Golf Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live EFL Sky Sports News Live: NFL Fantasy Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket Soccer Saturday PreMatch Live EFL Gillette Soccer Saturday Live: SNF Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live NBA

Early Kick-Off Live One-Day International Cricket Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Scottish Premiership Live Soccer Special PostMatch Live: NFL Fantasy Live: Total Access

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

THROWING AWAY THE PANDEMIC PAST

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

EWN 21

Advertising Feature

IN A PERFECT WORLD BIKE INSURANCE

KEEPING YOU SAFE: Customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything they do.

UNWANTED PURCHASES: UK households spent more than £6.6 billion during Covid.

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

I’M sure everyone would like to forget the past 20 months, but do we all want to get rid of things that helped us get through such a signifi‐ cant and challenging time?

In total, UK households spent more than £6.6 bil‐ lion on pandemic pur‐ chases they no longer want or use ‐ gaming and home gym equipment, tools and clothes the most commonly regret‐ ted items. Nine out of 10 people spent money on ‘treats’ from hot tubs to pizza ovens at a collec‐ tive cost of more than £57.6 billion. Phew!

Sales of super yachts, though, are still booming thanks to a big rise in the number of billionaires, who are splurging up to $600 million on luxury vessels in an attempt to

avoid places hit by future pandemics. (Yes, I’m looking at you, Mr Be‐ zos!)

One of my acquain‐ tances (and no, not a bil‐ lionaire) bought a cheap recliner rocker for those long hours of TV binge‐ ing. You know the ones: they make you feel like you’re going to do a backward somersault when you sit down, and be launched onto the carpet when you press the button to get up. And in‐between you’re al‐ most guaranteed to nod off and miss all the best bits.

Another acquaintance bought a trampoline that uses about 10 per cent of the garden and has killed 30 per cent of the grass…

But what about all those impulse puppy purchases? I’m less both‐ ered about the types of items listed above than I am about the number of puppies bought by peo‐ ple who simply didn’t know what they were doing. Thousands of dogs are going to end up abandoned or handed in‐ to rescues, with psycho‐ logical problems because they haven’t been either

properly socialised or trained. You can’t simply dump your new puppy in the corner of the garage next to your broken pizza oven.

One neighbour, though, has no pandemic purchase regrets whatso‐ ever, having bought a cocktail shaker and SHED‐LOADS of booze.

Maybe the biggest sign of over‐doing it is that he now gets a Christmas card from his local Ama‐ zon delivery drivers...

Nora Johnson’s psy‐ chological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Land‐ scape of Lies’, ‘Retribu‐ tion’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All prof‐ its to Costa del Sol Cude‐ ca cancer charity.

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

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

IMAGINE a place where cars never change lane for no reason. Where roads are free from loose gravel. And where jumping the lights is a thing of the past. One day, maybe.

Until then, you need a safe pair of hands.

Línea Directa has been keeping you and your motorbike safe since 1995.

A dedicated team of English‐speaking cus‐ tomer service experts will guide you through all your queries and provide clear answers.

And if you take out a new bike insurance poli‐ cy before December 31, 2021, Línea Directa will give you €30 cashback. Terms and condi‐ tions apply.

MORE THAN JUST BIKE INSURANCE Línea Directa is constantly innovating its bike insurance policies to offer much more for less. Customer satisfaction is at the very heart of everything they do. Extensive coverage lev‐ els ensure a quality motorbike insurance product. Additional policy benefits such as cover for lost keys, helmet and leathers cover and dedicated legal advice. Línea Directa are customer service experts and they can guide you through a wide range of covers to offer you the very best bike insurance policy that’s right for you.

WHY LÍNEA DIRECTA? Línea Directa has been providing comprehen‐ sive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 25 years. With over three million customers na‐ tionwide, all services and documentation is in English. Your bike insurance protects you finan‐ cially against loss in the event of a motor vehicle accident or theft of your bike. From flat tyres and dead batteries to empty petrol tanks, Línea Directa is always on hand 24/7, 365 days a year for total peace of mind.

EXPAT2EXPAT Did you know that Línea Directa has its own Expat2Expat programme? Whenever an existing customer recommends a friend, then we re‐ ward the policy‐holder and the friend with €30 in cash. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to €300 in cash per year. Simply ask your friend to call 917 002 006 and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of next or first premium. See terms and conditions at lin eadirecta.com.

Call their English‐speaking customer service staff on 952 147 834 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com

BEST PRICE. BETTER COVER.

22 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

FEATURE

Travel

Rough justice

CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD “JUSTICE! Justice!” Right-wingers will cry out and celebrate as this week in America, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of murder. He fatally shot two people, injured another, and attempted to shoot two more. His argument was self-defence, made after a person hit him with a skateboard while trying to disarm him. Rittenhouse was carrying an AR-15 rifle that he had brought from his home, a 30-minute drive away from where he was attending the scene of violent protests, to ‘defend property’, according to his defence. He was also pretending to be an EMT, an American paramedic.

He has no medical certification.

The protests had begun because a man, Jacob Blake, was shot by a police officer. Blake was walking to his car, in which his three children were sitting, and from which they saw the whole event unfold. Blake was shot in the back and is now paralysed from the waist down. The police officer was not charged. His plea was self-defence.

Kyle Rittenhouse is the same age as

Trayvon Martin. Martin was walking home from the shops with a bag of skittles in his hand. He was shot and killed by a neighbourhood watch zealot, who was charged with seconddegree murder and then acquitted at trial. His plea was self-defence. If there seems to be a theme running through these stories, there is: plead self-defence and the murder charge goes away. But hold on, this cheat code to life does not apply to everybody. Women who kill their abusive partners in self-defence situations spend on average 60 per cent longer in prison than the men who kill the partners they are abusing. One of the main factors in this type of sentencing according to psychologists, is the widespread societal belief that women are not meant to be violent, therefore these accused women must be in the wrong.

The ‘get out of jail free’ card also misses out black people. Studies have shown that when the same actions are carried out by people of different races, the actions of the black participant are recorded as being more vio-

lent. In a particular study conducted at Irvine University, when two participants pushed each other after a heated argument, 75 per cent of people classed the black participant’s action as ‘violent’, versus just 17 per cent when the white participant did the same thing.

These beliefs are widely held and not spoken about enough. They seep into all facets of our lives and skew the system of so-called justice in the favour of certain people. Social context plays a huge role in how we judge a situation. For example, 92 per cent of judges in the UK are white. Less than a fifth are women. These numbers matter because if a person cannot relate to you, they are more likely to judge your actions harshly.

Unsurprisingly, there have been protests since the Rittenhouse verdict.

A system cannot be just, if the same level of justice is not given to all.

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

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

TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA

#TheWomanBeyond I MENTIONED last week that I am sens‐ ing there is an element of madness and disruption going on in the world, I feel times are a bit strange, how about you?

Although if we think about it, when has there not been a state of flux? Noth‐ ing stays the same does it and there al‐ ways will be some sort of change hap‐ pening!! The inevitable ups and downs of life.

I love this concept. ANTIFRAGILE. How do we become ANTIFRAGILE so that, no matter what is happening ‘out there’, we can always choose to respond in our most optimal way?

I have been having this very discussion with some of my current Visionary Wom‐ en Programme Clients this week. Some of them have seen business tank in the last couple of months, some of them have seen a real change and challenge in their markets, like nothing they have ex‐ perienced before and others have seen opportunities and managed to pivot and

Andalucia heritage SPAIN has 49 World Heritage sites including seven in Andalu‐ cia. The most famous is the Al‐ hambra Palace in Granada, which was built by the Mus‐ lims who ruled al‐Andalus for over 700 years.

The whole of Cordoba City centre has been designated a World Heritage site, including the beautiful Mesquita. Origi‐ nally a mosque dating back to the eighth century, it was pre‐ served after the reconquest, and a Renaissance style church was built within.

Outside Cordoba, the city of Medina Azahara was built in 40 years, flourished for 40 years, and then perished in flames and to be forgotten for a millennium.

In Sevilla, UNESCO sites in‐ clude the Royal Alcazar, a suc‐ cession of palaces started in the Muslim era and continued into the Christian period; the cathedral, a very Catholic struc‐ ture apart from the 12th cen‐ tury Muslim tower at one end; and the Archivo General de In‐ dias, which charts the con‐

ANTIFRAGILE capitalise on these opportunities, either way the common theme for these wom‐ en business owners and leaders is how to remain focused and strong, no matter what is thrown at them.

In his great book Antifragile, Nassim Taleb walks us through the fact that there’s a big difference between being fragile, being resilient, and being AN‐ TIFRAGILE. In short this is what ANTIFRAGILE is all about: If you’re fragile and life hits you hard, guess what? You break.

If you’re resilient and life hits you hard, well you withstand more and maybe a little bit more, BUT eventually… you break.

However,…

If you’re ANTIFRAGILE, when life hits you hard you actually get stronger.

I LOVE that, think about it.

The more you get kicked around and challenged by life, the S T R O N G E R you get.

Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Antifragile reveals how some systems thrive from shocks, volatility and uncer‐ tainty, instead of breaking from them, and how can we adapt more antifragile traits ourselves to thrive in an uncertain and chaotic world.

Nassim reminds us and his wisdom would be good to remember: “A wind extinguishes a candle but fuels a fire.”

Human bones get stronger when sub‐ jected to tension and stress. And we have all seen how rumours and riots in‐ tensify when repressed.

Many things in this life benefit from disorder, volatility, stress, and turmoil.

Which also reminds me about this lit‐ tle gem from Rumi: “I am burning. If anyone lacks tinder, let her set her rubbish ablaze with my fire.”

Let’s get ANTIFRAGILE, let’s build a bonfire.

ALHAMBRA Palace in Granada.

quest of the Americas with 43,000 volumes on nine kilo‐ metres of shelving.

Baeza and Úbeda were both reconquered in 1227 and re‐ built in a style Unesco de‐ scribes as Renaissance Monu‐ mental Ensembles.

Andalucia’s only World Her‐ itage site dedicated to nature is the Doñana national park.

In Malaga, the Antequera megalithic dolmens, Menga, Vera and Romeral, were built between 3,800 BC and 2,500 BC by the Neolithic people in the area.

By Nick Nutter of visit‐andalucia.com

Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment. Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Great‐ ness!

Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps Toni x P.S. Want PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION or BUSINESS SUCCESS, to get laser focused on your Vision or Biggest Most Audacious Goals? We have a couple of places left on my Visionary Women Programme. In just four, three‐hour online sessions you could Reach Beyond Your Limits, Soar Beyond Your Barri‐ ers and Live Beyond Your Dreams. Twenty‐ five per cent off for Euro Weekly News read‐ ers ‐ Just Quote Offer Code EWN25 ‐ for more info and to book head on over to https://quantumvantage.co.uk/visionary womenprogramme Don’t hold back another moment. Get ready to dive into the experience and explore your BIGGEST MOST AUDACIOUS GOALS.

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

Please do get in touch if you have any questions. Follow me, chat and share your thoughts and network with other fabulous women in my Visionary Women Facebook Group.

@tonieastwood

@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen

tonieastwoodobe

sixsecretstosuccess

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

23

TIME OUT

ia Victor

e Hayle

Q Emma

TIME OUT

24

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

25

TIME OUT

TIME OUT

26

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK GO TO WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM FOR THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS

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.

PROBLEMS GETTING TIE From our Facebook MY wife has experienced great difficulty and frustration in trying to obtain her TIE card. Her first appointment was in July in Malaga. The interview went well until she produced our Gibraltar Marriage Certificate. The official tossed the Certificate back across the desk, abruptly saying it was not a Spanish document, and we would have to get a Spanish translation.

She said that all the other paperwork was OK. The second appointment some weeks later started with the acceptance of the now translated Marriage Certificate. However, the official now said that some of my wife’s documents (which had been accepted at the first interview) were not acceptable because they were in a different name. My wife explained that they were in her previous married name, and that was why she had produced her Marriage Certificate. The official said that, in Spain, getting married was no reason to change your name, and that we would have to get “an official document explaining that the two names were, in fact, the same person…and that she would not accept the Marriage Certificate as proof.”

We then produced a Deed Poll Certificate of Change, detailing the reason for the name change. We had anticipated that a translation would be needed, so we had already had one done. This was rejected as being not acceptable because it was not a document recognised in Spain.

At this point we asked to speak to the manager. She supported what the official had said, and advised that we would have to go to the British Consulate and obtain a Certificado de Concordia. We contacted the Consulate, explaining why we wanted an appointment. The Consular official politely explained that the Certificado de Concordia was discontinued (with the blessing of the Spanish Government) in 2016, as it duplicated the details of a Marriage Certificate (!?)

By now we had decided that we were never going to get the TIE card from Malaga, who were getting ruder and unhelpful with each visit. My wife managed to get an appointment in Torre del Mar, and would you believe it, the application was approved promptly and politely using the same documents we took to Malaga for the first attempt months before. My wife collected her card this morning. Spanish beurocracy can be a frustrating minefield at the best of times.

But when the people you are dealing with are rude, unhelpful and apparently don’t know their own procedures and systems, it makes for a very frustrating experience.

LOOKING FORWARD AS news filters in concerning the latest lockdowns or imposed restrictions across parts of Europe it seems that both Spain and the UK are doing relatively well at the moment.

Experts argue that because England (which has the largest population in the UK) removed restrictions earlier than most European countries, it has already passed the spike that is affecting countries such as Austria and the Netherlands and therefore for Britain the worst may be over for now.

Although figures in Spain are going up, the Spanish public has been quite vigilant in ensuring that

CORRECTIONS

Needless to say, we are going to lodge an official complaint, but if that is received by officials like the ones we have already come across, we don’t hold out much hope that things will improve in the near future.

Keep up the good work of keeping us well informed.

Ann and Mike Hood

Just a quick comment on a rainy morning I have been reading your newspaper on and off from the beginning. I would like to congratulate you on the improvement of the presentation and content. There is a good balance between interesting and topical information and the more controversial articles.

The controversial section (I’m sure we know who we are talking about!) is extremely well written and it really does clearly state what most people just think. That kind of controversy really makes the newspaper stand out against other similar publications and makes us all look forward to reading the next edition, giving us topical subject matter for many ‘heated’ discussions to come.

Continue the good work!

Patricia

Do you remember?

Hola Leapy!

I sent a copy of your article to a good friend in South Africa (where I also lived until recently); she agreed it was a GREAT article, you always hit the nail on the head! She asked whether you are the Leapy Lee who made a hit record with the Little Arrows in 60s or 70s - said I would ask you … so are you? If so, she said you did a show at the Copperbelt Agri Show Ball in Kitwe, Zambia where she met you …

I was born in Kabwe, Zambia !

Cheers Chloe

OUR VIEW

it complies with the wearing of masks, although there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that many find social distancing (ie, queueing) more difficult to come to terms with.

It has already been established in the Spanish courts that the original lockdown was imposed without the proper authority and fines for breaches have been cancelled or are to be repaid, so the options for the different autonomous communities as well as the national government are restricted.

Despite those members of the public who are of the opinion that vaccinations are pointless, danger-

ous and an imposition on personal freedom, it does seem that most of those who have been inoculated and catch the infection, do not fall as seriously ill as those who remain unvaccinated.

It may be a nuisance to have to have a booster vaccination, but if you have survived two, then it seems a third injection won’t literally be the end of the world.

As long as we all continue to take sensible precautions to protect our health by washing hands regularly, respecting social distancing and wearing masks then, hopefully the majority will remain healthy.

PROTESTS: Have been carried out across Europe.

Zendini Escapologist Governments are overstepping, if this was about health then all overweight ppl should be fined. Companies that create unhealthy food should be fined ,,free gym etc. But this isn’t about health, this is about control and ppl shouldn’t have to demonstrate asking goverments to give them back. Ppl have to stop complying. The governments and medical industry are accountable.

Jenny Church It’s not just anti lockdown. They are demonstrating for freedom.

Why lockdown unvaccinated, look at Gibraltar nearly 100 per cent vaccinated, huge rise in Covid, must be the vaccinated spreading it. This was never about a ‘virus’.

Robert Miller Snr Take the vac and precautions, governments are only trying to protect people’s health and to diminish the problems the Chinese virus is causing.

Sue Quye Back to mask wearing in the streets and no hugging and kissing.

Theresa Attwood Rioting is never the answer, protesting freedoms yes, but unfortunately there will always be a small portion where it most likely turns violent, through anger, fear, frustration.

John Lowry Let people get on with their lives. Surely the only people the unvaccinated are putting at risk is themselves, if the vaccinated can still get it and pass it on, but are supposedly less at risk.

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

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

SPONSORED BY

29

PETS

Need a pet-sitter for the holidays?

IF you are planning a trip over the holidays, you 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 be‐ hind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, 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 philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com

Finding a reliable and caring dog sitter for the holidays

2. Choose a Premium ac‐ count (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with pho‐ tos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for your next holiday, Covid permitting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

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 ad‐ vert saying when you are go‐ ing 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 HouseSit Match took in helping us find the right person.

Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesit match. com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscrip‐ tion 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 a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50% discount using coupon code SUPER50 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.Housesitmatch.com.

Could your pet give you salmonella?

INVESTIGATORS at Valencia’s CEU‐Cardenal Herrera university have warned of the possible dangers of keeping turtles as pets. In a study led by veterinary professor Clara Marin, investigators discovered the presence of salmonella in 29 per cent of 96 privately‐ owned turtles kept as pets.

The reptiles show no symptoms, yet this consider‐ able number of carriers is extremely likely to pass the bacteria on to its owners, especially children, the el‐ derly or people with weak immune systems, Marin said.

This should be taken into account by parents who choose turtles as pets for their children due to their small size and convenience, and pet shops should warn of the dangers, the investigators said.

In Europe 100,000 cases of salmonella are diag‐ nosed each year and al‐ though most are due to contaminated food, it’s esti‐ mated about 6 per cent are from contact with turtles and reptiles.

100,000 Salmonella cases each year.

Aquarium answers I HAVE snails living in my substrate ‐ lots of them.

They have a cone‐like shell and sometimes if I watch closely I can actually see the substrate moving about. Are they going to cause any problems? Should I leave them or try (!?!) to eradicate them?

It sounds as though you have a colony of thiarid snails, probably Melanoides tuberculata (aka Red‐rim Melania, Malaysian burrow‐ ing/ trumpet snail or simply MTS) or possibly Tarebia granifera (Quilted Melania).

These are often referred to as aquarium pests since they can reproduce incredibly quickly when there is a con‐ sistent excess of food. As you’ve seen they spend the majority of their time within the substrate but do emerge occasionally, particularly at night.

They’re often said to be hermaphroditic, ie, possess‐ ing both male and female

sexual organs but in fact they reproduce by parthenogenesis; females produce embryos which de‐ velop unfertilised and give birth to live, fully‐formed young. Males do exist but in relatively small numbers compared with females.

In reality these snails are beneficial in the majority of aquaria since they eat detri‐ tus trapped within the sub‐ strate and their movement helps prevent anaerobic spots developing, particular‐ ly useful in planted set‐ups.

They will not harm live plants but do consume algae when they emerge at night, and if their numbers do in‐ crease quickly the usual cause is overfeeding of fish‐ es and/or insufficient clean‐ ing of the substrate.

If you do wish to remove them please don’t use a commercial product (most are harmful to shrimp and some fishes) or add a ‘snail‐ eating’ fish such as a Botiid

loach species (most grow relatively large, exhibit com‐ plex social behavior mean‐ ing a group of six to eight or more is required and

shouldn’t be relied upon to eat snails) rather reduce feeding and remove them manually at night or using a ‘snail trap.’

CLASSIFIEDS BUY & SELL

PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

BUILDING WE CLEAR building rubble, garden waste, old furniture etc. Fast reliable service. Tel 971 231 623 / 629 547 (294337)

CAR HIRE LEOCAR, CAR HIRE, Free airport service and competitive rates! www.leocar.com Mobile 0034 609 622 746 (291802)

CHIMNEY SWEEP SOOTY & SWEEP, Chimneys/Wood Burning Stoves, installed and swept. Tel 971 231 623 / 629 547 685 (294337)

BLINDS

DRIVING SCHOOL

LEARN TO DRIVE IN MALLORCA. Scottish Driving Instructor now qualified to teach in Mallorca. Classes in English or Spanish. Obtain your Spanish licence easier or have refresher lessons and get behind that wheel. Interested? Call 648 133 929 (287279)

FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

HEALTH & BEAUTY

30

25 Nov - 1 Dec 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY

INSURANCE

PHYSIOTHERAPY

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbey gateinsure.com

FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

MISCELLANEOUS GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

MOTORING

REMOVALS/STORAGE

WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

NAUTICAL INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE: Courses held in English and starts soon. RYA VHF and Radar Courses. 626 245 098 (294236)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

SCAFFOLDING ALUMINIUM scaffolding towers for hire. Light, quick and easy to assemble. We deliver and erect. Tlf 971 231 623 – 629 547 685 (294337)

XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.

READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE

XXX RELAX

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

XXX VARIOUS Male/Female viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs available, all areas mail order. 604 385 476. v i a g ra 4 yo u 1 9 @ g m a i l . c o m (290980)

MOTORING

INSURANCE

If you can read it, so can your clients.

Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161

SPORT

32

25 November - 1 December 2021

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

Hamilton closes gap LEWIS HAMILTON nar‐ rowed the deficit at the top of the F1 drivers’ championship to just eight points with a faultless drive in the Qatar Grand Prix on November 21. His main rival Max Verstappen finished second to maintain the tension ahead of the final two races of the season.

The Dutchman was handed a five‐place grid penalty for ignoring yel‐ low safety flags during qualifying. That placed him seventh on the grid, but within five laps he had already guided his Red Bull up into second position, just 3.7 sec‐ onds behind race leader Hamilton.

By the time Verstap‐ pen pitted, the Brit had extended his lead to 8.2 seconds. Hamilton pitted

RACE LEADER: Lewis Hamilton had a faultless drive in Qatar.

on the next lap, main‐ taining his lead. After their second stops on laps 41 and 42, the situa‐ tion remained the same until the chequered flag.

However, Verstappen gained an extra point for the fastest lap.

Fernando Alonso was the surprise face on the

podium. The 40‐year‐old is the oldest driver on the circuit and stormed to an impressive third place in the Alpine, keeping the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez at bay. It was his first podi‐ um since Hungary 2014.

The Mexican had been involved in a battle with

the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas earlier on, until a puncture to the Finn’s car midway through the race ended his chal‐ lenge.

With Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi coming up in December, the season is set for a nail‐biting cli‐ max.

Southgate extends contract GARETH SOUTHGATE signed a new contract with Eng‐ land on November 22, keeping him in the manager’s role until December 2024. His previous deal was due to expire at the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Southgate guided England to the final of Euro 2020 in July. His next big challenge is the Qatar World Cup, which runs November 21 to December 18, 2022. The new contract means he will also take charge for the Eu‐ ro 2024 qualifiers and tournament, should England progress.

He said: “It remains an incredible privilege to lead this team. We have a great opportunity in front of us.”

He added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the players, and support team for their hard work. I know they and the fans are all excited about what this squad could achieve in the future.”

Assistant manager, Steve Holland, also agreed on a new deal that carries him through to the end of 2024.

Southgate was originally given the job of caretaker manager following the departure of Sam Allardyce, but two months later, he was handed the job on a full‐time basis.

“Over the last few months, I’ve managed some of the biggest games in world football. There are no shortcuts to those moments,” the 51‐year‐old explained. “It’s dif‐ ficult to win major tournaments, we’ve only won one World Cup, but we have to believe that’s possible. It’s an aim we have as a team.”