THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 Issue No. 1903
23 - 29 Dec 2021
Outdoor mask decree PRESIDENT Pedro Sánchez has announced to the auto‐ nomous regions that a de‐ cree will be approved today, Thursday December 23 to bring back the use of face masks in open spaces. The use of obligatory masks ended in June but is set to return. The previous decree required masks to be worn by all people above the age of six in public spaces and any enclosed space for public use or open to the public. Certain excep‐ tions were allowed for indi‐ viduals including those with respiratory difficulties, dis‐ abled people who could not use masks and those in‐ volved in outdoor sporting activities. Sánchez is reacting to the request of many regional presidents who have called for the return of facial cover‐ ings in reaction to the new spike in coronavirus cases. Leaders from Castile and Leon, Navarra, Andalucia, Castile‐La Mancha, Valencia, Galicia, the Basque Country, the Canary Islands and Cat‐ alonia have all backed the move.
AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
NATIVITY HONOURED
FREE • GRATIS
MUSCAT GRAPE TOURIST CENTRE
NEW FACILITY: Will be for the drying of grapes.
WELL-DESERVED: Neighbours’ nativity recreation rewarded.
ON December 19, the Living Nativity Scene (Belèn) of the Barriada de las Protegidas in the Plaza de Andalucía, was recognised with a plaque from the local council. The mayor of Ner‐ ja, José Alberto Armijo, the provin‐ cial deputy for Social Services, Lour‐ des Piña, the councillor for Popular Traditions, Elena Gálvez and the m a y o r o f t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d , Ev a García, were all present for the cere‐ mony. The award was presented to the president of the residents’ associa‐ tion, José Miguel Ortuño, and the promoters of the Nativity Scene, Rocío and Noelia San Martín. It de‐ clares the scene as a Festival of Local Tourist Interest and a Fiesta of Provincial Tourism. This was ap‐ proved by the Diputación de Malaga at the request of the Nerja Town Council Plenary.
The mayor described the award as: “A very well‐deserved distinction that comes to recognise the effort and the great work that the association does for the neighbourhood. It is a source of pride to see so many neighbours involved in this Christmas activity.” The president of the residents’ as‐ sociation thanked the institutional support of the town hall and the Provincial Council through the decla‐ rations as a Festival of Local Tourist Interest and Provincial Tourist Singu‐ larity. “These recognitions encourage us to continue working and improving the Living Nativity Scene for future editions.” Visitors were able to enjoy the recreation of traditional scenes, such as the birth of Jesus thanks to more than 100 neighbours of all ages who brought the nativity scene to life.
THE Malaga Provincial Council has set aside funds for a tourist re‐ ception point for Axar‐ quia that will be devot‐ ed to the ‘drying of the grape’. The facility on the MA‐3114 (Mocline‐ jo‐Almáchar) will be adapted to show the various stages of grape drying. The intention of the re‐ ception point is to raise awareness and to inform visitors of the history and the cultivation of the Muscat grape that is grown in the area. Ac‐ cording to the Deputy for Development and Infras‐ tructure, Francisco Oblaré, this is the first step in creating a net‐
work of open classrooms or viewpoints that will make the industry more accessible to tourists and locals alike. The council will invest €153,114.75 in the cre‐ ation of the facility with funds from the Pro‐ gramme for the Promo‐ tion of Agricultural Em‐ ployment (PFEA). A further subsidy of €98,998.20 will be pro‐ vided to cover the salaries and social contri‐ butions for those in‐ volved in running the centres and in dealing with the public. It is thought that the first information point will provide work for up to 10 people.
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23 - 29 December 2021
Head of the Music Band retires
ON Saturday December 18, Nerja Town Council paid tribute to José Pedro Al‐ mendro who retired as head of the Nerja Music Band after 32 years. The event held at the Villa de Nerja Cultural Centre, saw the mayor, José Alberto Armijo and the councillor for Culture, Gema Laguna, praise Almendro for his work and his commitment to the role and the band. Almendro was appointed when the band was created back in 1989 and has stayed in the role ever since, Lagu‐ na saying “he is responsible, in the best sense of the term, for having created this great family of musicians and for all their successes.” Almendro thanked the town council, especially its mayor for their support say‐ ing that “I know that José Alberto Armijo is supporting the band in everything.” He
Presented with a plaque.
also thanked the Balcón de Europa Association, the en‐ tity that manages the Nerja Music Band, saying “Nerja is in my heart. The people have treated me with affec‐ tion and I have many indeli‐ ble memories in these 32 years.” Handing the baton to David Paloma, Almendro wished him good luck and every success saying that “I know he will work to keep this band as one of the best in the country.” The council and the asso‐ ciation presented him with a commemorative plaque and a sculpture.
AFTER another challenging year that brought hope followed by more un‐ certainty, we are reminded of the things that matter. Here at Euro Weekly News, we never ceased to be amazed by those who put others first in times of adversity. Covering the news round the clock, we see closer than most the hardships endured by people close to home and further afield. But we are always uplift‐ ed by what people can achieve when they come together and focus on do‐ ing the right thing. The stories of kind‐ ness to others and the huge amounts of money raised by people in the com‐ munities we serve, always leaves us
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Euro Weekly News! with a positive outlook on the world. At a time when the luxury of nor‐ mality still eludes us, let’s not forget those less fortunate than ourselves and those who make it their mission to make the world a better place. And
let’s remember to cherish those closest to us, even if distance often keeps us apart. From everyone at Euro Weekly News, we would like to wish each one of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Parking lot fire Migrants Day event
LOCAL POLICE and the fire service were called to the Concordia parking lot in Tor‐ rox on Sunday, December 19 to deal with a fire that broke out at 10.53pm. No injuries were reported, however seven vehicles were completely destroyed in the fire while another seven were damaged by the flames. A fur‐ ther four vehicles were dam‐ aged by building rubble after parts of the ceiling collapsed
Seven vehicles destroyed.
due to the heat. It is not known who report‐ ed the fire or how it started. At this stage the police are keeping an open mind as to the cause and are carrying our further investigations. Óscar Medina, the mayor of Torrox, has expressed his solidarity with those affected and has said he and his team will also investigate the fire. He has also made himself available to talk to any of those affected.
ON Saturday December 18, Nerja celebrated Interna‐ tional Migrants Day in the Plaza de España. Organised by the Casa Argentina de Nerja Association in collabo‐ ration with the Council of Popular Tradition and the Nerja Town Council, it pro‐ motes the exchange of ex‐ periences and opportunities for collaboration by the countries and regions. A United Nations initia‐ tive, the annual event was started in recognition of the increase in migratory flows in the world. Throughout the day there were musical perfor‐ mances and dance shows, as well as opportunities to be introduced to different cultures and to meet mi‐ grants from other coun‐ tries.
Opening the event was popular Argentine singer Lorena Larrea Catterino with her characteristic chamamé musical rhythm. Other per‐ formances included tango artist Lourdes Simon, Floren‐ cia González with her cumbia folkloric style, and the dance of Martin Fierro Cultural Association.
Nerja Town Council acquires the old mill THE Nerja Town Council has announced the acquisi‐ tion of the old mill plot on Calle Animas for a cost of €957,398. The plot of 665 square metres is according to the town hall very well located, sitting between Calle Animas and Plaza de España. The mayor, José Alberto, said that they intend to use the site to build a new pub‐ lic social facility. The neces‐ sary work that needs to be done to get planning ap‐ proval and to agree plans and contractors has start‐ ed, however it will take time to put in place. So in the short term the Council plan to clean up the prop‐ erty and to use it as public parking until they are ready to begin construction. Payment for the proper‐ ty is being made in two parts, €250,000 from the 2021 budget and the bal‐ ance from the 2022 bud‐ get.
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Basic training
THREE courses have been held to provide workers with the required certifica‐ tion to work on the ferry lines in the port of Motril, a passenger ship certificate, basic training in maritime and general security securi‐ ty. Some 18 attended the 110 hour course which fin‐ ished earlier this month.
Xmas concert THE Stella Maris choir from Torre del Mar celebrated its traditional Christmas con‐ cert in the Church of San An‐ drés de Torre del Mar on Sunday, December 19. The long awaited choral recital featured the Young Choir and the Coral Stella Maris herself.
Environmental recognition ON Friday December 17 the Velez‐Malaga Council began its work to take stock of and to recognise the innovative and pioneering work that is being carried out by indus‐ trial companies in ‘going green’. The intention being to improve environmental quality and to engage stake‐ holders in social, environ‐ mental and economic im‐ provement of the area.
Quality of life RINCON has signed up to the provincial council of Malaga ‘Spaces without Barriers Network’ which promotes the development and usage of accessible space for people with autism and other cognitive needs. The network aims to facilitate a better quality of life for these people and their families.
Parking bays NERJA Town Council has announced the opening of a new parking site with a capacity for 85 vehicles. Lo‐ cated next to the round‐ about that leads to the mu‐ nicipality from the old N‐340 road, it is hoped that the facility will reduce traf‐ fic congestion during peak times.
23 - 29 December 2021
Helping the most needy
CAIXABANK, through their foundation and in partner‐ ship with the Council of So‐ cial Services of the town council of Nerja, have do‐ nated €6,000 to acquire goods for those in the town hardest hit by the pandem‐ ic. These funds have been used by the Council to put together 150 Christmas ‘baskets’. Accepting the donation from Matilde Mendoza, di‐ rector for Caixabank in Ner‐ ja, local councillor Daniel
SOCIAL SERVICES: Are providing Christmas baskets.
Rivas said “The intention of our town council is that
these needy families can have a better Christmas
and this donation will allow us to do that.” Mendoza, expressed her satisfaction at the bank’s participation once calling it a Christmas tradition say‐ ing “It will allow these spe‐ cial days to be more bear‐ able for residents of our town who are having a hard time.” The municipal staff of So‐ cial Services will be in charge of contacting the beneficiary families to de‐ liver the baskets.
Looking after history CAS needs volunteers ANTONIO MORENO FERRER, mayor of Velez‐Malaga, has highlighted the commit‐ ment of the Velez‐Malaga Council to transform the his‐ toric centre of the town and in doing so to generate employ‐ ment and business. A number of projects are al‐ ready in place with the con‐ struction of the cultural com‐ plex on the ‘Las Golondrinas’ estate, the continuation of the pedestrianisation towards the Camino de Malaga and the Plaza de La Constitución. More invitations to tender will go out shortly for amongst others such as the Cultural Complex of the School of Music in the Finca Las Golondrinas in the Pilar neighbourhood; the pedestrianisation of Camino de Malaga and the remodelling of the Plaza de La Constitución. Moreno is particularly keen
to transform the city in a way that it works for residents, visi‐ tors and business, recovering walkable spaces and improving access to the centre of the town. Speaking of his commitment he said “Projects under con‐ struction are already making a big difference to the economic and social reactivation of the town, with projects to improve the infrastructure and services of the municipality.” The mayor also confirmed that the works for the anti‐ flooding wall of the Parque Tec‐ noalimentario are in the award‐ ing phase, a defence system 767 metres in length with a minimum height of 0.8 metres. The wall will separate the western and south‐western ar‐ eas of the park providing pro‐ tection for businesses and resi‐ dents in the area.
A SMALL voluntary charitable organisation that has been successfully rehoming and assisting abandoned animals in the Nerja, Frigiliana and Maro area for over 30 years, CAS are now in need of new committee members and staff. Sadly many of their stalwarts have retired after many years of commitment, leaving a number of vacancies. They are looking for committee members and some social media savvy individuals, animal lov‐ ing and energetic people who can spread the word and help find new homes for the rescued cats and dogs. The work can be heartbreaking at times, but for the most part is hugely reward‐ ing. Volunteers are also needed for the shop on Calle Castilla Perez. All posts are unpaid and voluntary; the joy coming from knowing that you have made a dif‐ ference. If you are interested in helping please contact Acting President Mae Delaney on 601 629 938 or pop into the shop for a chat, after all you may just find something you want to buy or an ani‐ mal to adopt.
Bringing tourists Food bank gifts WITH sponsorship and assistance from the Andalucian Regional Government Tourism Council, Motril hosted a variety of festive and entertainment activities aimed at positioning the town as ‘Motril, Christmas destination’. The event, which took place on the weekend of December 18, was undertaken in an effort to attract families to the town in the winter months. Rather than holding separate events and activities the decision was taken to hold one large event to bring together tourism, leisure and gastronomic offers. The event was well attended under the circumstances with Christmas workshops, children’s activities, music and raffles on offer. A bouncy castle and a video presentation also formed part of the event, which was held in the Parque de los Pueblos de América alongside the skating rink.
THE Christmas spirit is in full swing at the Solidaria food bank in Nerja. They managed to collect 73 Christmas gifts for needy children in the area. For the most part, Dorothy Allen collected the gifts from friends from where she lives in Urbanisation Punta Lara and from others in Torrox and Competa. Some of the gifts came from donors from the British Legion in Nerja.
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Many thanks to all the generous people involved in spreading some happiness this Christmas.
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Preserving folklore THE Malaga Federa‐ tion of Folklore Asso‐ ciations has worked with the Malaga Provincial Council to preserve local folk‐ lore in a four month project that has seen footage being taken of 15 dance groups from the area. The result is 15 DVDs that will be dis‐ tributed among local cultural associations and libraries, not on‐ ly preserving the tra‐ ditions, but also mak‐ ing them accessible. The footage will also be uploaded to YouTube, in the pro‐ cess introducing the world to the area’s traditions. The Deputy for Cul‐ ture, Víctor González who announced the completion of the project stressed the importance of pre‐ serving the cultural legacy of the province so that it does not fall into oblivion, “a work that is being carried out selflessly by asso‐ ciations, peñas and dance groups, many of them made up of older people who en‐ joy the traditional songs and dances while keeping them alive and making them known to the new generations of their municipalities, to neighbours from other towns and to visitors who come to visit the province.”
and finally...
VELEZ-MALAGA Town Council, through the Cities against Drugs programme, has organised the first Healthy Lifestyles Day in collaboration with the Depart‐ ment of Sports and Youth. The idea behind the day is to promote healthy habits amongst the younger popula‐ tion, particularly encouraging physical activity and healthier eating habits. Attention is also being given to raising awareness of the negative effects of drugs and alcohol, and the resulting anti‐social behaviour.
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Secret Santa couple
A COUPLE left $10,000 to pay off the instalment plans of hundreds of fami‐ lies before Christmas at a Kmart in Melbourne, Aus‐ tralia. One recipient comment‐ ed: “That selfless act has done more for my family than I can even begin to ex‐ plain.” The secret Santa couple only had one request. The money had to go towards paying off pre‐ordered Christmas gifts and toys, which were on instalment plans. A Kmart spokesperson commented: “I think the in‐ tent behind the donation
Xmas gifts and toys were paid for.
was alleviating some of the financial pressures for fami‐ lies. “We really have a lot of people coming in and sup‐ porting our Kmart wishing tree appeal that do it in smaller amounts, but every year they support those in need.”
Clean energy contract
IN a major boost for Iberdrola’s operations in the United States, the Spanish energy company has won a clean energy supply contract in Massachusetts. The contract, which will see the company invest €3.5 bil‐ lion in the USA, includes the construction of the fu‐ ture Commonwealth Wind Park, the third such facili‐ ty in the state This is a huge win for Iberdrola in the United States, providing jobs for 11,000 full time staff and generating enough power to supply 750,000 homes. Winning this contract provides the company with a much‐needed boost after they were rejected by the regulator in New Mexico. The Commonwealth Wind Park is a key project in helping the States to meet its target of 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Speaking about the project, Ignacio Galán, President of Iberdrola said: “Our portfolio of offshore wind energy projects in the United States could represent more than $15 billion investment in the next few years.”
MICOLCHÓN new shop THE Micolchón Group has opened a new shop in Torre del Mar featuring the new brand of sofas, Nessen Interiors. They have a clear com‐ mitment to the communi‐ ty by creating local jobs, and to the international
New shop now open.
market with their plentiful selection.
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Device deactivated ON Friday, December 17 two fisherman on the beach of Burriana in Nerja found a metal item in the sea, which they took out and left on the sand. But af‐ ter thinking about it over the weekend the pair, Fran‐ cisco Pastor and José Cabel‐ lo, alerted officials. Cabello said “I thought it was a fire extinguisher from a boat or something like that, I left it so that the cleaning services would take it, but throughout the weekend it stayed in the sand, and there have even been children playing with it.” The military were called and deactivated what turned out to be a highly flammable device com‐ posed of phosphorus. The device is apparently a type of flare used in maritime navigation for the opera‐ tions of military or even merchant ships, in case of emergency. The type, man‐ ufactured in the USA and with a US Navy logo, is used because it continues to burn even when in contact with water. Cabello confessed “It was two foreigners who come to bathe every morning at the beach who told us to call the police. They noticed the danger and saw the markings. Even though they told us, we still put it be‐ tween stones in the board‐ walk.”
UK lockdown ruled out AFTER a three‐hour virtual emergency cabinet meeting on December 20, British Prime Minis‐ ter, Boris Johnson, announced that his govern‐ ment will not be implementing a lockdown be‐ fore Christmas. Playing his cards close to his chest, he added that they will be monitoring the Omicron data situation on an hourly basis, and action would be taken without further hesitation if he thought it was necessary.
“Unfortunately, I must say to people that we will have to reserve the possibility of taking fur‐ ther action to protect the public, to protect public health, to protect our NHS. We won’t hesitate to take action,” said the prime minis‐ ter. Mr Johnson had been caught in the crossfire of angry MPs earlier, as several of them were reported to have demanded to know if Christ‐ mas was going to be ruined or not.
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New vaccine approved ON December 20, the European Medicines Agen‐ cy (EMA) granted a European li‐ cence to the American vac‐ cine Novavax. This is the fifth Covid‐19 vaccine available on the European mar‐ ket. Its full regimen consists of two injections, three weeks apart. It can be stored, handled, and dis‐ tributed, at re‐ frigerator tem‐ p e r a t u r e s between 1.7 and 7.8 Celsius. This vaccine is based on a sta‐ bilised form of protein S from the virus, for which recombi‐ nant protein nanoparticles have been used.
23 - 29 December 2021
World’s first octopus farm IN a year when many countries have passed laws to protect species deemed to be sentient beings, the news that the world’s first octopus farm is to open in the Canaries has been met with dismay by conserva‐ tionists and scientists alike. For some years now, experts have argued that the octopus is an intelligent being, one that is able to feel pain and emotion. This was portrayed all too well in the South African documen‐ tary ‘My octopus teacher.’ They believe such creatures should never be farmed for commer‐
cial purposes. Part of the interest in farming the octopus comes from the de‐ mand for the meat, but also the rapid rate at which the animal develops making it relatively quick to market and therefore potentially commercially viable. But those who work with oc‐ topuses say that the animals quickly form bonds with their carers that they can sense their moods ‐ at times playful, at oth‐ er times just happy to be in your company. For them these ani‐ mals are more akin to pets than they are food.
New Year’s Eve cancelled LONDON’S mayor, Sadiq Khan, announced on Monday Decem‐ ber 20, that the planned event in Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve is cancelled. This decision probably doesn’t come as a sur‐ prise due to the surging rate of Covid infections in the capital. The event had been announced in November, designed to re‐ place the annual fireworks cele‐ bration that normally takes place in the Square. It would have paid
tribute to 6,500 key workers, plus members of the public. Mr Khan said it was being called off “in the interests of public safety.” “This will be very disappointing for many Londoners, but we must take the right steps to re‐ duce the spread of the virus. I’m proud that we will still have an in‐ credible broadcast spectacular to watch on our screens, which will showcase our great city to the rest of the world.”
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No end to supply crisis AC R O S S the globe, supplies of different items are running low or running out and ex‐ perts are warning that the global supply chain crisis is far from fin‐ ished. The issues with supply and demand caused by the pandem‐ ic have far‐reaching and long‐lasting effects and businesses are not out of the woods yet. As some bottlenecks start to ease, others begin, and it is these signs that are causing experts to forecast a long road ahead for recovery. A Covid‐19 out‐ break in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Zhejiang has left 10s of thousands of peo‐ ple in quarantine un‐ der China’s strict ze‐ ro‐Covid policy and “Further supply chain disruption is a signifi‐ cant possibility,” eco‐ nomic analysts at
SUPPLY CHAIN: Experts forecast a long road ahead.
Capital Economics have said in a note. There are currently delays of up to four weeks for unloading onto the US west coast as there is a severe lack of workers on the ground.
This creates a ‘ripple effect’ in the global supply chain crisis, with ships working to tight deadlines and too many containers in the US ports, and not enough in the ports throughout Asia.
and finally... MOURNING PERIOD. North Korea banned its citizens from laughing, shopping, and drinking from December 17 onwards as part of an 11‐day mourning period on the 10th anniversary of the passing of former leader, Kim Jong‐il. Kim Jong‐il ruled the republic of North Ko‐ rea from 1994 to his death in 2011 and died due to a heart attack at the age of 69 on December 17. He was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong‐un.
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No confinement
ON December 18, Presi‐ dent Pedro Sanchez ruled out the implementation of confinements or se‐ vere restrictions due to the rise of Covid‐19 infec‐ tions. Instead, the gov‐ ernment expressed its commitment to vaccina‐ tion and the use of masks to combat the latest wave. According to govern‐ ment sources, there is no imminent forecast to an‐ nounce confinements or any other restrictive mea‐
Restrictions ruled out.
sures. Carolina Darias, the Minister of Health, stated that there had been “a turning point” in the in‐ crease in infections al‐ though it remained “slow and sustained.” Its impact on the healthcare system,
given the escalation of cases in recent days, was also pointed out. Ms Darias highlighted the importance of the im‐ minent gathering of the Conference of Presidents. Regarding the lack of a global response that had been demanded by some communities, Darias reit‐ erated her commitment to co‐governance. She pointed out that up until now, they have managed to bend all the curves, thanks to acting “jointly.”
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Covid passport download FOLLOWING the announcement that Covid passports or a negative test result are re‐ quired for hospitality in Andalucia ‐ here’s three ways to download the certificate on your mobile or laptop. • ClicSalud + Identify yourself in ClicSalud + with a digi‐ tal certificate, DNIe or Cl@ve. The certificate is available in the ‘Health’ section under ‘Covid‐19 Certificates.’ Once in this section, you will be able to ac‐ cess the corresponding certificate for you and beneficiaries under 16 years of age. • Salud Andalucia app Click on ‘Certificados Covid‐19’ and identi‐ fy yourself with a digital certificate, Cl@ve or
Holy Grail of archaeology
MERCEDES COLOMBO, the territorial delegate of Culture and Historical Heritage of the Junta de Andalucia in Cadiz, attended the Underwater Archaeology Centre of the Andalucian Insti‐ tute of Historical Heritage earlier this week. There, she presented the remains of ancient build‐ ings that have recently been discovered. It is believed that these remains could correspond to a legendary temple. The temple of Hercules Gaditanus ‐ known as Melqart in Phoenician times ‐ was a key pilgrimage site in ancient times, dating back to at least 9BC. This temple, ac‐ cording to historical records, witnessed visits from legendary figures such as Hannibal, the Carthaginian conqueror, and the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar. Historians and archaeologists have been searching for its location for thousands of years, but it has remained a mystery. The temple has become something of a holy grail in this field.
via mobile verification using personal data. A PIN code is sent to your mobile phone (via SMS) to complete the authentication process. The mobile phone number must be registered in the database to guarantee se‐ curity. Once registered, you will be able to down‐ load a PDF document. • Ministry of Health website Click on the ‘Apply for your EU digital Covid certificate’ button. Then answer the questions before using your digital certificate or a Cl@ve to sign in. You will receive an email containing the PDF, this can be done on a mobile phone or laptop.
IL Divo star dies CARLOS MARIN, the Spanish voice from international singing sensations, Il Divo, passed away on Sunday, De‐ cember 19, aged just 53. He had been rushed to Manchester Royal Hospital on December 7, where he was admitted to the ICU, and reportedly placed in an in‐ duced coma. His tragic pass‐
ing was confirmed on Twitter by his saddened bandmates. “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away,” they posted, accompanied by a photo of the singer. They continued, “He will be missed by his friends, family, and fans. There wiIl never be an‐
Marin from Il Divo, RIP. other voice or spirit like Car‐ los.” Il Divo was formed in December 2003, by music mogul, Simon Cowell. They enjoyed worldwide fame, selling over 30 million copies of their operatic pop albums.
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Executions return to Japan ON December 21, Japan carried out executions for the first time in two years when three death row inmates were executed. A justice ministry official com‐ mented: “Three death row in‐ mates were executed today.” The men had all been convicted of atrocious crimes. One had killed seven family members and neigh‐ bours in a terrifying knife and ham‐ mer attack in 2004. The other two had carried out a double murder in 2003. Japan last carried out executions in 2019 when three executions were performed. In 2018, a stag‐ gering 15 executions were carried out. This included 13 members of a sect involved in a Tokyo gas attack. The Deputy Secretary‐General of the Government Seiji Kihara commented: “Whether or not to retain the death penalty is a crucial issue that concerns the founda‐ tions of Japan’s criminal justice sys‐ tem.” Despite criticism from human rights organisations, backing for capital punishment is strong in the country.
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BA cancels many flights Life-extending pill
BRITISH AIRWAYS can‐ celled multiple flights over the weekend of De‐ cember 18 and 19. The shortage of baggage handlers also led to chaos with Brits being asked to leave their bags behind at the airport. The airline said that they would be couriered on later, but many pas‐ sengers were not happy. British Airways’ cus‐ tomers took to social media to complain about the lack of luggage. One
British Airways grounded more than 2,000 flights until March 2022. A spokesperson for the air‐ line explained that it was not due to worries over the new Omicron variant or Coronavirus travel re‐ strictions being put in place. The airline comment‐ ed: “Like other airlines, due to the continuing Coronavirus pandemic we are operating a re‐ duced and dynamic schedule.”
A FOUNTAIN-OF-YOUTH pill could be on the hori‐ zon after scientists dramatically extended the life of mice by injecting elderly rodents with a grape seed extract. The extract extended their remaining time by 60 per cent and boosted overall lifespan by 9 per cent ‐ this is equivalent to over a decade of human life. Dr Yu Sun, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai said: “The plant chemical has high po‐ tential as a clinical intervention to delay, alleviate, or prevent illnesses.” The flavonoid known as PCC1 gets rid of ‘zombie’ or ‘senescent’ cells that have stopped dividing. As we age, they naturally build‐up and release chemicals that result in in‐ flammation.
No mulled wine for offenders
and finally...
Passengers complained.
person commented: “@British_Airways entire BA636 flight to #Athens departed from London without any luggage loaded. And no alert to passengers.” Earlier this month
MULLED wine and brandy are off the cards for alcohol‐tagged offenders along with oth‐ er Christmas tipples. Nearly 800 people have been tagged with alcohol monitoring tags this Christmas. The new technology is being used by the probation service to stop alco‐ hol‐fuelled crime. Nearly 40 per cent of all vi‐ olent crime in the UK involves alcohol con‐ sumption. This includes domestic abuse which is known to increase dramatically over the festive period. Crime, Policing and
Probation Minister Kit Malthouse com‐ mented: “Alcohol‐fuelled violence ruins too many lives and families and creates may‐ hem in our town centres. It is a sad reality that over Christmas we see a worrying spike in domestic abuse and crimes fuelled by drink. Sobriety tags have already brought enormous benefit helping offenders change their ways and the Probation Service to clamp down on this behaviour and protect victims from further violence.”
UNLUCKY winning ticket. Two men who bought a winning lottery ticket with a stolen card were jailed after being found guilty of fraud. The men had stolen card details and used these to draw money and buy groceries along with some scratch cards at a Londis store in Clapham Common back in 2019. One of those cards revealed a prize of £4 million. Suspi‐ cions were raised when they went to collect, but said they did not have a bank account, although the purchase of the winning scratch card had been made by debit card.
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Cotswolds mammoths IN an exceptional discovery, five Ice‐age mammoths have been discovered perfectly preserved in the Cotswolds, England. The remains were discovered near Swindon and the find will be explored by Sir David Atten‐ borough as part of a new docu‐ mentary. Viewers will be able to see Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard on De‐ cember 30, on BBC1. Sir David will be joined by Pro‐ fessor Ben Garrod and DigVen‐ tures archaeologists. The docu‐ mentary will feature the excavation of the Ice‐age mam‐ moths. Garrod commented on the incredible find. He said: “This is one of the most important dis‐ coveries in British palaeontology. “Where these mammoths lie in the ground is exactly where they died a quarter of a million years ago ‐ next to incredible things like stone tools and the snails they trampled underfoot.” “It’s a glimpse back in time. That’s incredibly important in terms of us understanding how climate change especially im‐ pacts environments, ecosystems and species.”
Germany bans Brits
New Malaga routes
BUDGET airline easyJet announced on Friday December 17, plans to strengthen its network of routes in Spain ahead of summer 2022. In line with the strategy of sustained growth in Malaga, the air‐ port will open three new routes and will have a total of five planes covering the routes. The new easyJet base was inaugurated at Malaga airport this year. In 2022, Malaga will link to London Southend, Birmingham, and Edinburgh, increasing the total num‐ ber of options from Malaga to 17. Coming into operation at the be‐ ginning of May, the first connection will have six weekly routes, the second with four, and the third will have three. Despite the Omicron Covid‐19 variant, Javier Gandara, general di‐ rector of easyJet in southern Europe, commented: “In the long term, we see that the level of new reservations for the second half of our fiscal year continues to be good, and we are looking forward to the fourth quarter of 2022. “We expect to reach levels of capacity like those seen in 2019.”
COVID CONCERN: Germany is trying to slow the advance of the new variant.
GERMANY has banned Brit tourists and classed the UK as a ‘Covid area of concern’ as the number of Omi‐ cron cases rises dramatically. The world is battling the Omicron variant and Germany is the latest country to decide to ban travel to and from the UK under certain con‐ ditions. According to the German government, the new measures were brought in to try and slow the advance of the Omicron variant. The new measures came into place from midnight on Sunday, De‐
cember 19. Only German nationals and residents will be allowed to travel freely into Germany from the UK, unless they are transiting through the country. Anyone who does want to travel to Germany from the UK will need to have a negative PCR test and spend 14 days in quarantine. Germany also considers South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zim‐ babwe to be high risk countries for the Omicron variant.
NEWS
Netherlands lockdown
THE Netherlands entered a Christmas lockdown on Sunday December 19, to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Non‐essential shops, bars, restaurants, and other public places were ordered to close. On Monday, December 20, schools also closed, and the lockdown will remain in place until at least January 14, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced. He said it was “unavoidable because of the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant that is bearing down on us.” Else‐ where, ministers in Austria, Cyprus and France have also toughened restrictions on travel and Paris has cancelled its New Year’s Eve fire‐ works. Denmark has closed its theatres, concert halls, amusement parks and museums for Christmas and regional health ministers in Germany have urged the national government to tighten rules on peo‐ ple arriving from the UK.
Tennis star retracts claim PENG SHUAI, the Chinese tennis star at the centre of a worldwide scandal has retracted the sexual assault claim that started off the entire saga. But the Women’s Tennis Asso‐ ciation still believes she is
not acting under her own steam. “I wanted to make this very clear: I have never claimed, or wrote about anyone having sexually assaulted me,” Peng said. “With regards to Weibo,
Brit found dead
A BRITISH expat, who has not been named, has been found dead after going missing on December 6. The man had lived on a boat that had been anchored on a river be‐ tween Portugal and Spain. He was last seen in the municipality of Alcoutim near the Guerreiros do Rio area. The man’s body was discovered close to the area from where he disappeared. According to reports, the Maritime police were alerted to a body being discovered by locals in Portugal. It is thought that the body belonged to a 63‐year‐old British man. When the search operation was launched by Por‐ tuguese and Spanish police, the authorities thought it was possible that the man could have fallen from his boat. The boat belonging to the man had been seen with no one aboard and was said to be adrift. A post‐mortem will be carried out. It is not thought the death was suspicious.
it’s about my personal pri‐ vacy. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding. There [should be] no distorted interpretation.” This new statement ap‐ parently contradicts the note that appeared on the social media site Weibo on November 2. The note stated that the former vice‐premier of China, Zhang Gaoli, had coerced Peng into sex af‐ ter a visit to his house. The essay was taken down less than half an hour after it was pub‐ lished, and Peng disap‐ peared from public view for two weeks, which led to a global press storm. The new interview came as fresh footage of Peng emerged online on De‐ cember 19. But with the WTA still having “a hard time be‐ lieving” Peng Shuai is act‐ ing of her own volition; the issue is far from re‐ solved.
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Omicron sleep symptom AS the Omicron variant takes hold and becomes the domi‐ nant strain across multiple countries, research is allowing scientists and doctors to pin‐ point new differences be‐ tween this version of the virus and the older ones. Surprising‐ ly, the main Omicron symp‐ tom that sets it apart from the others occurs while you sleep.
In South Africa, where Omi‐ cron was first sequenced, doc‐ tors have discovered that pa‐ tients with the new strain have been suffering from serious night sweats, says Dr Amir Khan, speaking on UK TV. He al‐ so explained how patients are experiencing body aches and pains, fever, fatigue, and a dry cough. Dr Khan said: “The
THE leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, has challenged Nicola Sturgeon over the im‐ pact of Covid on cancer care within the NHS, asking her to commit that cancer services will be protected in any rede‐ ployment of care sparked by coronavirus. He has insisted
NHS dilemma that the NHS should not be made to choose between can‐ cer and Covid. Sarwar says this means that screening programmes must
symptoms that are coming out of South Africa by the doctors that are looking after patients with Omicron show these five new symptoms. “A scratchy throat, mild muscle aches, ex‐ treme tiredness, a dry cough and night sweats. That kind of drenching night sweats where you might have to get up and change your clothes.
not be paused again in the same way they were at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Also, cancer operations should not be cancelled because of Covid pressures either. The Scottish party leader tweeted: “Since the start of the pandem‐ ic, almost 30,000 of our fellow Scots have died from cancer. “Every one of these deaths ‐ just like Covid ‐ is a tragedy. “There must be no pause to screening programmes, no can‐ celled cancer operations, and a genuine acceleration so we can catch up on cases.”
NEWS
DiCaprio saves drowning dogs HOLLYWOOD actor Leonardo DiCaprio jumped into a frozen lake to save his beloved huskies while filming his latest movie, Don’t Look Up, set to be released on Netflix on December 24. The 47‐year‐old star re‐ called in an interview with Entertainment Weekly how he desperately jumped into the lake: “Yeah, and then I went in,” he said. “(Living in Cal‐ ifornia) I didn't under‐
RUSSIA has put forward a list of security guaran‐ tees that it wants the West to agree to in or‐ der to lower the ten‐ sions across Europe and defuse the crisis over the Ukrainian border. Many of the Russian de‐ mands on the list have already been ruled out and security experts across the world have deemed the requests unacceptable. The eight‐point draft
A frosty dip for Leonardo.
stand what you do at a frozen lake.” Co‐star Jen‐ nifer Lawrence said: “One of the dogs fell in and he jumped into the frozen lake to save the dog and as soon as he pushed the
Russian demands treaty was released by Russia’s foreign ministry after months of escala‐ tion and as more troops gathered within striking distance of Ukraine’s border. Moscow has said if its interests are ig‐ nored, then it would lead to a “military response” similar to the Cuban mis‐
one dog out, the other one jumped in. “The other one started licking the one that was drowning and then we all were in the frozen lake together,” said Leo. Jennifer then said, jokingly: “He immediately got naked in the car.” DiCaprio has three dogs; the two huskies are called Jack and Jill and are litter‐ mates. He and his girl‐ friend, Camila Morrone, began fostering the pups during the pandemic.
sile crisis of 1962. One of the Russian de‐ mands wants a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to Nato’s eastern flank. Russia has also demand‐ ed that Nato rule out fur‐ ther expansion, including the accession of Ukraine into the alliance. Nato head, Jens Stoltenberg, has already ruled out any agreements denying Ukraine the right to en‐ ter the military alliance.
BBC cuts content
IT has been revealed that the BBC cut content in 2021, with an increase in repeat programming of 22 per cent. The under‐fire national broadcaster had been in‐ structed by the government to reduce its budget follow‐ ing the reintroduction of li‐ cence fees for the elderly. The respected broadcast‐ er has in the past produced many original programmes but often at great cost, with seemingly unlimited bud‐ gets at times. The growing cost of running the BBC had
NATIONAL BROADCASTER: Had to reduce its budget.
drawn the ire of the Conser‐ vative government. To meet the demand for reduced overheads a new strategy was introduced lim‐
and finally... MUSIC icon Bruce Springsteen has sold his entire music catalogue to Sony for around $500 million, a record amount for the musical work of an artist, fol‐ lowing in the footsteps of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The sale covers all the classic compositions of the New Jersey rocker’s records such as Born to Run, Born in the USA and The River. According to analysts, this money would be the largest transaction ever made for the musical work of an artist.
iting the creation of original content and increasing the incidence of repeat pro‐ gramming. The BBC had said this strategy would account for more than 40 per cent of the savings it needed to make, whilst scheduling changes would account for 11 per cent. In addition, the organisation said that it would look to increase its revenue from sales. According to the National Audit Office (NAO), in‐ creased repeats has resulted in the organisation saving over £1 billion so far this year, exceeding its projected savings of £800,000.
NEWS
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23 - 29 December 2021
Mask-less teacher suspended A M A L AG A teacher who refuses to wear a mask while teaching his classes has been sus‐ pended from his duties for six months. A disci‐ plinary file has been opened against his name so he will not be able to practise teaching else‐ where for the stated time. The Ministry of Edu‐ cation has confirmed the suspension. The teacher joins two others from Granada who have also been suspended from their roles. The suspensions may develop further un‐ der the new protocols that have been made by t h e Ed u c a t i o n , H e a l t h a n d Fa m i l i e s d e p a r t‐ ment, and the teachers involved have been re‐ placed by others for the duration. The suspen‐ sions also come with a suspension of salary.
New Welsh Covid restrictions PEOPLE in Wales are being ‘strongly advised’ to limit socialising in the run up to Christmas as the new Omi‐ cron variant takes hold. New Covid restrictions are coming into force on Monday December 27 to try and head off another peak of infection. First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford set out the new two‐phase plan as the country responds to a dou‐ ble‐headed Delta and Omicron spike. Omicron is ex‐ pected to be the dominant form of the virus in the UK by the end of the month. From December 27, nightclubs in Wales will have to close and there will be new restrictions put in place. These will include a two‐metre social distancing rule for businesses and maximum capacities in indoor places. First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Delta will con‐ tinue to be the main cause of coronavirus infections in Wales up to Christmas. But we are seeing cases of Omi‐ cron increasing rapidly every day in Wales ‐ and across the UK.”
A new turn
NANA BAUBLES: Recognised by the Guinness World Records.
A load of baubles SYLVIA POPE, a grand‐ mother from Swansea has broken a festive world record for the largest collection of Christmas baubles. Kn o w n as Nana Baubles, Sylvia is the proud owner of 1,760 festive ornaments, a total recognised by the Guinness World Records. Ms Pope, who turns 79 on Boxing Day, hopes to pass the 2,000 mark this Christmas with her collection coming from all over the world. Whenever she travels, she buys baubles, with items coming from as far away as New York.
Pension rise in 2022 AS stated in the new pen‐ sion law being processed by Parliament, pensions in Spain will rise by 2.5 per cent next year, which is the inflation rate registered between December 2020 and November of this year. Spain has returned to the formula of linking incomes and prices, a modus operandi that was applied in the 1990s and replaced by the Revaluation Index in the 2013 reform. In previous years, the in‐ terannual inflation regis‐ tered in November served to adjust the rise applied in January so that pensioners
did not lose purchasing power. These are once again the reference. With the 2.5 per cent in‐ crease, the average retire‐ ment pension (€1,195) will increase by about €30 per
EWN 11
month (€420 per year) and the ‘pay’ that the retiree will receive in a single pay‐ ment at the beginning of the year to compensate for the deviation in prices will be €268.
Ms Pope starts putting them up in September long before any of us even begin to think about Christmas and decorating our homes. She remembers where most of the baubles come from and has her favourites.
Amongst her favourites are a lobster, a ham‐ burger, Disney charac‐ ters and of course Big Ben. But her number one is a Royal Doulton Royal Jubilee celebra‐ tion edition, represent‐ ing her ‘love’ of Queen Elizabeth, who she thinks is ‘wonderful.’
THE investigation into the death of Halyna Hutchins, who died on the set of the movie Rust, has taken a new turn with a search warrant issued for Alec Baldwin’s phone. The war‐ rant has been issued by a Sante Fe court in New Mex‐ ico, where the film was be‐ ing shot. Of interest on the phone are messages that are be‐ lieved to have been ex‐ changed between Baldwin and an unnamed person, which could shed more light on the events of that fatal day. Baldwin who was filming on set was given a gun that was apparently ‘safe’ how‐ ever he pointed it at the Di‐ rector of Filmography, and it went off killing her and in‐ juring the Director of the western Joel Souza. With a search warrant is‐ sued for the actor’s phone, the story is not yet finished and it would seem there are more revelations to come.
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Tesla taxi crash Model 3 cars suspended.
A TAXI firm in Paris has suspended the use of Tesla Model 3 cars in its fleet following a crash involving one of the vehicles. An in-
Heathrow charges to rise PASSENGERS at Heathrow may have to pay increased charges of more than 50 per cent from January 1. This comes after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ap‐ proved price rises to “reflect the uncertainty of the recov‐ ery of passenger volumes from the pandemic as Heathrow has made a loss of £3.4 billion since the start of the pandemic.” Although the charges are paid by the airlines, they are usually covered in passengers’ airfares. A spokesperson for Heathrow has said the cap range of £32 to £43 has left them “extremely disappoint‐ ed.” They also said it “relies on rushed analysis and will un‐
dermine passenger experi‐ ence.” The cap will increase or de‐ crease depending on passen‐ ger numbers and commercial revenue.
vestigation has been launched by French police after the Tesla reportedly collided with a cyclist, three pedestrians and a van. The company, G7, which has 37 of the Tesla vehicles under its name, has said it will halt usage until the investigation is complete. The French Transport Minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, said on December 15 there was no suggestion
that a technical problem was to blame for the incident. Yann Ricordel, the deputy chief executive at G7, said the driver was off duty when the accident happened and was taking his family to a restaurant. According to the driver, he tried to brake but the car accelerated instead. It was unclear if the car was in autopilot mode during the Tesla taxi crash.
Apple home-worker bonus THE technology giant Apple has suspended the return of all its workers to its offices indefinitely. In addition, it will give all of its employees $1,000 each (around €884 at current exchange rates) so that they can equip their home offices and continue working from home. Tim Cook, the CEO of the company, announced this plan by email to his employ‐ ees on December 15. The decision was made due to concern about the increase in Covid‐19 cases, and the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant. A return to offices was planned for February 22, 2022, but the company has now left the return to office date open. Other large companies, such as Google, Uber, and Amazon, have also delayed their return to the offices for the same reason and many have offered similar packages to support home working.
UK schools prepare to close SOME schools are already preparing to hand out laptops in preparation for possible closures in January. The number of Omicron cases in the UK is growing rapidly and schools are preparing for online learning again. According to recent data from the government, more than 200,000
pupils were off school in the last cou‐ ple of weeks due to the virus. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has al‐ ready admitted that there are “no guarantees” that schools will be able to remain open in January if cases of the Omicron variant continue to rise. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has
encouraged people to ensure their children are jabbed as soon as possi‐ ble. He commented: “We know how crucial it is to keep children in schools so let’s all make sure our children and young people are vaccinated before they go back next term.”
NEWS
Piers Morgan revelation P I E R S M O R G A N be‐ lieves he caught Covid‐ 19 at the Euro 2020 fi‐ nal in July and has revealed he is still bat‐ tling long Covid months later. The 56‐year‐old for ‐ mer Good Morning Britain host said he is thankful that he was double jabbed when he was infected. He com‐ mented on the effects of long Covid during a Twitter exchange with Sky News Technology Correspondent Row‐ land Manthorpe who revealed he had “a nasty case of long Covid. Eight months and counting.” Morgan replied: “DM me, I had the same for
five months, but new meds seem to be crack‐ ing it.” Piers previously told fans about his symp‐ toms: “Aside from on‐ going tedious fatigue and inability to taste wine, all the coughing’s caused a ‘posterior vit‐ reous detachment’ in my left eye.” Shortly after catching the virus, he wrote in his column: “Been a week now and although the fever’s long gone, the fatigue keeps over‐ whelming me like a so‐ porific tidal wave. “I haven’t even read a newspaper since devel‐ oping symptoms, which for a news junkie like me is unprecedented.”
Correos recruitment drive CORREOS, the Spanish postal service has an‐ nounced they are start‐ ing their biggest re‐ cruitment drive in decades, in which 5,377 jobs with indefinite contracts will be avail‐ able. The roles will be across many different operations within the company, including dis‐ tribution, classification and customer service. The company will make the relevant in‐ formation and agenda known to the public in the first half of 2022 so that people know how and where to apply. The tests will then take place next November. A statement released
by the business said the hiring process will be developed shortly, guaranteeing the prin‐ ciples of merit, ability and equal treatment of women and men. There is another cur‐ rent hiring process hap‐ pening within Correos for which more than 60,200 people have been registered. These are for tempo‐ rary seasonal positions in their operations throughout Spain which begin from February 1. Further information on the job roles and how to apply will be posted on www.corre os.com.
and finally... NASA has made history as the Parker spacecraft offi‐ cially ‘touched’ the sun. On December 14, NASA con‐ firmed that Parker had made its way through the sun’s corona. The historic event happened in April but it has taken months for the data to return from the spacecraft due to the distance. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after astrophysicist Eugene Parker.
EUROPEAN PRESS
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EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Spies arrested
Mink fiasco
DANISH authorities have arrested four current and former employees of the country’s intelligence service for alleged spying following a lengthy investigation. Names have been withheld and the country for which they were supposedly spying for has also been kept secret.
A YEAR after the Danish Government decided to cull around 15 million minks due to unsupported fears that they might transmit a mutated form of Covid-19 to humans, the matter is still being reviewed and the prime minister quizzed by a parliamentary committee over the culling.
THE NETHERLANDS Farmers’ protest
Sensitive documents
A CONVOY of some 200 tractors travelled to Schiphol airport to hand over a contract to purchase and decommission the airport to reduce nitrogen pollution as a protest against government plans to buy out agricultural landowners as part of a package of measures to fight nitrogen use.
INDICATING a change of tactics, a hacking ransomware group LockBit placed details of 39,000 files online which included sensitive documents for Dutch police, emergency services and security after the technology company Abiom refused to pay a ransom to keep the files secret.
BELGIUM Keeping abreast
Rainbow zebra
THE Wheel of Care, which provides health care in the home, wants mothers to be able to breastfeed in more hospitality outlets in Brussels and is producing an online map and asking pubs and restaurants to display a sticker to confirm breastfeeding mums are welcome.
FLEMISH Highways and Traffic Agency (AWV) has announced that it is happy to paint and maintain one rainbow zebra crossing in each of the 300 Flemish municipalities if requested to do so. Rainbow pedestrian crossings have already appeared in some municipalities as part of pride celebrations.
GERMANY Danger UXB
New weapon
WHEN a 250 kilo US made bomb dropped on Berlin during the Second World War was unearthed by workers extending the Jewish Hospital in Iranische Strasse, authorities knew that they would face a significant challenge to evacuate around 15,000 residents so it could be defused.
OFFICERS were out in force to police a demonstration against Covid restrictions in Hamburg armed with the latest weapon of crowd control, a 1.5-metre long red and white stick used to ensure that protestors observe proper social distancing whilst complaining about the rules!
FRANCE Referendum result
Greek deal
THE Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted in a third and final referendum on independence with 96.49 voting against, but as the independence parties boycotted the referendum, saying the pandemic prevented a fair ballot there was a small turnout of just 43.9 per cent.
AFTER losing out to the USA in the supply of submarines to Australia, the French Government has announced that despite the USA offering to supply four frigates to the Greek Navy it was too late as a deal had been signed with the French.
NORWAY Oil wealth
Peace prize
IN order to help every home in Norway during the winter months when daylight can last for just five hours in some parts of the country, the Norwegian Government will be using funds from its oil income to give automatic discounts on electricity costs.
THIS year’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo was heavily curtailed due to rising rates of Covid-19 with a planned double event to honour the 2020 and 2021 winners. In the background former winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested in Myanmar.
23 - 29 December 2021
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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Trade deal THE British Government has entered into a new free trade deal with Australia which it claims will be worth an additional £10.4 billion and is the first to be reached which doesn’t reflect pre‐Brexit arrangements. Farmers however worry about the potential for cheap Australian imports.
Home working THE Spanish Government has introduced a new law which will allow civil servants in areas of low population to voluntarily work from home for 90 per cent of each month as it believes those areas with low populations do not need regular face to face consultations with staff.
Xmas hackers SAINSBURY’S staff were worried after a US cloud payroll service Kronos was the subject of a cyber attack and according to a BBC report, an estimated weeks’ worth of information on 150,000 staff disappeared. The supermarket has confirmed that they will be paid by Christmas.
Reduced forecasts MUCH as expected, the Bank of Spain has reduced its GDP forecasts for both 2021, dropping 1.9 per cent and 2022 moving from 5.9 per cent to 5.4 per cent and now doesn’t expect the economy to return to pre‐pandemic levels until 2023.
Blue Banana ONLINE ethical clothing company Blue Banana was started by two Spanish friends who said they know little about fashion and use the slogan ‘We make noise not clothes.’ Despite their lack of expertise, they took the next step and opened shops in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, promoting their brand logo a large X. In 2021, they said their product would become the first Spanish carbon‐ negative fashion brand by collaborating on environmental projects endorsed by the United Nations and are now purchasing their stock from manufacturers in Spain, Portugal and Asia.
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STAT OF WEEK
price paid by US venture capital group Carlyle €1.9 billion isto the take over Spanish company Grupo Altadia.
Iberia Airlines pull out of deal IAG, parent company of Iberia Air‐ lines has confirmed via the Spanish CNMV (National Securities Market Commission) that it is suspending talks with Globalia over the purchase of Air Europa, although it hopes to renegotiate some form of deal dur‐ ing 2022. This decision to enter into an agreement to purchase was an‐ nounced in November 2019 and modified in January 2021 and IAG has made a second payment of €35 million (in addition to the agreed €40 million) as a sign of commitment and to eliminate any pending claims.
In the event that a sale does take place, then the entire €75 million will be offset against the final purchase price. IAG explained in a press release via Iberia that the decision was made due to the problems caused by the pandemic and the ongoing fragility of the tourist market to and from Spain, as well as the current state of the Spanish economy. As it is a key operation for the country and very important for both companies, Iberia has committed to exploring different alternatives for shareholder structures to try to
LEGALLY SPEAKING
Can they stop noise? Can you tell me what the law is regarding noise from neighbours working (hammering) at cer‐ tain times of the day or can they do it at any time? I live in Mijas Costa. J G (Costa del Sol) Standardly DAVID SEARL the general rule all over Spain is YOU AND THE LAW that noisy work IN SPAIN cannot start before 8am and must end before 10pm. The rules for each indi‐ vidual municipality are set by the town hall. You can find these rules by going to the Mijas website and searching for Ordenanza Municipal Reguladora de la Emision y Re‐ cepcion de Ruidos y Vibraciones. This should tell you what times noise is allowed and what intensity is permitted. The rules in Marbella, for example, state that noise lev‐ els as heard inside your building with the windows closed must not exceed 30 decibels during the day. However, be‐ fore you start measuring decibels, you should speak with the people doing the hammering. You may find them willing to help. Perhaps they can muffle the sound in some way. If you live in a community and they are ham‐ mering directly on your wall, you can ask your president to speak to them. Finally you can go to court. There are various laws to prohibit noise. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
THE Spanish fashion chain Inditex re‐ vealed huge profits for 2021 as rev‐ enue amounted to €19.33 billion in the first nine months of its fiscal year. Net profit over that same period came in at €2.5 billion, compared with €671 million in 2020 which is a massive increase of 273 per cent, al‐ though it recognises that 2020 was exceptionally low due to internation‐ al lockdowns.
come to some form of agreement to obtain the operation of Air Europa. A new letter of intent has been signed by both parties to evaluate al‐ ternatives and other structures that may be interesting for both compa‐ nies, offering similar benefits for their shareholders, customers and employees, before the end of Jan‐ uary 2022. In parallel, Iberia intends to work with the government of Spain to continue improving the country’s connectivity and to strengthen the Madrid hub to make it competitive with other European airports.
Which funeral plan from Golden Leaves? FUNERAL experts Golden Leaves of‐ fer pre‐paid fu‐ neral plans for expats in Spain, to prevent your loved ones hav‐ ing to organise a Which is the right plan for you? funeral in a differ‐ ent country and another language. Providing several different types of plans, Golden Leaves will be able to find you the right pre‐paid plan for you, helping you to organise the service you want. Golden Leaves also guarantees 100 per cent of the costs of the arrangements specified in your Funeral Plan. There are no hidden extras or administration charges for your family to deal with when the time comes. But which is the right Golden Leaves plan for you? The Opal Plan is designed for those who just want a simple cremation service. The Pearl Plan is designed for those who would like a traditional funeral service for cremation or burial and provides a comprehensive funeral service. And the Golden Plan is designed for those who wish to be repatriated to a country other than their current country of residence. Contact Golden Leaves today to find the right funeral plan for you.
www.goldenleavesinternational.com enquiries@goldenleaves.com Facebook: goldenleavesspain
Inditex reveals huge profits As the recovery continues, the 2021 profits compare favourably to 2019 when in the same period, the company made €2.73 billion. Inditex’s Executive Chairman, Pablo Isla, said: “These results are very satisfactory and demonstrate once again the solidity of our busi‐
ness model, the quality and commit‐ ment of our teams, and the potential being realised by our strategy of fully integrating stores and online.” It should be noted that when it was announced that Isla was due to step down in April 2022 to be re‐ placed by Marta Ortega, the 37‐year‐
LEGO futures FORGET gold and wine, in‐ vest in LEGO says a Russian University research paper. Members of the faculty of the Moscow Higher School of Economics (HSE) have published a paper in the Research in Interna‐ tional Business and Fi‐ nance journal which makes this astonishing claim. The authors of the paper looked at the prices of 2,322 unopened LEGO sets from 1987‐2015 and came to the conclusion that after two or three years, their value on the secondary market grew annually by an average of 11 per cent outperforming many tradi‐ tional investment options. Growth for a number of Star Wars related models was significantly higher than the average.
Gin wars SANTA may not be amused by the fact that Marks and Spencer are about to launch a law suit against Al‐ di over what it claims is a copy of its light up musical snow globe gin liqueur that contains edible gold flakes marketed for Christmas. The Aldi version is con‐ siderably cheaper and M&S want all stock destroyed as well as seeking damages for potential lost sales. This is not the first time that it has taken action against Aldi, the last being over their Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake, which Marks and Spencer claimed was identical to their Colin the Caterpillar. old daughter of founder Amancio Or‐ tega, shares immediately dropped in value and they fell again despite the announcement of the enormous profits. The new president’s challenge will be to manage the fall in profit mar‐ gins caused by ever increasing manu‐ facturing and transport costs and the growth in Spain of Chinese competi‐ tor Shein.
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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20
COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.400,50 Abrdn 231,30 Admiral Group 3.083,0 Anglo American 2.882,0 Antofagasta 1.319,00 Ashtead Group 5.896,0 Associated British Foods 1.900,0 AstraZeneca 8.471,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 715,80 Avast 614,60 Aveva 3.226,0 Aviva 398,10 B&M European Value Retail 608,80 BAE Systems 525,60 Bank VTB DRC 1,224 Barclays 179,00 Barratt Developments 704,40 Berkeley 4.646,0 BHP Group 2.152,50 BP 326,00 British American Tobacco 2.758,5 British Land Company 512,00 BT Group 164,05 Bunzl 2.860,0 Burberry Group 1.739,0 Carnival 1.209,2 Centrica 66,26 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.438,0 Compass 1.506,00 CRH 3.723,0 Croda Intl 9.992,0 DCC 5.958,0 Diageo 3.954,0 DS Smith 378,60 EasyJet 498,70 Experian 3.476,0 Ferguson 12.725,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.863,3 Fresnillo 894,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.591,40 Glencore 359,25 Halma 3.061,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.357,00 Hikma Pharma 2.221,00 HSBC 441,40 IAG 128,26 Imperial Brands 1.564,50 Informa 479,60 InterContinental 4.370,0 Intermediate Capital 2.107,00
CHANGE(P) 1.407,00 233,70 3.094,0 2.883,0 1.331,00 5.904,0 1.911,0 8.474,0 718,40 615,20 3.229,0 398,10 610,00 526,40 1,226 179,30 712,60 4.679,0 2.155,50 326,20 2.767,0 512,40 165,80 2.863,0 1.739,5 1.232,8 66,30 2.461,0 1.514,50 3.729,0 10.005,0 6.016,0 3.956,0 381,50 499,80 3.479,0 12.735,0 10.951,3 915,00 1.596,00 359,95 3.067,0 1.358,00 2.221,00 443,00 128,68 1.571,00 480,90 4.392,0 2.108,00
% CHG. 1.383,00 228,70 3.058,0 2.826,5 1.286,50 5.778,0 1.861,0 8.349,0 706,20 606,60 3.177,0 393,20 598,20 517,40 1,206 176,88 698,00 4.611,0 2.125,00 320,60 2.719,0 504,40 162,70 2.806,0 1.689,5 1.177,0 65,02 2.408,0 1.479,50 3.660,0 9.740,0 5.910,0 3.893,5 374,90 483,60 3.431,0 12.475,0 10.739,1 888,00 1.574,80 354,10 2.997,0 1.319,50 2.183,00 434,00 124,40 1.547,00 467,50 4.314,0 2.071,00
NET VOL 82,83K 684,79K 33,54K 776,37K 324,74K 239,77K 422,09K 279,50K 160,31K 307,41K 37,65K 2,49M 408,55K 745,06K 610,34K 4,44M 241,68K 29,61K 1,30M 9,16M 706,58K 342,03K 4,16M 110,82K 220,30K 236,05K 2,18M 101,61K 390,75K 240,35K 34,69K 119,86K 400,35K 354,69K 1,73M 125,19K 70,64K 2,96K 270,77K 1,17M 8,21M 76,53K 85,84K 59,17K 4,01M 11,83M 223,04K 1,14M 93,31K 57,16K
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
5.506,0 106,35 274,10 1.934,5 740,40 283,10 45,42 6.716,0 733,60 145,25 1.784,50 1.057,60 216,50 7.708,0 29,10 1.708,50 2.692,0 630,60 1.236,50 6.219,0 2.333,00 548,40 765,20 4.797,5 110,00 7,51 1.566,40 1.566,4 1.567,2 816,00 1.602,00 15,44 3.404,0 1.347,00 1.384,00 2.922,0 1.215,00 1.526,00 15.345,0 1.603,50 1.595,00 427,90 163,90 285,20 208,10 3.978,0 1.094,50 112,00 2.742,0 1.080,50
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
5.524,0 106,50 274,10 1.935,5 741,00 283,50 45,55 6.780,0 734,80 145,45 1.797,50 1.061,20 217,00 7.722,0 29,11 1.736,00 2.719,0 634,40 1.239,00 6.232,0 2.337,00 548,40 770,00 4.801,0 112,60 7,53 1.567,51 1.567,4 1.567,6 817,80 1.609,50 15,59 3.406,0 1.351,00 1.386,00 2.931,0 1.227,00 1.526,50 15.355,0 1.606,00 1.598,50 428,40 166,10 285,30 210,00 3.986,0 1.097,50 113,00 2.746,0 1.080,50
5.426,0 104,30 269,10 1.880,5 731,20 279,90 44,83 6.648,0 731,00 142,05 1.761,00 1.051,00 213,70 7.564,0 28,80 1.705,50 2.672,0 626,00 1.218,00 6.160,0 2.298,00 528,60 753,20 4.719,0 107,12 7,47 1.543,70 1.542,0 1.541,6 800,00 1.601,00 15,33 3.357,0 1.331,00 1.360,00 2.892,0 1.204,00 1.506,50 15.045,0 1.586,00 1.572,00 421,20 162,10 281,30 204,30 3.932,5 1.082,00 111,36 2.676,0 1.062,50
30,94K 1,56M 529,91K 112,34K 146,55K 2,61M 38,58M 88,63K 623,66K 948,33K 124,40K 1,08M 4,46M 27,81K 179,57K 158,02K 79,59K 606,48K 823,44K 141,35K 461,78K 2,43M 226,53K 453,27K 12,70M 237,96K 742,85K 749,62K 1,66M 294,76K 7,96K 2,41M 16,51K 957,65K 281,19K 42,59K 262,69K 134,93K 10,38K 305,87K 269,55K 1,04M 1,70M 253,14K 1,19M 699,63K 188,36K 8,77M 97,77K 310,61K
1.17128
0.85365
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ......................................1.12655 Japan yen (JPY)......................................127.919 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0407 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.215
currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20
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 174,75 2.856,06 3.400,35 222,50 171,14 192,63 201,37 113,60 60,46 57,73 381,80 387,98 205,17 127,40 50,62 168,23 156,76 261,70 75,69 333,79 323,80 161,36 157,46 252,93 932,57 487,12 53,17 211,88 138,75 148,76
CHANGE 178,32 2.889,20 3.417,97 224,16 173,47 194,77 205,25 116,46 60,79 58,92 393,67 397,98 210,11 128,64 51,02 170,78 159,38 264,85 77,74 337,11 324,92 162,86 161,72 253,90 960,66 493,13 53,22 213,21 143,95 149,84
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 174,34 3,92M 2.835,76 2,05M 3.312,27 4,25M 219,32 6,32M 169,69 193,76M 187,88 12,48M 201,23 5,88M 113,53 22,17M 59,78 60,54M 57,70 51,15M 380,63 6,97M 387,42 11,02M 204,71 5,49M 125,21 10,20M 50,01 48,56M 167,66 16,01M 155,18 27,77M 260,88 5,56M 75,50 27,82M 330,75 39,49M 317,25 47,36M 160,55 7,63M 157,31 23,55M 246,79 11,89M 909,04 30,55M 486,38 5,52M 52,36 53,74M 207,79 11,36M 138,39 25,66M 146,57 13,45M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
Most Advanced Cable One Inc. Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A Boston Beer Co. Cl A Carvana Co. Cl A HubSpot Inc. Ubiquiti Inc. Bank of America Corp. 7.25% Non-Cum. Perp. Chemed Corp. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Twilio Inc. Cl A Wayfair Inc. Cl A
3.14% 3.42% 4.11% 9.54% 2.74% 5.60% 1.04% 2.81% 0.86% 4.88% 6.47%
88.23K 364 404.39K 6.78M 1.09M 287.08K 5.6K 295.89K 250.19K 3.49M 2.09M
-2.47% -2.15% -2.25% -1.17% -6.11% -4.61% -3.92% -3.04% -3.46% -0.74% -4.69%
2.33K 43.86K 94.85K 11.45K 625.31K 2.56M 7.07M 588.5K 567.31K 342.17K 2.29M
Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A NVR Inc. Texas Pacific Land Corp. Danaher Corp. 5% Mand. Pfd. Series B TopBuild Corp. Estee Lauder Cos. Cl A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. W.W. Grainger Inc. Teledyne Technologies Inc. AutoZone Inc. Equifax Inc.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Credit: Liz Truss Twitter
Liz Truss targets cooperation with Spain
WORKING TOGETHER: Liz Truss met José Manuel Albares in Madrid.
BRITISH Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has made Spain her latest target as she trav‐ elled to Madrid on Wednes‐ day December 15 to meet her Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares. The foreign ministers dis‐ cussed how the UK and Spain can work together more closely on many dif‐ ferent matters including business relationships and NATO. This meeting comes just two weeks after their meeting in Riga, during the NATO Foreign Ministers Summit, at which both Ministers underlined their commitment to a Political Framework for a UK‐EU Gibraltar Treaty. It has now been con‐ firmed that following a fourth meeting in London, the parties (Spain repre‐ senting the EU, UK and Gibraltar) the matter will continue to be negotiated during 2022 with the hope
that a final agreement is reached by Easter. During the visit, which comes within her first 100 days in office, Foreign Sec‐ retary Liz Truss will also seek to boost the UK’s eco‐ nomic ties with Spain and hosted an event with lead‐ ing Spanish investors and British businesses in Spain. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “I want to work with allies like Spain to cre‐ ate a network of liberty based around closer eco‐ nomic, tech and security ties. “We’re significant trading partners, with the UK as Spain’s biggest European in‐ vestor, and the UK as the top destination for Spanish investment. By boosting our trading ties even fur‐ ther, both Spain and every region and nation of the UK will benefit.” As part of her two‐day visit, the Foreign Secretary also launched a new report
Rising inflation FOR the second month running, Spain’s rate of infla‐ tion in November climbed to its highest for 29 years at 5.5 per cent according to the National Statistics In‐ stitute (INE). This was 0.1 per cent up on the record October fig‐ ure and is blamed on significant rises in the price of food and fuel prices. If one removes the food and energy rises, then in‐ flation settles at a more acceptable 1.7 per cent for November, although even that is an increase over October figures. The European Central Bank and Bank of Spain however believe that these monthly price rises will be short lived.
on scientific collaboration between the UK and Spain.
BUSINESS EXTRA Boohoo sad ONLINE UK fashion brand Boohoo believes that many people who had purchased designer dress‐ es to wear at Christmas and New Year events dur‐ ing November are getting ‘cold feet’ and returning them for credit which could knock up to 3 per cent from forecast profits.
Qatar news SPANISH ambassador to Qatar, Belen Alfaro has said that the past year has been really turbulent and challenging at the global level in terms of health and economy, but the bilateral relations be‐ tween Qatar and Spain remain excellent, inspired by the strong affection between both royal fami‐ lies.
Major blow THE outbreak of the Omi‐ cron virus in the UK seems likely to have dis‐ astrous effects on the hospitality industry in the run up to Christmas and according to the BBC, the Bar 44 chain, which has four outlets, has reported that 3,200 people have cancelled December bookings.
23 - 29 December 2021
EWN 17
18 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
23 - 29 December 2021
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT THEY are still arriving ya know. Just because the biased British media has decided to stop reporting it, hundreds of migrants are still traversing the channel to the UK’s ‘promised land’. Most have been in France for months and in a few cases years. With the majority still appearing to be young fit men, does it not strike anyone as suspicious how they manage to survive with no visible means of support? Many are wearing designer gear and trainers, and just about all seem to carry expensive phones. They also must find the equivalent of three to five thousand pounds to pay the smugglers. Most, if not all, have travelled through several countries in their quest to reach soft‐touch Britain. How did they manage to eat over the many months these treks lasted? They are supposed to have come from war‐torn
Ulterior motive impoverished countries ‐ so where does all their money come from? Someone somewhere is bankrolling them. This raises the question as to why? Whatever the reasons, you can bet your lives it’s not from the kindness of somebody’s heart. There must be an ulterior motive. Well, I personally think someone is generating a sleeping army. There are now thousands of these young Middle Eastern men entrenched all over the UK. If a non‐friendly nation is paying the bills, you can rest assured, they will also have underground contacts creating arms caches and bomb factories everywhere. It wouldn’t surprise me if Russia didn’t have a financial source in there somewhere; wouldn’t Putin love to have a clandestine army sleeping in the UK! Whatever the reasons, I think the ever‐growing presence of
these young men is being taken far too lightly. Putting them up in hotels and lavishing them with benefits is verging on lunacy. They should all be put into camps and interrogated as to their origins, and where their finances are coming from. You can rest assured that if it ever does become necessary for them to pay their piper, the UK could finish up like Beirut. The irony of that scenario is they will then have managed to turn the UK into something resembling the places they’re all supposedly trying to run away from! Merry Christmas everyone. Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Wed 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
TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp
Streaming now: The Unforgivable
DESPITE mixed reviews, Sandra Bullock shines in this new Netflix movie based on the 2009 mini‐se‐ ries Unforgiven. Ruth Slater, played by Bullock is released from prison after a 20‐year sen‐ tence for murdering a po‐ lice officer. The Unforgivable follows Ruth as she attempts to re‐ integrate into society in Seattle and reconnect with her sister Katie, played by Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones). Ruth finds that she will always be seen as a cop killer as she is judged by ev‐ eryone where she once lived. Her only hope for re‐ demption lies with her es‐ tranged younger sister who now lives with her adoptive mother (played by the amazing Viola Davis) and father. The sons of the officer that Ruth killed 20 years
previously are out for re‐ venge. The plot that has some unexpected twists and turns and although her crime is ‘unforgivable,’ Bul‐ lock is successful in making the audience feel empathy and pity towards Ruth, as we see her isolated and alone in dreary Seattle. The present day is meshed with flashbacks from Ruth’s and Katie’s past in the country house they were forced to leave behind. Some of them are dreamy summer memories of Katie growing up, while others reveal why Ruth ends up in prison. This movie portrays the idea that not everything and everyone is as they seem and although there are some plot holes and parts of the narrative are quite implausible, the end‐ ing will leave many welling up.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
23 - 29 December 2021
EWN 19
CHRISTMAS FALLING VICTIM TO POLITICALLY CORRECT OBSESSION eryone has to have an A‐list role. I mere‐ ly appeared as slave to one of the Three Kings! Another year comes to a close ‐ TWELVE years of this column every single week and well over 600 articles later! Many thanks to all readers for all the great comments to my website about both my column and novels. Pleased the jokes cheer you up in these challenging times and always nice to be appreciated (and praised!) by you. After all, you’re the ones who count ‐ enjoying ‘Breaking Views’ and purchasing my novels (all profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity as you know). HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS
Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson
PARENTS have repeatedly been told by ‘academics’ to stop pretending Father Christmas is real in case the ‘lie’ dam‐ ages relations with their kids who might then question what else Mum and Dad are lying about. What! No Father Christmas? Next they’ll be telling us politicians tell the truth and do their ‘underpaid’ job for the love of serving their country! Why do these academics want to sweep away the myths and legends un‐ derpinning our cultural heritage, child‐ hood and growing up? What would kids do without them? Obsess about video games, sexting, selfies? There are far more obvious ways to get children adjusted to the harsh reali‐ ties of life than to take away their bit of Christmas ‘magic’. Why not start reintro‐ ducing a sense of competition in schools, competition they’ll face soon enough in business and job applications? Nora Johnson’s opinions
CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD AS a fresh wave of infection sweeps across the globe, a horrible sense of déjà vu is creeping in. Case numbers are rising and whole countries are shutting down just in time to separate people from their family and friends during the festive season. While the need for measures to curb the spread of Covid is necessary, I can’t help but feel that various governments have tunnel vision when it comes to what to do. My main gripe since the pandemic began has been the short-sightedness of the response. Especially in countries that can choose what path to take, instead of having to scramble to save themselves by any means necessary. In March 2020, England was asked to stay inside for two weeks while the government organised itself into an all-singing, all-dancing testing machine. Or so they said. Putting aside the fact that Boris Johnson’s sheer arrogance had delayed any kind of response at all until after Coronavirus was well and truly
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.
FATHER CHRISTMAS: Parents have been told to stop pretending he is real.
I’m reminded here of recent reports When my friend’s daughter was at pri‐ that political correctness is crippling mary school, she never painted a fire‐ British culture with Christmas itself at works picture in November, made Hal‐ risk. Christmas trees have already been loween lanterns or took in contributions renamed ‘festive trees’, Christmas ‘the for Harvest Festival. All things I did at winter holidays’ and a Bournemouth school. Oh, but she did act in a nativity To read more articles from our columnists church called St Michael’s now calls itself play. However, gone are the days of get‐ and to have your say in the comments go St Mike’s to attract younger generations ting the part of third camel, apprentice to www.euroweeklynews.com to festive services. angel or inn keeper’s dog. Nowadays ev‐ are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
Duty of care spreading through the community, they then managed to ignore the efficacy of one of the greatest things that the UK still has going for it (just). The NHS has been the jewel in the crown of the UK for years and had all the provisions already in place to test, trace and track most of the country. Instead, the Tories saw fit to bundle cash to a private company who then failed to deliver what was promised. And this was just the beginning of similar issues there, and across the world, as governments asked for sacrifice from their population without looking at the bigger picture. As peaks and troughs of the infection rate came and went, people and small businesses were battered by the waves. Immunocompromised people were asked to shield indefinitely and forgot about when things started to open again. Businesses with no outdoor space were given no assistance when restrictions meant no one was allowed to sit inside. If you were not in the di-
rect line of sight of ministers (ie, rich enough to hold sway), any help was lost, and people went under the radar and then under the water. With this strain, the panic is worse, even if the symptoms are not. As I see the mental health of people deteriorate at the thought of another Christmas alone, and the cancellations list grows for friends with small businesses suffering under unclear guidance, I despair. In Andalucia, we waited for a BOJA to clarify new restrictions right up until the moment it was due to be enforced! People’s health and livelihoods hang on words the government can’t even prepare ahead of time. While I understand the situation is ever-changing, if thoughts do not turn to the long-term plan of how to escape this merry-go-round with people and businesses intact, there are going to be 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.
Travel
Cueva del Agua, Jaen
CAVE OF WONDERS: There are various viewing points.
THE spectacular Cueva del Agua (water cave) is located near Quesada in Jaen. It is al‐ so known as La Cueva de la Virgen de Tíscar (tradition has it, the Virgin appeared there in 1319). It is also re‐ ferred to as the Cave of Won‐ ders. This natural cave is formed from limestone at the point where the Tiscar river and the Monte del Caballo rock meet. This has created a hid‐ den oasis of fountains, streams, and waterfalls which have shaped the cave over thousands of years. The cave is accessed by a narrow tunnel and there are wooden steps that descend
to various viewing points. Legend has it that the Moors, who once ruled the Castle of Tíscar, threw an im‐ age of the Virgin Mary into the cave and broke it into a thousand pieces with a sword after it kept reappear‐ ing after being discarded. Later, the Christians recov‐ ered the pieces and took them to Toledo for repair, but the Virgin miraculously returned to Tíscar, and a chapel was built to worship her. Today the cave hosts mu‐ sic concerts on the second Saturday of August, which take advantage of the mag‐ nificent acoustics.
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Superman & Lois BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The Weakest Link Christmas Special The Wall v Celebrities: EastEnders Christmas Special EastEnders Ghosts
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Dolittle Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Weather The Repair Shop at Christmas EastEnders
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Mary Poppins Returns Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel Blankety Blank Christmas Special 2021 Call the Midwife EastEnders Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas Special
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Beauty and the Beast Paddington Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in 80 Days Death in Paradise Christmas Special A Very British Scandal EastEnders BBC News Weather
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Countryfile BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Paddington 2 EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch 2021 A Very British Scandal BBC News
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The BFG Pointless Celebrities BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link Worzel Gummidge: Twitchers EastEnders A Very British Scandal BBC News
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A Dog's Journey Pointless Celebrities BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link Worzel Gummidge: Calliope Jane The Repair Shop A Star Is Born BBC News
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Upstart Crow Blackadder's Christmas Carol University Challenge Blackburn Sings Christmas with Gareth Malone Last Christmas Top of the Pops 1984: Big Hits Elton John's Christmas Concert: Old Grey Whistle Test
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To Catch a Thief North by Northwest Dad's Army Carols from King's University Challenge Gardeners' World Winter Specials Vienna Blood A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint Amazing Grace
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The Two Ronnies: The Studio Recordings Quentin Blake: The Drawing of My Life The Queen's Christmas Broadcast The Adventures of Robin Hood The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 1971 The Morecambe & Wise Show 1970 - The Lost Tape
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Some Like it Hot Final Score The Two Ronnies at Christmas The Perfect Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special Anything Goes: The Musical Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing Adele: The BBC Sessions Tina Live!
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Calamity Jane West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic West Side Story The Hairy Bikers Go North for Christmas Only Connect: Christmas Special University Challenge Blade Runner 2049 Highlander
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Evil Under the Sun Death on the Nile Inside the Factory Only Connect: The Birds and the Bees Special University Challenge Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Mock the Week End of Year Special Joanna & Jennifer: Absolutely Champers
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Sean Connery: Talking Pictures The Great Train Robbery Murder on the Orient Express Wild Tales From the Village Only Connect: Cold Special University Challenge Inside the Factory XL: Diggers Frankie Boyle's 2021 New World Order
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Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights Winterwatch 1963 - The Big Freeze The Last Igloo Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey 60 Years of Carols From King's Winterwatch 1963 - The Big Freeze
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Top of the Pops: Christmas 2002 Top of the Pops: Christmas Hits Tom Jones & Beverley Knight's Gospel Christmas Country Christmas 2021 Country at the BBC The Turn of the Screw Whistle and I'll Come to You
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Penguin Post Office: Natural World Winter Journey: Schubert's Winterreise Eric and Ernie - Behind the Scenes Their Finest Mrs Dickens' Family Christmas What We Were Watching: Christmas 1991
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The Chronicles of Erne Dancing the Nutcracker Inside the Royal Ballet La Boheme from the Royal Opera House Moonstruck Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets The Chronicles of Erne The Turn of the Screw
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BBC Proms Sondheim at the BBC Sunday in the Park with Stephen: Omnibus Face to Face with Stephen Sondheim Life of a Mountain: A Year on Scafell Pike The Great Mountain Sheep Gather Sunday in the Park with Stephen: Omnibus
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Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures West Side Story Into the Woods: Stage to Screen Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
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Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime Williams: Formula One in the Blood Handmade in the Pacific: Pou
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Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale A Merrier Christmas? Tonight Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow Christmas Special
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Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special ITV Evening News ITV News London The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special Gino's Italian Family Adventure: A Festive Feast Emmerdale Royal Carols: Together at Christmas
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Santa Claus ITV News and Weather Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs at Christmas The Masked Singalong Emmerdale Coronation Street The Larkins at Christmas ITV News and Weather Love Actually
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Saturday Night Takeaway Presents: Double Trouble The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special Emmerdale Coronation Street All Star Musicals at Christmas Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure
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In for a Christmas Penny Family Fortunes Christmas Special Emmerdale The Voice Kids Coronation Street ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather Bradley & Barney: Breaking Dad at Christmas
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The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale The Voice Kids Coronation Street ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather All Star Musicals at Christmas
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Tipping Point The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs The Voice Kids ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather
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Chateau DIY at Christmas Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Christmas at Holkham Hall One Night in the Natural History Museum
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It's a Wonderful Life Channel 4 News The Snowman The Snowman and the Snowdog Home Alone The Greatest Snowman 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special The Last Leg Christmas Eve Special
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Christmas at Castle Howard Location, Location, Location The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country Extraordinary Escapes at Christmas with Sandi Toksvig
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Playing With Fire Christmas at the Plaza Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Billionaire Blooms Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Britain's Most Expensive Houses
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Finding Santa 12 Pups of Christmas Entertainment News on 5 12 Pups of Christmas Matilda 5 News Update World's Strongest Man 2021 Police Interceptors Christmas on Cannon Hall Farm
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23 - 29 December 2021
TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA
FEATURE
REALLY HARD VS IMPOSSIBLE
#TheWomanBeyond IN his brilliant book Spartan Up! Joe De Sena (founder of Spartan Race) ‐ in which by the way the first chapter is ti‐ tled From Here to Insanity ‐ this gives you a clue. Joe tells us the ridiculous story of Göran Kropp. Imagine your friend inviting you on an adventure. They tell you, “Hey! I have this idea. Let’s jump on our bikes and from our homes in Sweden, ride to the base of Mount Everest, then hop off, ascend to the summit without oxygen or a sherpa and then come back down and ride back home!!! Are you in?!” If you’re like me, you’d probably say, “Dude. Are you crazy!!” You might even be tempted to say that’s impossible. But it’s not impossible. It’s just REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard. And there is a huge difference be‐ tween the two.
Really Hard vs Impossible. Do you have any ‘impossible’ dreams that need to be redefined as simply re‐ ally (really!) hard? Yes? Which one? This is the season for sharing our hopes and dreams and for setting our intentions for the year ahead. What one big thing would you dare to dream (and do) if you knew you couldn’t fail? I’ve been thinking about mine recent‐ ly, with a brilliant team away day last week, before we went off for the holi‐ days. Come on what’s your Biggest Most Audacious Goal? Think about it. Dream about it. Get fired up about it. Then go WOOP it (you remember WOOP from a few weeks ago? Wish, Outcome, Ob‐ stacles and Plan) Then get to it! I’m reminded of some great wisdom, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” ‐
Thomas Edison I also love to remember Seneca’s wis‐ dom: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” It may be difficult or really, really hard, but nothing is impossible if you really want it. And in case you were wondering ‐ Göran Kropp, did achieve the impossi‐ ble and he tells his own story in his book, Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey. Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment. Ignite Your Passion, Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Greatness! Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps
WomanBeyond PS. Want to ignite your passion and purpose? To get laser focused on your Biggest Most Audacious Goals? Grab one of the last few places on my Vi‐ sionary Women Programme for Jan‐ uary 2022. In just four, three‐hour on‐ line sessions you could make 2022 Your Best Year Yet. Twenty five per cent off for Euro Weekly News readers ‐ Just Quote Offer Code EWN25 ‐ for more info and to book, head on over to https://quantumvantage.co.uk/vi sionarywomenprogramme Don’t hold back another moment. You could be just one step away…
To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #The‐
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
DAVID WORBOYS THE most appalling crimes in his‐ tory have been committed by men. Those involving war, geno‐ cide, terrorism, torture, murder, pillage, rape and drug‐dealing were caused by the physically stronger and more aggressive of the two sexes. As women in gen‐ eral are gentler and physically more attractive, they are referred to by men as ‘the fairer sex.’ Every now and then, however, a woman emerges who has the power to match the men for evil. Step forward, Queen Mary; take a bow, Queen Elizabeth I. And there are more recent examples of oth‐ er females who, given the circum‐ stances, may well have had the in‐ clination to wreak cruelty and subjugation on an industrial scale. Recently, the UK has been fo‐ cusing on the horrific case of Em‐ ma Tustin, who tortured, con‐ fined, starved and finally murdered the little son of her partner, while he looked on. I pre‐
@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen
tonieastwoodobe
THE FAIRER SEX
The fairer sex comes in many forms.
fer not to go into the details but they illustrate what evil any hu‐ man, whether male, female or confused, may be capable of. It was two boys that tortured
and murdered two‐year‐old Jamie Bulger. The details of this case are too sickening for me to include here, but can we imagine that two 10‐year‐old girls could have acted
like this? There may be a maternal instinct in every female that would prevent this ‐ but, in view of the likes of Emma Tustin, Rose West and Myra Hindley, probably not in all women. Girls at school can commit terri‐ ble bullying, although ‐ unlike boys ‐ more often psychological than physical. Women tend to be catty more than men, taking ego‐boost‐ ing satisfaction from putting their friends and acquaintances down, by points scoring and name drop‐ ping. I would not be surprised if the expression ‘the fairer sex’ is con‐ sidered politically incorrect nowa‐ days. Gone are the days of inno‐ cent fun and cheeky banter between the two sexes. No more wolf whistles, affectionate bottom patting and open appreciation of a woman’s physical attraction or inability to park a car. The fairer sex can be remorse‐ less in its pursuit of men’s trans‐
sixsecretstosuccess
gressions back in a more joyful age. So, a man may have slapped or pinched the bottom of a female employee in the photocopying room in 1969. Who wants to know and what risk does it pose to anybody now? There are nu‐ merous similar attempts to ruin the reputations of decent men who have behaved in a manner relatively harmless and in accor‐ dance with the spirit of the age. However, people like Jeffrey Ep‐ stein and the police officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard are, of course, an entirely different matter. Stanley Johnson has recently been ac‐ cused of slapping Caroline Nokes on the bottom 17 years ago, but it is also claimed that he once broke his wife’s nose ‐ a far more serious issue. Along with equal rights and op‐ portunities, women should also be protected from the potential violence of men. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
David Worboys’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.
RESCUED CATS Two four-month-old kittens were left at the bins in a box with a scrappy note saying ‘Sorry can’t take to UK’. They were so very lucky to have been found by a caring lady who decided to take them to Maz’s Canine Rescue shop (Almeria) which isn’t geared up for receiving poorly animals. However they were taken to Maz’s home and she took them in, even though the house is bursting at the seams. Named Dasher and Dancer as it’s Christmas they were taken to the vet as they were quite poorly. Their eyes were closed with weepy eye syndrome, a dreadful case of worms, mites etc… thankfully have been given treatment and are improving. The point is how sad is it that people can do this… it is left to the generosity of good-hearted people to stump up for the costs incurred… there is literally no room at the inn… as it’s the festive season… are there any of your readers that could possibly help out the Reindeer Kittens… I was really hoping that this might be newsworthy and that you could make a feature out of this very sad story … yours sincerely… Pam
Anyone else? Please can you highlight the lack of urgency in administering booster vaccinations at OCMC, residents are having to queue for up to two hours to book an appointment for a booster and are currently being given dates for April 2022. This means some re-
WOMEN’S SPORTS: Have they been left out in the cold?
Lucy Francesca REINDEER KITTENS: Dasher and Dancer are looking for a new home.
sidents will have waited 12 months between their second vaccination and their booster. We in Orihuela Costa feel like we are being forgotten about and being pushed to the back of a very long queue for services. The health service has deteriorated so much over the years which is mostly due to the constant building of new properties along the coast without the infrastructure in place to co-
THANK YOU TO ALL THIS is the last edition of Euro Weekly News before Christmas and we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our wonderful readers and advertisers for their support during the pandemic. We know how hard it has been for everyone, especially as whenever we appear to be climbing out of the problem, something new appears and Omicron is the latest problem to be tackled. Despite the fact that so many advertisers had to temporarily withdraw their adverts at the height of
CORRECTIONS
From our Facebook
pe. Slowly but surely Orihuela Costa is being starved of money and services. Yours hopefully Jane
Peter John Colin Why - don’t even get enough spectators at the moment, when it becomes more popular then yes ok.
Sheree Ruiz
Beware! A warning to anyone buying and eating Turron this Christmas. Anyone know a good dentist? Freddie
OUR VIEW
the pandemic and the lockdown, we have continued to issue Euro Weekly News every week without fail, albeit with a reduced number of pages. In addition, we have continued to populate our website with local and international stories and kept readers alert to both major breaking news and a number of heartwarming stories closer to home and have never asked a single reader to contribute to keep us going. Readers will have noticed that
Yes of course they should! The women’s teams do so much better than the men’s and the women are hard as nails when it comes down to sports. We go hard or go home and we take injuries and tackles! We don’t just fall on the floor and fake it.
the size of the papers has been growing on a regular basis and that is thanks to the fact that so many advertisers have either returned or started advertising for the first time and we wish them every success with their diverse businesses despite the constant problems. It remains only to wish everyone who reads EWN either in paper form or online (as we have so many overseas readers) all the very best to you and your loved ones in 2022 and to hope that it will be a better year for us all.
To command a prime time slot it has to draw the sponsors’ money, and get the viewing numbers/ratings, so advertisers will buy advertising slots. There are many sports, both men’s and women’s that for purely commercial reasons never make it to prime time viewing or make it into the exclusive sports channels.
Dawn Giddings They simply won’t get the viewing figures!
James Golt Only if they take their tops off when they score.
Joe Pritchard Nah, and while we’re on about it, hoy them off commentating as well.
Janet Murray Yes, it’s time you show women’s footie on prime TV, we have been left out in the cold long enough.
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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Need someone to cherish your pets? IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already mak‐ ing plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can fol‐ low their routines at home. So, plan ahead. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐
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Fighting that Our chatty feathered friends cat smell! YOU may not realise, but if you own a cat then your home proba‐ bly smells like it. Unfortunately it can be difficult for us to discern smells when we live in the same environment. When it comes to life with a cat, it can be smelly, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are some tips to LITTER TRAY: Keep it clean. reduce cat odour in your home. You can begin by making sure you are using a litter which specialises in deodorising. Generally, the best for this is a litter which clumps together. Not only is this better at ab‐ sorbing those smells, it is also easier to clean up when your little furball pays a visit to the tray. You should keep the tray in a large, open and well ventilated area, and always in the same place, as cats loathe change and may rebel and choose not to use it. I know it’s not fun, but it is necessary to scoop their litter daily, ensuring the smells have less time to linger. Finally, embrace the power of baking soda! It is a safe and natural deodoriser which can make a big difference in the smell. Sprinkle some in the litter box and it will really help!
PERHAPS not the best choice for anyone with a feline prowling the house, a bird can be a fantastic, life‐long companion. With their cheerful and inquisitive na‐ tures, many people don’t realise how much a bird can add to the home. They are in‐ credibly social ani‐ mals, often compared to human toddlers in terms of their big per‐
sonalities. The most popular feathered pet is the common parakeet, or budgie, and it makes a wonderful companion for anyone new to keeping birds. They are gentle, docile, and qui‐ eter than other par‐ rots, but can learn to mimic speech. The budgie is also budget friendly, their diets extending to fresh fruits and vegeta‐
BUDGIES: Gentile and docile.
bles. Their smaller size also makes them a lit‐ tle easier to clean up after than their larger cousins. For those that don’t mind a noisier home
environment, a curious Cockatiel is ideal. Caring for a bird is a life‐long responsibility, with average life ex‐ pectancies spanning from 10 to 20 years.
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EWN 31
Ford S-Max Hybrid - spacious and remarkably competitive ROAD TEST by Mark Slack WHEN Renault first launched the Espace they created a whole new seg‐ ment within the automo‐ tive sector. You may think that the MPV has had its day thanks to the ubiqui‐ tous SUV and in large part you’d be correct, but there is still an MPV pres‐ ence out there and one of the finest is Ford’s S‐Max. A week behind the wheel makes you realise that MPVs are immensely practical machines, and in the case of the S‐Max don’t have to drive like a minibus. As with all Fords the S‐Max is remarkably nimble, especially given its considerable proportions. It’s a relaxed cruiser and remarkably economical, with 50 mpg very achiev‐ able on a run. Although some newer entrants to the sector, from the likes of Citroen, arguably have a more cut‐
FORD S-MAX: A must on anyone’s MPV shopping list.
ting‐ edge design, don’t be fooled into think‐ ing the S‐Max is a relic from another automotive age. Despite being launched in 2006 it has evolved well over the years and now includes a very ef‐ fective self‐charging hybrid option, all‐wheel‐drive can also be specified. In the UK there are three trim levels ‐ Titanium, ST‐Line and Vig‐ nale ‐ and the equipment levels are very good. Power comes from ei‐ ther a 2.0‐litre diesel, in
Facts at a Glance Model: Ford S-Max ST-Line Hybrid Engine: 2.5-litre petrol electric hybrid developing 190PS Gears: 8-speed CVT automatic Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 9.9 seconds/Maximum Speed 185 kph (115 mph) Economy: 6.4l/100km (43.5 mpg) WLTP Combined Emissions: 147 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets
Guardia Civil drugs tests SOONER or later, chances are you could be stopped at a Guardia Civil drugs checkpoint when you least expect it. Many drivers will have already gone through this experi‐ ence, while others have not, and are scared of it ever happening. Not scared because they have something to hide, but generally just the fact of being subject‐ ed to the test and not knowing what it involves. A routine drugs check, which is mandatory, goes like this: Information: Before starting the test, the offi‐ cer will inform you of the obligation to undergo the said test. Saliva: Generally, an al‐ cohol breathalyser test is performed first. Next, a saliva sample is taken, with special devices. This is called ‘circumstantial’, and its objective is to de‐ tect the possible presence of the recent use of illegal substances.
CHECKPOINT: You could be stopped when you least expect it.
Second sample: If the saliva test is positive for some type of substance, then a second saliva sam‐ ple is taken. This is sent directly to a laboratory for analysis, for confirmation of the positive. At this point, you will no longer be allowed back behind the wheel of your car. Blood: You can request a blood test as a contrast test. The blood sample will be carried out by health personnel in a hos‐ pital, or a health centre. If
it turns out positive, then you must pay the expens‐ es of this test. Result: The results of the toxicological laborato‐ ry are added to the report of the Guardia Civil offi‐ cer, and the correspond‐ ing proceedings are initi‐ ated. This can be done either administratively, where the penalty is €1,000, and the loss of six points from your licence, or, it is done judicially with various conse‐ quences.
two power outputs, with either manu‐ al or automatic gears, or a 2.5‐litre petrol engine mat‐ ed to an electric motor to provide hybrid driving. Paired with a CVT gearbox it is this version that is the focus (excuse the Ford re‐ lated pun) of our attention. This is not a plug‐in hybrid, think more like Toyota’s system where the engine is assisted by the electric mo‐ tor. When you are at low speed the system puts you into electric mode and at
other times as and when required, such as boost‐ ing the power. It gels to‐ gether well and pro‐ duces a very refined people mover. While it’s no Fi‐ esta ST in the handling stakes it’s surprising just how far it can be pushed. There’s little no‐ ticeable body roll and it retains a confident feel and good levels of grip even in two‐ wheel‐drive. It soaks up rough roads better than some of the newer en‐ trants and has masses of interior space. Even the rearmost seating ‐ the S‐ Max has seven seats ‐ is ac‐ cessible, albeit for shorter journeys in the case of adults. Overall it may not have the interior glitz of newer models but remains re‐ markably competitive, drives superbly and is a must on anyone’s MPV shopping list.
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Baha Irish Whiskey Cup draw, ‘big guns’ avoid each other THE cup draw took place on December 14, with the two ‘big guns’ Malaga and Walking Dead A teams avoiding each other. Both land‐ ed ties against B League teams which could be an easy pas‐
sage to the finals.The draw wasn’t kind to the B League teams with all three being drawn away to A teams. The Baha Irish Whiskey Cup Second Round: Aston Viñuela A v
Malaga B Walking Dead A v Calahonda WFS Malaga A v Aston Viñuela B or Nerja No‐ mads B. Ties will be played on or before January 17, 2022.
Raducanu wins SPOTY EMMA RADUCANU’S sen‐ sational win at the US Open catapulted her to fame and also landed her the 2021 BBC sports personality of the year award ahead of many strong candidates. The highly publicised straight sets win in New York, made her one of the most marketable names in the sport. It came after she fought back following her withdrawal with Wimble‐ don due to illness. Radacanu (19) was un‐ able to attend the BBC cer‐
Emma receiving her award.
emony after a positive Covid‐19 test and instead received a replica of the trophy in Abu Dhabi where she is in self‐isolation. Olympic diver Tom Daley came second, with swim‐ ming star Adam Peaty in third.
Clearly overjoyed she said it was “such an honour just to be among these nominees. “Thanks to all the fans and voters, this year has been insane,” she added. “The energy this year play‐ ing at Wimbledon in front of my home crowd was something I’ve never felt before.” The young star entered the US Open as a qualifier and became Britain’s first female Grand Slam winner since 1977.
Newcomers Boca Se‐ niors of Competa played their first com‐ petitive matches on Sunday, December 19 in the Cooltec Christ‐ mas Cup at the Parque Verano, home to Nerja Nomads. Aston Viñuela made up the three‐ some. The Nomads and the newcomers played an end‐to‐end match with the Nomads prevailing 6‐3. The second match
saw old rivals Nomads and Viñuela clash with the visitors dominating a 5‐2 win to take re‐ venge for the home league defeat in November. The third game saw Competa squander sev‐ eral good chances in a 2‐0 defeat to Viñuela who claimed the Cooltec Christmas Cup, presented by Keith Bucknell of Cooltec. It was encouraging to see
each team had a fe‐ male player in their ranks. Finally, the Walking Football Association of Iberia expanded to 18 clubs with the addition of the Torrox Torna‐ does who look well set with 82 members and excellent facilities. Preparations are al‐ ready well ahead for application to join the league and cup compe‐ titions next season.
The Three Cooltec Cup Teams: Viñuela in red, Nerja in blue and Competa in green.