THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 36 - 39 Issue No. 1909
3 - 9 February 2022
Worth protecting NO building permits will be granted for Calpe’s Baños de la Reina zone for the time being. Councillors approved a temporary halt at the last plenary meeting and also voted to modify the town’s General Plan (PGOU) and add the area to the Protected Elements list. This follows last September’s decision to introduce a specific Baños de la Reina plan protect‐ ing the Roman remains from future urban devel‐ opment while acquiring land that adjoins the site. Urban Development councillor Juan Manuel del Pino explained that this will protect the zone until it has its own Plan Es‐ pecial. He also stressed that Calpe Town Hall is continuing to take steps to recover the Asset of Cul‐ tural Interest (BIC) status that expired last year.
COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
BENIDORM PUBLICITY
Turn to page 2 » BENIDORM INTERVIEW: Mayor Toni Perez with RTVE’s Communication and Participation director Maria Eizaguirre.
Benidorm town hall
FREE • GRATIS
Burning issue ENVIRONMENTALISTS Ecologistas en Acción have called for the “urgent” closure of Javea’s Ramblars garden waste treat‐ ment plant. The association urged the Denia courts and Seprona, the Guardia Civil’s nature protection unit, to close the dump, which for the last two months has been affected by a slow‐ burning fire. Waste continues to be delivered at the site, complained Ferran Polo, spokesman for Ecologistas’ Marina Alta branch. Worse still, owing to lack of space, it was piled up near the continually‐smoking fire, increasing the risk of a further blaze. Allowing Ramblars to remain open was a public health risk, Polo said, especially as plastics were mixed with the garden waste and tree prunings.
2 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Volunteers needed for local strays LA NUCIA Town Hall’s Ani‐ mal Protection department is looking for volunteers to assist with their 2022 cat sterilisation programme. This year’s campaign be‐ gins on February 7 and vol‐ unteers are needed to help
trap the cats and ferry them to the La Nucia vets who are collaborating with the scheme. Readers who would like to help should register at the Animal Protection de‐ partment ‐ located in the
Extension Administrativa council office (661 372 931) in Bello Horizonte ‐ by February 4 and complete the volunteer form. More information about volunteering is available at the Extension Administrati‐ va office as well as the pro‐ tec cionanimal@lanucia.es email address. The town hall has allo‐ cated €16,000 for neuter‐ ing La Nucia’s strays via the Trap, Neuter and Return scheme as a means of con‐
Photo credit: La Nucia town hall
STERILISATION PROGRAMME: Ready for the snip in La Nucia.
trolling the local cat colonies. Last year, the Animal Protection department sterilised more than 240 cats, twice as many as dur‐ ing 2020.
Telecare approval ALL Alfaz councillors voted in favour of the town hall’s newly‐in‐ troduced telecare scheme. This service, which provides immediate telephone assistance for the infirm, the elderly or disabled who live alone, has until re‐ cently been covered by the Diputacion provincial council, ex‐ plained the town hall spokesman Toni Such. Alfaz Town Hall will now provide the service during the period when those who need this kind of help are waiting for an official assessment of their level of disability. Once this has been established, telecare will instead be pro‐ vided by the regional government’s Equality and Inclusive Poli‐ cies department, Such said.
NEWS
from Front page »
Invaluable coverage BENIDORM FEST, the recent series of television galas to se‐ lect Spain’s Eurovision entry, also put Benidorm in the spot‐ light. The state broadcaster RTVE’s daily coverage included morning, afternoon and evening programmes linked to the Eurovision selection process. In one of these, La Gran Consulta, Benidorm’s mayor Toni Perez appeared with the Levante beach in the back‐ ground, allowing him to draw attention to the resort’s at‐ tractions and, in particular, the microclimate responsible for its consistently benign weather. Herick Campos, director general of the Valencia region’s Tourist Board, was also present, as the Valencian Commu‐ nity’s regional government, the Generalitat, collaborated with RTVE and Benidorm on staging Benidorm Fest. Audiences attending the two semi‐finals and the final that produced the song and artist to represent Spain in Turin next May had to be reduced down to 500 for each performance, owing to the pandemic. To compensate for the restricted numbers, four giant screens were installed along the Levante beach promenade so that nobody had to miss the final on January 29. Meanwhile, Costa Blanca hoteliers’ association Hosbec admitted in the Spanish media that in the week preceding the galas held in the l’Illa sports centre, increased hotel oc‐ cupancy owed more to the presence of technical crews, the artists, their entourages and media than to the public. As an exercise in marketing, Benidorm Fest brought in‐ valuable publicity, Hosbec said, but predicted that the 2023 edition ‐ which will also be held in Benidorm ‐ would have a far more noticeable effect on occupancy and the local econ‐ omy.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
NIBS EXTRA Helping hand SOCIAL SERVICES in Altea al‐ located over €1 billion last year in direct aid, services and programmes to coun‐ teract the pandemic’s ef‐ fects on the local economy. The same department also assisted 70 women who were victims of gender vio‐ lence, half of whom had ap‐ plied for help for the first time.
Ford’s future AS time began to run out, Ford Europe in Cologne and the works committee at the Almussafes (Valencia) plant reached agreement regard‐ ing the medium‐term sur‐ vival of the factory that pro‐ vides 31,000 direct and indirect jobs. The deal will now be passed on to De‐ troit for a definitive deci‐ sion.
Happy campers DENIA councillors approved a 50,000‐square metre cara‐ van park and campsite in the Les Deveses area be‐ tween the Les Marines road and the CV‐723 at the last plenary session. With a built area of 3,000 square metres area, the site will accommo‐ date 100 caravans, 130 tents and 20 cabins.
SUMA office FINESTRAT, Relleu, Orxeta and Sella residents no longer need to pay local tax‐ es in Villajoyosa now that the Diputacion provincial council has opened an of‐ fice in Finestrat. The new premises are close to collab‐ orating banks and there are fewer parking problems, said Finestrat mayor Juan Francisco Perez Lorca.
Voucher plea BENIDORM shop and busi‐ ness‐owners asked the town hall to repeat its sub‐ sidised shopping voucher scheme. Of all the initiatives introduced to offset the Covid pandemic’s economic effects, the €10 vouchers with a €20 purchasing pow‐ er were the most success‐ ful, with a €6 million impact on the local economy.
3 - 9 February 2022
Carolyn’s saviours CAROLYN MILLS was diagnosed with can‐ cer last July. “The day before, I hadn’t a care in the world, I didn’t even feel ill,” Carolyn told the Euro Weekly News. “Then, after a few words from a doctor, I felt like a headless chicken,” she contin‐ ued. “My brain was running around in cir‐ cles. Help!” Carolyn revealed that she was politely brushed aside by a well‐known organisa‐ tion, but a team from the Cancer Care charity heard that she needed some help: “They were my saviours,” she said simply. “I am so very grateful for the support I have received during the last six months of mind‐blowing procedures,” Carolyn
added. “I couldn’t have got through it without them.” She has regular weekly visits from Carol, her local nurse, who would come daily if Carolyn wanted her to. “She changed dressings, cleaned and re‐ placed my tracheotomy tube, and sourced an aspirator to save me a six‐hour visit to A and E for mucous removal and never asked for a penny!” One night at Gran Sol, six months after Carolyn’s diagnosis, her friend Pippa Jones presented Carol Hicks Dawson, a Calpe resident and one of Cancer Care’s nurses, with a €700 cheque for their organisation. “Pippa raises money year‐round by making exquisite hampers and organising
more than three decades in schools and youth groups, giving children everywhere the chance to express their personal vision of peace. All of the local drawings are now on display at the Centro Juvenil in La Nucia as well as the www.lions clubalfazdelpi.es website (click on Peace Poster Contest 2021‐2022 in the More tab). The drawings will be auctioned
Photo credit: Carolyn Mills
REGULAR FUNDRAISER: Pippa Jones presents Cancer Care’s Carol Hicks Dawson with a €700 cheque.
fun events and games, each year dividing the amount between Cancer Care Costa Blanca and Pluto Animal Rescue,” Carolyn said. “Bless all these wonderful people!”
from March 1 with all proceeds do‐ nated to the La Nucia Food Bank. “The more you bid, the more help we can provide,” said Alain Van de Merlen, vice‐president of the Lions Club in Alfaz. “You will also find a number of drawings from last year on our website and you can also place a bid for these. Your support is des‐ perately needed.”
Winter Triples final JANUARY 29 saw the final matches of Javea Green Bowls Club’s Winter Triples. They were held under glori‐ ous blue skies and ‐ once the frost melted from the Green ‐ under warm sunshine. Eight teams fought it out for prime position, with 2,520 bowls cast over the du‐ ration of the competition, with the top three teams
separated by only three points. Mavericks (Chris Salter, Maria Morawiec, Mark Ivory, Linda and Jeff Richards and Jean McLaughlin) were tri‐ umphant, while the teams placed second and third were on equal points. The Making Up Numbers team from El Cid Bowls Club squeezed into second place
by just seven shots ahead of the Santos team from Bonal‐ ba Bowls Club. Javea Green Bowls Club thanked their main sponsor Specsavers and other local businesses for their support. Thanks also went to Brian, Carol and Chad at the Inn On The Green, for keeping the bowlers fed and watered throughout the competition
Good U3A Calpe turnout THE turnout for U3A Calpe’s January general meeting was good despite the cold weather. Having received and followed strict in‐ structions from the town hall regarding Covid regulations, members wrapped up warmly, as all windows and doors were open throughout the meeting. Guest speaker, Carole Saunders, advisor to Calpe’s mayor, provided updates on public works and events in the town as well as the current Covid booster campaign for the over‐ 50s. Membership renewals are now due for
3
Queue-jumpers catch Omicron
Young artists help food bank ELIZAVETA LARINA took first prize in the local edition of the Lions Club International’s Peace Poster com‐ petition. Elizaveta, who attends Elian’s In‐ ternational School in La Nucia, also came second nationally in this year’s competition, which was themed, ‘We are all connected’. Lions Clubs worldwide have been organising this competition for
EWN
2022, following the moratorium on subscrip‐ tions last year because of the impact of Covid. Places are still available for several trips which have already been organised for later in the year by the Travel coordinators. Those interested should check the www.calpeu3a.org website for further infor‐ mation and details of deposits, which are shortly due. The next General Meeting will be held on February 17 at 10.30am in the Casa de Cul‐ tura.
XIMO COLL and Carolina Vives, vaccinated husband and wife, recently tested posi‐ tive for Covid‐19. Nothing ex‐ traordinary about that as the Omicron variant brings record numbers of cases throughout Alicante prove, except for the circumstances in which Coll and Vives received their first vaccinations last year. Respective mayors of El Verger and Els Poblet, they jumped the queue early last year long before they were el‐ igible for the Pfizer vaccine at a time when supplies were strictly rationed. Coll and Vives afterwards explained that they and five National Police officers were vaccinated after seven ampoules of the Pfizer vaccine were left over at the El Verger health centre. They now face disciplinary action from the regional gov‐ ernment and have been sus‐ pended from the PSOE social‐ ist party. Both have now recovered from what they de‐ scribed as “similar to a cold” and have returned to their El Verger and Els Poblets posts.
PSOE backs Benidorm Budget COUNCILLORS from the PSOE socialist party will approve Benidorm Town Hall’s 2022 Budget. The pact was announced on Friday January 28 after Benidorm’s mayor Toni Perez (Partido Popular) agreed to nine PSOE proposals. These include increasing allocations for social spend‐ ing, more football pitches and rehabilitating the increasingly ramshackle bus station. PSOE spokesman Ruben Martinez explained that his party had offered support in putting through the 2022 Budget, although strictly speaking this was not necessary as the Partido Popular has an overall majority on the town council.
and finally... ALTEA residents selected a 24‐hour study room as their first choice in the municipality’s €120,000 Participatory Budget. Residents registered on the municipal Padron were present‐ ed with 10 different projects singled out as viable from the 45 suggestions submitted by the local population, explained Citi‐ zens’ Participation councillor Maria Antonia Lavios. With 1,725 votes, the ‘open all hours’ study room, much‐ needed for students at exam time, was first choice, followed by widening pavements and installing a calisthenics workout park.
4 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
www.euroweeklynews.com
A moment to reflect.......
FOR reasons that I’ll maybe go in‐ to later, I’ve recently had cause to do some deep reflection. On one of the grey days so typi‐ cal over the month of January, I found myself looking deep into the purpose and enjoyment of our lives. Maybe it’s a bi‐product of the pandemic times we’ve been living through recently. Maybe it’s having time to think about what really matters. As publisher of Euro Weekly for almost a quarter of a century, it feels like now is as good a time as any to take an unbiased view of what we hope we achieve, and what we mean to you, and all the other hundreds of thousands of people who read their copy of Euro Weekly every week.
We consistently question our value to our readers. We challenge ourselves every day to be relevant, to be in touch, to matter, and to improve in many different ways the lives of every one of those hundreds of thousands of people who spend minutes and hours con‐ necting with their local community through our pages, both online and in print. Taking this altruistic view made me think. How often do we remind our‐ selves of the very reasons we ex‐ ist? How often do we take the time to tell the people around us just how much we care for them and appreciate the massive contribu‐ tion they make to Euro Weekly,
and the communities we publish in? It takes the combined talents of over 60 people to bring each copy o f Eu r o W e e k l y a l i v e . A n d l i f e i s what we’re all about. Helping you make choices, giving you options and information and being ‘The Pulse of your Community’. So call us old‐fashioned, but the 300 words you’ve just read are dedicated to the Euro Weekly team, their wonderful efforts and hard work and the result of the love we all share for our newspa‐ p e r Eu r o W e e k l y w h i c h w e h o p e continues to be a small but signifi‐ cant part of your life in Spain, in good times and challenging times! Michel Euesden C.E.O. & Founder
NEWS
Hard fishing THE Teulada‐Moraira Fishing Club’s most re‐ cent outing was to Section A3 of the River Jucar. As usual lately, there was a chilly start of only four degrees with the air tem‐ perature rising no higher than 13 degrees that day. “The Jucar’s A3 section is tough to fish and as there is a high wall, we did not get much of the sun when it did come out, so it felt very cold,” said club secretary Jeff Richards. “This week we had only eight contestants with one case of Covid,” Jeff said. “One of our ladies is also in hospital, so get well soon Pat.” It was a hard day, with one dry net, a to‐ tal weight of 42 kilos and 28 fish caught. Steve Hartwell’s 9.9 kilos from Peg Five was the best weight of the day “The next match will be held on February 9, fishing section B2 all being well with Covid rules,” Jeff said. For further information about Teulada‐ Moraira Fishing Club contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or frankpovey1@gmail.com.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
GALICIA could be home to Spain’s largest floating wind farm. The offshore wind farm would be 60km from the city of A Coruña, and 30km off the Galician coastline of Artabra, and the largest in Spain. Its estimat‐ ed production capacity of 4,800 GWh per year could provide approximately 30 per cent of the total electricity consumption of the autonomous community.
Giant wind farm However, the proposal for 80 turbines and floating substations covering an area of 268 km2, equivalent to seven times the munici‐ pal area of A Coruña, has raised concern among fishermen and ecologists. The Min‐
UNDER-16S: The team put up a great performance.
Barbarians Rugby under-16s go close against Alicante ALTHOUGH losing to a strong Alicante under 16 team at the weekend, the Barbarians put up a great performance, pushing the opposi‐ tion all the way before finally going down 31‐ 19 after conceding two tries in the last 10 min‐ utes of the game. Considering the Ba Bas lost to the same team 65‐0 at the start of the season, it just shows how far this young mixed team have progressed in the last four months. The six ladies in the team again put in some great performances against a bigger all male team and in fact were dominant in the early scrum exchanges. The team captained by Winder McConell Mulet continues to improve in all aspects of the game and with ‘flying’ Marc Erades at full back, always poses a danger to opposing de‐
3 - 9 February 2022
fensive lines. All in all a great team perfor‐ mance. The club is also pleased to announce the opening of their new club house/bar that has recently been acquired and is located only 10 minutes from the ground. It will prove to be an important venue in the club’s move to offer a full club playing and so‐ cial environment in years to come. More de‐ tails of opening times in next week’s report. The Barbarians Marina Alta Rugby club run Academy teams from under 14s, 16s to 18s and through to seniors and welcomes every‐ one to come and train and join the club. Free qualified coaching is available at all levels. Please call Santi (Spanish) on 676 612 357 or Mac (English) on 609 646 349 for more infor‐ mation.
istry of the Environment is conducting an en‐ vironmental evaluation, prior to approval. The company behind the project is Parque Eolico Marino Nordes, a coalition of Blue‐ float Energy and Sener Renewable Invest‐
EWN
5
ments. According to Carlos Martin, the CEO of BlueFloat, “the proposed area does not overlap with protected natural spaces, takes into account the location of the fishing grounds, and avoids the areas with the high‐ est maritime traffic.” If approved, they say, the wind farm will create some 14,000 jobs during the construc‐ tion phase, and a further 240 jobs per year.
6 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
NEWS
Expats and Modelo 720 ruling Heart shaped diamond JUDGING by recent news reports, you could be forgiven for thinking that Spain’s egregious Modelo 720 World‐ wide Asset Declaration reporting re‐ quirement is already dead and buried since the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared aspects of it illegal on Thursday January 27. The bad news is the Modelo 720
will almost certainly live on in one form or another. The good news is, it will be a milder financial threat to ex‐ pats living in Spain. The Spanish press reported it as a “severe blow” to the 720 form, and attention has immediately switched to how people can claw back the fines they have suffered at the hands
Spanish Space Agency ACCORDING to Diana Morant, Spain’s Minister of Science and Innovation, the Spanish Space Agency will be ready in a year. It will be integrated into the Span‐ ish Security Strategy, and covered by a Science Law approved by the Council of Ministers. The agency will ‘promote, coordinate, and share, all the needs that exist in space, and, above all, promote research and innovation in space technology’, as well as represent Spain’s interests with‐ in the European Space Agency (ESA), and NASA. Spain is one of the top four coun‐ tries involved in EU space technolo‐ gy, and one of the top five involved in the European Space Agency (ESA).
Spain is involved in the ESA.
The location has yet to be decided ‐ though it may not be Madrid: “We have to understand that Spain does not end in Madrid, and science is widely distributed in our country,” said the minister, “Science is done in all territories.”
of the Modelo 720 since it was intro‐ duced by the Partido Popular (PP) fi‐ nance minister Cristóbal Montoro back in 2013. Realistically, the Modelo 720 tax declaration form isn’t going any‐ where. It will just be tweaked to get around the ECJ’s objections and carry on being a headache for expats in Spain with assets of €50,000 or more (per asset class) abroad. The good news is the fines and penalties for falling foul of the Mode‐ lo 720 are expected to be much lighter, so it won’t be such a big risk for expats living in Spain. The Modelo 720 was introduced in 2013 ostensibly to clamp down on tax evasion and corruption and as the PP party at the time stank of corruption, the law was introduced with an amnesty that basically allowed bent politicians and their cronies to le‐ galise wealth with just a slap on the wrist, whilst expats with legitimate wealth outside of Spain were put in a risky situation. If you didn’t know about the new law, or made any mistake in your declaration, you could be ruined by huge fines, so let’s now hope for the best rather than the worst as amend‐ ments take place.
UK Jewellers Han‐ cocks have an‐ nounced their Jewel of the Month for Valentine’s is the beautiful Edwardian era Tiffany & Co. di‐ amond heart pen‐ dant. With its elegant domed and rounded form, this stunning diamond is a sub‐ stantial one inch wide and tall. It is fully pavé set with sparkling an‐ tique European bril‐ liant cut diamonds set in platinum and backed with 18ct gold suspended from a detachable dia‐ mond set loop. The diamonds are estimated to weigh around 3.8cts in to‐
Jewel of the month.
tal. The heart motif has been used in jewellery since the Middle Ages, gaining popularity during the era of courtly love. It is perhaps the most popular and enduring of symbols and each era has found new ways to depict it and embel‐ lish it.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN
7
Far-right group arrested Partygate THE National Police has ar‐ rested seven people ‐ four in Barcelona, one in the Madrid municipality of Torrejon de Ardoz, and two in the Alicante Province towns of Alcoy, and Onteniente in Valen‐ cia. They were detained for their part in a radical far‐right group that was found to be inciting hatred and violence on social me‐ dia networks. According to the General Directorate of the Police,
DETAINED: For inciting hatred and violence on social media.
the investigation began in the first quarter of 2020, after the force received an anonymous complaint through the citizen collab‐ oration web portal. The
Bookings up JET2 has reported a 30 per cent surge in bookings for Spain, Italy and Portugal. The Spanish islands and mainland Spain will benefit massively from the changes in coronavirus testing rules set to come into place on Friday February 11. According to Jet2’s Chief Executive Steve Heapy, the company is already noticing a “notable increase in demand for holidays and flights” since the Covid testing rule changes were announced in the UK. He revealed: “Before yesterday’s an‐ nouncement demand was already strong, however bookings have jumped by anoth‐ er 30 per cent when compared with the previous week, demonstrating just how much of a game‐changer the removal of all testing is for fully vaccinated holidaymak‐ ers. “With international travel starting to look like it did before the pandemic, cus‐ tomers are jumping at the chance to book their flights and holidays.”
anonymous caller alerted them to the creation of an online forum with a radical and violent extreme right‐ wing ideology. This was something that
was corroborated by the investigators, who detect‐ ed forums and instant messaging applications from where the arrested sent direct and filtered messages to subjects, with a profile according to their postulates and radical ide‐ ologies. They were believed to be attracting and indoctri‐ nating other subjects in or‐ der to commit violent ac‐ tions aimed at subverting the constitutional order.
Human chain rescuers ON the morning of Friday, January 28 a two lane bridge collapsed in Pitts‐ burgh (USA) prompting people to form a human chain to help rescue those trapped in a bus dangling over the edge. The rescuers formed a chain nearly 46 metres long to reach the bus. Only minor injuries were report‐ ed with no fatalities, according to au‐ thorities, who also said they were fly‐ ing drones to make sure no one was
under any collapsed sections. Police reported the span, on Forbes Avenue over Fern Hollow Creek in Frick Park, came down just before 7am. Darryl Jones, Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief, said that three or four vehi‐ cles were involved in the collapse and there were 10 minor injuries with three taken to the hospital. None of the injuries were life‐threatening, Jones confirmed.
Mum dies saving son THERE was tragedy in Ceuta as a mother saved her son in a road accident, but died as a result. The incident occurred at around 6pm on Saturday, January 22, in the Reina Regente neighbourhood of the autonomous city. According to witnesses, the young boy ran towards the road and the brave mum went after him. The boy escaped without harm, but the car was unable to avoid the mother. She received treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Melilla Regional Hospital, but has since died of her injuries. Eduardo de Castro, responsible for public safety in the city, says that, tragi‐ cally, nothing can be done to stop these incidents from occurring. He added that for the town this is the first road traffic accident death so far this year.
fallout T O R Y M P Angela Richardson has resigned as ministerial aide in Boris Johnson’s government citing ‘deep disappointment’ over the handling of the lockdown parties at Downing Street. Ms Richardson, Conservative M P for Guildford, had been working for Michael Gove, but resigned last week, on the day the Sue Gray report was published. The report, she said, “clearly states there were failings at Number Ten Downing Street that let us all down. “I share the deep disappointment that it has taken so long to
get to this stage when there could have been an early acknowledgment and apology.” Ms Richardson explained that ‘moving stories’ about her constituents’ experiences during Covid lockdowns influenced her decision to quit. Adding, “Any request for a sense of perspective from those around Number Ten” had rung hollow with an ITU nurse she had met: “Frontline N H S workers like her had also been working hard through the pandemic - putting their health and lives on the line to save others.”
and finally... RUSSIAN YouTuber, Alex Burkan, has entered the Guinness Book of World Records because he has cre‐ ated the world’s first retractable lightsaber. This home‐made device is very similar to the fa‐ mous sabers used in fight sequences in the Star Wars films. In addition, it has the ability to produce a me‐ tre‐long plasma blade when turned on, burning at an intensity of 2,800 degrees, it can even cut through steel.
8 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
NHS U-turn on vaccine HEALTH Secretary, Sajid Javid, has con‐ firmed the government’s intention of dropping the requirement of mandato‐ ry vaccines for NHS and care staff. Ad‐ dressing parliament on January 31, Mr Javid said: “While vaccination remains our very best line of defence against Covid, I believe it is no longer propor‐ tionate to require vaccination as a con‐ dition of deployment through statute.” Protection against Covid among the British public, through vaccination or past infection, is behind the decision, along with the fact Omicron has been ‘intrinsically less severe’. Around 80,000 HNS staff remain un‐ jabbed. To meet the original deadline of April 1, they would have needed to be vaccinated by February 3, and many had been working out their notices. Patricia Marquis, director of the Roy‐ al College of Nursing said many front‐ line workers had their livelihoods pre‐ cariously hanging in the balance and hailed the decision as coming ‘just in time’. “The vaccination is the right policy, but forcing vaccination wasn’t ‐ partic‐ ularly not in the middle of a staffing cri‐ sis,” she said.
www.euroweeklynews.com
Top anti-ageing doctor in Europe DR VICENTE MERA of Clinica Britannia in Calpe has won an award at the European awards in medicine 2021 in recognition of his innovative work in anti‐ageing medicine. With a devotion to cutting edge tech‐ niques and therapies, Dr Mera has been propelled to the forefront of internal and anti‐ageing medicine. He has 25 years of international experi‐ ence in multiple basic areas of ageing, in‐ cluding genomics, nutrition, gut microbio‐ ta, immunity, detoxification, physical preparation, stress management, tobacco cessation, sleep, hormone substitution and nutritional supplements. In the field of regenerative medicine and ageing, Dr Vicente Mera has also in‐ corporated new areas of knowledge such as bio‐identical hormonal therapeutics, genetic and genomic counselling, the telomeric evaluation and obtaining of mesenchymal stem cells and the storage of them for future practical applications. Dr Mera studied in Sevilla, and then specialised in Internal Medicine in one of
NEWS
Chinese base for the moon
NEXT STEP: Is to create the infrastructure.
DR MERA: In recognition of his work.
the most reputable departments in Spain, the Puerta de Hierro Clinic in Madrid, where he served as chief resident for six years. He went on to work in different hospi‐ tals in Sevilla, Cordoba and Alicante, be‐ fore finally settling on the Costa Blanca, where he was hired as head of the inter‐ nal medicine service of the HCB hospital and now heads up his own health centre, Clinica Britannia in Calpe.
CHINA and Russia are working together to construct a base on the moon. Officials at China National Space Administration (CNSA) say their International Lunar Research Sta‐ tion (ILRS) ‐ which could be operational by 2035 ‐ is designed to compete with NASA’s Lunar Gateway. Russia and China’s next step is creating the infrastructure to support life on the moon. According to sources close to CNSA, three moon missions have been approved to launch by China from 2024, and China wants to land its first astronauts on the moon as early as 2030. Russia had shown interest in collaborating with NASA on America’s Lunar Gateway programme but pulled out last Jan‐ uary. China, meanwhile, was banned from participating in the US‐built International Space Station which is operated by NASA as well as space agencies from Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada.
New rules for travel THE Council of Ministers has approved new requirements for EU citizens travelling through Europe that came into force on February 1. With the possession of a Covid passport, other re‐ quirements such as quaran‐ tine or a negative test result will not be required as long as the vaccination schedule is complete. Unvaccinated people must present a negative PCR test performed 72 hours before the trip or an antigen test within a maximum of 24 hours. Finally, the Council of Min‐ isters has stated that there will be certain people who are exempt from presenting the certificate or a negative test. These are travellers “with an essential function or need, cross‐border trav‐ ellers and children under 12 years of age.” Of course, the EU states that any of these measures could be withdrawn in the event that “a new variant of concern appears.”
10 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Hollywood stars take a pay cut BRAD PITT and George Clooney have agreed to lower their salaries to ensure their new film will get released. Clooney revealed in his last interview that both he and Brad did not think twice before reducing their salaries for the new movie, which is due to begin shooting this summer, and will be directed by Jon Watts. While plot details are being kept under
wraps, the Apple TV+ film is known to follow two lone‐wolf fixers who are assigned to the same job. Their pay cut will help to finance, and pay for, its premiere in cinemas around the world. Clooney took time to reflect on the ‘coexistence’ between production companies that also own their own streaming platforms, as is the case with Apple, and also Netflix.
NEWS
Speedy births A WOMAN in Elche, Ali‐ cante, took just five min‐ utes to give birth to her four babies, who are all do‐ ing well at the Neonatal In‐ tensive Care Unit. The quadruplets were born on Saturday, January 22, at the General Universi‐ ty Hospital of Elche. The two girls and two boys were born between 9.10 and 9.15pm. The babies weigh less than two kilos and are making progress at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The 35‐year‐old mother, Zineb Moubarak, had her babies in the 32nd week of pregnancy via a caesarean section and was assisted by doctors Enrique Gómez and María Velasco, resident Víctor Fuster, midwives Ascesión J Garrido and María Miñano and neona‐ tal nurses Anabel de Nova and Susana España, ex‐ plained the hospital. The professionals at the hospital monitored the
QUADRUPLETS: Were born in just five minutes. patient’s pregnancy until the four babies would be able to survive out of the
womb, at which point the C‐section was then per‐ formed.
Cummings vendetta IN a magazine interview, former advisor Dominic Cummings has revealed he sees it as his duty to get his ex‐boss removed from power in No10 Downing Street. Cummings has already supplied evidence to Sue Gray for her inquiry into the Cabinet Office, and told the magazine that his task to remove Boris is “an unpleasant but necessary job.” He was asked during the interview if his campaign to re‐ move Boris was fair. His reponse was, “What’s fairness got to do with anything? It’s politics. All this is not fair. The fact that someone wins an election doesn’t mean that they should just stay there for years, right? If you’ve got a duffer, if you think someone can’t do the job, or is unfit for the job.”
HMRC scam warning ACCORDING to HM Rev‐ enue and Customs (HMRC) more than three million people had not filed their self‐assessment tax return
just days before the Jan‐ uary 31 deadline, leaving them vulnerable to scams. HMRC have said that this is roughly 29 per cent of all those required to submit a self‐assessment tax return, with failure to do so attracting fines and penalties. They have also said they will not fine any‐ one who is up to a month late, the second year run‐ ning that they have shown leniency. Campaigners have also warned taxpayers that
fraudsters use the dead‐ line as a ‘smokescreen’ to steal money, with HMRC in the past being in the top five for most phished brands. Fraudsters push out false emails and text mes‐ sages claiming to be from HMRC and urging you to click on the link to com‐ plete your return. These are used to collect bank and personal details to al‐ low them to steal money directly or to use your de‐ tails to commit fraud.
and finally... LEGENDARY spoon bender Uri Gellar has warned NASA to pre‐ pare for an alien invasion after a spooky new discovery in the Milky Way. The illusionist has raised the prospect after Aus‐ tralian scientists found a pulsing energy source 4,000 light‐years away. Uri, 75, believes the scientists have stumbled upon the radio communications of ‘superior beings’ from outer space.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
Residency warning THE Spanish authorities have told British expats to ‘Get a move on’ with applying for residency. Over the last few months, few‐ er British expats have been applying for residency post‐Brexit. The Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights has released a study showing the latest data. Since non‐EU TIE residency cards began being issued to British nationals around 180,000 Brits have received their cards. The report though points out that this is less than half the Brits that are thought to be living in Spain. Darren Parmenter, a British councillor in Spain has said the Spanish authorities are calling on Brits to step up and get their paperwork sorted. He also revealed that rules are now being enforced regarding how long people can stay in Spain without having the correct pa‐ perwork. He said: “My understanding is that the Spanish au‐ thorities have actually been quite surprised at the number of people that have waited until 2021 to apply for residency.”
Eurovision ‘irregularities’ THE TVE union has called for Spain’s Eurovision Song Contest selection on the weekend of January 29 and 30 to be annulled, citing remarkable irregularities that need to be investigated. According to the union: “The alleged irregularities are impor‐ tant, so notable that the choice of the song that will represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest should be annulled.” They continue saying: “The different directions involved must urgent‐ ly clarify how and who selected the Benidorm Fest jury. With the same urgency, RTVE must make public the minutes of the vot‐ ing and the recorded incidents, all as a whole. “RTVE must urgently clarify the relations between members of the jury and the singer Chanel Terrero. It must be clear if there is a conflict of interest, it must be clear the direction of the vote of the people who, in the jury, have or have had a relationship with the winning singer of the festival.”
3 - 9 February 2022
Sergio re-elected
ITALIAN PRESIDENT: The 80-year-old has agreed to serve a second term.
SERGIO MATTARELLA, the 80‐year‐ old president of Italy, has agreed af‐ ter six days of often tense voting in Rome to serve for a second term. This decision comes after Mr Draghi’s wide‐ranging coalition gov‐ ernment failed to agree on an alter‐ native candidate for the office, after the eighth round of voting. The outgoing head of state had said, “I had other plans but, if neces‐ sary, I am available,” and became the second president in history with the highest number of votes. He achieved 759 votes in favour, far ex‐
ceeding the required minimum threshold of 505. It is believed that Prime Minister Mario Draghi played an integral role in convincing Mattarella, with local media reporting that Draghi had told him it was best for the stability of the country if he was to stay. Mariastella Gelmini, Italy’s Minis‐ ter for Regional Affairs officially an‐ nounced Mr Mattarella’s decision. The minister hailed the former Con‐ stitutional Court judge’s “sense of re‐ sponsibility, and his attachment to the country and its institutions.”
EWN 11
Begum may seek return A SCHOOLGIRL from Derbyshire who has seen her terrorism charges dropped after the Home Office ruled that the 16‐year‐old girl had been exploited online could means that Shamima Begum may seek to re‐enter the UK. The Derbyshire teenager saw her case dropped when the authorities recognised that she had been sexu‐ ally exploited. Her original charges included downloading bomb‐mak‐ ing instructions. This latest court ruling could give new hope to Begum. Jonathan Hall QC commented: “Being both a vic‐ tim of modern slavery and present‐ ing a risk to the general public are not incompatible. “If fewer criminal cases are going to be possible this begs the question whether there are sufficient non‐ criminal justice measures in place, in particular to deal with the terrorist risk presented by children.” Begum’s representative Tasnime Akunjee stated: “Shamima has been arguing this from the beginning. “This just strengthens her case.”
12 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Earthquake off coast of Galicia ACCORDING to the Nation‐ al Geographic Institute (IGN), an earthquake of 4.6 magnitude occurred on Thursday, January 27, in the Atlantic Ocean 40 kilome‐ tres off Galicia’s coast. It oc‐ curred at 3.44pm, had an epicentre 3kms deep, and
was felt in different loca‐ tions in the community. The earthquake had a precedent at 2.57pm. This tremor was of 3.7 magni‐ tude, with intensity three. At 3.58pm, a third earthquake occurred in the same area, with a magnitude of 2.5, and
a maximum intensity of four. Social network users re‐ ported feeling the tremor as far afield as Santiago de Compostela, and even in the provinces of Lugo and Pon‐ tevedra. An earthquake’s intensity is measured by the effect it has on people and objects, on a scale from one (not felt), to 12 (completely dev‐ astating). IGN data showed that the maximum intensity of the quake was reached in Porto do Son, Fisterra, and Veitureira, where it had been assigned level four (widely felt).
NEWS
Hero cop foiled robbery AN off‐duty Guardia Civil of‐ ficer was a hero on Thurs‐ day, January 27, after foiling an attempted robbery in a tobacconist at around 7.10pm, in the Valencian town of Gandia. Two suspected thieves, armed with knives, were ar‐ rested at the scene as a re‐ sult of his intervention. As reported in a police statement, the officer was faced with a tricky situation when he saw two young men put on ski masks, draw knives, and run inside the to‐ bacconists.
Off-duty cop saved the day.
Without even hanging up his call, the brave officer rushed into the shop, point‐ ed his personal handgun at
the robbers and shouted “stop, Guardia Civil.” While standing in the mid‐ dle of the entrance to pre‐ vent the robbers from escap‐ ing, he ordered the men on several occasions to put their weapons on the ground, and to lie down. Not only did they ignore him, they even took the cash register, and armed with their knives, approached the officer. According to the Guardia Civil, he was forced to fire a warning shot at the ceiling before arresting them.
Search for eternal youth ongoing AMAZON founder Jeff Bezos has invest‐ ed $3 billion in the biotechnology com‐ pany Altos Labs, to fund scientific re‐ search in the search for eternal youth. For the past few months, scientists at the recently‐launched biotechnology company Altos Labs have been working towards the objective of “cellular reju‐ venation programming to restore cell health and resilience, with the goal of
reversing disease to transform medicine,” according to a press release. The first round of funding to be put towards this goal was $3 billion dollars provided by the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. This money will go towards medical re‐ search into the possibility of eternal youth. Another research company, Calico,
backed by Google, has similar objec‐ tives. Created in 2013, the company is dedicated to fighting against ageing and age‐related diseases. Altos Labs has acquired enough in‐ vestment to open two laboratories in California and another in the United Kingdom, and they are also working in close collaboration with a team of Japanese doctors.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Ocado robot wars
WHEN food delivery service Ocado was set up it provided a new standard in ware‐ housing with its automated facility picking customer’s or‐ ders, but rival Autostore claims a legal win will see it lose the so‐called ‘robots wars’. Ocado has been embroiled in legal cases ever since it started with arguments over who owns the technology and software used by the company, the latest battle being the last one in a long running saga. Norwegian company Auto‐ store issued a statement say‐ ing “The Munich District Court have stayed proceed‐ ings brought by Ocado for or‐ ders blocking the sale of Au‐ toStore’s B1 robot in Germany, noting that Oca‐ do’s utility model IP rights in the action were likely to be invalid.” In a blow for Ocado, the company said: “The court’s view was that Ocado were trying to claim technology they had not invented.”
Ocado, responded saying the Norwegian company had
given a partial and misleading account of the proceedings.
Vaccine certificates withdrawn CATALONIA’S vaccine certificates were withdrawn on Friday, January 28, after the regional govern‐ ment said the effectiveness of the application had decreased. The government announced the decision through a statement after evaluating the report that the committee of experts on Covid‐19 deliv‐ ered to the Department of Health. The vaccine certificates were mandatory in bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes. The decision to remove them was published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat (DOGC) on January 27. The Generalitat based its decision on the advisory report which stated that the prevention measures used against the Delta variant do not have the same effect against Omicron. Experts consider that a sig‐ nificant part of the population is once again “sus‐ ceptible to becoming infected,” regardless of their vaccination statu or of having had the disease. Therefore, the effectiveness of the Covid certifi‐ cate decreases and the inconveniences of its appli‐ cation outweigh its benefits.
STATS
421
Scotland has 421 words for snow.
EWN 13
14 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
WE have discussed about Inter‐ national divorce in Spain, matri‐ monial regimes and other relat‐ ed issues on several occasions in previous articles. You could check them in our website. In the coming articles, we will try to resolve some of the com‐ mon doubts that arise when two people want to divorce in Spain and one or both of them is
International divorce in Spain. Where it is possible to get divorced. Habitual residence of the spouses. Legal advice (part I) not a Spanish national. In other words: when there is an interna‐ tional element or foreign nation‐ ality in the marriage.
In this article we will talk about international divorce in Spain. Where is it possible to get divorced and why is the habitual residence of the spouses impor‐ tant? WHERE IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET DIVORCED? This question is answered by Regulation 2201/2003 on juris‐ diction and the recognition and enforcement of judgements in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibili‐ ty. This regulation sets out a wide range of countries to which jurisdiction in divorce matters is conferred. The aim is to ensure the existence of a suf‐ ficient number of competent courts to satisfy the parties' de‐ sire to terminate their marital re‐ lationship. Provision is therefore made for the spouses to be able to apply to different courts for a decision on the matter.
As regards divorce (and also legal separation and marriage annulment), the courts with ju‐ risdiction to rule on divorce will be any of those indicated here: ‐ the courts of the Member State in which the spouses are habitually resident. ‐ the last habitual residence of the spouses, provided that one of them still resides there. ‐ the habitual residence of the defendant. ‐ in the case of a joint applica‐ tion, the habitual residence of one of the spouses. ‐ etc. The parties will therefore be able to choose, depending on their situation, between all these Member States in which to
bring their divorce proceedings. WHAT DOES HABITUAL RESI‐ DENCE MEAN AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? When 2201/2003 regulation was passed, it was intended to link international divorce pro‐ ceedings to the place where the married couple lived together. The importance of the habitual residence of the spouses is very important at the beginning of the proceedings, because it will serve to identify and finally lo‐ cate which European judge will have jurisdiction. Despite its importance, none of the European Regulations dealing with the habitual resi‐ dence of the parties define it, nor do they establish criteria. Thus, it is the courts that ulti‐ mately define what habitual res‐ idence means. Depending on whether it is a matter of matri‐ monial crisis (international di‐ vorce in our case) or inheritance
FEATURE
and succession law, the criteria will be one or the other. Some definitions can be found in the case law of the Court of the European Union. This court defines habitual resi‐ dence as ‘the centre of life and interests’ of the person. In other words, the place where the per‐ son has a physical relationship of voluntary permanence with a State with stability, has personal ties with this State and is inte‐ grated. CONCLUSION In principle, the court that will be competent to deal with a di‐ vorce or separation claim, it would be one of the habitual residencies of the spouses. Or the last habitual residency of the spouses, as far as one still leaves there. But each case must be anal‐ ysed in detail in order to know where to file for divorce. If you would like legal advice about your divorce in Spain, contact us and we will help you. The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys information relating to legal matters.
Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 • info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2021 - All Rights Reserved.
16 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
CHANGES to the Highway Code that bring the UK more in line with rules affecting cyclists has resulted in a war of words be‐ tween drivers and cyclists. One of the main areas of con‐ tention is the notion that cyclists should on quieter roads and in slow moving traffic, use the cen‐
Drivers against cyclists tre of the road to make them‐ selves as visible as possible. That has resulted in drivers tak‐ ing to Twitter and other social media saying that the change
would only serve to increase con‐ gestion on the roads. They fur‐ ther complain that it would add extra stress for drivers already having to take care on busy
roads, by forcing them to look out for cyclists as well. As an example a Twitter user quoted by the UK press, Andrew wrote: “The problem is drivers
NEWS
have enough to worry about without extra stress put on them to worry about cyclists in the middle of the road and pedestri‐ ans trying to cross next to a junc‐ tion. “These changes are funda‐ mentally wrong, each party should be responsible for their own safety.”
Town offering free home FREE OF CHARGE: A new house if you run the local bar.
• Diagnostic imaging and ultrasound Rx • Clinical tests and serological tests, internal medicine, parasitology • Soft Tissue Surgery and Traumatology • Ethology, behavioural disorders and animal behaviour • Physiotherapy, acupuncture, custom recovery and Healing touch • Ophthalmology • Dentistry and dental surgery & more • Import - Export
THE town council of Villalgor‐ do del Marquesado in Cuenca is offering a free house and a job running the local bar. The town in the province of Cuenca only had 73 residents registered in 2021. Located just 165 km from Madrid and very close to the A‐3, the town is so quiet that even the local bar has just closed in the town. The town council is offering a new house free of charge to anyone who would like to re‐ locate to their town and run the local bar. “We’ll supply the premises, heating, refrig‐ erator, and also a house that is now under construction, and that we hope will be fin‐ ished by the summer,” de‐ clared the mayor, Natalio Va‐ lencia. Those interested will only have to pay the self‐em‐ ployed fee, and the electricity bill. “The bar is a place where all of us from the town meet, also those who come on the weekend. If it’s not for the bar, where do you meet? We wouldn’t even see each oth‐ er,” commented the mayor.
18 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Masks here to stay
A small price to pay.
RYANAIR’S finance chief has warned that masks are here to stay. He has said that they are a “small price to pay” for being able to travel around the world during the pandemic and avoid travel restrictions re‐ turning. Neil Sorahan explained: “Masks will be something that will be with us for a while longer to come. If that is the price we have to pay for the next few months, into summer ‐ it’s a small price to pay. “It’s a bit like after 9/11, we ended up with our toi‐ letries in plastic bags, maybe we’ll have to live with masks for a while longer.”
Airline compensation
PROPOSALS announced on Monday, Jan‐ uary 31 promise fairer and simpler com‐ pensation rules for UK domestic passen‐ gers, which could see claims for delays of more than an hour. The proposals are intended to replace EU rules that require compensation to be paid for flights delayed by more than three hours. Currently, domestic passen‐ gers on flights shorter than 1,500 kilome‐ tres (932 miles) can claim £220 for delays of more than three hours, but nothing for shorter waits. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the proposals “aim to bolster airline con‐ sumer protections and rights.” Under the new plan, which is under consultation, passengers would be entitled to 25 per
FAKE money scams are noth‐ ing new. Printing paper bills is relatively simple, but mak‐ ing coins from a material sim‐ ilar to the real thing is more complex. This makes fraud‐ sters resort to real foreign coins, passing them off as eu‐ ro coins ‐ although logically they are not legal tender in Spain and their value is also much lower. The Guardia Civil has
NEW RULES: Promise fairer rights.
cent of the ticket price for a delay of more than one hour but less than two hours, 50 per cent of the ticket price for a delay of more than two hours but less than three hours, and 100 per cent of the ticket price for a delay of more than three hours.
Fake euro coin scam
warned of these scams on its social media pages. The coins, very similar to the Eu‐ ropean ones, come from Ar‐ gentina, Venezuela, the Do‐ minican Republic and Jamaica. The value of these coins
can be less than a cent, and the most expensive ‐ Ja‐ maican dollars ‐ barely reach €0.11. Some characteristics that make them very similar to the euro are the gold rim of the coin, the silver interior and symbols such as the Venezuelan stars ‐ which are reminiscent of those of the European Union and can lead to error.
NEWS
Supporting Amazon NEIL YOUNG has decided to ramp up his new‐found dislike of Spotify, by offer‐ ing his fans a free four‐ month subscription to Amazon’s streaming ser‐ vice. The folk‐rock legend posted a message pro‐ moting Amazon on his of‐ ficial Twitter account to his 76,000 followers on Sunday, January 30. He also pushed the of‐ fer on his website, where it said, “Amazon has been leading the pack in bring‐ ing hi‐res audio to the masses, and it’s a great place to enjoy my entire
catalogue, in the highest quality available.” This all comes as the re‐ sult of Young’s protest against Spotify and its continued broadcasting of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He has removed all his music, and is boy‐ cotting the platform, in‐ sisting that its controver‐ sial anti‐vaccine podcaster Rogan is pushing disinfor‐ mation about the vac‐ cines. Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren have both sided with Young in removing their music from Spotify.
and finally... FRITZ SCHALL, an Austrian man who now lives with his family in Colombia, South America, decided he would build a house. Not just any house, he built one that was upside down! Located in the town of Guatavita, ‘Casa‐Loca’ has turned into a massive tourist attraction, and captured the imagination of those who visit. Inside the home, in the upside‐down world, you can walk on the ceilings instead of the floor, and the furniture is under‐ neath you.
20 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
NEWS
Andalucia creates most jobs Third vaccine effectiveness
THE president of An‐ dalucia, Juanma Moreno, has said that Andalucia created 166,800 jobs last year, making it “the au‐ tonomous community that creates the most jobs” in all of Spain. In a post on his Twitter account, he also stated that un‐ employment in the re‐ gion is “at its lowest since 2008.” The data comes from the re‐ sults of the Economi‐ cally Active Popula‐ tion Survey (EPA), corresponding to the fourth quarter of 2021, published by the National Statistics Institute on January 27. The study indicates that Andalucia ended 2021 with 166,800 more occupied job po‐ sitions than at the end of 2020, and it was the autonomous community that, in terms of absolute da‐
ta, created the most jobs over the last year. The president of An‐ dalucia commented that “the data from the EPA is positive,
but we still have a lot left to do,” and promised to continue “focusing on what’s important: the An‐ dalucian people and recovery.”
No return to office A Y O U G OV survey has found that nearly two‐fifths of workers have no plans to re‐ turn to their place of employment, prefer‐ ring instead to work from home. The recent survey found that 71 per cent of people prefer working from home while 58 per cent feel it boosts their productivity. The research also found that only 9 per cent of people have permanently returned to the office since work from home guid‐ ance ended. Meanwhile, 26 per cent of people have returned to their desks par‐time while 63 per cent continue to work remotely. Perhaps most revealing is that a stagger‐ ing 39 per cent say they will work from home for good. The research also found that footfall on the Underground was up 10 per cent in the week with 1.17 million entry and exits recorded on the Tube in the week after working from home guidance was axed.
THE third dose of the vac‐ cine against coronavirus has increased effective‐ ness against the new sub‐ variant of coronavirus, ‘stealth Omicron’, accord‐ ing to an analysis per‐ formed by the UK Health Security Agency. In Europe, cases of the new mutation of Omicron are beginning to multiply, and several cases have al‐ ready been detected in Spain. On January 3, it was first detected in the United Kingdom, where its evolu‐ tion has been closely moni‐
Giving greater protection.
tored since then. The third vaccine has turned out to be more ef‐ fective against the new sub‐ variant, with 70 per cent ef‐
fectiveness, in comparison with the 63 per cent effec‐ tiveness that it provides against the original Omicron from South Africa. There‐ fore, it increases effective‐ ness by 7 per cent. However, the study con‐ cludes that the vaccines against coronavirus provide greater protection against the Delta variant than against any of the types of Omicron, although in all cases they are still able to prevent large numbers of hospitalisations or serious symptoms.
British Airways hiring staff
BRITISH AIRWAYS is seeking to hire at least 2,000 cabin crew members due to fears that staff shortages could possibly af‐ fect the UK’s summer travel boom. Reservations have already begun to mul‐ tiply since the government announced that Covid tests would no longer be needed for vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK from February. Reservations from Brits travelling to the Costa del Sol have increased particu‐ larly notably. Companies such as the travel and tourism
company TUI Group and the airline easyJet have also confirmed a jump in activity. Heathrow airport has also said that the air‐ port will need to employ around 20,000 people for the summer, and any staff short‐ ages may be a ‘constraint’ on sticking to schedules. British Airways is reportedly getting in touch with former employees who were among 10,000 to lose their jobs when the pandemic struck in 2020. Crew members could earn up to £28,000 a year.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 21
Warning to Brit holidaymakers BUDGET airline easyJet has is‐ sued a warning for British holi‐ daymakers planning trips to some Spanish Islands this year. Tourists from the UK usually flock to places such as Ibiza and Mallorca to find some sun and have earned a reputation as
partygoers from the locals who live there. Now that restrictions are be‐ ing lifted and testing upon re‐ turn to England has been scrapped, bookings from the beer‐loving Brits are soaring. However, those travelling to
these Spanish islands have been issued a warning by easy‐ Jet. Anyone attempting to book an all‐inclusive stay in these des‐ tinations via the budget airline is given the following message: “Due to a change in Spanish law which affects certain resorts in
Record tax collection SPAIN closed 2021 with a tax collection of €223,382 million, an un‐ precedented figure since current records began in 1995. The Minister of Fi‐
nance and Public Func‐ tion, María Jesús Mon‐ tero, reported on Jan‐ uary 27 that the income from taxes increased by 15.1 per cent compared
No longer a club member THE Duke of York has given up his honorary membership of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. In a statement, the prestigious members‐only club said: “I can confirm that The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has received notification that the Duke of York will relinquish his Honorary Membership. We respect and appreciate his decision.” The new development regarding the prince comes af‐ ter he handed in court documents denying all accusa‐ tions brought against him in the civil sexual assault case filed by Virginia Giuffre. Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace announced Andrew would have his military titles and patronages removed. Andrew, 61, is being sued by Ms Giuffre, 38, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, in a civil case in New York. She alleges that she suffered ‘sexual assault and battery’ at the hands of the duke on three occasions when she was a teenager. He has denied the allegations against him.
to 2020 (€29,331 million more collected) and even exceeded what was fore‐ seen in the General State Budgets (PGE) for 2021, which expected to collect €222,108 million. “The collection is ex‐ pressing the good evolu‐ tion of both the economy itself and the creation of employment”, said the minister, who has antici‐ pated that the tax data will lead to “a significant reduction in the public deficit.” An expected relief in the public accounts of which María Jesús Mon‐ tero has not dared to give a figure and that will not be known until the definitive data is pub‐ lished in March. “The collection and employment data con‐ firm that economic growth in our country is solid, robust and sus‐ tained over time,” Mon‐ tero concluded.
the Balearic Islands, alcoholic drinks are now limited to three per person at lunch and dinner as part of the all‐inclusive basis.” The change on some Spanish Islands came into effect in 2020, to limit extreme drunken be‐ haviour that affects residents.
ALL-INCLUSIVE: But alcoholic drinks are now limited.
22 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
NEWS
Twin brother confesses ‘Brexit freedoms bill’ TWINS: The siblings had impersonated each other for years.
A CHICAGO man, who spent more than two decades in jail for a murder, has been re‐ leased after his identical twin brother confessed. Kevin Dugar long main‐ tained his innocence refusing a deal that would have reduced his jail term, with his fate sealed until he received a letter from his twin brother Karl Smith confessing to the mur‐ der. Dugar was convicted in 2005 over a deadly gang‐relat‐ ed shooting and was sen‐ tenced to 54 years in prison. The incident happened when a gunman opened fire on three people in Chicago’s Uptown area, killing Antwan Carter and wounding Ronnie Bolden. The siblings had dressed alike until the eighth grade and had impersonated each other for years. Their last names are different because Smith took his mother’s maid‐ en name. Although his brother confessed in 2013, it had little impact initially with a judge rul‐ ing in 2018 that Smith’s con‐ fession was not credible, ac‐ cording to media reports.
THE under fire prime minister has come out fighting promising a ‘Brexit Freedoms Bill’ to unleash the benefits of Brexit, however the announcement has resulted in criticism from the de‐ volved nations who say the govern‐ ment is undermining their agreement. Johnson has promised to remove more than £1 billion worth of red tape for British businesses as he fights to keep himself in the job. The proposed bill would apparently allow ministers to remove EU laws that were retained as part of the divorce from the EU. It is believed that ‘Operation Red
THE winner of a one‐of‐a‐ kind sweepstake received a trip to space with Space‐X, and then he gave it away to a friend. Kyle Hippchen, didn’t tell anyone directly that he had won the trip, dropping hints to friends and col‐ leagues before telling his roommate from college that he could go in his place. Hippchen’s secret is final‐ ly out, but that doesn’t make it any easier knowing
Meat’ is seen by Mr Johnson and Whitehall as a way of shoring up sup‐ port from Conservative MPs with a flurry of attractive‐looking policies for traditional Tory voters. No 10 has promised to bring the bill forward in the months ahead, which when passed would make it easier for ministers to remove or amend laws retained from the UK’s 47‐year mem‐ bership of the EU. The idea of this bill has been criti‐ cised before with many MPs believing it will allow ministers to bypass par‐ liament.
Space winner
he missed his chance to or‐ bit Earth. Sadly he exceed‐ ed the weight limit and so couldn’t go. He said: “It hurts too much, I’m insanely disap‐ pointed. But it is what it is.” Hippchen, 43, a Florida‐ based captain for Delta’s re‐ gional carrier Endeavor Air, opened up about his out‐ of‐the‐blue windfall, and the let‐down when he re‐
alised he topped SpaceX’s weight restrictions of 250 pounds (113 kilograms). “It was their show, and I didn’t want to be distract‐ ing too much from what they were doing,” said Hip‐ pchen, who watched the launch from a VIP balcony. His old roommate Chris Sembroski, 42, a data engi‐ neer in Everett, Washing‐ ton, went in his place.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Elon Musk’s student offer T H E multimillionaire Elon Musk offered $5,000 to a student from the University of Central Florida (UCF) if he closed his Twitter account dedi‐ cated to tracking the movements of Musk’s private jet. Jack Sweeney, a 19‐ year‐old student in his first year at the UCF, said that he was surprised when the founder of Tesla and the aerospace
MUSK: Has a private jet.
company SpaceX sent him a message with a
strange request: that he delete his Twitter ac‐ count due to security concerns. Musk offered $5,000 for the favour. However, in one of the messages exchanged, the teenager asked for $50,000 to cover the cost of tuition, although Musk has not yet agreed to that. Sweeney is the person behind the username @ElonJet, an account
that reveals very specific data about the location of Musk’s private jet. The teenager explained that he created an algo‐ rithm to track the plane using data from compa‐ nies that record flight data through a transponder. The information pro‐ vided by Sweeney on his Twitter account has at‐ tracted more than 100,000 followers.
EWN 23
New HIV trials to begin ON January 27, the scientific research organisation IAVI and the pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that they had teamed up to launch the first phase of clinical trials on experi‐ mental vaccines against HIV using mRNA technology. The trial is designed to test the hypothesis that the sequential administering of HIV immunogens via messenger RNA can trig‐ ger specific types of responses from B cells, leading to the gener‐ ation of broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs). The generation of bNAbs is one of the objectives of vaccina‐ tion against HIV, and this is the first step in the process. The im‐ munogens that are being tested in the trials were developed by scientific teams from IAVI and Scripps Research and will be given via mRNA technology from Moderna. The study will be carried out at four centres in the United States. The centres will enrol 56 HIV‐negative adult volunteers, of whom 48 will receive one or two doses of mRNA‐1644 and 32 will receive the mRNA‐1644v2‐Core booster. Another eight vol‐ unteers will only receive the booster immunogen.
Minority refuse third vaccine and finally...
A B O U T 9 per cent of Spaniards are refusing to get the third vac‐ cine against coronavirus, as changing recommendations do not inspire confidence. More than 20 million Spaniards have received the third vaccine against coronavirus, but a minori‐ ty is reluctant. According to the latest research by the Spanish Centre of Sociological Research (CIS), around 84.5 per cent of
those who have received at least one dose are willing to get the third jab, but 9 per cent are un‐ willing and 4 per cent are unsure. There are many factors behind the uncertainty: fear, scepticism, doubts about its protection, or simply confusion due to contra‐ dictory messages from the health authorities. “To all those having doubts, I tell them to trust sci‐ ence,” stated Isabel Jimeno, from
the Spanish Society of General and Family Doctors (SEMG). According to data from the Min‐ istry of Health, on January 26, the number of people who had re‐ ceived at least one dose of the vaccine was 39,080,436 (92 per cent of over‐12s) and the number of those with two doses was 38,264,820 (90.7 per cent). A total of 20,289,629 people had received the third dose.
THE Italian Ministry of Work has opened an investigation into a job advertisement for a receptionist position which asked for a photo of the candidate ‘in a bathing suit or something similar.’ The company also requested that the candidates were wom‐ en under 30 with a ‘cheerful character and an attractive appear‐ ance.’ The company, which has a branch in the commercial cen‐ tre of Naples, offered an income of €500 a month for 24 hours a week. The advertisement, which was posted on various job portals, has been met by fierce criticism and called ‘sexist.’
24 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
NEWS
Cocaine-nuts POLICE in Columbia have found almost 20,000 coconuts that had been drained of their water and then filled with liquid cocaine. The discovery was made on January 27 inside a container at the port of Cartagena with Genoa, Italy, its intended destination. A total of 504 bags inside a whopping 19,780 coconuts were found by the authorities. Imagery released by the office shows the co-
conuts laid out at the port of Cartagena. Investigators say a naturally occurring fluid was found inside thousands of coconuts which were then meticulously removed and replaced with ‘liquid cocaine.’ “Upon inspection, it was established that the water in the tropical fruit had been exchanged for liquid cocaine,” a police press release stated. Dissolved cocaine formulas have been docu-
DISCOVERY: The coconuts were filled with drugs.
mented in previous seizures, as traffickers attempt to avoid traditional drug detection. In 2019, Italian police made one of their biggest drug busts in years in Genoa
when they interdicted cocaine worth an estimated half-billion euros, believed to have been shipped from Colombia. This time, the drugs never made it out of the country.
Spanish King praises colonialism KING FELIPE has called Puerto Rico a ‘model’ of colonialism as he lashed out at protesters who tore down a conquistador statue just before he ar‐ rived on the island. The Spanish king made the remarks in a speech com‐ memorating the 500th anniversary of the founding of Puerto Rico’s capital. He praised the conquistadors for bringing European civilisation and val‐ ues to the New World. His remarks
are in stark contrast to the ones made by Prince Charles, who denounced the “atrocity of slavery” when Barba‐ dos removed the Queen as head of state in November. In response to the visit by the Span‐ ish king, protestors in Puerto Rico at‐ tacked ‘Spanish tyranny’ and tore down a statue of Juan Ponce de León, who was an explorer with Columbus when the first wave of ships from
Spain reached the island nation. They hit back at the Spanish empire which tore through the indigenous community of the island, who died in their thousands due to imported dis‐ ease and forced labour. “The king’s presence here is non grata. It vali‐ dates many crimes against humanity that happened here,” said Jorge Gar‐ cía Muñiz at a street protest in San Juan.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Japan cancer patients suing CANCER patients, who were children during the 2011 Fukushima disaster, are suing the nuclear plant operator responsible as they say their illnesses were triggered by the radiation. There are six young adults, aged 17‐27, bringing forward the case. The claimants have all developed thyroid cancer since the event and they are demanding 616 million yen (£4 million) in compensation from Tokyo Electric Power Company Hold‐ ings, which runs the Fukushima nuclear plant. One of them, a woman in her 20s, said she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2016 and has had to change jobs to prioritise her health. She said: “I couldn’t tell anyone about my cancer MAGNUM CONCERT PRODUCTIONS are kicking off 2022 with a bang! Their first concert in 2022 will feature the fabulous talents of ‘The Desperados’ ‐ in Tribute to The Eagles. This very ac‐ complished band will pre‐ sent all the iconic hits that have made the Eagles so legendary and will feature Take it to the Limit, Desper‐
FUKUSHIMA: The six young adults were all children at the time of the disaster.
because I was afraid of being discrimi‐ nated against. But I decided to come forward and tell the truth in the hope of improving the situation for nearly 300 other people also suffering like us.”
The lawyers of the group say this is the first lawsuit of its kind relating to the Fukushima disaster. The plaintiffs were six to 16 years old at the time of the meltdown.
‘Desperados’ in concert ado, Lyin’ Eyes, Witchy Woman, Life in the Fast Lane and of course ‐ Hotel California plus many more. The show will be held in Espai La Senieta, Moraira on Sunday, February 20 and is scheduled to start at 6.30pm. All Covid 19 restric‐ tions regarding safety that
may be in place at that time will be strictly observed. Tickets can be reserved by calling 634 355 204 or by email: magnum.concerts @gmail.com. So come along and see a fab show, in a lovely the‐ atre and especially as all profits will go to local chari‐
ties including the Alzheimer’s centre in Teula‐ da, which is a great local cause. Many thanks for your support and we hope to see you there. You can join their mailing list which will give you prior notification of all future events by emailing the address above.
EWN 25
26 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
NEWS
Ursula Von Der Leyen accused AN official EU watchdog has slammed Ursula von der Leyen for keeping secret text mes‐ sages with Pfizer’s CEO about purchasing Covid vaccine dos‐ es, saying it ‘constituted mal‐ administration’. The Eu Ombudsman, Emily
O’Reilly, has issued a formal recommendation telling von der Leyen’s office to search for the texts and hand them over. She has pushed for this motion after a freedom of information request was lodged by a jour‐ nalist and never satisfied.
In April last year, the New York Times revealed that the EU Commission President Ur‐ sula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla had exchanged private texts and calls about procuring vaccines for the bloc.
The scoop revealed that von der Leyen used ‘personal diplo‐ macy’ to secure deals for 1.8 billion shots via texts with the pharma boss. Journalist Alexander Fanta then asked the commission for access to the messages. This access was never granted. The commission denied the freedom of information re‐ quest and refused to say whether the texts existed, even though the president had referred to them in media in‐ terviews previously.
New Instagram features I N S T A G R A M has an‐ nounced that it is work‐ ing on some exciting new features over the course of 2022. Some of the new features were an‐ nounced by the CEO of the company, Adam Mosseri. Mosseri said that the social network was working on modifying its algorithm to show the feed chronologically. In‐ stagram explained that the change would not be immediate, as their ob‐ jective is for people to be able to choose what fits their style of content consumption. Instagram stories will also be updated. This feature allows users to share photos and videos
EXPLOSIVE: Was found from the Civil War period.
Bomb discovery ON Wednesday, January 26, at around 4.30pm, workers found a bomb from the Civil War as they were working on the pavement in front of a house on Calle Sagasta in Madrid. Officers from the Guardia Urbana cordoned off the area, and firefighters and officers from SAMUR‐Civil Protec‐ tion also arrived as a precautionary measure. A team from TEDAX (Technician Specialist in Deactivation of Explosive Artefact) arrived on the scene and confirmed that the explosive was completely unable to function and did not have a warhead or fuse, the mechanisms used to cause an explosion, and removed the device from the area. On January 13, TEDAX exploded another bomb from the Civil War on the Cañada Real Galiana, the road between La Rioja and Ciudad Real. On that occasion, they used drones to secure the zone. Also, in November last year, a bomb of German origin was found in the town of Boadilla del Monte, and it needed to be transferred to a safety zone before being exploded in a hole in the ground. in 15‐second clips that are deleted automatical‐ ly after 24 hours. Insta‐ gram has decided to ex‐ tend the duration of stories from 15 seconds to one minute. Another change to be implemented this year is a feature called ‘favourites’, which will allow users to filter the
content that appears on their feed. To prevent excessive use of the application, especially among chil‐ dren, Instagram will in‐ clude a feature that counts the hours that the social network is used and alert the user when it is time to take a break.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 27
US pipeline threat Covid passport expiry
THE US has threatened to sanction the much‐need‐ ed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine. The line would run from Russia to Ger‐ many, providing fuel to Western Europe, but on Thursday January 27 offi‐ cials in Berlin said the project could be halted in the case of invasion. Western allies of Ukraine have said they will target Russia’s econo‐ my and place heavy sanc‐
tions upon the country if it makes a move into Ukrainian territory. The latest comments seem to solidify their stance on the lucrative pipeline. Russia has denied plan‐ ning an attack on its for‐ mer state, but the build‐ up of Soviet troops along the border has stoked tensions and increased fears of invasion. “I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord
Stream 2 will not move forward,” US state de‐ partment spokesman Ned Price said. But he added that he was “not going to get into the specifics” of how it would be stopped, and questions remain over whether the US would have the power to cancel the project. “We will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward,” Mr Price said.
Emotional tribute to stillborn son AMANDA HOLDEN, the 50‐year‐old Britain’s Got Talent judge has paid tribute to her son Theo. It would have been Theo’s 11th birthday. Amanda took to social media and shared her emotional tribute. She posted photos of her stillborn son’s footprints. She commented: “You would have been 11 today. I’m still grateful you chose us for your journey .. #Theo.” Amanda was seven months pregnant when she lost Theo back in 2011. The ex‐ pectant mum had managed to drive to the
hospital when she realised something was wrong. Amanda previously revealed shocking details of when she lost Theo. She com‐ mented: “Luckily for us, an obstetrician was coming past and Jackie [midwife] said to the obstetrician, ‘please can you go in, I can’t hear the patient’s baby’s heartbeat’, and then I heard this guttural screaming. “It was the most bizarre thing that’s ever happened to me because it was me. I didn’t know I was doing it. I had no control over myself.”
FROM February 1, vaccina‐ tion certificates will have an expiry date in Spain. Al‐ though Omicron continues to spread through Europe rapidly, high vaccination rates and milder symptoms have meant that measures have not been as strict as they have been at earlier stages of the pandemic. One of the measures in place is the use of the Covid passport, and the European Union countries are planning on introducing new changes regarding this certificate of vaccination. From February 1, the Covid Passport will allow travellers to enter the differ‐ ent regions of the EU, without the need for isolation periods or negative diagnostic tests. Also, from the same date, this type of certificate will be‐ gin to have an expiry date, which will be 270 days after the last dose of the vaccine was given. After this period, the person must have re‐ ceived the booster shot or the Covid passport will be consid‐ ered expired.
CERTIFICATE: From February 1 will have an expiry date.
28 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
www.euroweeklynews.com
NEWS
Cow attack hiker rescued SPECIALISTS from the mountain service of the Guardia Civil rescued a hiker who fell around 40 metres off a ravine after she was attacked by a cow in Capileira (Granada). The victim was a 52‐year‐old woman from Almeria. According to sources from the Guardia Civil, officers from the Special Mountain Rescue and Intervention Service (Sereim) rescued the victim, who suffered cranioencephalic trauma, with open wounds and multiple polytraumas, espe‐ cially in the area of the thorax. The incident oc‐ curred on Sunday, January 23, when the victim was out hiking in a zone near the Poqueira Refuge, in Capileira. The police were alerted at around 4.20pm that a woman had fallen ap‐ proximately 40 metres after being ‘charged by a cow that was loose in the area where she was
THE first three cases of what has been dubbed ‘stealth Omicron’, the recently de‐ tected subvariant of Omi‐ cron, have been confirmed in Spain. Two cases of the subvari‐ ant of Omicron, known as BA.2, have been detected in Catalonia, and another has been detected in the Balearic Islands, according to the De‐ partments of Health of both
LOOSE COW: Woman fell off a ravine.
walking at the time.’ Heavy fog meant the res‐ cuers had to carry out the operation on foot, and it was complicated due to the rough terrain. Finally, at around 9.15pm, they reached the ambulance, and the victim was put into the care of the health services.
Stealth omicron
autonomous communities. These cases are the first cas‐ es of ‘stealth Omicron’ to be detected in Spain. In the Balearic Islands, the case was detected by the Mi‐ crobiology team at the Son Espases University Hospital in Palma, led by Antoni Oliv‐ er. This subvariant has been
dubbed ‘stealth Omicron’ because, according to the first tests, it cannot be de‐ tected by diagnostic tests and it is very similar to the original Omicron. Scientists are now studying whether it is more contagious or not, af‐ ter it started to spread in countries such as Denmark and the United Kingdom.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Old phrases dying out
Some phrases seldom used.
HAVE you ever gone to ‘see a man about a dog’? You may be one of only a few people as a new sur‐ vey has shown that there are many traditional phras‐ es that are at risk of disap‐ pearing as they fall out of favour with younger gener‐ ations. The endangered
Extremadura stops reporting EXTREMADURA has become the first autonomous community in Spain to stop reporting daily numbers of Covid cases. The re‐ gional health system has eliminated the section on the number of infections recorded over the last 24 hours from its daily report on the evolution of the virus, a modification that will be permanent. It will, however, continue to report the seven‐day and 14‐day cumulative incidence in each of its municipalities, which will be shared each Thursday in a press release. The minister of Health and Social Services, José María Vergeles, explained that the objective is simply to focus all attention on the seriously ill. The decision has been made in parallel with the central govern‐ ment’s plan to treat Covid as a seasonal illness like the flu, some‐ thing that has sparked criticism from the European Medicines Agency and some doctors, who believe that it is still too early for such measures.
sayings have been listed af‐ ter a survey of 2,000 peo‐ ple between the ages of 18 and 50 asked if they had ever used them before. Not all the at‐risk phrases are likely to pass muster among younger genera‐ tions. Pronouncing the words ‘knickers in a twist’ or ‘colder than a witch’s t‐‐’ might cause a conversa‐ tion quickly to go pear‐ shaped. However, the people who took the survey still ex‐ pressed disappointment at the disappearance of tradi‐ tional phrases, with 73 per cent of those asked saying it was a shame when a phrase died out. Ellie Glason, from Per‐ spectus Global, which com‐ missioned the poll, said: “It’s interesting to see from our research, how language evolves and changes over the years. It would seem that many of the phrases which were once common‐ place in Britain are seldom used nowadays.”
EWN 29
Disease warning ACCORDING to re‐ searchers in the UK and Australia, around 300,000 Brits are living with a stealth disease that could kill within five years. Many people are un‐ aware that they have aortic valve stenosis, or AS. In the most severe cases AS can cause a fluttering heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness and fatigue. Aortic valve stenosis is where the heart’s aortic valve be‐ gins to narrow. Some people do not suffer from any symp‐ toms, so are completely unaware they have the disease. Aortic valve stenosis is more com‐ mon in people who have high blood pres‐ sure, diabetes or who are in a higher age range. The Australian and UK scientists set out to discover how many people have the condi‐
tion. They also aimed to calculate how many peo‐ ple could be at risk of dy‐ ing. The scientists calculated that at any one time around 300,000 people in
the UK would have the disease. Only two thirds of these people would show symptoms. In many peo‐ ple, the disease would be silent and would not be di‐ agnosed until it is too late.
30 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
NEWS
UK unsafe for LGBT+ Ukraine gas threat
THE UK has been named as a country notable for ‘extensive and often virulent attacks on the rights of LGBT+ people’ over the past sev‐ eral years. The unfortunate accolade put the nation alongside places like Hungary, Poland, Russia and Turkey as an area of concern re‐ garding the safety of LGBT+ rights. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the overarching human rights body of Europe. They condemned the at‐ tacks on LGBT+ people and said that advances made in equal rights were under threat, most visibly in these five countries. Council members approved the conclusions at a meeting held on January 25 even though a group of Labour MPs proposed an amendment
LGBT+: The UK is an area of concern.
to remove the UK from the list. The UK was included on the unsafe for LGBT+ people area list because of the rise of anti‐trans rhetoric in the country. They also pointed to UK hate crime statistics which show a sharp increase in transphobic crimes since 2015 ‐ though only one in seven victims report them to an authority.
WWF lists new species
THE World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) latest report lists 224 new species that have been identified in the greater Mekong region over the last year, as scientists and natural‐ ists work to record and pro‐ tect flora and fauna in the area. The report highlights the need to protect the rich biodi‐ versity and habitats in the re‐
gion, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Although only listed now, the species were identified in 2020, but the report was de‐ layed for a variety of reasons. Amongst the findings was the only new mammal, a mon‐ key called the Popa langur named after the steep hill‐ sides of the extinct Mt Popa
volcano in Myanmar where it lives. The monkey has ghostly white circles around its eyes making it quite distinct from other apes. Included in the list are also dozens of newly identified reptiles, frogs and newts, fish and 155 plant species, includ‐ ing the only known succulent bamboo species, found in Laos.
ONE out of every four Euro‐ pean homes are heated by gas that travels through Ukraine, meaning that a cut to the supply would leave half of Europe without heating in the middle of winter. The European Union is one of Gazprom’s main clients. The Russian energy giant sells 35 per cent of its gas to European countries: one out of every four Euro‐ pean homes is heated by the Russian gas that passes through Ukraine. In 2021, Gazprom extract‐ ed 514,800 million cubic me‐ tres of gas. Natural gas is the crown jewel of the economy of Russia, a country that has been trying to find a way out of its mutual dependence with Europe. In 2021, Russia began to turn to China as an alterna‐ tive to its dependence on the European Union. Last May, Gazprom signed an agreement with the Asian giant.
Supplies gas to Europe.
Russia has used these commercial relations as a geopolitical weapon to try to destabilise Brussels by prioritising the supply to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline over the supply to Europe.
Dog found after 6 years AN emotional video of a missing dog being reunited with its family after six years has highlighted the importance of microchipping. Pepa Tenonio found a dog on the road between the towns of Deifontes and Iznalloz in Granada. The microchip revealed he had been missing for six years. Thanks to the information on the chip, Pepa was able to locate the owners. She posted an emotional reunion video on social networks in which she sends an important message to all pet owners. Dico’s owner had unfortunately passed away; however, the video shows his emotional relatives hugging the dog. When Pepa called the telephone number on the chip, the owners’ children cried, knowing that Dico was alive and com‐ ing home. The video went viral on social media.
STATS
8
The first person convicted of speeding was going 8 mph
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Spanish travel warning
THE UK Foreign Office has warned families planning to travel to Spain during the Febru‐ ary half term that the popular holiday destination requires travellers to have at least two vaccine doses. The Spanish trav‐ el warning could be a blow for families who have children aged 12 to 15 who may not be fully vaccinated yet. The government said on its website: “Tourism: you must show proof of being fully vacci‐ nated (with both doses of a two‐ dose vaccine or one dose of a one‐dose vaccine) at least 14 days prior to arrival in Spain (date(s) of vaccination must be specified).” People were also warned that Spain will accept Covid recovery certificates for arrivals from high‐ risk countries who have had the virus, but the UK is not included in this scheme. The Foreign Office added: “If you’re travelling to Spain for tourism purposes, you cannot use the UK proof of Covid recov‐ ery record certifying that you have recovered from Covid‐19 in the last six months.”
TRAVELLERS: Must have at least two vaccine doses.
Denmark scraps restrictions THE coronavirus will no longer be considered a ‘critical’ disease in Denmark. As of February 1, the country lifted all restrictions brought in due to the fourth wave of the virus. The decision was made despite the growing number of cases in the country. The government made the announcement and said that the Omicron variant poses a lower danger. The govern‐ ment also commented that a high number of people have now been jabbed against the virus. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen commented: “We are ready to come out of the shadow of the coronavirus, we say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we had before. The pandemic continues, but we have passed the critical stage.” Coronavirus restrictions such as masks being worn indoors have been ditched. All restrictions related to restaurants, cultural venues and social gatherings have also been removed, while nightlife venues are allowed to reopen.
STATS
6
It only takes 6 minutes for alcohol to affect your brain.
EWN 31
32 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
FEATURE
Vaccinations in Spain:
THE question ‘to jab or not to get jabbed’ seems to be on everyone’s lips, with the vaccine continuing programme, while others are adamant in opting not to get the jab due to concerns about its effecti and where do you stand? Here the Euro Weekly News is delving into both sides of the argument to
After a slow start, vaccination rates in Spain have shot up. According to Statista, as of January 20, 2022, over 88 million vaccine doses have been administered in Spain.
The stats Andalucia has the highest rate of dosage, with around 16 million doses administered and the autonomous city of Melilla is the re‐ gion with the lowest vaccination uptake. While other European countries have had to resort to mandated vaccines, Spain has avoid‐ ed this thanks to its high vaccination rates, and more than 71 per cent of Spain’s population is fully vaccinated, making it one of the highest vaccinated countries in Europe. Spain’s health minister, Carolina Darias re‐ cently said: “Compared to the other four most populated countries in the EU, Spain holds the first place in all the indicators, also placing us in the first position of G20 countries both in first‐ doses injections and in full vaccination.”
The law
‘National pride’ So, why has the vaccination programme in Spain been so successful? According to Dr Vi‐ cente Soriano, professor of infectious diseases director of the UNIR Medical Centre in Madrid, it’s a matter of national pride. For Soriano, the vaccination programme for nursing homes and vulnerable people was the big turning point. More than 95 per cent of the elderly have been vaccinated which, according to Soriano, made a huge impact: “we didn’t have any more admissions from nursing home residents.” Another reason behind Spain’s vaccination success is “solidarity values,” said Josep Lobera, a sociology professor at the Autonomous Uni‐ versity of Madrid. And he might be on to some‐ thing. With such a high number of Spaniards in their late 20s still living at home with their par‐ ents, young people have shown great willing‐ ness to get the vaccine and protect older family members. In June 2021, the Imperial College London shared results from a study that showed 79 per cent of Spanish people trust the vaccine. When
COVID VACCINE: More than 71 per cent of Spain’s population is fully vaccinated.
we consider Spain’s history (Spain notoriously delayed Polio vaccination by close to a decade, resulting in a large number of deaths and grave disabilities), this makes a lot of sense.
The science So let’s look at the science. The Covid‐19 vaccine was created in record time. This mon‐ umentally quick turnaround raised a few con‐ cerns, however, scientists and doctors around the world assure us that the vaccine is perfect‐ ly safe. The WHO commented: “Like all vaccines, Covid‐19 vaccines go through a rigorous, multi‐
stage testing process, including large clinical tri‐ als that involve tens of thousands of people. These trials are specifically designed to identify any safety concerns.” Several Covid‐19 vaccinations were devel‐ oped using mRNA technology. This technology has been studied in labs for over a decade and has been used to develop other vaccines such as the flu and rabies vaccine. Again, the WHO issues that they are per‐ fectly safe: “These mRNA vaccines have been rigorously assessed for safety, and clinical tri‐ als have shown that they provide a long‐last‐ ing immune response. mRNA vaccines are not live virus vaccines and do not interfere with human DNA.”
There is currently no statutory obligation to get a Covid‐19 vaccine in Spain, however, new rules for visitors will come into effect from February 1, 2022. According to Spain’s official tourism website, as of 1 February 2022, “all travellers to Spain must have a vaccination certificate and the cer‐ tificate must have been issued by the compe‐ tent authorities of the country of origin at least 14 days after the date of administration of the last dose of the full course of vaccination, as long as the final dose of that course of vaccina‐ tion was no more than 270 days ago. From that time, the certificate must show the administra‐ tion of a booster vaccination.” For those over the age of six, face coverings remain obligatory on public transport and oth‐ er indoor and outdoor public areas. Social dis‐ tancing of 1.5 metres also continues. Rules vary slightly from autonomous region to au‐ tonomous region. Children between the ages of three and five are also encouraged to wear masks, although this remains a recommendation. Those who aren’t able to wear a mask due to health issues are also exempt. As the situation continues to evolve, Spain has recently taken the decision to reduce the isolation period for positive cases from 10 days to seven days, provided the person isolating doesn’t have any symptoms on day seven. Spain is the first country in Europe to reduce the isolation period. In response to this decision, President Pedro Sanchez stated: “We need to find a balance be‐ tween public health, mental health and the economy.”
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 33
The great debate
g to divide the population. Some are vocally championing the vaccine and the success of the vaccine iveness and the consequences of mandatory vaccines. But what are the arguments on both sides, see how Spanish locals feel about the vaccine. On the other hand, according to research almost one out of every 10 Spaniards are refusing to get the third vaccine, with the recommendations changing constantly causing a drop in confidence around how effective the vaccine really is. This is, however, still a small minority, with latest research by the Spanish Centre of Sociological Research (CIS) showing that around 84.5 per cent of those who have received at least one dose are willing to get the third jab. Still, 9 per cent are unwilling and 4 per cent are unsure.
Mistrust There are many factors behind the uncertainty ‐ fear, scepticism, doubts about its protection, or simply confu‐ sion due to contradictory messages from the health authorities. Isabel Jimeno, from the Spanish Soci‐ ety of General and Family Doctors (SEMG) stated: “To all those having doubts, I tell them to trust science,” with the third dose proven to provide significant protection. Included in those not wanting to get the vaccine are people who are con‐ cerned about the side‐effects and be‐ coming unwell after the jab. Hopkins Medicine has addressed this worry, however, with its website stating: “The vaccines do not contain live coron‐ avirus, and you cannot and will not get Covid‐19 from getting vaccinated. “After the shots, you might experience a sore arm, a mild fever or body aches, but this doesn’t mean you have Covid‐ 19. These symptoms, if they happen at all, are temporary, usually lasting only a day or two. They signal a natural re‐ sponse as your body’s immune system learns to recognise and fight the coron‐ avirus.” Getting the vaccine will not make you seriously unwell, getting Covid‐19, how‐ ever, can.
Effectiveness Some have questioned how the vac‐ cine is effective if we still have the need for booster doses, and how many booster doses will be required
normalised and often shared amongst like‐ minded people ‐ fuelling their beliefs. Medical News Today writes that “an‐ ti‐vaxxers are people who believe that vaccines are unsafe and infringe on their human rights. They typically deny the existence or validity of the science supporting their use in the general population.” The violation of human rights has been called into question in many European countries enforcing mandatory vaccination, with Germany, Denmark and Austria enforcing the mandate.
The debate
MISTRUST: Some have questioned how the vaccine is effective if we still need boosters.
to top‐up the vaccine’s effectiveness. Health officials have stated that Covid will eventually be treated like the flu, with those most vulnerable needing a jab each year. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) states that if we “want to move towards a scenario of endemicity, then such boosters should be synchronised with the arrival of the cold season.”
Vaccine hesitancy Differing from those people who call themselves vaccine‐hesitant, ‘anti‐
vaxxers’ usually use aggressive meth‐ ods to push others not to get certain jabs that are designed to help prevent disease. It is interesting to note that new research has found that two‐ thirds of the propaganda posted on‐ line and on social media about the vaccine is created by just 12 so‐called influencers. Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the CCDH, told Sky News that social media giants “bear none of the cost for the content” they host, and that the people spreading this content are skilled in marketing and social media, meaning that these views are more
The pandemic has not only had a huge effect on the public, but many businesses have been forced to close due to the enforcement of the Covid passport in the hospitality sector. With regards to Spain, areas that rely heavily on tourism such as the Costa del Sol and Benidorm have been hit hard, even so, Andalucia decided to ex‐ tend its use just a few days ago be‐ cause of high infection rates. Many businesses are losing millions and have called into question whether the mandatory passport should be dropped in a bid to recover the economy. There are still unknowns with re‐ gards to mutations and variants of the virus and the real long‐term effects of receiving the vaccine, however, with the world taken over by this pandemic, has Covid now taught us a lesson on preparedness?
34 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
www.euroweeklynews.com
EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Insurance failure
Words removed
ALWAYS read the small print is a maxim when taking out insurance, but 14 Danish insurances companies have been hit with fines for discrimination against female clients who became pregnant. Eight companies have accepted the fines and the others have until February 1 or could be prosecuted.
SCRABBLE is becoming increasingly more difficult in Denmark as it has been reported by the Danish Language Board, that some 3,581 words were removed from the Danish Spelling Dictionary between 1986 and 2012 as they were considered obsolete or replaced by English words.
THE NETHERLANDS Racial profiling
Mortgage help
THE Dutch Tax Office, having been brought to task over wrongly accusing parents of fraud, is back in the spotlight after an independent review found that in 11 per cent of cases it viewed, people were being highlighted as potential fraudsters on the basis of their appearance and nationality.
WITH rental properties becoming increasingly expensive, the National Mortgage Guarantee agency, supported by a number of commercial banks, is to help renters who pay more than a mortgage would cost but have been turned down by lenders to get their feet on the property ladder.
BELGIUM Holocaust research
Unclaimed money
DURING the Second World War, the Belgian railway company NMBS was responsible for the deportation of more than 25,000 Jews and Roma to death camps. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the Belgian Government has commissioned research into the role of the company and who made the decisions.
THIS is not an email scam but a genuine fact according to the Belga News Agency as it revealed that Belgian customers had around €575 million sitting unclaimed in dormant bank accounts at the end of 2021, up €7 million from the previous year.
GERMANY Telegram ban
Snap resignation
THE German Government is reportedly considering banning the encrypted messaging app Telegram which it contends is being used by different groups to promote hate speech and conspiracy theories. Its complaints have been made to the creators of the app, but these have apparently been ignored.
VICE-ADMIRAL Kay-Achim Schönbach who was head of the German navy has tendered his resignation after making a number of comments during a visit to India about the Ukraine and Russia which has caused the German government some embarrassment especially as he said that Vladimir Putin deserved “respect”.
FRANCE Child victims
Bizarre artwork
CATHOLIC dioceses throughout France have raised €20 million to compensate up to 330,000 victims of historical child sexual abuse by clergy over seven decades according to the president of the Selam fund. The French Catholic Church has confirmed that it will also contribute its own funds.
IT has been discovered that a senior French surgeon has offered to sell as a piece of art for €2,500, without permission, an X-ray of the arm of a concert goer, shot during the 2015 Bataclan attack, which shows a bullet still lodged in the forearm.
NORWAY Spoilt for choice
Future Queen
THE Norwegian Finance Ministry may be breathing a sigh of relief after controversially inviting former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to apply to head the Bank of Norway as it seems possible that due to the Ukraine problem he will be asked to remain as head of NATO.
THE first woman born to be Queen of Norway officially came of age on Friday January 21 when she celebrated her 18th birthday. Flags flew and cannons fired in honour of Princess Ingrid Alexandra, daughter of Crown Prince Haakon, heir apparent to the Norwegian throne.
EUROPEAN PRESS
www.euroweeklynews.com
EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND
Respecting tradition
Spanish visit
THE National Museum of Finland is hosting an exhibition of Sámi artefacts entitled The Homecoming until February 27 to celebrate the fact that it has repatriated its Sámi collection of over 2,000 items to the Sámi Museum Siida following several years of negotiation.
FINNISH Prime Minister Sanna Marin travelled to Madrid on Wednesday January 25 for her first official visit to Spain where she met with her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez and discussed various issues including the Ukraine situation, as well as strengthening of economic ties.
IRELAND Marley kit
Post-mortem
AFTER Ajax in Holland adopted a Bob Marley football kit, Dublin based Bohemian FC has followed suit with permission from his family as they pay tribute to the musician who played his last concert at their stadium in 1980. Funds from sales will go to charity.
TWO men who were initially suspected of taking a dead man into a post office in Co. Carlow to collect his pension have been exonerated as the post-mortem showed that he must have died of natural causes after they entered the building.
ITALY Crown jewels
Smoking gun
IN June 1946 after a referendum decided to abolish the Italian Royal Family, their jewels were taken for safe keeping and placed in a bank vault although they were never officially seized. The descendants of the last king having tried mediation are now suing the Italian government for their return.
THE Italian Tobacconist Federation (FIT), is up in arms over an Italian government decision to require that anyone who wishes to purchase cigarettes from one of its member’s shops will have to show a Green Pass showing vaccination, negative testing or recovery from Covid-19.
PORTUGAL Covid register
Toll roads
WITH effect from January 26, anyone wishing to enter Galicia from Portugal was required to register their arrival within a maximum period of 24 hours and confirm their contact details on a special coronavirus website. This applies to anyone arriving from areas with a high incidence of infection.
VISITORS who drive into Portugal are often confused by the toll roads there and due to the complex nature of making payment are fined if it isn’t made within five days. Recognising this, the Portuguese government has now extended the payment period to 15 days.
RUSSIA Eastern Front
Differing opinion
ALTHOUGH it may appear surprising considering the number of people placed in camps by the Stalin regime, a Moscow-based organisation of former child and youth prisoners of Nazi concentration camps has suggested that Russia should establish a ‘Day of the Genocide of the Soviet People’.
THERE is significant disagreement between the Bank of Russia which wants to see a complete ban on cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin and the Finance Ministry which wants to allow investment but ensure that it is controlled and has prepared proposed guidelines for consideration.
SWEDEN Electric avenue
Pink hydrogen
AFTER a number of trials, Sweden’s traffic agency Trafikverket is to install a 21kilometre stretch of road which is capable of recharging electric vehicles The location in Örebro has been chosen as it is a major area for transportation of freight.
AS the Swedish nuclear power industry starts to close some of its facilities, it finds itself with an excess of H2 Pink Hydrogen which is generated through electrolysis during the process. In a first, the Oskarshamn 3 power station is to sell the excess to industrial gases giant Linde.
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 35
FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Record job creation FIGURES for 2021 show that the Spanish labour market recovered strongly following the 2020 drop due to the pandemic with 615,900 fewer people unemployed which represents the largest annual re‐ duction since 2015, while employ‐ ment grew by 840,700 jobs, the highest number since 2005.
Camp Nou Spotify ONCE mega‐wealthy Barcelona FC is looking to cut wages of its players and obtain as much long‐term sponsorship as possible. According to Football España, it is in negotia‐ tion with Spotify to take over the main shirt spot and may rename its stadium Camp Nou Spotify.
GDP bounce ALTHOUGH there had been a number of negative reports about the growth of the Spanish econo‐ my for the fourth quarter of 2021, the growth of GDP by 2 per cent was well above the somewhat gloomy forecast of 1.4 per cent thanks in part to export demand.
Fewer cars UK car production fell to its lowest level in 65 years in 2021, according to figures released on January 27 by the Society of Motor Manufac‐ turers and Traders. The number of vehicles produced was 859,575, the lowest number since 1956 and the Suez Crisis.
Spain Shynes THE recently unveiled SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network) pro‐ ject, the largest renewable hydro‐ gen consortium in Spain is made up of 33 entities from different sec‐ tors comprising 22 companies and 11 associations, technology cen‐ tres, and universities under the leadership of Repsol with the aim of promoting renewable hydrogen projects in all areas of the econo‐ my. The projects in SHYNE will in‐ volve an accumulated investment of €3.23 billion and this will enable the implementation of different initiatives for the production, distri‐ bution, and use of renewable hy‐ drogen in the industrial sector, in transport and other outlets creat‐ ing an estimated 13,000 new jobs.
36
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2021
STAT OF WEEK
$7 million
(€6.3 million) is the price expected when the world’s largest black diamond, the Enigma weighing more than 550 carats, goes to auction in London in February.
Spanish legislation contrary to EU law IN a bid to ensure that Spanish tax resi‐ dents declare all of their financial in‐ vestments and sources of income re‐ gardless of where they may be derived from, the Spanish Government intro‐ duced penalties for those who did not make accurate declarations. On February 15, 2017 the European Commission issued a reasoned opinion in which it found that certain aspects of the requirement for Spanish tax resi‐ dents to declare overseas assets or rights by means of a form entitled ‘Form 720’ were incompatible with EU law. The Commission referred the matter to the European Court of Jus‐
tice which on January 27, 2022 issued its findings in the matter and the fol‐ lowing is a brief interpretation of the findings. Whilst in principle the concept of trying to stop tax residents from evading their obligations is acceptable, the Court has found that the legislation goes beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives. In the first place, the Court considers that Spain has failed to fulfil its obliga‐ tions under the free movement of cap‐ ital within the European Union. Then by imposing very high penal‐ ties for failure to declare overseas hold‐ ings, the tax authority may be de‐
manding payment in excess of 100 per cent of the value of the assets held which constitutes a disproportionate interference with the free movement of capital. Finally, the fact that the penalties for those ‘hiding’ overseas assets are stricter than internal evasion also im‐ pinges on free movement of capital. This doesn’t mean at this stage that there can be queues for refunds from those fined but ‘If the Court of Justice finds that there has been a failure to fulfil obligations, the Member State concerned must comply with the Court’s judgement without delay’.
Manage rising costs Do they need executor? with a pre-paid plan LEGALLY SPEAKING
I recently did my Spanish Will. The lawyer draw‐ ing up the Will appointed himself as the executor of the Will, giving him a maximum of five years to execute the Will. Is this clause normal? 1. What would happen if the solicitor pre‐deceased me? 2. Why can’t I appoint my wife and children to be execu‐ tors of the Will? 3. Can I amend the Will by taking it to another notary and attaching a codicil appointing my wife and children as the executors or should I do a new Will? 4. If the solicitor did execute the Will is there a govern‐ ment set fee or can he charge whatever he wants? T K (Costa del Sol) Spanish DAVID SEARL law does not require that a YOU AND THE LAW testament have an IN SPAIN executor. You can‐ not name your wife and children as executors be‐ cause they are inheritors and the law says you can‐ not be named as executor if you are an inheritor. If your executor dies before you do, his appointment dies with him. There is no set official fee for an ex‐ ecutor. His charges should be agreed beforehand. If you are unhappy it seems that your best bet is to get a new lawyer and make a new Will. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
SPAIN ranked 34 out of 180 in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) produced annually by Transparen‐ cy International. The CPI ranks 180 countries around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corrup‐ tion and the results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). While corruption takes vastly differ‐ ent forms from country to country, this year’s scores reveal that all regions of
A S funeral prices contin‐ ue to soar, purchasing a Golden Leaves pre‐paid plan gives you the security and reassurance you and your Tailored to your needs. family need for when the time comes. With a wealth of expertise, Golden Leaves can aid you in finding the right pre‐paid funeral plan. Tailored to your needs, wishes, and budget, they assist you in planning every aspect of your service. Golden Leaves is the only funeral planning busi‐ ness to offer repatriation plans to British expats living overseas as well as foreign expats living in the UK. For expats living abroad, Golden Leaves believe it’s essential to have a pre‐paid funeral plan in place. Strict regulations, bureaucratic red tape, and a potential language barrier can cause your family distress at an already difficult time. For more information, visit their website: www.goldenleavesinternational.com, send an email to info@goldenleavesinternational.com, or call for free on 800 098 309.
Public sector corruption the globe are at a standstill when it comes to fighting public sector corrup‐ tion. At the top of the CPI, countries in Western Europe and the European Union continue to wrestle with trans‐ parency and accountability in their re‐ sponse to Covid‐19, threatening the re‐ gion’s clean image.
The global Covid‐19 pandemic has according to the report been used in many countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and side‐step impor‐ tant checks and balances. Topping the list as being the least corrupt countries and with similar scores are Denmark, Finland and New
Digital pickpockets WHILST the increase in lim‐ its when using contactless debit cards is welcomed by many, there is a potential problem. Investigations by media outlets in both Belgium and Germany have shown that it is possible to obtain a card terminal online for as little as €14.99 and then by simply walking up to peo‐ ple in crowds and placing the terminal near to their pockets or bags it is possi‐ ble to ‘harvest’ their cards. In the long term, this form of digital pickpocket‐ ing would be uncovered as the identity of the scam‐ mer would be known to banks, but in the short term, there is money to be made.
Not making money DE LA RUE, the company that makes money finds itself unable to make as much money as forecast due to the pandemic and supply chain issues. One of the significant costs of producing notes for some 140 countries is the secure shipping of vast amounts of heavy paper which meant that it has set up production centres around the world with main printing taking place in the UK, Malta and Sri Lanka. Due to rising energy prices as well as higher costs of raw materials and microchips for pass‐ ports, it has had to re‐ duce its profit forecast from £45 million to around £40 million. Zealand with Norway and Sweden in the top 10. The UK is 11th but dropping to 34th place is Spain behind such countries as Qatar, Chile and Taiwan. At the bottom of the list are a num‐ ber of countries which have been in‐ volved in armed conflict and revolution such as South Sudan, Yemen and Syria although poverty‐stricken Venezuela clocks in at number 177.
38 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US
LONDON - FTSE 100
See our advert on previous page
C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 31
COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.333,00 Abrdn 243,20 Admiral Group 3.160,0 Anglo American 3.251,0 Antofagasta 1.339,00 Ashtead Group 5.244,0 Associated British Foods 1.929,5 AstraZeneca 8.640,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 659,00 Avast 606,40 Aveva 2.876,0 Aviva 433,50 B&M European Value Retail 562,40 BAE Systems 590,80 Bank VTB DRC 1,118 Barclays 195,82 Barratt Developments 609,40 Berkeley 4.170,0 BHP Group 2.361,00 BP 385,67 British American Tobacco 3.145,0 British Land Company 541,20 BT Group 190,35 Bunzl 2.797,0 Burberry Group 1.848,0 Carnival 1.280,0 Centrica 73,02 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.439,0 Compass 1.644,00 CRH 3.709,0 Croda Intl 7.810,0 DCC 6.230,0 Diageo 3.715,0 DS Smith 374,50 EasyJet 612,40 Experian 3.035,0 Ferguson 11.580,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.870,0 Fresnillo 618,60 GlaxoSmithKline 1.654,60 Glencore 389,50 Halma 2.445,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.326,00 Hikma Pharma 2.056,00 HSBC 526,20 IAG 155,18 Imperial Brands 1.743,50 Informa 546,80 InterContinental 4.747,0
CHANGE(P) +23,50 +1,70 -6,0 -67,5 +9,00 +72,0 -29,5 -109,0 +11,60 +0,20 +42,0 +1,30 -2,20 +0,40 +0,026 -0,50 +4,80 +65,0 -15,00 +2,30 +4,5 -5,00 -2,50 +34,0 +20,0 +21,0 +2,16 +28,0 -5,50 +54,0 +134,0 +56,0 +39,5 +2,80 -5,60 +61,0 +145,0 -20,0 -10,20 -3,20 -2,75 +37,0 +10,00 -12,00 +1,50 +1,12 -9,50 +2,20 +39,0
% CHG. +1,77% +0,70% -0,19% -2,03% +0,67% +1,37% -1,51% -1,24% +1,77% +0,03% +1,47% +0,30% -0,39% +0,07% +2,36% -0,25% +0,79% +1,58% -0,63% +0,60% +0,14% -0,92% -1,27% +1,22% +1,08% +1,65% +3,00% +1,16% -0,33% +1,47% +1,72% +0,90% +1,07% +0,75% -0,91% +2,02% +1,26% -0,18% -1,61% -0,19% -0,70% +1,52% +0,76% -0,58% +0,28% +0,73% -0,54% +0,40% +0,82%
NET VOL 100,41K 421,38K 38,37K 631,31K 102,53K 87,83K 127,44K 153,07K 168,09K 74,90K 31,38K 648,26K 263,56K 553,13K 23,26K 3,78M 345,66K 28,78K 762,63K 954,99K 265,79K 42,49K 5,11M 59,41K 72,43K 120,26K 4,84M 44,62K 346,68K 110,94K 22,32K 20,03K 278,49K 162,59K 196,07K 142,04K 39,37K 46,50K 364,31K 597,62K 3,83M 84,16K 96,50K 17,13K 4,33M 2,83M 175,03K 242,04K 115,15K
COMPANY
PRICE(P)
Intermediate Capital 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
1.874,00 5.294,0 111,45 291,80 1.896,0 784,40 283,80 51,19 6.936,0 738,20 150,70 1.840,50 1.091,60 242,60 7.486,0 28,48 1.455,00 2.381,0 661,40 1.226,00 5.972,0 2.235,00 511,00 631,40 5.267,6 113,76 7,35 1.877,6 1.878,2 711,40 1.524,00 13,63 3.318,0 1.047,00 1.285,00 2.883,0 1.242,50 1.545,00 12.900,0 1.570,50 1.482,00 532,00 148,22 295,85 246,00 3.783,5 1.071,00 130,50 2.952,0 1.149,50
CHANGE(P) +20,50 +22,0 +0,35 -6,30 +5,0 -1,40 +2,60 +0,06 +18,0 +5,60 +1,80 +27,50 +4,00 +1,10 -74,0 +0,42 +28,50 +28,0 -0,80 +3,50 -62,0 +21,00 +2,80 +6,40 -116,0 +1,60 +0,14 0,0 0,0 +4,40 +30,50 +0,63 +31,0 +36,50 +12,50 +3,0 +10,50 +9,50 +300,0 +3,50 +20,50 +1,40 +0,45 -6,60 -4,60 +19,5 +0,87 +5,20 -19,0 +8,00
% CHG.
NET VOL
+1,10% +0,41% +0,31% -2,11% +0,26% -0,18% +0,92% +0,12% +0,26% +0,76% +1,20% +1,51% +0,37% +0,45% -0,98% +1,49% +1,98% +1,19% -0,12% +0,28% -1,03% +0,94% +0,55% +1,01% -2,15% +1,42% +1,98% 0,00% 0,00% +0,62% +2,03% +4,77% +0,94% +3,55% +0,98% +0,10% +0,85% +0,62% +2,35% +0,22% +1,39% +0,26% +0,30% -2,17% -1,83% +0,52% +0,08% +4,08% -0,64% +0,70%
44,45K 14,69K 732,66K 518,26K 28,47K 129,22K 966,44K 26,65M 78,25K 52,49K 263,22K 85,07K 342,32K 1,90M 25,98K 101,23K 164,86K 134,25K 231,66K 402,12K 103,92K 252,86K 207,77K 240,43K 37,79K 3,67M 233,18K 0 0 267,87K 1,47K 1,03M 13,43K 789,71K 141,39K 29,38K 119,61K 37,29K 7,95K 155,26K 7,39K 508,18K 314,36K 2,29M 955,77K 505,59K 12,09K 41,29M 92,78K 392,40K
1.20257
0.83115
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1169 Japan yen (JPY)........................................128.93 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0406 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4430 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.010
currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 31
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 160,54 169,77 222,25 162,80 183,77 196,80 128,07 53,44 58,94 59,07 333,45 352,84 196,05 131,79 46,30 169,30 142,17 247,16 79,18 294,45 140,61 157,32 210,88 163,42 455,08 51,19 216,10 49,32 133,95 133,56
CHANGE -7,06 +5,16 +5,14 +11,11 +0,82 -11,01 -4,76 +0,99 +1,19 -0,14 +5,98 +10,11 +1,34 +1,98 -0,32 +1,20 +1,30 +7,35 +0,32 +8,42 +1,27 +1,37 +9,39 +1,16 +4,46 +1,71 +21,85 +0,46 +1,68 +3,21
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) -4,15% 6,20M +3,00% 4,24M +2,29% 2,44M +6,98% 174,88M +0,43% 10,81M -5,19% 10,51M -3,52% 24,57M +1,81% 30,84M +2,00% 18,93M -0,23% 6,91M +1,75% 3,63M +2,84% 4,49M +0,67% 3,35M +1,49% 5,41M -0,67% 61,21M +0,70% 9,71M +0,89% 14,03M +2,95% 3,83M +0,40% 13,76M +2,81% 49,42M +0,88% 6,09M +0,86% 9,36M +4,41% 8,18M +0,70% 1,23M +0,97% 3,35M +3,34% 28,66M +10,60% 26,31M +0,92% 5,42M +1,24% 7,95M +2,37% 9,81M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 31
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+175.63% +87.93% +33.33% +24.13% +23.67% +23.50% +22.35% +21.69% +21.54% +21.02% +19.79%
28.91M 105.19M 25.44M 353.40K 3.93M 4.78M 12.08M 32.19K 66.34K 1.47M 698.08K
-31.37% -22.58% -21.16% -20.45% -19.05% -15.83% -15.77% -15.50% -14.96% -14.55% -13.28%
1.90M 20.26K 1.76M 3.14M 8.09M 81.68K 384.25K 6.42K 27.20K 19.09M 82.11K
Most Advanced Knightscope Imperial Petroleum Yoshitsu ADR Mawson Infrastructure Group Dave Inc Vaccinex Provention Bio Regencell Bioscience Holdings Rallybio Applied Genetic Clearfield
Most Declined Williams Industrial ECP Environmental Growth Opportunities Volcon InVivo Therapeutics DouYu MDJM Xos Warrants Qurate Retail B Pennsylvania REIT Pref C Qurate Retail A Fusion Fuel Green
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Currency outlook: Pound bolstered by Covid optimism, Euro undermined by ECB’s dovish bias
EUROZONE: Economic activity is likely to have weakened in the last quarter of 2021.
ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday
Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com
Euro EUR/GBP: Down from £0.85 to £0.83 EUR/USD: Unchanged at $1.13 The euro trended broadly lower over the past four weeks, mostly as a result of the per‐ ceived policy divergence between the Euro‐ pean Central Bank (ECB) and other major cen‐ tral banks, with the ECB’s dovish bias undermining the single currency. Whilst its peers look ready to embark on a new tightening cycle, the ECB remains com‐ mitted to maintaining its ultra‐loose policy as it continues to dismiss inflationary pressures in the Eurozone as ‘transitory’. Recent Eurozone data releases have also acted as a headwind for the single currency in recent weeks as they indicate economic activi‐ ty is likely to have weakened in the last quarter of 2021. Meanwhile the euro has also been pres‐ sured by Europe’s ongoing Covid woes, with many countries within the Eurozone reporting record increases in daily cases, raising addition‐ al concerns over the bloc’s economic recovery. Looking ahead, the contrast in monetary policy between the ECB and other major cen‐ tral banks may become an increasing liability for the euro over the coming month, while the threat of a potential conflict in neighbouring Ukraine may also supress EUR sentiment. Pound GBP/EUR: Up from €1.17 to €1.19 GBP/USD: Up from $1.32 to $1.35 The pound enjoyed a strong start to 2022, with the currency carrying over the positive momentum it saw at the end of 2021 A key factor underpinning Sterling senti‐ ment over the past month was the UK gov‐ ernment’s decision not to impose stricter Covid restrictions in England and to instead ‘ride out’ Omicron. Further buoying GBP exchange rates were considerable bets the Bank of England (BoE) will hike interest rates again at its first policy
meeting of 2022. However the pound’s ascent hasn’t been completely frictionless, with the currency be‐ ing shaken by political jitters in recent weeks as Boris Johnson faces a potential leadership challenge after the Prime Minister admitted he attended a ‘bring your own booze’ party in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown in May 2020. It seems safe to assume that the BoE’s February policy meeting will be the primary fo‐ cus for GBP investors in the coming month. With a February interest rate hike already largely priced in by markets the focus will in‐ stead be on the bank’s forward guidance. If the BoE signals plans for the current tight‐ ening cycle to accelerate then the pound is likely to maintain its positive trajectory. US Dollar USD/GBP: Down from £0.75 to £0.73 USD/EUR: Up from €0.87 to €0.88 The US dollar stumbled over the finish line in 2021, with easing fears over the Omicron Covid variant resulting in demand for the safe‐ haven currency waning. However the US dollar didn’t stay on the defensive for long, with the currency catching fresh bids in January amidst growing specula‐ tion the Federal Reserve could begin hiking in‐ terest rates earlier than previously thought. Bets the Fed could start raising rates from March ‐ once it finishes tapering its stimulus programme ‐ helped to drive US Treasury yields higher, which also helped to underpin USD exchange rates in recent weeks. Elsewhere, elevated geopolitical uncertainty also lent strength to the ‘greenback’, with ten‐ sions between the West and Russia and China spooking investors. Acting as a headwind for the US dollar how‐ ever has been the continued disappointment in US employment data, with the US economy adding fewer than half the number of jobs ex‐ pected in December. The Fed’s first policy meeting of the year could act as a key catalyst for the US dollar going forward. Analysts are currently predicting the Fed will deliver up to four rate hikes in 2022 and any signals from the bank confirming this are likely to bolster USD exchange rates.
Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 39
40 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT ONE of the dilemmas in these days of our glorious woke society is how we are able to describe ourselves without actually offending someone! I can’t declare I’m a male in case it distresses the Trans‐genders. I can’t state I’m able bodied for fear of upsetting those not so fortunate. I can’t say I’m elderly, as I could be accused of insulting other elderly people! And I most certainly can’t proclaim I’m white, as I would undoubtedly be labelled a racist! ‘Neopronouns’ don’t help. The idea of referring to myself as an ‘it’ ’fayer’ ‘ey’ or ‘them’ is so ridiculous I’m convinced that colleagues would probably consider bundling me off to the nearest institution ‐ assuming they knew who I was of course! Did you ever hear such a load of old cobblers in your life? People, or probably ‘persons,’ actually sit around discussing these matters, and are no doubt being paid handsomely for it. Why can’t I find a job like that? Is anyone who reads this column employed in these areas? Probably not. Just for once, wouldn’t it be nice to
Sweet irony
witness some of these shadowy wokers publicly interrogated, even if it were merely to explain to us how they reach some of their asinine directives. Unfortunately that will never happen, purely because any open discussion of that ilk would undoubtedly lead to accusations of racism or some bigotry or another. At a recent function I sat opposite a lady from the UK who was visiting Mallorca. She reads the EWN online and told me that people in Britain have actually become afraid to openly discuss problems that are considered non‐PC. She also revealed that a number of her normally moderate friends were not at all happy with the situation. It appears the media’s almost fanatical endeavours to hoodwink and gaslight the British public is not actually working at all ‐ it is in fact having the reverse effect. By insulting the intelligence of the majority and suppressing the airing of their views and opinions under the Damocles sword of possible legal action or accusations of bigotry, they are creating a culture of
simmering frustration which is actually obstructing diversity. This extremely eloquent and well educated lady praised the efforts of the EWN in its promotion of the freedom of speech and wished they were ‘allowed to do the same’! How sad ‐ and how alarming is that? I don’t of course know at the time of writing the outcome of the Downing Street ‘party’ affair. However, I couldn’t help a chuckle on hearing that the Police Investigation the lefties were initially salivating over, could in fact actually prevent the publishing of the Sue Gray report Labour and its media cronies have been harping on about for weeks. Oh the sweet irony of it all! Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@hotmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Friday. 1pm till 4 To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
FEATURE
TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp
On now: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window A BEREAVED mother watch‐ es the world go by with a glass of wine (or a few bot‐ tles) from her living room window ‐ until she witnesses a brutal murder... or did she? Do not be fooled into thinking this is your classic mystery series, this is a satiri‐ cal and dark take on mystery dramas such as The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and Hitchcock’s Rear Window ‐ I mean, just look at that huge title. Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) plays a heartbroken bereaved mother, Anna. When new neighbour and widow Neil moves in across the street with his daughter Emma, An‐ na quickly becomes ob‐ sessed and offers to make them a casserole for dinner. After finding out Neil has a girlfriend, Anna becomes ab‐ sorbed in washing down sleeping pills with red wine
while watching the seeming‐ ly happy family from her window ‐ until she witnesses the murder of Neil’s girl‐ friend, Lisa... or did she? Anna’s imagination goes into overdrive ‐ queue break‐ins, stalking, police vis‐ its and a ventriloquist dum‐ my. This short series has the typical mystery formula. There are twists and turns in every episode to keep you guessing before it all comes together at the end. The series was well done and cleverly poked fun at the genre ‐ something that isn’t done often. It is worth a binge‐watch one evening and for the dark humour amongst sometime ridicu‐ lous scenes. The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window began streaming on Netflix on Fri‐ day January 28.
Advertising Feature
The great artists of Benidorm Palace
WITH the iconic Benidorm Palace Valentine’s weekend coming up, fea‐ turing their new show Terra ‐ a dinner show with live music, visual attrac‐ tions, comedy, and magic ‐ on Satur‐ day, February 12 and the world’s best ELO tribute band on Sunday, February 13, we take a look back at some of the legendary acts that have previously graced the venue’s stage. Considered a benchmark for organis‐ ing large events, Benidorm Palace has seen the likes of Boney M, Sweet Cali‐ fornia, Ana Belen, Camilo Sexto and Raphael take to its stage, amongst many more amazing acts. Recognised as the most commercially successful continental European singer in the world and one of the top record sellers in music history, Julio Iglesias is one of the most iconic artists to have performed at the Palace. The incredible Louis Armstrong, American trumpeter and vocalist who is considered one of the most influential jazz figures with a career spanning five
ELO AGAIN: One of the world’s best ELO tribute bands are playing on Sunday evening.
decades across different eras in history, is also on the long list of iconic perform‐ ers. Not forgetting The Four Tops ‐ the American vocal quartet who helped de‐
fine Motown, glamorous disco singer Gloria Gaynor, English reggae and pop band UB40, American doo‐wop and R&B/soul vocal group The Drifters, St Helens born comedian and actor Johnny
Vegas, Spanish flamenco and pop singer India Martinez and British psychedelic pop group Consortium. With its long history and title of the best nightclub in Europe, it’s no surprise that Benidorm Palace has hosted some of the most recognisable artists from the world of music and entertainment, and its 2022 Valentine’s Weekend will not be short of the usual glitz and glam‐ our seen at this emblematic and award‐ winning venue. Tickets are available from the Benidorm Palace Box Office for €30 with an option available for chicken or fish and chips for €8. Terra takes place on Saturday, Febru‐ ary 12 at 8pm. Tickets are €34 to the show, €54 to the show and dinner, and €64 for the show and the menu Gran Palace Plus. Benidorm Palace is also offering a special Valentine’s promotion of tickets to both Terra and ELO Again for the show only for just €55. Upgrades for a meal are available.
For more information or to book tickets, contact 965 851 660 or go to https://www.benidormpalace.com/en/tickets
42 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
FEATURE
LEGAL OR LUDICROUS? LAWS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE BREAKING the streets of London. But a pregnant woman is legally entitled to relieve herself anywhere she wants! Finally, it’s illegal not to tell the tax man anything you don’t want him to know, but it’s perfectly legal not to give him information you don’t mind him knowing (umm, yeah. I think I’ve got that). Legal or ludicrous? Makes you won‐ der why all these daft obsolete laws haven’t been repealed. But then, the UK Government’s far too busy dealing with all the endless ‘partygate’ shenanigans.
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
DID you know Prince Charles couldn’t be charged for setting off a nuclear bomb? Well, according to a recent study, he’s exempt from sanction over a range of laws ‐ and also has special rights over certain ‘crown roads’. Problem is, nobody knows where those roads are! It’s all down, apparently, to the ar‐ cane constitutional position of the Duchy of Cornwall. This 700‐year‐old landowning estate, which provides the heir to the throne with an income, can’t be made criminally liable for con‐ traventions of certain laws which in‐ clude the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Nuclear Explosions (Prohibition & Inspections) Act 1998. Well, this started me thinking about ancient UK laws that have never been repealed (even though statutes may have rendered some obsolete). Among Nora Johnson’s opinions
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‐john son.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paper‐ back and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.
OBSOLETE LAWS: Why have they not been repealed?
the weirdest are the ones banning you low profile MPs broke this particular from eating mince pies on Christmas law. It’s illegal too to enter the Houses Day. Guilty as charged, m’lud! But if of Parliament wearing a suit of armour you lock me up, you’d have to imprison (and if you then sit down and die, at least half the UK population too... you’ve REALLY blown it.) Did you also know it’s illegal to die Other bizarre laws still in existence To read more articles from our columnists while in the Houses of Parliament? include a ban on firing a cannon close and to have your say in the comments go Which prompts the question: ‘How to a house, the use of any slide upon to www.euroweeklynews.com would they tell?’ if certain excessively ice or snow, or driving cattle through are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
Advertising Feature AS wholesale energy costs go through the roof, more and more consumers across Spain are choosing to power their homes with solar PV panels. Demand for solar panel installa‐ tions has been on the rise since the infamous ‘sun tax’ was abol‐ ished back in 2018 but the more recent hike in energy prices, due to wholesale costs, has led to a spike in homeowners opting to take control of their own electrici‐ ty generation with solar energy. Martin Tye, CEO of green ener‐ gy company, Mariposa Energía said: “We have seen enquiries for solar panel installations dramati‐ cally increase over the last few months. With the rising cost of electricity, consumers are realis‐ ing the huge benefits that solar panels have to offer. “By generating your own elec‐ tricity with solar panels you will make huge savings and see a re‐ turn on investment in just a few years. You will no longer be at the mercy of fluctuating energy costs or peak hours. You will have the
The Costa goes solar
MARIPOSA ENERGÍA: The team take care of the whole process for their clients.
flexibility to use your electricity as and when you want.” The Mariposa Energía team take care of the whole process for their clients from the initial survey of the property to the design and the installation, as well as the reg‐ istration paperwork.
All solar panel installations come with a 30‐year fully compre‐ hensive guarantee and mainte‐ nance support is provided al‐ though, as Martin Tye explains, solar panels require very little maintenance. “Installing and using solar pan‐
els is a very simple and straight‐ forward process,” Martin Tye said. “Each installation is tailor‐ made to suit the needs of the client based on their typical ener‐ gy consumption and available space for panels and, once in‐ stalled, only minimal mainte‐
nance is needed.” And it’s not just the cost‐sav‐ ings that are motivating con‐ sumers to install solar panels, there is also the environmental aspect. “It’s vital that we tackle climate change in order to protect the fu‐ ture of our planet. We are already seeing the effects of global warm‐ ing with an increase in weather‐ related disasters, rising sea levels and crop failures across the plan‐ et. We must act now in order to slow the rate at which the planet is heating up,” Martin explained. “Fossil fuels, traditionally used to produce electricity are one of the main contributing factors to global warming. By moving to so‐ lar energy we can cut the level of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere and do our bit for the environment. “What’s more, solar is a renew‐ able source of energy, meaning it will never run out. As long as the sun continues to shine we will al‐ ways have a plentiful source of this green energy.”
To find out more about solar panel installations contact the friendly Mariposa Energía team on +34 951 120 830, by email at info@mariposaenergia.es or by visiting the website: www.mariposaenergia.es.
THURSDAY 03/02
6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm
MONDAY 07/02
SUNDAY 06/02
SATURDAY 05/02
FRIDAY 04/02
7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 4:50pm 4:55pm 5:00pm 8:15pm 8:45pm 9:30pm 10:30pm 11:10pm 11:25pm 4:05pm 4:25pm 4:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm
WEDNESDAY 09/02
TUESDAY 08/02
11:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:50pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 11:50pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm
Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den The Apprentice BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather
4:15pm
BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders Would I Lie to You? Death in Paradise BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather
6:15pm 7:00pm
BBC London News; Weather Weather Live Six Nations Rugby Union Celebrity Mastermind The Weakest Link Michael McIntyre's The Wheel Casualty BBC News Weather
12:15pm 12:45pm 5:30pm 6:20pm 8:00pm
BBC News Weather Match of the Day Live: The FA Cup BBC London News; Weather The Queen: 70 Glorious Years The Green Planet Call the Midwife Chloe BBC News
1:15pm 3:35pm
BBC London News; Weather The One Show Panorama EastEnders Kelvin's Big Farming Adventure Chloe BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather
7:00pm
The One Show EastEnders Holby City Garden Rescue This is Going to Hurt Cheaters BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather Cheaters Cheaters
1:15pm 2:00pm 7:00pm
Party Political Broadcast The One Show We Are England The Repair Shop Who Do You Think You Are? BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather Match of the Day
12:15pm 2:00pm 7:00pm
5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm
7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:45pm 11:30pm 12:00am
9:00pm 9:30pm 11:00pm 1:45am
4:05pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm
7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
Back in Time for the Corner Shop Shark Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Remarkable Places to Eat Great British Menu Mary Beard's Forbidden Art
8:30pm 9:00pm
Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Winter Olympics - Today at the Games Your Garden Made Perfect QI XL Live at the Apollo Newsnight Weather
8:00pm 8:10pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
Rick Stein's Cornwall Live Winter Olympics 2022 Final Score The Young Victoria Winter Olympics - Today at the Games The Perfect Morecambe & Wise Fleetwood Mac's Songbird: Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac: The Dance The Light Between Oceans
8:10pm
Match of the Day Live Kelvin's Big Farming Adventure Live Winter Olympics 2022 Countryfile Six Nations Highlights Winter Olympics - Today at the Games Antiques Roadshow Last Woman on Earth with Sara Pascoe Sorry We Missed You
9:00pm
Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Winter Olympics - Today at the Games Mastermind University Challenge The Nilsen Files Couples Therapy Planet Earth Live: An Elephant's Tale
8:00pm 8:30pm
Politics Live Live Winter Olympics 2022 Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Winter Olympics - Today at the Games Great British Menu AstraZeneca: A Vaccine for the World Toast of Tinseltown
8:00pm
Politics Live Live Winter Olympics 2022 Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Winter Olympics - Today at the Games Great British Menu Inside the Factory The Mind of Herbert Clunkerdunk
8:00pm
10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am
1:00am 1:30am 2:00am
12:30am
1:30am 2:00am
9:10pm 10:00pm 12:00am 12:40am 1:10am 1:40am 3:05am
9:30pm 10:00pm 11:30pm 12:35am 1:35am
9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am
8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am
8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:35am 1:35am
Yes, Prime Minister The Secret Life of the Motorway India's Frontier Railways India's Frontier Railways Booze, Beans & Bhajis The Story of the Corner Shop Handmade Canal Boat Diaries Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain
5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
11:30pm 11:45pm
Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Wonders of the Border Coronation Street Secrets of the Krays ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London On Assignment
Sounds of the Seventies The Shirley Bassey Show TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992 The Story Of... Boogie Fever: A TOTP2 Disco Special Nile Rodgers: How to Make It in the Music Business TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992
2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:20pm 11:50pm
ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Live FA Cup Football ITV News ITV News London
5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm
Castles: Britain's Fortified History Around the World in Eighty Days Persian Lessons Parkinson: The Interviews Yes, Prime Minister Keeping Up Appearances Storyville: Out of Thin Air - Murder in Iceland Around the World in Eighty Days
5:30pm
The Chase: Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather ITV News London Celebrity Catchphrase The Masked Singer Ant & Dec's Limitless Win The John Bishop Show ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather Collateral
3:25pm 4:00pm 4:25pm
Secret Knowledge: Sir Derek Jacobi on David Garrick Kwame Kwei-Armah: This Cultural Life Elmina's Kitchen Imagine: My Name Is Kwame Africa with Ade Adepitan Upstream (Robert McFarlane)
12:05pm 12:14pm 12:15pm 3:30pm 6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm 9:00pm
ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather FA Cup Live Six Nations Live ITV News and Weather ITV News London Dancing on Ice The Good Karma Hospital Trigger Point ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather
3:25pm
Canal Boat Diaries Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam The Impressionists Painting and Revolution Britain's Lost Masterpieces Metalworks! - The Golden Age of Silver Metalworks! - The Knight's Tale Africa with Ade Adepitan
5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad Coronation Street No Return ITV News at Ten and Weather
4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm
Yorkshire Wolds Way with Paul Rose Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam Keeping Up Appearances Yes, Prime Minister The Secret Life of the Motorway Classic British Cars: Made in Coventry Metalworks! - The Blacksmith's Tale
2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 11:30pm
ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Wonders of the Border Brit Awards 2022 ITV News
5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
Yorkshire Wolds Way with Paul Rose Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam Patagonia: Earth's Secret Paradise Digging for Britain Storyville Africa with Ade Adepitan Yorkshire Wolds Way with Paul Rose
6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
The Chase ITV News London Party Political Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Coronation Street The Bay ITV News at Ten and Weather
3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm
6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:30pm 10:35pm 11:20pm 11:34pm 11:35pm
10:00pm 11:00pm 11:14pm
9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
12:05am
10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am
5:30pm 6:15pm 6:45pm 9:30pm 11:40pm 1:40am
5:20pm 6:20pm 7:15pm 7:45pm 8:45pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm
10:00pm 11:00pm
12:00am
10:00pm
A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Geordie Hospital 24 Hours in A&E Davina McCall's Language of Love 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown The Last Leg First Dates
7:30pm 8:00pm
Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Sun, Sea and Selling Houses A Place in the Sun Channel 4 News Independence Day Men in Black: International Central Intelligence The Last Leg
5:25pm
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging A Place in the Sun Chateau DIY Channel 4 News Luxury Holidays For Less The Great Pottery Throw Down Celebrity Hunted The Curse Gogglebox
5:35pm
A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great Cookbook Challenge 60 Days with the Gypsies Boobs
3:15pm
A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Geordie Hospital 24 Hours in A&E Davina McCall's Language of Love 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
3:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Katie Price's Mucky Mansion
5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
8:58pm 9:00pm 9:58pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am
8:58pm 9:00pm 9:58pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 1:05am
7:00pm 7:05pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 10:30pm 11:30pm
6:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am
9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am 1:05am
Neighbours Winter Road Rescue GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Update Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly 5 News Update The Teacher Gabby Petito Peter Tobin: A Life of Evil
9:00am
Winter Road Rescue World's Most Scenic River Journeys 5 News Update Susan Calman's Grand Day Out 5 News Update A&E After Dark Greatest 80s Pop Videos: 1981 Sting & The Police: The Biggest Hits
8:30am 9:00am
Holidaying with Jane McDonald 5 News Weekend The Queen and Her PMs Inside the World's Greatest Hotels Secrets of the Royal Palaces Posh Weekends with Sally Lindsay When TV Goes Horribly Wrong
9:00am
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 5 News Weekend Natural History Museum: World of Wonder Secrets of the Mr Kipling Factory Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun Hotel Benidorm Secrets of the Mega Cruise Ship
8:00am
Deadly Estate: Hailey Dean Mysteries Watercolour Challenge 5 News at 5 Neighbours Winter Road Rescue Catching Britain's Speeders Traffic Cops Warship: Life at Sea Casualty 24/7 Critical Condition
8:30am 9:00am
Deviant Love Watercolour Challenge 5 News at 5 Neighbours Winter Road Rescue GPs: Behind Closed Doors Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Yorkshire Files
10:30am
Watercolour Challenge 5 News at 5 Neighbours Winter Road Rescue Dream Home Style with Sophie Robinson You are What You Eat 22 Kids & Counting People Like Pus It's Your Fault I'm Fat Shoplifters: At War with the Law
8:00am
9:30am 2:30pm 3:00pm 5:30pm 8:00pm 11:30pm
9:30am 2:30pm 3:00pm 5:30pm 8:00pm 11:30pm
9:30am 1:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 6:15pm 8:30pm 12:00am
8:30am 12:00pm 2:00pm 7:30pm 10:30pm 12:30am 2:30am
11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 4:00pm 7:00pm 12:00am 1:00am
1:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:15pm 12:00am
8:30am 4:30pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:15pm 12:00am
Good Morning Sports Fans Live European Tour Golf Sky Sports News Live Pakistan Super League Live PGA Tour Golf Live Premier League Darts Chris Eubank Jr: Off Limits Early Kick-Off Good Morning Sports Fans Live European Tour Golf Sky Sports News Live Pakistan Super League Live PGA Tour Golf Live EFL Chris Eubank Jr: Off Limits Good Morning Sports Fans Live European Tour Golf Live WSL Live Netball Superleague Live Netball Superleague Live EFL Live Fight Night Live PGA Tour Golf Good Morning Sports Fans Live One-Day International Cricket Live European Tour Golf Scottish Premiership Live Live AFCON Live PGA Tour Golf Live NBA Sky Sports News Early Kick-Off Good Morning Sports Fans The Football Show The Football Show Live: Good Morning Football Live Pakistan Super League Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live: Total Access Live Ras Al Khaimah Team Challenge Live: Good Morning Football Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Gillette Soccer Special Live EFL Gillette Soccer Special Sky Sports News Good Morning Sports Fans Live One-Day International Cricket Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Gillette Soccer Special Live EFL Gillette Soccer Special Sky Sports News
The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
“W E must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” This quote by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel plays in my head on a regular basis as I navigate the world as it stands. We cannot sit in silence as people spout racist rhetoric and harmful generalisations about minority groups as all of these words add up to something much more harmful in the long run. People tend to tap out of difficult conversations because it “isn’t them saying it” as if this is a full absolution of doing any harm. It isn’t. I f a person stands by and does nothing while someone else is causing damage, they are complicit in that action. Platforming hate runs along those same lines. While free speech should absolutely be defended as an inalienable right, that doesn’t mean you have to give room to people’s prejudice on a mass scale.
CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD Making space for unfounded and unresearched bias to be replicated and reinforced across a large area with no kind of rebuttal is endorsing those ideas, whether the people doing it think so or not. When corporations do this under the guise of balance, it legitimises and endorses dangerous ideas to their audience. It is one thing to look at issues from both sides and make sure there is a balanced view, it is quite another to let people unleash baseless and unsubstantiated bile with an aim to stir up division. There should be an onus on both sides of the fence to have to back up their words with facts. Usually, it is on the person challenging the right-wing status quo to ensure they have perfect knowledge of an issue, inside and out, with examples and
3 - 9 February 2022
Silence statistics galore. The person upholding the broken system is allowed to blunder and blether through rants with no substance, sometimes not even any truth at all, with impunity. S ocial media is a big problem when it comes to this kind of hands-off approach to hate speech. After the Christchurch shootings, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Arden said: “ W e cannot simply sit back and accept that these platforms just exist and that what is said on them is not the responsibility of the place where they are published. They are the publisher. Not just the postman. There cannot be a case of all profit, no responsibility.” Their silence on the issue is complicity. People’s silence down the pub when someone
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.
tells a racist joke is complicity. Silence and removing yourself from a situation in which someone is causing
harm to another is complicity. If you are not challenging it, you are ratifying it. It is time for
EWN 45
people to start standing up and being vocal, as the idea that not getting involved is the same as doing no harm is dangerous. It also allows others to silently support the overtly hateful people and keep them going under the veil of fairness when it is anything but.
46 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
FEATURE
Business success and
t i r i p s y t i n u comm
FINE & COUNTRY: Sponsoring the Field of Dreams Football Club.
IF any further evidence was need‐ ed that Spain’s booming property market is back in full swing again after the pandemic, then the suc‐ cess of realtors Fine & Country, and their International Business Development Manager Nikki Wil‐ son, in Spain is just that. Opening 12 new offices in Spain alone last year, Fine & Country have also taken the time to get in‐ volved in the community, sponsor‐ ing the kit for Costa del Sol chil‐ dren’s team Field of Dreams in Calahonda. The Euro Weekly News caught up with Nikki at the football grounds where her son trains alongside tens of local children, to talk business, moving to Spain, and giving back to the community. Nikki, originally from Cuffley, Hertfordshire, but now living in Mi‐ jas, told the Euro Weekly News that Fine & Country, one of the world’s biggest real estate companies, has had one of its best years ever. She said: “Last year was the busi‐ est time for estate agents.”
Nikki Wilson of Fine & Country.
She added: “We opened 12 of‐ fices in Spain in one year, in Bena‐ havis, Estepona, Ibiza, Inland Costa del Sol, La Cala, La Manga, Malaga, Benalmadina, Costa Blanca South, Marbella, Mallorca, and So‐ togrande The company also has offices on the Costa Blanca North. Nikki added: “The brand has ex‐ perienced impressive growth across Spain and the Balearic Is‐
lands. With the inclusion of the new Ibiza office, representation of the brand can now be found in some of the most prestigious and up‐market Spanish locations.” Speaking more about what Fine & Country offer, she explained: “We’re a prestige brand, offering the best exposure, best presenta‐ tion and best service.” The company’s hard work has paid off, with Nikki explaining, “We are really growing at the moment with over 300 offices worldwide, these are exciting times for the company.” Speaking about why she had chosen to move to Mijas from the UK, Nikki told the EWN she had been coming to the Costa del Sol since a child after her parents bought a property in Marbella Old Town. She explained that being on the Costa del Sol had just felt like home for her and led her to buying her own holiday home before eventu‐ ally deciding to move here full time after finding she and her son, Tam,
nine, never wanted to leave when it was time to get back on the flight to the UK. She explained that it was this community vibe that was a large part of her love for the Costa del Sol, and made it such a perfect place to raise a child as a single par‐ ent. She explained: “It’s such a lovely place to be as a mother. It’s great for families and the schools are amazing.” She added that Field of Dreams was a community affair, with local parents and coaches coming to‐ gether to train the children’s teams each week, including head coach Matt Gore. Getting involved in that commu‐ nity vibe, Delete Fine & Country has just sponsored the team’s new kit. Alongside its local community work, Fine & Country have sup‐ ported charities in the UK and around the world, with the Fine & Country Foundation supporting homeless charities globally, raising a phenomenal £140,000.
The Foundation awarded £123,000 to charities via two grant schemes and other programmes towards the cause over the year ‐ making 2021 the second highest year on record for donations. Of this almighty figure, £92,000 came from agent contributions with Fine & Country agents gener‐ ously donating a proportion of their fee to the Foundation. In addition, £20,000 was raised through events run and organised by head office. A further £21,000 has been contributed by Fine & Country UK through a percentage from referral fees and marketing pack sales. With success both in business and in fundraising, Fine & Country have a unique understanding of the property market globally. Nikki said: “Many of the new and existing locations have seen rapid growth over the course of the last year after the effects of the pan‐ demic and Brexit caused many Brits and other European patriots to reimagine their lives overseas.”
For more information about Fine & Country, visit www.fineandcountry.com/es.
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM
47
TIME OUT
ia Victor
e Hayle
Q Emma
TIME OUT
48
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM
49
TIME OUT
TIME OUT
50
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM
IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK GO TO WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM FOR THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS
EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.
THE JOURNEY OF MY LOST PURSE IN MORAIRA There are really great people in this world and on this occasion it’s someone in the Moraira area. Almost three months ago I mislaid my small black purse, it only had €20 in it. However, I was still very upset I had lost it because it had my driving licence, my EHIC card, my NI details and my personal medical card that I have to carry with me after a recent illness. The address on the card was my address in Scotland. I am presently in Scotland and today I received a parcel from Spain, sadly no name or contact number. It was my little black purse and everything inside was intact. Just amazing and so much appreciated. I will be back in Moraira mid February and want to thank the person who very kindly took the time to send my purse and all it’s contents to me here in Scotland. It was a lovely surprise and I am so grateful. Thank you so much. Margaret
Brexit conundrum I get a pension from my work in UK Local Government, which is taxed at source. I declare this to Hacienda, who tell me that the tax should be reclaimed from UK and paid to them. HM Revenue & Customs inform me that with the current Double Ta-
From our Facebook
THANK YOU: What a lovely surprise and so much appreciated.
xation Treaty, this is not the case, and no refund will be made by them. I wonder if any of your other readers have encountered this problem, and come to a satisfactory conclusion, or am I just another Brexit case! Hugh
Parking problems? I fail to agree with the comments re ‘parking improvements in Torre
del Mar. How can the ‘new’ parking area between Calles Cipriano Maldonado and Acequia ‘ease’ the congestion and parking problems which are never-ending in the town when the very convenient Plaza Axarquia has been ‘demolished’ and is, apparently, to become a ‘pleasure park’? I assume those who make these decisions have personal ‘parking space’ elsewhere. Yours sincerely, Mrs P H
BORIS JOHNSON: Is he trying to save his job?
John Sidman No. Brilliant PM, envied by Europe, who are now trying so pitifully to oust him over a party and piece of cake. No wonder we came out of Europe and now let them fester.
Brenda Jones Of course the greased piglet is trying to save his job... The Guardian call him that and what a wonderful name. He slips out of any mess and most voters still think he’s doing a great job. They just refuse to see that he and his cronies are just sticking fingers up at all the gullibles. The rich are getting richer as usual.
Murray Wasik
70 YEARS OF SERVICE IT will be just a few days following the publication of this edition of Euro Weekly News that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of her Accession to the Throne of the United Kingdom. She automatically became Britain’s Monarch the moment her father King George VI died in the early morning of February 6, 1952 and she has reigned for 70 years through good times and bad. Not only is she the world’s longest reigning monarch, she is the fifth of all time and there is ever y chance that she will beat King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and Johann II of Liechtenstein, both of whom also reigned for 70 years. It would however be a miracle if she managed to beat the record of King Sobhuza II who acceded to the throne of Swaziland (now renamed Eswatini) aged just four months and remained in place for an
CORRECTIONS
OUR VIEW
astounding 82 years. So much has changed since Princess Elizabeth was born in 1926 and the now 95-year-old must look back in wonder at what has happened during her time. Who would have thought that three out of her four children would be estranged from their first spouses when George VI only became king when his brother Edward decided to marry a divorced woman? Morals and expectations have changed so much over the years that she must be amazed at the fact that even her own Prime Minister is accused of ignoring her government’s own rules whilst she had to attend Prince Philip’s funeral more or less alone. Hopefully the celebrations expected around the UK will help to cheer her up even as she waits to see if her second son, Andrew, is branded a paedophile in court.
Of course he welcomes the Met and probably suggested the enquiry, knowing that any criminal investigative information will be withheld from the public.
Alison Steele Absolutely he is.
Paul Skirrow Well done Boris more important things than a couple of wines.
Murray Wasik Johnson... the compulsive stranger to the truth will use every tool in his darker side of politic’s box to keep his job as PM.
David Walsh It’s delayed because Boris hasn’t finished writing it yet.
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
HEALTH & BEAUTY
www.euroweeklynews.com
By Clinica Britannia
New weight loss treatment THERE is now a new revolutionary medication available on the mar‐ ket, which when used alongside diet and exercise, helps control the blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes and also aids with weight loss in obese people who do not suffer with the disease. Importantly, it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) events such as heart at‐ tack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease. The medicine is injected once a week subcutaneously under the skin to the stomach or thigh area. It works by binding itself to the GLP‐1 receptors (digestive hor‐ mone) found in the pancreas, stim‐ ulating the release of insulin,
New treatment aids weight loss.
which in turn helps to reduce the amount of sugar released by the liver. This chemical reaction slows down the food leaving the stom‐ ach, leaving the feeling of fullness for longer periods of time.
Contact your General Practitioner who can organise for the necessary blood test to be taken and with the results determine if this treatment is suitable for you. Advice from a Nutritionist is also very beneficial as they give can advice and personalise a suitable diet plan for the maximum results to be acheived.
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 53
54 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
Foods that help to reduce cholesterol ACCORDING to the NHS, more than two in particularly important. It’s found in foods five people in England suffer from high such as oatmeals, sweet potatoes, and Brus‐ cholesterol. High cholesterol significantly in‐ sels sprouts. creases the risk of developing serious health Switching to wholegrain cereals, bread, conditions, such as heart disease. Lifestyle, rice, and pasta and rethinking your cooking genetics, and diet contribute to high choles‐ methods is key. Instead terol. of frying food, try With some small changes to your diet, baking, you can optimise heart grilling, health and reduce roasting, cholesterol. or steaming Experts rec‐ it instead. ommend eating Dietary sup‐ two to three por‐ plements such tions of oily fish as fish oil, garlic, (fresh or frozen) ground flaxseed, per week. and green tea extract may Salmon, mackerel, help to lower cholesterol. Al‐ Eat a healthy and tuna are great op‐ ways speak to your doctor portion of veg. tions because they are rich in before taking new supple‐ omega‐3 fatty acids. ments. Lean proteins like seafood and legumes To lower cholesterol naturally, limit fried are better than chicken. Aim for at least two foods, takeaway foods, and ready meals to servings of legumes a week, such as beans, once a week. The same goes for high‐sugar lentils, nuts and seeds. foods like chocolate and pastries. Cut your According to many doctors, consume a consumption of red meat to no more than maximum of seven eggs per week. three times per week, avoiding processed It’s recommended to increase fibre with meats such as sausages. fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Aim for With a few lifestyle changes and by incor‐ two pieces of fruit daily and at least three porating a few healthier foods, you can nat‐ portions of vegetables. A portion is roughly urally lower cholesterol and get on with liv‐ half a cup of cooked veg. Insoluble fibre is ing life to the fullest.
HARD water can wreak havoc on your hair. It makes it difficult to prop‐ erly rinse hair, causing product buildup. Buildup leaves your hair feel‐ ing like it’s coated in a greasy film, no matter how often you wash it, lead‐ ing to overwashing and further dam‐ age. Hard water turns colour‐treated hair brassy or gives it a greenish tinge. As a result, you may have to dye it
By Clinica Britannia
How to get your smile back I W A S always proud of my smile but after a recent skiing accident had to have two teeth extracted leaving an ugly gap on my lower jaw. What can I do to give me back my smile? Dental implants do much more than replace missing teeth and are most often the best solution for fill‐ ing that unsightly gap, helping to simulate the look, feel, and function of your own natural teeth. They help to maintain and strengthen bone structure in the jaw, provide the ability to chew healthy food, and give patients the confidence to smile, also whilst pro‐ tecting the existing teeth by preserv‐ ing the bone structure. Once a tooth is lost, several things begin to happen which are not nec‐ essarily noticeable to a patient and can have a negative effect on both health and appearance if left un‐ treated.
IMPLANTS: Often the best solution.
One significant problem is bone loss in the jawbone which can affect the stability of neighbouring teeth. Dental implant placement can help generate bone growth in the area around the implant, which not only strengthens the bone and builds sup‐ port, but can also alleviate the sunken look that can occur with bone loss in the jaw often found with people with dentures. Contact your Dentist for a check‐ up to see if a dental implant would be a suitable option to fill your gap and for the latest available offers.
Appointments Landline: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851 • 24H/365D Emergency Number: (+34) 607 255 755 • Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 9:00am / 5:00pm
Clinica Britannia Calpe Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe
How to repair hard water damage to your hair more often, weakening your hair even more. If your hair is showing signs of distress due to hard water, there are some at‐home treatments that can revive and restore your hair. Installing a water softener can solve the issue, although it can be costly. Alternatively, investing in a water softening shower head will remove
HEALTH & BEAUTY
the minerals in the water and make your water soft again. Clarifying shampoos can combat mineral buildup caused by hard water. Use it weekly to repair your distressed tresses. Follow with a hair mask to in‐ ject some moisture back into your hair. Hard water dries out hair, so a nourishing hair mask is just what the
doctor ordered. Since the minerals in hard water break down keratin, search for a mask that contains ker‐ atin. Hard water disrupts your scalp’s natural pH level, resulting in irritation and dryness. Home‐made hair rinses can help to reduce your scalp’s pH levels and nourish it with vitamins B
and C. Make your own hair rinse by adding a teaspoon each of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice to a cup of water. A couple of times a month, rinse your hair with the solution after shampooing and before a hair mask. Counteract the effect of hard wa‐ ter by eating a balanced diet and adding some supplements to your di‐ et. Vitamins C and D, are particularly effective.
56 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
www.euroweeklynews.com
SOCIAL SCENE
Cast your vote at the Fallas Festival Ninot NINOT EXHIBITION: A great event f or children and adults.
THE exciting Ninot Exhibition brings together hundreds of the ninots (figures) that make up the Fallas festival monuments and is a tradi‐ tional celebration held annually on March 1 to 15 in commemoration of Saint Joseph in Va‐ lencia. The origin of the Fallas comes from the old carpenter’s tradition of burning pieces of wood (parots) creating a bonfire. To this bonfire they gradually started to add old belongings and rags, which gave the wood‐ en structure a human‐looking aspect, leading them to become the ninots that we know to‐ day. All of the figures displayed at the Sciences Museum have been submitted by Valencia’s Fallas committees, in the hope that
their ninot will be saved from the fire ‐ despite the fact that only two are given a reprieve each year. The two ninots that receive the most votes will be saved, with the decision made on March 15. The exhibition will be on display at the Sciences Museum until that date, allowing visitors to vote for their favourite ninot. The Fallas Festival Ninot Exhibition begins on Friday, February 4, and will run until March 15. This is a great event for children and adults and a chance to see these amazing artistic figures! Prices: General admission: €3 Group of adults: €2 Reduced (four to 12 years): €1.50 Over 65 years: €1.50
SOCIAL SCENE
www.euroweeklynews.com
Anne-Marie Jarreau shares her art with the public BORN in Paris and trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, over 20 years ago artist Anne‐Marie Jarreau then chose to live in Finestrat where she continued painting and working with ceramics. This exhibition will boast a se‐ lection of works on canvas with oil painting inspired by the na‐ ture that its author lives and feels and reflecting her sur‐ roundings in Finestrat. The beautiful ceramic pieces are made of stoneware and repre‐ sent different animals. The name of the exhibition, ‘Shared,’ is a reflection of the main inspiration of her work ‐ to transmit emotions through painting and share them with the public. Anne‐Marie Jarreau has ex‐ hibited her work in different ar‐ eas of Brussels and has partici‐ pated in exhibitions in La Villajoyosa, Sella, Petrer and Finestrat. Now on at the Museu de Finestrat in the Parque de la Font de Carre, the exhibit will
Sharing surroundings.
be open for the public to enjoy until February 28. Opening hours: Wednesday from 4pm to 8pm Thursday and Friday from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 9pm Saturday and Sunday from 10pm to 2pm (The first week‐ end of the month will be closed.)
Alicante ‘El Carnaval’ celebrations 2022 THE ‘El Carnaval’ festivities are celebrated in Spain every year in Alicante, with its origins in ancient festivals in honour of win‐ ter, which were celebrated by both Romans and Greeks. The ‘Carnival’ party has become a festival full of colour and costumes that gives people a chance to dress up. Normally, importance is attached to the originality of the costumes ‐ the more unusual the better! From February 26 until March 1, the streets of many towns will be filled with fun, music, masquerade, processions, danc‐ ing and other activities to celebrate this long‐awaited annual festival. The carnival festivities are celebrated in the street and are the last rampage before the 40 days of Lent.
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 57
58 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
www.euroweeklynews.com
Michael’s Legacy AUDITORI Teulada Moraira will be holding an exciting tribute to the King of Pop on February 26. Endorsed by the Michael Jackson Fan Club in Spain as the best musical show about The King of Pop today, this is an amazing tribute to Michael Jackson created by the Jackson Dance Company. This exciting show is suitable for all ages and the audience will enjoy a carefully set design with tributes to Jackson’s original songs such as Beat It and Thriller. The company adds its own special touch to performances that are made up of dancers and singers with great live voices, as well as an excellent imitator with a great physical resemblance to Michael himself. The Jackson Dance Company has performed this large format musical show on television programmes such as ‘Tu Si Que Vales,’ ‘El Hormiguero’ and ‘Killer Karaoke.’
MICHAEL’S LEGACY: An amazing show.
This exciting show will be held on February 26 at 7pm and tickets are €20 each which can be booked via auditoriteuladamoraira.es, instanticket.es or by contacting Auditori ticket offices.
SOCIAL SCENE
A Compelling Performance PIP UTTON will portray the story of The Hunchback of Notre‐Dame, a poignant story of love, jealousy and betrayal, in his inimitable way. Utton’s professional train‐ ing clearly shows as he be‐ comes the hunchback. The dialogue undulates through‐ out: from slow, thoughtful and poignant to enraged, passionate outbursts. This keeps the audience engaged throughout which, for a one‐ man show, is no mean feat. It is a moving account of this broken individual react‐ ing to things which still are relevant today. Pip will perform one char‐ acter on two nights each week, over a four‐week peri‐ od at Javea Players’ Studio Theatre at 8pm. February: 10‐11 [Maggie], 17‐18 [Hunchback] and 24‐ 25 [Hitchcock]. Tickets €13, only available on the Javea Players web‐ site. Please bring Covid certifi‐ cate and a mask.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
DAVID WORBOYS
3 - 9 February 2022
MIDSOMER MADNESS
THINKING ALOUD IN 1962 I watched Darryl F Zanuck’s classic ‘The Longest Day’ in the Granada cinema in Ayles‐ bury. As far as I recall, the only ap‐ pearance of a woman was fea‐ tured on a photograph shown by one of the male characters to an‐ other. The 109 actors credited include just three women, all in cameo roles. This is hardly surprising, con‐ sidering the theme of the film, shot in France, was the 1944 D‐Day landings. In its military context, any‐ thing more than the fleeting ap‐ pearance of a woman would have been unrealistic, as there was only one woman involved and there was no scope for romantic encoun‐ ters. However, in today’s age of po‐ litical correctness and female equal‐ ity, this would have provoked an outcry from gender equalitarians. The basis of this assumption is the gradual evolvement of ‘Mid‐ somer Murders’ into a totally unre‐ alistic representation of village life
EWN 59
Chiltern Villages are still predominantly white.
in England. Response to objections to the absence of non‐white char‐ acters in the series has gone way over the top. In some recent episodes the majority of partici‐ pants in these sleepy Bucking‐ hamshire villages are of African, In‐ dian or Oriental heritage. I grew up in the Chilterns and for 60 years have been frequenting such picturesque villages as Ham‐ bledon, Turville, Little Missenden and Long Crendon where many of the scenes are shot. Even today the
only non‐whites there are likely to be tourists, often on the Midsomer trail. Even the neighbouring towns of Beaconsfield and Amersham, al‐ so featured, are predominantly white. In these villages, the fetes, cricket on the green and tea at the vicarage are still predominantly the preserve of middle‐class English white people. That’s just the way it is. Once the incongruity was re‐ alised, the idyllic village setting was
phased out. More recent episodes have drifted further away from the original rural theme of murders in a middle‐class English village. In order to accommodate the racial mix of characters, the plots feature much more urban situations. There are now episodes involving drug smug‐ gling, discotheques, brothels and business corruption. The point at issue is the denial of an element of English life, the por‐ trayal of which is in danger of being confined to the scrapheap. And it
seems to be the result of obsession with a distorted kind of equal rights. These villages require white actors and actresses. Has anybody calculated whether people with hazel eyes or auburn hair are ap‐ propriately represented? Even en‐ tertainment seems to be surren‐ dered to the interests of political correctness. Miscasting can be disastrous. Anybody who has seen King Henry VIII portrayed as a cockney thug (by Ray Winstone) or Mozart as a gib‐ bering idiot (by Tom Hulce in ‘Amadeus’) will know what I mean. It would not surprise me if there has already been a female Othello or a black Sherlock Holmes, It is not the casting of ethnic characters in ‘Midsomer Murders’ that is at fault. It is the miscasting of the villages. 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.
60 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
FEATURE
HOW TO STOP THINKING - THE NEW SCIENCE OF A LOST ART TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA
#TheWomanBeyond I’M all for rediscovering the ancient tools that can help us to be our optimal best. This one is brilliantly simple. How do we master the lost art of how to stop thinking? Patrick McKeown is one of the world’s leading experts on optimal breathing, in his book The Oxygen Advan‐ tage, he presents a simple yet revolutionary approach to improving your body’s oxygen use, increasing your health, weight loss, and sports performance ‐ whether you’re a re‐ covering couch potato or an Ironman triathlon champion. Patrick makes a remarkably interesting point, he says that we spend all our time in school learning how to think but that we’re never taught how to STOP thinking. Fact is, most of our ‘thinking’ isn’t thinking at all. We’re simply looping the same unpro‐ ductive thought over and over again.
Get this: According to a study done at USC, the average person has 70,000 thoughts per day. And, according to some experts, most of our thoughts are useless, 70 per cent are negative and 80‐90 per cent of them are the same thoughts we had yester‐ day, and the day before and the day before and before... You get it, that’s crazy. (Literally.) I get it, if I allow myself, my mind is full of useless nega‐ tive, ‘I’m not good enough’ chatter and filled with ruminations of how things are going to spiral out of control. This is really enervating. We waste a tonne of energy spinning our mental wheels ‐ creating more stress and anxiety and fa‐ tigue while diminishing our performance and well‐being. (Not a winning combina‐ tion.) So, learning how to STOP thinking is an es‐ pecially important skill. Patrick’s #1 tip on how to master the art of not thinking. Breathe. Simple eh!! But believe me it is SOOO powerful. Specifically, breathe through your nose. Deeply (but lightly!) into your diaphragm.
(One of Patrick’s Big Ideas I’ll share more in another column, is the fact that we all breathe way too much ‐ which, paradoxical‐ ly, decreases the amount of oxygen released into our cells.) For now: Breathe through your nose. Deeply. Yet lightly. And ahhhhh… Our mind has slowed down. All that wast‐ ed energy is recouped. Bonus tips!! Here’s two other ways to stop that mental chatter: #2 Put your attention on your body. And a final tip, #3 Take time to be present, immerse yourself in the present moment. Let’s think productively when we need to do so, and then get really good at turning the brain off. Give it a try, I promise you will reap the benefits. Let me know how you get on. Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment. Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #TheWoman‐ Beyond. Ignite Your Passion, Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Greatness!
A wonderful way to stay present is to practise some self‐care, put you at the top of your priority list!!! I’ve made this super easy for you with my 10 Day Self‐Care Challenge FREE E‐ Book, so why not join me and my team and loads of our clients for our 10 Day Self‐Care Challenge. I challenge you to try a new self‐ care activity for 10 days straight. I’ll provide you with easy self‐care strategies to try from day one through 10, all suitable for a busy lifestyle ‐ like yours. For more info and to receive your FREE copy straight to your in‐box, head on over to: https://quantumvantage.co.uk/ 10dayselfcarechallenge 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
@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen
tonieastwoodobe
sixsecretstosuccess
They are stark raving bonkers MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man SOMETIMES I think Governments have meetings and top of their agenda is ‘what can we give Mr Grumpy to write about? Well how about this one? A new UK Highway Code rule could see drivers fined £1,000 if they open their car door with the wrong hand. The ‘Dutch reach’ dictates that drivers use the hand furthest from the door to open it, with the general belief being that it ensures cyclists are not injured. Therefore, those sitting behind the wheel are required to use their left hand and passengers their right. Are they stark raving bonkers? I appreciate that you must be careful opening your car door but a fine of £1,000? Meanwhile I can’t find any rules stating that cyclists must also obey the Highway Code like stopping at traffic lights, not going the wrong way down one-way streets, stopping at pedestrian crossings or winding in and out of slow moving traffic. How about getting them to pay some road tax, having an ID number visible on their bike for when they break the law and being in-
sured? And they are being told to ride two abreast and in the middle of the road. Well good luck with that everyone. Here’s another little snippet I picked up this week. Post-Brexit, Spain is one of several EU countries that do not recognise the UK vehicle disability Blue Badge. Since September 2021 the Gov.UK website has declared that UK disability parking badges are not recognised or valid anywhere in Spain. Brexit really is the gift that keeps on giving. Everyone still happy they voted to leave? Still haven’t seen anything on the upside and don’t give me the ‘well we aren’t being ruled by a load of unaudited foreigners’ - it’s a total disaster. Emojis are the new way of life in today’s tech-driven world, but sometimes they spark more than just the right emotions intended. This holds true as a ‘pregnant man’ and ‘pregnant person’ emoji are set to make a dramatic appearance on Apple iPhones. Please, please stop it. You can’t have a pregnant man, end of. I don’t give a monkey’s what the PC brigade say. Turn it in, it’s becoming ludicrous. Who is actually OKing this crap? Someone has to stop this nonsense. The ‘pregnant man’ emoji looks like a regular bloke with a beer belly to me and that’s what I’m going to send to my fat mates. Can I say fat? Email: mikesenker@gmail.com
Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 61
Advertising Feature ENJOY your home swimming pool right through winter thanks to Swimhome, special‐ ists in pool accessories. With over 15 years in the business, the Swimhome team uses its industry expertise to provide customers with the highest‐ quality swimming pool prod‐ ucts at unbeatable prices. From railings to lighting, Swimhome stocks a wide range of accessories for your pool. One of its best sellers is its range of heat pumps. Using the latest technology, these heat pumps are resistant to corro‐ sion and sun damage, highly en‐ ergy‐efficient, and come with a WiFi controller. Another star product is the range of covers and thermal blankets. Thanks to their inno‐ vative design and high‐quality materials, these covers save customers money on pool maintenance and heat pump use. The team at Swimhome is
All-year-round fun with Swimhome home swimming pool specialists
committed to providing cus‐ tomers with the very best ser‐ vice possible. All products come
with a manual guide, local tech‐ nical assistance when required, free shipping within the penin‐
sula and on orders over €50, with a guaranteed warranty. Made up of a team of highly‐ skilled professionals, Swimhome covers all types of private pools, regardless of shape or size. Swimhome is known for its competitive prices. It currently has some tantalising offers so you can make a splash in your pool all year round. For a limit‐ ed time only, Swimhome is of‐ fering a Silen SP16 heat pump with 16kW inverter and WiFi control for just €1,750. It will even throw in a free GeoBubble pool cover.
HEAT PUMPS: Are highly energyefficient.
For more information about Swimhome products and services, pop into the office on Calle del Progreso, 27, Bigastro, 03380, Alicante. Alternatively, get in touch by sending an email to info@swimhome.es, visit www.swimhome.es, or call on (+34) 865 667 363. Customer services hours run from 8am to 2pm, Monday to Friday.
PETS
62
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2022
SPONSORED BY
Who’s going to cherish your pets while you’re away? IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a stayca‐
tion get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit
from staying behind so they can follow their rou‐ tines at home. So, plan ahead. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐ sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our phi‐ losophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a home‐ owner on HouseSit Match.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit ad‐ vert stating your plans for
SITTERS: Will look after your pets while you are away.
next year’s holiday Covid permitting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2022? 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 advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they re‐ spond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale)
Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter… HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter while we were away in Canada and we were de‐ lighted with the care and attention that HouseSit Match took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with sup‐ port at each step) = £89 pa
Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
Advertising Feature
My dog loses his balance and has his head tilted: Vestibular disorder in dogs SIGNS of loss of balance should not be ignored since they can indicate a serious medical emergency. The vestibular system is com‐ posed of portions of the brain and ear. It’s responsi‐ ble for maintaining our sense of balance. When Vestibular sys‐ tems go wrong, it feels like the world is spinning. Vestibular syndrome is sometimes incorrectly re‐ ferred to as a ‘stroke’. The signs you may see are loss of balance, leaning or cir‐ cling to one side, head tilt, rapid eye movements (nys‐ tagmus), reduced appetite and vomiting. Sometimes the loss of balance is so se‐ vere that the dog rolls over repeatedly. Ear infection, Idiophatic Vestibular syndrome, trau‐ ma/injury, stroke, brain tu‐
mours, brain inflammation, stroke are causes that can cause a vestibular syn‐ drome in the dog or cat. Metabolic diseases and in‐ toxications can also cause it, such as Hyperadrenocor‐ ticism, hypothyroidism, and metronidazole intoxi‐ cation. There are two types of vestibular disease: Peripheral vestibular dis‐ ease can be caused by a condition in the middle or inner ear such as ear infec‐ tion, perforated eardrum, and ear mites. Central vestibular dis‐ ease is typically due to a disturbance in the brain. Diagnosis requires a physical and neurologic ex‐ amination, blood test, x‐ rays, CT scans or MRI. MRI is essential if brain injury is suspected.
In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarinabaixa.com
ANYONE who is renting a property will know the struggle to find some‐ where that accepts pets. So what can you do if you have a pet‐sized hole in your heart, but a land‐ lord who won’t accept dogs or cats? More and more people are turning to fish as pets and they are great for peo‐ ple who don’t have space or time for more high‐ maintenance pets. With the right equip‐ ment and research, fish can make an ideal first pet for children, teaching them the responsibility of looking after a pet. Generally speaking, fish are easier and less ex‐ pensive to feed and care for than some other pets, but still re‐ quire the right environ‐ ment and knowl‐ edgeable owners. Unlike dogs and cats, fish never suffer from sep‐
DIFFERENT STYLES: Find the one that best suits your dog and activities.
Choose a carrier for your canine pet companion WITH vast selections of pet carriers available for pooches, it’s difficult to know where to start. First, decide what the carrier will be used for. If it’s only for car trips and to keep them contained while out and about, go for something lightweight,
easy to carry and pack and most importantly, com‐ fortable for your dog. If it’s for flying with your pet, check with the airline as they have strict regula‐ tions for pet carriers with size and construction re‐ quirements. Then choose the style
that will best suit your dog and activities. Standard hard‐sided carrier: Durable and rugged, the hard shell is easy to clean and offers more protection. Soft‐sid‐ ed carrier: The most popu‐ lar style for transporting smaller dogs.
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 63
Fish and tips aration anxiety or destruc‐ tive behaviours when left alone. They don’t need daily walks or litter trays and never have to be groomed or have teeth cleaned! As well as having a proven calming effect on anyone who watches them, they are quiet so you never have to worry about them waking your sleeping ba‐ by.
GOLDFISH: A good starting point and low maintenance.
A well‐maintained aquarium can be a great addition to any home and fish come in an array of sizes, shapes and vibrant colours.
If you’ve never kept fish before, please do your re‐ search and start small with a bowl or aquarium and low‐maintenance, hardy fish such as the goldfish.
64 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
AIR CONDITIONING
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
ELECTRICAL
SOLAR ENERGY
FLOORING
PLUMBERS
SERVICES
SERVICES
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022 REMOVALS & STORAGE
PLUMBERS
REMOVALS & STORAGE
EWN 65
66 EWN
3 - 9 February 2022
REMOVALS & STORAGE
www.euroweeklynews.com
SERVICES
SERVICES
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
REMOVALS / STORAGE
TV & SATELLITE
SOLAR ENERGY
INSURANCE
EWN 67
CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS
I BUY RECORDS 50’s to the 90’s. Best prices for good records. Tel: 622 750 117 / 962 851 809 (293823)
CARS FOR SALE
APPLIANCE REP. WASHING MACHINE BROKEN? Call Bluesky Repairs for ALL your domestic appliance repairs. 626 430 671 (Whatsapp) (292063)
BUY & SELL PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
CAMPING
68
CHARITY EL CAMPELLO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY - Life and Family Sunday Service in English at 10.00 a.m. and a Spanish Service at 11.45am. C / San Bartolomé 35 bajo, No.6 campellocc@gmail.com www.elcampellochristian community.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop - 610 63 94 26 (English) THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome. Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzim merer@hotmail.com, w w w. c e n t r o s a r o n . c o m (10008)
3 - 9 February 2022 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY
www.helpbenidorm .org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396. We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members. We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market. Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis. (288658)
CHURCHES If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
English church in Benidorm – check out our website http:// www.englishchurch benidorm.com (292067)
CLEANING SERVICES COSTA BLANCA AREA. EXPERIENCED & RELIABLE CLEANERS. WEEKLY & DEEP CLEANS, KEY HANDOVER, LAUNDRY SERVICES. 634 176 318 (292066)
DECORATING
GOLD WANTED
ELECTRICIAN
HEALTH & BEAUTY
MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www.mb electrics.es (291516)
FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
GARDEN MAINTENANCE Palm pruning & treatments. Palm & tree removal. Garden & plot clearance. CHANDLER GARDENS. Facebook & Instagram. +34 634 716 703 (292071)
KITCHENS THE Stonehouse Kitchen Company High Quality imported Kitchens at LOW PRICES www. stonehousekitchenco .com Or call Steve: 683 31 77 65 (292079)
COMPUTERS COMPUTER REPAIRS – Laptops/PCs Qualified Technician –648 065 224 No Call Out Charge No Fix No Fee andy@wizard-com puters.biz (290467)
INSURANCE
If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161
CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST, Philip Mann, clinics in Benissa, Moraira, Javea, Calpe and Albir. 686 912 307 (285241)
WIGS WWW.WIGS-R—US.ES Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. MondaySaturday 10-3. We also have Scrunchies, Extensions, Ponytails. Catalogue orders. Private appointments after 3pm. 681 049 502 (294518)
INSURANCE FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UPTO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHATSAPP TOO) OR VISIT www.sosinsur anceinspain.com or email tracey@sosinsur anceinspain.com (294212) BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@ beneficialinsurancein spain.com or visit www.beneficialinsurancein spain.com for online quote. (294254) MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 309, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 309 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)
CLASSIFIEDS STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www. abbeygateinsure.com
LAWYER/SOLICITORS SOLICITOR. CRIMINAL LAW, drug cases, Private investigations, debt collection. 30 years’ experience. Mob 697 834 934 office 865 970 169 spancrim law@outlook.com (294976)
METALWORK
www.euroweeklynews.com
A+ Occasions showroom Peter Zwaan Motorbikes Suzuki V-strom 650 yr 2004 17.000 kms Euro 4.200, www.CostaBlan caMotorbikes.com (292070)
RETURNING to UK? Need a van? Peugeot Boxer Dec 2016 335 L3H2 Blue hdi, RHD, 83,000 miles. Excellent condition. Rhino roof rack. €15,000 (or equivalent GBP) PX Spanish considered. Tel 697 624 618 victoriabran di@yahoo.co.uk (294578)
MOTORING
MISCELLANEOUS GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
MOTORING
petitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)
MOTORBIKES
MOTORS FOR SALE
3 - 9 February 2022
REMOVALS/STORAGE
CARS WANTED Quality LHD & RHD Vehicles bought & sold. All paperwork undertaken quickly & professionally. Immediate payment for all purchases. Mobile / WhatsApp +34 600 726 221 Office +34 965 687 976 www.fwreuro cars.com info@fwreurocars .com (294576) WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most com-
INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE, VHF / DSC-Radio or Radar Courses held in English invividual or small groups starts soon. 626 245 098 (294950)
PAINTERS/DECORATORS DECORATORS W.D. GILMOUR. Painter & Decorator. Established 35 years in Moraira. ESTIMATES FREE. Call William on 609 691 776 or 966 490 602 (294549) SOC PINTURA. House painter and decorator. All Costa Blanca North covered. Call 641 642 669 (292073)
PETS NEED YOUR PETS TAKEN CARE OF? Not kennels, just a friendly home. Large fenced area. 699 790 080 Altea (291399) PET / HOUSE sitting, your house or mine. Benidorm area. 637 160 545 (294755)
PROPERTY
PROPERTY WANTED RETIRED couple looking for long term rental in La Marina Baixa – prefer two beds. Needed urgently – call Janice on 0044 7736 251 800 (279523)
INSURANCE
STRUCTURAL SURVEYS MARK PADDON BSc Hons. MCIOB, CAAT LOCKDOWN REMOTE WHATSAPP VIDEO ADVICE available for reduced fee Tel: 653 733 066 / 962 807 247 www.costablancasur veyors.com (289671)
NAUTICAL
AUTO BASTIAN mobile mechanic. Tel 608 860 725. (293070)
EWN 69
TELECOMMUNICATIONS BENIDORM and surrounding areas. Two-man removal. 678 067 163 (292512) MAN & VAN for hire, cheap & reliable. Jalon Valley & surrounding area. Call/Whatsapp 636 100 873 (286328)
ROLLER SHUTTERS ROLLER SHUTTER REPAIRS, awnings, motors, mosquito blinds. Calpe + 50 kms. 659 464 992 www.tol dosalchemy.com (293808)
SITUATIONS VACANT
FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)
TRANSLATIONS SPANISH INTERPRETER for all your appointment needs, has car. Effective, Friendly & Affordable service. Call 609 679 808 (290313)
WANTED
BLUE SQUARE REAL ESTATE is currently searching for Sales Executives to work in the Javea area. A training package is provided and excellent incentives. Multilingual candidates are sought after. Please email hr@blue-square.com your CV (295078) WINDOW INSTALLER REQUIRED BY CRYSTAL WINDOWS WITH INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE IN SPAIN. SPANISH SPEAKING AN ADVANTAGE. PLASTERING & MAKING GOOD ALSO AN ADVANTAGE. 966 457 253 or email: admin@crystalwindows.es
XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing. READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE.
XXX MALE RELAXING MASSAGE FOR MEN - Mario qualified masseur in Alicante - Special Massage for Men - 7 days 10AM to 10PM - APPOINTMENTS visit: www. masajeyrelax.es/en or WHATSAPP 649 761 607 (294722)
XXX VARIOUS VIAGRA / KAMAGRA / CIALIS. BEST PRICES. FREE DISCREET DELIVERY. ALL AREAS COVERED. TEL: PETER 644 139 274 (295075) MALE/FEMALE viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs available, all areas mail order. 604 385 476. viagra4you19@gmail.com
70 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
MOTORING
Hyundai i20N a ‘pocket rocket’ setting the benchmark ROAD TEST by Mark Slack
IF you have a limited budget yet want an ‘interesting’ car, what do you choose? There are many excellent superminis on the mar‐ ket, but arguably many are trans‐ port rather than something to raise a smile. Well, Hyundai may have the answer with the i20N. The N range is Hyundai’s sporting line up and as my previous test of the i30 N proved they are incredi‐ bly quick, well handling cars, yet retain the practicality needed for workaday usage. Hyundai’s i20 prices start from €19,706/ £16,500 but the N, it’s a single model, with its 204PS, 1.6‐ litre turbocharged petrol engine costs €30,120/£25,220. This pock‐ et rocket will reach 62 mph in 6.2 seconds and is mated to a six‐ speed manual gearbox. No auto‐ matic option here. There’s real sporting pedigree to Hyundai’s N
range and the i20 makes for a highly entertaining drive. It’s a properly grown‐up performance hatchback. Launch control enables you to set up for the quickest standing start possible, it’s fun but in reality not really of practical use on the road. Enter some track days, which you could with the i20N, and it potentially becomes a much more useable feature. A more on‐road performance fea‐ ture is Rev Matching, which is ef‐ fectively double de‐clutching, that makes smoother, more sporting gear
changes. There’s a limited slip dif‐ ferential to aid quicker cornering, slightly lower ride height and an excellent power to weight ratio. However, even in ‘econ’ drive mode the ride is pretty firm, but you know what you’re buying in‐ to with this kind of car. This is not only one of the most entertaining cars for the money, but one of the quickest cross country hatches money can buy. Yet unlike many
MOTORING
www.euroweeklynews.com
cars of this ilk it’s perfectly comfortable on the motorway and longer journeys. It feels very grown up inside and doesn’t show any sign of budget cuts to fund its performance. There are some hard and scratchy plastics but it’s a much nicer interior than Ford’s Fiesta ST. Standard equipment on the i20N includes keyless entry and go, heated front seats, high beam assist, auto dip‐ ping rear view mirror, heated steering wheel, powered and heated door mir‐ rors, air conditioning, the list is lengthy and comprehensive. I am fortunate to drive many different cars but this little Hyundai is without doubt one of the most enjoyable and memorable. In terms of equipment, performance and fun for your money it’s pretty much un‐ beatable.
A most enjoyable and memorable car.
IN the coming months, im‐ portance will be attached to the anti‐pollution proto‐ cols of cities with the regu‐ lation and cars labelled B and C. B vehicles corre‐ spond to gasoline regis‐ tered since 2000 and diesel from 2006 and C ve‐ hicles are gasoline since 2006 and diesel from 2015. Low emission zones have been created in municipalities with more than 50,000 peo‐ ple, so many cities in Spain will be affected when they implement their zones. In these areas, vehi‐ cles with labels B and C have limited circulation. The new Traffic Law will enter into force on March 21 and from that moment the fines of €200 will begin for en‐ tering these areas with B and C cars, although there are municipalities that have a lower penalty charge. In Madrid, the Mar‐ tinez‐Almeida Town Hall has fines of €90 for those drivers who
3 - 9 February 2022
Car labels changed break the law. The low emission zones that exist in the capital of Spain are in the downtown area of the city, as well as the new Plaza Eliptica. In Barcelona the penal‐ ties for breaking the rule are €100, although they do
not apply to vehicles with a C badge. The anti‐pollu‐ tion zone covers an area of 95 kilometres, with the territories of Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Hospitalet, Sant Adria de Besos and Cornella de Llo‐ bregat.
EWN 71