Issue No. 1909
3 - 9 February 2022
Literally unique BENITAGLA in Sierra de los Filabres is Andalu‐ cia’s only municipality that has remained en‐ tirely free of Covid‐19. Benitagla has neither bakery, shops, bars nor pharmacy. Instead, resi‐ dents must wait until they can stock up on vi‐ tal supplies brought two or three times a week by delivery vans from neighbouring towns and villages. Local mayor Juan Padilla attributed the village’s amazing record to the sense of responsi‐ bility that has been s h o w n b y i t s i n h a b i‐ tants, most of whom are over 75. “We have been very lucky,” Padilla told an Onda Cero radio inter‐ viewer. “But the merit belongs to our residents who are very aware of what they should do.”
COSTA DE ALMERIA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
ALMERIA HOLDS KEY
Photo credit: Medgaz
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MEDGAZ PIPELINE: A pipelaying ship arrives in Almeria as construction starts in 2009.
FREE • GRATIS
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Gas supply solution THE key to maintaining gas supplies for an in‐ creasingly nervous Eu‐ rope in the grip of winter could lie in Almeria. As the US and Russia square up to each other, fears grow that Putin could decide to cut off Gazprom supplies to Eu‐ rope. Germany receives half of its gas from Russia while Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark re‐ ly on Gazprom for up to 90 per cent of their sup‐ ply. Spain’s nine million gas consumers are in a better position as Russia sup‐ plies only 10 per cent of the country’s needs. A quarter of Spain’s re‐ quirements are covered by Algerian gas which is delivered straight to Almeria City’s door at Playa Perdigal via the Medgaz pipeline that has been in operation since 2011.
The current situation could even breathe new life into the currently stalled Midcat project linking Catalonia with France, informed sources hinted. Reacting last summer to the closure of the Ma‐ greb pipeline that ends in Tarifa (Cadiz) following the bitter political dispute between Algeria and Mo‐ rocco, Medgaz decided to up its supply to an an‐ nual 10 billion cubic me‐ tres. The decision was taken by Medgaz’s ma‐ jority shareholders, Alge‐ rian Sonatrach and Spain’s Naturgy compa‐ ny, bearing in mind the increased demand. According to Pedro Miro, president of the Spanish Gas Association (Sedigas), Spain could, if necessary, supply up to 20 per cent of Europe’s gas that is at present sup‐ plied by Russia.
All agreed CONSENSUS and harmony were prominent during the Diputacion provincial council’s first plenary session of 2022. Important agreements emerged from the meeting, held via Zoom, revealed the Diputacion president Javier Aureliano Garcia afterwards. During the session, he thanked the 27 provincial councillors for their unanimity: “Dialogue and understanding are the guidelines that all politi‐ cal groups should follow, as this will benefit the province,” Garcia said. “We have to copy what is best in each party to boost ev‐ erything that this Diputacion carries out. Because of that, I thank you all.” Every one of the political parties represented on the provincial council backed Garcia’s intention of asking the central government to push through its “Coastal Protection Strategy for Cadiz, Malaga and Almeria.” This, all councillors
Photo credit: Diputacion de Almeria
SPORTS FACILITIES: Almeria will again see top-level sporting events like the Vuelta.
agreed, should treat urgent ac‐ tion and funding as a priority in Balerma, where the prome‐ nade and properties are seri‐ ously threatened by erosion. Neither were there objec‐ tions to the Diputacion’s €5.3 million Culture and Cinema ini‐ tiatives, focusing on providing cultural and sporting activities throughout 2022 for all of Almeria’s 103 municipalities. Another Diputacion project will focus on consolidating the
province as a location for film‐ ing while promoting the Inter‐ national Film Festival and pro‐ viding facilities for training courses, exhibitions and meet‐ ings with professionals. All provincial councillors ap‐ proved the €4.5 million Sports Plan ‐ 10 per cent more than in 2021 ‐ that will promote sport with top‐level events through‐ out the year, complemented with better facilities and infras‐ tructure.
Any ideas anyone? CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA Town Hall wants to involve its young people with the municipality’s social and cultural life. It hopes to do so with the ¡Tengo una idea! (I’ve got an idea) competition, asking them to set out their ideas for sports, culture and leisure activities. The competition, which is open to all young people who were born or are resident in Spain, has categories for the 14 to 20 age group (Modalidad I) and those aged between 21 and 30 (Modalidad II). The winner in each category will win a €500 laptop. To enter, send an email setting out an idea, or ideas to ju ventud@cuevasdelalmanzora.es with Concurso ¡Tengo una idea! indicating Modalidad I or Modalidad II, according to age, in the Subject box. Closing date is February 28.
NEWS
Carnival on hold HUERCAL‐OVERA Town Hall has postponed this year’s Carnival. The cele‐ brations have been moved from late Febru‐ ary to April 22 and 23 ow‐ ing to the current health situation, announced Cul‐ ture councillor Belen Martinez. “We hope to be able to enjoy the Carnival in April when everybody, young and old can take part in it, although this all de‐ pends on the evolution of the pandemic in our town,” she added. The announcement came after a meeting with representatives from the Peñas associa‐ tions participating in the Carnival events. All were in favour of the post‐ ponement, Martinez con‐ firmed. “The Carnival is a very popular fiesta in Huercal‐ Overa with a high level of participation,” Martinez said. “We want colour and happiness to return to our streets even if this has to be later than usu‐ al.”
Little difference THE present conflict be‐ tween Moscow and Kiev will have little economic effect on Almeria Province. Russia’s veto on fresh fruit and vegetable im‐ ports from Europe was introduced eight years ago in retaliation after the EU imposed sanc‐ tions following the an‐ nexation of the Crimea. This still remains in place, pointed out Alme‐ ria agricultural sources quoted in theSpanish me‐ dia. In 2014, Russia ac‐ counted for 4 per cent of Almeria Province exports, but in the absence of fresh European produce, Russia now imports from Turkey, Morocco and Is‐ rael.
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NIBS EXTRA Fairer fares CARBONERAS students will receive discounts of at least 50 per cent on bus fares be‐ tween the municipality and Almeria University, the town hall announced. It was es‐ sential to assist Carboneras’ students, said mayor Jose Luis Amerigo Fernandez, as well‐trained young people guaranteed a prosperous fu‐ ture for the town.
Strict rules SPAIN’S Official State Bulletin (BOE) has published a list of ports where swordfish catches using the longline method may be landed. This includes swordfish caught in‐ advertently, the BOE made clear. Only Adra, Almeria, Carboneras, Garrucha and Roquetas boats received of‐ ficial authorisation and they must unload at set times.
Jab-shy SIX per cent of Almeria Province residents aged five and over have not been vac‐ cinated against Covid, com‐ pared with Andalucia’s 4.7 per cent average. Health de‐ partment sources attributed this to “a greater presence of foreign residents, plus lan‐ guage and cultural barriers as well obstacles in accessing the vaccine.”
Budget okayed PULPI Town Hall put through its €13,658,000 Bud‐ get for 2022 with the ap‐ proval of councillors belong‐ ing to all parties. This year’s outgoings will equal income, revealed Finance councillor Juan Martinez, who ex‐ pressed pride in the town hall’s ability to balance its books to the benefit of Pulpi residents.
Dating game SPAIN’S National Statistics In‐ stitute (INE) revealed there are 1.52 unmarried males of 30 for every woman of the same age in Almeria Province. They have more choice as they get older, as INE found there are 2.31 unattached 65‐year‐old women for every male of that age.
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Emergencies at sea ALMERIA Province’s maritime authority, Capitania Maritima, handled 243 emergencies last year. On 124 occasions this in‐ volved rescuing boats that were drifting or immobilised by steer‐ ing or engine failures. Capitania, which is attached to the Ministry of Transport, al‐ so went to the aid of 68 precari‐ ous or overloaded vessels, re‐ vealed Jose Aranda Vasserot, the naval captain who has headed the maritime authority since 2017. He is responsible for coordi‐ nating Marine Rescue service, on call 24 hours a day, 365 days
Multipurpose Centre plans VERA Town Hall awarded a €920,983 contract for a new two‐storey Multipurpose Cen‐ tre in the El Hacho district. The building should be ready after the summer and the cost will be covered by the town hall’s Budget surplus, ex‐ plained Infrastructures council‐ lor Alfonso Garcia. The first floor with its exteri‐ or terrace and views of the Cerro del Espiritu Santo will be set aside for public use, Garcia said, with a municipal store on the ground floor. “This centre has been much‐ requested for some time by residents and will be located in an area that deserves first‐class services, as does the rest of the municipality,” he added. “It has been conceived with the purpose of hosting all kinds of occasions, exhibitions, cul‐ tural events, concerts, film shows and workshops.”
Photo credit: Capitania Maritima Almeria
OPERATIONS CENTRE: Jose Aranda Vasserot, director general of Capitania Maritima in Almeria.
a year and is also responsible for maritime safety. Captain Aranda also had to organise 11 evacuations from ship to shore during medical emergencies. Capitania also
went to the aid of four vessels which had run ashore, three that had sprung leaks and eight further emergencies involving leisure craft. The maritime authority also
prevents ‐ and fights ‐ pollution, which led to detaining an oil tanker in Almeria port last June. The ship, Captain Aranda ex‐ plained, had illegally discharged oil when 174 nautical miles (ap‐ proximately 322 kilometres) off La Palma in the Canary Islands. Almeria’s Capitania Maritima coordinated the entire opera‐ tion which also involved Salva‐ mento Maritimo, the Spanish navy and Almeria’s Port author‐ ity. The ship was eventually re‐ leased, but only after paying a €600,000 fine, one of the high‐ est yet imposed by Spain’s Mer‐ chant Navy administration.
Hands off our property! THE diocese of Almeria has claimed ownership of Topares’ (population 200) So‐ cial Centre‐Bar. The Church registered the property in 2014, via the 1998 Ley Hipote‐ caria (Mortgage Law) which allowed the Church to register properties in a diocese’s name, requiring only the bish‐ op or archbishop’s authorisa‐ tion. This was reversed by Mariana Rajoy’s government in 2015, but the Church regis‐ tered 965 of its 35,000 proper‐ ties in this way during the in‐ tervening 17 years. Vicar‐general Ignacio Lopez, maintained a tense two‐hour conversation with Alfonso Serrano, from Topares’ Her‐ mandad de Animas brother‐ hood who put forward the lo‐ cal population’s claim that the Social Centre‐Bar is municipal property. The Almeria diocese’s offer
to cede the Social Centre‐Bar for an agreed number of years was unacceptable, Ser‐ rano informed the vicar‐gen‐
Three victories for Victoria ALMERIA City mayor Ramon Fernandez‐Pacheco recently wel‐ comed Victoria, accompanied by her mother Isabel, to city hall. Aged 19, Victoria won three medals ‐ one gold and two sil‐ ver ‐ at the Andalucia Adaptive Swimming championships held last November. Victoria has Down Syndrome and explained that once she is in the water, she feels free: “It lets me be like everyone else,” she told Fernandez‐Pacheco, explaining that she trains for an hour three times a week. “I enjoy swimming, the atmosphere, the competitions and the travelling,” she said. “Last year I joined the Federation and the results have been wonderful, with three medals.” The mayor pointed out that Victoria was a good example of the benefits of sport. “This is a girl who is hard working and happy and full of dreams,” he said. “It has been a pleasure to meet her, talk to her and congratulate her on behalf of all Almeria residents.”
Creating equal opportunities THE Diputacion provincial council’s Agri‐ cultural Employment Promotion Pro‐ gramme (PFEA) is providing 2,700 days of work in Benizalon. At the same time the Diputacion is spending €357,000 in Viator and Pechina on improvements to streets, public ar‐ eas in both towns and the Viator school. Matilde Diaz, the provincial council‐ lor assigned to the PFEA scheme, re‐ cently visited the three municipalities where, accompanied by their respec‐ tive mayors and councillors she could see at first hand the projects that are
eral, while commenting to the Spanish media that it was now up to Topares’ residents “or a judge” to decide.
also providing jobs. The central government, Andalucia’s regional government, provincial councils and town halls all work together with the PFEA programme which this year has allocated €14.8 million to 238 projects in 87 municipalities under the Diputa‐ cion’s supervision. “The PFEA is one of the Diputacion’s most powerful tools, enabling it to carry out our two most important objectives of generating investment and employ‐ ment in small municipalities and creat‐ ing equal opportunities,” Diaz said.
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Taken for a run A TEN‐SECOND video went viral af‐ ter showing a Shet‐ land pony hitched to a moving car in Huercal‐Overa. Tak‐ en on January 27, by January 29 the Guardia Civil had succeeded in identi‐ fying the owner thanks to photos and information up‐ loaded to the Alert‐ cops app. To the indignation of those who saw it ‐ including viewers of state broadcaster TVE’s Mejor Contigo programme ‐ this showed how the pony struggled to keep pace with the car as the vehicle negotiated a traffic r o u n d a b o u t . Guardia Civil sources revealed later that the pony was in good health and had not been injured during the time it was tied to the vehicle. “The animal es‐ caped from its cor‐ ral and the owner had tied it to his car for the 200‐metre journey.” The Guardia Civil are now investigat‐ ing the incident and will remit their find‐ ings to the appro‐ priate authority, the same sources said.
and finally... WATER SUPPLY GUARANTEED. The Junta has authorised the €15.4 million investment that will be needed to supply Roquetas with desalinated water. “This demonstrates the regional government’s commit‐ ment towards guaranteeing the water supply for a munici‐ pality with a population of 100,000 that increases to more than 200,000 in the summer,” Roquetas mayor Gabriel Amat declared. “This is a historic request that was ignored by the previous Junta but is about to become a reality thanks to Juanma Moreno’s government,” Amat said, drawing attention to the regional government’s understanding in addressing Roque‐ tas’ needs with new water policies.
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NEWS
A moment to reflect....... Heart shaped diamond
FOR reasons that I’ll maybe go into later, I’ve recently had cause to do some deep reflec‐ tion. On one of the grey days so typical over the month of Jan‐ uary, I found myself looking deep into the purpose and en‐ joyment 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 mat‐ ters. As publisher of Euro Weekly for almost a quarter of a centu‐ ry, 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 chal‐ lenge ourselves every day to be relevant, to be in touch, to mat‐ ter, and to improve in many dif‐ ferent ways the lives of every one of those hundreds of thou‐ sands of people who spend min‐ utes and hours connecting 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 exist? How often do we take the time to tell the people around us just how much we care for them and appreciate the mas‐ sive contribution they make to
Euro Weekly, and the communi‐ ties we publish in? It takes the combined talents of over 60 people to bring each copy of Euro Weekly alive. And life is what we’re all about. Helping you make choices, giv‐ ing 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 Week‐ ly team, their wonderful efforts and hard work and the result of the love we all share for our newspaper Euro Weekly which we hope continues to be a small but significant part of your life in Spain, in good times and chal‐ lenging times! Michel Euesden C.E.O. & Founder
UK Jewellers Hancocks have announced their Jewel of the Month for Valentine’s is the beautiful Edwardian era Tiffany & Co. diamond heart pendant. With its elegant domed and rounded form, this stunning diamond is a substantial one inch wide and tall. It is fully pavé set with sparkling antique European brilliant cut diamonds set in platinum and backed with 18ct gold suspended from a detachable diamond set loop. The diamonds are estimat‐ ed to weigh around 3.8cts in total. The heart motif has been used in jewellery since
Jewel of the month.
the Middle Ages, gaining pop‐ ularity during the era of court‐ ly love. It is perhaps the most pop‐ ular and enduring of symbols and each era has found new ways to depict it and embel‐ lish it.
Expats and Modelo 720 ruling JUDGING by recent news reports, you could be for‐ given for thinking that Spain’s egregious Modelo 720 Worldwide Asset Dec‐ laration reporting require‐ ment is already dead and buried since the European Court of Justice (ECJ) de‐ clared aspects of it illegal on Thursday January 27. The bad news is the Mod‐ elo 720 will almost certainly live on in one form or anoth‐ er. The good news is, it will be a milder financial threat to expats living in Spain. The Spanish press report‐ ed it as a “severe blow” to the 720 form, and attention has immediately switched to how people can claw back the fines they have suf‐ fered at the hands of the Modelo 720 since it was in‐ troduced by the Partido Popular (PP) finance minis‐ ter Cristóbal Montoro back in 2013. Realistically, the Modelo 720 tax declaration form isn’t going anywhere. 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 Modelo 720 are expected to be much lighter, so it won’t be such a big risk for expats liv‐ ing in Spain. The Modelo 720 was in‐ troduced in 2013 ostensibly to clamp down on tax eva‐ sion and corruption and as the PP party at the time
stank of corruption, the law was introduced with an amnesty that basically al‐ lowed bent politicians and their cronies to legalise wealth with just a slap on the wrist, whilst expats with legitimate wealth outside of Spain were put in a risky sit‐ uation. 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 amendments take place.
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.
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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
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.
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Speedy births A WOMAN in Elche, Ali‐ cante, took just five min‐ utes to give birth to her four babies, who are all doing well at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The quadruplets were born on Saturday, January 22, at the General Univer‐ sity 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,
QUADRUPLETS: Were born in just five minutes.
Zineb Moubarak, had her babies in the 32nd week of pregnancy via a cae‐ sarean section and was as‐ sisted by doctors Enrique Gómez and María Velasco, resident Víctor Fuster, midwives Ascesión J Garri‐ do and María Miñano and neonatal nurses Anabel de
Nova and Susana España, explained the hospital. The professionals at the hospital monitored the pa‐ tient’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.
NEWS
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.
HMRC scam warning ACCORDING to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) more than three million people had not filed their self‐assess‐ ment tax return just days be‐ fore the January 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 anyone who is up to a month late, the second year running that they have shown lenien‐ cy. Campaigners have also
warned taxpayers that fraud‐ sters use the deadline as a ‘smokescreen’ to steal mon‐ ey, with HMRC in the past be‐ ing in the top five for most phished brands. Fraudsters push out false emails and text messages
claiming to be from HMRC and urging you to click on the link to complete your return. These are used to collect bank and personal details to allow them to steal money directly or to use your details to com‐ mit 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.
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Sergio re-elected
ITALIAN PRESIDENT: The 80-year-old has agreed to serve a second term.
SERGIO MATTARELLA, the 80‐year‐old pres‐ ident of Italy, has agreed after six days of often tense voting in Rome to serve for a second term. This decision comes after Mr Draghi’s wide‐ranging coalition government failed to agree on an alternative candidate for the office, after the eighth round of voting. The outgoing head of state had said, “I had other plans but, if necessary, I am avail‐ able,” 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 sta‐ bility of the country if he was to stay. Mariastella Gelmini, Italy’s Minister for Regional Affairs officially announced Mr Mattarella’s decision. The minister hailed the former Constitutional Court judge’s “sense of responsibility, and his attachment to the country and its institutions.”
Residency warning THE Spanish authorities have told British expats to ‘Get a move on’ with applying for residency. Over the last few months, fewer British expats have been applying for residen‐ cy 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 Par‐ menter, a British councillor in Spain has said the Spanish au‐ thorities are calling on Brits to step up and get their paper‐ work sorted. He also revealed that rules are now being enforced regarding how long people can stay in Spain with‐ out having the correct paperwork. He said: “My understand‐ ing is that the Spanish authorities 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 an‐ nulled, citing remarkable irregularities that need to be inves‐ tigated. According to the union: “The alleged irregularities are im‐ portant, so notable that the choice of the song that will repre‐ sent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest should be annulled.” They continue saying: “The different directions involved must urgently clarify how and who selected the Benidorm Fest jury. With the same urgency, RTVE must make public the minutes of the voting 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 re‐ lationship with the winning singer of the festival.”
Begum may seek return A SCHOOLGIRL from Der‐ byshire who has seen her ter‐ rorism 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 sexually exploited. Her original charges included download‐ ing bomb‐making instruc‐ tions. This latest court ruling could give new hope to Be‐ gum. Jonathan Hall QC com‐ mented: “Being both a victim of modern slavery and pre‐ senting 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 jus‐ tice measures in place, in par‐ ticular to deal with the terror‐ ist risk presented by children.” Begum’s represen‐ tative Tasnime Akunjee stat‐ ed: “Shamima has been argu‐ ing this from the beginning. “This just strengthens her case.”
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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.
NEWS
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.’
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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
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Warning to Brit holidaymakers ALLINCLUSIVE: But alcoholic drinks are now limited.
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.
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 destinations via the bud‐ get airline is given the following message: “Due to a change in Spanish law which affects cer‐ tain resorts in the Balearic Is‐ lands, alcoholic drinks are now limited to three per person at lunch and dinner as part of the all‐inclusive basis.” The change on some Span‐ ish Islands came into effect in 2020, to limit extreme drunken behaviour that affects resi‐ dents.
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Airline compensation PROPOSALS announced on Monday, January 31 promise fairer and simpler compensation rules for UK domestic passengers, which could see claims for delays of more than an hour.
The proposals are in‐ tended to replace EU rules that require compensation to be paid for flights de‐ layed by more than three hours. Currently, domestic passengers 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 pro‐ posals “aim to bolster air‐ line consumer protections
NEWS
Masks here to stay NEW RULES: Promise fairer rights.
and rights.” Under the new plan, which is under consultation, passengers would be entitled to 25 per 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 FAKE money scams are nothing new. Printing paper bills is rela‐ tively simple, but making coins from a material similar to the real thing is more complex. This makes fraudsters resort to real foreign coins, passing them off as euro coins ‐ although logically they are not legal tender in Spain and their value is also much lower. The Guardia Civil has warned of these scams on its social me‐ dia pages. The coins, very similar to the European ones, come from Argentina, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Ja‐ maica. The value of these coins can be less than a cent, and the most expensive ‐ Jamaican dollars ‐ barely reach €0.11. Some characteristics that make them very similar to the eu‐ ro 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.
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 ex‐ plained: “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 toiletries in plastic bags, maybe we’ll have to live with masks for a while longer.”
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 promot‐ ing Amazon on his official Twitter account to his 76,000 followers on Sun‐ day, January 30. He also pushed the offer 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 con‐ tinued broadcasting of the Joe Rogan Experience pod‐ cast. He has removed all his music, and is boycotting the platform, insisting that its controversial anti‐vac‐ cine podcaster Rogan is pushing disinformation about the vaccines. 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.
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NEWS
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.
Extremadura stops reporting EXTREMADURA has become the first autonomous commu‐ nity in Spain to stop reporting daily numbers of Covid cases. The regional 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 at‐ tention on the seriously ill. The decision has been made in parallel with the central government’s plan to treat Covid as a seasonal illness like the flu, something that has sparked criticism from the European Medicines Agency and some doctors, who believe that it is still too early for such measures.
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NEWS
UK unsafe for LGBT+ Disease warning
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.
ACCORDING to re‐ searchers in the UK and Australia, around 300,000 Brits are liv‐ ing with a stealth dis‐ ease that could kill within five years. Many people are unaware 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 begins to narrow. Some people do not suffer from any symp‐ toms, so are com‐ pletely unaware they have the disease. Aor‐ tic valve stenosis is more common in peo‐ ple who have high blood pressure, dia‐ betes or who are in a higher age range. The Australian and UK scientists set out
to discover how many people have the con‐ dition. They also aimed to calculate how many people could be at risk of dy‐ ing. The scientists calcu‐ lated that at any one time around 300,000
people in the UK would have the dis‐ ease. Only two thirds of these people would show symp‐ toms. In many people, the disease would be silent and would not be diagnosed until it is too late.
Dog found after 6 years AN emotional video of a missing dog being reunit‐ ed 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 coming home. The video went viral on social media.
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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.”
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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?
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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.
NEWS
Ukraine gas threat Supplies gas to Europe.
ONE out of every four European homes are heated by gas that travels through Ukraine, meaning that a cut to the supply would leave half of Europe without heating in t h e m i d d l e o f w i n‐ ter. 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 European homes is heated by the Russian gas that passes through Ukraine. In 2021, Gazprom extracted 514,800 million cubic metres 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 depen‐ dence with Europe. In 2021, Russia began to turn to China as an alterna‐ tive to its depen‐ dence on the Euro‐ pean Union. Last May, Gazprom signed an agree‐ ment with the Asian giant. Russia has used these commercial relations as a geopolitical weapon to try to destabilise Brussels by prioritis‐ ing the supply to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline over the supply to Europe.
EUROPEAN PRESS
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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.
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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.
24
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.
26 EWN
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3 - 9 February 2022
LONDON - FTSE 100
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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/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES 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 27
30 EWN
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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.
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
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
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‐
FEATURE
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‐
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.
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.
32 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.
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.
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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-
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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
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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
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3 - 9 February 2022
How to repair hard water damage to your hair HARD water can wreak hav‐ oc on your hair. It makes it difficult to properly rinse hair, causing product buildup. Buildup leaves your hair feeling like it’s coated in a greasy film, no matter how often you wash it, leading to overwashing and further damage. Hard water turns colour‐ treated hair brassy or gives it a greenish tinge. As a result, you may have to dye it 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 the miner‐ als in the water and make your water soft again. Clari‐ fying shampoos can combat mineral buildup caused by hard water. Use it weekly to
repair your distressed tress‐ es. Follow with a hair mask to inject some moisture back into your hair. Hard water dries out hair, so a nourish‐ ing hair mask is just what the doctor ordered. Since the minerals in hard water break down keratin, search for a mask that contains keratin. Hard water disrupts your scalp’s natural pH level, re‐ sulting in irritation and dry‐ ness. Home‐made hair rins‐ es 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 wa‐ ter. A couple of times a month, rinse your hair with the solution after shampoo‐ ing and before a hair mask. Counteract the effect of hard water by eating a bal‐ anced diet and adding some supplements to your diet. Vitamins C and D, are partic‐ ularly effective.
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
4 steps to get set for spring SPRING season is the perfect time to shake up your routine and pre‐ pare your body for the summer months, as we enter the warmer weather and restrictions begin to ease, its the perfect time to re‐ vamp for 2022. • Buff your body Doing a weekly body exfoliation and moisturising routine before bed is the perfect way to prep the skin and scrub away all that dirt, sebum, and the build‐up of dead skin cells ‐ letting the radiance show through again. Use a body brush or exfoliating gel in the shower one night a week, it’s a very good way to care for your body and get circulation going. Use a gentle scrub or exfoliating serum on your face and then wash it away with your cleanser and warm water. Apply a hydrating cream or serum and leave it to work overnight. Don’t forget to care for those dry lips and hands! • Exercise, exercise, exercise! This doesn’t mean you have to turn into a gym bunny, getting out for a 30‐minute brisk walk each
GETTING PREPARED: Now is the perfect time to revamp for the spring of 2022.
day is good enough to get the blood flowing again and releasing those endorphins. Getting outside is a great way to restore vitamin D and will make you feel healthier and happier ‐ especially as the mornings and nights start getting lighter. • Get your brows done Giving your brows the right shape and a little arch will open up the whole eye area and make your
face look more fresh. Going to a professional is usually the first place to start, then you can main‐ tain the shape at home with your trusty tweezers. • Try a new lip colour Bold lips have become a staple for make‐up looks recently, and spring is a great time to play with fun, vibrant shades. There’s a huge variety of matt, glossy and shim‐ mery shades to suit all skin colours.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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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 of frying food, try terol. baking, grilling, roast‐ With some small changes to your diet, ing, or steam‐ you can optimise heart health and reduce ing it in‐ cholesterol. stead. Experts recom‐ Dietary mend eating supple‐ two to three ments such portions of oily as fish oil, gar‐ fish (fresh or lic, ground frozen) per week. flaxseed, and Salmon, mackerel, green tea extract and tuna are great may help to lower choles‐ Eat a healthy options because they terol. Always speak to your portion of veg. are rich in omega‐3 fatty doctor before taking new acids. supplements. 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.
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3 - 9 February 2022
Silence
CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD “WE 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. If 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. Making space for unfounded and unresearched bias to be replicated and reinforced across a large area with no kind of rebuttal is endors-
ing 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 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. Social 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: “We 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 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 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. 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.
FEATURE
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT TONY NOBLE WELL the party sea‐ son is over for another year, I hope you all had a won‐ derful time and supplies lasted, nothing is worse than running out of wine or beer mid‐way through a good party. Unfortu‐ nately, that’s just what hap‐ pened at a wedding party that Je‐ sus attended. His mother came to him and said “They have no more wine” this story is well‐ known as Jesus turned water in‐ to wine. This is the first miracle that Jesus performed and was in‐ tended to show His glory. This story however is not so much about wine, but you and me and Jesus as part of our lives. Too often we think we are the masters of our own destiny and we can manage on our own but that illusion is shattered when the wine runs out and we have no place to go to replenish it, that is the day when the truth is revealed
and we realise that Jesus is an in‐ trinsic part of our lives. He trans‐ forms our lives, He takes the tasteless and colourless and turns them into a richness that tingles on our tongues. Jesus will never intrude in our lives, He doesn’t want to be where He’s not wanted, but when He hears our call, He will be with us for as long as we want Him. Never be guilty of attempt‐ ing to exclude Jesus from any ar‐ eas of life, by virtue of His sacrifice on the cross, He deserves inclu‐ sion in all we do and all we are. Life doesn’t always go to plan, we all have problems in our lives, some larger than others. This is life, but how comforting it is to know that when our problems do come, we can take them to Jesus. Those around us may not see our worries, but Jesus does, He under‐ stands our pain and feels our need. Mary said, “They have no wine,” but they will. The miracle always begins when the wine runs out.
To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com Tony Noble’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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
NEWS
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3 - 9 February 2022
GO LOCAL THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support lo‐ cal businesses in the community by shop‐ ping locally in recent times. Now things are heading back to nor‐ mal, we challenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonder‐ fully quirky indepen‐ dent businesses in your area. Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities what they are. They add unique character. They are convenient. And they offer excellent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping locally means that independent busi‐ nesses can support the local community. You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually go‐ ing? By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local family’s table and there is nothing better than giving back to the communities that have given us so much. Local stores support charities and they sponsor
BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.
local sports teams. In many cases, they are much more than just a business, they’re a lega‐ cy. They may have sup‐ ported generations of the same family. Like‐ wise, brand new local stores and bars may help the generations of the future fulfil their dreams and ambitions. Remember, your local store is going up against multinationals and chains. They can’t win that battle on their own. So give them your support. Spending your money locally will make a real difference to the local economy. Local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro they receive at lo‐ cal level. They create locally owned supply chains and they invest in their employees. So remem‐ ber. When you go shop‐ ping ‐ go local!
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PETS
Who’s going to cherish your pets while you’re away? I F you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are al‐ ready making plans for a staycation get a w a y . Ev e n i f y o u a r e planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t trav‐ el with some pets. Young pets in particu‐ lar 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 philoso‐ phy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on House Sit Match.com 2. Choose a Premi‐ um 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 advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permit‐ ting Do you need a pet‐ sitter in 2022? Then get started right now. How does it work? HouseSitMatch can
SITTERS: Will look after your pets while you are away.
help you find suitable sitters. Join our net‐ work for a small annu‐ al fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holi‐ day. House‐sitters see your advert, they re‐ spond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimo‐ nials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excel‐ lent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what mem‐ bers 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 delight‐ ed with the care and attention that Hous‐ eSit Match took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join? Please register on‐ line via our website www.Housesitmatch.c om ‐ Choose a member‐ ship plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to se‐ cure these prices: • Standard (DIY op‐ tion) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa
Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.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 people 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 knowledgeable owners. Unlike dogs and cats,
Fish and tips fish never suffer from separation anxiety or de‐ structive 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
GOLDFISH: A good starting point and low maintenance.
your sleeping baby. 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.
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CHURCHES LOCAL ANGLICAN (C of E) church services at Mojacar Los Llanos Del Peral and Alhambra. Communion every Sunday in Mojacar at 11am. Communion at Los Llanos every Sunday except the last Sunday in the month when there will be Prayer and Praise all at 11am. The Alhambra service has moved to the Peruvian church in Albox and Communion is held on the second Thursday of the month at 11am. Priest in charge Rev Vincent ORAM. For further information, please go to The Anglican Chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Calida web page. Or contact Tony Noble 950 069 103. (10002) TURRE EVANGELICAL CHURCH We meet every Sunday at 10.30. For worship. We believe you’ll find us ‘relaxed’, welcoming’ and ‘informal’. Find us on Turre’s main street, towards the motorway at the far end on the left. To know more contact 617 614 156 (10021) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - Why not make this year the year you volunteer? Call and see how you can help either as a caseworker (with
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full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.british legion.org.uk/counties/ spain-north ZURGENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at The Heathers La Alfoquia, for further details please email zurgenar blsecretary@yahoo.co.uk - (253989)
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ROAD TEST by Mark Slack IF you have a limited bud‐ get yet want an ‘interest‐ ing’ car, what do you choose? There are many excellent superminis on the market, but arguably many are transport rather than something to raise a smile. Well, Hyundai may have the an‐ swer with the i20N. The N range is Hyundai’s sporting line up and as my previous test of the i30 N proved they are incredibly 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 tur‐ bocharged petrol engine costs €30,120/£25,220. This pocket rocket will reach 62 mph in 6.2 sec‐ onds and is mated to a
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Hyundai i20N a ‘pocket rocket’ setting the benchmark
A most enjoyable and memorable car.
Facts at a Glance Model: Hyundai i20N Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol Gears: 6-Speed manual Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 6.2 seconds/Maximum Speed 230 kph (143 mph) Economy: 7.0l/100km (40.4 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP) Emissions: 158 g/km (WLTP) Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.
six‐speed manual gearbox. No automatic 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 perfor‐ mance hatchback. Launch control enables you to set up for the quickest standing start
possible, it’s fun but in re‐ ality not really of practical use on the road. Enter some track days, which you could with the i20N, and it po‐ tentially becomes a much more use‐ able feature. A more on‐road per‐ formance feature is Rev Matching, which is effectively double de‐clutching, that makes smoother, more sporting gear changes. There’s a limited slip differential to aid quicker cornering, slightly lower ride height and an excel‐ lent power to weight ra‐ tio. However, even in ‘econ’ drive mode the ride is pretty firm, but you know what you’re buying into with this kind of car.
MOTORING
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 cars of this ilk it’s perfectly com‐ fortable 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 dipping rear view mirror, heated steering wheel, powered and heat‐ ed door mirrors, air condi‐ tioning, the list is lengthy and comprehensive. I am fortunate to drive many different cars but this little Hyundai is with‐ out doubt one of the most enjoyable and mem‐ orable. In terms of equip‐ ment, performance and fun for your money it’s pretty much unbeatable.
MOTORING
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Drivers with glasses warned
THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) in Spain is de‐ termined to make the road networks of the country a safe place to circulate. It is constantly preparing actions and campaigns to monitor the behaviour of drivers, and to encourage safer roads. The DGT is dedicated to im‐ plementing new technologies to improve road safety. New radars, for example, are capa‐ ble of fining intelligently, and are designed to encourage drivers to respect the legal speed limits. Another field where the emphasis is placed on the personal safety of drivers is eyesight. In order to obtain a driving licence, it is necessary to meet a series of require‐ ments related to people’s physical abilities, and this in‐ cludes their sight. According to recent re‐ ports, visual defects are one of the most common disor‐ ders in Spain. Nearly 80 per cent of people over the age of 18 show some type of vision‐ related problem, a fact that
EYESIGHT: Visual defects are common.
translates to driving. Eyesight is directly related to the visual field, or the ability to distin‐ guish objects while driving. As a result, the DGT has de‐ veloped a series of tips and warnings for drivers who need to wear glasses or con‐ tact lenses, and thus improve related road safety when be‐ hind the steering wheel of a vehicle. • Drivers must always wear their glasses or contact lenses when driving, to improve vi‐ sion. • If a driver uses close‐up
glasses for steering, they must use progressive ones to better see the vehicle’s information box. • When a driver needs any of these elements to drive at night, it is better to avoid driv‐ ing in hours of darkness. • When a driver takes any drug that can alter their vi‐ sion, they must follow medi‐ cal advice and, in addition, avoid driving. • The DGT prohibits driving after an ophthalmological ex‐ amination, when the pupils could be dilated.
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EWN 53
Car labels change
IN the coming months, im‐ portance will be attached to the anti‐pollution protocols of cities with the regulation and cars labelled B and C. B vehicles correspond to gaso‐ line registered since 2000 and diesel from 2006 and C vehicles are gasoline since 2006 and diesel from 2015. Low emission zones have been created in municipali‐ ties with more than 50,000 people, so many cities in Spain will be affected when they implement their zones. In these areas, vehicles with labels B and C have lim‐ ited circulation. The new Traffic Law will
enter into force on March 21 and from that moment the fines of €200 will begin for entering these areas with B and C cars, although there are municipalities that have a lower penalty charge. In Madrid, the Martinez‐ Almeida Town Hall has fines of €90 for those drivers who break the law. The low emis‐ sion zones that exist in the capital of Spain are in the downtown area of the city, as well as the new Plaza Elip‐ tica. In Barcelona the penalties for breaking the rule are €100, although they do not apply to vehicles with a C
NEW LABELS: Vehicles will have limited circulation.
badge. The anti‐pollution zone covers an area of 95 kilometres, with the territo‐ ries of Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Hospitalet, Sant Adria de Besos and Cornella de Llobregat.
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SPORT
DID YOU THINK YOU’D PLAY New F1 rules FOOTBALL AGAIN? YOU CAN THE Almeria region is blessed with three Walking Football teams and they invite you to join them at their sessions where you can ‘live the dream’ again. Walking Football is very much like ‘normal football’ ex‐ cept you are not allowed to run and no physical contact. This is the ideal way to get rid of the excess kilos from the fes‐ tive season. For over 50s it is beneficial for physical and men‐ tal health and it is the fastest growing sport in Europe and has clubs throughout Spain. There are sessions at Turre (Mojacar), Lubrin and Alfoquia. All the clubs are members of the Walking Football Associa‐ tion of Iberia (WFAI). So why not have a go and you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll enjoy it while you learn to ‘walk not run’. This week Los Amigos is our
LOS AMIGOS: The club has more than 40 members. featured team. Founded in 2015 by a group of old boys who wanted to play football again and decided to give walking football a try after seeing how the sport was tak‐ ing off in the UK. Originally playing at Los Gal‐ lardos they were forced to move due to Covid restrictions and now play at Turre where the local council give the club much assistance. In return the club raise funds to help the local charity ‘Turre Civil Protection’.
The club has more than 40 members with around 20 at‐ tending Monday morning ses‐ sions where trainer/coach Guy Baker looks after fitness, gener‐ al health and well‐being. New members are supplied with full training kit and in addi‐ tion to walking football mem‐ bers enjoy a great social scene with like‐minded people includ‐ ing quizzes, lads nights out and other sporting activities such as golf and padel. Interested? Contact david
muirhead58@gmail.com. In the Lubrin area contact philholme2@gmail.com or in the Alfoquia area keithrayn er@hotmail.com Read more about walking football in the Euro Weekly News. Make sure you get YOUR copy. For further info on the clubs and other clubs playing walking football in Spain and Portugal check out the WFAI website at www.wfai.info or apalmar 2011@hotmail.com.
AT the start of each F1 season, rules are updated. Yet, 2022 is different, as the rule book has been completely re‐ vamped. Mercedes Technical Director James Allison said that he believes some teams will have “painful seasons” as they struggle to adapt to overhauled regulations. Rules are changed each year to make the sport more competitive and exciting, but also safer. This year, there are major changes to the car’s mechanics and aerodynam‐ ics that will force some teams to completely redesign their vehicles. The scale of the changes is what Allison fears may have wrong‐stepped some teams, who may have got their preparations for the new season “badly wrong.” He says: “The rule set is not only enormous, the regula‐ tions are about twice the size of what’s preceded them, but they’re all almost entirely different from what came before them. That has meant we’ve had to redesign the car from tip to toe.” The German team added an eighth consecutive Constructors’ Championship in 2021, a period of unprecedented success since the last major changes to car design in 2014.
F1 RULES: Have been given a complete overhaul.