Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 30 December 2021 - 5 January 2022 Issue 1904

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17

BEST OF THE YEAR

PAGES 5 - 12 Issue No. 1904 30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

Covid certificate point F O R some, accessing a Covid‐19 certificate is not as easy as it sounds.

Some don’t know where to go and others don’t have the facility to get to it. To solve this, Torre del Mar will install a municipal certificate point.

First Deputy Mayor, Jesús Pérez Atencia, and Deputy Director of Citi‐ z e n C a r e o f t h e Ea s t Malaga Health Area, José Luis Checa Martín, have jointly announced that the city is to install a machine in the Nues‐ tra Señora del Carmen Cultural Center, Antigua Azucarera de Torre del Mar. Parking is available on site with the facility open Monday to Friday from 10:30 to 2:00 pm.

Pérez Atencia said: “it is a very important agreement that will fa‐ cilitate access to this document for people who do not have the means. It also allows the decongestion of health centres, offering a direct service to neighbours who require it.”

AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

PICTURE WINNERS

FREE • GRATIS

LA VUELTA

SALOBREÑA: The starting point of the race.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: The successful photographers.

T H E winners of the third Rincon photography competition were an‐ nounced by the city’s mayor, Anto‐ nio José Martín, on Wednesday, De‐ cember 29.

The popular competition received more than 100 entries covering a va‐ riety of themes and places within and around the four towns that make up the Rincon area. Mayor of the area, Antonio José Martín, speaking about the entries said: “It has been difficult to choose between the works pre‐ sented, because every year there is more quality.”

Agreeing with Martin, Francisco Salado, mayor of Rincon de la Victo‐ ria said: “It is difficult to collect in 12 images all the beauty that we have here.”

The winning photos will be used to produce a calendar for 2022 which will be available for sale to local resi‐

dents and tourists. According to Sala‐ do: “Each year the tourist calendar is a gift that everyone wants to have.”

The photos will also be used to pro‐ mote the town in different cam‐ paigns throughout 2022 and will be taken to the Feria Internacional de Turismo ‐– the international tourism conference.

A selection of the ‘best of the rest’ will also be used in the calendar.

The prize winners, Manuel Rueda, Miguel Corpas, José María Ruiz, Christian Martín, Daniel Vertedor and Alejandro José Gómez were all con‐ gratulated for the quality of their work and for the effort they put into showcasing the town and the local area.

Fo r t h e i r t r o u b l e s e a c h r e c e i v e a dinner for two in the town and two tickets for the Mystery Route in the Treasure Cave.

ONE of the world’s three leading cycling competitions is com‐ ing to Axarquia in 2022, with stage 12 of La Vuelta in September starting out from Salobreña.

The race, which at‐ tracts the world’s best, will see more than 200 profession‐ al cyclists head out of the town before heading up into the mountains on their way to Estepona.

The event, which in normal times attracts large crowds, is tele‐ vised in more than 200 countries around the world and will

help to put the area on the map.

María Eugenia Rufi‐ no, mayor of Salo‐ breña, highlighted the importance for the municipality to host a test of this magnitude that is broadcast to millions of viewers. Rufino said: “In addition to the media power which will allow Sa‐ lobreña to be seen in so many parts of the world, there will also be a boost to the economic sector of the area with the cy‐ cling teams being supported by large support teams.”

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Plaza del Agua upgrade

BIKE LANE: Construction works have now been agreed.

Nerja to Maro bike path JOSÉ ALBERTO ARMIJO, the mayor of Nerja, has announced the approval of more than €325,000 for the construction of the first section of the bike lane between Nerja and Maro. Announcing that the council had agreed to the works, Armijo said: “It will run between the access roundabout to Burriana beach, on Avenida de Pescia, to the roundabout of the Oasis de Capistra‐ no urbanisation. It will be built to the north of the highway and will have a length of 900 metres.”

He continued, “We are going to provide the mu‐ nicipality with new in‐

frastructure, responding to the needs of our neighbours and visitors, and with which we will reinforce the security of cyclists and pedestrians, promoting transport without emissions to the environment and sport.”

The works, which are part of the Sustainable and Integrated Develop‐ ment Strategy, will take eight months and be un‐ dertaken by Actüa In‐ fraestructuras SL. Around 20 per cent of the funding is being pro‐ vided by the Nerja Town Council with the balance coming from the Euro‐ pean Regional Develop‐ ment Fund ERDF.

THE Rincon de la Victoria Town Council has awarded a contract to Gestión Proyectos y Obras del Sur for the creation of a new space providing access to the sea from the Paseo Marítimo.

The new space will consist of a wide pedes‐ trian walkway with green areas that connect to the sea, opening the line of sight from the town through to the sea. The square space will create the feel of a boulevard with the showpiece being a grand fountain with light and sound. Planters will be located on both sides with large trees, as well as two pergolas.

The area will also offer mobile charging sta‐ tions driven by a micro turbine that uses wa‐ ter from the supply network to generate en‐ ergy.

The mayor of Rincon de la Victoria, Francis‐

NEW SPACE: Will have a grand fountain.

co Salado (PP) said: “We want Rincon de la Victoria to look towards the sea, breaking the barrier of buildings created from the 1960s to the present.”

The work is expected to take four months with the area needing to be cleared before work can begin on the creation of the square.

Tracheostomy care

THE Hospital de la Axar‐ quía has been busy train‐ ing health professionals in the last quarter of the year, but perhaps none more important than those involved in caring for tracheostomy patients.

The aim of the training

Training was provided.

was to provide those who work with tracheostomy patients, their families and their caregivers, the knowledge and technical skills needed. According to the health authority the procedure is becoming all the more common with patients admitted to a va‐ riety of hospital depart‐ ments, those who are treated in emergency ser‐

vices and in emergency rooms. Health centres, who are also called on to undertake the procedure from time to time, are re‐ quired to give care to those who have a tra‐ cheostomy tube.

In total, training was provided to 83 profession‐ als, 72 women and 11 men have participated in this face‐to‐face training. be‐ tween physicians, nurses and TCAE of the intensive medicine, internal medicine, otorhinolaryn‐ gology units and other medical‐surgical care units of the Malaga‐Axarquía Health Area.

NEWS

Fire support THE Andalucia Govern‐ ment has been asked by the mayor of Nerja, José Al‐ berto Armijo, to do what is necessary to help those af‐ fected by the fire in Maro in November. A report is being compiled by the Re‐ gional Agrarian Office to determine the extent of the damage to crops and greenhouses. Armijo said: “When we receive this im‐ portant information it will be used by the Depart‐ ment of Agriculture to acti‐ vate all mechanisms at our disposal to help the most affected farmers.”

The regional delegate for agriculture has submitted an aid request, but has at the same time stressed the need for farmers to have agricultural insurance that covers fire damage. Cau‐ tion is also urged for both farmers and householders within the region in the midst of a drought.

Recycling bins MOTRIL has begun replac‐ ing the side‐loading bins that have been in use for the collection of recycling.

The old‐style containers were acquired more than 20 years ago and have out‐ lived their use according to the council.

The new containers are large capacity units that al‐ low for the selective collec‐ tion of waste. Speaking about waste collection, Luisa María García Chamor‐ ro, mayor of Motril, said: “These containers will solve historical problems in those neighbourhoods where the condition of the containers made waste collection diffi‐ cult.” She added: “these new containers will allow for the separate collection and recycling of organic waste, packaging and pa‐ per and cardboard.”

According to Jesús Jiménez, the councillor for Cleaning, the 66 containers cost nearly €70,000 and have been acquired with support from European Funds. In terms of their use, 25 will be used for organic waste, 23 for light packag‐ ing and 18 units for paper and cardboard.

NEWS

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REMINDER WE would like to remind all our readers that Euro Weekly News will be published a day early on Wednesday, January 5 next week.

This is because Thursday is a national holiday to celebrate the Three Kings.

NIBS EXTRA Garbage collection NERJA Council has said that as on Christmas Eve there will be no refuse collection on New Year’s Eve. Resi‐ dents and businesses are asked not to put out their rubbish until January 1.

Collections will resume as normal from New Year’s Day.

Christmas lottery EL GORDO ‘the fat one’ was drawn just before Christmas distributing nearly €2.8 billion in prizes, with one lucky resident in Torre del Mar scooping a 10th prize of €20,000. In to‐ tal €60,000 was distributed in the province.

Axarquia impact THE Law for the Promotion of Sustainability of the Ter‐ ritory of Andalucia, LISTA, has stated that with the new regulation people will be able to live in the coun‐ try with some restrictions and controls. The law is not an urban amnesty, but does provide clarity for res‐ idents and developers.

Free masks THE provincial council has begun delivering free face masks to local towns in‐ cluding Motril, and Al‐ muñecar given the upsurge in Covid‐19 cases recently.

Roughly 290,000 masks will be delivered, of which half will go to towns with less than 20,000 residents.

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

Blue Underwater Life Park A R O U N D €2.5 million provided by the Euro‐ pean Next Generation EU will be used for the development of more than 20 projects in the Almuñecar ‐ La Herradu‐ ra area. The funds, which will go towards improvements in infras‐ tructure and tourism fa‐ cilities, were announced by the mayor of Al‐ muñecar, Trinidad Her‐ rera.

The project entitled Blue Underwater Park, forms part of the Re‐ gional Plan for Sustain‐ able Tourism in Destina‐ tion for Andalucia and will be undertaken be‐ tween 2022 and 2024.

Herrera said: “The pro‐

NEW PROJECT: Announced by the mayor of Almuñecar.

ject does not entail any cost for the local institu‐ tion since it is financed entirely with European funds, after being pre‐ selected by the Andalu‐ cian Regional Govern‐ ment Tourism

Department, which sub‐ mitted the proposed project to the Secretary of State for Tourism.”

The deputy mayor for Tourism and Beaches, Daniel Barbero, said: “The backbone of the

project revolves around the Almuñecar La Her‐ radura Underwater Park, a unique, innovative, di‐ versifying, differentiat‐ ing, sustainable project and the standard of the Almuñecar La Herradura Tourism Sustainability Plan.”

He continued, “The project generates a blue and circular economy around its natural ecosystem, complement‐ ing the existing offer of nautical activities in the m u n i c i p a l i t y . At t h e same time, the seabed will be regenerated as will new tourism alterna‐ tives away from sun and the beach providing a comprehensive offer.”

Happy New Year A Michelin mention from Euro Weekly News!

MUCH like 12 months ago, we approach the New Year with uncertainty and trepi‐ dation. But this year, there’s added frustra‐ tion. Just as we all felt normality was within touching distance, it was snatched away by the ev‐ er‐changing global situ‐ ation. But just like last Michel & Steven Euesden. year, we move forward with hope that brighter days are just around the corner. And with good reason.

Recent times have showed us the power of community spirit. In tough times, normal peo‐ ple can do amazing things. It has been our pleasure to cover the many heart‐warming sto‐ ries of gestures, large and small, that have made a huge difference to the lives of many people across the year.

We have all learned not to take things for granted. To appreciate those who are close to us and to make the most of every moment. We don’t know the future, but we do know how much we have all been through and what we have overcome. And that should fill us all with positivity heading into 2022.

With that in mind, Michel, Steven and all the EWN family would like to wish all our valued clients, and loyal readers from Spain and around the globe a HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

THREE decades of hard work have paid off for the Lorenzo Torres brothers who inherited the Conjuro de Calahonda restaurant near Motril from their par‐ ents back in 1989. A tradi‐ tional mesón, frequented by locals and visitors alike, the restaurant is now officially mentioned in the Michelin guide.

Although the restaurant did not earn a star, the guide describes it as: “A minimalist‐style restaurant impressively run by two brothers with a liberal ap‐ proach to contemporary cuisine based around the very best products from the coast, select meats and Asian condiments.”

On December 20, the mayor of Motril, Luisa María García Chamorro, visited the establishment to congratulate the Loren‐ zos and their team saying: “After this magnificent news, now to work for a Michelin star that this place, without any doubt, deserves.

“If we add the experi‐

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Lorenzo Torres brothers.

ence and the fantastic cui‐ sine of this restaurant to the excellence of our horti‐ cultural and fishery prod‐ ucts, it is inevitable that such deserved recognitions will arrive.”

In response Antonio Lorenzo recognised the val‐ ue of his customers saying: “We are blessed to have a public that has always loved an establishment which has room for all gas‐ tronomic possibilities, for all tastes and pockets.”

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Nerja Cultural Centre THE Nerja Cultural Cen‐ tre has released its pro‐ gramme for the first quarter of 2022, offering music, dance, and the‐ atre. Councillor for Cul‐ ture, Gema Laguna, said: “We present it with the intention that it is to ev‐ eryone’s liking.”

The music programme begins with Swedish sax‐ ophonist, and ex‐ABBA backing band member, Johan Sengard followed by the famous jazz group Ytre Soluen, who return with the American singer Tricia Boutté.

In March, Finnish clar‐ inet player Antti Sarpilla returns as the guest star of the jazz group the Farataos.

There’s blues from 1980’s legends the Var‐ gas Blues Band plus the Ramirez brothers, for‐ mer members of leg‐ endary Malaga group Tabletom. T Big Band will also be performing.

There is also a wide variety of classical music on the programme in‐ cluding classic guitar, tenors, poetry, piano recitals, and orchestras.

Finishing the classical programme are the tra‐ ditional spring galas of the Municipal School of Music and Dance.

There is also theatre with a mix of Spanish and international shows including the Caramala Company with Noemí Ruiz of Nerja and the theatre circus version of La Casa de Bernarda.

and finally...

THE Environment Department of Almuñecar Town Council constructed an eco‐friendly Xmas tree in the Plaza del Agua in conjunction with local schools.

The building of the tree will raise awareness of how waste can be reused, how plastics can be con‐ sumed responsibly, and which plastics can be recy‐ cled and used safely.

According to the educational centres, the five‐me‐ tre‐high tree is decorated with plastic bottles sym‐ bolising the region’s commitment to sustainability.

The tree has received positive response from locals.

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NEWS

EWN prize winner revealed Helping the homeless

I S A A C B O U S N A N E, 35 and origi‐ nally from Mesquine (Morocco), has become the hairdresser of Malaga’s ‘homeless.’

First thing in the morning, Isaac prepares his backpack, in which he carries all the necessary tools to fine‐tune even the most unruly beards. Thus begins his ritual and he starts the journey through the parks, squares and corners where, with great difficulty, those who have almost exhausted their hopes of escaping from the clutches of homelessness survive.

“They don’t really need a hair‐ cut, what they appreciate the most is venting and having some‐ one listen to them,” said Bous‐

nane. As the barber explained, he always takes advantage of these talks to convey a message: “I in‐ sist that it is never too late to start over.”

His purpose is to help them re‐ gain the confidence to take back the reins of their lives and so that they can leave the street.

Isaac usually posts some of his interventions on his Instagram ac‐ count ‐@IsaacVanti no ‐ in which he uploads before and after pho‐ tos of the haircut to those who live on the street.

According to him, he has al‐ ready received several messages from people who are also inter‐ ested in doing their bit.

A BRITISH teacher living in Spain has been named as the winner of the Euro Weekly News’ €200 trolley dash give‐ away at the Overseas Super‐ market.

Caroline Louise Wilson, 31, was given the €200 prize after taking part in the EWN’s sur‐ vey to get readers’ thoughts on the newspaper’s new web‐ site.

The Euro Weekly News is currently redesigning its web‐ site to ensure it rivals the best worldwide news sites and con‐ tinues to be the most popular English news website in Spain.

The site will be bigger, better and faster, yet still provide your favourite articles, updat‐ ed by the minute, along with new and exciting features, and the Euro Weekly News wanted to hear its readers’ opinions on what the new website should

A WORKSHOP called ‘Whale watching tourism: opportuni‐ ty for knowledge of the re‐ source and its dissemination’ is doing the rounds in Motril schools. Developed by the Costa Granada Group in col‐ laboration with the Motril Town Council, the workshops are designed to raise environ‐ mental awareness.

Funded by the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) along with regional government support, the workshops are being held in in‐ fant and primary schools.

However, the need for care

Caroline won the €200 prize.

look like.

Caroline, who is originally from the UK and moved to Almeria when she was eight before becoming a teacher in Madrid, told the Euro Weekly News she took part in the sur‐ vey after her mum, Gillian Wil‐ son, encouraged her to enter.

She said: “My mum reads the Euro Weekly every week and when I come home she likes to share it with me.

“My mum had entered and sugested I should have a go, so

I did.”

Caroline added that she plans to use the voucher to stock up on some goodies while staying with her mum in Almeria.

She told the EWN: “We are hoping to get a few extras for Christmas and maybe some‐ thing that reminds us of home.”

Caroline added: “Thank you to the Euro Weekly News and Iceland for making our Christ‐ mas a little bit merrier.”

Whale workshop Making youngsters aware. due to the Covid‐19 pandemic meant they had to be under‐ taken electronically. The work‐ shops are believed to have achieved their end goal of making youngsters aware of

the need to conserve and pro‐ tect dolphin and whale species. A total of 10 schools have been involved in the workshops, with teachers pro‐ vided with all the necessary tools to raise awareness and to educate the children. Promo‐ tional material has also been provided to schools to ensure the message is not forgotten.

Children were also provided with interactive activities and have been provided with a cer‐ tificate of attendance.

Almuñecar pays tribute

ALMUÑECAR handball star Irene Espínola has been honoured by the town and praised by the mayor of Almuñécar, Trinidad Herrera, for her performance at the handball world championships played in Torrevieja.

Espínola, a member of the Spanish national handball team, said: “For me it has been very nice to participate in the World Championship in Spain and to carry the name of Almuñecar as I have always done. I hope to continue giv‐ ing many joys and to be grateful for being

aware of the people who are doing beautiful things for sport.”

Herrera and fellow councillor Luis Aragón, councillor of Sports, said they and the people of Almuñecar are proud of Espínola and what she has done for the sport and the town.

Aragón said: “We have followed Espínola, who has represented her country, her sport and her hometown in such a magnificent way.” She added: “Almuñecar has a very good pool of athletes, it is a land of sports.”

BEST OF THE YEAR

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Euro Weekly welcomes BBC News CEO of the Euro Weekly News, Michel Euesden, was interviewed by a BBC news team at the EWN offices on Friday. The short documentary was intended to explain just how life is changing on the Costa del Sol for the many thousands of expats the paper serves now that Britain INTERVIEW: Gavin with EWN’s Michel. has left the EU. The team, led by BBC tion, ‘Better Brexit journalist Gavin Lee, were Deal.’ She described welcomed back into the how it affected the typioffices of the EWN after cal expat pensioners having been the subject of who, used to surviving a previous BBC documenon their fixed incomes, tary filmed in Mijas, back were now finding it in February 2020. harder with electricity Michel starting the inpricing just experiencing terview by thanking Gavin for choos- a hike. ing the EWN as their ‘go-to’ for any “You are either in one camp or aninformation regarding Spain’s Costa other” said Michel, describing how del Sol and Costa Blanca, while in the Brexit would affect the daily lives of background, the full team of EWN the thousands of expats that live on staff were busy preparing content for the Costa del Sol. the paper’s next six editions.

The interview over, Gavin thanked Everyone of course observed the Michel, Steven and the EWN team covid rules, with proper social distanc- for their help and co-operation and ing and wearing their red EWN masks looked forward to the next time they - it was quiet, but hectic! would visit, maybe to see just how Gavin asked Michel to explain the Brexit has changed the lives of British EWN headline for that week’s edi- expats living in Spain 12 months on.

JAN

Ed. 1854

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

Spanish are the happiest SPANIARDS once again topped the list of Gallup’s happiness survey in Europe, with 65 per cent of those polled describing themselves as happy. Only 7 per cent of Spain said they were unhappy, while 26 per cent described themselves as being neither happy nor unhappy. This marks a 7 per cent decline in Spanish hap‐ piness since 2019 when almost three‐quar‐ ters of the population described them‐ selves as happy.

Meanwhile, Europe is the most pes‐ simistic continent on Earth, with only 46 per cent of EU citizens anticipating 2021 to be better than 2020 and 29 per cent believing it will be worse.

Italians top the continent for pessimism, with only 13 per cent holding hope that things will improve in the New Year. Overall, half of all Europeans said they were happy, 46 per cent said that 2021 would bring eco‐ nomic difficulty, and just 25 per cent be‐ lieved that we can look forward to econom‐ ic prosperity next year. Finland is the most optimistic country in Europe, at 57 per cent.

Indians (64 per cent) and Latin Americans (61 per cent) are the happiest people on Earth, while 54 per cent of the world’s popu‐ lation said they are happy.

J - Ed. 1853

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Beaches smoke-free trial BEACHES in Barcelona will be smoke-free this summer as the city council plans to ban smoking citing public health hazards. Initially, it will be banned in four of the 10 city beaches - Sant Miquel and Somorrostro, in Ciutat Vella, and Nova Icària and Nova Mar Bella, in Sant Martí. The pilot scheme will be in operation during high season between May 29 and September 12.

Authorities explained that the ban is not focused on punishing those who smoke on the beach - and won’t directly result in fines - but is more about raising awareness.

Instances of non-compliance could be handed over to the Guardia Urbana Local Police who

BANNED: Smoking on the beaches in Barcelona.

FEB

Ed. 1860 will be able to instruct people that smoking is banned in the area.

However, if the beachgoer then still does not comply, the Local Police could hand out a fine, but for disrespecting authorities rather than breaking the smoking ban.

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Student, 24, offered support CARLOS ALEGRE, a 24‐year‐ old student who was praised for his dedication after being snapped studying in the lamplight while he waited for an order for delivery, has been offered at least three grants.

According to reports, he has been contacted by com‐ panies in Alicante, Toledo and Belgium, offering him grants and internships to reach his goals. He is currently studying mechanics at the EMA Com‐ peticion school in Malaga, and will soon begin the practi‐ cal side of his studies.

Meanwhile, he works as a delivery rider for Uber Eats, but said that as he is forced to wait a lot of the time, he likes to take advantage of that situ‐ ation to study, a view which was applauded by many after his photo went viral on social media.

His photo was taken by a Local Police officer who shared it, then it was shared on a Guardia Civil Facebook group by another officer who said “while some are smash‐

MAR

CARLOS: Has been offered grants and internships.

ing windows, ransacking busi‐ nesses and destroying the streets to support a repeat delinquent, others find a way and make time whenever they can to build a promising

Ed. 1862

future for themselves.”

Within hours, the image, which has become a symbol of dedication, was shared thousands of times.

While many have applaud‐

ed him, others asked why he should be forced to study in such conditions or why he should have to accept a job like the one he has to make a future for himself.

Creative superhero inspires AN inspirational, nine year-old Spanish boy Gonzalo Zafra, came up with a creative idea to improve the quality of life for people with hearing impairments.

The idea to integrate an ‘Assistant’ into his cochlear implant - which transforms acoustic signals into electronic signals, was a winner at the M E D-E L international competition ‘Ideas to Listen,’ staged to mark International Cochlear Implant Day, celebrated on February 25.

“Just as Iron Man has JARVIS, his as-

M - Ed. 1861

sistant with artificial intelligence, I would like to have RONDIS, an assistant integrated into my RONDO 2,” he said.

“Some examples of what he could do would be to tell me the weather in the morning, remind me what I have to do according to my calendar, receive messages directly from my parents or control the volume based on ambient noise,” explained Gonzalo.

At birth, Gonzalo was diagnosed with severe hearing loss deep in the left ear and finally had to have an implant.

BEST OF THE YEAR

€550,000 invested in hospital VALENCIA’S Ministry of Universal and Public Health has invested more than €550,000 in expanding the emergency room, creating a new Hemato-Oncology Day Hospital and a terrace for psychiatric patients at Sagunto Hospital.

Head of health, Ana Barceló, visited the hospital last week. She said she is delighted with the improvements made, from “the expansion of the emergency room, which has allowed the incorporation of new cubicles and a larger space for patients with different pneumological pathologies, to the new Oncology Day Hospital for treatments, with a greater number of armchairs and beds in a more intimate environment with more light.” The new terrace for psychiatry patients has been adapted so that patients can have an attractive outdoor space.

VISITING: Delighted with improvements.

APR

Ed. 1867

In the emergency section, an adjoining area of more than 200sqm next to the access to the waiting room, has been adapted to an area that connects with the observation area. As a result, a separate waiting room for respiratory diseases, a triage consultation, two cubicles and an observation area for four beds and toilets have been created.

BEST OF THE YEAR

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EWN and Daily Mail ROYAL VISIT: King Felipe, Francisco Brines and Queen Letizia in L’Elca (Oliva).

SPAIN’S King Felipe, accom‐ panied by Queen Letizia, vis‐ ited Oliva (Valencia) to pre‐ sent this year’s Cervantes Prize for Literature.

The award went to the po‐ et Francisco Brines and ordi‐ narily the prize‐winner would have been present at the cer‐ emony which is held each year on April 23 in Alcala de Henares (Madrid), but Brines’ delicate state of health pre‐ vented this. Nor was he able to travel to Valencia City when the regional president Ximo Puig offered the Palau de la Generalitat palace as a closer alternative. Instead, King Felipe and the Queen last week presented the award in person at Brines’ home in L’Elca in Oliva, which has inspired much of his po‐

Honoured MAY Ed. 1872

etry. The poet was not told of the impending royal visit until the previous day to avoid “unnecessary anxiety” his family explained. Francisco Brines, who was born in Oliva in 1932 and has a degree in Law, Philosophy, Literature and History, was Reader in Spanish Literature at Cam‐ bridge and Professor of Span‐ ish at Oxford. He has an hon‐

orary doctorate from the Polytechnic University of Va‐ lencia and is a Member of Spain’s Royal Academy. The formal part of the visit con‐ cluded, the King told Brines, “What a pleasure it is to be able to come here and, above all, thank you for invit‐ ing us to your home” describ‐ ing it as a “little paradise.”

The poet showed the royal couple his gardens with their privileged view of the Mont‐ go mountain and, before they left, presented them with his collected poems, ‘En‐ sayo de una despedida’ (Re‐ hearsal of a farewell).

EURO WEEKLY NEWS, Spain’s largest expat paper, has been bringing you the best in news reporting for more than 20 years.

And in that time Euro Weekly News’ credibility and popularity for breaking local and national news has grown, with even London’s biggest papers turning to our newsroom for the in‐ formation they need.

On June 21, one of Britain’s most popular newspapers, the Daily Mail, drew on our long‐ standing reputation for the best reporting from the Costa del Sol when it reprised Euro Weekly News’ coverage of the trag‐ ic death of Rocio Wan‐ ninkhof in La Cala in 1999 in an article about a new Netflix documentary about the horrific murder.

Michel Euesden, the owner and co‐founder of Euro Weekly News, said “I remember the events well and coverage of every as‐ pect of this tragic but grip‐

THE BEST NEWS: Supporting each other.

JUN

Ed. 1877

ping story was a priority in our newsroom. In our 22 years of coverage of south‐ ern Spain, from glitzy Mar‐ bella to rural Cadiz, this was one of the most shock‐ ing stories we encoun‐ tered.

“It remains one of the most high‐profile murders ever on the Costa del Sol

and I’m not at all surprised Netflix have made a docu‐ mentary about it. Euro Weekly News covered ev‐ ery aspect of it, from the initial crime to the convic‐ tion of British barman Tony King for the murder of Ro‐ cio and of another young woman, Sonia Carabantes.

But not before Dolores Vazquez, the lesbian lover of Rocio’s mother, had served 17 months for the murder when she was wrongly convicted in Spain’s first ever trial by ju‐ ry,” Michel added.

Murder by the Coast airs on Netflix from June 23.

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£5 coin to honour Prince Philip A NEW coin to commemorate the life of His Royal Highness PrincePhilip,DukeofEdinburgh, hasbeenrevealed.Aspecialedi‐ tion £5 coin features an original portrait of The Duke to cele‐ bratehis‘remarkable’life.

The coin’s design was ap‐ proved by The Duke before his death in April this year. The Royal Mint will also make a £50,000 donation to the Duke of Edin‐ burgh’s Award to support its community work in the UK and internationally. “This coin is a fit‐ ting tribute to The Duke of Edin‐ CORDOBA is getting two brand new four‐star hotels soon, adding some 300 rooms to the city’s supply. The new sites were visited on June 24 by Angel Pimentel, the territorial delegate of Tourism of the Jun‐ ta de Aldalucia in Cordoba.

“Cordoba is an interesting and attractive destination for in‐ vestors who, even in this con‐ text of crisis, have been encour‐ aged to bet on our province and create new accommoda‐ tion options that come to join and strengthen the Cordoba of‐ fer,” he said. Secotel will oper‐

JUL

Ed. 1878 burgh, who moved and inspired so many people around the world with his decades of service both to the nation and Her Majesty the Queen,” said Chan‐ cellor Rishi Sunak. “I’m proud to unveil the coin on Armed Forces Day,consideringhisdistinguished

naval career and unwavering dedication to our Monarch and to his Royal duties, and it is only right that he and the Queen are depicted together on both sides of it,” he added. Anne Jessop, Chief Executive of The Royal Mint, said that since the passing ofTheDukeofEdinburghinApril, many have commented that he led a life well lived. “He was the longest serving consort in British history, and patron or president to over 750 organisations ‐ in‐ cluding The Royal Mint Advisory Committee,”shesaid.

Two new luxury hotels J - Ed. 1878 ate the new Hotel Las Delicias ‐ the chain’s first facility there ‐ and it will feature 129 rooms, two suites, a gym, a restaurant, a swimming pool and solarium area. It is scheduled for comple‐ tion by the end of the second quarter of 2022, with a plan to open that September. Soho Hotels already operate one fa‐ cility in Cordoba and others

across Andalucia and will open a new four‐star hotel on Calle Fernando de Cordoba. It will have 182 rooms, four junior suites, a gym, restaurant, swim‐ ming pool, and solarium area, and it is forecast to be complet‐ ed in June. It will open this sum‐ mer. “Without a doubt, tourism continues to be a fun‐ damental engine for the province’s economy and a source of wealth and key em‐ ployment,” Pimentel said.

BEST OF THE YEAR

Bye-bye plastic ear buds and straws THE EU’s Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Directive came into effect on Saturday July 3, which means that many common items made with single-use plastics are now banned in the bloc.

Cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, stirrers, chopsticks, straws, expanded polystyrene single-use food and beverage containers, and all oxo-degradable plastic products are on the list of products that are banned from being placed in establishments across the EU. The objective of the EU Directive is “to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the aquatic environment, and on human health, as well as to promote the transition to a circular economy with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials.”

BANNED: No more plastic straws.

JUL

Ed. 1880 Single-use plastic products are used once, or for a short period of time, before being thrown away. The 10 most commonly found single-use plastic items represent 70 per cent of all marine litter in

the EU, and up to 85 per cent of all marine litter in the EU is plastic.

“This is the latest in a series of measures we’re taking to reduce plastic waste and better manage the waste we do produce. Our future depends on us rapidly changing the way we produce products; this will contribute to a much wider effort to address climate change,” said TD Alan Farrell, Fine Gael Climate Action Spokesperson.

Well-earned retirement LEGENDARY crooner and Grammy award winner Tony Bennett is retiring from performing, according to his son Danny ‐ who is al‐ so his manager. Last week’s sold‐out show alongside La‐ dy Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in New York was his last.

“There won’t be any addi‐ tional concerts. This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capa‐ ble performer.

“This is however doctor’s orders. His continued health is the most important part of this, and when Tony’s wife, Susan, heard the doctors she said, ‘Absolutely not’,” said Danny.

A 70‐year veteran of the stage, Bennett scored his first US number one with Because of You in 1951, go‐ ing on to record a number of pop and jazz classics.

The star has many Gram‐ my Awards, including a Life‐ time Achievement Award, presented in 2001, to his

STAGE VETERAN: After 70 years Bennett is now going to retire.

AUG

Ed. 1885

name, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Kennedy Centre Hon‐ ors and more than 50 mil‐

lion records sold.

Earlier this year it was re‐ vealed that Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

Even so, he has continued to perform live in the five years since.

The singer was expected to appear at a few more US dates later this year, howev‐ er, these shows have now been cancelled.

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EU funds for Spain THE EU Commission has granted €373 million to five European Social Fund (ESF) and European Regional De‐ velopment Fund (ERDF) op‐ erational programmes (OPs) in Belgium, Germany, Spain and Italy to help the coun‐ tries with coronavirus emer‐ gency response and repair in the framework of REACT‐ EU. In Spain, €87 million will be added to the ESF OP for

SEP

Ed. 1887 Castilla y Leon to support the self‐employed and workers who had their contracts sus‐ pended or reduced due to the crisis. The money will al‐

so help hard‐hit companies across Spain avoid lay‐offs, especially in the tourism sec‐ tor.

“Measures focus on sup‐ porting labour market re‐ silience, jobs, SMEs and low‐ income families, as well as setting future‐proof founda‐ tions for the green and digital transitions and a sustainable socio‐economic recovery,” the EU said on Friday August 27.

Check your passports!

BRITS with burgundy passports from before the UK left the EU are being warned to check they are still valid before travelling due to an expiry date rule change. The new blue passport design with the lettering ‘BRITISH PASSPORT’ was issued when the UK left the EU last year, replacing the pass‐ port that signified being a member of the EU. The old burgundy passports will now only be valid for exactly 10 years, and any addi‐ tional months that were added on (pass‐ ports issued before the UK left the EU) will

SEPT - Ed. 1887 no longer be valid. For example, a passport issue date of June 21, 2012, that shows pass‐ port expiry date as December 21, 2022, will actually expire on June 21, 2022.

Most countries in the EU require that your passport is valid for six months on the date of return from your holiday, however with some countries it’s three months, meaning the last date you could return on the above example would be December 21, 2021.

AVANT-GARDE Chef Dabiz Munoz of DiverXo in Madrid has won The Best Chef Top100 Award. The awards, sponsored by Perlage, placed Chef Bjorn Frantzen of Frantzen in Stockholm in second. He also took the award for The Best Chef voted by Chefs. Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz in San Sebastian took a huge jump from his previous 45th position on last year’s list to third place. The Best Chef Sci‐ ence Award powered by LSG Group went to Joan Roca from Catalonia. According to the or‐ ganisers the award is a “distinction for the chef who is outstanding in relation to research, ex‐ perimental techniques and transformation.”

The Top 100 list included 13 Spanish chefs.

A GOOD SAMARITAN hand‐ ed in more than €1,000 in for‐ eign currency along with bank cards that they had found in a folder.

Officers from the Accident Investigation and Attestation Group (GIAA) of the Malaga Local Police were able to locate the owner of the folder, who was a 70‐year‐old Venezuelan woman. Somehow she had lost the folder which contained US$1,500 in 50 and 100 dollar notes. The folder also con‐ tained English pounds along with Swiss francs. The total val‐ ue came to €1,368. Early in the afternoon on Friday, Septem‐ ber 24, a local resident headed to the GIAA premises of the

BEST OF THE YEAR

Madrid chef honoured SEPT - Ed. 1890 Munoz said the awards list will “help restau‐ rants, but also the people of the country.” He added, “What comes to me, comes to Madrid, which to me is one of the most exciting cities in the world today for gastronomy.”

According to DiverXo’s website the restau‐ rant provides diners with, “A journey through the hedonistic, greedy and creative world of Dabiz Munoz, avant‐garde cuisine in which ev‐ erything is possible.” Menus start at €250 per person with pairing options beginning at €150.

Good Samaritan

OCT

Ed. 1893 Malaga Local Police station which is located in Llano de la Trinidad. The local woman had discovered a black folder in the area and had decided to make sure it was returned to its right‐ ful owner. She told the police that there were documents in‐ side. Local Police officers in‐ spected the folder and found it contained documentation

along with a white envelope.

The envelope contained mon‐ ey from various countries. Two bank credit cards were also dis‐ covered inside. The officers quickly set about locating the rightful owner of the folder.

They soon managed to con‐ tact the owner who then made their way to the police station. The elderly woman thankfully had all of her be‐ longings returned to her. She was extremely grateful to the honest lady who had turned in the folder. She was also pleased with the excellent work of the Local Police offi‐ cers.

Burger King goes veggie POP UP: For new veggie products.

OCT - Ed. 1895

BURGER KING will open a veggie pop up restaurant in Madrid. The venue will be in place for one month and will be 100 per cent vegetar‐ ian. Burger King also an‐ nounced the launch of the ‘Long Vegetal’.

This is a veggie version of its classic ‘Long Chicken’.

The new Long Vegetal comes with bread, lettuce, mayonnaise and a

chicken substitute made from soy and wheat. The meat substitute has been created by The Vegetarian Butcher. Vegans will be able to enjoy the new product too if they opt to skip the mayonnaise. The new prod‐ uct joins the Veggie Whop‐ per and Veggie Nuggets on Burger King’s permanent list of vegetarian products.

Borja Hernández de Alba, general manager of Restau‐ rant Brands Iberia Spain and Portugal said: “We want to reach both people who base their diet on plant‐ based products and those who do eat meat but want to reduce their consump‐ tion.”

All the products with the V‐Label, have a quality seal for vegetarian and vegan products. This guarantees that there is no cross‐con‐ tamination with meat. It al‐ so guarantees that they are of a vegetable origin.

BEST OF THE YEAR

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IN A PERFECT WORLD

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EWN 11

School dinner debts pledge

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A BLOGGING dad vowed to clear school dinner debts at a Welsh school to stop the “madness of kids potentially going hungry.”

Simon Harris, a father of four, made the offer via his Twitter account on November 11, after the headteacher of the school, Neil Foden, sent a letter to parents saying the school would not provide food to any child who had a school dinner debt. He wrote that any child who owed more than a penny would not

NOV

Ed. 1898

be given food.

The incident caught the at‐ tention of Marcus Rashford, who just received an MBE from Prince William for the hard work and dedication he has shown to ensure no child

goes hungry. He tweeted “Has the pandemic not taught us anything? Can we not be understanding? Come on now...?” The dad‐of‐four, who has tens of thousands of Facebook and Twitter follow‐ ers said: “I’ve just made this genuine offer to the manage‐ ment of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle on Twitter.

“I will absolutely cover their catering deficit if it stops this madness of kids potentially going hungry because of a school dinner debt.”

Dragon’s Den millionaire reject RACHEL LOWE appeared on the very first series of Dragons’ Den in 2004 hoping to get their backing for her board game. She was rejected by all the Dragons after asking them for £75,000. Rachel has since earned an in‐ credible £96 million from the game they turned down. It has even outsold Monopoly.

Needing an injection of cash to help get her board game ‘Destination’ into the high street shops in time for Christmas, the entrepreneur saw the TV show as her final hope. Rachel was studying for a law degree and working as a cabbie in Portsmouth to help pay for it. In

Ed. 1898 the game, players must navigate taxis through the streets of a city, while collecting the most fares.

Rachel faced a humiliating experience and was told she could never survive in such a competitive business. To her good fortune, Hamley’s, the toy retailers stepped in and of‐ fered Rachel a deal. In its first year alone, the London version of the board game outsold its rival, Monopoly.

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Marathon wheelchair record broken

A W O R L D record was broken at the Barcelona Marathon this year when amateur runner, Eric Domingo Roldán, crossed the finish line with his mother Silvia in her wheelchair. Eric pushed his mum around the entire marathon route in an official time of 02:53:28.

Sylvia has spent the last 17 years living with Multiple Sclerosis. She is a fighter who also sur‐ vived coronavirus. The pair have used their sporting achievements to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis.

Eric started running marathons in 2016 with the aim of raising awareness of the dis‐ ease. He nearly man‐ aged to break the record for pushing a wheelchair last year. Eric comment‐ ed: “Last year (2020) we

BARCELONA MARATHON: Eric broke a world record.

NOV

Ed. 1898

tried to break the Guin‐ ness marathon record pushing a wheelchair in the Sevilla marathon (02:58:40) and we did (03:00:30). But I made myself a promise: that this record would be named after my mother and multiple sclerosis.”

BEST OF THE YEAR

Smallest church in world

ACCORDING to the Guin‐ ness Book of Records, the smallest church in the world is the Santa Isabel de Hun‐ gria, which is just 1.96m² in size. It is in the Malaga Province, in the municipali‐ ty of Benalmadena.

Constructed by Esteban Martin, between 1987 and 1994, this tiny place of wor‐ ship can be found inside the Castillo de Colomares. It is a monument featuring many different architectural styles.

Mr Martin reportedly built it as a tribute to the cultural exchange unleashed after the discovery of America in 1492 by Christopher Colum‐ bus.

The church is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who dedicated her life to

Benalmadena’s Castillo de Colomares.

DEC

Ed. 1901 helping the most disadvan‐ taged people. It has every‐ thing necessary to carry out services, being also conse‐

crated by the Prior of the Monastery of La Rabida.

Benalmadena is a popular holiday destination among tourists thanks to its high‐ quality beaches. But this mu‐ nicipality has many more tourist attractions that should not be missed includ‐ ing the Castle of Colomares, Jardines del Muro, and the cobbled streets of its charm‐ ing old town.

Gay dads make history THE UK’s first gay dads are set to make history again as they

Ed. 1902 look to register their

new triplets’ birth cer‐ tificates with three parents listed on the document.

They are set to wel‐ come the triplets after a £1 million journey to complete their IVF family through an American surrogate.

Barrie Drewitt‐Bar‐ low, 51, is celebrating the news with fiance Scott Hutchinson, 26, and ex‐husband Tony, 56. It was 21 years ago that Barrie and Tony became the first British same‐sex cou‐ ple formally regis‐ tered as parents.

In 1999, Barrie and Tony went to court to be allowed to have both their names on the birth certificates of their children who were born through a surrogate, the first time in Europe a same‐sex couple had given birth in this way. They were al‐ lowed to be ‘Parent One” and ‘Parent Two’ on the document.

This time, they will look to change the law again and have three parents listed on the certificates.

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Special weddings

Rare find

DESPITE an increase in restrictions due to the pandemic, it has been confirmed that those wanting to get married in 2022 should be able to take advantage of Copenhagen’s open air wedding programme with the chance to tie the knot when the city hosts the Tour de France.

A GOLD neck ornament which is highly decorated with a weight of nearly half a kilo and dating back around 1,500 years has been found in a field in the Danish west coast and is only one of 10 decorated pieces of similar jewellery ever found.

THE NETHERLANDS X accepted

Veggie sweets

A DUTCH court has decided that an individual who wishes to be considered as non-binary may simply ask that X rather than F or M be recorded on their passport without having to be interviewed or examined by a psychiatrist as has been the case.

FOODWATCH, a food standards lobby group, gave its ‘Gouden Windei’ negative award to the ‘Yummy Veggie Candy’ product saying that the manufacturers are using the concept of healthy vegetables only as a marketing tool since the sweets contain as much sugar as ordinary sweets.

BELGIUM Smallest book

Booster shopping

A COPY of what is claimed to be the smallest book in the world containing seven versions of the Lord’s Prayer which measures 5mm x 5mm and was printed by the Gutenberg Museum in 1952 has been auctioned in Brussels for €3,500.

THE Brussels Health Inspectorate has closed a loophole whereby non-residents could travel to vaccination centres at one of two Brussels main stations where they could obtain a booster jab without showing proof of address and therefore obtaining their shots before local residents.

GERMANY Diplomatic ties

Christmas markets

THE new German Government appears to be finding favour with Morocco's Foreign Ministry which announced that the kingdom is considering resuming bilateral cooperation and normal diplomatic representation with Germany after withdrawing its Ambassador over Germany’s previous stance on Western Sahara.

DUE to the spike in infections and the appearance of the Omicron variant, a number of German cities have decided to limit or even close their very popular Christmas markets in order to try to reduce close contact between individuals and stall holders.

FRANCE Fans riot

Defamation

FOR the second time this season a match involving Lyon was abandoned following crowd trouble when their French Cup match at Paris FC on Friday December 17 was called off after half time due to throwing of flares and fireworks resulted in a pitch invasion.

THE wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte, has been forced to react to claims appearing in social media that she was born a man, so is therefore a transgender woman and apart from denying this, she is taking legal action against those spreading the false allegations.

NORWAY Snail mail

Qatar woes

ACCORDING to a report in social media, the Norwegian postal system which has been regularly criticised for being expensive and slow has improved considerably in 2021 with letters sent to Spain arriving quite quickly rather than taking from three to six weeks.

THE arrest of a TV crew from state broadcaster NRK in Qatar has caused an outcry amongst media and news organisations in Norway, especially as after the Norwegian Ambassador stepped in to have their equipment returned, it transpired that all recordings has been wiped.

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

EWN 13

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Holaluz expands SPANISH Green Energy company Holaluz has taken over the Spanish division of British energy supplier Bulb Energy and adds 23,000 new customers to its existing portfolio of 378,000 plus offering savings it claims of up to 50 per cent on electricity using solar power.

TikTok triumph CHINESE App TikTok has become the most popular website in 2021, knocking Google off the top spot which it has held for so long, according to IT security company Cloudflare. In its review of 2020, Cloudflare logged TikTok at number eight and Google at number one.

Computer hiccups WHILST technology has in many cases made life easier, whenever there is a glitch, consumers are left completely helpless. This was the case when both Lloyds Bank and subsidiary Halifax had computer problems on the run up to Christmas with websites down for around an hour.

Energy VAT UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is due to hold a series of virtual meetings with energy suppliers who are encouraging him to remove the 5 per cent VAT imposed on energy bills by the EU prior to Brexit in order to help reduce the cost to the consumer.

Emission free dresses AMERICAN company LanzaTech’s biological process captures and converts steel mill emissions that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. They then recycle the emissions into a low carbon polyester yarn and the company has come to an agreement with Spanish clothing giant Inditex to make a fabric which will be used to create a collection of party dresses to be sold through the Zara website at around €40 per dress. If successful, it is expected that this experimental collection will be expanded during 2022.

14

www.euroweeklynews.com • 30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2021

STAT OF is the amount that Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor predicts $6 million will be the value of a single Bitcoin in the not-too-distant future.

WEEK

Olive wars resolved AS previously reported, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled on the complaint by the United States over the alleged dumping of Spanish olives into the USA in November.

In essence, the American Adminis‐ tration had claimed that Spain was improperly subsidising farmers who were selling their olives into the USA at prices below production cost.

The WTO finding accepted that olives were being dumped on the US market, but could find no evidence of any subsidies and therefore recom‐

mended that the US reduced the ex‐ traordinary tariffs introduced by the Trump Administration to the norm for such importation.

This ruling was very important to Spanish olive growers and exporters as the tariffs imposed were as much as 20 per cent more than had previ‐ ously been the case for the stone fruits to be imported into America.

In the past, the US Trade Represen‐ tative’s Office immediately appealed against WTO rulings and then would attend any hearings, thus postponing

LEGALLY SPEAKING

What is Covid Passport?

I am confused about what they are calling a ‘Covid Passport’. I thought that the Spanish courts had ruled that the government cannot force me to be vaccinated or tested for Covid. There are stories about it in the paper and television and Internet that we all will need the Covid Passport to get into bars and restaurants and clubs, but I am not quite clear. Can you explain how this works?

Yes. First DAVID SEARL you are right that the gov‐ YOU AND THE LAW ernment cannot IN SPAIN force you as an indi‐ vidual to be vaccinated. But they can oblige licensed es‐ tablishments such as bars and restaurants to meet certain requirements. For example any place that serves food is required to pass periodic inspections for cleanliness and employees will need food‐handler certificates. So these establishments are already controlled. Now the Junta de Andalucia has added one new requirement. Only those customers who can show they are free of Covid will be al‐ lowed to enter. There is no ‘Covid Passport’ as such. The customer must prove by vaccination or recent test that he is free of Covid. So the legal obligation is on the establish‐ ment to make sure of proof. It is not on the individual, un‐ less of course he wants to go inside the bar.

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

NADIA CALVIÑO, Spain’s First Vice President and Minister for Econo‐ my and Digitalisation has been elected as Chair of the Internation‐ al Monetary and Financial Com‐ mittee (IMFC) for a term of two years, effective from January 3, 2022.

The IMFC, comprising finance ministers and central bank gover‐ nors, is the primary advisory body

the argument indefinitely but on this occasion, this was not the case.

As reported by Reuters, a state‐ ment from the US observed “While we are disappointed with certain as‐ pects of the Panel’s findings, the US decided to permit the adoption of the report and we will continue working with the EU to resolve this dispute.”

This news will be a boost for Span‐ ish farmers as the European Commis‐ sion confirmed that the sale of olives to the US from Spain fell by almost 60 per cent once tariffs were imposed.

Your pre-paid funeral plan with Golden Leaves Contact Golden Leaves today.

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Financial considerations are also important, and en‐ suring that your wishes are carried out in full when the time comes is why many expats will need a pre‐paid fu‐ neral plan.

At Golden Leaves, they guarantee that when you pur‐ chase one of their pre‐paid plans, the funeral services stipulated in your plan will be met in full.

All Golden Leaves’ funeral plan funds are held in the Golden Leaves Trust, which manages the funds to achieve stable long‐term growth. The Trust is overseen independently by a board of trustees and regulated. The fund is annually, independently audited and subject to strict actuarial reporting to ensure that it remains solid, stable, and above all, completely secure.

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New honour for Spain of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board of Governors and deliberates on the principal policy issues facing the IMF. She will succeed Magdalena Andersson, Prime Minister of Sweden and former Finance Minister, who will relinquish her

duties as IMFC Chair at the end of December 2021.

Calviño has been First Vice Presi‐ dent of Spain since July 2021 and is also the current Minister for Economy and Digitalisation, a posi‐ tion she has held since 2018 hav‐ ing previously served in senior

Selfridges now sold ANOTHER British icon has been taken over as Selfridges has been sold to a Thai/Austri‐ an consortium for a reported £4 billion.

Founded in 1908 the depart‐ ment store with its flagship in Oxford Street was actually tak‐ en over by the Canadian West‐ on family in 2003, at what now appears to have been the bar‐ gain price of £600 million.

They will retain their seven Canadian branches, but the re‐ maining 18 shops and nearly 10,000 staff will find them‐ selves in the hands of the Thai retailer and Austrian property company.

This appears to be a bold move at a time when high streets around Europe are see‐ ing a drastic reduction in the number of shoppers due to the ongoing pandemic.

Bounce Back loan scam DESPITE being on bail having been accused of major mon‐ ey laundering, two men, one Russian and the other Lithuanian managed to scam £10 million from the British Government’s Coron‐ avirus Bounce Back Loan scheme.

It is believed that this is the largest theft from the scheme and although they were re‐ar‐ rested and actually sentenced to a combined 33 years in prison, just £17,000 has ever been recovered!

It is understood that the balance was systematically sent abroad from the UK and whilst officers are trying to trace its destination, it seems unlikely that if it is in Russia that it will ever be identified and returned. roles at the European Commis‐ sion, including as Director General in charge of the EU Budget from 2014 to 2018.

The Committee has 24 members and normally meets twice a year ‐ in the spring and at the time of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in the autumn, with its next meet‐ ing scheduled to be held on April 21, 2022, in Washington, DC.

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COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.454,50 Abrdn 242,00 Admiral Group 3.095,0 Anglo American 3.040,5 Antofagasta 1.320,00 Ashtead Group 6.012,0 Associated British Foods 1.990,0 AstraZeneca 8.611,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 724,40 Avast 609,20 Aveva 3.412,0 Aviva 409,90 B&M European Value Retail 627,60 BAE Systems 545,20 Bank VTB DRC 1,252 Barclays 187,44 Barratt Developments 738,60 Berkeley 4.790,0 BHP Group 2.179,00 BP 337,85 British American Tobacco 2.750,0 British Land Company 526,60 BT Group 170,65 Bunzl 2.901,0 Burberry Group 1.781,5 Carnival 1.462,4 Centrica 68,98 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.538,0 Compass 1.646,50 CRH 3.885,0 Croda Intl 10.010,0 DCC 6.072,0 Diageo 4.015,0 DS Smith 385,20 EasyJet 563,00 Experian 3.572,0 Ferguson 13.100,0 Flutter Entertainment 11.405,0 Fresnillo 893,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.614,00 Glencore 373,00 Halma 3.142,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.356,00 Hikma Pharma 2.189,00 HSBC 447,70 IAG 146,64 Imperial Brands 1.612,00 Informa 514,40 InterContinental 4.768,0 Intermediate Capital 2.188,00

CHANGE(P) 1.462,00 244,90 3.135,0 3.040,5 1.351,00 6.054,0 2.032,0 8.676,0 733,00 616,60 3.458,0 412,10 628,80 548,20 1,252 188,38 744,80 4.850,0 2.203,50 341,05 2.760,5 529,80 171,15 2.916,0 1.790,5 1.472,2 69,26 2.558,0 1.660,00 3.913,0 10.045,0 6.120,0 4.038,0 386,90 565,00 3.604,0 13.200,0 11.640,0 899,20 1.618,80 378,80 3.176,0 1.377,50 2.239,00 451,15 148,90 1.613,00 520,00 4.846,0 2.223,00

% CHG. 1.440,50 241,40 3.093,0 3.002,5 1.320,00 5.998,0 1.990,0 8.611,0 721,20 609,00 3.412,0 406,90 615,20 544,80 1,220 186,24 737,80 4.790,0 2.179,00 336,15 2.738,0 525,80 168,45 2.893,0 1.776,5 1.431,4 68,20 2.538,0 1.637,00 3.858,0 9.928,0 6.060,0 4.015,0 383,80 554,20 3.567,0 13.055,0 11.405,0 882,60 1.601,40 372,05 3.135,0 1.355,50 2.189,00 447,10 145,14 1.601,50 514,40 4.718,0 2.169,00

NET VOL 131,16K 496,51K 81,54K 489,46K 136,05K 81,32K 140,57K 219,46K 191,72K 91,30K 30,56K 1,22M 543,71K 742,80K 192,43K 4,89M 265,93K 20,15K 719,49K 8,29M 502,03K 218,34K 2,25M 48,70K 63,29K 219,07K 1,95M 45,10K 479,61K 214,29K 37,05K 23,42K 687,91K 393,84K 1,17M 129,42K 68,62K 52,86K 292,28K 1,03M 6,43M 88,47K 101,03K 75,23K 3,14M 7,05M 217,24K 318,45K 128,94K 56,10K

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 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

5.622,0 111,15 274,90 2.047,0 763,40 296,70 47,44 6.984,0 739,00 158,45 1.813,50 1.082,00 226,30 7.944,0 29,58 1.658,00 2.831,0 649,20 1.275,00 6.274,0 2.372,00 574,20 789,80 4.866,5 121,62 7,75 1.644,0 1.642,8 847,60 1.695,50 15,89 3.560,0 1.348,50 1.392,50 2.954,0 1.279,00 1.579,00 15.705,0 1.635,00 1.672,50 441,30 175,20 287,90 247,50 3.952,5 1.093,00 112,54 2.999,0 1.120,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.634,0 113,00 276,40 2.073,0 764,80 297,60 48,06 7.044,0 740,00 160,00 1.813,50 1.088,00 227,70 8.018,0 29,90 1.674,50 2.857,0 658,60 1.282,00 6.303,0 2.380,00 577,00 793,60 4.902,0 123,24 7,78 1.656,8 1.657,8 851,00 1.698,50 15,98 3.595,0 1.358,50 1.405,50 2.971,0 1.284,50 1.588,00 15.915,0 1.641,00 1.682,50 442,30 175,70 288,25 247,70 3.965,0 1.106,50 113,46 3.011,0 1.129,00

5.608,0 111,15 274,10 2.038,0 759,00 295,60 47,44 6.964,0 737,40 157,55 1.800,50 1.080,20 224,90 7.940,0 29,49 1.632,50 2.822,0 649,20 1.272,00 6.238,0 2.367,00 571,60 786,80 4.855,0 120,70 7,65 1.636,0 1.637,0 829,20 1.688,50 15,73 3.541,0 1.348,50 1.388,50 2.935,0 1.273,00 1.575,50 15.610,0 1.634,50 1.662,50 437,00 174,35 286,60 239,90 3.947,0 1.093,00 112,50 2.984,0 1.114,50

15,20K 1,66M 378,67K 267,36K 140,00K 1,91M 40,57M 115,85K 37,44K 1,31M 144,18K 1,15M 1,55M 33,58K 266,72K 123,63K 102,66K 271,11K 459,12K 88,17K 262,32K 676,39K 147,38K 251,25K 5,37M 95,08K 743,43K 1,52M 694,46K 1,49K 2,23M 20,10K 547,69K 231,50K 147,45K 260,03K 91,55K 11,29K 259,52K 101,23K 609,58K 2,59M 2,07M 1,93M 346,95K 214,93K 10,61M 65,87K 802,37K

1.18463

0.84415

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.13079 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.685 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0397 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.054

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 27

COMPANY 3M American Express Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Dow Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com The Travelers UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walgreens Boots Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 174,97 164,19 223,79 176,28 204,22 206,20 116,41 62,28 58,22 55,14 385,04 397,07 205,22 130,63 51,31 168,25 157,26 265,95 75,73 334,69 165,67 160,10 253,14 154,65 495,38 52,68 216,62 50,48 139,49 153,63

CHANGE 175,62 166,40 224,48 176,85 205,13 207,30 117,92 62,90 58,61 55,70 387,61 399,84 206,31 130,96 51,73 168,95 159,12 267,37 76,30 336,39 167,16 160,92 254,31 156,18 498,15 53,09 218,52 50,94 140,16 154,19

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 172,78 1,96M 163,59 3,14M 221,50 1,67M 175,27 68,36M 201,32 7,42M 203,29 2,67M 116,40 7,42M 61,79 17,77M 57,94 11,03M 54,35 6,24M 383,57 1,62M 394,62 2,74M 203,00 2,38M 129,52 3,65M 51,05 25,20M 167,36 3,50M 157,21 8,06M 265,45 1,51M 75,35 9,89M 332,73 19,62M 165,44 3,88M 159,44 5,64M 249,34 3,77M 154,49 1,71M 492,81 1,71M 52,67 14,92M 216,62 4,80M 50,46 2,90M 138,85 5,86M 151,93 6,57M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 27

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+55.70% +42.73% +38.64% +38.46% +36.73% +31.02% +30.10% +29.00% +27.09% +26.63% +25.43%

262.38K 303.25K 77.54M 267.92K 98.85M 150.23K 5.47M 68.32M 29.18K 6.70M 34.16M

-35.64% -28.66% -24.89% -24.00% -21.98% -20.27% -18.89% -18.62% -17.35% -17.16% -15.50%

14.19M 84.67K 4.35M 28.35M 2.05M 260.55K 3.37M 733.64K 5.42M 7.83M 5.83M

Most Advanced Sunlight Financial Holdings REE Automotive 22nd Century Oncology Institute Pasithea Therapeutics Eliem Therapeutics ReTo Eco-Solutions Qualigen Therapeutics Integrity Applications Ree Automotive Holding Biofrontera

Most Declined InnovAge Holding Zhangmen Education Jupiter Wellness American Virtual Cloud Rocket Lab USA Warrants CNFinance Longeveron LLC Nuverra Environmental Quidel Acasti Pharma Regis

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: EIB

More aid for small and medium sized firms

OFFERING SUPPORT: The EIB HQ in Luxembourg.

THE European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the Eu‐ ropean Investment Bank Group (EIB), has joined forces with Caja Rural Groupo to assist small and medium sized companies (SMEs) in Spain.

The intention is to try to mitigate the economic im‐ pacts of the Covid‐19 crisis in the SME sector by offer‐ ing more favourable fi‐ nancing to SMEs impacted by the pandemic.

The EIF will provide a €140 million guarantee to Caja Rural Group through Banco Cooperativo Es‐ pañol, enabling the Span‐ ish bank to originate a portfolio of €200 million of financing for Spanish SMEs. It will take up to 70 per cent of the risk on the loans granted by Caja Ru‐ ral Group and it is be‐ lieved that the agreement will facilitate access to fi‐ nance at advantageous conditions for more than

1,200 small businesses, thereby also safeguarding employment levels.

The agreement is backed by the European Guarantee Fund (EGF), part of the €540 billion EU rescue package approved in the wake of the Covid‐ 19 pandemic.

Thanks to this, the Span‐ ish bank will be able to provide a wide range of debt financing solutions to Spanish companies with sustainable business plans, ensuring they have sufficient financing avail‐ able to promote their in‐ vestment needs in the medium to long term.

“Thanks to the EGF, we are expanding our net‐ work of intermediaries in Spain to support the liq‐ uidity needs of small and medium‐sized businesses and this agreement is yet another great example,” said EIB Vice‐President Ri‐ cardo Mourinho Félix, who is responsible for in‐

ASA rebukes Arsenal THE Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has told Arsenal football club that its promotion of crypto‐based fan tokens on social media broke ad‐ vertising rules and must stop.

Whilst the club believes that it acted properly, the decision was based on the fact that the Authority did not consider that it had properly warned fans about the potential risk when investing in this type of pro‐ motion.

The ASA went on to suggest that the offers were ir‐ responsible ‐ because the wording took advantage of consumers’ inexperience or credulity and trivialised investment in crypto‐assets and was misleading ‐ be‐ cause they failed to illustrate the risk of the invest‐

vestment and support in Spain.

BUSINESS EXTRA Better news THE state of countries’ fi‐ nances seems to fluctuate on an almost weekly basis as Spain’s National Statis‐ tics Office (INE) released new figures suggesting that the country’s economy has grown 3.4 per cent in the first three months of 2021 as opposed to the 2.7 per cent previously reported.

Government support ALTHOUGH there was no lockdown in the UK prior to Christmas it quickly be‐ came clear that many peo‐ ple were cancelling their festive get‐togethers see‐ ing the hospitality industry in particular reeling, but Chancellor of the Exche‐ quer Rishi Sunak found an‐ other £1 billion in support for those affected.

Inflation fears DURING a meeting of heads of European Banks held in Frankfurt, Bank of Spain Governor Pablo Hernández de Cos con‐ firmed his belief that infla‐ tion will not continue to race upwards for any length of time, but will quickly settle allowing low interest rates to stay in the eurozone.

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

EWN 17

18 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT WHETHER deserved or not, the onslaught on Boris Johnson of late appears to be never ending. So far, the demolition of his reputation and integrity as an individual has completely overshadowed any political status or ministerial expertise he may possess; which just goes to show that the public don’t give two monkeys about whether their leaders are capable politicians or not; If they are not morally acceptable, then they are fair game for any attack their enemies or rivals care to initiate.

Many of those in high finance or the political world are of course fully aware that scandal can bring down almost anyone, subsequently when circumstances are right, character assassination can truly become big business. Recently I discovered that there are a few shadowy agencies that specialise in these modes of clandestine operations. In the style of the old Mafia hit men, it is possible to engage these people who, with their far‐reaching tentacles and web of connections, are capable of discrediting and destroying all manner of people in public life.

The leaked video of the Allegra Stratton

No one is safe ‘press call’ and photos of the alleged Downing Street parties are probable instances in point. The CCT coverage of Matt Hancock groping a secretary was trawled up from some source or another.

Dirt digging of this ilk is not always ‘investigative reporting’, it can be bought; and you can rest assured the professional companies who provide these services don’t come cheap.

Apparently, these agencies recruit moles and shadowy informers, engaged specifically to infiltrate big organisations and the corridors of power. Although their official work titles may sound innocuous enough, their true profession is to spy on their co‐workers and bosses, gleaning any information or scandal to pass on to their true employers. All this data is then processed and filed ready to be released to the highest bidder.

The discredited publicist Max Clifford was a prime example of someone who practised these devious methods. If you look back over certain cases of people destroyed by sleaze and innuendo, you can visualise the murky hand of these companies in some of their downfalls. The likes of Stephen Ward, Profumo, John

Major, Cummings and even Trump all could easily have been targets of this type of operation. I’m not saying they were innocent victims; of course, they weren’t.

In fact, it could be maintained that these companies are performing a public service. It’s just that charging a fee to dig up dirt and discredit people, just has more than a whiff of the old KGB or Kim Jong‐un about it.

And just how do we know precisely who their customers are? You can be sure that with the standard of morals they display they are not too fussy about who pays the fee! One thing is for certain, no one is safe. Thank the Lord this old boy’s life of skullduggery is an open book ‐ literally. Book One, Two and Three. All available on Amazon. Happy New Year Everyone.

Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com.

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

Don’t Look Up

A HUGE comet is hurtling towards earth and two sci‐ entists are the only people who can sound the alarm, but this isn’t your average end of the world movie.

Adam McKay’s ‘Don’t Look Up’, released on Net‐ flix on December 24, is a science fiction film that us‐ es the disaster framework as a metaphor for climate change. It’s a satire that points fun at and draws attention to the media, so‐ cial networks, and pop cul‐ ture, testing whether au‐ diences are prepared to laugh at the threat of mass extinction.

Dr Mindy, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, grad student Kate Dibiasky, played by Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) go on a media quest to warn the world about a comet on collision course with earth. Howev‐ er, the White House, the media and the public are completely unconcerned

about their impending doom ‐ drawing attention to how climate change has been ignored for so long.

Meryl Streep plays an indifferent President Orlea and Jonah Hill (Pineapple Express) plays her son and Chief of Staff, who are more concerned that the news could cost votes.

Cate Blanchett plays day‐ time talk‐show host Brie Evantee who pokes fun at scientists, encouraging the public to call them “crazy.”

It’s no coincidence that DiCaprio is involved, being a prominent global warm‐ ing campaigner and ac‐ tivist.

This satirical movie is a humorous take on a seri‐ ous global issue and ‘based on truly possible events.’ It asks what it will take for the world and the media to ‘just look up’ and face the inevitable climate crisis that so many are ig‐ norant about.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

Standards and responsibility CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD AS I have settled into my role at EWN, a lot of things have been brought to the forefront of my mind regarding the responsibility I have when writing for a large audience. I try to be balanced, explanatory and thoroughly researched with my news articles and column, even though I have the space to express my own opinion.

One of the leading voices in the US about journalistic standards and ethics is the Society of Professional Journalists. The preamble to its Code of Ethics states: “...public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.

Conscientious journalists from all media and specialities strive to serve the public with thoroughness and

honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility.”

How I wish everyone took notice of this call. As we write in a space accessible to so many, we must keep in mind the effect our words can have on the people that read them.

Whether it is personally offensive to a reader or that the things we write can evoke strong emotion in a wider audience, it is very important to take responsibility for our words. Everything we write should be something we believe in, can evidence and are able to take feedback upon.

This is not a game. The information gleaned from the media is the way some people connect to the world and their opinions can be easily skewed towards vitriol or malice.

It is one thing to have theories and play guessing games in the pub with friends, but when an idea moves outwards into a publication, certain standards should apply.

In the first column I wrote for this newspaper, I spoke about the responsibility this platform gives people who have access to it. I also said:

“Free speech is the right to hold an opinion and voice it. It is not a card that means we don’t have to then deal with the ramifications of what we have said.” This is an idea that really holds firm for me, and a motto I wish could be beamed into the brains of all the people who mistreat the words ‘free speech’. Just because someone has an opinion to voice, doesn’t mean they can do so with impunity. That isn’t how it works.

Certain groups in society have remained mostly unchallenged for a long time. To them, any rebuttal feels like a personal attack. Any constructive criticism is framed as censorship. Requests for them to think about equality are seen as oppression because they are not used to being taken out of the frame as the standard to be upheld. This needs to change, as some are not up to standard at all.

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

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

EWN 19

Travel by Alex Glenn

Barcelona

BARCELONA should be on any travel lover’s list. The city is the capital of the province of the same name within the Spanish autonomous com‐ munity of Catalonia and is an amazing place to soak up cul‐ ture or just relax on a beach.

It also features Spain’s major Mediterranean port.

Places not to be missed in‐ clude the maze of narrow streets in the Gothic quarter, and the stunning architec‐ tural works of Antoni Gaudí.

One of the best‐known tourist spots is Las Ramblas, where you can enjoy a relax‐ ing walk from the Plaza de Catalunya to the old port. It is also an amazing place to re‐ lax and watch the world go by.

No trip to Barcelona would be complete without seeing Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, a stunning basilica that features incredible stained glass and intricate sculpted detail. Wandering

past the building will give stunning views of Gaudí’s work, which can be further appreciated inside where progress of the ongoing work is catalogued.

Gaudí’s Park Güell is also a must visit with amazing city views from the tiled park fea‐ turing quirky sculptures and breathtaking gardens.

Barcelona features 4.5 kilo‐ metres of beautiful coastline with all the activities and amenities you’d expect in‐ cluding inviting beach bars.

These are also great to visit at night where the vibes come with an ocean view.

Nature lovers can escape to Collserola or Montjuïc where more stunning views await. There’s also an amusement park to keep kids entertained at Tibidabo.

If that’s not enough, Barcelona offers an amazing variety of food and one of the best indoor markets in Europe.

MY BIGGEST PET PEEVES AS A HOTEL GUEST!

how can I dry myself with something that hasn’t got enough power to dry a mouse?

Who designs these rooms?

One temporary solution? A ‘hotel kit’: some Bulldog clips to close the inade‐ quate curtains, a Swiss penknife for emergencies, earplugs for noise (of both infrastructure and intimate kinds) and eye masks (see ‘inadequate curtains’, above).

OK, rant over! My, how I enjoy getting grumpy! So much choice these days... maybe there’s some paint drying some‐ where I could watch?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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

IT’S happened again. Every time I return to London, it’s the same old, same old. A minuscule room in a trendy hotel costing an arm and a leg where I end up feeling less at home than in my own home!

My years of research, rigorously peer‐ reviewed ‐ by which I mean, I asked friends sitting on either side of me and they both agreed ‐ have led me to the above conclusion.

A major bugbear is inadequate sound‐ proofing not just between rooms, but be‐ tween rooms and corridors, and televi‐ sions that can be turned up full volume.

Yes, you’ve guessed, noise is my main problem in hotel bedrooms. I go there to sleep, not to listen to an impromptu par‐ ty outside in the corridor or someone else’s TV ‐ assuming they can get it to work.

And what about the ritual of folding

HOTEL ROOMS: Make sure you take along your own ‘hotel kit’.

the ends of toilet paper into a triangle and ‘turning down the bed?’ Thanks, but I can still pull back a bed cover without any help…

Another gripe is the lighting. Very few rooms have central ceiling lights, and try‐ ing to position yourself near an accept‐ able side light to read the paper often re‐ quires Houdini‐like athletic contortions.

Sometimes the lighting is so dim you as‐

sume the hotel is doing its bit to stop the National Grid shutting down.

Yet other pet hates are pillow moun‐ tains, shower curtains (uncomfortable and unhygienic), gauzy, inadequate cur‐ tains, and windows with so much security any emergency escape would be impossi‐ ble unless you happen to have a hammer to hand.

And hairdryers in hotel bathrooms ‐

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

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

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

THURSDAY 30/12 FRIDAY 31/12 SATURDAY 01/01

7:00pm 7:15pm 7:20pm 7:25pm 8:10pm 8:40pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

3:40pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:24pm 7:25pm 8:10pm 9:00pm 6:25pm 6:30pm 7:15pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

WEDNESDAY 05/01

TUESDAY 04/01

MONDAY 03/01

SUNDAY 02/01

7:20pm 8:10pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 12:50am 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:20am 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:35am

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:25am

BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link My Family EastEnders Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity New Year Special

3:00pm

Coco Top of the Pops New Year Special Superman & Lois BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link EastEnders A Question of Sport

12:50pm

Weather The Hit List Celebrity Specials The Weakest Link Doctor Who Michael McIntyre's The Wheel The Tourist Mrs Brown's Boys New Year's Special BBC News Weather

5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:30pm

Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in 80 Days Call the Midwife The Tourist BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Match of the Day 2 A Star Is Born

3:05pm 4:50pm 7:00pm

Still Open All Hours EastEnders My Family Four Lives BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather Have I Got 2021 News for You Mrs Brown's Boys New Year's Special

5:05pm 7:00pm

EastEnders Holby City Garden Rescue Four Lives BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather Gossip Girl The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity New Year Special

5:15pm

The One Show The Bidding Room The Repair Shop Four Lives BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather How Police Missed the Grindr Killer Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

3:45pm 5:50pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:50pm 12:50am

1:30pm 3:20pm 5:15pm 6:35pm 7:55pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:40pm

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6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:10am

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 12:10am

Anthony Hopkins: Talking Pictures Shadowlands The Remains of the Day Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing Only Connect: Champion of Champions Special University Challenge Judy Being Bridget Jones Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure

8:00pm

Judi Dench: Talking Pictures Jane Eyre Tea with Mussolini Nothing Like a Dame Musicals: The Greatest Show Dad's Army University Challenge The Aftermath Live at the Apollo: Christmas Special

8:00pm

Final Score Flog It! Porridge My Comedy Hero: Hugh Dennis on Ronnie Barker The Perfect Morecambe & Wise This is Joan Collins Joan Collins: Talking Pictures My Generation

8:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:50pm 2:40am

Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland Billy Connolly: A Scot in the Arctic A Star is Born Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom

5:30pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 7:40pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:14pm 11:15pm 12:10am

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The Ipcress File The Eagle Has Landed Madagascar: Earth's Tropical Islands Antiques Roadshow Ski Sunday Mary, Queen of Scots Frankie Boyle's 2021 New World Order Paddy & Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism

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Operation Crossbow Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Tom Kerridge's Fresh Start Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge Inside Dubai: Playground of the Rich The Peanut Butter Falcon

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Iceland: Land of Ice and Fire: Natural World Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall The Hairy Bikers Go North Digging for Britain The Hunt for Bible John Toast of Tinseltown Newsnight Weather

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Nature's Weirdest Events Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall The Hairy Bikers Go North Digging for Britain Inside the Factory Mandy Mandy Newsnight Weather

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BBC Proms: The Golden Age of Broadway Anything Goes: The Musical Last Days of the Liners Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland The Channel Tunnel - Life on the Inside The Channel Tunnel - Life on the Inside

5:05pm 6:05pm

Fake or Fortune?

Art on the BBC: The Great Salvador Dali How to be a Surrealist with Philippa Perry Life of a Mountain: A Year on Helvellyn Winter Walks Great British Railway Journeys Art on the BBC: The Great Salvador Dali

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Great British Railway Journeys Winter Walks Keeping Up Appearances One Foot in the Grave Killer Storms and Cruel Winters - The History of Extreme Weather: Timewatch Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History The Killer Wave of 1607

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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 Handmade in the Pacific: Kapa

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The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Vera ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather Les Dawson: The Lost Tapes The Larkins at Christmas

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Dickinson's Biggest and Best Deals Tipping Point The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Coronation Street Spectre ITV News Including New Year Bongs

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ITV Racing: Live from Cheltenham Tipping Point: Lucky Stars The Chase: Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather Celebrity Catchphrase The Masked Singer Downton Abbey ITV News and Weather Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure

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Tipping Point: Lucky Stars The Chase: I'm a Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather ITV News London The Chase: The Bloopers The Masked Singer Anne ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather Des O'Connor: The Ultimate Entertainer

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ITV News London Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street: Soapy Slip-Ups Coronation Street Anne ITV News ITV London Weather The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles

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ITV Evening News Emmerdale Emmerdale: Soapy SlipUps Coronation Street Anne ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles

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The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Coronation Street Anne ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London

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Deep Impact The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Raiders of the Lost Ark One Night in London Zoo Jimmy Carr's Celebrity I Literally Just Told You Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover

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Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Billionaire Blooms Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Britain's Most Expensive Houses Celebrity Quizness Back to the 90s with Vic Reeves Travel Man: 96 Hours in Iceland

4:50pm

Ice Age: Collision Course Channel 4 News Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Great New Year Bake Off Taskmaster's New Year Treat The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2021 Back to the Noughties with Davina McCall

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Amazing Spaces: George's Icelandic Adventure Channel 4 News Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Great Pottery Throw Down Gogglebox Festive Special Fighting with My Family

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Four in a Bed The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Food Unwrapped's Healthy New Year 24 Hours in Police Custody: Cold to the Touch Party Island: Summer in Zante Naked Attraction

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Four in a Bed The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Britain's Most Expensive Houses I Literally Just Told You 24 Hours in Police Custody: Cold to the Touch

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The King and I All Creatures Great and Small Christmas Special 5 News Update Dad's Army: Secret Lives & Scandal World's Strongest Man 2021 Wogan: Now You're Talking Most Shocking TV Interviews

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Entertainment News on 5 Hook Night at the Museum 5 News Update Night at the Museum World's Strongest Man 2021 Britain's Favourite Party Songs Britain's Greatest 80s Songs

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5 News at 5 Neighbours Winter Road Rescue Summer Body: The Shocking Truth About Diet & Exercise Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Body in the Snow: The Murder of Joanna Yeates

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Rich Holiday, Poor Holiday 5 News at 5 Neighbours Winter Road Rescue How to Give Up Sugar (& Lose Weight) You are What You Eat 22 Kids & Counting People Like Pus The World's Heaviest Child: Extraordinary People

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30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

DID I WIN?

TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA

#TheWomanBeyond YOU know I like a good sporting analo‐ gy, and I am fascinated by the mental mastery of Peak Performers, and the tips and hacks we can learn from them. Well, here’s another great one.

Gold‐medal‐winning mental tough‐ ness coach and author Lanny Bassham is all about focusing on the PROCESS of goal achievement.

In his SHOCKINGLY good book, With Winning In Mind, he helps us to get our mind right!

Lanny Bassham, an Olympic gold medallist himself, has been teaching the art of mental training and peak per‐ formance for decades and this book tells us just how to rock it.

I like this book because he shares his wisdom from the perspective of a guy who has been there and done that in the competitive arena, it’s not about psychology (although, I love that too) it’s about how to win.

He tells a great story about one of his

clients, a pro golfer.

Now, in this story, this professional golfer was struggling a bit. He was set‐ ting his goals for the year and Lanny told him not to think about winning tournaments, but to put all of his atten‐ tion on mastering the process of play‐ ing well, identifying the key compo‐ nents of a successful shot and then taking it, literally, one shot at a time.

Lanny focuses on the importance of making the process primary among other fundamentals of mental mastery.

So, this golfer embraces the wisdom.

Early in the season, he’s out on the 18th green in the final round of a big tournament. He’s lining up his putt, fol‐ lowing the process he and Lanny estab‐ lished. He makes the putt.

His playing partner shakes his hand and congratulates him.

Then he realises something must be up when his wife runs on to the green cheering.

“Did I win?” he asks.

Yeah. You just won the tournament and one million dollars.

Imagine that. Imagine being so fo‐ cused on executing the next baby step in your process that you don’t even know you’re sinking a million dollar putt.

Well guess what?

You are (of course) much more likely to sink the putt when every ounce of your creative energy is focused on do‐ ing your best and not leaking out in concerns about doing well enough.

Process vs Outcome.

Where’s your focus right now?

As we get ready to see the New Year in what’s the outcome you are striving for in 2022, stop to think about the process, the baby steps, what’s the mi‐ cro things you need to be doing that will get you to the Outcome? Now go work the Process.

Here’s to a successful 2022

FEATURE

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 Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #TheWomanBeyond 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

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 IT is easy to express opinions and it is easy to dismiss as rubbish any ideas, decisions or principles with which we disagree. To many of us there is no middle road. We see everything in black and white and some of us regard those who beg to differ as misguided, idiotic or even ‘toe‐rags’.

A majority of supporters of a football club can see nothing posi‐ tive in any opposing team. They boo and shout derision whenever a star player in the opposing side touches the ball, and cheer at his every error or misfortune. They hardly ever applaud a brilliant goal or a superb performance against their beloved team.

There are right‐wing fanatics who can see nothing good what‐ soever in the principles of social‐ ism. They sneer at left‐wingers and their beliefs in social justice and support for the less privi‐ leged. They fail to recognise the struggles and injustices suffered

@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen

tonieastwoodobe

BLACK AND WHITE

We should not forget the grey areas between black and white.

by black people which has led to gestures and demonstrations for change. I know of Europeans who support the oppression, persecu‐ tion or genocide of Muslims such

as the Rohingya (by Myanmar), the Uyghur (by China) and the Palestinians (by Israel). These per‐ petrators seem incapable of imag‐ ining the position of their victims.

We rightly condemn the most outrageous figures ranging from Hitler and Kim Jong‐un to Idi Amin and the Kray twins but, as in most situations, there are opposing viewpoints.

As an example, Tito presided over a repressive communist po‐ lice state, but he kept Stalin at bay and held the lid on a boiling caul‐ dron of hatred in Yugoslavia.

Twelve years after his death, com‐ munism collapsed and the lid fell off, releasing the Serbs to unleash systematic genocide against their neighbours. Likewise, Saddam Hussein, an extreme tyrant, held together potentially conflicting forces by rule of fear and cruelty.

When he was deposed, order col‐ lapsed and anarchy ensued.

Many people believe in the con‐ spiracy theories surrounding Covid. While it seems unlikely to me that the powerful 1 per cent are planning to control us, it is not impossible. We are heading inex‐

sixsecretstosuccess

orably for vaccination of the entire planet and loss of control over our lives.

Bullfighting is a colourful specta‐ cle of a matador’s skill and courage. It is also a cruel spectacle of torture to death of a sentient animal in an uneven contest in a wholly intimidating environment.

Personally, I find it barbaric.

Most National Health frontline workers are admirably committed to their patients in extremely diffi‐ cult circumstances. On the other hand, for many years the system has resulted in fatal waiting times for diagnoses, admissions and op‐ erations, as well as appalling surgi‐ cal errors and negligence.

Although there are two sides to almost everything, we tend to be interested only in the facts that we identify with. This has led to religious, political and social perse‐ cutions over the centuries. It has led to wars, destruction and ha‐ tred for millions.

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.

LATEST LEAPY ARTICLE

From our Facebook

IMMIGRATION: The sheer numbers of illegals are enough to cause concern.

Although I am anti-illegal immigration, I have not given enough in-depth thought. Having read your latest article, it needs serious consideration. Not that our government is interested in taking any action. I have always felt that there will be some serious repercussions from the sheer numbers of these illegals, and now feel even more concerned.

S

New village by the sea There seems to be a total lack of any sort of control over a huge number of campervans all parked on a cliff top site in San Juan de los Terreros. It is a convenient site for them, as it was cleared a couple of years ago in anticipation of a music festival which never took place. Are the police asleep, or have they actually been told to ignore these illegal settlements?

Good for Leapy Hi Leapy, Having just read your last four articles, I wish you were a British politician and could air your thoughts to millions of voters who would agree with your every word!

You’re never afraid of telling the truth, which is what Britain badly needs!

Regards W

Something to think about Where are we all supposed to charge up all these electric cars we will be forced to buy in the near future.

Anon

Anne

ANOTHER YEAR GONE SO that’s another year come to an end, not quite as awful as 2020, unless of course you have suffered a personal tragedy, but still nothing to be too excited about.

It seems that every time there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel, something new comes along to push us all back a few steps.

Sadly, it finally appears that governments around the world are beginning to find themselves without a real plan to cope with the long-term effects of not just the pandemic, but also the financial implications.

The public at large have been re-

CORRECTIONS

KICKBOXING CHAMPION: Died after leaving the hospital.

OUR VIEW

markably resilient and also very patient, recognising that this was a truly unexpected and unwelcome medical phenomena which is very difficult to cope with and governments have had to make difficult decisions ‘on the hoof’.

Unfortunately, so many individuals and businesses have been devastated physically, mentally and financially and it seems that now we are onto the booster shot (with some countries talking about a fourth) that people are losing faith in their leaders who appear to be repeating methods that haven’t really worked in the past.

Unless you believe in a massive conspiracy theory which involves governments and industrialists around the world manipulating the events to control people, it does appear that this is a conundrum that no-one, in all fairness, knows the answer to.

The way forward is not easy but it is now time for governments to get their populations on side and not continue to impose new, relatively ineffective restrictions every time a new variant appears.

This is a long-term problem that needs to balance precaution with freedom to live the best life possible.

Diana Picken RIP. At least you died doing what you wanted.

Cliff Meason Sad, but people need to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others. Just saying.

Ruma Jordan Is that how people are going to be known now ‘anti’... Well when I die I hope I don’t have ‘anti peas’ on my headstone ... hate the buggers !!!

Maria Teresa Aranda Sancha Another that has discoverd that it exists...

David McPhee Get vaccinated, it could one day be your only chance to live, some listen, some don’t, be the one that listens...

Michael Farris Another nominee for the 2021 Darwin Award.

Celia Emery Well there you go.

Tara Chekowski He died from cardiac arrest not Covid. Who’s to say he didn’t have underlying heart issues before he got sick? Who’s to say the vaccine wouldn’t have killed him? Nobody dies from anything other then Covid anymore.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com • 30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

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29

PETS

Seasons Greetings to all our readers!

IF you are planning a trip you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away.

Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in par‐ ticular may benefit from stay‐ ing behind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can.

Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐

count (£89 per year) to ensure you can get help online when needed 3. Create a profile with pho‐ tos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permit‐ ting Do you need a pet‐sitter?

Then get started right now.

How does it work?

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

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

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Clever cats love us RESEARCH conducted by scientists in just like dogs. However, the most in‐ Japan has revealed that contrary to teresting study involves a cat’s mem‐ popular belief, cats are actually equal ory. We already know that dogs have to their canine counterparts when it episodic memories and recall past comes to intelligence. events.

Previous arguments cited a dog’s This suggests that not only do cats ability to be trained and learn com‐ also have the same capacity for mands as evidence that they have su‐ memory, but they may actually enjoy perior mental abilities, but in reality recalling specific memories, especial‐ a cat could do exactly the same if it ly of human interactions. This shows wanted to. The differences lie in a higher level of intelligence than has their desire to do a certain activity. ever previously been expected and We know that many cats are inde‐ may help to settle the question of pendent and whether cats are capable of will come and loving their go as they owners. please, where‐ as dogs are pack animals that respond to a social hi‐ erarchy.

Japanese scientists have found that cats can re‐ spond to hu‐ man com‐ m a n d s , SORRY DOGS: Research shows cats may gestures, be just as clever. emotions and expressions,

One in 10 pets will develop a tumour in their lifetime CANCER is one of the biggest concerns for dog and cat owners. It is the leading cause of death in geriatric animals. For this reason, owners and veteri‐ narians have been becom‐ ing aware of the need to provide special care for their pets. There have been great advances in veterinary medicine and surgery, espe‐ cially in the field of cancer treatment. Early diagnosis is essential. The checkup that is carried out on your pet every year should be more exhaustive from six years of age.

Any patient suspected of having a malignant process should be thoroughly inves‐ tigated by the veterinary team.

This information will help us to know which treatment to use and will inform us of the prognosis, time and cost necessary for the treatment.

We can only establish a complete therapeutic proto‐

col and with probability of success if we have informa‐ tion on the extent of the process. This way we can an‐ swer the pet owner’s ques‐

tions about the prognosis and quality of life. Specific laboratory tests, ultrasound, endoscopy, CT or MRI may be necessary.

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www.euroweeklynews.com

30 Dec 2021 - 5 Jan 2022

EWN 31

Suzuki Vitara Hybrid - Lots to like in this no nonsense SUV ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack WITH so many cars ap‐ pearing to share style, equipment and technology these days manufacturers have to identify that spe‐ cial something which sets them apart from the com‐ petition. Some do it via special offers, extra equip‐ ment and regular facelifts and others take a simpler route to success. One such maker is Suzuki.

The Japanese car maker is known for small cars, SU‐ Vs and motorbikes along with marine engines and ATVs. One of their best known, and most admired, SUVs is the diminutive Jim‐ ny (now only available in commercial form), which is a formidable off‐road per‐ former. There is also the newly launched Across SUV. In slightly larger form their Vitara makes for a practical and comfortable on and off‐roader, with

more than a dash of old fashioned style. Thanks to its straightforward boxy design you can pack a lot into the Vitara and it comes with a no non‐ sense, well‐ built feel.

Prices start from €24,272 (£21,749) for the lead‐ in SZT which comes as standard with alloy wheels, adap‐ tive cruise control, auto‐ matic air conditioning, au‐ tomatic lights and wipers and Bluetooth.

There’s just one power unit for the range and it’s a very good one too. The 1.4‐ litre turbocharged petrol engine also has an electric motor that helps economy, lowers emissions and gives a performance boost. In a week of sometimes not so leisurely driving I notched up an average 46 mpg.

SUZUKI VITARA: Remains a popular choice.

Facts at a Glance Model: Suzuki Vitara SZT Engine: 1.4 Turbocharged Gasolina (Petrol) electric mild hybrid Gears: 6-Speed Manual Performance: 0-100 kmh (60 mph) 9.5 seconds/Maximum Speed 190 kmh (118 mph) Economy: 5.36l/100km (52.7 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP) Emissions: 121 g/km (WLTP) Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

New EU Law on Guarantees THE new EU Law on Guarantees will come into force on January 1, 2022. This law will modify the way in which second‐hand ve‐ hicles are sold.

Until now, these ve‐ hicles were covered with a one‐year war‐ ranty at the dealership.

During this period, in the event of a break‐ down, the buyer had to prove that it had origi‐ nated before the pur‐ chase.

These new regula‐ tions turn the tables completely. Sellers will now have to pay for the repair of any break‐ down that occurs dur‐ ing those 12 months, if it was not reflected in the contract.

Two major aspects of

the new law stand out, which directly affect the second‐hand car sector. The first is that buyers can make a claim within 12 months, if they find a fault that was not re‐ flected in the sale con‐ tract ‐ the so‐called ‘hidden defects’ (which will have to be proven, according to the law).

The second is related to the vehicle’s years of warranty.

With this law, it will be necessary to offer two years warranty, unless another dura‐ tion is reliably reflect‐ ed in the sale contract between the dealer and the buyer.

The main difference is the time of the guar‐ antee. Previously, you

could use some fine print, and claim a ‘ver‐ bal agreement’ be‐ tween buyer and seller.

This could reduce the car’s warranty from two to one year.

With the new law, it is not possible to use that technique. Unless it has been clearly stip‐ ulated in the contract, the warranty will al‐ ways be two years.

This gives you more security when buying a used car. This is be‐ cause it forces the buy‐ er to increase and clari‐ fy the guarantee offered. On the other hand, it is a double‐ edged sword, because many more claims will be expected from buy‐ ers during those first 12 months.

It’s a smooth and refined unit and possessed of enough power to nip past tractors and other slow traffic. The benchmark 100kmh (62mph) is passed in 9.5 seconds with a top speed of 190kmh (118mph). It’s no perfor‐ mance powerhouse but has more than enough capabili‐ ty to deal with motorway cruising speeds and over‐

takes on single carriageway roads.

Inside, the no nonsense approach continues with a comfortable look and feel, albeit lacking in the interior fripperies of more flouncy rivals. Everything looks well able to stand the daily scuffs and knocks of everyday family and work‐ ing life. A wel‐ come lack of digi‐ tal nonsense is heralded by but‐ tons, and even on the touchscreen there’s minimal tapping required. Volk‐ swagen Audi please note!

Options include four‐ wheel‐drive along with some rather snazzy colour combinations and very sen‐ sibly priced styling up‐ grades. The Vitara makes a sensible purchase given their well‐earned reputa‐ tion for reliability. Add in the generous levels of stan‐ dard equipment and it’s not hard to see why the Vitara remains a popular choice.

SPORT

32

30 December 2021 - 5 January 2022

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

Walking Football looks forward with caution WHILE the seasonal break may have come at a good time for walking football with the current Covid and Omicron pandemic bringing in new restrictions, hopefully these will have the desired effect without further stricter restrictions threatening

sports facilities. The league and cup could be thrown into chaos with league matches due to start again early Jan‐ uary and cup ties due to be played by January 17.

The League Management Committee will be keeping a close watch on the situation

with any decisions made tak‐ ing into account as always the health and safety of the players.

Added to club managers’ worries will be how many of their players are stranded abroad after the seasonal break with the new stricter

Dutch champion in coma DUTCH cycling champion Amy Pieters has undergone surgery for head injuries she sustained during a fall on Thursday, December 23.

While out training near the coastal municipality of Calpe with her Team SD Worx, the rider got caught up in a colli‐ sion with her teammates and subsequently hit the ground.

As a result of the serious‐ ness of her accident, Pieters was rushed to a hospital in Alicante. “Amy Pieters un‐ derwent surgery yesterday,

Pieters is a specialist in track endurance tests.

(Thursday), on her head.

During the operation, the doctors reduced the pres‐ sure caused by the accident.

She will be induced into an artificial coma for a few days,” read a Twitter state‐ ment from her team.

“When the doctors wake

her up in a few days, it will then be possible to make a diagnosis of eventual seque‐ lae,” they added.

Her family has reportedly been able to join the world champion cyclist in the Ali‐ cante facility.

Aged 30, Pieters is a spe‐ cialist in track endurance tests. She has been the American race world cham‐ pion three times, in 2019, 2020, and 2021, along with her compatriot, Kirsten Wild.

In 2019, she was also the Eu‐ ropean road champion.

travel regulations.

Read next week’s Euro Weekly News for more up‐ to‐date information on this situation.

The Walking Football Asso‐ ciation of Iberia elected com‐ mittee held their inaugural meeting on Wednesday De‐ cember 22.

The new constitution and rules were seen as a good starting point for discussion and will be debated in full at a special meeting. Sugges‐ tions and comments are in‐ vited from clubs and mem‐ bers and when finally formulised the clubs will vote on their acceptance or other‐ wise. The committee tourna‐ ment members have started work on preparations for the Iberian Cup involving all WFAI affiliated clubs and the international tournament in October will be discussed at the next committee meeting.

Fundraising was also dis‐ cussed and while WFAI are a

Walking Football at Finca Naundrup, Calahonda. non‐profit organisation, it is accepted funds will be neces‐ sary for incidental expenses in the coming year.

The committee commer‐ cial director suggested sever‐ al possibilities including the sale of merchandise with WFAI logos to clubs with the association taking a small percentage.

The next Committee meet‐ ing will take place on Tues‐ day January 4, 2022 at 6.30pm.

New club Torrox Torna‐ does now boast a member‐ ship of 82 and bring the west‐ ern part of Malaga up to four teams including Aston

Viñuela, Nerja Nomads and Boca Seniors of Competa.

Good luck to all in the com‐ ing year. All clubs are always looking for new members, so why not get rid of the sea‐ sonal over‐indulgences by taking part in a game of Walking Football? A gentle way of losing the pounds while reliving the dreams of your youth! You are never too old!

If you are over 50 years of age check out the WFAI web page www.wfai.info for the club nearest to you or Face‐ book WalkingFooty.com or at apalmar2011@hotmail. com.