Diplomatic incident A MOROCCAN fish farm, recently installed near Spain’s Chafarinas Islands, could potentially affect the Almeria‐Melilla ferry’s safety. The Spanish gov‐ ernment has now com‐ plained to the Moroccan embassy’s Commercial At‐ tache, Farid Aulouhaj, ac‐ cording to reports in the local Spanish press. The Chafarinas have been under Spanish con‐ trol since 1847, although Morocco does not official‐ ly recognise Spain’s sovereignty over these waters, or those off Ceu‐ ta, Melilla, Velez de la Gomera and Alhucemas.
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Shared flood plan Photo credit: Diputacion de Almeria
Issue No. 1900 2 - 8 December 2021
VERA’S mayor Jose Carmelo Jorge Blanco and his Antas counterpart intend to prevent flooding in the El Real area. Jorge Blanco and Pedro Ridao Zamora, accompanied by their respective Urban Development councillors, met recently to assess the Water Channelling and Drainage Project drawn up by both town halls. The project involves constructing a 2.5‐kilometre canal to drain off excess water ‐ especially from the AP‐ 7 storm drains ‐ that floods adjoining land and properties during periods of heavy rain. It will cost an estimated €5 million to carry out the scheme, for which both town halls are currently seeking funding from different administrations.
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Study Habits Workshop THE Huércal‐Overa Town Council has launched a new edition of the ‘Study Habits and Techniques’ training work‐ shop, which is being held this year at the Mónica Sánchez Social Services Centre. The workshop is part of the
‘Cities Against Drug Addiction’ prevention programme which includes a variety of different activities. The councillor for So‐ cial Welfare, María José Viudez, who was accompanied by stu‐ dents at the start of the work‐ shop, stressed that “through
this initiative, we will provide children and adolescents with educational tools and greater autonomy in their learning. “The tools they will learn will be of great use to them as they face their academic years, im‐ proving their performance and
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Tastes of Almeria Training workshops.
preparing them for the future,” she said. The workshop is aimed at primary school stu‐ dents in the fourth and fifth grades. The activity is free of charge and registration is open on the town hall website: almeriaciu dad.es.
THE ‘Tastes of Almeria’ fair is returning this year to show off the region’s gastronomy. From December 2 to 8, Avenida Federico García Lor‐ ca will host 37 different busi‐ nesses offering a selection of their finest local products. As Christmas nears, the town hall and business council feel this event will start to get everyone in the holiday spirit. They also ex‐ pect that the ‘puente’ holi‐
day period will bring a lot of tourists into town. A much smaller version of the fair was a big success last year, with local businesses in the centre of town also ben‐ efiting from the crowds. Consequently, this year they have expanded the dates to a full week and added 11 more businesses to the list of patrons. Shoppers can attend the fair from 11am to 8pm.
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Spending for 2022 ALMERIA’S provincial council, the Diputa‐ cion, announced a €262.45 million Budget for 2022. This is the largest sum ever, with increases in practically all areas when compared with 2021’s €216.5 million assignation. “Next year’s principal objectives are to provide equal opportunities for all Alme‐ ria residents, wherever they live,” de‐ clared the Diputacion’s president, Javier Aureliano Garcia Molina. It was vital to counteract depopulation and strengthen the basic pillars of society to guarantee the province’s current role as an economic and social driving force, he added. “Never before has there been such a large outlay for social spending,” said the Diputacion president in reference to the €64.5 million set aside for this purpose. Accompanied by Alvaro Izquierda, who heads the Diputacion’s Finance depart‐ ment, Garcia Molina stated that this allo‐ cation would be used to reach “every cor‐
ner” of the province. This will involve generating direct em‐ ployment via the Programme for Promot‐ ing Agricultural Employment (PFEA) and increasing the economic assistance avail‐ able through the Almeria Youth Employ‐ ment Plan created to combat depopula‐ tion. Diputacion investment will also provide the upkeep for the ATM cash machines in remote municipalities to combat financial exclusion, while free firefighting services for municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants will continue. Water infrastructure, public works and energy efficiency would all benefit from the 2022 Budget which must first be ap‐ proved by Diputacion councillors before it can be put into action. Votes are likely to be forthcoming from the Ciudadanos party, revealed Garcia Molina, who added that he hoped other political groups would be “similarly in‐ clined.”
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NIBS EXTRA Easy walking ADRA is making its streets more accessible via Plan Co‐ opera 2, with improve‐ ments beginning in Calle Buenavista and moving on to Calle Fuerte. The town hall, with 50 per cent collab‐ oration from the Diputacion provincial council, will spend more than €47,000 on making Adra’s streets safer to use.
Bike-friendly A €600,000 INVESTMENT has made Pulpi more pedestrian and cyclist‐ friendly, with priority given to sustainable mobility ‘to make the town more wel‐ coming.’ Calles Correos, Far‐ macia and de Los Curas are now pedestrian streets, Calle Andalucia has received a makeover and there is a kilometre‐long bicycle lane.
Blade runner THE Norwegian‐registered ship, Oslo Forest 2, recently left Almeria port with a car‐ go of six wind turbine blades bound for the Ger‐ man port of Cuxhaven. This was the ninth consignment of blades that Eblades Tech‐ nology, based in Ferreira (Granada), has shipped through Almeria port in the last 18 months.
Late justice THE manager of a Fines firm received a six‐month prison term after an employee with no contract or social security died in a 2013 work‐related accident. The High Court reduced the sen‐ tence owing to the long‐de‐ layed hearing and because the firm had compensated the victim’s partner with €60,000.
Bus request NIJAR’S mayor, Esperanza Perez, asked the Junta to re‐ store the school bus and monitor for pupils with spe‐ cial educational needs at‐ tending Atalaya primary school. Obliging them to share transport, and other changes, amounted to throwing away their teach‐ ers’ years of work, he said.
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Poppy Appeal success THE Royal British Legion’s Mojacar branch announced that the regional Poppy Appeal collected €5,700 over the three‐week Remembrance peri‐ od. “The Branch would like to thank all those in the community who generously donated money during the appeal,” Nick Allbeury said. “Many thanks also to the bars, restau‐ rants and businesses on whose premis‐ es the poppies and collection boxes were placed.”
Photo credit: RBL Mojacar branch
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2021 APPEAL: A Mojacar branch member collecting for the Royal British Legion.
Net gains OLD fishing nets beyond repair will be recycled in‐ stead of going to the province’s landfills. Almeria’s Port Authority (APA) and the Fishing Products Organisation (OPP‐71) signed a six‐ month agreement with a company called Gravity Wave which will take away the old nets free of charge. Based in Calpe (Ali‐ cante), the company col‐ lects unusable nets and plastics removed from the Mediterranean and trans‐ forms them into a new raw material for manufac‐ turing street furniture, lit‐ ter bins, notices or any oth‐ er product that would normally be made from wood or PVC product, ex‐ plained Gravity Wave’s Al‐ varo Garcia Artiñano. “As well as being a free service for the fishing sec‐
ROQUETAS Town Hall is now in possession of the certificate that validates the municipali‐ ty’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. The Environment Min‐ istry’s seal, presented by rep‐ resentatives from Proinsa, re‐ flects the efforts made by administrations and organisa‐ tions to combat climate change. Seals are awarded in three phases corresponding to Cal‐ culation, Reduction and Com‐
tor, the initiative is in line with the Port Authority’s commitment to the circu‐ lar economy and, in short, to sustainability,” said APA’s president Jesus Caicedo. Jose Maria Gallart, OPP‐ 71’s manager, pointed out that for the last six years, Almeria Province trawlers have been involved in re‐ moving refuse from the seabed as well as floating rubbish from the surface. As well as helping to keep the Mediterranean as clean as possible, the 10 or so boats make a note of how much rubbish they re‐ move, and where. They then pass on this information to the Junta de Andalucia, providing the regional authorities with a clearer idea of how much domestic refuse reaches the sea.
More donations were collected throughout the year at branch raffles, lunches and other events, not least the quizzes that Tony Matthews comperes every month at Badgers. All of the money is used in Spain to as‐ sist those ex‐members of the Armed Forces and their families who are need of welfare support. Anyone wishing to volunteer their help with the Poppy Appeal or by spon‐ soring an event is requested to contact Nick Allbeury on 699 953 222.
Another prize for Laura FOURTEEN‐YEAR‐OLD Pulpi resident Laura Diepstraten Garcia received the Young Newcomer award in the 25th edition of the Premios Joven Andalucia. Laura, who has been blind since birth, is currently in the third grade of her professional piano studies at the Conserva‐ toire in Lorca (Murcia). Her recent award, present‐ ed recently in Malaga, was only the latest in the long string of prizes she began win‐
Bus chaos looming ALMERIA could soon find itself without buses if a threatened strike goes ahead. Unless working conditions of 950 employees of 62 compa‐ nies improve, they intend to stop work over 14 days be‐ tween December 3 and Jan‐ uary 10, revealed the Comi‐ siones Obreras, UGT and CGT
Tread softly pensation and Roquetas Town Hall has now calculated its carbon footprint for 2020. Bearing in mind last year’s ‘singular’ circumstances, town hall calculations showed that Roquetas released the equiv‐ alent of 772.91 tons of carbon dioxide, Amat said. Roquetas'’ongoing sustain‐ able projects include LED light‐
ning at the age of eight. Earlier this year Laura won the first edition of the Interna‐ tional Low Vision Song Con‐ test, the Eurovision festival for the visually‐impaired, with her own song entitled Otra Vi‐ sion (Another Vision). She was also chosen to sing the Himno de Andalucia an‐ them for Spain’s monarchs when King Felipe was pre‐ sented with the region’s Medal of Honour in Sevilla’s San Telmo palace last June.
ing for the municipality’s streetlamps, a project that is now 50 per cent finished. “Our next calculation will cover projects like these and municipal installations, con‐ tributing to improved energy‐ efficiency,” Amat said. Once completed, the town hall will move on to the Re‐ duction phase.
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unions. Under the Convenio Digno (Decent Agreement) banner, the drivers are calling for a higher basic salary, now fixed at just over €1,000. They also want time away from their homes to be accept‐ ed as part of the working day. “Downtime hours are not re‐ flected in our take‐home pay,” the drivers argue. If the strike goes ahead, the stoppages will affect metropolitan, inter‐ur‐ ban, inter‐provincial and school buses.
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Electricity to microalgae ENDESA’S power station in Carboneras will turn from producing electricity to industrial‐scale mi‐ croalgae. At the same time, this will give continuity to the investigation and microal‐ gae production that be‐ gan at the Litoral plant in in 2006, the energy com‐ pany announced, follow‐ ing its recently‐an‐ nounced collaboration agreement with Algavil‐ lage. According to the agreement, Algavillage, created by British compa‐ nies Firglas and Biorizon Biotech, will invest more than €3 million in building a microalgae plant which it will run for 10 years with an option for renew‐ al, Endesa announced. Microalgae are unicel‐ lular photosynthetic mi‐ cro‐organisms that live in salt or freshwater envi‐ ronments and convert sunlight, water and car‐ bon dioxide to biomass. Endesa and Algavillage sources revealed that the microalgae are a modern superfood with numer‐ ous health benefits owing to their high Omega‐3 content, and the Carbon‐ eras project will focus on their use in the food in‐ dustry. Despite the job losses involved in closing the power station, the Algav‐ illage project will gener‐ ate employment in the area while the plant is be‐ ing assembled and once it is operative, the same sources revealed.
and finally... MORE solar plants for Tabernas. Work is due to begin this week on constructing two more solar power plants in Tabernas. After more than two years of red tape and ad‐ ministrative procedures, the Junta’s Energy Director, Manuel Larrasa and Tabernas mayor Jose Diaz are to be present as the first steps are taken to building the Tabernas I and Tabernas II plants. With an installed capacity of 50 megawatts, each of the plants will prevent the emission of an annual 50,000 tons, explained Naturgy, formerly Gas Natural Fenosa and co‐owner of the Medgaz gas pipeline. The Naturgy project follows the inauguration last October of another Tabernas solar plant, La Cabrita, financed by a German investment fund.
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Beatlemania is back! Pregnant women crisis
THE 31st edition of the most traditional event in the history of Spanish Beat‐ lemania takes place on Sun‐ day, December 5, 2021, on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death. The Sala Malander in Sevilla will be the venue for the 31st Hom‐ enaje Nacional a Beatles. There will be a special performance by top Beatles tribute band, Los Escaraba‐ jos, along with guest artists and a Beatlemania collec‐ tors’ market. After two years of waiting due to the Covid‐19 pandemic, Spain’s National Tribute to The Beatles returns in time for the Puente de la Inmacula‐ da on the eve of Constitu‐ tion Day with its historic concert presented by En‐ rique Sánchez, musician,
DOCTORS have warned that maternity services are at crisis point over the number of unvaccinated pregnant women who are infected
with Covid on labour wards. Expectant mothers who have Covid need additional care and doctors are worried that this could be compromis-
Spain’s richest menu Tribute to the Beatles.
writer, and founder of the host band. The event is produced by BeatleBiz (Beatlemania & Bis Managers) and Strawberry Fields Radio Beatles, with the involvement of Beatle 6‐ 7 Route and Los Escarabajos. Opening the show is the new line‐up of the group Los
Beatos, which evokes the fab four’s live rockers be‐ tween 1964 and 1966. The event attracts fans of the band from far and wide and promises to be an edi‐ tion to remember after a two‐year wait. Sala Malander is located on Calle Torneo 43 in Sevilla.
DABIZ MUÑOZ’S restau‐ rant, DiverXO, in Madrid, boasts three Michelin stars, and three Repsol suns. Not surprisingly, the chef has just been given the award for Best Chef in the World 2021. However, af‐ ter a price increase, it seems that his establish‐ ment is also about to be‐ come the most expensive in Spain. From January 2022, Cristina Pedroche’s husband’s restaurant will raise the price of its tasting
menu from €250 to €360. Added to this amount would be €150 per person if you want to enjoy a se‐ lection of wines chosen by the sommelier Miguel An‐ gel Millan, or €300 if you want a high‐class pairing. DiverXO is, since this year, positioned at number 20 in the list of the best restaurants in the world, and the only one with three Michelin stars ‐ of the 11 in Spain ‐ to raise the price of its menu.
STATS
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Koalas sleep around 18 hours a day.
THE British monarchy has reigned over Barbados in the Caribbean for 396 years. At midnight on Monday Novem‐ ber 29, this reign ended, and Barbados became the world’s
ing the care of other pregnant women. Dr Biswas is an adviser to the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch. The doctor revealed: “Covid-positive expectant mothers in hospital need a lot closer monitoring. “If they are in labour, they will need detailed heart-monitoring every few hours. We’re supposed to have one midwife to every pregnant woman. But if you’re running those tests on the Covid patient every few hours, you can’t be with another woman in labour. “If there are not enough midwives to go around, it’s feasible the patient who doesn’t have Covid will miss out on adequate care.” Doctors all agree that maternity services across the country are not set up to deal with the current situation. There has been a chronic staff shortage for years, and the pandemic has made this much worse.
New republic born newest republic. The Royal Standard flag which represents the Queen was lowered at
midnight. Barbados was de‐ clared a republic by Carol Roberts‐Reifer, the Chief Exec‐ utive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation. Many people gathered to watch the ceremony and ap‐ plause could be heard as the Chief Justice swore in Dame Sandra Mason as president. The national anthem was played, and a 21‐gun salute was fired to mark the occasion. Renowned singer Rhianna was declared a national hero at the ceremony. Mason gave her first speech as president and commented: “Republic Barbados has set sail on her maiden voyage.” She went on to highlight that Bar‐ bados will have to navigate a “complex, fractured and tur‐ bulent world.” She added: “Our country must dream big dreams and fight to realise them.”
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La Palma lottery rush THE devastation and loss ex‐ perienced by people in La Pal‐ ma has touched the world, with many people losing ev‐ erything. So, it’s no surprise to hear that Christmas lottery sales have soared on the is‐ land. Whilst this is a positive story it’s also a sad one, reflecting just how desperate many peo‐ ple on the island are to recov‐ er their lives. Some €360 mil‐ lion, not including private donations, has been commit‐ ted by both the government of Spain and the Canary Is‐ lands, but many residents still don’t believe they will recover all that they have lost. But there is also another side to this as explained by Borja Muñiz, president of the National Association of Provincial Lottery Administra‐ tors Associations (ANAPAL): “People believe that where there is misfortune there is al‐ so luck, so they play the lot‐ tery.” That makes La Palma a good place to buy a ticket.
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New MP sleaze rules AN MP sleaze rules shake‐up has been un‐ veiled. The new plans will mean that Boris Johnson will have to reveal how much his Spanish holiday had cost. Johnson had jetted off to a Marbella re‐ treat, but had avoided saying how much it cost by recording it on a ministerial register. The Standards Commit‐ tee has put forward proposed changes to the rules which would mean freebie holidays would need to be added to the MPs’ reg‐ ister too. Recommendations from the committee in‐ clude: “ending the ex‐ emption whereby min‐ isters are not required to register gifts and
hospitality they receive in their ministerial ca‐ pacity with the Com‐ mons Register, so that all of a Member’s out‐ side interests can be found in a single place.” The committee has also proposed: “intro‐ ducing a new require‐ ment that a Member must have a written contract for any out‐ side work which makes explicit that their du‐ ties cannot include lob‐ bying ministers, Mem‐ bers or public officials, or providing advice about how to lobby or influence Parliament, and that their employer will give them an un‐ dertaking not to ask them to do so.” Second jobs are also on the crackdown list for simi‐ lar reasons.
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ADELE’S new album, 30, has topped the UK album charts as the fastest‐selling record of 2021 so far. This is despite the sales being 68 per cent lower than her previous album 25, released in 2015. The 261,000 first‐week sales of 30 means it shoots past Ab‐ ba’s comeback album ‘Voyage’ which sold 204,000 in its open‐ ing week. The drop in Adele’s
Adele tops charts sales can partially be explained by the massive explosion of streaming services between 2015 and now. Also, 25 was only available to buy and not stream for its first six months of release. Adele’s new album pushed Ed Sheeran off the top spot with his album = (Equals).
This means she has now se‐ cured a chart double, with the album’s lead single, Easy On Me, remaining number one for a sixth consecutive week. The singer has also broken the record for a female act by having all four of her albums reach number one.
Business as usual
A chart double for Adele.
UK booze shortage TikTok warning B R I T S face an alcohol shortage at Christmas over supply chain trou‐ bles where deliveries could be delayed by weeks. Alcohol producers are concerned that there could be a shortage of Christmas favourites such as mulled wine, gin, whisky, Cham‐ pagne, wine, and Buck’s fizz. Shipping costs have risen by around 7 per cent compared to last year and delivery times have increased dramat‐
Brits could see less choice.
ically too going from just days to weeks. Big brands have the power to absorb more of these costs, but the smaller brands will struggle. Brits could see less choice at Christ‐ mas.
A WARNING has been is‐ sued by school officials in the USA after students were allegedly suspended for tak‐ ing part in the ‘Who Want Smoke’ TikTok challenge. The students were filmed while pretending to hold guns while at school. One school prank even saw teachers conned into taking part in the challenge. The TikTok challenge was inspired by Nardo Wick’s song ‘Who Want Smoke.’ People taking part in the challenge are filmed while using their phones to make it
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look like they are holding guns and promoting gun vio‐ lence. One student told Clarksville Now: “I was at school and I was on my phone just going through random Instagram stories. I saw the trend on someone’s page and I’m like, ‘Oh, we need to do this, we need to do this. We could probably go viral for this’.” The student’s video went viral, but he was soon pulled into the principal’s office for breaching the student code of conduct.
THE UK Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, has urged peo‐ ple to keep planning for Christmas as normal. He believes that the UK is some way off implement‐ ing harsher coronavirus re‐ strictions, despite con‐ cerns raised globally over the new Omicron coron‐ avirus variant. So far two cases of the mutant strain have been detected in the UK. Javid said: “I think people should continue with their plans as normal for Christmas, I think it’s going to be a great Christmas.”
The Health Secretary said that the UK is “nowhere near” reintro‐ ducing social distancing and work from home rules. He explained: “We know now those types of mea‐ sures do carry a very heavy price, both economically, and socially, in terms of non‐Covid health out‐ comes such as impact on mental health.” “So if one was to make decisions like that they would have to be done very, very carefully and we’re not there yet, we’re nowhere near that.”
and finally... JUST like all of us, the Queen of England has her own mobile phone. But there are only two people she will ever take calls from, and neither are her sons! The lucky two are her daughter Princess Anne, and her racing manager John Warren. One of the world’s leading horsemen, John takes care of all rac‐ ing and breeding concerns for Her Majesty.
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Hackers arrested
A SPANISH couple were ar‐ rested for hacking 16 store computers to mine cryptocur‐ rencies. The pair, who in‐ stalled malware on the store’s machines, intended to benefit from the lucrative trade in cryptocurrencies using the greater computing power of the store’s machines. The malware installed by the couple enabled them to remotely manipulate the de‐ vices and, in the process, carry out the transactions. Staff in
T H E Department of Cli‐ mate Action, Food and Ru‐ ral Agenda of Catalonia is monitoring and control‐ ling the actions of the so‐ called ‘crazy ant’ (Para‐ trechina longicornis). This is an invasive species, which seems to have found a new home in the Port of Barcelona. As re‐ ported by the Generalitat in a statement, the work will allow an in‐depth sur‐ vey of the area and verify
the store became suspicious when they noticed that the fans of the computers which were on display were operat‐ ing at maximum capacity. The staff examined the ma‐ chines, which were new and on display, as they should not have been operating, only to find they had been tampered with and were being con‐ trolled remotely. The au‐ tonomous police force in Tar‐ ragona (Mossos d’Esquadra) were called and their investiga‐
Hackers were identified.
tors identified who was behind the breach, despite their at‐ tempts to hide their identity and their location. Had the breach not been identified, the hackers would have stood to make significant profits.
Ant invasion
the extent of this species. They can then carry out controls with biocides and assess the effects of the treatment. This species of exotic ant is native to tropical Africa. Its pres‐ ence was first detected in Catalonia when a worker ant was found at an access door to the Port of Barcelona back in Febru‐
ary 2020. Subsequently, more were detected in a roundabout and then sev‐ eral colonies were located under the sewer and sup‐ ply covers. Their distribu‐ tion is still very limited in the vicinity of the Port of Barcelona. The invasive species displaces other na‐ tive species and inverte‐ brates.
Pyromaniac caught
A N arsonist was caught by officers from the National Police in Alme‐ ria’s El Ejido. The details of the ar‐ rest were released on Sunday November 28. The man had alleged‐ ly set fire to a series of containers and caused damage to both vehicles and property in the process. Multiple complaints had come into the El Ejido police station saying that waste containers were being s e t o n f i r e . At l e a s t 1 0 c o n t a i n e r s were set ablaze. Police officers carried out an in ‐ vestigation. They set out to watch local areas at different times of the day. The operation proved success‐
OFFICERS from the Na‐ tional Police announced on November 28, they had arrested a man for drugging and sexually abusing a young boy in Valencia. The man was a friend of the boy’s family, and the abuse allegedly be‐ gan during the coron‐ avirus confinement. The boy’s father initiated
ful and on Monday November 15 in the evening, officers from the Na‐ tional Police spotted a man inside a container. The man had been spot‐ ted at Calle Granada and was soon identified. A fire broke out inside the con‐ tainer which the man had been in. Officers discovered that the fire had been started using a t‐shirt. When the detained man was searched offi‐ cers discovered a lighter in one of his pockets. The arrested man has been placed at the disposal of the courts in El Ejido. He has been accused of a crime of aggravated damage by fire.
Abuser detained the complaint with the police. Reportedly, the abuse started in March 2020 around the time that the coronavirus restric‐ tions came into place.
The alleged perpetrator had spent time living with the boy and his family and had gained his trust which he then abused. The man had threat‐ ened and bribed the boy not to tell his fami‐ ly. The man has now been remanded in prison due to the seri‐ ousness of the crime.
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Macron slams Johnson Police march
EMMANUEL MACRON has slammed Boris Johnson as not being “serious” about the growing number of mi‐ grant crossings over the Channel as the UK prime minister took to Twitter to publish a letter to the French Government. This comes shortly after the deaths of 27 people who undertook the crossing on Wednesday November 22. France has now withdrawn a summit invitation to the Home Secretary Priti Patel, a move that the UK Govern‐ ment has urged them to re‐
MACRON: Said Johnson wasn’t being serious.
consider. Johnson said of the move: “This is a problem we have to fix together.” Mr Macron set up talks in Calais on Sunday November
28 to address the recent surge in migrant crossings of the channel. Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and the European Commis‐
sion were invited. The deaths of the 27 migrants on November 22 was the biggest loss of life in the Chan‐ nel in many years. Ahead of the meeting on November 28, Johnson post‐ ed the letter to Mr Macron which was then shared on Twitter. Mr Macron blasted John‐ son saying: “I am surprised by methods when they are not serious. “We do not communicate from one leader to another on these issues by tweets and letters that we make public.”
Public defibrillator becomes life saver
ON November 24, a nurse of the Re‐ gional University Hospital of Malaga saved the life of a 66‐year‐old man who was suffering a heart attack on a public road. Nurse Esther Diaz used a munici‐ pal defibrillator that was installed less than 20 metres away, without which, according to her, she would not have been able to revive him. The events took place around 9:30am
on Avenida de Andalucia. Diaz was out of her working hours and was about to have breakfast in a cafeteria when she found a man lying on the street in seri‐ ous condition. She started to assist him while another citizen contacted 061. The health care provider explained: “The patient was in a lateral security po‐ sition, he was pulsing and breathing but had lost consciousness. I started doing
cardiac massage, because I knew that at any moment, he could stop breathing,” she added. Another citizen approached Diaz with a defibrillator that was installed on the road and thanks to this device the man began to regain consciousness. “If it were not for the AED (automated exter‐ nal defibrillator), I would not have been able to save him,” said the nurse.
on Madrid
THOUSANDS of Spanish po‐ lice officers marched through Madrid on Saturday, Novem‐ ber 27 to protest a newly pro‐ posed change to a security law that they say will affect their ability to work. Politicians from across the country’s political spectrum joined the Spanish police march to oppose the changes to the 2015 Citizens Security Law, which critics say dam‐ ages the right to protest. People who disagree with the current bill have named the legislation the ‘gag law’ as it allows authorities to fine media organisations for dis‐ tributing unauthorised im‐ ages of police, strictly limits demonstrations and imposes heavy fines for offenders. Spain’s centre‐left govern‐ ment wants to declassify tak‐ ing photographs or filming police officers at demonstra‐ tions from being a serious of‐
fence. Under the new changes, police will have to adapt what materials they use at protests to items that are less harmful after several people were seriously injured by po‐ lice rubber bullets. The custody time for peo‐ ple arrested at protests will be cut from six hours to two, and fines will be proportion‐ ate to the offender’s earn‐ ings. Ivan Espinosa de los Mon‐ teros, of the far‐right Vox par‐ ty, said: “There is strong op‐ position against (the reform) of this law. It is against our police, and we will not let it happen.” However, Isa Serra, spokeswoman for the far‐left Unidas Podemos party, said at a rally in Cantabria in northern Spain that the law had done a “lot of damage to Spanish democracy.”
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Gifts may be red-taped Xmas present charges.
ANYONE in the UK sending Christmas presents to loved ones in the EU needs to be aware of possible customs
charges and VAT charges. Experts have said that peo‐ ple sending gifts to the EU face the possibility of delays, missing items, and charges that they were not expecting. Many Brits are trying to send gifts to friends and fami‐ ly in the EU this Christmas. This means that this could be the first time they have had to contend with VAT and cus‐ toms charges. Adam French of consumer rights group Which? com‐ mented: “The changes brought about by Brexit have created a greater burden of customs paperwork for con‐ sumers and couriers alike. “You now have to attach customs declaration forms to anything you send, very clear‐ ly describing what it is and where it has originated from.” Brexit rule changes came into force on January 1. In July further changes also came in‐ to effect regarding VAT.
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Flying taxi INVENTORS have chased the dream of creating flying cars for decades and they have been seen in many sci‐fi films. But now, Umiles, a company which specialises in the manu‐ facture of drones, has a plan to launch the first‐ever fully electric air taxi in Spain. Carlos Poveda, the CEO of Umiles, confessed that his company’s taxi is still a proto‐
ACCORDING to a press re‐ lease from the luxury car man‐ ufacturer Rolls‐Royce on November 16, the company has created the fastest electric aircraft in the world. It has sent the details of this achievement to the Federation Aeronau‐ tique Internationale (FAI) locat‐ ed in Lausanne, Switzerland, to certify their aeronautical record. Rolls‐Royce claim their ‘Spirit of Innovation’ reached a speed of 555.9 km/h, whilst travelling three kilometres. Its maximum speed at one point was allegedly 623 km/h. If this turns out to be true, then it
type and cannot fly. However, he assured that after a series of tests the model will take flight. The model was first re‐ vealed at the Expodronica fair in October. Poveda explained that their flying taxi ‐ initially dubbed ‘In‐ tegrity’ ‐ will be able to connect the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and Barcelona. The vehicle will have the capacity to transport
Will transport 5 people.
five passengers and be capable of handling routes of up to 300km. Poveda said the first test model will transport only one or two people. But he claimed they will be able to carry five passengers plus the pilot by June 2022.
Rolls-Royce record completely smashes the previ‐ ous record of 213.04 km/h. As explained on their web‐ site, “The aircraft was pro‐ pelled in its record trips by a 400kW electric propulsion sys‐ tem, and the propulsion bat‐ tery pack with the highest power density ever assembled in the aerospace industry.”
The creation of this electric plane is part of the ACCEL (Ac‐ celeration of the Electrification of Flight) project. Half of its funding is provided by the Aerospace Institute of Technol‐ ogy (ATI), in partnership with the UK Department for Busi‐ ness, Industrial Energy, and In‐ novation.
STATS
10
Switzerland eats the most chocolate equating to 10 kilos per person per year.
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Passengers test positive I T was reported on Fri‐ day November 26, that at least 61 passengers arriving at Amster‐ dam’s Schiphol airport from South Africa, test‐ ed positive for Covid. They flew in on flights from Cape Town, and
Johannesburg. Because new rules banning flights from South Africa had come into force while they were in the air, all 600 passengers subsequent‐ ly underwent CPR tests on arrival in the Nether‐
Israel closes borders ON November 27, Naftali Bennett, the prime minister of Israel, announced the closure of his country’s bor‐ ders to all foreign travellers. This move has been introduced in an effort to com‐ bat the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. One case has been confirmed so far, along with seven suspect‐ ed cases. In a statement, Mr Bennett said that the travel ban would last for 14 days but is pending government ap‐ proval. The Israeli government will also reportedly reintroduce phone‐tracking technology that is used for counterterrorism. Other countries, including the UK, Australia, the US, and some in the EU, have enforced travel bans on South African nations. Scientists have voiced their concerns over the latest variant’s capability of being transmitted much easier. It was first detected in South Africa, and is believed to have more tolerance against the current vaccines, and could have a higher rate of re‐infection.
lands. A team from the municipal health ser‐ vice (GGD) went to the airport to conduct the tests. Although they tested positive, it was not clear if all or any pas‐ sengers carried the new Omicron variant. The passengers were kept segregated from the rest of the terminal. Those who tested posi‐ tive were moved to a hotel in the Schiphol area, under the surveil‐ lance of local authori‐ ties. There, they must serve a quarantine of at least seven days if they present symptoms, and five days if they are asymptomatic. The rest of the pas‐ sengers who obtained a negative result in the test must also undergo a five‐day home quar‐ antine, until a new PCR is carried out, which, if negative, allows them to exit quarantine.
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Charles’ denial High in the sky
LAWYERS were reportedly called in by Prince Charles regarding claims that he was the ‘Royal racist.’ Earli‐ er this year, Meghan Markle shared her concerns surrounding one member of the family with Oprah Winfrey. A new book writ‐ ten by Christopher Ander‐ sen claims that Charles was the person that Meghan was talking about. Ander‐ son’s new book, Brothers and Wives: Inside the Pri‐ vate Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan was scheduled to be released on November 30. In the book, Andersen claims that Charles was
having breakfast with his wife Camilla when he com‐ mented: “I wonder what the children will look like?’’ Camilla was somewhat tak‐ en aback, then reportedly replied: “Well, absolutely gorgeous, I’m certain.” Charles then comment‐ ed: “I mean, what do you think their complexion might be?’’ The claims have been de‐ nied and a spokesperson for Prince Charles com‐ mented: “This is fiction and not worth further com‐ ment.”
A NEW restaurant which has just opened in Madrid, has the notoriety of being the highest in the country. Elkar, which translated from Basque means ‘To‐ gether’ is located on the 33rd floor of the Torre Em‐ perador Castellana and sits at 160 metres (525ft) above the city. This haute cuisine establishment is the new project in Madrid of Ara‐ mark Spain. It was born from the union of two chefs, Sergio Ortiz de
Zarate, who has a Michelin star, and Beñat Ormaetxea, who won the National Award for Young chefs. They have merged their two kitchens to form a gas‐ tronomic heaven. It is the first time they have worked together. A unique feature of the restaurant is that din‐ ers must first enter through the wine cellar before mak‐ ing their way up to the 33rd floor, where they can sit and enjoy the panorama of the Madrid skyline.
Barcelona on silver screen
LIAM NEESON has recently been spotted shooting his new film ‘Marlowe’ in sever‐ al different locations near Barcelona including Sitges, Alella, Blanes, Manresa, and Terrassa. In this thriller, the Irish actor plays the iconic de‐ tective Philip Marlowe, creat‐ ed by the celebrated Ameri‐
can‐British writer, Raymond Chandler. The character initially ap‐ peared in the novel, ‘The Big Sleep’, published in 1939. Years later, his stories were brought to the big screen featuring stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and Elliott Gould
as protagonists. Now the adventures of the intrepid inspector return to the cinema screens in an adaptation of ‘The Blonde with Black Eyes’, a novel from the writer, John Banville, resurrected starring the detective created by Chandler.
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Asylum girl THE National Geograph‐ ic’s ‘Afghan Girl’, who was immortalised more than 30 years ago on the front cover of the magazine, has arrived in Rome after be‐ ing evacuated from Afghanistan following the return of the Taliban. The Italian government made the official an‐ nouncement that green‐ eyed Sharbat Gula, who was photographed in 1984 at a refugee camp in Pak‐ istan, had reached Rome on Thursday, November 25. She had gone to Pak‐ istan at four or five years old following the Soviet in‐ vasion of Afghanistan, hav‐ ing fled the country along with thousands of others. She was just 12 years old when the iconic photo was taken by Steve McCurry, and it made her into an emblem of the suffering and economic instability of the region.
Green-eyed Sharbat Gula.
Her image caught the world’s attention a second time in 2002, when the same photographer went back to Afghanistan to find her again. He found that she was still living in pover‐ ty, and once again, she ap‐ peared on the front cover of the National Geograph‐ ic. Gula, an illiterate mother of four, had no idea mil‐ lions of people around the world had seen her photo and she had sparked an in‐ ternational movement for the rights of refugees.
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New coin for Queen THE Queen’s Platinum Ju‐ bilee will be celebrated by the Royal Mint with a newly designed 50p coin to be re‐ leased next year. The coin will feature the number 70, which represents the num‐ ber of years the Queen will have been on the throne by 2022. The Queen’s royal cypher is nestled inside the zero and forms the heart of the design. It has been seen and approved by the Queen her‐ self, and it is the first time a royal event has been com‐ memorated on the ‘tails’ side of a 50 pence. Clare Maclennan, division‐ al director of commemora‐ tive coins at the Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint has a proud history of striking coins for British monarchs and 2022 sees one of the greatest celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen with the
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
upcoming Platinum Jubilee. “Marking 70 days until the anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, the Royal Mint is delighted to reveal the commemorative Platinum Jubilee new 50p design ahead of its launch in the new year. “In recognition of the landmark occasion, this is the first time a royal mile‐ stone has been commemo‐ rated on a 50p coin and is a fitting celebration for Britain’s longest‐reigning monarch.”
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First drone highway WHILE countries like the USA are seen to be taking the lead on unmanned aircraft, here in Spain, the Valencian community are taking the lead. The re‐ gion is working on a pro‐ ject with UPV (Universitat Politècnica de Valencia) that will see Valencia get Spain’s first aerial drone highway. What may come as a surprise to many is that the region has already built three drone high‐ ways and is currently qualifying secondary roads or corridors.
Once in place these will allow the normalisation of drone flights around the community, allowing for a variety of uses in‐ cluding the delivery of medicines. The process is expected to be complete between 2023 and 2025. A crucial step in this process was agreed this week with the signing of a protocol with Enaire, the company that manages the national airspace. This protocol allows for the in‐ tegration of the commu‐ nity’s drone highways in‐ to the national network
and finally... ONE mum has gone viral after she shared her husband’s X‐rat‐ ed Christmas light display on social media. When setting up the Santa, her husband had accidentally missed out on a zip tie that had been meant to tie Santa’s hand up so that he ap‐ peared to be waving. Now, Santa appeared to be making an explicit gesture. The mum’s TikTok video has been seen over 35 million times.
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Commemorative beer
THE terrible fire that broke out in Jubrique on September 8, and devastat‐ ed around 8,400 hectares of the Sierra Bermeja, was the worst blaze in the his‐ tory of Malaga Province. The owners of the La Catarina craft brewery, which manufactures beer in the Malaga municipality of Estepona wit‐ nessed the event: “We are on the Guadalmansa river, in Estepona, and, at night, both clients of the restaurant and ourselves could not stop looking at the burning mountains. It affected us a lot. After witnessing this catastrophe, we de‐ cided to design something in recognition of all the emergency services.” They have now created a limited‐edi‐ tion beer dedicated to all the people who participated in the fire’s extinction ef‐ forts. All the costs of which have been
Comments were baffling. NEW BRAND: Dedicated to fire efforts.
borne by one of the brand’s partners. Their new brand has been christened ‘La Catarina Aid’, and 10 per cent of all its sales will be donated to the various re‐ covery plans that are being carried out in the coming months. Around 700 litres of this beer have already been put on sale. It has been brewed without additives, and without pasteurisation, and comes in two formats, 33cl bottles at €2.50 each, and in barrels.
Olympian visits OLYMPIC mountain bike bronze medalist David Valero visited a local school in Baza to share his experiences of the Tokyo Olympic Games. The bronze medalist’s visit to the local school gave the children the op‐ portunity to ask him any‐ thing they wanted to know about his career, about the sport of moun‐ tain biking, and the bronze medal.
The opportunity to see an Olympian and a medal up close evoked much excitement in the chil‐ dren. Some of the chil‐ dren prepared drawings and special gifts for David and many of them took home a signed auto‐ graph. The visit to the Francis‐ co de Velasco school was especially poignant as it is the former primary school of the champion.
Motorbike tragedy
A 51-YEAR-OLD motorcyclist has lost their life after an accident in Alicante’s Elche. The accident happened on Saturday, November 27 when the motorcyclist left the road while travelling along the EL‐20 road in the munici‐ pality. The Traffic Management Centre of the DGT con‐ firmed that the accident took place at around 8.30pm. The accident occurred on a roundabout, but the exact cause is not yet known. Reportedly the motorcyclist left the road when they were driving around a roundabout, but it appears no other vehicles were involved. No further details regard‐ ing the incident are known at this time.
May rants
QUEEN guitarist Brian May has blasted the BRIT Awards for get‐ ting rid of their gen‐ dered prize categories in a rant against ‘woke cancel culture.’ The organisers announced this week they are re‐ placing their tradition‐ al male and female categories and replac‐ ing them with ‘artist of the year’ and ‘inter‐ national artist of the year,’ the Queen leg‐ end exploded with anger in an interview. The organisers of the awards have said that the move was a “small but seismic” way of ensuring artists of all genders are cele‐ brated, bringing the focus on their “music and work, rather than how they choose to identify.” But May, 74, shouted down the “knee‐jerk” reaction, before claiming Queen “would be forced” to be diverse if remade today. His comments have left critics baffled, as Queen’s iconic front‐ man Freddie Mercury was an openly bisexu‐ al man, born in Zanz‐ ibar to Parsi‐Indian parents. Queen has al‐ so toured with Adam Lambert, the gay American Idol per‐ former who regularly dresses in gender non‐ conforming outfits. May said on November 23: “I feel very uncomfortable about some of the de‐ cisions that are being made, often out of fear. It’s a decision that has been made without enough thought,” he said of a move that has been in the pipeline since at least 2019.
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Windows 11 Amazon stores planned AC CO R D I N G to reports, Amazon plans to open Cyberattack physical stores in Spain next year. This news MICROSOFT has an‐ nounced that Windows 11, its newest operat‐ ing system, suffered its first cyberattack last month. The soft‐ ware, which has al‐ ready received some criticism for its impact on performance, has been hit by an attack, which grants hackers administrator privi‐ leges on all versions of the Windows operat‐ ing system. Microsoft thought they had dealt with the attack, which takes advantage of a bug in the Windows installer. However, it is now clear the patch issued has not worked. Mi‐ crosoft has rated the vulnerability to be of medium severity, though the company has yet to provide a timeline for when they will release a ‘fix.’
follows hot on the heels of the opening of the first store in the UK in 2021. The online retailer, which has had physical stores in the USA for some time, believes that there is still plenty of opportunity for growth in Europe, although the pandemic has delayed their plans. Up to five stores could be opened in Spain in 2022 along with 10 elsewhere in Europe and up to a 100 in the UK. There could be up to 17 in Spain and Italy by 2023.
Holiday passport chaos B R I T I S H holidaymak‐ ers eager for some winter sun this Christ‐ mas are facing the prospect of potential‐ ly losing their holi‐ days. Due to the sudden rush in post‐Covid passport renewal ap‐ plications, which has caused a backlog in processing time, many may not receive their passports on time.
This comes as pass‐ port processing times have allegedly tripled during the pandemic. Processing their pass‐ port is not the only problem though. The Passport Of‐ fice’s courier service has admitted that t h e r e c o u l d b e d e l i v‐ ery issues. Some trav‐ ellers have been told they may face up to a 10‐week delay.
Your Belgian estate agent at the coast!
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Sex doll honeymoon YURI TOLOCHKO, a 36-yearold bodybuilder from Kazakhstan, went viral on the internet last year after he married his sex doll, Margot, in a lavish wedding attended by all their friends and family. Unfortunately for Yuri,
the marriage didn’t last long, because his plastic wife broke soon after they tied the knot. Undeterred, Yuri soon found another lover, in the form of Luna, and has now after the pandemic delayed
Luna went on honeymoon.
their plans - whisked her away to Bulgaria for a belated honeymoon. Yuri shared their holiday snaps with his 100,000 followers on Instagram who have been party to his turbulent love life. He always keeps them updated on what he and Luna are doing. “The pandemic changed everyone’s plans massively, so when the chance came to go to Bulgaria for work, I was happy I could take Luna. It was a work trip, but it was also so romantic that I consider it a honeymoon as well. We stayed in the capital Sofia for about a week, and it was fabulous,” explained Yuri.
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Airlines want simpler forms UK airlines have demanded that the online passenger lo‐ cator form which must be completed when flying into Britain is simplified. The form must be filled in 48 hours before arriving in Britain and while many other countries require documenta‐ tion to be filled out, none are as complex as the UK’s pas‐ senger locator form. Chief executive of the Dutch airline KLM, Pieter Elbers, said that a colleague completed his form for him ahead of his trip to the UK. “My assistant al‐ most asked for a pay rise for sorting it out,” he said. Chief executive of Virgin At‐ lantic Shai Weiss said that dur‐ ing the Covid pandemic the amount of paperwork and bu‐ reaucracy had increased. “We’re behaving as though we don’t have a vaccine,” he said. Eurostar’s strategy direc‐ tor Gareth Williams told a committee from the House of Lords earlier this month that the form “runs on a list of redundant questions for
six pages.” The length of the form has increased since it was intro‐ duced in summer last year, with extra questions such as the code number for the mandatory ‘day two’ test and
any islands visited in the 10 days before arrival in the UK. At the Airlines 2021 event, aviation minister Robert Courts insisted: “We’ve al‐ ready simplified the passenger locator form.”
Formula 1 renews FORMULA 1 has renewed its contract with the Circuit de Barcelona‐Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix until 2026. As part of the new agreement, improvements to the track and facilities will be made ahead of the race on May 22, 2022 including upgrades and improvements towards the circuit’s ambitious sustainability plans. Formula 1 racing began in 1950 and is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series. The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1913 and has been a part of the F1 world championship since 1968 at a variety of venues.
FORMULA 1: The first one held in Spain was in 1913.
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New lobster law
A N E W report by the London School of Eco‐ nomics and Political Sci‐ ence (LSE) has found there is strong scientific evidence that lobsters and other crustaceans feel pain just like us. The results of the govern‐ ment‐commissioned study mean boiling lob‐ sters alive will be illegal under new laws. The animals will be recognised as sentient beings, and this will facili‐
Lobsters can feel pain.
tate their inclusion in the upcoming Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. “The sci‐ ence is now clear that de‐ capods and cephalopods can feel pain and there‐ fore it is only right they are covered by this vital piece of legislation,” said
Animal welfare minister, Lord Goldsmith. Before this research, decapod crustaceans ‐ in‐ cluding crabs, lobsters, and crayfish ‐ and cephalopods ‐ including octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish ‐ were excluded from the bill. This was the case even though these animals have a complex central nervous system, which is classed as one of the true hallmarks of sen‐ tience.
French billionaire arrested THE Mossos d’Esquadra an‐ nounced that Barcelona po‐ lice arrested French billion‐ aire Conrad Dadak on Sunday November 21. He is wanted by a Marbella court for fraud and is thought to be a warlord accused of traffick‐ ing weapons. The arrest comes after a hotel in the Ciutat Vella neighbourhood
that makes use of the identi‐ fication system used by es‐ tablishments in Spain, noti‐ fied the authorities that a client had an outstanding ar‐ rest warrant. The man was arrested and taken back to the police sta‐ tion where further checks re‐ vealed an international alert from Germany investigating
him for money laundering. Dadak has a long record of fraud, threats, and crimes. This is not the first time Dadak has been arrested in Spain. In 2018, he was arrest‐ ed in an Ibiza mansion under an international warrant. He was released hours later and had been missing until his ar‐ rest last month.
NATIONAL POLICE have recovered a 2,000‐ year‐old Iberian sword just before it was sold online on what they have called a “well‐ known social media site.” The rare sword would have belonged to a warrior some‐ where on the Iberian peninsula in pre‐Roman times. The falcata is a double‐edged, curved sword that would have been used by the Iberians between the fifth and first centuries BC. It was seized as part of a group lot of 203
THE European Commission proposed on November 25 that vaccination certificates issued after the second Covid dose should become invalid if the person does not get the third booster jab within nine months. In line with indications from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that the vaccines start to lose their effect after six months, Brussels is plan‐ ning to use this move to encourage people to get the third dose. Their idea is to allow a three‐month grace period after the first six months, in which to get the booster vaccination done. More than 650 million
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Sword recovered
archaeological pieces that had been posted for sale on social media. This particular sword would be very popu‐ lar with collectors due to the condition of the blade on the piece. Falcatas were personal weapons and they tended to be buried with their owners, with the blades deliberately bent and misshapen so no one else could wield the weapon.
EU booster plans EU Digital Covid Certificates, or ‘health passports’, have been issued to date. This has led the Community Execu‐
tive to believe that the ac‐ ceptance of vaccines ‘has in‐ creased significantly’ since last summer.
and finally... MANY have had to rearrange their weddings due to the pandemic. One couple was so determined to get married they even carried on when the groom could not make it. They had already rescheduled twice, and on the third at‐ tempt the groom fell ill with food poisoning. They did not want to cancel last minute so they devised quite a creative plan. They used a pole with wheels with an iPad strapped on showing a photo of the groom’s face. The bride cut the cake beside her husband and even enjoyed their first dance.
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Babies not allowed Poachers caught IT has been stated that babies are not allowed in the House of Com‐ mons. Following Labour’s Stella Creasy bringing her three‐month‐old baby into the House of Commons on Novem‐ ber 24, it has been stated that bringing children is against the rules. Ms Creasy was in‐ formed it was against the rules to bring chil‐ dren to a debate at Westminster Halls and Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has now asked
BABY: Against rules.
the
the procedure commit‐ tee to investigate. She said she was “pleased to hear this” as the rule means she could not enter the chamber to hear his statement.
Sir Lindsay told MPs it was “extremely im‐ portant” for parents to be able to fully partici‐ pate in the work of the House, and that is why it has a nursery. “Rules have to be seen in context and they change with the times,” he told the House.
TROPHIES: Poaching group dismantled.
Brits travel queues BRITISH travellers face huge queues for holidays as the EU gets set for fingerprint checks at airports next year. New plans are being put together by the European Commission which will affect non‐EU citizens. The new plans will involve a new European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS) along with an Entry/Exit System (EES). The schemes will affect non‐EU citizens and are expected to come into force next year. Under the new ETIAS scheme travellers who want to access the Schengen Area would need to pay €7. Many favourite tourist destinations for Brits are in the Schengen Area including Spain, Greece, France, and Por‐ tugal. As part of the EES system, travellers would be re‐ quired to undergo comprehensive security checks. This would include fingerprints and facial images too.
OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have success‐ fully managed to dismantle a poaching group. The group had been illegally manipulating hunting seals to pass their taxidermy works off as legitimate. Of‐ ficers discovered a shocking variety of animal trophies during the investigation, which included one wolf skull, 13 roe deer trophies along with four male wild boar trophies. They also found and seized more than 100 hunting seals, most of which had been tampered with. The Guardia Civil opera‐ tion began in May after an il‐ legal taxidermy workshop was discovered in Madrid’s Móstoles. The illegal taxidermy workshop has now been successfully shut. The Guardia Civil have asked for people to cooperate and help them detect illegal hunting, as poaching causes severe damage to the local ecosystem.
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Move over Squid Game THE smash hit Netflix show Squid Game has been knocked off its throne by another South Korean fantasy horror show, Hellbound. The title of most‐watched show on the streaming platform was passed to Hellbound on November 20, just 24 hours after the show was released. The new series topped the charts in more than 80 countries on its first day. The series theme is one of religious retribution and features a team of hairy demons who hunt down sinners and send them to hell. They do this through a mix of graphic violence and burning, so it is not a watch for the faint‐hearted. The victims of the crea‐ tures are informed ahead of their arrival of the date and time that they will die. The reasons the victims are chosen prompts public hysteria and religious zealotry as people try to avoid a fiery demise.
Franco mass visit SPAIN’S People’s Party (PP) has had to issue a state‐ ment confirming its con‐ demnation of the Franco regime after the party lead‐ er attended a Franco mass. The visit to a church ser‐ vice in which prayers were said for the soul of the dic‐ tator on the 46th anniver‐ sary of his death is said to have been inadvertent. Pablo Casado has been leader of the PP since July 2018 and was seen attend‐ ing the mass in Granada on November 20. According to the PP, Casado attended this par‐ ticular church as he was staying with his family near‐ by. They were in Andalucia for a party conference and he feared work commit‐ ments would prevent him from making church the fol‐ lowing day.
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UBEREATS is entering the marihuana market by allowing customers in Ontario, Canada, to order from cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke via the Uber app and then pick it up at a store nearby. The firm has not answered on whether they will offer this service in the rest of Canada and the US. Canada’s marihuana market is worth around £3 billion per year and the drug has been legal in Cana‐
Uber munchies da since 2018, however, it is still illegal to deliver it. The company said users of the UberEats app will have to verify their age and can then pick up their order within an hour. The company is said to have been planning on entering the booming mari‐ huana market for some time.
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Cash is disappearing J O N C U N L I F F E, deputy governor of the Bank of England, said cash is dis‐ appearing with improving technology and the popu‐ larity of debit and credit cards. Online shopping, self‐service, ease of use and security are all given as reasons for the decline in cash purchases which
Cash is being used less.
in 2019 accounted for on‐ ly 23 per cent of sales transactions. Cunliffe, said that the
Asteroid smash ON November 24, NASA’s DART (Double Aster‐ oid Redirection Test) spacecraft launched from Vandenberg Air Force base on a historic mission to deflect an asteroid. The aim is to deflect the 160‐metre asteroid Dimosphos, which orbits the larger asteroid Didymos. The object is travelling at a speed of 24,000 kilometres per hour. If successful, the mission will deviate the course of the asteroid. DART will test the theory that the kinetic energy from the impact will re‐ duce the threat of the asteroid heading towards Earth. DART is being carried by a SpaceX rocket on a mission that will take almost a year, travelling 11 million kilometres before it reaches its desti‐ nation in September 2022.
percentage of cash trans‐ actions declined further due to the pandemic and highlights the need for politicians to support a new form of safe, flexible, and useful money, such as cards and cryptocurren‐ cies. An example of this is the attempt by authorities to put their faith in the Central Bank Digital Cur‐ rency (CBDC), a proposal if adopted would work with online payment platforms and allow banks to further evolve their technologies alongside. The situation in Spain is quite different with a re‐ cent survey by Plataforma Denaria published in September 2021, showing the need to preserve cash. According to the survey most Spanish consumers still consider cash to be critical to their lives, with a significant percentage of the population still living in less populated areas and therefore areas less well served by banks.
New €30 coin S P A I N now has a brand‐new coin. One of this c o i n ’ s m a i n h a l l ‐ marks is i t s colours. Gold, silver, and even purple can be seen in this new piece, which also stands out for its value ‐ €30. Numismatics fans will surely want to get hold of the latest coin made by the National Curren‐ c y a n d S t a m p Fa c t o r y (FNMT). It was launched on November 22 and will interest those who want to ex‐ pand their collections. The coin cannot be used as money to make purchases and is purely for collectors. The coin pays homage to the Camino de Santi‐ ago (the Pilgrim’s Way),
€30 COIN: For collectors only.
which is trav‐ elled by many peo‐ ple every year and has become a once‐in‐a‐ lifetime challenge for Spaniards and tourists alike. It is such an icon‐ ic route; it is no sur‐ prise it has been recog‐ nised by this commemoration. The coin has an image of a pilgrim with his backpack, looking at the stunning cathedral of Santiago de Com‐ postela after complet‐ ing the Camino. Those interested can get the coin for their collection at any branch of the Bank of Spain by paying face value.
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EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Anti-ants
Green taxis
A NEW European Union directive requires that all food not eaten in member states prior to 1997 has to be given special approval before it can be sold. This means that the restaurant voted the world’s best, Noma in Copenhagen has to remove ants from the menu.
IN a first step towards meeting the Danish Government’s plans to ensuring that all taxis issue zero CO2 by 2030, Toyota has supplied 100 hydrogen powered taxis to the DRIVR service operating in Copenhagen by way of an initial experiment with more to follow.
THE NETHERLANDS Drug smacks
New register
DUE to EU restrictions on pulse fishing, a number of small Dutch fishermen are suffering financial difficulties which according to research revealed by police and prosecutors has led to some being approached and recruited by drug smugglers to pick up cocaine from container ships.
ALL vehicles such as golf carts and lawn mowers which use public roads (which include private land with access) and can travel faster than six kilometres an hour will have to be registered before January 1 or their owners will have to pay to have them inspected.
BELGIUM Corona monument
Uber and out
IN a cruel twist of fate, a monument to highlight the pandemic was commissioned in 2020 by the town of Izegem. The local sculptor Piet Duthoit has now completed the work, but the unveiling ceremony had to be postponed due to the new wave of coronavirus.
A BRUSSELS Court has confirmed that a decision made in 2015 to ban the use by drivers of the Uber App is still in force which means that the 2,000+ drivers on the company’s books will find it much harder to receive bookings for travel.
GERMANY Coalition formed
Taiwan support
FINALLY, an agreement has been reached between the three parties set to form the next German government, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats who announced their alliance under the title ‘Dare more progress’ and said that they promoted freedom, justice, and sustainability.
ALTHOUGH China won’t be pleased, the new German Government is the first in recent years to acknowledge Taiwan and to suggest that it should be allowed routine participation in international organisations, albeit in accordance with the European Union’s One China Policy.
FRANCE Airbnb pledge
Clever lights
ALTHOUGH some countries are unhappy with Airbnb as not all owners declare taxes and long-term rental is reduced, France is delighted that the American company has entered into an agreement with a national charity to supply funds to restore heritage buildings.
AN interesting experiment in energy saving is taking place in the parts of the city of Lyon where street lights on busy roads only brighten as cars are detected by the LED lights whilst on smaller roads, they are also illuminated by pedestrians walking past.
NORWAY Annual gift
World Cup
THIS year, Norway will send its 75th holiday gift of a fir tree to London in thanks to the British people for their help during the Second World War. The 22-metre-tree was cut down near Oslo with schoolchildren singing carols and will as usual be erected in Trafalgar Square.
MANY in Norway argued that the Norwegian national team should not take part in next year’s Qatar World Cup due to distaste for the regime and two Norwegian journalists were arrested whilst in that country, but the matter is now irrelevant as the team didn’t qualify.
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EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND
Ear lights
Terminal 2
IT was hoped 10 years ago that a new product, the Valkee 2, a pair of ear buds that shine bright LED lights into the wearer’s ears in order to relieve seasonal affective disorderrelated depression would be successful. Sadly, the company has now filed for bankruptcy.
THE pandemic and the shutting down of international flights gave impetus to Finavia, the company that operates Finland’s airport to speed up the extension of Terminal 2 at Helsinki airport which opened on December 1. The architecture is influenced by classical Finnish design.
IRELAND Exploding lightbulb
St Brigid
A COURT has agreed that a 10-year-old boy should receive €27,000 in damages after a lightbulb in his bedside lamp exploded and caused him facial injuries which meant that he had to be rushed to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin for emergency treatment in 2016.
THE Irish Government is in a quandary as to when a new bank holiday should be introduced. The General feeling is that it should be on February 1, the feast day of St Brigid which heralds the start of spring, but with Covid surging it may be postponed.
ITALY Massive fine
Vatican tree
BOTH Amazon and Apple have been jointly fined a total of €203 million by Italy’s antitrust authority, following an investigation into reselling of Apple and (Apple-owned) Beats kit on Amazon’s Italian e-commerce marketplace as the authority alleges collusion to keep the price high in Italy.
THE Vatican City Christmas tree, a 28-metrehigh spruce from the northern Trentino region of Italy, arrived in St Peter's Square so that it could be raised and decorated with low energy lights in St Peter’s Square in time for the Christmas celebrations.
PORTUGAL Operation Sashimi
Food banks
THE Portuguese Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) undertook an investigation of some 60 operations across the country which produce sushi and other dishes where fish is not fully cooked. As a result, some 25 breaches of health requirements were noted and five establishments suspended.
FOR nearly two years, due to pandemic restrictions, volunteers from food banks were stopped from visiting supermarkets and asking for donations, but the ban was lifted so that on the weekend of November 27, teams were in evidence again collecting food for those in need.
RUSSIA Netflix investigation
Orphaned kittens
AFTER a formal complaint from the St Petersburg based Olga Baranets, the Russian police will probe Netflix for streaming content that contains alleged gay propaganda and only labelling it 16+, whilst Russian law requires such material to carry an 18+ warning.
THE Moscow Zoo which has a mascot of a Manul or Pallas cat has taken into care two such kittens discovered by villagers in eastern Siberia weighing just under 200 grams each. Alisa and Brungilda were looked after locally until it was safe to send them to Moscow.
SWEDEN PM resigns
State visit
JUST 12 hours after becoming Sweden's first female prime minister, Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson had to step down when Green Party coalition partners decided to walk away after Parliament rejected the proposed budget bill. She now hopes to be reappointed as head of a single party minority.
QUEEN SILVIA donned a special tiara for the State Banquet in honour of the King and Queen of Spain at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Thursday November 25, marking the first Spanish State visit since 1979, although the couple have visited informally before.
FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Green deodorant SUSTAINABLE and natural deodorant brand Wild is having some success in launching its green brands in the UK with distribution in 285 Sainsbury’s stores as well as tests in Boots and Waitrose and the eco‐ friendly products finding a new outlet in Selfridges.
Official languages IT appears that it is the intention of the Spanish Government to require by law that at least 6 per cent of all programmes in streaming platforms such as Netflix should be presented in one of the other official languages of Spain, namely Basque, Catalan or Galician.
Lidl plans PLEASED with its current growth and the potential to increase dramatically, Lidl GB has announced plans to open 1,100 new stores by the end of 2025, creating 4,000 new jobs across the country and many will feature solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.
Own goal THE National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has announced that it is upset with former Barcelona football star Andrés Iniesta for promoting investment in cryptocurrencies on his Instagram and Twitter social networks at a time when a number of companies offering investment are in trouble.
Back to work METAL workers in Cadiz city and province have called off their strike over wages after some fairly angry demonstrations in the streets of Cadiz. Workers from the oil refinery in San Roque managed to block one of the two main arteries into La Linea and Gibraltar for nine days, with rocks thrown and at least one car set on fire. Now it appears that after unions accepted a pay deal offered by employers, the matter was resolved and roads opened to traffic.
30
www.euroweeklynews.com • 2 - 8 December 2021
is the amount that Spanish brewery company Estrella Galicia STAT OF plans to spend on opening a new factory in Sao Paulo, Brazil. €300 million WEEK
Pandora tests new store in the UK DANISH jewellery company Pandora opened doors to its first stores under the new store concept Evoke in Mi‐ lan and London. The new concept, which is still in its test phase, aims to make shop‐ ping more intuitive and will improve speed of service, enabling customers to easily explore, find and try on products. From the moment customers en‐ ter the store, the simplified layout al‐ lows them to navigate through dif‐ ferent product categories and view the jewellery in newly designed dis‐ plays.
Two‐thirds of Pandora’s revenue comes from gifting and the new stores will have a dedicated ‘gifting zone’ with inspirational displays therefore as a further way to person‐ alise the jewellery, the stores will al‐ so offer an engraving service to cus‐ tomers. The layout of the stores has been designed with today’s multi‐channel journey in mind. More than 80 per cent of consumers start their shop‐ ping online, and when they enter the new stores, they will recognise Pan‐ dora’s campaigns at the front. Following the openings in Italy and
the UK, Evoke will launch in Guangzhou, China in December and Pandora expects to introduce it in other key markets later in 2022. The new store concept will gradually be evaluated and improved, and new features will be added. “Pandora is built on the concept of personalisation and the idea that you can tell your story through your jewellery. “We now want to bring personali‐ sation to all customer touch points and create a unique shopping experi‐ ence,” said Martino Pessina, Chief Commercial Officer, Pandora.
December offer from Golden Leaves Can they extend 90 days? LEGALLY SPEAKING
I have seen reports that some groups are work‐ ing to get a reciprocal agreement between Spain and the UK because the UK allows stays of 180 days and Spain only 90 days. This does not seem fair to those UK citizens who want to spend more time in their Spanish villas. What are the possibilities? Also, what punishments can be imposed on a person who spends more than 90 days in Spain? S D (Costa del Sol) To answer DAVID SEARL your sec‐ ond question first, YOU AND THE LAW the Spanish border IN SPAIN control officers have a wide range of discretion. If a person has over‐ stayed his limit by just a few days, they are often let go with only a warning. Those who have chosen to stay longer might be fined up to €300. For those serious offenders who simply stay as long as they want, one suggestion has been to put a stamp in their passport and put them in the computer with a prohibition from returning to Spain for, say, two years. Nobody wants to go to such extremes. As to an agreement between Spain and the UK based on re‐ ciprocity, this is very unlikely. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
SPAIN’S brave new financial world is taking a bit of a beating as more workers go on strike and shocking rises in electricity costs hit manu‐ facturers. Naturally if it costs more to make products locally, then it is clear that the consumer will be hit twice, first with their electric bills and then with an increase in prices of a number of products.
THE funeral plan experts at Golden Leaves have announced this year’s De‐ cember offer, with a reduction on deposits and two years’ interest‐ free payments. This offer, which is Interest-free payments. available throughout December, will also see the payment term on their plans increased to up to seven years, making the monthly payments on their Opal plan €51.43 a month and payments on their Pearl plan €58.23 a month. Funeral plan deposits will be reduced to €100. Golden Leaves are experts in funeral plans, ensuring that your wishes are carried out in full when the time comes and saving your loved ones from having to plan your funeral in another country and another language. Their plans also ensure that you beat rising funeral costs, making sure that your service is paid in full and that your loved ones are not left with any further costs. To save money on your funeral plan and ensure that your loved ones are not left to plan your service or with further costs, contact Golden Leaves before De‐ cember 31 and begin choosing the right funeral plan for you.
www.goldenleavesinternational.com enquiries@goldenleaves.com Facebook: goldenleavesspain
Economy stalling The European Union Recovery Fund is going to help in the medi‐ um to long term without doubt but as HGV drivers threaten to strike before Christmas and the forecast for 2021 GDP (Gross Do‐ mestic Product) continues to be
revised downwards, then 2022 could be a difficult year for the government. Much will depend on whether the government can somehow persuade or instruct the energy companies to reduce their fees,
Government special loan WITH 1.7 million customers, energy supplier Bulb is sim‐ ply too big to be allowed to go bankrupt, especially as the giant providers in the UK don’t want to take on new customers used to cheaper rates. For this reason, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed that the UK Government will make a spe‐ cial loan of around £1.7 bil‐ lion to Administrators in or‐ der to try to keep the company trading until next spring. Without this assistance, they would have had to close down in December, but it is hoped that this lifeline will al‐ low the Administrators to ei‐ ther sell the company or find ‘new homes’ for its cus‐ tomers.
Spain links with Iran UNDER the Partido Popular Government it was an‐ nounced that once Iran was able to export oil again, it had agreed to invest in southern Spain to open at least one new oil refinery. With the decision by the Trump Administration to once again treat Iran as a pari‐ ah, the flow of investment quickly faded, but things may be changing. When welcom‐ ing the new Spanish Ambas‐ sador to Tehran, President Ebrahim Raisi said, “The cur‐ rent level of economic rela‐ tions between Iran and Spain is not acceptable and efforts should be made to further de‐ velop these relations.” He indicated further that he wanted to develop economic, political, cultural and sports relations with Spain. assuming the promises of ade‐ quate supplies of liquid gas from Algeria are maintained by that country’s government. If that happens and the tourist industry continues to recover in 2022, then there is every chance that the economy will turn around again and see some positive news in the first two quarters of next year.
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2 - 8 December 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 29
COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.392,00 Abrdn 235,80 Admiral Group 3.017,0 Anglo American 2.691,5 Antofagasta 1.401,00 Ashtead Group 6.144,0 Associated British Foods 1.915,0 AstraZeneca 8.335,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 727,40 Avast 599,60 Aveva 3.210,0 Aviva 380,05 B&M European Value R. SA 625,20 BAE Systems 547,20 Bank VTB DRC 1,216 Barclays 185,52 Barratt Developments 703,40 Berkeley 4.365,0 BHP Group 1.993,00 BP 327,65 British American Tobacco 2.556,0 British Land Company 529,10 BT Group 163,40 Bunzl 2.866,0 Burberry Group 1.811,0 Carnival 1.269,0 Centrica 65,80 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.370,0 Compass 1.525,50 CRH 3.687,0 Croda Intl 10.130,0 DCC 5.642,0 Diageo 3.802,5 DS Smith 368,29 EasyJet 517,60 Experian 3.360,0 Ferguson 11.480,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.490,0 Fresnillo 909,76 GlaxoSmithKline 1.518,60 Glencore 357,30 Halma 2.999,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.403,00 Hikma Pharma 2.264,00 HSBC 419,35 IAG 137,68 Imperial Brands 1.561,50 Informa 477,70 InterContinental 4.650,0 Intermediate Capital 2.175,00
CHANGE(P) 1.401,00 241,10 3.021,0 2.716,0 1.416,00 6.222,0 1.917,5 8.421,0 739,40 602,80 3.266,0 380,40 634,20 554,35 1,230 186,25 715,00 4.425,0 2.000,50 327,75 2.565,0 531,40 168,60 2.889,0 1.828,5 1.269,6 66,24 2.391,0 1.525,50 3.778,0 10.155,0 5.700,0 3.803,0 373,00 528,20 3.391,0 11.665,0 10.565,0 911,80 1.526,40 360,15 3.030,0 1.434,50 2.283,00 421,15 138,44 1.572,00 486,30 4.708,0 2.213,00
% CHG. +2,17% -0,97% +1,76% +2,14% +1,19% +0,99% +1,59% -0,90% -0,33% -0,37% +0,25% +2,43% -0,45% -0,47% +1,33% +2,12% +2,33% +1,68% +1,58% +3,15% +0,59% +2,72% +6,10% +1,09% +1,60% +7,29% +1,36% +1,15% +4,95% -0,59% +2,30% +0,36% +1,14% -0,11% +3,56% +1,11% -0,04% +1,84% +0,31% +0,50% +1,51% +0,91% -1,30% -0,62% +1,28% +4,78% +0,78% +2,53% +1,53% +3,13%
NET VOL 510,39K 1,15M 92,05K 947,95K 222,93K 171,13K 403,06K 430,47K 450,73K 316,28K 21,31K 4,14M 456,30K 157,87K 551,22K 2,77M 1,45M 35,71K 1,35M 15,73M 505,70K 603,18K 17,47M 202,55K 234,37K 548,65K 2,88M 100,67K 1,40M 155,43K 61,93K 21,43K 772,23K 454,68K 3,99M 168,96K 241,73K 115,05K 88,15K 2,16M 9,52M 66,59K 231,12K 59,96K 8,23M 28,43M 588,61K 820,77K 147,07K 138,13K
COMPANY
PRICE(P)
Intertek ITV J Sainsbury Johnson Matthey Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Banking London Stock Exchange Meggitt Melrose Industries Mondi National Grid NatWest Group Next Norilskiy Nikel ADR Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentokil Rightmove Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Rosneft DRC Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell B Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Smith & Nephew Smiths Group Spirax-Sarco Engineering SSE St. James’s Place Standard Chartered Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP
5.468,0 110,05 290,90 2.160,0 762,64 285,30 46,90 6.780,0 739,20 147,55 1.749,16 1.005,48 213,50 7.938,0 29,20 1.823,00 2.793,0 643,20 1.314,50 6.155,0 2.330,16 614,00 736,60 4.590,0 124,44 7,55 1.600,0 1.600,01 1.601,8 775,80 1.523,50 16,88 3.494,0 1.511,25 1.431,50 2.898,0 1.248,00 1.455,50 15.815,0 1.569,50 1.562,00 417,60 156,75 280,15 207,60 3.927,5 1.094,50 111,40 2.931,0 1.069,00
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
5.514,0 111,40 293,70 2.179,0 763,80 287,00 47,02 6.926,0 741,80 149,50 1.760,50 1.006,80 213,90 7.984,0 29,24 1.861,00 2.820,0 643,60 1.319,00 6.195,0 2.337,00 621,40 740,20 4.642,0 125,16 7,56 1.600,0 1.600,20 1.604,2 784,60 1.526,50 16,93 3.524,0 1.514,50 1.433,50 2.912,0 1.250,50 1.469,00 16.170,0 1.583,50 1.578,00 423,70 159,10 281,70 207,80 3.948,5 1.098,50 111,48 2.945,0 1.079,00
+0,29% +1,34% -0,92% +4,55% +2,83% +0,88% +1,86% -1,05% -0,11% +2,25% +0,06% +0,32% +2,55% +1,15% +2,42% -0,33% +2,31% +1,01% +0,81% -0,50% +0,95% -0,33% +0,74% +1,05% +2,34% +3,03% +2,81% +2,87% +2,87% +0,28% +1,94% +5,14% +1,19% +1,55% +2,40% -0,03% +1,05% +0,41% +0,67% +0,35% +1,59% +1,46% +1,65% +0,36% +4,58% -0,61% -0,14% +1,55% +3,31% +1,47%
120,01K 4,49M 1,90M 306,39K 921,42K 3,04M 61,90M 266,89K 222,66K 4,06M 494,03K 2,67M 7,92M 27,89K 207,25K 236,52K 152,45K 473,29K 2,06M 174,03K 1,57M 334,11K 240,83K 923,40K 23,43M 621,36K 1,75M 1,75M 1,79M 351,96K 3,22K 1,68M 43,70K 966,47K 328,83K 67,90K 295,89K 194,39K 24,03K 750,27K 126,61K 2,39M 5,51M 3,95M 3,59M 771,28K 186,83K 20,53M 233,85K 758,87K
1.1818
0.84488
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1282 Japan yen (JPY)........................................128.00 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0447 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4366 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.2376
currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 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 29
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 175,52 2.856,1 3.504,56 201,09 156,81 199,21 198,73 114,51 54,67 53,73 389,39 402,70 208,21 115,81 48,78 159,20 161,93 250,01 79,16 333,12 329,68 168,02 147,47 284,21 1.081,92 439,91 51,80 197,65 144,90 148,11
CHANGE 176,83 2.905,9 3.633,50 206,00 160,45 199,42 201,45 114,83 55,19 54,75 391,71 414,14 209,00 116,33 49,17 161,16 162,65 253,16 79,93 337,75 337,93 169,68 149,71 287,57 1.108,78 448,18 52,20 199,19 147,88 148,85
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) -1,19% 1,91M -2,67% 849,49K -2,12% 2,99M -1,41% 3,12M -3,17% 76,09M -5,41% 17,58M -4,03% 3,49M -2,29% 11,36M -1,57% 16,73M -3,07% 14,75M -2,46% 2,69M -2,28% 2,84M -1,88% 3,86M -0,79% 3,32M -1,97% 25,26M -0,65% 7,08M -3,01% 13,61M -2,76% 2,57M -3,79% 18,02M -2,33% 14,69M -2,44% 23,68M -2,33% 4,75M -0,80% 6,05M -1,72% 4,19M -3,05% 11,62M -2,28% 2,48M +0,27% 17,04M -2,76% 10,99M -1,12% 7,01M -2,13% 12,02M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 29
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
Most Advanced Danaher Corp. Mandatory Conv. Pfd. Series A Cable One Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Cl A Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A Danaher Corp. Snowflake Inc. Sea Ltd. ADR Twilio Inc. Cl A PerkinElmer Inc. Clorox Co. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
5.33% 1.63% 1.81% 1.39% 2.69% 2.04% 2.50% 2.24% 3.47% 3.65% 0.91%
1.55K 17.91K 65.53K 78 3.08M 1.57M 3.85M 1.81M 633.27K 2.36M 1.68M
-1.27% -4.93% -1.13% -9.18% -3.19% -2.20% -4.25% -2.62% -3.79% -3.12% -15.45%
1.61K 21.77K 14.97K 1.11M 755.75K 90.61K 430 30.69K 1.82K 543.22K 770.97K
Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A Texas Pacific Land Corp. NVR Inc. TransDigm Group Inc. Shopify Inc. Cl A AutoZone Inc. UBS AG FI Enhanced Large Cap Growth ETN Markel Corp. Credit Suisse FI Large Cap Growth Enh. ETN BlackRock Inc. MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index 3X Lev. ETN
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Currency outlook: Euro plunges to 2021 low amidst European Covid resurgence, Pound rocked by the BoE’s miscommunication
LOOKING AHEAD: The single currency could face an uphill battle in the coming weeks.
ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday
Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com
• Euro EUR/GBP: Unmoved at £0.84 EUR/USD: Down from $1.16 to $1.12 The euro has come under some consistent pressure over the past month, with the single currency slumping to year‐to‐date lows against the US dollar. This slump in EUR ex‐ change rates has been partially attributed to the European Central Bank (ECB) as the policy divergence between it and the other major central banks only looks to be growing wider as the ECB remains glued to its dovish bias. Accelerating the downtrend in the euro through the second half of November has been the dramatic resurgence of Covid cases in many parts of Europe, which has prompted countries such as Austria to reimpose lock‐ down measures. Looking ahead, the single currency could face an uphill battle in the com‐ ing weeks if the Eurozone’s economic recov‐ ery is undermined by more countries being forced to impose restrictions. • Pound GBP/EUR: Unmoved at €1.18 GBP/USD: Down from $1.37 to $1.34 The pound has traded in a wide range over the past four weeks, as the currency was rocked by the Bank of England’s (BoE) latest in‐ terest rate decision. Ahead of its November policy meeting, a series of hawkish comments from BoE policymakers had seen the majority of GBP investors price in an interest rate hike this month. However, the BoE then pulled the rug out from underneath the pound after it opted not to hike rates, leading to accusations of governor Andrew Bailey being an ‘unreli‐ able boyfriend’, a moniker which was previ‐ ously given to his predecessor Mark Carney. Sterling then languished in mid‐November amidst heightened Brexit jitters, with GBP in‐
vestors fearing the UK government’s threat to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland pro‐ tocol could prompt a UK‐EU trade war. But Sterling rebounded in the second half of November as some stronger‐than‐expected employment and inflation figures reignited speculation the BoE could hike interest rates by the end of 2021. Hopes for a December rate hike may help to underpin the pound over the next few weeks, but GBP investors are likely to be wary of being too aggressive with their bets, after being wrong footed by the BoE earlier this month. • US Dollar USD/GBP: Up from £0.72 to $0.74 USD/EUR: Up from €0.85 to €0.88 The US dollar made steady gains over the past month, with the currency being under‐ pinned by a deterioration of market senti‐ ment. There are multiple factors for this, in‐ cluding concerns over slowing growth in China, a resurgence of Covid cases in Europe as well as the collapse of the Turkish Lira, all of which have helped to bolster the appeal of the safe‐haven ‘greenback’. The US dollar was also bolstered by the Fed‐ eral Reserve’s long‐awaited tapering an‐ nouncement at the start of this month, de‐ spite the bank also indicating that its next rate hike may be a little further off than previously forecast. While the Fed was a little more cau‐ tious with its forward guidance, a surge in US inflation has seen USD investors predict the US central bank could still hike rates earlier than mid‐2022. The US dollar now looks well poised to maintain its momentum through to the end of the year as renewed coronavirus con‐ cerns in Europe and other parts of the world are likely to raise additional questions over the trajectory of the global economic recovery. Currencies Direct have helped over 325,000 customers save on their currency transfers since 1996. Just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more about how you can save money on your cur‐ rency transfers.
Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.
2 - 8 December 2021
EWN 33
34 EWN
2 - 8 December 2021
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT WELL, it’s all coming apart, isn’t it? Trying to remain positive and retain some degree of optimism through all the doom and gloom is becoming more difficult by the day. And the whingers don’t help. The moaners and groaners are everywhere. Even drama queen vocalist Adele, who you would think had very little to complain about, recently occupied Oprah’s ‘griping chair’, bleating about people ‘not knowing what goes on behind closed doors,’ while conveniently plugging yet another money‐spinning album. Priorities have gone completely haywire. Recently the UK public has had to put up with hypocritical, anti‐Semitic cricketers, crying on TV because they’ve been ‘offended.’ Celebrities, who are earning more in a fortnight than most people can hope for in years, bewailing the fact that they failed to digest the testicles of some animal or another, added to the ever‐increasing uncontrolled numbers of illegal immigrants pouring in, and floundering politicians at a complete loss what to do about it ‐ does truly makes you feel it is all going completely to pot!
www.euroweeklynews.com
Coming apart Is this the start of the demise of Western civilisation as we know it? Well, I personally thought it embarked on that journey years ago. The trouble is that so‐called progress has made it all too easy. Even in the light of yet another ‘variant’ and the indisputable climate change, the complacency among the masses, particularly the young, is almost beyond belief. The age of technology has led the present generation to believe that all the nation’s problems can be settled at the press of a button. ‘Nanny State’ attitudes have raised the public’s sense of entitlement to unprecedented levels, while getting something for nothing has become an acceptable mode of existence. Many great civilisations have peaked and subsequently foundered when the going got too easy. I came across a statement by one Sheik Rahid, the founder of Dubai, which hit the nail decisively on the head. When asked about the future of his own country, he replied: “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel. I ride a Mercedes; my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover; but my great grandson
will have to ride a camel again. You must raise warriors, not parasites. Past civilisations were not conquered by external enemies, they rotted from within.” He went on to observe: “The greatest Western generation consisted of 18‐year‐ old kids storming the beaches of Normandy and now, two generations later, the young people want to hide in safe rooms when they hear words that hurt their feelings!” Well, personally I think that just about sums it all up. The sheik went on to astutely remark that “hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times, easy times create weak men and weak men create difficult times.” So, in the light of all that, folks, all I can declare is ‐ the camels are on the horizon! Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland. Mon and 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: Last night in Soho
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO follows a young fashionista from Corn‐ wall who moves to London where she finds that ‘London can be a lot’ and isn’t quite what she expected. Last Night in Soho, directed by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) and released on November 19, is a slick, funny, and chaotic depic‐ tion of London in the 60s, run‐ ning simultaneously alongside current day life. It’s worth watching if you’re into thrillers with a twist. Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace) plays Eloise, a wide‐ eyed student obsessed with the 60s who is accepted into the London College of Fashion. She is taken back to Soho in the 60s through her dreams where she watches an aspiring singer called Sandy, played by Anya Taylor‐Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), trying to make it on the scene. Sandy meets a suave and charming man called Jack, played by Matt
A thriller with a twist.
Smith (Doctor Who), who tells her he works on the club scene and can help her become a performer around London, but things take a sinister turn. The music, dancing and styling in this film is incredible, it takes you effortlessly back in‐ to the 60s and builds tension as Eloise finds it increasingly difficult to decipher her dreams from reality. There’s twists and turns that you won’t expect which will have you hanging on the edge of your seat. The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Ap‐ ple TV so you can be taken back in time from the comfort of your sofa.
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2 - 8 December 2021
FEATURE
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The good, the bad & the back-stabbing NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS
EMBARRASSING: Do you recall your greatest blunder at work?
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
FORMER French President François Hollande, recently describing Em‐ manuel Macron as a “spineless frog,” is scathing of his performance in office. Well, what a way to describe his one‐ time protégé who was supposed to help HIM secure a second term! In‐ stead he regards Macron’s own rise to power as an outright act of betrayal. Well, this made me think about other embarrassing ‘mistakes’ at work. During my gap year, I was a trainee in a company and, on my first day, asked to make tea for visiting Japanese busi‐ nessmen. In the kitchen I boiled up wa‐ ter as you do, but added it to the tea leaves left in the pot by someone else and innocently stirred up the contents. (Stop sniggering at the back there! OK, spoilt rotten by the parents!) Anyway, I can’t imagine how yucky
that stewed tea must have tasted. So, yes, pretty yucky. In fact, it couldn’t have got much more yucky than that (as Gregg Wallace might say). Strangely, all the Japanese businessmen declared how much they’d enjoyed their ‘English’ tea ‐ such a change, they said, from their usual green variety. And what about other holiday jobs? An acquaintance, working as a nanny in
France, added some of her own dirty clothes to the family’s laundry. When the machine cycle finished, she was aghast to see her red shirt had turned her boss’s exquisite white lingerie shocking pink. In desperation, she tried to bleach it back to white, using neat bleach. The lingerie fell apart in her hands. Working in retail is also rife with mis‐
takes. One bloke’s holiday job was as a ‘floater’ in a large department store, as‐ signed to random areas to assist cus‐ tomers. Once in the baby goods section, he asked a well‐built lady: “When are you due?” Fortunately (for him) she smiled back: “Just looking for a gift.” Recall your greatest blunder, then? Apart from unforeseen accidents, some mistakes at work involve poor risk man‐ agement, incompetent management or simply poor hiring decisions. So, over to you, François Hollande, what’s your LATEST monumental mis‐ take, eh? Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora‐johnson.net) available on‐ line as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca 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.
www.euroweeklynews.com • 2 - 8 December 2021
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FEATURE
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CONSULAR MATTERS O N E of the things that peo‐ ple believe in Spain is that you cannot disinherit your children. Well, this is untrue. We advise you to have a Spanish Will if you have a property in Spain, or you are resident in Spain, then you can choose whether your na‐ tional law or the Spanish law applies to your estate, legal advice could save your estate a huge amount in taxes. If you are thinking of buying a prop‐ erty in Spain, we advise you have a Spanish Will drafted to facilitate the Spanish inheri‐ tance for your heirs. It appears that recently there has been a 500 per cent increase in requests to effec‐ tively disinherit children in Spain. To put it briefly if you do not ‘look after’ your par‐ ents or grandparents they can apply to the courts in Spain to have you disinherited.
2 - 8 December 2021
EWN 43
Disinheriting children in Spain
SPANISH WILL: You are advised to have one drafted up.
The causes of disinheri‐ tance are assessed, and the Courts apply them restrictive‐ ly. Regarding the disinheri‐ tance of the children, article
853 of the Civil Code includes disinheritance for three rea‐ sons: having denied the par‐ ents or grandparents food (maintenance, failure to care
for them) for no legitimate reason, having mistreated them, or seriously insulted them by words. The judgement of the Supreme Court of January 30, 2015, includes the emotional abandonment of parents as a cause of psychological abuse, subsuming such assumption in the abuse of work included in the Civil Code. And the same would happen in the case of inattention to a par‐ ent during the Covid pandem‐ ic. However, it is a complex process, a ‘simple argument’ is not enough, but there must be a real assumption of psy‐ chological abuse. The proof that is provided will be deci‐ sive if the child brings an ac‐ tion to challenge the disinher‐ itance, the burden of proof, of course, is on the parents who intend to disinherit their
heir(s). In addition, it will be required that the disinheri‐ tance be made by means of a Will, having to write one or modify the existing one, in compliance with the formal requirements inherent to it. Likewise, and considering that Covid can be associated with purely economic circum‐ stances, we could take advan‐ tage of Article 853 if the chil‐ dren had denied their parents ‘food’ for unjustified reasons, and the parents were in a state of need because of the crisis caused by Covid. Marisa Moreno Castillo Consul of Denmark and senior lawyer at Just Law solicitors To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Marisa Moreno Castillo, Lawyer and Consul for Denmark. www.justlawsolicitors.com • contact@justlawsolicitors.com
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.
BRITS IMPORT WARNING From our Facebook Hola, I have just read your article in this week’s EWN about import charges and thought that you might like to know how much I have just had to pay. I have just had delivered from the UK a new fabric cover for a folding frame for a motorcycle cover which was destroyed in the recent high winds. The cost of the cover was £59.99. The cost of import charges was €31.50 Customs, €14.91 Administration charge and €6.62 IVA. A grand total of €53.03 charges which is a complete rip-off! I was expecting to have to pay some charges, but not just short of the cost of the item!
David Lomas
Leapy Lee Commentary Loopy at his best again this week. White American shoots three other White Americans, fortunately killing only two, but Leapy makes this a racial issue and the fault of a black guy who was killed by a white policeman. I must be missing something. George Floyd was no innocent bystander, but maybe just arresting him would have been enough. PS. Loved this week’s letter asking about Little Arrows. I can assure the writer that that was all Leapy ever did. All the best, Peter
Importing into Spain Dear Editor, Having read your warning in the EWN , I know what you mean. I sent off for 50 tins of food from the UK which is not stocked by any Brit shops here.
WE’VE COME SO FAR THE controversial topic of Covid passports has been in the news this week, with several Spanish communities giving the green light to new restrictions. With mandatory vaccinations ruled out at this stage and a new variant of the coronavirus detected, the move seems like a natural response. Just as everyone in Spain was feeling relieved at a sense of normality returning, alarm bells started to ring again. The news will not be welcomed by those who see any
CORRECTIONS
RIP-OFF: Watch out for import charges.
The normal price would be €3 a tin for similar products by Princes. With postage it came out to €3.80 a tin. I tracked the parcel and it quickly arrived at Customs at Madrid airport 17 days ago. Instead of just using the customs information on the package, they instead sent me a two-page document (in Spanish) to fill in, to decide how much taxes I have to pay, which I have returned to them and I will have to pay whatever they decide before they will release the parcel. This I did not understand. A few years ago, I had to pay set taxes on a parcel from California directly to the postman who delivered the package. Now Spanish customs seem to be making it up as they go along on how much I pay and I have no choice but to pay whatever inflated figure the señors decide, as punishment for Britain leaving the EU and for Gibraltar. Significant charges could ruin it for British shops in Spain, making food and other things too expensive for we expats to buy. Michael Hill Benidorm
OUR VIEW
restrictions as an impingement on their freedom. But for the 35.5 million people who have had at least two doses of the vaccine, the news will mean the path to normality can continue to some extent. Anyone who has visited the UK in the past year will have noticed the stark contrast in the adherence to protocols such as mask-wearing compared to Spain. Here, it has become a habit for many, and most people comply without fuss. Walking into a shop without a mask
almost seems unthinkable and many still wear them in open spaces. After a tough 20 months in which people have missed events such as births, weddings, and funerals and many more have been separated from friends and families, the introduction of Covid passports now seems like a minor inconvenience. There is no solution that satisfies everyone, but with so much hard work done to get this far, these latest measures might be what is needed to get us over the line.
BABIES AT WORK: Most people said absolutely not!
Malcolm Stoddart No, they have a creche there, she is being paid enough to afford professional care! Attention seeker!
Deborah Clynshaw No. Maternity leave should be increased. For everyone!
Pamela Symons It’s not proffesional to take a baby or child to work. Where are her work ethics.! You can’t have everything in life. Pay for a nanny. And express your milk.
Helen Jordan Definitely not. What do any other mothers do, get childcare. After all she’s paid enough to afford it but being an MP she thinks she can do as she likes. Maybe Boris can take the child to Peppa Pig World and give her a day off.
Nick Houghton No there are many industries where it is impossible. What happens when the baby gets cranky at work and screams the place down - no one can work.
Elaine Smith No way, there is an expensive creche there if children need to be looked after, if they don’t want to use that either, stay home or employ a nanny.
Richard Gill Davies No. Do what everyone else does and make suitable arrangements before embarking on starting a family. Take responsibility and think ahead. This child will need you to be a role model.
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
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2 - 8 December 2021
AS we age, the amount of collagen and elastin we have keeping our skin springy decreases and our skin sags slight‐ ly, leaving us with pores which appear larger. And while there is nothing that can change the size of your pores, there is plenty that you can do to make them appear smaller. Firstly, while you can‐ not pysyically shrink your pores, a build‐up of dirt and sebum in them can certainly have the opposite effect so start your skincare routine every day by gently cleansing. Using an oil‐ based cleanser will work well for most skin types as oil actually attracts oil which means these cleansers are a very ef‐ fective way of ridding your skin of any grease without using stripping detergents. The latest oil‐based cleansers use emollients which turn milky on con‐ tact with water, allow‐ ing the product to dive
Incredible shrinking pores deep into your pores and bring out any dirt too, preventing black‐ heads. Next, use a gentle ex‐ foliator to slough off dead skin cells which can make pores look more prominent. Dead skin will also prevent any products you use af‐ terwards penetrating as deeply as they should. Ensure that at every stage you are gentle with your skin, however, as being overly‐aggres‐ sive with any products can cause permanent damage to the pores,
even stretching them out. Retinoid products (ones containing vitamin A) naturally exfoliate the skin without using any beads or scrubs and increase cell turnover, making the pores ap‐ pear smaller. Next, before applying any make‐up or primers, make sure to moisturise your skin. While this may seem counterintu‐ itive, well‐hydrated skin should not over‐produce oil to compensate for dryness, meaning you actually produce less se‐
bum which makes y o u r p o r e s look big‐ ger when you have m o i s ‐ turised. Finally, make sure to always use an SPF. Apart from its ben‐ efits in helping to pre‐ vent skin cancer, sun protection will help you prevent further fine lines, wrinkles and sag‐ ging caused by excess sun, which in turn will help prevent your pores enlarging further. Now apply a make‐up primer or BB cream to your skin. These prod‐ ucts often contain parti‐ cles which diffuse the light, ‘blurring’ out im‐ perfections and provid‐ ing a softer appearance to the skin. This will
HEALTH & BEAUTY
SKIN PERFECT: It is possible to minimise the look of pores.
help to make pores look significantly smaller while also helping your make‐up last longer. These cosmetic changes should make an overall difference to the appearance of pores.
You can help to treat your body from the in‐ side too though, by staying hydrated which in turn plumps up the skin’s surface and re‐ ducing the look of pores.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
www.euroweeklynews.com
Let’s dance
WITH Strictly Come Dancing as popular as ev‐ er, more and more people are taking up danc‐ ing. And researchers in Japan have found older people who take up the hobby are less likely to lose their independence. A team of scientists tracked a group of more than 1,000 women aged between 75 and 84 and found those who dance were less likely to need help with everyday tasks such as bathing. They also found dancing was more effective than other forms of exercise in helping with in‐ dependence, compared to jogging, cycling, and golf. The study, carried out at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology and published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science, found that dancing, ‘is a more useful exercise for maintaining brain structure and balance in older adults’ ability to walk, strength and flexibility exercise.’ Lead author Dr Yosuke Osuka said: “Al‐ though it is unclear why dancing alone reduced the risk of ADL [activities associated with daily living] disability, dancing requires not only bal‐ ance, strength, and endurance ability, but also cognitive ability ‐ adaptability and concentra‐ tion to move according to the music and part‐ ner, artistry for graceful and fluid motion, and memory for choreography.” The study’s authors concluded: “Participa‐ tion in dancing was significantly and inde‐ pendently associated with a reduced risk of incident ADL disability among older
DANCING: Older women benefited from dance.
Japanese women.” Researchers studied the women over eight years, during which time they participated in a range of exercises, indulging martial arts and tai chi. Dancing was found to improve both en‐ durance and strength, whilst also adding a mental challenge element which scientists think may help with everyday tasks. The study found older women who dance are 73 per cent less likely to need help with routine tasks, such as dressing, bathing and eating. Dr Yosuke said: “Dancing should be a useful exercise for maintaining functional ca‐ pacity in this population. This finding may en‐ courage participation in dancing among the older population.” During the research, older women were asked to take part in 16 exercise types, includ‐ ing hiking, ball games, bowling, aqua exercise and yoga. All members of the study group lived independently at the beginning of the eight years, and none had difficulties with daily tasks, but roughly one in eight developed prob‐ lems. Scientists compared exercises, and found dancing reduced women’s risk of needing help with daily activities, including walking, eating, bathing, dressing and using the bathroom.
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FEATURE
GO LOCAL THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support lo‐ cal businesses in the community by shop‐ ping locally in recent times. Now things are heading back to nor‐ mal, we challenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonder‐ fully quirky inde‐ pendent businesses in your area. Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities what they are. They add unique character. They are convenient. And they offer excellent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping locally means that independent busi‐ nesses can support the local community. You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually go‐ ing? By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local family’s table
BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.
and there is nothing better than giving back to the communities that have given us so much. Local stores sup‐ port charities and they sponsor local sports teams. In many cases, they are much more than just a business, they’re a legacy. They may have supported generations of the same family. Like‐ wise, brand new local stores and bars may help the genera‐ tions of the
future fulfil their dreams and ambitions. Remember, your local store is going up against multi‐ nationals and chains. They can’t win that battle on their own. So give
them your support. Spending your mon‐ ey locally will make a real differ‐ ence to the local econo‐ my. Local businesses recirculate a g r e a t e r share of ev‐ ery euro they receive at lo‐ cal level. They create locally owned supply chains and they invest in their employees. So remember. When you go shopping ‐ go local!
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FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
I AM not a killer by instinct, al‐ though I have been known to kill. I have committed murder and caused death by negli‐ gence. Every time I have felt remorse, because I think the victim, as a sentient being, has as much right to live as I do. I have murdered the odd wasp with a swatter or a towel, and innocent cockroaches by squashing ‐ but always with a feeling of guilt. The same ap‐ plies to deaths caused by my negligence or by accident. I should take more care when sweeping the terrace to ensure that there are no living creatures among the dirt and the leaves as they are brutally brushed into the dustpan on the way to the rubbish bins. And sometimes a tiny harmless fly may have got trapped in the wash basin only to be washed down the plughole as I hastily rinse the bowl. I find certain species annoy‐ ing, others disgusting. But they all exist for a reason and they can’t help the way they look. However, if I can kill a mosquito I celebrate with un‐
DAVID WORBOYS
2 - 8 December 2021
Hate crime
I’m not a violent man, but ...
bridled joy. I am over the moon, because this is the only living thing that I positively hate. The way they announce their presence with that omi‐ nous buzzing as a warning that,
unprovoked, they are out to sting, suck blood and ruin a good night’s sleep. They are notoriously difficult to locate ‐ and to kill. More than an inconvenience, they inflict
unsightly red bumps and rashes anywhere on the body they can penetrate, which sting and itch for several days. And they drink blood from not only humans but other mammals, birds, rep‐ tiles and fish. But even a mosquito doesn’t deserve to suffer or to be tortured ‐ just ex‐ terminated. The bites can be allevi‐ ated by calamine or olive oil. For us here in Eu‐ rope it is not a matter of life and death, because the mosquitoes don’t carry deadly viruses. In other parts of the world, it def‐ initely is. The female anopheles is the major culprit. By carrying and transmitting the malaria para‐ site, this little insect causes
more deaths to humans than any other species ‐ up to one million every year in many dif‐ ferent countries. These are mainly in Africa, where there are some 300 million cases ev‐ ery year and two children die from malaria every minute. And the non‐fatal illnesses and dis‐ comforts suffered by millions is unimaginable here in Europe. As if this is not enough, the little pest also carries the dengue and yellow fever viruses. There are anti‐malarial drugs but, as yet, no vaccine. The best prevention is a natural re‐ pellent such as lavender, but this is not 100 per cent effec‐ tive. And there are not too many accessible lavender fields in Uganda, for example. Meanwhile, I am still hunting for the vicious little ‘visitor’ that has been tormenting me for the last week. Her days are numbered. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
David Worboys’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
My last grump for this year MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man I WAS asked this week if I trust the big pharmaceutical companies and my answer was an emphatic no and I have very good reason for that. When I was diagnosed with my Orthostatic Tremor I was told by my doctor that there was no medication for it, but he recommended that I try something called Gabapentin or one called Lyrica. I tried Gabapentin and I have to tell you the side effects were absolutely horrendous - literally mind altering. I managed them for a month then stopped, because I started to dig around for more information and what I discovered was truly incredible. Pfizer had been sued and fined over both these drugs. They had agreed to pay $240 million for using ‘fraudulent scientific evidence’ to promote off-label uses of Gabapentin - a drug made and approved for treating epilepsy. What that means is they were bribing doctors to prescribe this medication to people that did not suffer from epilepsy. In my case I had no pain, I just had shaky legs. The company suppressed study results, planted people in medical audiences to ask questions intended to put
Gabapentin in a good light and lavished perks on doctors. The other drug, Lyrica, made by a subsidiary of Pfizer was also in big trouble. Pfizer agreed to pay $1 billion to resolve allegations under the civil False Claims Act that the company illegally promoted four drugs including Lyrica, an anti-epileptic drug - and caused false claims to be submitted to government health care programmes for uses that were not medically accepted indications and therefore not covered by those programmes. The civil settlement also resolves allegations Pfizer paid kickbacks to health care providers to induce them to prescribe these, and other drugs. The federal share of the civil settlement was $668,514,830 and the state Medicaid share of the civil settlement was $331,485,170. This is the largest civil fraud settlement in history against a pharmaceutical company. So, my friends do not believe everything you read and hear about big pharma companies. Most of the stuff will be absolutely correct but every now and again they tell porky pies. This company has serious previous offences and some of the doctors were getting back handers for dishing out meds never made for the condition they were licensed for. This will be my last grump this year so I will take the opportunity to wish everyone a merry Xmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Email: mikesenker@gmail.com
Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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FEATURE
Travel
CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD I HAVE been thinking a lot this week about the mental leaps people make when they are upset over something, and how these jumps in logic create such big divides between people that it makes discussion and debate almost impossible. I looked up what I was trying to describe, and the closest thing I can find is called ‘catastrophising’. A lot of people involuntarily suffer from this way of imagining things and it only relates to themselves. It is an issue that mental health counsellors describe as a type of distorted thinking that is not based in reality and can be debilitating to those who cannot physically shake themselves free of it. Future-oriented catastrophising is believing something terrible will happen, without evidence to support this belief, and this is where I mostly pick up the other type of person I encounter with this train of thought. These people don’t necessarily have a medical problem that causes them to think in this way, but instead, lean into this way of thinking as a means to further their po-
Catastrophising litical or personal opinion. This all-ornothing thinking can actually hurt their coherence and does nothing for the spirit of debate or discussion as they pick up their imaginary scenario and refuse to let it go. “Next thing you know…” is a common, and relatively innocuous, starter for this kind of conversation. The person that brings out the idea of never being able to say the word Christmas again because they’ve been asked to consider other holidays. The thought of white people disappearing from their television because there is a black woman with a supermarket loyalty card on their screen. They run down their line of thought until they reach a scenario so extreme that they panic, then hold firm that belief as if it is here in reality already. Catastrophising. Right-wing politicians adore it when people create their own false dichotomy, or all-or-nothing situations, as it saves them the job of creating them on the campaign podium. Psychology professor Ryan Martin says: “When things happen to us and we evaluate those events in highly negative ways, we’re
Winter underway
more likely to get angry about them, and we’re more likely to get scared.” Scared people are easier to manipulate into voting against their own interests to protect themselves from the imaginary scenarios created from fear. The more that these thoughts become ingrained into people’s minds, the more self-perpetuating they become, until small things explode. This way of thinking leads to chronic anger and in turn, this creates misattributed causation, putting the blame where it doesn’t belong. This is how people are easily turned against each other in times of hardship when they have more in common with each other than they do with the people in charge who are actually creating awful situations. This goes some of the way to explain the current rise in right-wing ideology and individualism across the globe, at a time when we should really be helping each other instead. 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.
THE Sierra Nevada is Eu‐ rope’s southernmost ski resort and on November 27, its ski‐lifts were acti‐ vated once more, as this year's winter season got underway. It is reported that there is already 20cm of fresh snow on the ground, and nine kilome‐ tres of slopes are skiable. In the hope of a more stable season this year, af‐ ter last year’s on‐and‐off restrictions, the Sierra Nevada’s hoteliers and business owners in Pradollano and Bor‐ reguiles are optimistic. Now they just need a re‐ turn to the numbers gen‐ erated in 2019. The drop in tempera‐ tures, combined with rain‐ fall in recent weeks has helped to get the doors open. While the capital of the province, and other parts of the region experi‐ enced rain, the mountain peaks received a generous covering of snow.
Slopes are now skiable.
A real bonus for the Sierra Nevada is that data shows the Granada Province currently has the lowest virus infection rates in Andalucia at more than 30 points below the second‐lowest, Jaen. Masks must be worn on ski lifts and chairs, but there are no capacity re‐ strictions on the slopes. Although that could change if it becomes over‐ crowded. According to Enrique de la Higuera, a spokesman for local businesspersons, a hotel occupancy of 50 per cent is expected for this first week of the sea‐ son. That’s compared to a 30 per cent occupancy last season.
THE HALLMARK OF HAPPY HUMANS TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA
#TheWomanBeyond IF there’s one thing I have had to get used to, being in business, particularly over the last 18 months, it’s being able to turn on a sixpence, to be flexible, to have to look at what’s going on and make some sort of sense and be able to make what may seem like sponta‐ neous decisions, only to turn them on their head again just a few days later!! That can mess with your head, and your teams. As a leader, we have to be able to put in place structures that keep the engines oiled and the wheels turn‐ ing. We also have to make the most of what the data is telling us in any one moment and be willing to make a deci‐ sion, a choice, even though that may have to be overturned in light of new information.
Dan Siegel is one of the world’s lead‐ ing mindfulness, neuroscience and in‐ terpersonal neurobiology experts. Dan tells us that the healthy human being is psychologically flexible. He says we need to be kind of like a river flow‐ ing between two banks, on one side we have structure and on the other we have spontaneity. So, what is the trick to maintaining flexibility, well it is to make sure we don’t flood one side or the other. We want to have just the right amount of structure, too much and you get rigid. And we know that’s not good. On the other side of our river of flexi‐ bility we have spontaneity. Again, we need a certain amount, but not too much. If we go over the top on spon‐ taneity, we can flood that side and wind up with chaos. Also, not good. Dan tells us that the hallmark of a healthy human being is just like the riv‐ er of flexibility, it runs between the banks of structure and spontaneity.
Structure + Spontaneity = Flexibility. How’s your river? Are you sticking rigidly to structures that don’t work anymore, or can you be a little too spontaneous? Are you flooding one side or the oth‐ er? As with all these things it’s a delicate balance, the tightrope of life and busi‐ ness. What’s one little thing you can do to Optimise today? Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment. Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Great‐ ness!
PS. Want PERSONAL TRANSFORMA‐ TION 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, the last programme before the year is out!!! In just four, three‐hour online sessions you could Reach Beyond Your Limits, Soar Beyond Your Barriers and Live Beyond Your Dreams. Twenty five per cent off for Euro Weekly News readers – Just Quote Of‐ fer Code EWN25 – for more info and to book head on over to https://quan tumvantage.co.uk/visionarywomen programme Don’t hold back another moment. You could be just one step away…
Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #TheWom‐ anBeyond
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
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sixsecretstosuccess
PETS
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www.euroweeklynews.com • 2 - 8 December 2021
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Find great petsitters so you can relax on holiday IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a
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For further information, please go to The Anglican Chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Calida web page. Or contact Tony Noble 950 069 103. (10002) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? Call and see how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.britishle gion.org.uk/counties/ spain-north ZURGENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at The Heathers La Alfoquia, for further details please email zurgenarblsecre tary@yahoo.co.uk - (253989)
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New all-electric ORA CAT ROAD TEST by Mark Slack ONE of the most frequent criticisms of electric cars is their price, it’s all too often high and beyond the reach of normal drivers. Whether buy‐ ing outright, increasingly un‐ usual these days, or on some kind of personal lease scheme, the costs are still pro‐ hibitive for many drivers. The other issue is our poor infras‐ tructure in the UK, EVs are great to drive but only practi‐ cally useful as commuter cars in the main, unless you have the funds to buy more premi‐ um models with a long range. Hence those higher prices are still dissuading a lot of mo‐ torists from taking the EV route, unless they also keep a combustion engine car on the drive. You will struggle to find an EV for under €23,832/ £20,000 with only Fiat’s chic 500 Elec‐ tric promising a decent range of 199 miles, but bear in mind, as with all EVs, this is a perfect conditions scenario. However,
there is a potentially very use‐ able new EV about to start prowling the roads with the launch of the ORA CAT. Due next year, and priced from around €29,790/£25,000, it has a promised range of 261 miles for the larger battery model. It will perhaps be no surprise that the ORA CAT is from a Chi‐ nese company, Great Wall Motor who are best known in the UK for pick‐ups. Two bat‐ tery options are listed, 48 kwh with a predicted range of 209 miles, and 63 kwh that will of‐ fer the aforementioned 261 mile range. The ORA CAT reaches the benchmark 62mph in a rela‐ tively spritely 8.5 seconds and then on to a maximum speed of 100 mph. Technology in‐ cludes a 10.25 inch screen with infotainment, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, rear parking sensors, lane keep, au‐ tonomous parking, facial recognition for fatigue and dis‐ traction detection, 360‐degree camera integration, 12 ultra‐ sonic radars and updates over‐ the‐air a’ la Tesla style.
Additionally, there are full LED headlights, 18‐inch alloys and safety wise six airbags. Customers will have a five‐ year vehicle warranty and an eight‐year warranty on the battery. Pre‐orders of the ORA CAT 01 will begin December 2021.
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to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com
Barcelona agree transfer AC CO R D I N G to reports circulating on sports pages and social media in Spain, a deal has allegedly been reached between the agent of Manchester City’s Spanish internation‐ al striker, Ferran Torres, and Barcelona FC. It is known that with Ar‐ gentinian legend, Sergio Aguero, being forced into premature retirement af‐ ter signing for the La Liga giants, they are on the lookout for his replace‐ ment. The Catalan club is
Spanish striker, Torres.
also reportedly suffering a massive financial dilemma right now, so how they would fund such a move
remains to be seen. One rumour is that they will include a player in a po‐ tential swap, possibly Ousmane Dembele. Respected sports outlet Marca claims that a deal has been brokered be‐ tween both parties, but without any involvement from Torres’ club, Man City. It is believed that Tor‐ res’ agent was spotted in Barcelona on Tuesday November 23, leading to speculation that he was at
the Camp Nou discussing a move for his player. There has also been talk of Mateu Alemany, the Catalan club’s director of football, flying in the op‐ posite direction, for talks at the Etihad. Torres joined the Pre‐ mier League champions in 2020 from Valencia, but has not been seeing regu‐ lar playing time under Pep Guardiola, yet has con‐ stantly found the target while playing for his coun‐ try.
Leo Messi wins seventh trophy THE Ballon d’Or 2021 ceremony returned to Paris on Monday, November 29, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pan‐ demic. Argentinian wizard Lionel Messi was in the running to win his record seventh trophy. Messi has six awards to his name from his time with Barcelona, but now he is playing for Paris Saint‐Germain. Five players were left in the final selection, with Leicester City and France midfielder N'Golo Kante coming fifth. Fourth
place went to Karim Benzema, France’s prolific Real Madrid striker. Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder Jorginho was given third spot. In second, Robert Lewandoski, which meant the winner was ‐ Lionel Messi. Strangely, there was no mention of Cristiano Ronaldo’s name as a strong favourite to win his sixth Ballon d’Or this year. The Portuguese legend is currently back with Manchester United after leaving Juventus.
Wales and Scotland rivals WALES and Scotland found out on Friday, November 26, exactly who their opponents will be in the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying semi‐final play‐offs. Both home na‐ tions have home matches in the one‐legged deciders. Robert Page’s Welsh team will host Austria in Cardiff, with the manager commenting, “We’ve worked ever so hard to finish second and get that home draw. We’ve got everything to play for.” Scotland can look forward to taking on Ukraine at Ham‐ pden. Manager Steve Clark was confident as he said, “We have shown over the course of the play‐offs for Euro 2020 that we can handle the tension for semi‐final, and final games.” Adding, “Ukraine is up there with the toughest [draw] and then from that, we know Wales have done really well recently. We know the Austrians well. It’s something for everyone to focus on and think about over the winter months and look forward to some good games in March, hopefully.” If both teams win then they will face one another at Cardiff, with the victors heading for the World Cup finals in Qatar. It has been 64 years since the Welsh competed in the World Cup, back in 1958, while for the Scots, it has been a patient 24‐year wait. In the other two play‐off semis, Portugal will be at home to Turkey, and Italy will welcome North Macedonia. The winners will then face‐off, which means one of Europe’s big football nations will not be present in Qatar.